Rally - A helluva show

Looking back on the weekend’s Voly Grampian Rally, Stonehaven & District MC put on one helluva show for the great, the good and the ungodly visitors from afar. And not just the club members because there was a whole army of Marshals behind them as well as serried ranks of other officials, members of the rally organising team and other volunteers. In fact there were more breakdown and recovery crews on station in the north east than professional RAC/AA crews – going by recent waiting times for drivers in distress that is!

But if anyone left the party thinking the weekend’s rally provided a fitting measurement of what an FIA sanctioned World Rally Championship event will need – think again. For those who have never visited a round of the World Rally Championship they can have no idea of the scale of the operation, the manpower that is needed and the sheer expanse of ground that the event’s footprint will require.

Of course the P&J Arena is massive and while it might be able to accommodate all the actual World Championship teams there could be an overspill depending on the total number of cars and crews entered because you can bet your last bawbee that every clubman in Scotland will be awfy keen to  be a part of this event not to mention other UK crews from the south and across the water, and who knows, other teams from Europeland as well.

Aberdeen with its airport and hotel accommodation certainly enhances the appeal of the north east to host such an event but what about the influx of visitors? According to observers and competing crews at the weekend there were more folk in the forests than trees – or maybe that was indicative of Forest & Land’s planting schedule these days! Whatever, roads were busy, car parks full and spectator areas bursting at the seams – and that was just a two day BRC/SRC event, albeit with added guests!

What might well be needed is an ‘overspill’ area which could accommodate the club crews. And while they might not be able to share the same star-studded and hallowed ground on which the WRC stars are encamped, their own separate ‘satellite’ operation might well be required although Milton of Crathes might not be the ideal choice – in October!

It’s not just the team trucks and temporary ‘garages’ that require sufficient space for individual encampments but all the team personnel need to park their own transport somewhere close by. Chase cars, recce cars, parts trucks, personnel transport to and from hotels and then there are the Tyre Trucks and technical back-up services which need to be accommodated. And let’s not forget the rally organising teams themselves, officials from various clubs, marshals and of course representatives from Motorsport UK and the FIA plus all the other visiting officials and ‘hingers-oan’ and of course they’ll all need to be fed so catering vans and marquees will be needed, maybe even some ice cream vans – in October! And if there is a fan-zone, that will require more space and catering outlets, so that’s another great skelp of ground required plus space to park the spectators and on-site staff.

Of course, all the senior officials, organisers and results teams need to be housed under cover and all the equipment that will be required to safely manage and monitor the whole event. And then there’s ‘the meedja’ with their ever unsatiable appetite for room to work and space to expand and requirement for instant access to all things results and information. Oh! and no doubt there will be some ‘influencers’ seeking access to such an event! Some of them are OK but there are those amongst them who have ideas above their self-important station in life, so they’ll want some hand-holders!

If that wasn’t enough, no doubt there will be some ‘dignitaries’ from the political and business worlds seeking some time media time in the spotlight, and they and their entourages will have to be accommodated as well, albeit not for any lengthy duration, but their presence always brings additional organisational headaches.

And let’s not forget the fans. They will want access to the service area as well as the stages and they will need space to park their cars and fan-mobiles. They’ll also need advice and information regarding stages, spectator car parks and access and that means a willing, helpful and kindly Police Force working with the rally volunteers! The Scandinavians are pretty good on the people-management front, but personal experience (that’s another story!) of the Greek ‘authorities’ is somewhat scary – the Polis were armed, and not with water pistols! 
 
In other words if you thought the weekend’s operation at Milton of Crathes was impressive – you ain’t seen nothing yet. One thing’s for sure, there will be no room for the mobile Book-tique !!

#ScottishRally #RallyWeekend #GrampianRally
#MotorsportBooks
https://fife-motor-sports-agency.square.site/

Rally - Booktique in residence!

 Arrival in Crathes .... So much for the weather 'forecaster's' crystal ball gazing, or sticking a finger oot the windae. They said rain in the east, well, we've got it in the west as well! Anyway, got the Book-tique squeezed onto its spitch but won't put books on display till I see if the rain goes off! Fingers crossed. With over 90 cars entered on the Voly Grampian Rally plus their supporting vans and trucks, the Milton of Crathes site is already looking awfy busy, albeit folks are just arriving to take the covers off and get the tea urns boiling. Anyway the flag is up so rhat means I am now officially in residence. Just had a wee smile to myself, Arthur Gallacher has just arrived with the M Sport wagon, took one look at his allocated pitch then stepped it out to see if his truck would fit. Now just to sit back and watch him manoeuvre it in. So that's this morning's entertainment sorted!

#ScottishRally #RallyWeekend #GrampianRally

#MotorsportBooks

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

Rally - Book-tique heads North

Sounds like it’s going to be quite a ‘do’ in the north east this coming weekend for the Voly Grampian Rally. What an entry! The great and the good (that’s the internationalists) are due to meet up with the blessed and the beautiful (that’s us, the national and club rally folk) to do battle in the Grampian forests. 

In some ways it might just bring back the spectacle of the old RSAC Scottish rallies when they were truly ‘international’ and the Granite City rallies when they were truly ‘national’. This weekend’s forestry feast might not match the rambling stage menus and mileages of old, but it will give us a wee taste of what’s to come. If folk think this will be a big weekend in Banchory, just wait till next year! Mrs McCombie had better start her cake baking now!

Anyway, the mobile Book-tique will be there and I still have some posters left! I keep telling folk, they cannae order them on-line or ask me to hold some back – once they’re gone, they’re gone!

I might have to bring some extra books with me as well. It would appear that some folk are of the opinion that these books will provide a source of inside information on the north east forests as they contain reports and tales from Scottish and Granite rallies in the past and therefore offer up some idea of the competition and the nature of the roads. Misguided? I don’t care, if they want to buy the books, then I’ll sell them. In fact I might even do a deal for all three – for cash!

So if you’re looking for the red Transit and red chequered flag flying high (well, medium high – that Welsh bloke still has a taller flag pole than me!) it will be in the Service Area at Milton of Crathes as opposed to the ‘RallyZone’ at Banchory. That’s because these books probably won’t appeal to the general public, more the genuine rally enthusiasts, fans and followers.

The Book-tique will be there all day Friday and Saturday, 7th and 8th August.

#ScottishRally #RallyWeekend #GrampianRally
#MotorsportBooks
https://fife-motor-sports-agency.square.site/

 

 

Rally - Cauld white stoor

Not that I want to give next week’s visitors to the ‘real’ North (as opposed to Mr Burnham’s vision of ‘the north’) the heebie jeebies ahead of their arrival, but it’s better to arrive informed than turn up in ignorance, is it not? For those in the deep south more used to heatwaves, it might just be advisable to pack a set of snow tyres and frostbite lotion alongside the sunscreen and slicks ahead of next weekend’s Voly Grampian Rally, 7/8 August.

Whilst some folk (who live closer to France than Scotland) have been sweltering in above 20 degree heat there are tales up here of hungry polar bears marauding the outskirts of remote settlements. Rest assured there is one thing that Scotland has plenty of, and that’s weather – of all varieties, and often seen in the same day!

For instance, the Granite City Rally of 1983 was a case in point. Where folk expected sandy, gritty clouds of kicked-up stoor, as defined in last week’s FB post, they were greeted with the icy white variety which fell from the heavens 

Back then, when four wheel drive was a novelty, Darryl Weidner and Doug Hart won the Granite City Rally in their Audi quattro with a time of 87 minutes 23 seconds for the 16 stage, 80 mile route. But possibly with the ‘drive of the day’, George Marshall and Ken Wilson in their Vauxhall Chevette finished second only 16 seconds behind the flying turbo tractor.

In third place was the Ford Escort of David Llewellin/Martin James ahead of the Escort of Terry Pankhurst/Roger Freeman and the Opel Ascona 400 of Phil Collins/Stuart Harrold. Rounding off the top six were Allan Arneil and David Cannon in another Escort 

Don’t believe me? The pictures tell their own tales and show Allan Arneil, Hugh Munro, Ivor Clark, Mike Stuart and Wilson Girvan.

Welcome to the true North!

#ScottishRally #RallyWeekend #GrampianRally
#MotorsportBooks
https://fife-motor-sports-agency.square.site/

Rally - World Class Stoor

Excitement is building ahead of this year’s Voly Grampian Rally on the 7/8 August and rightly so. Ahead of next year’s anticipated WRC visit, this year’s Scottish Rally Championship counter is attracting interest from much further afield with some of the top international teams sending crews to what was once the UK oil capital – before the politicians started to interfere!

And in a bid to make the newcomers feel right at home, the north east has its own over abundance of top quality stoor. That is the ‘rightful’ north east, the one with Peterhead and Aberdeen and not Newcastle Upon Tyne and Middlesbrough, but I digress, the recent Acropolis Rally featured Greek ‘stoor’ but Scottish stoor is a far superior grade. It is comprised of a very fine strain of celtic grush which is not as cloying and gritty as furrin stuff. That is down to centuries of hie’lan coos hoofing across the landscape, water from illicit stills cascading over the rocks, porridge eaters tramping across the ground, redcoat footsoldiers marching over the hills and glens and the spillage of blood, snot and other fluids which acted as a grinding paste on the Scottish granite. It is however a grade much favoured by the Scottish midge which can safely take to the air when the stoor is flying!

So visitors can be assured of a warm and welcoming reception when they arrive in the north east to sample the local forest fayre as demonstrated here on the 1982 Granite City Rally by the Vauxhall Chevette of Terry Kaby and Rob Arthur, the Opel Ascona of Bill Dobie and Dilys Rogers and catching the dust of the car ahead is the Talbot Sunbeam of Robin Eyre-Maunsell and Peter Scott. As for the final pic, that’s the Ford Escort of Darryl Weidner and John Parker disappearing into the distance followed by a tasty plume of stoor!

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

Other pictures of stoor are available and can be posted here if required by other explorers, missionaries and rally fans!

 

Rally - Sign of the times?

 A daring daylight robbery took place at this year's RSAC Rally at Dalbeattie. Somebody nicked one of the books off the display in the Book-tique. That's a first in three years of attending rallies and car shows. I was just more surprised than angry when I noticed. I wonder how much it will be to install CCTV !!!

 

 

Rally - at the RSAC

 Face in the crowd - an interested bystander !