If there is one thing that rallying needs to survive it is new blood. Not just at organiser and marshalling level, but especially at competitor level. Unfortunately rallying is expensive hence the necessity to have something like the Junior 1000 Ecosse Challenge to introduce the sport to 14 to 17 year olds - and their parents!
In addition to providing an exciting and competitive introduction to the sport, the Challenge offers parents and guardians the chance to chat face to face to other more knowledgeable folk within the sport to find out exactly what is involved. It's one thing reading the MS UK 'Blue Book' and looking at the prices in the adverts, it's quite another to actually to chat to someone who has been there and done it.
Someone like Garry Pearson for instance who presented the 2021 Junior 1000 Ecosse Challenge awards recently. Garry was actually a graduate of another 'budget' scheme, the Peugeot 205 Challenge which was a great way to get started and look where he is now - one of the most successful amateur rally drivers in the UK and not just Scottish, but British National and BTRDA Gold Star Champion.
Who better to present the awards to the new Junior 1000 Ecosse champion Archie Swinscoe, runner-up Letisha Conn and 3rd overall Rian Walker than the UK's most winningest team, Garry and Niall Burns? Nice one lads.
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