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!

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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 !

Rally Raising the standard

 Just spotted a new flag pole - wonder if Jas P Wilson would do me a deal. The man in the moon would even see my flag !!

Rally - Dalbeattie

 The calm before the stoor !!!

Rally - Booktique open

 Open for business .... Methinks I need some form of flutterising device for my poor wee flag. There's not a breath of wind here at Dalbeattie for the RSAC Rally today. Or maybe I should invest in a bugle to call the opening hours ??