Rally - Busy weekend at Kames

It was good to see Kames jam-packed last weekend, as were the empire biscuits in the Kames Kaff, jam-packed that is, and icily topped! The paddock was hoaching and the spectator car park bunged full. As for the on-track action, the big cars made plenty of noise and the huge field of Junior 1000 cars descended on the track – and the grass – like a swarm of hungry midges scenting summer exposed, peelly waally flesh.

Graham Bruce’s over exuberant audition for ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ was quickly and sensibly curtailed early on and he and David Aitken stuck to the tarmac (mostly) from then on to score the first rally win of the Kames season. Only 16 seconds behind after 16 stages were Stephen Donnelly and Colin McCall, the two Ford Escorts having the legs of the mighty impressive 1600cc Vauxhall Nova of third placed Peter O’Neill and Eilidh Williamson.

The battling Subaru Imprezas of Gareth Dalgliesh/Andrew Side and Cammy Williamson/Roscoe West were pretty closely matched all day finishing in 4th and 6th places just half a minute apart although it was hard to decide who had kicked up the most turf whilst demonstrating their hand-brake turn cornering skills! However, separating these two in fifth place was the Ford Fiesta ST of son and father duo Graeme and Jim Rintoul, the Fiesta behaving itself this time to allow the twosome more time inside the car than under the bonnet.

If there was a ‘Drive of the Day’ award David Telfer would be in the running. He finished 7th overall on his first rally. He was neat and tidy all day and just got quicker and quicker. All was explained later. It might have been his first rally, but he has been competing in just about every other form of motor sport that East Ayrshire Car Club has to offer from autotests to sprints. As for his co-driver, Hayden Brown was competing on just his third rally – and he’s only 14, but his birthday ain’t far away. He turns 15 on the 28th of this month – and already a seasoned campaigner!

If David was ‘driver of the day’ then Fraser McCurdie must be the ‘autocrosser of the day’ as his novel line at the hairpin on the first stage of the morning saw the Mini scuttle around the outside of the tyre barriers on the grass flinging muck and turf everywhere. But he sobered up after that to finish 14th and third in class. Not so Billy Hamilton, who almost went golfing. Unfortunately, he tried to take the Kadett with him and parked it astride the tyre barrier. At least he had less damage to contend with than Ewan Murdoch whose Escort now has an unwanted ‘air-cooling vent’ at the bottom of the cylinder block. As for Colin Hay, the ‘retired’ Mk2 driver was at the wheel of son Steven’s Vauxhall Nova. He was just getting the hang of this front wheel drive nonsense when a couple of the paddles in the clutch got bent and he couldn’t select gears. Another one needing to get the gearbox out will be James Wilson. Although he finished 10th overall and 1st in the 1400 class in the MG, he had fingers crossed going for a finish as it was getting more difficult to select gears as the day wore on. Each shift being engaged with a crunch!

As for the youngsters, the top six were covered by just 43 seconds! How close is that? Rian Walker won on the day with a tidy and well driven Skoda but the tie-break rule had to be applied to separate Charlie Mathewson (VW Up!) and Ollie Forrester (Skoda) for second place. As if that wasn’t enough, the tie-break rule had again to be employed to determine fourth place with Lauchlan Hunter (VW Up!) getting the decision ahead of the top placed Nissan Micra on the day which was William Paterson’s car in 5th place overall. It would be hard to pick a ‘driver of the day’ from this wild bunch, but Lucyanne Cree’s top ten finish showed a big improvement on last year’s pace carrying more speed into and through the corners and keeping her foot flat to the board on the straights.

Perhaps the previous day’s training and testing session for the 14 to 17 year olds helped them all. It was also good to see Max McRae, Robert Proudlock and Lewis Haining plus many other ‘elders’ turning up to help and advise the youngsters on Saturday and also sitting in with them to give practical guidance. As ever, the big topic of where to go next after the 1000cc cars is a concern not just for the youngsters, but the paying parents! Fortunately the newly created MG3 Rally Challenge (http://www.mg3rally.co.uk) might just be the answer. A one-make, budget conscious category being run by Niall Cowan and Mark McCulloch. Well worth a look!

There was another ‘treat’ in store for the youngsters on Saturday. After the rally training activities they were asked to assemble in the paddock – to help with stage construction. Over 150 stakes and arrows had to be set up around the circuit and of course tyre markers moved to be ready for Sunday. Another valuable lesson learned and an insight into just how much work the regular volunteers undertake to provide all rally crews with their sport.

East Ayrshire Car Club Kames Spring Rally supported by Mayfield Garage Services

Results:

Top Ten

1, Graham Bruce/David Aitken (Ford Escort) 23 mins 28secs

2, Stephen Donnelly/Colin McCall (Ford Escort) 23m 54s

3, Peter O’Neill/Eilidh Williamson (Vauxhall Nova) 23m 59s

4, Gareth Dalgliesh/Andrew Side (Subaru Impreza) 24m 01s

5, Graeme Rintoul/Jim Rintoul (Ford Fiesta ST) 24m 12s

6, Cammy Williamson/Roscoe West (Subaru Impreza) 24m 32s

7, David Telfer/Hayden Brown (Ford Escort Mk2) 24m 46s

8, Liam Harvey/Chris Wareham (Ford Fiesta) 24m 54s

9, Kenneth Dalgliesh/Scott Wightman (Ford Escort Mk2) 25m 11s

10, James Wilson/Rebecca Wilson (MG ZR) 25m 13s

Junior 1000 Top Ten

1, Rian Walker/Stuart McBride (Skoda Citigo) 26 mins 12 secs

2, Charlie Mathewson/Ian Bass (VW Up) 26m 18s

3, Ollie Forrester/George Myatt (Skoda Citigo) 26m 18s

4, Lauchlan Hunter/Richard Simmonds (VW Up) 26m 23s

5, William Paterson/Niall Cowan Jnr (Nissan Micra K11) 26m 23s

6, Thomas Babb/Andrew Blackwood (Skoda Citigo) 26m 55s

7, Alfie Letham/Craig Wallace (Skoda Citigo) 27m 23s

8, Jairaj Jutley/Lewis Haining (SEAT Mii) 27m 29s

9, Lucyanne Cree/Chloe Fleming (Skoda Citigo) 27m 30s

10, Rhys Purvin/Paul Cummins (Nissan Micra) 27m 41s

Rally - Kames by the Sea

If you missed out on the World Championship Rally in sunny Portugal this weekend then how about a trip to Kames by the Sea tomorrow Sunday 11th May for the Kames ‘Spring Rally’ – that is Kames ‘Spring Rally’ not the Kames ‘Spring Roll’, that is an entirely different dish served up in the local takeaway.

And if the ‘by the Sea’ bit is confusing, dinnae fret, it’s true as well, but only if you climb to the top of the ‘Cairn Table’, a hill just to the south of the circuit. After a stiff uphill walk to the 593 metre peak you can see the Atlantic surf rolling into the Prestwick and Troon Beach, just a stone’s throw to the west – that is if the haar hasn’t rolled in off the ocean! On the other hand, don’t mention that to Steven Brown. The renowned Munro-bagger will no doubt wish to desert his co-driving post to ‘bag’ one of Ayrshire’s biggest mountains.

Anyway, there’s a full entry promised for tomorrow and a whole flock of Junior 1000 competitors all no doubt dead keen to empty the Kames Café in search of energy enriching sugar and sustenance to enable them to rout their rivals. It could be argued that the 1000cc cars are a bit slower than the bigger bangers, but the competition is closer – and fiercer.

As for the heavyweights – which could apply to the crews as much as the cars – there is whole bag of misguided talent ready to take on the thrills and spills that this challenging complex has to offer, and that plus the best rally-spectating environment has to be worth a day out.

With Graham Bruce and Colin Gemmell heading up the entry and expected to set the targets, spare a thought for the 1600s which includes Stevie Irwin, Colin Hay and Ewan Murdoch plus a host of other quick 1600 competitors and that should prove a rerr terr.

There is however one other thing that the eagle-eyed should be aware of, the prospect of some scheming skullduggery taking place on the field of play. Far be it from me to cast aspersions but if you do see one of tomorrow’s competition cars lingering too long at stage starts and stage finishes and the crew engaging with the Marshals in some secretive chat. It could well be that a certain someone could be attempting to bribe the Marshals for a little ‘leeway’ with their stage times in return for some home-made traybake!! If that’s the case, there may well be a surprise, very surprising, winner tomorrow. So pay attention when spectating and help put an end to foul play.

Full Entry List and it gets underway tomorrow at 8.30 am-ish:

http://www.eastayrshirecc.co.uk/rallies

Rally Results available on-line courtesy of Raymond’s Rally Ready Reckoner:

https://www.scotresults.org/

Oh! And purely as an aside. I’ll have some books with me tomorrow as I have a couple of orders to deliver, just in case anyone else wishes to purchase a small slice of Scottish motor rallying history!!

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

Race- Sport for all

There are those who regard sprinting and hillclimbing as non-spectator sports. Fair enough, their choice. There are also those who don’t think football is a spectator sport, and that is understandable too, but yesterday proved to be a grand motor sporting day out for any petrolhead.

There was much to see and hear at Scottish Sporting Car Club’s sprint at East Ayrshire Car Club’s track at Kames in Muirkirk. In-line fours and flat sixes, mixed with the whoosh of turbos and the high revving wail of motor cycle engined specials. A treat for the mechanically minded as much as the aurally addicted. Even just a walk round the paddock is enough to sate the appetite as much as a ‘full Scottish’ at Cairn Lodge on the way there!

And then there is the on-track action, with its mixture of exotica and the ordinary and with just one car on the track (sometimes two) at any one time, the watching is enhanced by the listening.  There was quite a bit of heeling and toeing going on yesterday even amongst the road cars and even though the track is narrow, there is a variety of ‘racing lines’ through the corners not to mention braking points! There were around a dozen MX5s in action and every one of them seemed to have a different approach to and exit from corners! Great fun.

And given the very tricky, damp conditions yesterday there were a few bumps and thumps with adrenalin pumps working as hard as fuel pumps. Fortunately no serious crashes, and apart from some additional nights in the garage required, only bruises and injured pride to show for them. Motor sport can be dangerous.

As a warm up for next week’s Kames Spring Stages Rally on Sunday 12^th May, it was ideal. The organisers have received a full entry plus reserves for Sunday’s event including a full house of Junior 1000 drivers and their cars. In fact the only thing missing yesterday was Rhona’s tablet tin of sumptiousness, thank goodness for the traybakes in the Kames Caff!

Race - Sprint Weekend

There’s a two day Sprint on at Kames this weekend, Saturday (4th) and Sunday (5th). With classes from road cars to racing cars there are opportunities for all budgets and all abilities from newcomers to seasoned campaigners. If you want entry level motor sport, get yourself a Mazda MX5 and have a go at this.

I’m going to be there on the Sunday - and I’ll have some books with me, oddly enough! So if you haven't got one, or two yet, "stoppa me and a buya one", as they say in furrin parts.

Cash or card, but no cheques, Provi vouchers, Embassy tokens or Green Shield Stamps !!

Look for the red Transit.

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

Rally - First Draft

Schoolboy, or school bus driver?

Big problem. Last night the first draft of the book ‘The Scottish Rally Championship 1990-1999’ was completed. Phew! Job done.

Unfortunately not. The word count in the first book ‘1980-1989’ was around 86,000 words but subsequent requests from readers wanted longer reports and more stories.

Duly obliged, but gone too far. Far too far. The current word count stands at 144,000. Some serious editing will therefore have to ensue.

The trouble is, deciding what to leave out. If the 1980s Scottish rallying seasons planted the seeds of future success, then the 1990s bore fruit with three Scots becoming world champions and multiple national champions in this most exciting and thrilling of sports.

But those were the success stories. The sad fact is that so many more would-be stars never got the chance to compete on the world stage and those who did were unable to find a fulltime professional seat. Scotland was simply bursting with talent during that decade.

So the process of slashing and cutting will have to begin – and I haven‘t even started on the photograph selection process!!

As for the photo? Will that make the next book? Choosing what to leave out is going to be as difficult as reducing the word count.

On the other hand, it has been jokingly mentioned that there is scope for another book when the history series is complete and that final book will contain all the tales and pics that had to be left out. Maybe some serious consideration will need to be given to that idea too.

As for the photo – schoolboy or school bus driver? What do you think?

Chirnside pilgrimage

The weather matched the mood yesterday in Chirnside at noon. It was a grey, dreich and damp day with a large motley crowd sheltering under hoods, bunnets and brollies from the dampness. And yet there were smiles, handshakes and cheerful chatter. The occasion marked the unveiling of a small plaque which commemorated the late Ian Scott-Watson’s huge contribution to the life and career of one Jim Clark Esq, borders farmer and racing driver.

Folk had gathered from all across the country including one chap from Belgium and a healthy representation from even more ‘foreign’ lands, like England. There were even three ‘Hell’s Angels’ in attendance until the helmets were removed and grey hair revealed, more like three ‘Hell’s Rejects’ than angels!

After the pipes had called to cease the chatter and gather around a few words were spoken and the special guest was announced. Long past the first flush of youth, and yet with fierce determination, despite the dampness affecting the bones and joints of all those standing around, it was Ian’s brother George Scott-Watson who stepped gingerly up to the Jim Clark Memorial Clock tower in the village square to unveil the plaque.

After the ceremony the throng headed quickly towards the warmth and shelter of the village hall and community centre where the home baking and hot drinks offered a revival of their own. But gathered there in a very poignant display were many of the personal effects and mementos of Ian’s life in sport, and this was only a fraction of his archive. Mesmerising.

I must admit, I didn’t know Ian very well having only met him a few times and spoken briefly but there was another who was honoured yesterday and that was my prime reason for the visit. Eric Bryce also played an integral part of Jim Clark’s early and later career. Like Jim, Eric was a farmer first and foremost, but at weekends he was a photographer.

Eric passed away last November so yesterday’s memorial service was a joint commemoration of both Ian Scott-Watson and Eric’s lives and contributions. A wee tribute was published at the time on the Blog:

John Fife: Eric Bryce, 1937-2023

In addition to Ian’s memorabilia, there was a display of Eric’s photographs covering motor racing and rallying, equine sports and agricultural shows, and many, many more events in the Scottish Borders. Fortunately, he had made a point of ensuring that his photographic archive would be presented to the Jim Clark Trust, but given his photographic proliferation trying to sort out that lot will be a mammoth task for some poor archivist. At least this most valuable of archives has been saved.

And yes, I forked out the cash to buy a copy of Eric’s book – I couldn’t wait till Christmas!

https://jimclarktrust.com/product/clark-through-the-lens/

If ever there was a need to establish a proper and permanent Scottish motor sports museum, yesterday’s glimpse of just these two archives further confirms that need.

Scotland has a huge and proud world-wide heritage earned on two, three and four wheels which MUST be preserved and presented to the public for future enlightenment and entertainment.

Rally - Once upon a Speyside

Last weekend’s McDonald and Munro Speyside Stages Rally brought back memories. Long before stubble was classed as ‘designer stubble’ and beards became fashionable as opposed to an excuse for lazy b*gg*rs in the mornings, it was Sandy Dalgarno who created a new trend.

He had just won the first ever Speyside Stages Rally way back in 1997 but due to his hirsute and bristly presence on the day declared: “I’ll never shave before a rally again.”

Depending on which excuse you prefer to believe, Sandy either forgot to shave in the morning (likely), slept in and was running late (more likely) or he had put a shift in at work before going rallying and was already knackered (much less likely) or quite simply could not be *rs*d because it was the weekend (highly believable) but for whatever reason the usually swanky and ‘dandy’ Sandy’s chin was about as smooth as a jaggy thistle.

Regardless of that, Sandy and Martin Forrest won the inaugural Speyside Rally in a Ford Escort Cosworth which was sponsored by a local engineering firm – a highly respected engineering outfit by the name of Precision Engine Services. Indeed the proprietor of which was also taking part, one Andy Horne Esq, but his Metro lost the lead of the rally after two stages when its engine failed. His demise was followed by other well known local worthies including Graham Clark, Dave MacDonald and the Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire himself, the right honourable James Ingleby.

Dalgarno didn’t have things his own way though, Jim Carty had taken the Missus out for a ‘drive in the country’ in the family car, a wee Metro – with MG badges and a ‘6R4’ sticker. Anyway, Jim and Frances finished second managing to hold off the fervent attentions of Raymond Munro and Graham Brunton in another one of these Metro 6R4 jobs. Jon Burn and Stan Quirk had been in the mix in another Metro but an un-intended, exploratory diversion up one of the Speyside forest’s notorious firebreaks momentarily diverted their concentration from driving for victory, to fighting for survival! Anyway, their mis-adventure dropped them to fifth behind the Subaru Impreza of Peter Vassallo and Plug Pulleyn.

Duncan Jaffray and Andy McGowan finished sixth in another Escort while in seventh place was a young and impressionable rallying fledgeling by the name of Barry Groundwater with Brian Jamieson in a Mazda 323. John ‘The String Man’ Hamilton and David Noble were eighth in a Sierra Cosworth ahead of the top 2WD cars which were separated by just 10 seconds. And ‘No’, the name ‘The String Man’ is not a misprint or a spelling error for ‘The Strong Man’, Hammy’s business was actually manufacturing string which was an essential emergency tool in the days before gaffer tape and tie-wraps.

Andrew and Gordon Ritchie came off best in this battle in their Ford Escort Mk2 ahead of the Opel Manta of Paul Bova and Carol Christie.

Anyway, this modest five stage event provided Sandy ‘Whiskers’ Dalgarno with his first ever outright rally victory, and therefore one to be savoured, with a new good luck pre-event ritual initiated and a new fashion trend set for the rest of the world to follow. Happy days, eh?

Note: Back then the inaugural Speyside Rally wasn’t part of the Scottish Rally Championship but it was being observed that year for future inclusion. And guess what happened in 1998? It has been part of the national series ever since.

Another Note: I came across this entirely accurate, truthful and honest rally report whilst working on the book ‘The History of the Scottish Rally Championship 1990-1999’ which is well underway – I’m up to 1998 at present. Copies of the first book 1980-1989 are still available:

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

Rally - Dangerous thinking

Had a thoroughly enjoyable, and ultimately surprising, trip to the far south (Lancashire from Lanarkshire) on Thursday last to the home of 2300 Club, the instigators of the original Tour of Mull Rally. Ostensibly intended to flog them some copies of the book, they turned the tables on their unsuspecting visitor. Thank you one and all.

And yes, some books were sold, including a copy to the originator of the event title, ‘The Best Rally in the World’. This provided something of a surprise, nay, a shock to the system. The grinning potential purchaser flourished what looked like a cherished slip of paper dug out from the deepest recesses of a well worn wallet. He had obviously learned his craft of solemn thriftiness from a certain very well known rally driver in the past! Getting him to part with cash has been as easy as extracting a stripped nut from a wheel stud.

Anyway, when carefully unfolded it turned out to be a £20 note and as it was opened out I’m sure the Queen blinked at the light. It must have been an old 20 quid note as it still had the Queen’s picture on it, but not Elizabeth the second, it looked awfy like Victoria!

However, the trip itself brought back memories of the regular journalistic expeditions up and down the M6 to the magazine office in Leyland and the printer at Bamber Bridge, and brought back memories of some of the good times pre-retirement. 

And so it was the late trip home the other night over a mist shrouded Shap and rain slicked roads offered up its usual chance to contemplate wild thoughts and ideas unburdened by external interruptions.

The two books I have already written and now published (the third one is currently half completed) have been so well received that it has set me thinking and prompted yet another idea for another book. If the idea was ever to see the light of day, it would probably have a title something like – ‘The Lost Talents’.

Looking back on the 1970s, there were quite a few opportunities for aspiring and talented rally drivers and co-drivers to get the chance to drive for a manufacturer’s ‘works’ rally team or one of the many manufacturer supported private teams. Unfortunately, as manufacturer interest in the world series dwindled throughout the duration of the 1980s into the 1990s, these opportunities diminished in number and availability. Fast forward to today, and we have three ‘manufacturer’ teams competing in the World Championship and virtually no manufacturer supported private teams.

So what chance does an aspiring and talented youngster have today of ever becoming a professional rally driver or co-driver? Given the current cost and technical complexity of competing at the top level and the number of manufacturers deserting rallying and flocking to Formula 1 and Formula E, those chances are fast disappearing.

We need a simpler and more affordable formula to increase the level of competition to excite more competitors and attract more spectators whilst enticing more manufacturers and enthusing more sponsors. Make the cars more akin to what are driven on public roads, with less complexity and more easily maintained, along with more manageable events and costs and we might yet have a chance.

If there was to be a change, it would be too late for many i.e. ‘the lost talents’. Over recent years, the sport has produced many would-be champions, but only McRae, Ringer, Reid and Aitken-Walker have made it. Many more got a taste of ‘works drives’ but progressed no further due to a lack of opportunities and budgets and perhaps a book on such ‘lost talents’ as Andrew Wood, Dom Buckley Jnr, Robbie Head, Callum Guy, John MacCrone, Jock and Barbara Armstrong and Lorna Smith, as well as Stuart Loudon and Cameron Fair, to name but a few, might just be of interest. And those are just the Scots, think of the many English, Welsh and Northern Irish talents which shone so brightly but all too briefly.

It could be quite a book, couldn’t it?

Rally - In the Bears’ Den

There was a good crowd at the monthly Coltness CC meeting last night and the book was well received so a big personal sigh of relief. And if ‘the Bears’ head for home with a smile on their faces as opposed to a growl in their throats then it bodes well for the future.

The encouraging thing about such a gathering with the bears is you get the truth, either it’s good sh*t* or it’s bad sh*t*, and thankfully the general consensus was that the book is good sh*t*. So there you have it, a positive recommendation. Or is it?

Seriously, I was really pleased with the feedback. As almost everyone said, it brings back memories and that’s the whole point. As rally folk age so memories dim and we all need a wee trigger now and again.

Anyway, that’s this latest book on the wee marketing website that I have and it sits alongside the first of the planned books on the ‘Scottish Rally Championship’ which has already been published so make sure you click on the right title !!

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

And finally … One chap came up to me last night with a copy of the book opened at one page and earnestly asked: “Did I really do that? I don’t remember it.” Well, of course he must, it’s in the book, so it must be right. Mustn’t it?

Rally - Murmurs on Tour

Lanarkshire to Lancashire. After visiting Coltness Car Club on Monday it’s off to the far south on Thursday night for a visit to 2300 Club, the originators of the Tour of Mull Rally.

It’s not another formal ‘book launch’, just a meeting of like minded souls with an interest in rallying – one event in particular of course.

Of course, it was former 2300 Club President, the late Brian Molyneux, who wrote the first book on ‘The Tour of Mull Rally’ which covers the event’s introduction in 1969 up to 1994. Sadly that book is out of print but I do believe there is some interest in another wee print run and maybe something will come out of Thursday night’s meeting.

Anyway, my own scurrilous effort is rather different from Brian’s detailed and beautifully written account of the event’s beginnings and its history, whereas the ‘Mull Murmurs’ bulletins as published during the rally were anything but well written or grammatically correct. There was also an issue of ‘political correctness’ which wasn’t quite such a thorny issue in days gone by! I just hope that to-day’s readers will bear that in mind.

It may only be an A5 paperback but it does have 350 pages, and more to the point, the book does contain every single issue of the Bulletins that were issued during that 18 year period 1993 to 2010 – the only place where the full compilation exists.

The cost is 20 quid, which equates to just about one guinea for each year’s series of bulletins and only those who were there can judge if that was a bargain – or not!

Anyway, the 2300 club night will take place on Thursday evening, the 11^th of April, at Foxfields Hotel, Whalley Rd, Billington, Clitheroe BB7 9HY and yours truly will be in attendance from around 7.30pm.

By the way, if any other club wants a personal visitation, perhaps it could be arranged! However, anywhere south of Lancashire might pose a health risk to a sunstroke-fearing traveller from the far north.

For those who can’t make it, full details of how to purchase a copy on-line will be published here shortly, once I’ve figured out how to update the bluidy website!

Onwards and upwards, eh?

Rally - The ‘Murmurs’ are alive …

Picked up the fist batch of books from the printer and they’ll go on sale next week. Price is a wee bit higher than I had hoped, so hope that’s OK. I ‘lost’ the title sponsor just before the book was due to go to press and the price of paper has gone up again, so I cut back on the print run a wee bit. Hopefully I’ll still have enough to go round and nobody is disappointed.

The price will be 20 quid plus another fiver for P&P for those who place an order on line and although it is more expensive than originally planned, here is another way of looking at it – the ‘MullMurmurs’ bulletins were issued over an 18 year period, so that equates to just about one guinea for each year’s series of bulletins.

Please also bear in mind that this is primarily a ‘text’ book, not a ‘picture’ book and the photos, such as they are, are purely there to break up the text and perhaps highlight some of the personalities mentioned and ‘equipment’ used. Picture quality isn’t great but that’s down to the quality of the paper, using better grade paper would have pushed the price up again!

It’s also a paperback book and a handy pocket-sized A5 format, but on the plus side, there are 354 pages which hopefully captures what the Mull Rally is all about. At least now a permanent record has been created to carry on the story from Brian Molyneux’s 1969 – 1994 epic with this book covering the period 1993 – 2010. I’ll let someone else take up the story from 2011 onwards …

For those who wish to avail themselves of a copy before the rush (?) I will be at the Coltness Car Club monthly gathering on Monday evening 8^th April from 7.30 pm. This will be held at the usual venue – Dalserf Bowling Club, Ashgillhead Road, Ashgill, Larkhall ML9 3AF. The Club is licensed to sell alcoholic refreshments if you’re not driving but also has both leaded and unleaded Irn Bru plus a variety of other soft drinks, and boattles of waatter, and remember, the bar only takes cash – nae cards, cheques or Provi vouchers.

One other thing, if you haven’t been to a CCC club night before you will drive past the entrance to the Bowling Club at least once before you see it. So dinnae worry, we’ve all done it! It’s a tight left on to an unsurfaced narrow road between the first and second wee hooses as you approach the village from the north. There’s a fairly big car park at the foot of the lane on the right with access to the Bowling Club entrance from there.

For those who can’t make it, full details of how to purchase a copy on line will be published here shortly – I had to get a new card payment reader! And that was a job and a half, thanks to DPD. After this week’s carry-on with DPD I’ll be sticking with Royal Mail for delivery and tracking. In other words we’re in a sad state if the Royal Mail can make another delivery company look bad.

So dinnae try an’ order the book here yet – wait for the details (Tuesday hopefully), or I’ll see you Monday evening.

Onwards and upwards, eh?

Road - New Land Cruiser

Looks like Land Rover’s new Defender and the Ineos Grenadier have a serious rival on its way. The new Toyota Land Cruiser is coming to the UK with a 201hp four cylinder 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine and a towing limit of 3500 kgs. There’s no manual gearbox just an eight speed automatic and prices are expected to start from a very competitive £45,000. If they can stick to that price then it really will give its rivals a fright.  It’s also got one helluva reputation to live up to – but then it’s got a Toyota badge on the grille!

Rally - Bygone days

Looking back … With the Asset Alliance Scottish Rally Championship not due to start until next month, forty years ago the national series was already well underway. The Snowman Rally had already been held in February while March always meant the Hackle Rally. Some of those who contested that event are still with us, and still rallying, and some are not.

The rally was won that year by Andrew Wood and Dougie Paterson in a Talbot Sunbeam Lotus from the Ford Escort RS of Donald Heggie and Ian Mungall – and the difference? Two seconds. Andrew finished on 50 mins 25 secs while Donald finished on 50 mins 27 secs.

Just a few photos are shown here, some you will recognise and perhaps some you might not, but the full report and more photos is in the book!

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

Rally - Murmurs on Mull - Progress?

Some bad news I’m afraid regarding the ‘Murmurs on Mull’ book. I’ve now got the proof back from the printer. However, I had anticipated it would be around 300 pages in length, well, I’m afraid that is not going to be the case, it looks as though it is in fact going to be 356 pages in length !!

It has been suggested by the printer that never has so much drivel been written about so few has-beens, hopefuls and heroes for the enlightenment and entertainment of so many onlookers, rally die-hards and deadbeats - as someone once famous might have said, had he said anything at all.

Anyway, b*gg*r it I thought, so be it, let the print machines roll. Yee Haa!

Rally - Murmurs underway

I’ve signed off the cover of the ‘MullMurmurs’ book and it looks pretty smart. Even though there is no cover sponsor mention or logo on the front cover and the back cover had to be changed, I think it looks pretty good. In fact it might even be better. Plain and simple, just like the author!

On the other hand, the printer wasn’t too keen on the typesetting (I did it!) but I wanted to try and replicate the Murmurs as they were originally reproduced. A difficult task since the Murmurs were printed individually on A4 sheets and this is an A5 book but I told him that was what I wanted. What really surprised me was that he didn’t know what a ‘duplicator’ was but there is a photo in the book and I explained how it worked. Youngsters, eh?

I’ll be getting a full book proof to read shortly and then it’s press the ‘go’ button after that.

I’ll publish details here when ready, but it will be available on-line through the same web site marketing service which is currently selling the Scottish Rally Championship book. I’ll also have copies with me when I visit events, but details of this will also be published here.

Rally - MullMurmurs

Good news and not so good news. The good news is that the ‘MullMurmurs’ book is now at the printer’s as of this morning, but the not so good news is that the finished product will be a wee bit dearer than planned. The deal with the cover sponsor fell through a few days back leaving little time to re-arrange things for today. In all fairness the sponsor had a domestic issue to deal with so family matters must come first and so I have no qualms with his decision and we haven’t fallen out.

Fortunately some good friends of the Mull Rally came to the rescue and helped out so I must thank John, Calum, Andy, Neil, James and Kerrie, and Saint Tunnock’s of Biscuitry. Even so I am still the major ‘shareholder’ hence the wee price increase!

I must admit this has been a bit of a scary trip down memory lane going through eighteen years worth of MullMurmurs rally bulletins. What memories this exercise has conjured up! At it’s heart it is still eighteen years of rally reports but written in a rather different ‘less serious’ style than expected of the newspapers and magazines of the time. Some might use the word ‘irreverent’ whereas others might say it is politically incorrect, but that’s how things were, so nothing has been changed for the book.

I have tried to replicate the urgency of the production process, at least that’s my excuse for the mistakes, mis-typing and spelling errors. These have been deliberately left in. The news was gathered in a rush, bashed out hurriedly on a typewriter (later laptop and dot matrix printer) to cut the stencils which were then used to print the bulletins. Once printed they were passed to the distribution teams to get them round the spectators, competitors and local folks on the island. While that was happening, the production team, i.e. me, had packed up and driven on to the next stop to try and get ahead of the rally again to gather and disseminate more news.

Reading through all these bulletins again just made me wonder how we all managed to do it against the clock while attempting to comply with the rally timetable and road closures. Mind you, some tales will never (can’t) be told!

That’s why the style of the book accurately copies the style of the bulletins as they were issued. Rather than tidy it up, that’s just how things were.

It’s all rather different to Brian Molyneux’s book ‘The Best Rally in the World’ which covers the beginnings in 1969 and takes the story up to 1993, so the Murmurs book will fit perfectly picking up the story in 1993 and taking it 2010. Someone else can do the next one, 2011 - …..

Brian’s book is actually out of print so copies are hard to find. On that basis I have asked Neil Molyneux if he has the original draft. If there is enough interest, maybe we could arrange a reprint ???

Anyway, I can now get back to the real job, ‘The Scottish Rally Championship 1990-1999’ which is well underway, but it’s complicated. Many youngsters will be unaware of the trials and tribulations of the time where different handicaps and time penalties were applied to certain four wheel drive cars and turbocharged cars. Methinks that will need a chapter of explanation on its own.

It might be hard to believe, but rallying was a bit more fun back in the day than it is now, or is that just old age, rose tinted specs and grumpiness creeping in? Or can I finish this in two words? Castrol R.

Anyway, I’ll let you know when the Mull book is available.

Road - Peek into the future?

As the former editor of the UK’s best light commercial vehicle magazine (now retired!) I miss the industry, the technology and the insights, so I’m particularly miffed at missing out on Ford’s latest creation, the Ford Performance SuperVan 4.2.

This was actually revealed last year and was demonstrated at Goodwood, which I did make mention of here, but the van is currently on t’other side of the world breaking records and setting new ones and will be making an appearance at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix next month (21-24 March).

Apart from the silhouette, this all electric machine bears little resemblance to any other light commercial vehicle but that’s not the point, the point is all about promoting electric vehicles with Ford commercial vehicles at the forefront of that.

Anyway at Mount Panorama during the Thrifty Bathurst 500 event, and with Romain Dumas at the wheel, the ‘van’ set a trio of lap records, for the quickest closed-wheel vehicle, electric vehicle, and commercial vehicle to lap the 6.2 kilometre racetrack.

Afterwards, Dumas who drove the vehicle last year at Pikes Peak, said: “This is the first time I have driven SuperVan 4.2 faster than 300km/h (186.4 mph), and we left nothing on the table as we pushed for the fastest lap possible. No one has ever driven a vehicle like SuperVan 4.2 around Mount Panorama, and certainly not this quickly.”

But before you all think that we are all being subtly converted to electrically propelled vehicles as the way of the future, Ford are hedging their bets too.

The company has entered into practical trials with Ocado Retail and BP using its hydrogen fuel cell E-Transit project.

Ford has been working on hydrogen fuel cells since the 1990s and this latest test will take their research a stage further. Not only will they be working on the vehicles themselves but plans for a nation-wide re-fuelling structure to support such a move should the government ever change its mind about electricity and the motor car!! And pigs might fly (Ed.).

Anyway, I’ll be interested to see how the project works out. Surely a better idea than ‘wet-belt’ engine technology. Manufacturers of such propulsion units recommend belt changes at 100,000 miles but I know of dealers who are recommending 60,000 mile limits. Me? I’d be changing them at 30,000 miles. Happy motoring, eh?