Book - Gone to Press!

The next step … the book is now officially underway. Took the text and photos over to the printer this morning and sat with the designer for an hour and a half. However it looks at this early stage as though the book covering the 90s will be quite a hefty tome. And that’s all your fault as previous buyers wanted longer reports, more stories and more pics. 

No idea of page numbers as yet but it will be heavier! No idea either about time scale. That will be determined by the designer and the print/production team but the aim is to have them ready for the first Monday in November – same as last year! So that might mean another ‘book launch’ in the quaint village of Ashgill, that is, if Coltness Car Club will have me back again! We had a great night the last time so we’ll see.

By the way the pics in the previous post showed Waggy and Woody having a woopsie, but here’s another couple that haven’t made the final selection. One is a very rare sighting of someone smiling and the other shows someone concentrating very hard!

Book - Dilemma resolved

Further to the previous post I have now resolved my dilemma. I won’t go ahead with pics of weans, but will go ahead with pics of half naked men, some of whom might be flattered and some who definitely won’t!

Truth be told I phoned the parents of the wean pics. It’s just such a touchy subject these days that I thought it must be done. Oddly enough the pic with the wee chap and the champagne bottle was only vetoed because the parent didn’t think her own photo was flattering. No problem with publishing a pic of her wean, just not happy with how she looked, otherwise she would have allowed it. Vanity, eh!

As for the other one, the faither was quite happy to let it be used but was also perfectly happy to point out that it would be at my own risk. Said toddler is now well over six feet, built like an F1 Stock Car and plays rugby for his county. A point well made I thought, so I chickened out. I’ll admit it, I’m a fully paid up member of the self-preservation society.

Having said that, these pics (and others) might well make my final book in the series because by that time I’ll be past caring who I upset and far too auld to be hauled through the courts for libel, slander and defamation.

Anyway, the 1990s book is going to the printer this week and it will look similar to the 1980s book but it will be bigger. It will have more pages, more stories and more pics and that’s all down to the feedback from the first book.

However, the style has changed ever so slightly. When I first started this project, it was regarded purely as a factual record of events long past and was written in a historically serious tone although there were a few light hearted bits and stories, but this latest book is a bit more relaxed. It’s still a proper history book but I’ve lightened it up. It features more social and sporting commentary and hopefully reflects what attracted folk to the sport in the first place, the fun and the thrills. Anyway, you lot will be the judge – again!

As for the pics shown here, these are just four of those which didn’t make the final cut – although many more did! You have been warned.

https://fife-motor-sports-agency.square.site/

Book - Dilemma

Working on the final text for the next Scottish rallying book covering the 1990s has raised a dilemma or two. It concerns political correctness or ‘woke’ as it is being called these days. Now I don’t know what woke means, and neither does the Oxford English dictionary, but it spells trouble for journalists and authors.

Take for instance the question of nudity, or semi nudity. I have had to discard quite a few foties showing half naked men but given we live in a society which supposedly promotes free speech and the right to express opinions, should I discard them? Scotland is particularly prone to such depraved scenes, all it takes is the merest peep of the sun from behind the perpetual clouds for men to discard their overalls, shirts and string vests in order to soak up the rays.

The other topic is rather more contentious. I had to discard another couple of pics, one showing a toddler in arms while his parent held a champagne bottle to his mouth, although the bottle was empty, and the other featured another toddler in arms with his face slabbered in chocolate.

Years ago in more common sensiblity times such pics would be allowed, one for the women to slever over and the other for parents and grandparents to go “Aw, ain’t that cute.”

Question is, should I publish and be damned, or should I chicken out?

Rally - Craufurdland Castle Festival

A weekend of mixed emotions … It started with Jock’s funeral on Friday. What a turn-out. Certainly 5 or 6 hundred folk in attendance although some reckoned nearer 7 or 8 hundred and few could disagree with that. A very moving service and a very fitting tribute to a very decent bloke.

Sunday was spent at the Craufurdland Castle Rally Festival, the first of its kind in Scotland. And yes, there were a few shortcomings, but it would appear that those with rally cars fair enjoyed themselves even if the road did cut up a bit on the Sunday. However, the biggest drawback was the single road entry and exit point, a short part of which was also used as the rally stage, so that caused a few delays. And it would have helped if the grass in the field had benefited from a wee run over with a mower beforehand. However, the organisers are well aware of what’s needed and say they’ll be back next year. As a way of introducing the sport to new folk, this type of event provides an entertaining and accessible platform.

Just one wee observation, if you’re going to hire Barry Lee (Hot Rod World Champ, speedway rider, racer, rallycrosser and rally driver) as a commentator, better have a bleep machine (and maybe subtitles) handy, otherwise any attending weans will be adding some new expressions to their more colourful vocabulary. He may be 80 but he’s still an irascible rogue 

The event also provided a chance to catch up with friends old and new and there were many familiar faces around, and of course a few more books were sold. Great stuff.

Yesterday was spent at a secret location in the Borders with the proof readers, Susan and Rodger. Surprisingly there were fewer red marks than I was expecting, although there was a bit of haggling over some of the terminology. The most painful bit of the visit was paying for the lunch at the nearby Allanton Inn, but it was the least I could do. On the other hand it was worth every penny, it was scrumptious. However, that now means the Scottish Championship 1990s book will be ready for the printer next week!

To cap it all off, my best pal is now home, hirplin’ aroon the hoose on twa sticks after his successful hip operation on Friday. He’ll be taking up tennis next, eh?

Lombard Rally Festival

The Last Show …. The pop-up ‘booktique’ will make its final appearance of the season at the Lombard Rally Festival show at Craufurdland Castle on Sunday 1st September.

This promises to be a wee bit different from the three previous classic car shows already attended this year as it has some ‘live’ action on a special stage with a variety of rally cars, old and new, to keep folks entertained.

So if you’re at a loose end this weekend (there’s no stage rallies on), why not meet up with some auld freens and other like-minded folks and wallow in an array of nostalgic visual and aural treats in Ayrshire. And look out for the red Transit and the wee blue topped gazebo!

Craufurdland Castle is just off the M77 between Fenwick and Kilmarnock, on the Waterslap Road at KA3 6BW.

If you can’t make it and still want a book, there’s always on-line:

https://fife-motor-sports-agency.square.site/

Next year the plan is to attend more shows, and there will be more books! The 1990-1999 Scottish Championship book is currently with the proof readers and will be going to press next week – fingers crossed! And then it’s on with the 2000s. Onwards and upwards, eh?

John Hodge Gray, 1959 – 2024

The year was 1982 and it was November. There was snow on the ground, ice on the puddles and sleet in the air. On Sunday morning the 28th of November, the Sabbath peace was disturbed by folk stumbling out of B&Bs and Hotels around the market town of Castle Douglas. Many of them had sore heads and baggy eyes and all too quickly found there was a famine of Anadin and Alka Seltzer. These vital supplies had been snapped up the day before by the wise and the wily who had been there before.

The occasion was the annual Dunlop’s Lancia Rally (later to become the Galloway Hills Rally) the end of season forest rally thrash for Scottish rally crews and one which attracted interest from across the water. Lured by the prospect of Saturday night parties and a Sunday morning rally, the influx of Irish crews was a regular feature. It seemed that all too many crews treated this event as less of a competition and more of an end of term celebration. Fortunately, it seemed the local Polis also had a distinct shortage of breathalysers and a disinclination to use them!

Amongst the bleary eyed hordes there was one bright eyed and bushy tailed pair of youngsters who had partaken sensibly of beer, spirits and wholesome food, and an early bed – early hours of the morning bed, that is! They were about to embark on their first forest stage rally.

John Hodge Gray was a 23 year old heating and air conditioning apprentice engineer from Carnwath with a self built 1600cc Ford Escort and was about to launch an amateur career as a rally driver. He and navigator Dougie Stuart were ‘seeded’ at 57 in the 100 car entry. The excitement was palpable and infectious. The service crew was hardly professional either, just a bunch of like minded pals out for a hoolie.

The rally started at 9.00am and after 12 stages would finish from mid afternoon onwards, allowing time for the Irish crews to get the ferry home from nearby Stranraer.

The two lads set off on their first epic adventure and survived a lurid spin on the third stage at Black Loch, the sliding Escort fully sideways through a pair of gateposts with not a mark on the paintwork. In the sixth stage at Drumjohn the exhaust came off over the infamous ‘yumps’ giving the service crew something to do at the road end. Then on stage 10 in Dundeugh, a tyre punctured but the driver didn’t notice till the Stop Line Marshals pointed it out. Back in Castle Douglas after 12 stages they found themselves in 31st place overall and sixth in class. Adding to their delight, they had finished just 2 minutes behind the number 33 seeds, fellow Coltness CC members ‘Uncle Shooey’ Steel and navigator James S McRae after 50 miles of stages.

The rally ‘budget’ restricted outings the following year in 1983 but the James Fleming Baldoon Stages was tackled by the twosome in the Escort. This time they finished 12th overall from a start number of 40, somehow managing to beat a certain Charlie Nichol and John Fife by TWO seconds and who had tied for 14th place with Andrew Smith and Jonathan Lord. Some sort of skullduggery was of course suspected by the two ‘vanquished’ crews but upon recourse to the bar at the Corsemalzie House Hotel later that evening (and into the early hours of the morning) the friendships were duly formalised and celebrated. Truth be told, I don’t really remember too much from that evening/weekend, nor do the majority of folks who were there!

John Gray’s first top ten finish was achieved that year when he and Dougie finished 8th overall on the Runway Stages Rally. There were only a couple of outings in 1984 as not only budget, but concentration on his engineering profession dictated what could be done. Rallying wasn’t about winning, it was about competition and enjoyment with work on the car being almost as enjoyable as driving it.

The year 1985 was memorable for three reasons. John Gray became ‘Jock’ Gray, and he and Dougie finished second overall on the Baldoon Stages just 9 seconds behind Kieron Hill in a Chevette HSR and 6 seconds ahead of a certain Murray Grierson in his Escort RS. Thirdly, Jock had an eccentric choice of navigator for the Autofit Stages Rally when he and a 16 year old Colin McRae finished 12th overall on the Autofit Stages Rally in Argyll.

This was typical of Jock, helping youngsters to get started. Even in the early days he was approachable, helpful and great company. In the incestuous world of Coltness Car Club where everybody seemed to help everybody else, Jock was a lynchpin. The words ‘No’ and ‘Not’ were not in his vocabulary and his converted byre/garage was a hub for like minded souls to gather. The tea was weak, the coffee was foul, the biscuits were plentiful and the banter was cruel, but the energy and fun was infectious.

It was the same at rallies, if Jock had spare parts that others needed, even his rivals, he was always helpful and then in 1986 a new partnership was formed, Fergus Loudon joined Jock’s ‘team’ as regular co-driver, although other co-drivers were pressed into service when Fergus’s work commitments interfered! After a solid start to the season with Dougie on the Snowman and Valentine, Fergus was then in charge of the exuberant presence in the driving seat for the rest of the season with 7th o/a on the Autofit, 14th on the Border and 11th on the Trossachs. That clinched the Challenger’s title as top Newcomer in the national Scottish Rally Championship that season with Jock finishing ahead of George Gauld and Colin McRae.

In fact, that partnership went full circle when Fergus’ son Stuart navigated for Jock on the 2017 McRae Gravel Challenge in the borrowed Rod McFarlane’s Opel Manta.

It wasn’t till 1989 that Jock scored his first ever outright rally victory and that was on the non-championship Baldoon Stages Rally after which he was ceremoniously dooked in the River Cree at Newton Stewart by his so-called ‘pals’ which included ring-leaders Willie Kirkhope, Colin and Alister McRae.

By this time, Jock was a ‘top seed’ but bad luck dogged his wheel tracks with gearbox and driveshaft failures in his Nova days and transmission and turbo troubles with his Sierra Cosworth. Victories and points, talent and speed frustrated by component failures. Even so, in 1990 he finished runner-up to the new Scottish Rally Champion, Jimmy Girvan, in the Sierra but didn’t score his first outright rally victory on a Scottish Championship round till the 1992 Snowman Rally when he and Fergus shared the victory champagne shower for the first time.

His rallying activities started to tail off after that with more responsibility and promotion at work and more family commitments at home. He had one last fling in the 2003 season when he acquired a DAM 4100 GTi. That resulted in a most dispiriting campaign with a car that was plagued with mechanical problems. Jock bore the brunt of those failures with resilience and good grace and was never one to mope about and kick the cat. Throughout his rallying, Jock enjoyed the competition and camaraderie. It wasn’t about winning, although he was fiercely competitive, it was about the enjoyment and that was shared with his huge circle of friends.

Now he had other things on his mind, two fast growing boys who shared their father’s interest in another lifelong passion – rugby.

His last rally outing was on the 2022 McRae Rally Challenge when he was co-driven by another of his ‘protégé’s’, Jordan Black and where Jock was his usual bubbly, irrepressible self, rarely happier than behind the wheel of a rally car. And it was that image that made the most recent news all the harder to bear. Nine months ago he was struck down by one of the most cruel of diseases, a wasting disease called CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease). For Jock, in an emotional lifetime of thrills, spills, disappointments and great fun, it was just another ‘mechanical’ failure to be borne with great fortitude and dignity: “Ah well, it is what it is.” A phrase often heard in the past when others might have been in tears or deep despair and yet Jock just accepted it - and then smiled. All was well with the world.

For such a life to be cut short in such a cruel fashion is unbearable for any of us to comprehend, let alone his family and friends, and yet through it all, Susan and the boys, Cameron and Jordan, have been saints – even latterly when Jock was crashing his electric wheelchair into the furniture in timed races against his visitors around the groundfloor of the farmhouse at Liberton.

It’s just so sad, and so unfair.

Show - Cumbria Classic

Major problem. The Cumbria Classic & Motor Sport Show takes place this weekend on Sunday 18th August and I’ve got a pitch booked and paid for, but I might not make it.

My second grandson is due tomorrow (the 16th) and since the first one was early, expectations were high that this one would be early too. Given the size of ‘the bump’ those expectations were well founded, but so far, no sign! Which means I’m still on standby.

Which is a great pity. The Cumbria Classic is one of the biggest shows in the region and certainly of a size to match Glamis or Thirlestane with over 850 cars entered.

In addition to that, the organisers, Wigton Motor Club, will have a variety of competition cars on show, including the M Sport Ford Puma in which Sebastien Loeb scored his 80th rally victory when he won the 2022 Monte Carlo Rally.

The club has also arranged to stage a ‘taster’ autotest on grass which will allow exhibitors to have a go at motorsport.

The show is held annually in the grounds of Dalemain Mansion just outside Penrith so it’s not too far away for the borderers to nip over ‘the Wall’ for a day out with the family to wallow in an automotive feast of nostalgia.

The Dalemain estate is less than two miles from Junction 40 on the M6. From there, head westwards on the A66 and A592 – Post code, CA11 0HB.  The show is open to the public from 11.00 hrs until 16.00. Admission is £10 per person and children (under 16) are free.

Meanwhile, a bit closer to home, Kames has a full entry of Seniors and Juniors for its Afton Glen Meats Summer Rally on Sunday 18th and it only costs spectators a fiver at the gate, so I was going to have to miss that anyway.

As for the Cumbria Classic, fingers crossed, I just hope I make it, it looks like an excellent show.

Show - Biggar and Better

Yesterday’s Biggar Rally for veteran, vintage and classic cycles, motor cycles, cars, vans, trucks, buses, tractors, agricultural equipment and military vehicles provided a veritable feast of automotive nostalgia with many of the exhibits an awfy lot older than some of the folk showing them, although at times it was hard to tell.

This was the 49th running of the show which is designed not just to commemorate, inform and entertain but to raise money for the Biggar Albion Foundation and Biggar Museum Trust which has grand plans for a new building to store the artefacts and irreplaceable records which stretch back to the motor company’s founding in 1899.

Dungarees, khaki coats and bunnets were the apparel of choice, till the sun came up and folk had to start shedding their outer wear. The visual entertainment was further enhanced by the occasional puff of black reek shooting skywards as some truck loving worthy fired up a Perkins, Gardner or Cummins engine from a bygone age and it clattered into life with the sound rolling across the field. It was also notable that there were quite a few American V8s around the show as they rumbled into position and again when leaving at close of play.

It’s also a great place for meeting like minded folks and it would appear from the end of day exchanges that many of the exhibitors spend most weekends in the Summer (?) going to the various shows around the country. Going by the cries of “See you at Ladybank” as folk were leaving that would appear to be the next favoured port of call for many.

There was also quite a bit of handshaking going on, and even the occasional hug, as old acquaintances were re-ignited, provided one could remember the names! Advancing years don’t do many of us any favours.

One chap who claimed to be feeling his age, despite his sprightly demeanour, was 1980s Grand Prix motor cycle racer, Donnie McLeod who was showing a couple of his ex-competition machines. Not only that, he had spent most of Saturday firing up 5 of his Dad’s collection of tractors and driving each of them to the showground, before hoofing it back into town to get the next one.

And you can’t have motor cycles on show without Bill and Agnes Cadger OBE representing the Scottish Classic Racing Motor Club plus the unmistakable figure of Mose Hutchinson who was seen (and heard!) flitting from stand to stand, and display to display, gladhanding all and sundry, whether friend or foe, stranger or blood brother.

Next time I go, I’ll have to take a helper so that I can leave my modest wee stand and go and have a mooch around on my own – trouble is it might take a while!

Biggar Vintage Show today

Biggar Vintage Show today .... and now open for business! It's great just sitting here watching all the entrants arrive. Plenty of lorries chuffing their way in early doors with the classic cars just starting to arrive. I don't need to walk round the show, they are all passing in front of the 'booktique'

Biggar Show, 11th August

Eric Dymock

The next outing for the pop-up ‘booktique’ will be the ‘Biggar Vintage Rally’ tomorrow Sunday 11^th August although I’m bitterly disappointed to be missing out on the Grampian Rally yesterday and today. I also missed out on last week’s ‘Blast from the Past’ show at Inverurie, so I’m really hoping to make it to Biggar tomorrow. The pitch is booked and paid for and it’s only an hour from home, so it’s not too far away, fingers crossed.

However, there will be a couple of changes. In addition to the two rally books, ‘The Scottish Rally Championship 1980-1989’ and ‘Murmurs on Mull’, I’ll have another book for sale. Not written by me but written by a friend of mine, the Motherwell born motoring journalist and author, Eric Dymock.

His book ‘Jim Clark’ is regarded as one of the most insightful, illuminating and compelling biographies of the man who became a world champion. If you like your heroes ‘whiter than white’ it may not be to your taste as the book pulls no punches. It was written by a man who was there at the time and knew Jim Clark, his contemporaries and his adversaries and includes quotes and opinions from those others who knew him best. I found it quite disturbing in places but compulsive reading.

The original book was published in 1997 but was re-designed, reprinted and republished 20 years later and I have a small supply for sale!

The second change is physical. There will be no red Transit this weekend, so look out for a wee white Berlingo instead!

The ‘Jim Clark’ book is not yet available on the web site, but I’ll get round to it shortly, so your first chance to get a copy will be at Biggar tomorrow:

https://fife-motor-sports-agency.square.site/

Book - Getting there

Went for a drive on Tuesday and paid a visit to - the proof readers. Rodger and Susan now have the full draft of the text for the next book - ‘The Scottish Rally Championship 1990-1999’ - for correction/approval, both grammatical and spelling. Meanwhile I’ve got over 400 photographs needing a caption!

This book has taken a wee bit longer than I had hoped but that’s all the previous buyers of the first book’s fault. The general consensus was that they/you wanted longer reports, more stories and more pictures! We-ll, job done.

Once I get the proof back and corrections made it will be a trip to the printer and a chat with David the designer and then we’ll get this underway. I’ve already had three more folk seeking an advert in this one so if there are any more let me know.

Onwards and upwards, eh?

Meanwhile the first book is still for sale along with the ‘Murmurs’ book, see below:

https://fife-motor-sports-agency.square.site/

Rally - G-Olden days?

Forty three years ago, it wasn’t just life that was different, rallies and rallying were different too. This weekend the Voyonic Grampian Stages Rally will take to the forests of south Aberdeenshire and although typical of forest stage events by today’s standards, it was very different in 1981.

The 9 page Regulations booklet was posted out to potential competitors along with an Entry Form which promised 16 Special Stages totalling 80 miles for a fee of £94. The route itself was some 275 miles in length and rambled over 5 Ordnance Survey maps while the duration of the one day event was around 10 hours, although the snow on some stages was free!

Fast forward to 2024 and the 35 page Regulations document is now available on-line along with the Entry Form. This time the offer is 6 Special Stages of 56 miles for a £999 charge which includes a tracking fee, carbon offsetting charge, insurance and MS UK officials’ expenses. Of course, the major whack of this sum goes to forestry charges for the use of ‘our’ forests, but other organisational compulsory costs have risen too although the 180 mile route is contained in just two OS maps these days!

The top 20 cars in the 1981 entry list featured 12 Ford Escorts, 3 Talbot Sunbeams, 2 Vauxhall Chevettes, 2 Opel Asconas, and 1 Triumph TR7V8 - and not a 4WD machine in sight. 

The rally was won by Malcolm Patrick in an Ascona by 37 seconds from the Escort of Bill Dobie with Graham Elsmore in third place in another Escort. Top Scot was Donald Heggie in a Ford Escort while Ken Wood was fifth in the TR7 and Jim Howden sixth in another Escort. Jim McRae crashed out on SS6 when the brakes seized on the Boleyn Cattini Ascona (pictured).

By the way, the reduced rate for an overnight stay in the Treetops Hotel was £13.50 for B&B while petrol was around 34p per litre, or £1.67 per gallon if you haven’t been decimalised yet!

Mind you some things don’t change, Jonathan Lord was a Steward back then and Frank Love took the pictures for the Regulations and documents covers.

Anyway, the point is, we can all see the major problem here – but can the high heid yins in Bicester?

Rally - by royal appointment

A history lesson, by royal appointment …. Motor sport, and particularly rallying has missed out badly over the years. The rising popularity of other sports and increasing media exposure has offered people a bewildering array of choice, and unless a sport can get access to that increased media exposure it will remain of niche interest.

Although the various track based speed disciplines have managed to stabilise their future, rallying is still facing uncertain times. Understandable, as it is much easier to organise and control an event within a secure perimeter whereas rallying with its nomadic nature roaming over tens or hundreds of miles requires much more effort and manpower.

The sport’s governing body can’t be blamed for that but motoring and motor sport has evolved at a phenomenal rate over the past 100 years. Way back then there were professionally held views that travelling at speeds in excess of 20 mph would be fatal. Technology proved otherwise and when people discovered the huge joy of driving cars fast and the potential for competition, pedestrians lived in fear of their lives, something had to be done.

The Automobile Club of Great Britain (and later Ireland) was founded in 1897 and shortly afterwards appointed itself as the governing body of motoring and motorsport. Ten years later, the AGBI was appointed the Royal Automobile Club by His Majesty King Edward VII. In other words this self perpetuating oligarchy was created over a hundred years ago without any public consultation, selection or election.

Individual car clubs were mostly responsible for their own sporting regulations but shortly after the second world war the RAC produced its first attempt at a national set of Rules & Regulations, and the first ‘Blue Book’ was born. However, the ‘gentleman’s club’ still regarded itself as a governor and regulator rather than an event organiser or sports promoter with clubs lacking guidance and advice. This ‘unrest’ led to a change in 1977 when the RAC devolved its motor sporting governance to a new ‘independent’ body, the RAC Motor Sports Association.

With all forms of motor sport growing in popularity and automotive technology improving even more quickly, keeping up, never mind making progress, was slow and led to wider dis-satisfaction amongst club members, officials and competitors 

At this point a leading British rally driver, a London based PR consultant for a major oil company and a Scottish motor sports journalist made a formal approach to the Automobile Association – at that time the RAC’s fiercest rival. A meeting was held at the AA’s regional HQ in Erskine in Scotland with the object of creating a rival British motor sport authority to the RAC’s dominance. The AA were intrigued and didn’t say no and an approach was made to the government Minister for Sport.

No-one knows quite how much lobbying was carried out behind the scenes but after consultation with the RAC MSA, the Minister was assured that changes would be made and there would be no need for another motor sporting authority. The AA withdrew, but it was a close run thing.

Those promised changes took a while but in 1998, the RAC Motor Sports Association became an entirely independent organisation, the Motor Sports Association Ltd, which has more recently culminated in the creation of Motor Sport UK Ltd.

In that respect MS UK is little different from the majority of national sporting authorities. In theory it should be better for any individual sport to have only one governing body but times are changing.  The national government is now talking about granting more ‘local democracy’ hence the introduction of Mayors in the major cities around the country. In theory this should allow central government to concentrate on national/international affairs and the rule of law while the Mayors concentrate on local regional matters.

In the same way, many sports are having to manage big changes within their own disciplines. For instance, cycling has road and track racing plus mountain biking and BMX, and then there are the ‘mixed’ sports, like triathlons with swimming, cycling and running. Who rules there?

Long ago, ball sports recognised that there was a big difference between football and rugby, but even rugby is becoming more diverse with Rugby League and Rugby Union and now seven a side rugby is becoming more popular. And then there’s boxing, how many governing bodies does it have? Similarly, UK Athletics has grown to such an extent that it now has four member organisations - England Athletics, Scottish Athletics, Welsh Athletics, and Athletics Northern Ireland.

Motor sport, the governing body for ‘four wheeled motor sport’, is no different and the complexity is growing, to the extent that MS UK is now ‘adopting’ Esports! Having said that, the British Stock Car Association (BriSCA) has retained its own control.

Perhaps the biggest problem facing all sports these days is the new government requirement for ‘sport for all’. That means not just creating equal opportunities for all abilities, ages, sexes and ethnicity but ensuring protection for children, spectators, officials and of course, participants. And then there’s Health & Safety. With all that borne in mind, there’s little room for common sense.

That is a daunting task, so perhaps we should have some sympathy for those who commit to taking it on. In this case MS UK, but that doesn’t mean they get a free ride. We still need a plan for special stage rallying.

Rally - Missed chances

Way back in 1981 the Forestry Commission rang a warning bell over rallying’s continued access to its forests. They decreed that Glentress Forest near Peebles would no longer echo to the sound of rally cars. Instead this was to become the first dedicated mountain biking centre in Scotland. It’s now part of the ‘7 Stanes’ mountain bike network and further restrictions and exclusions are planned.

In other words, the cyclists got their act together rather quicker than the rallyists.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but the sport of rallying should have seen the dust trails blowing over the horizon and acted sooner to protect its interests. Indeed there were discussions at the time about the sport’s governing body buying forests, but these came to nought. The RAC MSA, as was, regarded itself as being in the business of governing and regulating not acquisition and organising.

Over the years, there have indeed been other attempts by private companies and individuals to invest in and buy forestry land not just to ‘farm’ the timber, but to create rally schools and even dedicated rally venues for all clubs to use, but very few of these have ever come to successful fruition. Whereas an entrepreneur can see where the investment goes in permanent track facilities, the nomadic nature of rallying with no permanent and centralised HQ does not offer the same attraction and security.

Another attempt was lost in 2003. Proposals and plans were submitted in the early 2000s to South Lanarkshire Council for the creation of a National Rally Sport Centre and Outdoor Pursuit Centre at a former open cast coal mine with good access to the nearby M74 motorway. The idea envisaged the creation of a forested complex which would provide a network of maintained gravel roads big enough to host single venue rallies. Like the current Sweet Lamb complex in Wales, only bigger.

To make the idea more appealing, other outdoor pursuits would have access to the site and its facilities, such as mountain biking and motor cycling, orienteering and cross country athletics, equine eventing and archery, plus hosting school groups and youth clubs. There were also additional commercial attractions with the planting of timber to populate what was a barren site and its ability to host outdoor shows and exhibitions. The project had attracted private financial support but the local Council matching cash injection was subject to the plan’s approval by the sport’s governing body.

Despite a site visit and tour by the then Chief Exec of the RAC MSA, that approval was not forthcoming. A body blow to the small team behind the idea and which left a bitter taste in the gut. All that was needed was a signed letter of approval, not cash, the financial support was already in place but conditional.

It was subsequently claimed that the RAC MSA had their own plans for such a centre in Wales, then they had plans for regional centres, and the final excuse, Scotland was too far away for a national centre of sporting excellence – try telling that to a certain international and hugely successful rallying enterprise in Cumbria.

Had this been successful it might well have paved the way to more such specialised sites.

The situation has now become even more complicated with the Forestry Commission being split up into ‘national’ regions, Forestry & Land Scotland, Forestry England, Natural Resources Wales and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Forest Service in Northern Ireland while on the political front Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland now have their own governments with responsibility for rural affairs.

Once again rallying found itself out of step as the British governing body is not devolved and is still tasked with managing the sport across the whole of the UK. That means they have to deal with four separate government ministers and departments, four separate Sports Councils and four separate forestry companies.

Fortunately, Wales got its act together rather more quickly than the other home nations with their ‘Rally 4 Wales’ initiative while Northern Ireland has a pretty pro-active motor sports council which therefore suggests that Scotland needs its own ‘devolved’ body to deal with sporting matters. There have been too many false starts here with the Scottish Motor Sports Federation, then the Scottish Motor Sport Development Group and most recently, Scottish Motor Sport but we don’t seem to be getting off the Start line. Surely a kick in the teeth for the nation which has produced four World Rally Champions.

In all fairness the Scottish Rally Championship Executive Committee have been busy building relationships with FLS but they need more clout and more support, otherwise the most forested region in the British Isles will be allowed to host the least number of stage rallies.

No one appears to have the answer, so we need a new (radical?) approach with some serious out of the box thinking. To engage with the civil servants who run FLS, the clubs will need some serious backing and influence. That means getting MSUK and the Scottish Sports Council on board, but more than that, we need a plan.

One possibility might involve a partnership approach or joint-management proposal. Perhaps allowing the sport to assume management rights for certain forests and be able to determine which sports could take place where and when, while at the same time allowing FLS to keep the timber rights. That’s a daunting task for an amateur sport to consider but within the sport there are a good number of entrepreneurial and highly successful business people who could bring their own commercial expertise to the negotiations.

At the moment we have no idea how much road building costs are, nor the cost of maintenance, nor the quality standards that have been determined by FLS. That also means we have no idea that the charges being levied by FLS for the use of these publicly owned forests are properly costed and fair. That’s why a sit-down face-to-face meeting with FLS on one side and a joint approach from the Scottish Car Clubs, the sport’s governing body, the Scottish Sports Council, one or two independent civil engineering contractors and the support of some influential, high profile business folk might just get some answers. Once we’ve got answers, we can make a plan.

Difficult yes, but doable? Why not? The expertise is out there.

Forty years ago, a certain championship co-ordinator arranged his own meeting with the Forestry Commission hierarchy at their HQ in Corstorphine in Edinburgh. It was a most interesting, illuminating, educational and enjoyable discussion with both sides listening to the other’s views, but ultimately nothing could be done as the FC could only deal with a nationally recognised sporting authority. There was one outcome though, the co-ordinator in question got a ticking-off from motor sport’s CEO for going behind their back! It makes one wonder if anything has changed.

On the other hand, over recent years Forest & Land Scotland have sold off a few forests, which means all we need now is a big EuroMillions Lottery winning rally fan. Sorted, eh?

Rally - The finish line approaches

The news from the 2024 Galloway Hills Rally didn’t come as shock, just a surprise. The event is a long established forest stage rally in the south west of Scotland and run by a canny bunch of amateur car club enthusiasts. The key word here is ‘amateur’ but that doesn’t mean they lack competence, professionalism or experience in what they do, just that they don’t get paid for doing it!

And it’s the same right across Scotland and the wider UK. The organisation of the vast majority of competitive car rallies across the country is reliant on the goodwill, enthusiasm, willingness, fortitude, stubborn-ness, camaraderie and a deep seated love of the sport by a willing band of masochists who ignore the midges, glaur, sunburn, sodden feet and frostbite just to put on some challenging automotive entertainment for others. Not just the car club stalwarts, but also the volunteer officials and marshals who support their efforts.

But it looks like they are fighting a losing battle. Whilst many clubs enjoy the support of foresters and managers at local level, the high heid yins who sit in their air-conditioned offices surrounded by paperwork, computers and good intentions have a much narrower view of the ‘sport for all’ approach. They seem to prefer the much more gentle pursuits of picnickers, ramblers, dog-walkers, anglers, twitchers, botanists, naturalists, lepidopterists, entomologists and arborists with the only ‘motorised’ access being offered to mountain bikers.

It would also appear that four wheeled pursuits are facing a restricted and diminishing choice of suitable forest venues and roads while having to bear prohibitive escalating costs. Of course the counter-claim will be made that the public forests are open and available to all, but as far as rallies go, it is on their terms and at a cost which they determine.

The sport’s governing body must share some of the blame too. They may claim to be working with the various forest and land authorities in the four home nations but we see little evidence of that at ground level. It would be most welcome if they were a bit more open about their discussions and negotiations to ensure that the folk they represent are kept informed.

Admittedly their actions are limited by the ever increasing requirement for additional safety regulations and the constantly rising crippling insurance charges.

Faced with that rally organisers are up against it, and then there are the costs. To stage a 45 mile forest rally these days can cost in the region of £45,000 in forest road charges alone. The main trouble here is that, according to some of the ‘old guard’ in the forestry business, gravel roads are not being constructed to the same standard of quality as they were 50 years ago, despite all the advances in road building and grading machinery. That means they damage more easily and the resultant damage is worse. Admittedly that isn’t helped by modern four wheel drive rally cars and advancing tyre technology! The end result is the ‘hire’ charges go up.

Getting accurate figures and costings is as easy as extracting the teeth from wild haggis, but some independent contractors are extremely puzzled by how these ‘official’ figures and costings are calculated.

Then there are the other ‘hidden’ costs for arrows, stakes, tape, chicanes, printing both decals and paperwork, venues for scrutineering and Rally HQ, radio equipment, the creation of spectator areas plus fuel expenses for those who recce the route, the set-up crews and the Course Cars although it’s worth pointing out that many individuals are still out of pocket refusing to claim all their costs.

It's often a thankless under appreciated task and perhaps another reason why so many youngsters avoid being ‘called up’ to help out. Which is another problem facing the sport, the ageing generation of organisers, officials, marshals and helpers. There does appear to be a reluctance amongst youngsters to take on the commitment to organise and provide person-power.

Closed public roads are not the answer, if anything, such are the safety restrictions required by local Councils and the Police that these are becoming almost prohibitively more expensive too. The idea of participating in or attending outdoor events ‘at your own risk’ has long been banished from official documents as certain sections of society appear to live in a personal blame-free existence claiming ‘it’s someone else’s fault’ when things go wrong.

Perhaps the new British government could introduce a Bill to allow ‘Comon Sense’ to become law, rather than have this challenged and undermined by the unscrupulous types who frequent our courts of law. It could be argued that ‘compensation culture’ will kill off rallying quicker than those who manage our public forest estates.

Best enjoy it while we can, for as Private Frazer once said: “We’re all doomed!”

Rally - Notes from an onlooker

Spotting Owen Paterson trying to fold himself up to get into the co-drivers’ seat of the Skodaru prompted the question, how does he fit? Apparently the better part of last week was spent trying to get the seat pushed back as far as it will go roll-cage permitting. The only other idea to come out of this is to adopt the Ford GT40 Le Mans response. When the Ford GT machine was designed, the floor and roof line were determined by the average sized racing driver of that time but it would appear that the designers forgot that racing drivers sometimes need to wear crash helmets, so for the taller than average drivers a bubble had to be inserted into the roof. Perhaps they’ll need to do the same to the Skodaru if they can’t get Owen to sit cross-legged in his favourite yoga pose.

The McKnight knightmare ahead of the Scottish commenced after Argyll when the engine detonated inside the Escort. Apparently it blew holes in both sides of the block before blowing all the bits out of the underside through the sump. Not much chance of a rebuild there then, so the car was dispatched across the water for a replacement motor and a Millington installed, but despite the instructions regarding the essential gearbox modifications required for such a change, these were somehow neglected or ignored and the car was returned supposedly ready to rally. It wasn’t. Hence much midnight and daylight oil being burned to take the engine out again, modify the gearbox and clutch, re-install it and get some miles on it before Friday Scrooting.

On a more controversial note, there was some criticism expressed of the need for a wider rallying re-think, in particular the idea of getting those who have retired early in an event back into the fray to tackle later stages. In the case of mechanical repairs this should be relatively straight forward and minor body work repairs treated similarly leniently. Of course more serious impact damage or breakages would have to be assessed more carefully and this is where the Scroots come in. They should make the decision. One can understand the nervousness of insurance companies who take fright when the words ‘damage’ or ‘breakage’ enter the conversation but really that’s why the motor industry and motorsports competitions have spare parts, mechanics, technicians and engineers. In the case of quick and simple repairs why not allow competitors to slot back in to the running order and run through the later stages? OK, having to miss a couple of stages won’t threaten the final results but it will allow those who would like a little more seat time to get a few more miles under their belts. After all, they have probably shelled out 7, 8, 9 hundred pounds or more to participate in a rally and with no chance of a partial refund, that’s a helluva dent in the wallet to bear if the gearbox or axle fails in the first stage. It’s all very well to say that such competitors may have exceeded their lateness allowance but by missing out one or two stags and re-slotting back in to the running order, why couldn’t that be allowed? If it is simply a matter of time limits then why not have a ‘trophy rally’ format as used by other events as a means of giving the competitors at least a little more value for money. Surely, in a bid to offer better value for money MSUK needs to have a serious discussion with rally organisers about such an idea? As things stand it would be all too easy to discourage newcomers and the regular club crews.

And finally ….

As for the cause of Martyn Erskine’s rally retirement, may I suggest that it was solely down to his choice of footwear. Any adult with that idea of sartorial elegance shouldn’t be allowed out unaccompanied, and certainly not in possession of a valid driving licence, let alone a competition licence! Really! His carers should know better.

Rally - In the ‘Fanzone’

 The RSAC Scottish Rally provided a novel experience this year thanks to Jas P Wilson & Sons, agriculture and forestry engineers, as numerous spectators and anxious service crews watched the forest drama unfold on the large screen in the on-site ’fanzone’. Perhaps fanzone is stretching it a bit, but as a sign of things to come it was indeed a most valuable addition to Scottish rallying.

A lot of behind the scenes planning by both Iain and Michael had gone into this year’s lay-out, starting with a plan to place the larger support trucks at the back of the enlarged service area with the ‘smaller’ units in the middle ground between them and the facing large screen TV. This ensured that very few awnings and poles ruined the view and most folks could catch a glimpse of the screen from right across the service park. Many folk might not have noticed that, but it took some original thought and planning, plus a fair bit of cajoling by the somewhat harassed service park marshals on the day to make sure it happened.

But ‘Wilson’s Wonders’ had gone further by creating an area for spectators to gather and which rightly could be called a fanzone. Some new gravel had been laid and rolled in the parking field opposite the service area creating a curved ‘D’ shaped gravel drive on the inside of which was a grassy area with picnic tables. Lined up around the outer edge of the new walkway were the Country Kitchen food emporium and ice cream van, a model car seller and a bookseller (and indeed quite a few books were sold – thankfully!)) with the large screen TV set up at the end.

In fact, the boys had planned a much larger artic mounted screen but during the week got ‘the phone call’. Apparently the truck had broken down, but for a ‘smaller fee’ would a smaller trailer mounted screen be acceptable? With little choice in the matter the ‘Wilsons’ agreed and it all worked out perfectly well. The screen showed adverts and past filmed clips from previous events before showing live coverage from the stages. The pictures were excellent and the on-stage commentary provided as usual by our very own ‘Jack and Victor’ who were joined by a new ‘Isa’. Thankfully Isa was able to offer a bit more knowledge and intelligent insight into the more usual garrulous flow of information, comments and ribaldry.

If this idea proved successful then Iain and Michael might well have bigger plans for next year. Gaun yersel boys, it was magic. The picnic tables were kept busy as were the food and ice cream vans as folk came and went from the service park all day. Really well worthwhile and worked a treat.

Not only that a couple of large mini-buses had been laid on for ‘park and ride’ spectators to use between the car park at Jas P Wilson and the Dalbeattie stage. Nice one.

Topping that all off was the closed off High Street in the town which hosted the rally finish. The only thing that spoiled the day was the rain, but then we’re used to it, are we not?

So those of us who were not able to visit the stages, for whatever reason, could watch and listen from Dalbeattie. The next best thing!

As it turned out, it wasn’t a day for the local crews with Mark McCulloch and Michael Hendry the ‘only’ crew finishing in the top ten in eighth place to provide the local fans with some good cheer. Top seeds Jock Armstrong and Owen Paterson were out in SS2 with a broken bottom arm in the Skodaru while the normally cool, calm and reliable Rory Young and Allan Cathers caused a surprise when their VW slid off the road in SS2. David Hardie and John McCulloch put the Escort off in there as well although Niall Cowan with Jack Morris got as far as the penultimate stage before driveshaft failure in the MG. Stuart and Alice Paterson went foraging in the undergrowth with the Subaru and had to be rescued by the Army Land Rover lads, while Martyn Erskine did a passable impression of Robin Hood escaping from the Sheriff of Nottingham when he and Chuck Blair sought refuge with the Mitsubishi in the trees!

Iain Wilson and Mark Roberts didn’t even get that far, the hired MG’s gearbox getting stuck in 2^nd gear and the car limped out of the stage into retirement. With no ‘trophy rally’ possibility that was their day done and dusted there and then. There ain’t no justice, eh?

I suppose there was some ‘local’ cheer after all because Kirsty Riddick co-drove the winning car, the VW Polo GTI R5 of David Bogie who comes from the far east – Dumfries! This was Bogie’s eighth win on his ‘home’ event but didn’t Jonathan Greer and Niall Burns do well with a strong second place in the Citroen C3 Rally2.

There was however one heckuva of a tussle going on for third place finally settled by ONE second in Euan Thorburn and Keith Beaton’s favour, the VW crew just pipping the Ford Fiesta crew of Finlay Retson and Paul Beaton. Scott Beattie and Peredur Davies drove well finishing fifth in the Fiesta just ahead of the Hyundai i20 of John Wink and Neil Shanks.

Top 2WD drive? Who else? Young Robert Proudlock with Steven Brown after an exemplary drive in the 1200cc Peugeot 208 finishing in a superb 13^th place overall half a minute clear of the Ford Escort Mk2 of Greg McKnight and Harry Marchbank, but Greg was lucky to be there after an unbelievable week prepping the car after its comprehensive engine blow up in Argyll.

Top 1600 (non ‘world’ car) runner was the MG ZR of Niall Cowan and Jnr and Charley Sayer Payne in 28^th place which was quite a feat, holding off the Peugeot 206 Cup car of the rapid Barry Lindsay and Caroline Lodge.

And so ended the 78th RSAC Scottish Rally, but amongst the winners, there was one other, the Jas P Wilson crew who created one of the best rally service park facilities and Rally HQ’s in the country, and if encouraged, will do even more next year. Here’s to them, and as Arnold Scotcheggnchips once said: “I’ll be back!”