So what has been the big attraction? It’s not just the proximity of the stages for north of England folks, it has to be the competition and I like to think, the banter. Admittedly it gets a bit cruel at times but the Scots only insult their friends – insulting enemies just invites more trouble!
The other big attraction lies just off the west coast of Scotland. 300 square miles of rock with roads winding up and over and round the contours like steroid fed sinews. It has been said that the roads were ‘designed’ by an engineer with a wheelbarrow full of sand. Apparently the wheelbarrow had a wee hole in it and the engineer’s job was to push the barrow along the terrain he thought best suited to build roads while the navvies behind him would follow the trail of trickled sand.
That worked fine till one stormy night in the Mish Nish where the engineer sought to fortify himself with the ‘water of life’ before braving the elements and the nightmarish fear of banshees and whigmaleeries and heading home to Dervaig. The next morning the road building squad set about their task following the route with unquestionable faith in their engineer. The result? The 6.3 miles of tortuous tarmac known colloquially as ‘The Lochs’. And given the nature of the rest of the island’s roads, that wasn’t the only night the engineer got stocious!
On that basis I’ll also have copies of the ‘Murmurs on Mull’ book which takes up the Mull story from Brian Molyneux’s authoritative insight (sadly now out of print) on the origins and history of the Mull Rally from 1969 to 1994 with the MoM book covering the period 1993 to 2010 although in a somewhat less serious and more frivolous style to the master’s work.
As for the Scottish Rally Championship books they list the top ten drivers and co-drivers and class winners on each round of the series and are illustrated with many previously unpublished and unseen photographs, including the early days of a future world champion. Anyway, there will be sample books to flick through if interested.
So if you’re not going to Kames a day out at Penrith on Sunday would be most enjoyable as Wigton Motor Club’s ‘Cumbria Classic and Motorsport Show’ promises something for everyone from the old-time tinkerer and polisher to the sporting oil-stained enthusiast, and with over 800 cars entered it ranks as one of the biggest such shows in England.
The venue is the Dalemain Estate just to the west of Penrith off the M6 but given the expected popularity of the show, visitors are recommended to arrive via the A592 from the Ullswater side as the queues may well build up at the Rheged roundabout. Post code CA11 0HB. Just be careful.
