Rally - Results dilemma

There are quite a few web sites popping up these days listing results from past events but there does seem to be a wee problem with accuracy. However, the Tynemouth Computer Results Archive is probably the most accurate and yet some of the results in my proposed 1980 - 1989 book differ in certain respects.

If you look back at the Regulations for many Scottish events, and it’s the same in the other UK home countries, they clearly state that the top three overall winners are ineligible for class awards. Sometimes it was the top six and sometimes the top ten, which begs the question – is there a difference between class winners and class award winners? The answer is - Yes.

Even when Official Rally Results were posted at the rally finish back in the day, some clubs displayed them differently. Some clubs showed class winners while others showed award winners. Next time you go looking for historic results bear that in mind and see what you think. Complicating the matter was the fact that not all events shared the same class structure!

However, the matter of actual class winners is important because that was how championship points were allocated. It was also how events were reported in the magazines and newspapers of the time. Further confusion was caused when photographs at prizegivings showed ‘award winners’ but the captions claimed they were class winners.

This has caused me no end of uncertainty and the matter has been discussed with close friends. The result is that my proposed books on the Scottish Rally Championship will list winners and class winners, NOT award winners.

On that basis the book’s published results may differ slightly from those shown elsewhere. But there remains the lingering doubt, should I adhere to ‘official’ published results - or accurate results? Or does it matter?

Hackle Results

For instance, the first two photographs highlight the issue. On the 1981 Heron Rossleigh Hackle Rally, Wilson Girvan is shown as the Class 4 ‘winner’ when in actual fact the leading Class 4 runner was outright rally winner Ken Wood.

That was because the Regulations stated that the top three overall were not eligible for class ‘awards’! And yet the championship co-ordinator of the time had to allocate championship points to the first six in each class. In this case Ken got 6 points, Alan Arneil 5 pts, Dom Buckley 4 pts, and Wilson actually got 3 pts for being fourth in class. But Wilson will have a wee trophy in his cabinet somewhere saying he was the Class 4 winner on that rally!

Hackle Regs

For Dunfermline Car’s Club’s John Wilson Bedroom Stages Rally, the Regs (Pic 3) stated the top five were not eligible for class awards even though the outright winner of the event won his class, i.e. faster through the stages and with a lower elapsed time than the class ‘award’ winner. It was the same on the John Clark BMW Granite City (Pic 4), the top five were not eligible for class awards there either.

So you see my dilemma, do I go with Final Results as published by the event which show Award winners or do I go with actual Class winners - the guys and guyesses who actually won their class competition on the day?

I have chosen accuracy over manipulation, however well meant it might have been, so on that basis, the Results as shown in the Book will be more accurate. Shouldn’t they?

DCC Regs

GCR Regs