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.
