Rally - Granite reports

For the third year in a row, the Granite City Rally will have no facilities for attending members of the Press. No information has been made available other than what is on their website so this might have an impact on the ‘Jaggy Bunnet’ post-event reporting service!

However it  would appear that JB has every intention of being there (as he has in the past), as a spectator, but this might curtail his ability to get all the news, gossip, scandal and funny stories that is his staple diet of rally reporting.

On that basis, on-event reporting this weekend may well be rather less comprehensive than usual and it remains to be seen how much information can be gleaned with limited access.

Rally organisers have every right to limit access to their events and in light of the ongoing Safety Review Group one can understand their caution. Goodness knows all rally organisers are now under severe scrutiny, increased workload and have added responsibility, but my own concerns are that a sport that was instigated originally for competitors is now being subverted by the perceived need to accommodate spectators. Methinks the pendulum is being swung too far from the centre line.

The laws of self-preservation and common sense have been subverted by the antics of eedjits and folk who should know better, and I include some of the more irresponsible members of the press/media who have done little over the years to curb the excesses of some of their own ‘colleagues’. The combination of both has led to this current state of affairs.

JB will therefore not be in Aberdeen this evening, but may well be out and about in the area tomorrow!

In the meantime, here is a photo taken at last weekend’s Ingliston Stages (full report in JB mag next week due to pressure of ‘real‘ work this week!) which might just raise a smile.

When the self-adjusting clutch on Graham MacDonald’s Fiesta broke, the boys rallied round to see what could be done. And this is the result. A pair of vice grips provided the tension and were tie-wrapped into place. It worked – after a fashion! Sadly they didn’t finish, but it wasn’t for the want of trying. Better luck next time boys.