The Flying Scotsman
England and Scotland 31 March – 2 April
FOR SEVEN of the last eight editions, the bigger cars such as Talbots and Bentleys have dominated the Flying Scotsman podium, but this year a tiny little motorcar crewed by Paul Crosby and Ali Procter came out as top dog. They and their diminutive 1939 MG TB Supercharged echoed the victory of Andrew Davies in 2011 in his similarly small Riley 12/4.
Three days earlier, starting in England at Slaley Hall just outside Hexham, the rally had gone west to Dumfries and Galloway via the Solway Firth before striking north to Edinburgh and the first night’s halt. Last year’s winner, Gareth Burnett, had been ruled out at the last minute due to injury. This left the field wide open as the rally was flagged off into the Northumbrian countryside. An eclectic mix of motor cars rolled away, ranging from the mighty 1907 Itala of David Ayre and the brutal 1913 Chalmers of Robert Abrey right through to a pair of pretty little 1948 MG TCs.
The second day incorporated a couple of hillclimbs, including the oldest one in Scotland at Bo’ness, and an afternoon tour of ‘whisky country’ followed by a foray into the Cairngorms and a night in the ski resort of Aviemore. On Sunday, the third and final day, the rally looped south back to its almost-traditional finish line in Gleneagles, the piper one again in attendance.
Second this year was once again taken by the hard-charging John Abel and Leigh Powley in their Lagonda LG45, while Bill Cleyndert and Dan Harrison in a Ford Model A took a commendable third place. David Ayre and Anthony Thompson took first place in the ‘Pioneer’ category aboard the Itala.
Paul Crosby was delighted with his first ERA win. At the finish he was buzzing with delight as he explained how he did it. Victory hadn’t come easily by any means, as his rear suspension gave up the ghost twice during the final morning.
‘This was an amazing result for us,’ he enthused. ‘Ali [the navigator] did a brilliant job. I’m absolutely overwhelmed, because we never thought we had any chance of coming here and winning. We’ve done two Flying Scotsmans and it’s a brilliant event. We were just really fortunate that we broke down at the right time, if there is a right time to break down, and the sweep crews came along, helped us out and got us running not just once but twice.’
The much-praised route was devised by Lee Vincent and Anthony Preston, who also acted as joint Clerks of the Course during the event. Speaking at the finish in Gleneagles, Fred Gallagher, ERA’s rally director, pronounced himself delighted with how the rally unfolded.
‘This event just gets better and better,’ he said. ‘The standard of cars and driving is excellent, but the credit must go to the navigators who faced an intense challenge over the three days. Our thanks go to every crew and marshal who once again made this a fantastic event for the vintage motorist.’
Eleonora Piccolo, the ERA office manager, says that she is already fielding enquiries for next year’s 10th edition of this always-oversubscribed, quintessentially vintage event.