First-ever motorsport event at Angus airfield

Condor: Hopes rally will be first of many such events

An Angus military base with a proud and varied history will host exciting manoeuvres of a different kind for the first time this weekend.

For more than four decades the Condor camp on the northern outskirts of Arbroath has been home to the elite Royal Marines 45 Commando, with Arctic training vehicles and other assorted hardware a familiar sight.

But the base history stretches back to its Fleet Air Arm origins in the late 1930s, and it was bombed by the Luftwaffe in the Second World War.

This weekend it welcomes some of the country’s up and coming motorsport stars as they do battle in the first-ever rally on the Condor asphalt.

The event follows an approach to base chiefs by Glenrothes Motor Sport Club and has resulted in the inaugural Memorial Garden Stages Rally, named after the Condor Memorial Garden which was developed as a tribute to the men who have died while serving 45 Commando.

Major John Bowgen, OC Base 45 Commando Group, said he hopes the event would be the start of a new relationship with the motorsport world.

“We are always keen to be involved with the community, and it’s a small event designed to prove it runs smoothly with the required level of safety and security.

“We are very pleased that we’ve been able to accommodate it here,” he added.

The organisers have stressed that there is no spectator access to tomorrow’s series of stages on the airfield expanse, but hope it will be the first step of a fruitful relationship with Condor.

Setting out the course yesterday, clerk of the course Tom Matthews said it will bring hundreds to the Angus town as drivers and support crews get their first sight of the new venue.

Rising costs and strict safety rules are just two of the barriers motorsport clubs face in staging events.

“We are running out of venues to stage rally events and we reckon this will bring about 350 to 400 people to the town at the weekend,” said Tom.

The rally will feature around a dozen junior drivers in their first competitive outing of the year, with seniors also due to take part in a range of machinery.

“This place has got so much potential and hopefully we can bring other events to it,” he said.

Picture: Kim Cessford. Setting up the course for Glenrothes Motor Sport Club’s Memorial Garden Stages Rally at Condor are assistant Robert Ness and clerk of the course Tom Matthews.