More than 120 cars will line up for the start of tomorrow’s Snowman Rally, the opening round of the Hankook Scottish Rally Championship in Inverness.
The bumper field, which indicates the strength of motorsport and rallying in Scotland, is headed by the new Mitsubishi Evo VII of Reay Mackay. The Fort Augustus driver is bidding to win his home event for the second year in succession.
“It’s going to be even tougher for me this year,” Mackay, who conquered the snow and ice last year in his MG Metro 6R4, admitted today. “The 6R4’s engine is away being checked, so this will only be my first time out in the Evo. It’s completely different!”
With last year’s Scottish champ, Dumfries 22-year-old David Bogie, sitting out tis event as he prepares for an all-out assault on the British Championship, Mackay’s main threat is likely to come from a number of drivers.
Castle Douglas ace Jock Armstrong, who narrowly missed out on the title last year, will be strong again in his Subaru Impreza, while the Mitsubishi Evo VI of Lockerbie’s Mike Faulkner, who won two events last year, is expected to push for the win.
The event, which starts and finishes in Inverness, covers 45 competitive miles split into five timed stages. Conditions are set to live up to the event’s name, with heavy snow lying in a number of the Highland stages.
JM