Motorsport: Rally of Scotland starts today

Nov 18 2009 by Donald Morton, Stirling Observer Wednesday

TWO Englishmen, two Irishmen and two Scotsmen look set to decide the outcome of the Rally of Scotland, which starts today(Thursday) at Scone Palace before heading to Stirling.

Scotland hosts 11th and final round of the Eurosport-televised Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) and the first running of the RACMSA event is expected to be dominated by current and former rally champions from three Nations within the British Isles.

First away from ceremonial start and immediately into the first of two timed special stages in the grounds of Perth’s Scone Palace will be event favourite and newly-crowned IRC Champions Kris Meeke (Northern Ireland) and Paul Nagle (Ireland), driving a Peugeot-UK liveried 207 Super 2000.

Number two seeds are Guy Wilks (County Durham) and Phil Pugh (Towyn, Wales), British Champions in 2007 and 2008 competing for the first time in a Skoda Fabia entered by Skoda UK.

The 2009 British champions, Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors, both from Ireland, will be in the Italian-prepared Fiat Abarth Punto, which they are driving for the first time.

For Bristol’s Adam Gould and Sebastian Marshall (North Yorkshire), Christmas has come early with the present of an all-expenses paid drive in the BFGoodrich and Kronos Racing entered Peugeot 207.

Scotland’s bid for overall success comes from David Bogie (Dumfries) and Kevin Rae (Hawick), the 2009 Hankook MSA Scottish Rally Champions and 1995 British champion, Alister McRae from Lanark, who now lives in Australia.

Bogie is expected to show his talents on Friday’s group of five special stages in Perthshire. He last drove them competitively on October’s McRae Stages Rally, when he finished ninth overall and secured his first championship title.

McRae (38) will be driving a Proton Satria, similar to the one used by Guy Wilks on six previous rounds of the 2009 IRC.

The international category of the Rally of Scotland has attracted 34 teams, representing 10 nations, with a further six in the Landrover Challenge Rally. A further 24 entries have been received for Saturday’s one day national rally.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling 0844 847 2488. Please note, tickets purchased online or via the telephone hotline will now need to be collected in person from the event ticket office in Stirling Service Park.