Book - Beer & Banter

This Monday 2nd November, Coltness Car Club are once again having an ‘Open Night’ and all are welcome. There is nothing formal planned although this occasion will be used once again to launch the latest volume in the series of books aimed at documenting the Scottish Rally Championship. With three separate volumes already published and covering the 1980s, the 1990s and the 2000s, this latest issue covers the decade 2010 – 2019.

Like the previous volumes this 260 page A4 hardback book features a report on each round of the Scottish Rally Championship with end of season Championship points tables. It also contains over 350 photographs featuring the stars and their cars. When I say ‘stars’ I mean Scottish personalities – and the occasional interloper!

The previous two book launch ‘shows’ almost turned into ‘Rally Forums’ with an interviewer chatting to any guests who turned up, but this Monday none of that is planned or anticipated. This is just supposed to be the normal monthly ‘mix and mingle’ club gathering and swapping of tall tales with no formalities breaking up the chatter and banter. Of course there will be strangers in the crowd but please make everyone feel welcome, the Bears are not ones for standing on ceremony. Just say ‘hello’ and join the chat.

If this doesn’t work we might just have to plan a more formal launch for the next book !!

Anyway, that’s the plan that isn’t a plan!

Having said all that, the author of the books is intending to say a few words. No long speech but there are a couple of ‘controversial’ stories in the book which might need a little justification and explanation and better to do it here than anywhere else – we dinnae want the blazers from Bicester overhearing! Of course, there will also be books on sale at 45 quid each (a third of the price of a tank of fuel!)  for those who wish to beat the Christmas rush! The books will then be available to buy on-line later in the week once the website has been updated.

The doors will open from 7.30 pm at Larkhall Golf Club, Burnhead Rd, Larkhall ML9 3AA on Monday evening. For those coming from the West, South and North the simplest approach is from the East using the A71 from Junction 8 (Canderside Toll) on the M74 at Larkhall.

There’s a set of traffic lights 2 miles along (not to be confused with Larkhall’s annual Christmas light extravaganza) on the A71 between the Motorway and Garrion Bridge, but turn off (North) at this cross-roads junction towards Larkhall and the Golf Club car park is half a mile along there on the right. For those arriving from the East and unfamiliar with the Garrion Bridge approach over the Clyde, it might be best heading via the A74!

What three words:  ///bitter.user.courier

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Book - The Final Cut

 

Having already revealed a few potential front covers which didn’t quite make the final edit for the new book, here is the very last one. An odd choice in the first place, but it was initially selected because someone suggested that I might consider putting a photo of the author on the front cover.

So I thought, why not? Then I thought some more. But since the front cover is designed to attract potential enthusiasts and buyers, I thought not. Such an image would surely put the customers off.

Having said, that, it is a rare photographer indeed who can capture the true likeness of such an ethereal rallying presence, and yet I managed to find one. As you can see this is a true and accurate likeness of the author i.e. the figure on the right of the ramp, crouching down with microphone in hand, to talk to the rally car driver.

Passport quality, eh?

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Book - In the Post

 

 

The first batch of books has now been dispatched and they are in the post – but only to the advertisers. They get to see them first – but they have been sworn, well maybe politely requested, to not reveal who is on the front cover. Many of you will have made a good and no doubt pretty accurate guess as to who it should be going by past covers, but you never know. I can be a wee devvil at times. So here’s another front cover that didn’t make the final edit. Any clues there?

As for the rest of you, you’ll just have to wait, although copies can be purchased at the Coltness CC ‘Open Night’ next Monday, after which I will add the new book to the list already on the wee website book-tique. There is no door charge for entry and all welcome, although best be on good behaviour – this is ‘Bear’ territory !!

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#ScottishRally #RallyScotland

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Book delivery

 

First batch of books arrived ahead of launch on Monday

Book Launch

New Book Night …. The latest book, ‘The Scottish Rally Championship 2010-2019’ will be officially launched at the next Coltness Car Club ‘Open Night’ on Monday 2nd November. All welcome. The venue this time will be Larkhall Golf Club in the quaint and historic village of Larkhall right slap bang in the middle of ‘Bear Country’!

Initially there had been an intention for the ‘Larkhall Foghorn’ to interview the author – his idea not mine – but this won’t happen. Apparently Stewart has got tickets for Van Morrison on Monday night. This came as something of a surprise as I didn’t know Morrison’s sold light commercial vehicles let alone have a special headline sale in the SECC. Anyway, it would appear Stewart will be otherwise engaged choosing his next van!

So it will fall to me to say a few words on the night, just don’t expect anything too formal. One of the reasons I think a few words should be said is because the 2014 accident is addressed in this volume and some new facts have been shared.

However the publication of this latest book marks what I call the end of the ‘first stage’. That’s because the compilation, writing and preparation of the first four books covering the decades 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and now the 2010s was fairly straightforward since I already had the majority of the information on file whereas no-one has kept a full record of the Scottish Rally Championship during the 1970s and 1960s. That makes the job of compiling this earlier history all the more difficult – hence it being called ‘Stage 2’.

However, the indecision regarding ‘Stage 3’ remains. It was originally suggested in jest that an end of series book be compiled featuring all the foties and stories that couldn’t be printed in the more formal books. This idea seems to have gained ground, and there might indeed be an appetite for a ‘less formal’ lookback on the Championship. It has to be said that some of the photos which I have taken over the years could be regarded as ever so slightly embarrassing and therefore have remained unpublished and unseen! Anyway, be careful what you wish for.

In the meantime, work and progress will continue to be made on the 1960s and 70s tome.

As for next Monday 2nd November, the doors will open from 7.30 pm at Larkhall Golf Club, Burnhead Rd, Larkhall ML9 3AA and it should be easier to find than the former ‘Bears Dean’ at the very close by Dalserf Bowling Club which some local neanderthals set fire to late last year.

What three words:  ///bitter.user.courier

Anyway, it’s even easier to find the Golf Club. As last year head East on the A71 from Junction 8 (Canderside Toll) on the M74 at Larkhall. There’s a set of traffic lights on the A71 between the Motorway and Garrion Bridge but turn off (North) at this junction towards Larkhall and the Golf Club car park is half a mile along there on the right.

Oh! And the photos? These show two of the front covers which have already been rejected, so you’ll just have to wait to see who is really on the front cover this time. It was also suggested that the author should feature on the front cover, but a majority decision thought this a bad idea!

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#ScottishRally #RallyScotland
#MotorsportBooks

Funeral arrangements

 

Redmond (Red) Barry’s funeral will take place on  Monday 9th November at Perth Crematorium, Crieff Road, Perth, PH1 2PE at 2.30pm, and thereafter at Huntingtower Hotel, Crieff Road, Perth PH1 3JT.

Redmond (Red) Barry, 1943 - 2026

Scottish rallying, and indeed British rallying, has lost yet another colourful character. Red Barry passed away on Friday (16th October). Red of course was well known in Scottish rallying circles, but he was also more widely known throughout British rallying following his introduction of Maxsport Tyres to the nation’s club drivers and teams.

Red was himself an inveterate competitor but didn’t fool himself. He knew he’d never be a rally winner, due to budgetary and time constraints, so he chose his fights wisely concentrating on capacity class and one-make categories. With that in mind he drove a huge variety of cars which spanned a very active thirty year competition career.

His choice of cars encompassed various marques and models including Mazda, Talbot Sunbeam, Opel, Colt, Lada, Ford, Volkswagen, Suzuki and Peugeot, although he did have a few rallies in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, but the Lancer outings only convinced him he couldn’t compete with the big budget brigade at the head of the field.

He first came to rallying prominence in 1975. Red was the Landlord of the County Hotel in Peebles, a hostelry which had a rather dubious habit. When time was called and the customers persuaded to leave, there was often a hard core who hung around for a wee while outside till the local Polis in their Panda car had gone by a couple of times. At which point the group filed round the back of the hotel and back into the bar! Sometimes the party even carried on to Red’s flat upstairs!

Anyway, he somehow came to ‘acquire’ a rather hot Mini. A quick blast round the local roads convinced him it was a bit of a handful. Amongst his regular bar frequenters was one John Cleland Esq, already making a name for himself racing Minis in Autocross, Hillclimbs and Circuit Racing so Red encouraged him to use the car at a Rallycross at Knockhill. This was in pre-Derek Butcher days and Cleland rose to the occasion finishing 7th overall. This was enough of a ‘pedigree’ to allow Red to trade the car in against a Colt Lancer. Oddly enough, the local Cleland’s of Peebles garage had just become the local Colt dealer and Red did a deal whereby he would navigate for John on a rally if he would be interested in buying the car. With John taking a year out of racing to concentrate in this new family business, the rally car deal appealed.

Whatever happened on that inaugural event will have to remain a mystery but suffice to say, Red pursued his own path after that as a rally driver!

Over the next 30 years Red competed as often as he could while trying to build up a new business. Having moved from Peebles to manage another hotel, the Smiddy Haugh in Aberuthven, Red set about creating a new business. Well aware of his own rally tyre bills, Red thought he spotted an opportunity to help himself, a few friends, and eventually many other club rally drivers around the country.

Once again, he found himself ‘acquiring’ something. This time a set of rally tyre moulds from one of the big household names. Then he made a deal with an existing tyre re-treading business to make some tyres for himself and a few friends but soon others got to know about these budget-friendly alternatives which led Red to create the Maxsport brand and established a good business in clubsport rallying. In 1993 the brand was sold to Monarch Tyres although Red continued to act as sales consultant for the Maxsport brand, but when Monarch went into receivership Red and Bill Madison bought the Maxsport side of the business. Peter Burgess then acquired an interest in the company and a brand new factory was established to continue manufacturing Maxsport Competition Tyres.

Red was a charmer and persuader, and every bit as competitive in business as he was in a rally car. That is something that many people would have discovered following a discussion, arrangement or argument with Red - but only after they had walked away thinking they had done well out of it only to have cause to re-think once they had to time to sit down and think the outcome through. He wasn’t a rogue, just a helluva businessman, with the lilting Irish accent of his early years in Cork enhancing his persuasive mannerisms.

There are countless tales which could be told of Red’s escapades and rallying adventures but unfortunately they couldn’t be repeated in front of today’s more modern woke generation, although the fact remains that the majority of those tales are true. Red was never short of something to say or an opinion to offer and had a good time doing it.

That enthusiasm and zest for life will be hard to replace and is motorsport’s loss. Our thoughts and condolences to daughter Christine and the wider family at this very sad time.