Scots gearing up for spectacular rally and track action
THRILLING
ONE of Scotland’s most iconic motorsport events – the Mull Rally – will see dozens of talented crews battle it out this weekend.
And for the first time ever, the closed-roads challenge – covering 148 miles and mostly under the cover of darkness – forms part of the British Rally Championship.
Rival Welshmen Matt Edwards and Osian Pryce are tipped to be in the hunt for the top honours in their respective Volkswagen Polos.
After four rounds of the series, the BRC has enjoyed three different winners, with just two-time British champion Matt Edwards scooping a second victory in 2021.
But BRC points leader Pryce admitted: “The challenge for most of us will be the night stages but I really enjoy them, so the weather could play a big part in the event. It will be a tough ask to win the event outright as the locals know the roads so well.”
Leading the field in the National Rally Title chase will be Borders pilot Garry Pearson with Niall Burns on the notes. The pair have been formidable and will return to their Mitsubishi Evo IX on the island.
But fellow Scot Donnie MacDonald and Jamie Edwards in their similar machine could well push Pearson during the weekend.
Arguably the most experienced Mull contender of the National crews, John Morrison also makes a BRC return and, with a whopping 11 Mull Rally starts, will have the benefit of local knowledge in his Ford Fiesta, with Peter Carstairs as co-pilot.
Across the country, the famous Knockhill circuit in Fife is gearing up for the Scottish Motor Racing Club meeting, with some incredible Minis on display as a bonus.
It’s all part of the NHS and Armed Forces Appreciation Day – where those involved with either sector can get free or reduced admission.
Over the Border, the British Touring Car Championship will see its penultimate clash take place at Donington – with Scotland’s Aiden Moffat, Rory Butcher and Gordon Shedden all looking to move up the standings.
All three drivers have enjoyed some fantastic highlights during the campaign and should be confident they can secure further successes on this weekend’s outing.
Meanwhile, overseas, the GT
World Challenge Europe comes to a conclusion at Barcelona – with Dundee’s Finlay Hutchison and Kirkcaldy’s Jonny Adam competing.
While the latter will be on board his usual Garage 59 Aston Martin Vantage in the Pro-Am Cup, Hutchson is taking the wheel of an invitational Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO in the three-hour race.
The 21-year-old said: “Being the first driver to race the new Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II in GT World Challenge Europe is a very special moment in my career and it’s obviously a hugely important race for Audi.”
And Fifer Dean Macdonald will be in the final round of the associated GT4 European Series at the Spanish track in his United Autosports McLaren 570S looking for a fine championship finish.
He said: “Our main goal going into the last round is to take third in the Drivers’ Championship, with only two points in it. We’ll just try to get the best result on the day.”
Last weekend saw Scots Steven McConnell and Stuart Adsley show a terrific display of spectacular driving in the final round of the British Drift Championship in Teesside.
Adsley did enough to ensure that he will move from Pro2 to the Pro class in 2022, while McConnell just missed out on the Pro title.
At Snetterton, Dumfriesshire’s Ross Wylie and SB Engineering team-mate Paul Bailey claimed the GT Cup GTO championship title.
The pair secured first and second in class finishes in Bailey’s rare nine-year-old McLaren MP4-12C Can Am.
Wylie said: “It’s fantastic to win the GTO title. This season has been a challenge due to the fact we’ve raced a Ferrari, Brabham and McLaren but that also made it exciting.”
And Scot Tarran Mackenzie now leads the British Superbike Championship after securing a win and seventh place finish in two of the three races at Donington.
Unfortunately, a technical problem meant the McAMS Yamaha rider did not finish the final race – so he has a slender 10-point lead over team-mate Jason O’Halloran.
The BSB will be decided in an encounter at Brands Hatch next weekend.