Wednesday 31 August 2016

Rally - Grampian Gossip



When it comes to rallying, the World Rally Championship simply can't match the Scottish Rally Championship. Where else would you get castles, cakes, broken toes, wedding cars and bogus entries? On the basis that I couldn't possibly make it up, it's all perfectly true, and it's all here:


Tuesday 30 August 2016

Rally - Grampian Classes



That's the roundup of all the classes from the recent Coltel Grampian Stages Rally now in the on-line mag. I managed to get round most of the 93 crews but there are always some who have little or nothing to say, or maybe they're just shy. News & Blethers will follow tomorrow:


Monday 29 August 2016

Rally - Grampian Champion



That's the main Coltel Grampian Stages rally report now in the on-line mag. Class roundup and the usual Blethers to follow:


Saturday 27 August 2016

Road - Ford's Mustang



Do you think the Ford Motor Co. would let a certain Mr Bunnet, the Laird of MacHanical mayhem, loose in a 5 litre Ford Mustang? Surely not?



Scottish Rally Scene



If you've finished your special copy of 'Motorsport News' and the latest 'Truck & Driver' mag here's another excuse to burn the bedside light. Bob Irvine's latest tome is now available, so look out for it.

I don't know what Bob is on, but I hear that Red Bull has reported him to the International Olympic Committee drugs laboratory as having an unfair advantage over other 'energy providers' when it comes to expending work and effort. Each issue is quite simply a triumph of graft, goodwill and determination.

Inside the new issue are reports and pics from the RSAC Scottish, Summer Stages, Solway Coast and Mach 1 plus other interviews and articles. But here's the thing, what's a report from the Safari and Ypres doing in a magazine called 'Scottish Rally Scene'? You'll have to buy it to find out. It's only 4 quid a copy and it's available on Ebay or through Bob on Facebook at:


Thursday 25 August 2016

Rally - Tribute Truck 2




Earlier this year, April 7th and 8th, I posted some pics on these pages showing a rather special truck which had just joined the Shotts based Stuart Nicol Transport fleet. The truck's driver, Ally Shaw, is a rally fan and more specifically a McRae fan, and his new truck was dedicated to the achievements of Colin, Alister and Jim McRae, and what a feast for the eyes it is. Obviously the monthly 'Truck & Driver' magazine thinks so too and the SNT Volvo FH500 has been picked as this month's 'Editor's Choice'. This article and its pictures alone are worth the £3.70 cover price, but there's more to read if you have a technical mind and an interest commercial vehicles.

There's even a 'Free Gift'. Attached to the cover of the mag is a very handy 'Pocket Guide to Driver's Hours'. If you have a couple of minutes this is worth a read. What many of you won't appreciate is just how strictly controlled a trucker's life on the road is these days. This wee book gives a glimpse of the complexities involved in calculating driving hours, break times and rest periods. It will take a bloke or a blokess with more than an 'O' Level in maths to work it out! Even I learned something - and I used to be a be a commercial vehicle journalist!
 
( Most likely stockists are the big grocery superstores and motorway service stations.)