Monday, 11 May 2026

Rally - Shrinkflation

Of course I blame the Government, Trumpland, the oil companies, the gas and electric companies, the greedy big supermarkets, the crooks that run the Water Boards, the bigger crooks who work in Stock Exchanges and Banks – we all same to be paying more for poorer quality, smaller quantities and worse service.

And so it seems, it has come to this. Signalling the end of civilisation as we know it, this quality of life draining process has wound its way down to Rhona’s tablet. Anyone involved in the Ecosse Junior 1000 Rally Championship series will know only too well of the invigorating and restorative properties of the sweet and sugary substance known as Rhona’s tablet and available in the big tin to all who frequent the Ecosse Junior marquee at rallies. A Scottish delicacy famed far and wide, and yet it too has seemingly been afflicted by the curse of shrinkflation, the cost of ingredients being driven ever upwards by the greedy and uncaring.

Where once this home made succulence was mouthful and chunky, it is but a shadow of its former self. Not so much a ‘sugar fix’ as a ‘sugar tickle’!

We’re doomed, we’re all doomed !!


 

Rally - Faster and Furiouser

What a grand day at Kames yesterday for the Mayfield Garage Services Kames Rally, what the track lacks in length it more than makes up for in interest and complexity and the best of it is that spectators can see almost the whole stage from the grass banking. At times there were up to four cars on track at any one time and the eyes simply couldn’t keep up with the action.

Graham Bruce and David Aitken eventually won the day by 30 seconds from Ross Fernie and Bryan Hamilton with Wily Willie Pollock and John Marshall safe in third - but they were only one second behind watching the mayhem play out ahead of them. Alister Watson got off to a slow start on the first two stages with a sick Escort, which was quickly fixed only to retire later, followed by Colin Gemmell who withdrew when the VW’s transfer ‘box failed, Billy McClelland was penalised for an overshoot and Steven Street was up for the fight but retired on the final stages. Mind you he had one of those wild fishtailing ‘spectator-step-back-quick’ moments on the fifth stage and how he got away with it, providence only knows!

Peter O’Neill and Alfie Letham finished fourth, and didn’t they make that wee 1600cc Nova dance, and Cole Hastings was in the top ten in that raucous Honda engined MG till the final stage. He says it revs to 9,500, I think he’s being awfy modest!

Top Ten:
1, Graham Bruce/David Aitken (Ford Escort Mk2) 19m 49s
2, Ross Fernie/Bryan Hamilton (Subaru Impreza sti) 20m 19s
3, William Pollock/John Marshall (Ford Escort Mk2) 20m 20s
4, Peter O’Neill/Alfie Letham (Vauxhall Nova) 20m 25s
5, Stephen Donnelly/Rian Walker (Ford Escort RS1800) 20m 27s
6, Peter McCallum/Stephen Clark (Ford Escort) 20m 45s
7, Duncan Ferguson/Jamie McQue (Vauxhall Chevette HS) 21m 02s
8, David Telfer/Hayden Brown (Ford Escort Mk2) 21m 05s
9, Shane Collins/Greg Halfpenny (Ford Fiesta Rally 4) 21m 07s
10, Graeme Rintoul/Jim Rintoul (Ford Fiesta ST) 21m 07s

In the Ecosse Junior 1000 event William Paterson and Mark McCulloch were having a right old ding dong with McKenzie Snowden and Rob Fagg till the blue Skoda simply fell over and landed on its roof. It was one of those two-wheeling, will-it, won’t-it hairpin moments, but it did. Even so Snowden’s winning margin over James McLaughlan and Andrew Blackwood was only two seconds, and they were only two seconds up on third placed Gregor Reid and Simon Mills! How close was that?

Top Ten:
1, McKenzie Snowden/Rob Fagg (VW UP!) 22m 05s
2, James McLaughlan/Andrew Blackwood (VW UP!) 22m 07s
3, Gregor Reid/Simon Mills (Seat Mii) 22m 09s
4, Lion Koffman/Richard Stewart (Skoda Citigo) 22m 13s
5, Ollie Poole/Richard Simmonds (Seat Mii) 22m 18s
6, Zak Furber/Chloe Fleming (Skoda Citigo) 22m 26s
7, Rhys Purvin/Barry Young (VW UP!) 22m 43s
8, Charlie Kelso/Jon Hawkins (Citroen C1) 22m 50s
9, April Blair/Eilidh Williamson (Skoda Citigo) 22m 57s
10, Gregor Beatson/Craig Wallace (Skoda Citigo) 23m 35s

 


Tuesday, 5 May 2026

Rally - Mayhem at the Mayfield?

The Mayfield Garage Services Rally, Sunday 10th May - Grudge match or friendly rivalry? This weekend’s rally at Kames, Muirkirk, has a full-house entry of Seniors and Juniors who will contest 14 stages commencing at 9.00am on Sunday morning.

Heading the entry list are four previous Kames Rally winners including last year’s victors Steven Street and Robert Wood. Hot favourites? You decide, because right behind them are three times Kames Rally winners Graham Bruce and David Aitken 2022, ‘23 and ‘24, so they know their way around. Behind them at number 3 is Billy McLelland who won the Albar Kames Rally in 2009 - and the Kames Time Trial in 2010 with Helen Brown co-driving. This weekend Billy will be partnered by Eamon Boyle.

Running at number four are Colin Gemmell, and Derek Keir, who won the Albar Kames Rally in 2017 in a Ford Escort Mk2 - and finished 2nd in 2014 with Chris Hunter in a Subaru. Colin also won the Kames May Rally Time Trial in 2012 and finished 2nd in 2011, plus his faither Ian was one of the original East Ayrshire Car Club stalwarts behind the idea of a Kames Motorsport Complex 46 years ago and was instrumental in the track design!

Running at number five are William Pollock and John Marshall who were third at Kames in 2023, so all they have to do is blow the doors off the four seeds ahead of them and they’ll be in the trophy hunt. But keep an eye out for Peter O’Neill and Eilidh Williamson who are running at number 6 in a Vauxhall Nova behind three Escort Mk2s, a Subaru and a VW Golf R7. They were fourth in the wee flyer last year and 3rd the year before!!

In total there are 27 ‘senior’ entries and 18 ‘Junior’ entries, this latter group contesting their own Junior 1000 Ecosse Championship for 14-17 year olds in a variety of one litre cars. This is the ideal training ground for youngsters seeking a start in stage rallying but if you think the auld gits in the Seniors class are competitive wait till you see the ‘up and at ‘em’ brigade in their buzz bombs – just stand well back.

And playing a starring role at Kames is the café and it is always a delight to see what tortuously tasty tray bakes will be on offer on the day along with other more mundane delicacies like bacon sandwiches, and maybe even pie sandwiches!

Spectators on the day, and interest from afar, can find results on the event at the www.scotresults.org website run throughout the day by Raymon Mann and his magnificent steam driven, coal-fired computerisator machine.

Also in attendance will be the Book-tique (the red Ford Transit Custom) selling copies of the ‘Scottish Rally Championship’ books compiled, written, produced and published in Scotland. There won’t be a display or a marquee though due to space restrictions at this awfy busy international motor sports venue, but if you see the van I’ll not be far away. If you don’t know what I look like then just look for the most handsome bloke in the paddock - and then work back from there !!

The Book-tique made its first appearance of the year at Elgin the other week for the ‘Be More Colin’ Superstage event where again restrictions on space made for a more modest display, but only one potential customer needed an OS map reference to find it! And if I get permission I’ll put up my flag!

And if you fail to find me you can always buy the books on line:
https://fife-motor-sports-agency.square.site/

#rallyscotland
#motorsportbooks