Stunning new route for RallyScotland 2011posted in RSCOT14 | 05 | 2011
RALLYSCOTLAND ORGANISERS have released the first comprehensive details of the route for the 2011 event, the penultimate round of the Intercontinental Rally Championship.
The high-speed, three-day event — which will again use some of the best forest rally stages anywhere in the world and will cover 15 stages and 125 competitive miles — will this year start at Stirling Castle on the evening of Friday, October 7.
Immediately the 100-strong field of S2000 cars have left the ceremonial start ramp, the crews will head straight into a new stage in Carron Valley, close to of Denny. The crews will tackle the six-mile stage twice in the dark before heading back to their overnight halt at Perth Airfield.
"Friday night in Carron Valley is going to be a real treat for rallying and motorsport fans," RallyScotland clerk of the course Iain Campbell explained. "This is going to start the event with a real test.
"The guys will be in the dark straight from the start, and somebody could open a big gap here if they're willing to push. Spectators, will see the crews coming through twice. The first stage starts at 1930, with the second run filtering in at 1955."
After their overnight halt, Saturday morning sees the crews head straight to the more traditionally daunting Perthshire stages at Craigvinean, Drummond Hill and Errochty.
Following an hour-long regroup in Perth, where the drivers and teams will hold autograph sessions, they head out in the afternoon for a rerun of the three stages with the added difficulty of Drummond Hill being run in the dark.
"Everyone knows Drummond Hill is one of the fastest and most breathtaking forest stages in Scotland," Campbell continued, "so to have to tackle it in the dark will be another big test for the drivers."
Following a return to the Denny stage on Sunday morning, the final two forest loops see the surviving crews head into the Trossachs to test themselves over two new stages which have been crafted out of the infamous Loch Ard complex just north of Glasgow.
The first seven-miler, newly-named Loch Chon, precedes the longest test of the rally, the 19-miler at High Corrie. This new stage combines the best part of the original Loch Ard stage — acknowledged as one of the best in the world — and Clashindarroch.
"The crews will run both these stages twice," Campbell continued, "and this year they will have only a 15-minute service interval between the two runs. And the only repairs which can be done to the cars is with spare parts they've carried in the car. We've turned it into something of an endurance test."
Once the cars exit High Corrie for the second time, they will head to Scone Palace where the crews will tackle two final high-speed spectator stages through the grounds.
The winner of the third running of RallyScotland will then take to the podium in the shadow of Scone Palace, close to the Stone of Destiny, where Scottish kings were crowned.
"We've turned things round a bit this year," Campbell said. "The past two years we've started at Scone and finished in Stirling; this year we feel the time's right to have the podium ceremony at Scone Palace.
"Not only is it a fantastic backdrop for the final days' action, but it delivers far better access for the thousands of spectators we know will come to see not only the final two stages, but also the podium celebrations."
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Jim McGill