The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Legendary rally driver revs up for SpeedFest
The Grampian Transport Museum is preparing for a particularly poignant SpeedFest this weekend, with thousands of people expected to descend on the rally themed event.
Now in its eighth year, organisers are getting set to welcome their guest of honour, former rally champion Jimmy McRae.
The five times British Rally Champion inspired his own son, Colin, to go into rally driving and he went on to be crowned champion in 1995.
Colin tragically died in a helicopter crash 10 years ago, and Jimmy will be reunited with Colin’s Ford Focus at SpeedFest.
Colin famously competed in the Ford Focus and spectacularly crashed it in the World Rally Championships in 2001, losing the race by two points.
The car has since been rebuilt and Jimmy will take to the circuit to demonstrate its prowess.
A range of supercars will also be on display, including the XJ220 Jaguar.
Curator at Grampian Transport Museum Mike Ward is hopeful for a record turn out.
“We are very excited and we believe we deliver something completely unique,” he said.
“We offer early bird rides for the first 700 people through the gates before 11am, and we also have Parallel Auto Test and Pursuits where direct performance comparisons can be made.
“There’s so much going on as we also have the Drifting competition and the Kevin Carmichael car and bike stunt show.
“The event has grown so much in eight years, it’s our largest car based event dedicated to performance cars and we’re very family friendly.
“We’re hopeful for a brilliant turnout and are just putting the finishing touches in place.”
SpeedFest takes place on Sunday, July 2 at Grampian Transport Museum, Alford. For more information and for tickets, visit http://www.gtm.org.uk