Rally rounding-off at Scone Palace

Jul 1 2011 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

SOME of the world’s leading rally drivers and teams representing top makes such as Ford, Skoda, Proton, Peugeot and Subaru will be in action in the RACMSA Rally of Scotland.

This year’s event takes place on the weekend of October 7-9 on undulating gravel tracks in the vast forests of Perthshire and Stirlingshire. The winner will be crowned at Scone Palace.

Again, the rolling countryside of both counties will provide a stunning backdrop for Rally of Scotland and will also show off the country in all its splendour before a potential global TV audience of millions watching leading international sport broadcaster Eurosport’s coverage of the event.

In addition, the fabulous setting plus the prestige of such a high level international rally will draw tens of thousands of motor sport fans from across Scotland and the UK.

With invaluable support from volunteers, officials and marshals from the country’s motor sporting fraternity as well as expert organisational input from EventScotland, Stirlingshire and Perth and Kinross councils and Forestry Commission Scotland, it all adds up to a sporting event which carries great national pride.

During its three days, crews competing in this year’s Rally of Scotland will cover in excess of 1000km.

More than 200 of those will be on the daunting special stages that will decide who is crowned the winner of this year’s event.

Cars will be waved off from a ceremonial start at Stirling Castle on the October 7 but then comes an immediate change with the first two bursts of competitive action being held on a new stage called Carron Valley near Stirling – a 9km test in the dark through the forests around Carron Reservoir. Crews will tackle the stage twice before heading to an overnight halt at Perth Airport.

All of the Saturday’s action will take place in Perthshire and on what are some of the sport’s most revered stages: Craigvinean (near Dunkeld), Drummond Hill (near Kenmore) and Errochty (near Calvine).

Each stage will be run twice, first in the morning and again in the afternoon. Both Craigvinean and Drummond Hill have had minor tweaks made to the end of their stages, the former now with a particularly hair-raising series of high-speed crests over its final two kilometres. Furthermore, Drummond Hill will be held in the dark – adding to the spectacle, atmosphere and sense of anticipation.

Following another overnight halt at Perth Airport’s Service Park, Sunday’s closing action moves to Stirlingshire, starting with a third blast around Carron Valley.

Crews then head towards Aberfoyle for two runs each through the Loch Chon and High Corrie stages – each incorporating sections of last year’s mammoth Loch Ard stage and split by a ‘remote’ service in Callander.

Loch Chon’s flying finish is close to a Victorian aqueduct that forms a magnificent attraction in the middle of this enormous forest complex. At 27km, High Corrie is the longest stage on the event and could therefore provide a real sting in the tail.

Finally, it will be at Scone Palace where this year’s event is decided.

The venue’s magnificent grounds will host the event’s two final short stages as well as the podium celebrations.