With both the Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship and the Probite British Rally Championship in town, the Voyonic Grampian Forest Rally was a very tough challenge for the crews running in the various classes.

Class C1

Returning to the SRC for the 1^st time since he rolled the car on the 2023 Galloway Hills, Mark Gordon would take the C1 win in his 205. With Iain Macleod jumping into the hotseat at the last minute, they were under very strict instructions from the team to make sure they saw the finish. A controlled drive to 57^th overall was exactly what they needed.

Class C3

Back out for the 1^st time since the Speyside, Robert Tonge had a new navigator in Graeme Harris and was another driver just looking for a solid run and a good finish. Knocking the rust off on the Friday night the Saturday was going well although they briefly visit a ditch on Saturday morning. Unfortunately for them that was right in front of one of the SRC static cameras. No damage done, the MG finished in 51^st overall.

Class C5

Mike Grant & Graham Kelman were another crew back out for the 1^st time since the Speyside. Their Subaru had been treated to a lot of development work over their break and Mike was hopeful of a big improvement in performance. That was definitely the case, 44^th overall and a class win although they were another crew to make a misdemeanour on camera, disappearing straight on at a square junction, in front of yet another SRC static.

Class H1

Taking yet another H1 win, Robin Shuttleworth & Malcolm Smithson weren’t overly happy with their performance on the Friday but were enjoying swapping times with David McLeod & Eamonn Boyle’s Avenger. When the Avenger sadly retired Robin & Malcolm were left as the sole H1 crew and ran well to grab 48^th overall, just 0.6 seconds down on Meghan & John O’Kane’s R2 Fiesta.

Class H2

36^th overall, Donald Peacock & Mairi Riddick really enjoyed the Friday stages, Donald a big fan of the twisty and technical sections. In fact it was so good he tried to persuade Mairi that they should do a 2^nd lap. It was a clean run on the Saturday, the biggest drama being a spark plug snapping in half inside the engine while they were in service. Thankfully no damage was done and they took another Class H2 win.

Class M2

Meghan & John O’Kane endured another difficult event in their Fiesta. A big moment on the same corner that claimed Finlay Retson & Paul Beaton on the Friday was only survived when a big rock bounced them back onto the road. That bent things in the suspension and a couple of further knocks on the Saturday made the car even more tricky to drive. To cap things off there was a return of the gear selection problems that plagued their Speyside, Meghan suspecting an issue with the diff. Despite it all they managed 47^th overall.

Class M4

Another crew missing since the Speyside, Dougal Brown & Lewis Rochford were quick to knock the rust off with 2 good runs on the Friday night stages. That trend continued on the Saturday, Dougal & Lewis starting to feel they were approaching the limits of the car, especially in the flowing sections. The M4 win, 28^th overall and 3^rd 2wd car home was one of the best runs we’ve seen from the former 2wd champions since their return to rallying.

Class M5

9^th in the SRC and top 2wd car, it was another excellent run for Greg McKnight & Harry Marchbank in the big Escort. Keen to see how their pace compared to the BRC Juniors in their Rally 4 spec cars they were absolutely flying, eventually ending up just under a minute clear of the eventual BRC junior winners, Robert Proudlock & Steven Brown in their 208.

Class M6

One of the most delighted crews at the finish, it was a weekend to remember for Rob Cotton & Ethan Kidd. The Impreza crew taking the win in the Albyn Garage Challengers, the Groundwater Lift Trucks Subaru Cup and Class M6. They had made some setup changes before the event and were very happy with the results. The biggest drama was damaging the exhaust manifold towards the end of stage 6, leaving them down on power for part of Saturday. 12^th in the SRC at the finish in a Cup-spec Subaru was an excellent result.

Class M7

Mark McCulloch & Michael Hendry had been persuaded by suspension man Euan Syme to make some pretty big changes to the car setup before the Grampian. Despite being a bit unsure of how it would be the changes were clearly good and the Proton crew were right in the mix in the SRC top 5 all event. Even a smashed wheel and damaged rear suspension in SS6 couldn’t slow them too much, a roadside repair getting them back to service. 12^th overall and 4^th in the SRC was a strong result.

Class Pro2

After they put their MK2 off on one of the 1^st corners of the Scottish, Craig Rutherford & Ashleigh Will were out in G&M’s Peugeot 208 for the 1^st time. The Friday was tricky, Craig discovering that the MK2’s intercom wasn’t powerful enough in the turbocharged 208 and he couldn’t hear Ashleigh’s notes. That resulted in an off, thankfully without any major damage. A change of intercom overnight and the Saturday was very good, Craig relearning the fwd game quickly and they ended 4^th SRC 2wd car home along with a solid 33^rd overall.

images courtesy of AF Motorsport Media

Round 5 of the Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship, the Voyonic Grampian Forest Rally proved to be a big weekend in the story of the 2024 SRC season. 2 stages on Friday evening and 7 on Saturday made it a proper test of the crews endurance. With the British Rally Championship also in town, everyone was keen to put on a good performance.

Taking the win and wrapping up a 4^th Scottish driver’s title it was a very good weekend for Euan Thorburn. With Keir Beaton alongside once again, the Polo pilot lead overnight despite feeling they had been pretty ragged. Overly cautious by their standards on the Saturday morning, they slipped back to 2^nd after the 4^th stage. Back on it for the rest of the day they regained the lead after stage 5 and held on for the rest of the day, taking the win by 26 seconds and guaranteeing Euan the Driver’s Championship. The Co-driver’s title is still up for grabs.

2^nd overnight, Scott Beattie & Peredur Davies were rekindling their Scottish rally battle with good friends John Wink & Neil Shanks. The Saturday morning was excellent for the Fiesta crew, snatching the lead from Thorburn & Beaton after stage 4. They weren’t quite able to stay in front of the Polo but were firmly in 2^nd, and their job was made easier when Wink & Shanks slipped off the road. 2^nd for Scott on his home event was an excellent result and they’ve really showcased their pace and ability as a team once again.

After some pre-event testing at his farm, Hugh Brunton had made some setup changes to his Skoda Fabia. With Terry Mallin back in the hotseat, it was immediately clear that the changes had worked. Hugh getting quicker with every stage and recording a 1^st loose surface SRC stage win along the way. After a tough start to 2024 Hugh said he was finally back in love with the gravel and full of praise for the great job that Terry had done on the notes.

9^th SRC car home, it was a return to the top of the G&M Mechanical Services 2 Wheel Drive division for Greg McKnight & Harry Marchbank. The big Escort absolutely flying, and they were enjoying the chance to battle with the BRC Juniors in their Rally 4 specification cars. Greg & Harry eventually won out, taking top 2wd honours on the whole event, less than a minute up on friends & rivals Robert Proudlock & Steven Brown. The Scottish 208 crew taking the win in the BRC Juniors division.

One of the most delighted crews at the finish, it was a weekend to remember for Rob Cotton & Ethan Kidd. The Impreza crew taking the win in the Albyn Garage Challengers, the Groundwater Lift Trucks Subaru Cup and Class M6. They were another crew to make some setup changes before the event and were very happy with the results. The biggest drama was damaging the exhaust manifold towards the end of stage 6, leaving them down on power for part of Saturday. 12^th in the SRC at the finish in a Cup-spec Subaru was an excellent result.

Finally making it back to the start of an SRC event a non-finish on the Speyside, it was a great return weekend for Justin Gunning & Michael Moates, the Clio crew taking the honours in the Moates Offshore Juniors. Friday night was good, Justin knocking the rust off fairly quickly and they lead the category overnight in 47^th overall. The good run continued on the Saturday despite a big knock to the steering on the 2^nd loop. They kept things clean and got quicker as the day went on to take 40^th overall and 2^nd in class Pro2.

Aileen Forrest had Paul Gribben back in the Evo’s passenger seat for this round. Friday was good, the purple car swapping times with 5 times British Champion Jimmy McRae’s MK1 Escort, Aileen actually heading the rally legend overnight. The 1^st loop on Saturday was quite cautious but the 2^nd suited Aileen’s driving style quite well. They saved their big drama for the final loop, overshooting a tight a tight right hander and very nearly parking the Evo on its side. Thankfully they got away with only time loss as Aileen battled to find reverse with the sequential gearbox. Aileen taking the Ladies win by just under a minute from her big rival Meghan O’Kane.

The Haddo Energy Super Seniors win eventually went to the creators of the Super Seniors, Ernie & Patricia Lee in their glorious sounding BMW. Points leaders Gordon Murray & Peter Carstairs lead overnight but were forced out early on Saturday with a blown engine. That left the BMW crew in charge, although Ernie seemed more interested in how the harvest was going back at the farm. 49^th overall and 4^th historic car home was a good result for Ernie & Patricia on their home event.

images courtesy of AF Motorsport Media / Becksport Media

Just 3 weeks removed from the RSAC Scottish Rally the Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship roadshow heads north-east to Milton of Crathes for round 5 of the 2023 season, the Voyonic Grampian Forest Rally. The best the SRC can offer will square off with the top drivers in the UK as they welcome the Probite British Rally Championship contenders to the Scottish forests.

Championship leader Euan Thorburn tops the SRC seeding, partnered once again by Keir Beaton, and it’s lining up to be a big weekend for the Polo pilot. A maximum score on this round would guarantee him another Scottish title, but if he slips up there are plenty of drivers who can still snatch the championship win.

Finlay Retson & Paul Beaton line up 2^nd in the 2^nd Volkswagen Polo. They narrowly missed out on 2^nd at the Scottish, losing out to Euan & Keir by just 1 second. They will be looking for revenge on Finlay’s home event and Paul will hoping to maintain his co-driver’s points lead, lying 9 points clear of brother Keir after 4 rounds.

Jock Armstrong & Owen Paterson are the 3^rd SRC seed, looking to bounce back after a disappointing 1^st stage retirement in their home forests last time out.

The Huntly/Elgin team of John Wink & Neil Shanks and Scott Beattie & Welsh co-driver Peredur Davies entertained everyone at the Scottish with a cracking battle for 4^th. Scott & Peredur eventually coming out on top. Both will be looking for more of the same this weekend on Scott’s home event.

Mark McCulloch & Michael Hendry continue their development of their unique Evo powered Proton. They head up a string of rapid Pro 4 cars of Stephen Petch & Michael Wilkinson (Fiesta Rally2), local stars Bruce McCombie & Michael Coutts (Fiesta R5), Hugh Brunton & Terry Mallin (Skoda Fabia) and Ian Forgan & Chris Lees (Fiesta Rally2).

Having missed the Scottish, Willie Paterson returns in the Asset Alliance Skoda, with Tom Hynd in the hotseat as usual. They’ll be chased down by another local man, Chris Collie. Chris another looking to bounce back from a Scottish retirement in the Fiesta R5 with regular navigator Ricky Finlayson alongside.

Scott Peacock & Craig Wallace top the Evo entries, they’ll be rekindling their private Mitsubishi battle with top Albyn Garage Challengers seed Johnnie Mackay.  Johnnie played 2^nd fiddle to Scott & Craig at the Scottish and is joined by Michael Cruickshank for his home event.

Greg McKnight & Harry Marchbank top the G&M Mechanical Services 2wd seeding, the big Escort will be looking to upset the BRC Juniors in their legions of Rally 4 208s, including Scottish 2wd and Challengers winners Robert Proudlock & Steven Brown.

Paddy Munro & Andrew Stevenson head the field chasing the yellow MK2. They’re followed by G&M teammates Craig Rutherford & Ashleigh Will. Craig & Ashleigh making their 1^st start of the year in another Peugeot 208 after damaging their Escort at the last round.

Former 2wd champions Dougal Brown & Lewis Rochford return to the championship for the 1^st time since the Speyside, still rebuilding their pace after a long layoff from rallying. They’re followed by fellow Mk2 crews Ross Jarrett & Dave Robson, Gordon Morrison & Ian Parker and Fraser Smith & Nikki Addison.

Gordon Murray & Peter Carstairs start the Grampian looking for a 5^th Haddo Energy Super Seniors win in a row. Walter Henderson & Jim Kinloch and Ernie & Patricia Lee will be doing their best to stop that happening.

Ernie & Patricia are also part of the ever-growing Historic contingent, with 5 historic specification cars in attendance. They’re headed by the rapid Donald Peacock & Mairi Riddick’s Mk2. Keith Robathan returns in his Firenza with Andrew Brown alongside for this round. Robin Shuttleworth & Malcolm Smithson are back in their MK1 Escort and David McLeod & Eamonn Boyle continue to get to grips with their new Avenger.

4 crews will contest the Groundwater Lift Trucks Subaru Cup. Rob Cotton & Ethan Kidd make the long trip North to take on Moates Offshore Juniors sponsor Mike Moates & Gary McDonald who always go well in these forests. Kevin Jeffray & Iain Macleod and Mike Grant & Graham Kelman will look to make it a 4-way battle.

Justin Gunning & Michael Moates top the Moates Offshore Juniors entry, the Clio crew looking to finally kickstart their year after a very difficult 2024 season. Points leader Meghan O’Kane needs a good run to strengthen that lead, her closest rival Christopher Smith not in attendance for this round. MG3 pilot Thomas Milne makes his 2^nd start, competing on his home event as part of his J1000 MG3 Prize Drive.

Meghan also tops the points in the Lady drivers’ contest. The R2 Fiesta pilot squaring off once again with her long-time rival Aileen Forrest. Aileen is out as always in her lovely Mitsubishi and is rejoined by the experienced Paul Gribben who guided her to a Ladies win on the Jim Clark Reivers.

2 stages kick off the event on the Friday evening with a further 7 on the Saturday. As always keep an eye on the Scottish Rally Championship Facebook Page and Youtube channel for live coverage and updates throughout the day.

images courtesy of AF Motorsport Media / Becksport Media