Date change for 2011 'best' RallyScotland posted in RSCOT29 | 03 | 2011
THIS YEAR'S RALLYSCOTLAND, the penultimate round of the Intercontinental Rally Championship, has been moved to a new date. The three-day Perth-based event will now run from Friday, October 7 to Sunday, October 9, a week earlier than had originally been announced.
"We've decided, after fairly lengthy discussions, to move the date simply because of the very congested rally calendar in Scotland and the rest of the UK in October," RallyScotland Clerk of the Course Iain Campbell explained today.
In addition to RallyScotland — the principal rally event in the country this year and which is broadcast live by Eurosport to 70 countries around the world — the previous weekend (Oct 1) sees the the final round of the Scottish Rally Championship, the Perth-based McRae Forest Stages Rally.
The weekend (Oct 14-16) which follows the new RallyScotland dates is now occupied by the highly-competitive Mull Rally, and though the following weekend is clear, the Manx International Rally — the final round of the British Rally Championship — on the Isle of Man fills the final weekend (Oct 28-29) of October.
One of the main problems organisers of all events faced is they all require the service of volunteer marshals, and as there's only a finite availability much of the discussions has centred around solving that problem.
The third running of RallyScotland promises to the be the biggest and most successful yet with scoring drivers receiving 1.5 times the normal championship points allocation; the winner will score 37.5 instead of the normal 25.
"RallyScotland, and the final round in Cyprus are the only two events which will award the extra points," Campbell continued, "and that will ensure we have a bumper entry of all the main championship challengers."
While the 120-mile route is still being finalised, it will contain timed stages through some of Scotland's toughest and most beautiful forest stages, including Errochty and Loch Ard.
This year's event will also see the introduction of a National B rally — open to those who contest many of the national rally championships, including the Scottish Rally Championship. The 65-mile event will be run over the same stages as the IRC battle through Saturday and Sunday.
"It will be a terrific opportunity for the leading National B drivers from Scotland and the rest of Britain to compare their times with the leading guys in IRC," Campbell explained.
"We believe we've put together a very comprehensive package this year which offers not only those contesting the IRC a severe test, but gives other drivers the opportunity to tackle some of the best rally stages not only in Britain, but in the world."
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Jim McGill
Caption: Finn Juho Hanninen on his way to winning last year's RallyScotland, and the IRC title, in his Skoda Fabia S2000