Q&A DAVID RICHARDS

Have you been up here on Mull before?

“I’ve been a few times in recent years, but not necessarily on the event. I competed here in the early seventies as a Motoring News event. I think 1974 or 1975 was the last time I was up here. I was with a few different local drivers – the last time was competing in a Lotus Cortina.”

What have you found from the trip?

“I’ve been here right from the start of the rally. I wanted to come up here, we’ve spent quite a lot of time and effort helping the Scottish government on the closed-road legislation and it’s important we got the Scottish side to follow on from the UK. I met a couple of [Scottish]

MPS a year ago when the legislation was going through parliament. It’s important to support Scotland and maintain the close relationship; there’s been a little bit of a divide between Scottish motorsport and south of the border, we have a lot to share and we should be working together more effectively.”

A lot of effort put in behind the scenes?

“We were in Wales last week, Mull this week and some of the guys – the clerks of the course Andy Jardine and Iain Campbell included – have really put the hours in over the last fortnight. They’re great guys and stalwarts of the event. Last weekend was busy for them with the World Rally Championship and then coming straight on up to Scotland to sort this out. It’s a fantastic effort. But we’ve got to find a way to bring on and develop younger officials and more officials through the process. That’s in hand, we’re recruiting some people to head up our education and training programme back at Motorsport UK in an effort to bring those younger people through and already I can see Andrew and Iain helping to cultivate that.”