Road - charging ahead

To those who doubted and to those who may have been concerned, there is indeed an electric vehicle charger in the quaint cosmopolitan thriving metropolis that is Moniaive. The Audi Q4 E tron didn't really need a wee boost but it did lower anxiety levels and relax the sphincter muscles. It was never in doubt though, was it?

Galloway Hills Rally

There was a good result to be had on today’s Armstrong Galloway Hills Rally - for those who finished, for a surprising number didn’t. This had nothing to with attrition, more excessive zeal or speed, or both.

The Galloway forest roads were in excellent condition for this penultimate round of the KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship and although David Bogie won, he won’t lift the national title this year as he’s only done 2 of the 4 events in this shortened season.

That means Garry Pearson is in prime position after a storming 2^nd place overall in the Skoda Fabia R5. Both his main rivals struck trouble, Freddie Milne slipping off the road this morning and beaching his Fiesta, and Jock Armstrong lacked the fire we have come to expect. Although he was playing it down he had a ‘bump’ on his mountain bike two weeks ago which required a short visit to A&E and he wasn’t quite comfortable in the Fiesta. He finished 11^th o/a.

Stephen Petch had an excellent run in to 3^rd place overall ahead of Niall McCullagh with Scott Beattie again posting a good result in the Mitsubishi in 5^th place overall while John Wink completed the top six in his Hyundai after fixing a grumbling wheel bearing at service.

Martin Cairns was 7^th with Ian Forgan getting into the top ten in his Fiesta ahead of Niall Devine and an impressively 10^th placed Angus Lawrie first time out in his Mitsubishi. Mark McCulloch was top 2WD in 12^th place overall despite having to replace a leaking brake line in the Escort.

Given the pace of the rally there were no ‘cheap accidents’ today, most were of the more expensive variety due to the speeds involved. Amongst those who failed to reach the finish were Michael Binnie, Scott MacBeth, Rory Young and Keith Morris.

At the finish, MINI mounted David Bogie paid tribute to the organisers for a slick event with excellent stages, an opinion shared by the many Irish and Northern Irish crews who were using this event as a shakedown ahead of next weekend’s Bushwhacker ‘Grand Prix’.

Provisional Top Ten

1, Bogie/Rowan, 36m 57s

2, Pearson/Burns, 37m 26s

3, Petch/Wilkinson, 38m 08s

4, McCullagh/McCloskey, 39m 04s

5, Beattie/Swinscoe, 39m 22s

6, Wink/Shanks, 39m 27s

7, Cairns/Bustard, 39m 28s

8, Forgan/Lees, 39m 39s

9, Devine/McIntyre, 39m 48s

10, Lawrie/Gribben, 40m 01s

Note: There will be a full report in next week’s Motorsport News

Rally - Armstrong Galloway Hills

There’s a full Entry List for this Saturday's (11th) Armstrong Galloway Hills Rally in the magazine along with a brief event Preview (see links below).

Also some good news, spectating will be permitted, but ONLY in allocated areas. It is to be hoped that all intending spectators stick to these rules – otherwise ‘those who must be obeyed’ in Edinburgh may well rescind such permission!

There is also a link to a ‘Spectator Map’ in the Preview which should help those who have forgotten where the forests are and what they look like!

http://www.jaggybunnet.co.uk/2021/09/06-sep-galloway-hills-preview/

http://www.jaggybunnet.co.uk/2021/09/06-sep-galloway-entry-list/

Road - Another worrying thought

Driving cars on public roads will be outlawed by the year 2050 and it will be an offence to take manual control of a vehicle on the public highway!

Fortunately those are not actual facts - yet!

However, a report compiled by the well respected 'IDTechEx' independent market research and business intelligence organisation reckons that "autonomous cars will match or exceed human safety by 2024" - that's just 3 years away. Furthermore, "by the 2040s, they will be capable of fulfilling the world’s mobility needs without a single collision. So why should humans be allowed to continue driving?"

The assumption is that the technology will save lives and therefore not using it will be criminally negligent.

Manual driving won't be banned completely, but may be 'relegated' to a sport, and therefore confined to private roads, tracks and circuits for racing and track days. No mention of rallying, but I suspect that will be governed by the relevant competition regulations and public highway legislation which will prevail at this future date - if and when this ever does happen.

I have no doubt that 'IDTechEx' has access to the relevant worldwide industry data and statistics which support such conclusions, but their prediction that autonomous vehicles will be bug-free and roadsafe by 2024 is surprising.

For instance, many new cars currently have Lane Keeping Assistance technology which informs drivers when they cross a white line on motorways and A roads, but what happens when there are no white lines, or indistinct country road verges, and/or there is snow covering the ground? Does the Lane Keeping aid know what the snow poles are along the northern part of the A9 and other highland highways? And what happens when two autonomous cars meet on a single track road with passing places? Mull will come to a standstill!

No mention either of motor cyclists and pedal cyclists - and those damned nuisance electrified suicide scooters buzzing about pavements by numpties who haven't a clue about self preservation and the Highway Code.

No doubt MS UK will be well aware of this report - and taking due note of its contents.

We hope.

 

Hillclimb - Star Driver

From a purely personal point of view the highlight of today's Cask 88 Bo'ness Revival hillclimb meeting at Forrestburn was Colin McLachlan's spirited drive of his Austin 7, aka the 'Moose'.  

It would be fair to say that Colin's day of blawin' oot candles on his 21st birthday is long gone and he is highly unlikely to be signed up by Motorsport UK's Young Driver programme for their Academy of Talent, but by goad he was flinging that wee thing up the hill like a bumblebee that had been feeding on cannabis nectar.

Even when the rain came on and the wee Austin was skitterin' aboot on its skinny tyres on a wet track, he was every bit as quick. Just one speed - Flat oot!

And if you look closely at the front end of the Moose, that's not rust on the transverse spring. According to Colin that is "Patina".

A rerr terr indeed, and worth the trip just to see it and hear it, never mind the rest of the motley crew who completed a grand day out.

 

Bo'Ness Revival

The Cask 88 Bo'ness Revival hillclimb meeting at Forrestburn this weekend may not feature the world's fastest cars, but they were certainly hugely entertaining on Day1 of the two day meeting.

The noise, whine and clatter provided a distinct and unique musical accompaniment to the variety, colour and speed. And it wasn't just the cars that were elderly, the pre-event gathering at the Driver's Briefing would have had a Grecian 2000 salesman rubbing his hands with anticipation. And the banter was every bit as good.

Over 50 cars took part and amongst them were the MG PB of Tim Sharp, John Albiston's Brabham BT38, Russell Jordan's Lotus 41C, David Smith's Mini Marcos, Robert Anderson's Lotus Elan, Mel and Kyle Chisholm's shared Ford Anglia, Garry Dickson's awfy smart Ford Cortina Mk1, Fraser Ewart's magnificent Bentley Mk6, Angus Buchan's surprisingly rapid Terrapin Mk5 and the Alvis 12/70 of Ian Wozencroft and Ian Smith, plus many more.

No protests and no fechtin', just club motor sport at its best.

 

Bo'ness Revival

An entertaining day out... with some serious competition machinery!