County Saab Scottish Rally Championship

Kevin's hoping for snow - 12 February 2007

Twenty-year-old Motherwell rally driver Kevin Ross partnered by Kirsty Riddick just can't wait for this weekend to come. The pair will contest this years County Saab Scottish Rally Championship in a newly acquired Dom Buckley Motorsport prepared Group N Mitsubishi Evo 8 and are seeded at number 14.
Kevin said "We took delivery of the new car a few weeks ago and I cant wait to drive it in competition. We decided to compete in Group N, which is the production car class. Mind you this particular production car has 4-wheel drive, a 280 brake horsepower turbo charged engine and can accelerate to 60 MPH in 5 seconds! I wanted to compete in this class, as it's the most competitive in the championship. We can race against other similar cars and truly measure our performance. We will have a steep learning curve, as this is a very sophisticated piece of kit compared to the old car. We can adjust differentials through the electronics to give better grip and handling depending on the road conditions. It's not just a new car for next year. We have a new service crew and management team that know both the car and the sport. Kirsty and I are also learning new physical and mental preparation skills that will improve our chances of success and overall enjoyment of our sport. We are both looking forward to that".
Kevin recently won the Albar Scottish Junior scholarship, which is a program of development for under 25's in the sport, which is supported by Albar Landscapes of Barhead. Kevin's driving was assessed by ex world champion Colin McRae and father Jimmy at Knockhill racing circuit recently where Kevin came out on top to receive a tailored program of development throughout the year.
This years eight round championship commences on Saturday with the Arnold Clark Thistle Snowman Rally based in Inverness. This event, like the majority of the championship will be fought out by up to 100 other crews over the fast gravel forest road of Northern and Southern Scotland. The season ends in Perth next October having covered some 500 miles of flat out motoring over some of the county's most challenging forest stages.
Keep up with all the rallying news and the teams progress in the championship on their website at www.krtuning.co.uk/rallying

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For more information contact Team Manager Alex Ross on 07860 642262

Kevin's new rallying challenge - 27 January 2007

Twenty year old Motherwell rally driver Kevin Ross partnered by Castle Douglas navigator Kirsty Riddick just can't wait for February to come. The pair will contest this year's County Saab Scottish Rally Championship in a newly acquired Dom Buckley Motorsport prepared Group N Mitsubishi Evo 8. The rallying duo competed in this year's championship in an out-dated Evo 4 setting an impressive string of stage times and results beating more powerful machinery and experienced crews in the process.

Kevin said "We took delivery of the new car last week and I cant wait to drive it in competition. We decided to compete in Group N, which is the production car class. Mind you this particular production car has 4 wheel drive, a 280 brake horsepower turbo charged engine and can accelerate to 60 MPH in 5 seconds! I wanted to compete in this class as it's the most competitive in the championship. We can race against other similar cars and truly measure our performance. We will have a steep learning curve as this is a very sophisticated piece of kit compared to the old car. We can adjust differentials through the electronics to give better grip and handling depending on the road conditions. It's not just a new car for next year. We have a new service crew that know the car and the sport. Kirsty and I are learning new physical and mental preparation skills that will improve our chances of success and overall enjoyment of our sport. We are both looking forward to that".

Both Kevin and Kirsty have applied to be part of the Albar Scottish Juniors. This is a program of development for under 25's in the sport supported by Albar Landscapes of Barhead. Kevin's driving will be assessed by ex world champion Colin McRae at Knockhill racing circuit in January. The winner of the scholarship will then receive a tailored program of development throughout the year.

Next years eight round championship commences in February with the Arnold Clark Thistle Snowman Rally. This event, like the majority of the championship will be fought out by up to 100 other crews over the fast gravel forest road of Northern and Southern Scotland. The season ends in Perth in September having covered some 500 miles of flat out motoring over some of the county's most challenging forest stages.

Keep up with all the rallying news and the teams progress in the championship on their website at www.krtuning.co.uk/rallying

WESTON WIN HALTS JOHNSONS' HAT-TRICK ATTEMPT - 22 August 2006

ABERDEEN'S Dave Weston won Saturday's Gleaner Speyside Stages Rally,
strengthening his lead at the top of the County Saab Scottish Rally
Championship tables.

The event, round eight of the series, was held in and around Elgin in
treacherous conditions with pouring rain all day.

Weston drove his Ford Focus World Rally Car to the limit as he fought for
vital seconds against reigning Scottish Rally Champion Barry Johnson.

Hundreds of spectators braved the weather to watch the country's top drivers
in action through stages including Clashindarroch and Gartly.

Winner, Weston, said: "I am delighted with the win. We had a fantastic day
and it was good to go head to head and have a clean fight with Barry."

Johnson, partnered by Elgin's Steven Clark, was aiming for a third
consecutive win in his Subaru Impreza WRC on the event but couldn't match
local man Westons' pace.

Johnson, of County Durham, added: "We were trying really hard all day and at
one stage there was only a second between us. However a stall on two of the
stages meant the gap opened up to more than a minute. I really enjoyed it
today though. This is one of my favourite events in the championship and
having the clean battle with Dave added to that."

Third place went to father and son crew Gary and Gordon Adam, of
Tillicoultry, in their Subaru Impreza. The pair were making their return to
the sport after a year on the sidelines.

Inverness driver Jimmy Girvan, in another Impreza with navigator Mike
Ramsay, conceded third to Adam on the final stage due to a slipping clutch.

The final spot in the top five went to Glasgow's Alan Dickson, who had been
leading the series earlier in the season. Dickson, in his Impreza WRC with
Aberdeen's Martin Forrest, overcame a host of problems including a brief
trip in a ditch early on in the day and his windscreen misting up badly to
reach the finish ramp of the event for the first time in four years.

"The Speyside has never been particularly kind to us in the past, so I am
really glad that we had a change of luck this time round. We have made some
adjustments to the car since we were last out and the car definitely has
much more power now. We are looking forward to improving on that on round
seven already - the Park Systems Stages on September 9."

Alistair Tough from Inverness added some extra competition against the
regular Group N contenders on the event. Tough finished sixth overall, ahead
of Alistair Thorburn of Duns and Barry Groundwater, of Stonehaven.

County Downs' David Crossen, partnered by Simon Mills of Blackpool, was glad
he made the trip across the Irish Sea after taking seventh overall in his
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6.
Crossen, who entertained the spectators with his flamboyant driving style,
said: "I really enjoyed the stages and found them to be smooth compared to
those back home."

Innes Clark, of Ellon, partnered in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 by Elgin's
Ian Morrison, had been going well for most of the day. However a steamed up
windscreen and an 'off' which cost them around 20 seconds put them back to
10th by the end.

In the two-wheel drive category it was Banchory's Bruce McCombie in the
Nissan Sunny who took position one, followed by Motherwell's John Paterson
in his Ford Escort Mk II. John McClory, in his Honda Civic Type R, took
third spot in the close battle - which saw them separated by only 33
seconds.

TOP TEN PROVISIONAL TIMES

1. Dave Weston/Dave Robson 44mins53secs
2. Barry Johnson/Steven Clark 45:57
3. Gary Adam/Gordon Adam 47:13
4. Jimmy Girvan/Mike Ramsay 47:17
5. Alan Dickson/Martin Forrest 47:20
6. Alistair Tough/Ally McKay 48:08
7. David Crossen/Simon Mills 48:58
8. Alistair Thorburn/Paul Maguire 49:05
9. Barry Groundwater/Jude Wylie 49:06
10. Innes Clark/Ian Morrison 49:08

TOP TEN CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (Provisional after Round 6 - Gleaner Speyside
Stages)

1. Dave Weston Aberdeen 157
2. Alan Dickson Glasgow 130
3. Barry Johnson County Durham 128
4. David Hughes Dumfries 126
5. Alistair Thorburn Duns 121
6. Jim Carty Elderslie 94
7. Andy Kelly Greenock 90
8. Barry Groundwater Stonehaven 89
9. Malcolm Proudlock Dumfries 83
10. Ian Campbell Heriot 81

Disappointing outing for rally team. - 12 July 2006

The Park Systems Rally team failed to finish Sunday's Jim Clark Reveres Rally. The borders event was round 5 of the 8 round County Saab Scottish Rally Championship.

Greenock rally driver Andy Kelly partnered by Duns co-driver Doug Redpath suffered a set back to their 2006 championship challenge. The pair competing on the only closed public road event in the calendar failed to make the finish when the rear differential of their Dom Buckley prepared Mitsubishi Evo 8 broke on the penultimate stage of the rally.

Speaking after the rally Andy said "It was a disappointment as the car has been so reliable all year. Tarmac is very hard on transmission and the dry conditions on the day certainly added to the strain on some components. On the opening test of the day we set a time putting us in 11th position on the 140 car entry. However a mile into stage 2 Doug read a note describing the road as don’t cut. I don’t know what went wrong, I totally misjudged the corner and cut it despite being told not to. The result was an instant puncture which we had to stop and change. That mistake cost us 4 minutes and set us plummeting to second last in the event.

Being so far behind mounting any kind of charge to recover our position would have been foolish. We set out to drive at a steady pace, getting back up to 35th when the differential broke. I felt really disappointed for the guys in our own team as they had burnt the midnight oil the night before making late changes to the car. Also for our partners at Buckley's, Dunlop and Tweedmouth Service Station, everyone put a lot of effort getting the car to the start of the event.

The championship scoring system allows us to drop our 2 lowest scores so that will be one of them. The next round is in the north and we are back on the loose gravel forest track that I enjoy. We have three rounds left and I have to lift my game which I intend doing. We can still have the chance of a fantastic outcome to this years championship".

The next round is the Speyside Stages based in Elgin on the 19th of August. The team have the final 2 rounds in September in south west Ayrshire and Perthshire.

Keep up to date with the team at www.kellys-heros.co.uk

Disaster for Dickson - 10 July 2006

Alan Dickson's hopes of retaining his lead in the County Saab Scottish Championship suffered a cruel blow on the eve of Jim Clark Reivers Rally when his sackmaker.com/Pirelli tyres backed Impreza WRC developed engine problems forcing the team to retire before they had even turned a wheel in anger.

"I was putting the car on the trailer after scrutineering when we noticed the engine breather was starting to smoke heavily, looks like we have damaged a piston or broken a ring" said Alan "there's no way it would last the event & to risk totally destroying a very expensive engine would be downright stupid".

A desperate last minute search to borrow another engine with a view to changing it overnight proved fruitless.

"We were 3rd here last year and needed a win this time to keep us in the running for the title, there was a huge amount of preparation put in for this event & I still can't believe what's happened" said Alan "the engine is fairly new so there are some questions to be answered over the next week or so. We will just have to pick ourselves up and make amends on the Speyside Stages next month"

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Tweedmouth Service Station Help Team On Tarmac challenge. - 05 July 2006

Park Systems rally Team is back in action this weekend (9th July) on round 5 of the 8 round County Saab Scottish Rally Championship. A capacity entry of 140 rally crews will line up on Sunday morning for The Jim Clarke Reveres Rally at Charterhall (south west of Duns) in the Scottish Borders.

This event is not only unique in Scottish rallying but in the UK. It's the only closed public road event on main land Britain. Some 70 miles of the demanding tarmac roads in the borders where the events namesake Jim Clark learned his profession and became Scotland first F1 world champion.

Greenock rally man Andy Kelly partnered by Duns co-driver Doug Redpath will compete in the Dom Buckley Motorsport Mitsubishi Evo 8. The pair have been enjoying a good season and are currently leading the Group N class and 3rd overall in Scotland's premier rally championship.

Driver Andy said."The team are really looking forward to this weekends challenge. I have very little experience on tarmac. It's usually the gravel forest tracks we compete on and that's my preferred surface. We tackled this event last year and I was surprised by our pace. Unfortunately we broke a drive shaft on last year's car but excellent work by our service crew kept us in the event and we learned a lot. We hope to put that experience to good use this year. A number of competitors are tarmac experts and local crews that really know the road so they will have a slight advantage. Our race strategy will be the same as it has been to date, which is to focus on the job, deliver a solid result and enjoy the experience.

My co-driver Doug has been a massive help all year and this is his local event. Maybe I should let him drive. With his knowledge of the roads he would probably be quicker than me, but unfortunately I'm useless at reading the pacenotes he gives me describing the corners so we'll just keep things as they are."

When asked about the conditions Andy said "The weather plays a big part in this event. If it rains then the roads are very slippy. You have difficulty in picking a braking point or line through a corner. We will be travelling down the county lanes at speeds over 120 MPH. That's the speed the ball travels at when a top tennis player at Wimbledon serves. Trying to control a 280 brake horsepower fire breathing rally car at that speed in the wet is more than demanding! Our tyre partner Dunlop have a fantastic reputation for providing tarmac tyres. The assistance they have given us this year has been invaluable so we're looking to them for advice. The roads will be demanding no matter what the weather is. They have a lot of big crests that launch the car more than 10 feet in the air. It's probably one of the most spectacular rallies for the spectators and the most challenging for the crews".

The team welcome for the second time this year the support of Berwick on Tweed based Mitsubishi dealer Tweedmouth Service Station. Andy said "We are delighted to have further support from Tweedmouth Service Station who not only support us but are also very enthusiastic".

This years event starts at 9:00 and the first car is expected at the finish at around 16:30. The rally contains 11 special stages over 70 miles with crews coming from all over the county including Ireland. It's sure to be a thrilling days Motorsport for all. Keep up to date with the team at www.kellys-heros.co.uk

Scottish Rally Deflates The Heroes - 12 June 2006

The Park Systems Rally Team had a disappointing result on the RSAC Scottish Rally round 4 of the 8 round County Saab Scottish Rally Championship. With 3 punctures costing Greenock driver Andy Kelly partnered by Duns co-driver Doug Redpath over minutes, ending a run of Group N victories in this year's series.

The event took place on Saturday (10th June) in the fast forest tracks around the rally base of Dumfries. As temperatures hit the high seventies over a 100 rally crews set out at 9:00 am to tackle the 7 special stages on the dry gravel forest tracks. Competitors welcomed the decision of the organisers to set crews out at 2 minute intervals rather than 1 minute due to the dry dusty condition of the forest tracks.

The Park Systems team had been looking to consolidate their position with another consistent result. Driver Andy said "We had set ourselves some performance goals based on our previous results. Part of our race strategy was to hold more speed through the high speed corners. Whilst we only managed to finish 16th overall on the day we did set some impressive stage times. We emerged 4th overall and first Group N by ten seconds after the first stage. We got 2 punctures on stage 2 and drove 5 miles on them dropping 2 minutes.

At service we thought we could still salvage a top ten position and set out to do that. On stage 2 we managed second fastest only 1 second behind the stage winner. Then on stage 4 we got the 3rd puncture and dropped just over a minute. We realise our top ten aim was unrealistic and decided to use the rest of the event to improve our game. As each event goes past we are gaining in confidence and speed. Saturdays event was in no way a disaster. We are now carrying more speed through most corners, not just the ones we set out to improve."

Doug said " It was just unlucky. We don’t remember hitting anything that could have caused the punctures. We are improving, getting faster and more confident all the time. Taking out the punctures we would have had a top 5 result and another Group N win. We still hold 3rd overall in the championship and 1st in Group N. We are looking forward to the next event".

The team are back in action in the Dom Buckley prepared Mitsubishi Evo 8 on the Jim Clark Rally. Andy said " The next round is on tarmac over 70 miles of closed public road. It's not a surface I have a lot of experience on but I'm looking forward to the challenge. This must be the only time you can drive on the roads at over 120 MPH and get championship points and not points on your license".

Keep up to date with the team at www.kellys-heros.co.uk with dates and team news.

Heroes are raring to go! - 06 June 2006

The Park Systems Rally Team (AKA Kelly's Heroes) is back in action this weekend after a six week break. The Team head to Dumfries for round 4 in the 8 round County Saab Scottish Rally Championships, The RSAC Scottish Rally. Scotland’s longest running rally is once again backed by Dumfries and Galloway Council.

This year’s event has attracted a bumper entry with over 100 of the country’s top rally crews leaving Dumfries Town centre from 9:00AM on Saturday (10th June). Organisers have put together a challenging course taking in the areas best gravel forest roads that will test drivers and navigators to the limits. A super special stage at Heathhall service area on the outskirts of town will entertain the crowds from 11:45 on, especially the water splash.

Greenock driver Andy Kelly partnered by Duns navigator Doug Redpath are 3rd overall in this years championship but more importantly the duo are leading Group N for the showroom capacity cars. Andy and Doug will use the Dom Buckley Motorsport prepared Mitsubishi Evo 8, the car being new to them at the start of this year's championship. Driver Andy said "We are starting to get used to the differences between the Evo 8 and our old Evo 4. We have had a good solid start to our championship. Our race strategy for this event is to consolidate our position. We have been setting ourselves performance targets for each event. We identified after the last round in Aberdeen that I need to carry more speed through the faster corners so that will be our improvement focus for this event".

Co-driver Doug said "I know the stages we will be using on the Scottish and they are very fast with lots of deceptive crests and corners. Commitment to the descriptive notes that I read to Andy describing the road will be the key to success". Andy agreed saying "We will be touching 130 MPH in a lot of places this weekend. Doug inspires confidence with the delivery and accuracy of information, which is a big benefit to any driver. Dunlop have been fantastic all year working with us to provide the perfect tyre package and it looks like they will deliver again".

Andy went on to say "We attended a press day to promote the championship and that was helpful in giving me a bit more time in the car. I know this event will be very fast but I'm confident my preparation will pay off and we should be right on the pace. It's such a good car to drive, the team get on well and most importantly we are all having fun enjoying our sport to the maximum".

Keep up to date with Scotland's favorite rally team at www.kellys-heros.co.uk

Proudlock looks to get back on track - 26 April 2006

Dumfries rally driver Malcolm Proudlock will attempt to restart his County Saab Scottish Rally Championship campaign on this weekend’s Granite City Rally after a non-finish on the previous event.

The 2nd Championship counter in Keilder Forest last month saw the ZiLOG Subaru Impreza stuck fast in a snow filled ditch but favourable weather this week sees the tests around Banchory and Huntly in top condition.

Malcolm and co-driver Steven Clark of Elgin finished as runners-up the 2005 series and will be pushing hard to improve on that position this year: -

“Last year Barry Johnson was the class of the field and he’s got of to a great start again this season with two maximum scores on the board already.” Explained Proudlock. “We know we have to get the maximum from the car to stand any chance of victory and I’m hoping to get some mileage in on Friday to concentrate on the set-up of the car and to get some match practise.”

Six stages face the 84 competitors on an event where the two-wheel-drive cars are to run first. Former Gretna man Clark thinks this may play into the hands of the Mabie House Hotelier with the unpredictability of the surface a levelling factor.

“With 50 cars over the stages before we arrive there will be a fair amount of mud and ruts for the bigger cars to contend with. The victory will go to the man who copes with the conditions best but it’s not just Barry we have to look out for, Dave Weston will put his local knowledge to good use and the likes of Paul Benn could spring a surprise now he has a few more miles under his belt in his Focus WRC.”

The Aberdeen based event starts from the Castlegate at the head of Union Street at 8am on Saturday and the first car is due back at the Thistle Hotel finish at 1600Hrs.

Dickson Set to Rock on Granite - 25 April 2006

Glasgow's Alan Dickson heads to Aberdeen this weekend for the Multiwage Granite City Rally to consolidate his 2nd place in the overall standings on this year's County Saab Scottish Rally Championship.

After 2 of 8 rounds Dickson current lies in second place behind Shildon's Barry Johnson thanks to a 5th Place on the Snowman Rally in Inverness & a win on last months Border Counties Rally. The team hope that his navigator Martin Forrest (Bridge of Don) can use his local knowledge to give them the edge this weekend.

"Johnson's Subaru is 4 years younger than ours & much quicker so its going to be really tough to catch him this year" said Dickson who pilots the sackmaker.com/Pirelli tyres 1999 World Rally Car "we just have to try and get close enough to put the pressure on and force some mistakes"

As an added incentive Forrest currently leads the navigators Championship due to the fact that Johnson's regular co-driver is unavailable for all events this season.

The Sackspeed team expect tough challenges to also come from Dave Weston (Ford Focus WRC) and Malcolm Proudlock (Subaru) who both have the pace to hit the front but who failed to score any points on the last round.

Ahead of the 85 crews this weekend lie 45 miles of tough stages through the Aberdeenshire forests including the infamous Clashindarroch before the surviving crews arrive back in Aberdeen on Saturday.

Event details www.granitecityrally.co.uk

Heroes head North - 25 April 2006

The Park Systems Rally Team head north next weekend (Saturday 29th April) to take part in the Multi-Wage Granite City Rally. The Aberdeen based event is round 3 from 8 in the County Saab Scottish Rally Championships 2006.

Ninety of the country’s top rally crews will leave the centre of the Granite City at 9:00 AM on Saturday to tackle 6 gravel forest stages north of the city.

Greenock driver Andy Kelly partnered by Doug Redpath from Duns will compete in their Dom Buckley Motorsport prepared Group N Mitsubishi Evo 8.

The team have had an encouraging start to the season in the new car. Andy said "We have put in 2 solid performances and the strategy is more of the same. Our plan from the outset of the championship is for constant improvement. We have had no familiarization time in the car-only the rallies. Which means we have only done 90 miles and that's not enough time to get used to the differences between new and old. We know Buckley's can give us a bit more from the car and it's a big temptation to do that. We want to get to a point where we are driving what we have to the maximum of our ability, then we can look at getting a bit more from the machinery".

The team have had an excellent start to the championship. On the first round in Inverness back in February a 6th overall and 1st Group N and last months Border Counties Rally resulted in a 2nd overall and 1st Group N. Doug said "The stages on this event are very demanding. Some are very fast flowing with crests that the car will be airborne on and others are very technical that require the notes describing the road to be delivered very quickly. It's a good test of any team. We retired on stage 3 last year with mechanical problems so I'm looking forward to a good run this time".

The Multi-Wage Granite City Rally will use stages that have not been rallied on for some years. Andy said "The conditions on the first 2 rounds have been different. Ice on the first and snow on the second. As some of the stages on round 3 haven't been used for some years it will be interesting to see what they are like. Sometime grass grows in the middle of a road through lack of use. A small error like a wheel on the grass at the wrong time with speeds over 100 MPH the consequences can be severe! Dunlop have provided a fantastic tyre package for us this year. The assistance on events is invaluable and that will be very important on this event. We are all looking forward to getting back out to the forests this weekend. This is Doug's first event as a married man. He and Sara tied the knot last weekend and i'm sure the boys in the team will mark the occasion in some small way!!!".

Keep up to date with the team at www.kellys-heros.co.uk

Two in a row for The Heroes - 25 March 2006

The Park Systems Rally Team enjoyed their second Group N victory of the 2006 County Saab Scottish Rally Championship and second overall on the weekends Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally.

Some 80 plus rally crews assembled in the Borders Town of Jedburgh to tackle 6 forest stages in the notorious Kielder Forest Complex. Snow over the previous week was to prove a deciding factor in the days competition. The organisers took the right decision in canceling stage 2 as rescue vehicles could not get into position in the unusually treacherous conditions.

Greenock driver Andy Kelly partnered by Duns co-driver Doug Redpath said "We had hoped to do some pre event testing but that fell through. We have modified our race strategy to improve our game from the first round. It would have been good to test that before the event. As for the rally itself, road position played a big part over the first three stages. The top twenty acted as sweepers or as on two stages snow ploughs for the rest of the field. We ended up running 8th on the road and it did cost us a bit of time".

The Dom Buckley Motorsport prepared Group N Mitsubishi Evo 8 performed faultlessly throughout the day. Andy said "We have been working with Dom to improve the car. I have to say that some of the challenges I had with it turned out to be me not the car. It feels very much the same on the road as the old car but in the forest it's a very different animal. I have spent a lot of time analyzing the differences. We are making very positive changes and have more planned for future events. We haven't explored the left foot braking technique yet. When I master that, it will make a big difference to our times".

Doug said " The conditions have tested us to the limits today. We have had one or two moments in the snow. You really have to be sharp in some sections we are doing over 100 MPH on freezing roads. Dunlop gave us another good tyre package on the day and they have been instrumental in our success today. We took every bit of information available on board we could get, even calling a good pal of our George Black. George is probably the most knowledgeable tyre guru on the World Rally Championship. He was advising us from his home in Spain! We are getting better with every mile we do and its great fun. I really enjoyed the snow stages today and I'm looking forward to the MultiWage Granite City rally in Aberdeen on the 29th of April".

Speaking at the finish Andy said " That was a good day's competition. We went into a 2 second lead on stage 5. During the day we started with a 6th fastest time then 5th 4th 3rd 1st and ended on a 2nd fastest. That’s not bad eh? The last stage we had a very quick time on last year so our competitive history on it was good. However the stage this time was run in reverse and instead of it coming down hill it went up. I knew from about half way through the 8 miles that with all the hills going up we would lose out to the more powerful WRC cars. The good thing is the best has yet to come and we are all enjoying our Motorsport. I have to thank Tweedmouth Service Station the Berwick on Tweed Mitsubishi dealer, they joined us on this event as a partner and they helped with more than just finance. The encouragement and advice they gave us really helped on the day we hope to welcome them back later in the year. The next big event is Doug's wedding on the 15th of next month he is one of the best planners I know so it should go off without a hitch but I'm not sure about the stag do!!!"

Keep up to date with the team at www.kellys-heros.co.uk

High Speed in The Borders. - 15 March 2006

The Park Systems Rally Team is back in action for round 2 of the County Saab Scottish Rally Championships the Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally on Saturday the 18th of March.

The 45 competitive mile event starts from the beautiful historic Borders Town of Jedburgh at 9:00. Over 100 rally crews will tackle the fast demanding gravel forest tracks of the Kielder complex. The five stages are amongst the most demanding in this year’s eight round championship.

Greenock driver Andy Kelly said “This is a real test of team and machine as the high speed roads on this event are unforgiving. Your entry to the deceptive corners has to be perfect. There are lots of large rocks inside them that just don’t move. We have changed our race strategy from the last event. It was highlighted that I wasn’t getting my braking point right and losing a lot of time by not carrying the speed through the corner. A change to that part of our plan should correct this”.

This is the second outing for the new Dom Buckley Motorsport prepared Mitsubishi Evo 8. The team debuted the 280 BHP 4 wheel drive car on last months Arnold Clark Thistle Snowman Rally when they ended the maiden event 6th overall and 1st Group N.

Andy is partnered by Duns Co-driver Doug Redpath Doug said “We had a really good start to our championship last month. We are getting to know the car and improving things all the time so it’s all looking good. We had been in a good position on this event last year when engine failure caused our retirement 500 yards from the end of the last stage so we are hoping for better luck this time”.

The team are supporting the children’s charity Radio Lollipop. Andy said “We welcome support from the Berwick on Tweed Mitsubishi dealer Tweedmouth Service Station on this event. We donate a percentage of any sponsorship to Radio Lollypop so it’s not just the team that benefit. We are all looking forward to the event. Buckley’s have been improving the car from last time out. Dunlop gave us fabulous tyre packages for the last round and they are doing the same again on the Border so it’s all systems go”.

The first crews are expected to arrive back at the Jedburgh finish mid afternoon. Keep up to date with the team and their partners at www.kellys-heros.co.uk

Tweedmouth Service Station Back Rally Team - 06 March 2006

Berwick on Tweed Mitsubishi dealers are backing The Park Systems Rally Team on the next Round of The County Saab Scottish Rally Championship, The Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally on Saturday March the 18th.

The event is based in the Borders town of Jedburgh and over 100 crews are expected to tackle the fast and demanding forest stages of the Kielder complex. Greenock driver Andy Kelly partnered by the experienced Duns co-driver Doug Redpath will use their newly acquired Mitsubishi Evo 8 prepared by Dom Buckley Motorsport.

The pair debuted the new Group N machine on last months Arnold Clarke Thistle Snowman Rally in Inverness finishing a credible 6th overall and 1st in Group N.

Andy said "I'm delighted with the backing we have received from Tweedmouth Service Station. It's a one off for this event. The team will be working hard to promote the partnership. We're really looking forward to the event. Buckley's have been improving the car and we are modifying our race strategy from last month's event. The car went really well first time out. It was a joy to drive. Doug and the rest of the team were excellent. I have to work on a few aspects of my driving to get the maximum from the package and I will be doing that on this event. I'm confident I will soon be driving the new car as well as I did our older Evo 4 of last year which we had a number of excellent stage times and results with. The technology in the new Evo 8 will make a difference".

The team are supporting the Radio Lollipop and a percentage of all sponsorship is donated to the charity that provide entertainment to kids in hospital.

Keep up to date with all the news at www.kellys-heros.co.uk

Kevin Ross Snowman Report - 21 February 2006

Hopes Up In Smoke

It was not to be one of our better days in rallying, the Fly Zoom.Com, SIC Bodyshop sponsored car was running great on the week upto the event and on the day before the event it started miss firing on only three cylinders, a chat and some help from Dom Buckley Motorsport soon sorted the problem with a new ignition pack.
The first stage of the Highland event and Kevin was attacking from the start, after three miles into the first stage Kevin & Kirsty heard a bang and a plume of smoke appeared behind them, they managed to nurse the car back to service but nothing could be done the engine had blown up on there Evo 4 with one of the pistons melting.
All is not lost however as Kevin has got the engine out of the car already (Sunday) and is determined to rebuild it himself hopefully in time for the next event in four weeks.
The engine will require a full rebuild along with re-mapping the engine management the team are confident all is not lost however with Kevin pledging to give 110% commitment on the remaining rounds of the County Saab 2006 Scottish Rally Championship.
It is hoped the car will be ready for a shakedown on the Grant Construction Rally at Crail Airfield on 4th March before the next round of the County Saab Scottish Rally Championship.

Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally – 18th March - 21 February 2006

EVANS OPENS CAMPAIGN ON BORDER COUNTIES!…

One of the early entries received by the organisers for the Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally (Saturday 18th March) is from GWYNDAF EVANS (Dinas Mawddwy). The former Ford & Seat works rally driver has entered the second round of the MSA National Gravel Championship in a brand-new Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9 as a prelude to a full season in the British Rally Championship.

Co-driven by HUW LEWIS (Machynlleth), this will be Gwyndaf’s first event in his Hankook-sponsored car, although he has already overseen his 17-year old son, Elfyn, tackle his first-ever rally when he contested the Wyedean Forest Stages in a Nissan Micra earlier this month.

2005 Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally winners, BARRY JOHNSON (Shildon) & STEWART MERRY (Jersey), have indicated that they will be returning to defend their title in a Subaru Impreza WRC and the first car will leave the start in Jedburgh at 8.30am on Saturday 18th March.

Regulations for the Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally are available from :
Gordon Bradford – Tel : 0191 4960926/E-mail : gordon.bradford@talk21.com

Further details of the event are available from :
Andrew Haill – Tel : 0121 313 1416/E-mail : andrew.haill@btconnect.com
OR
By visiting the Event Website : www.bordercountiesrally.co.uk

- ENDS -
210206

Good Opening Round For Park Systems Team. - 19 February 2006

Park Systems Rally Team debuted their new Dom Buckley Motorsport prepared Group N Mitsubishi Evo 8 on Saturday's Arnold Clark Thistle Snowman Rally which was the opening round of the 2006 Count Saab Scottish Rally Championship.

80 crews left the Inverness start at 9:30 to tackle 5 special stages totalling 45 competitive miles in the fast and frozen forest tracks north of the highland capital. The opening 9 miler saw Greenock driver Andy Kelly partnered by Duns navigator Doug Redpath emerge 3rd fastest in Group n and 11th overall. Andy said "That stage is just full of long straights with 90 degree corners at the end. One of the big differences between this car and the old Evo 4 is in braking. It pulls up from 125 MPH so quickly, I struggled the whole way through by braking early for just about every corner".

The rain arrived for the next group of stages further North and at the half way point the team had moved up to 9th overall and tying for the lead in Group N. Andy said " We had a heart stopping moment in the first of the 2 stages when I lost control on a fast right hander in 4th gear about 70 MPH. We ended up spinning down the stage and stopped facing the wrong way. I would like to say that skill kept us on the road but to be honest, it was luck. We handbrake the car round and dropped about 10 seconds. All part of the learning curve!!!"

On the penultimate stage of the day, run in heavy rain making conditions very slippy, the team moved in to a 14 second lead in Group N and up to 6th overall. Doug said "The car is very different from the old one but we can see great potential from it already. Another couple of rallies and I think we will be up to the commitment level we had in the old car. We're in no doubt this car is quicker so we may be able to move up a place or 2 in the overall standings".

The final stage of the day was a re-run of stage 2 and the Evo 8 crew consolidated the Group N lead by another 12 second giving them a winning margin of 28 second and 6th overall. Andy said at the Inverness finish "We had a real good day and learned a lot about the car. As Doug said, another couple of events and we should be much more competitive. I cant praise enough the efforts of everyone at Dom Buckley Motorsport for the car they have given us. Credit also goes to Andrew Wood at Dunlop the tyre package they provided was spot on. The whole team are looking forward to the next round which is the Brick and Steel Border Counties Rally on the 18th of March".

The team go to the 2nd of the 8 round championship with a 2 point lead in Group N and 6th overall in the championship.

Keep up to date with on the team web site www.kellys-heros.co.uk

Park Systems Rally Team Back For More In 2006 - 12 February 2006

Park Systems Rally Team AKA Kelly's Heroes are back for more in the 2006 County Saab Scottish Rally Championship. The big news is that the team have a new car for the new season. The new arrival is the Group N Mitsubishi Evo 8 that works driver Rory Galligan used to win the 2004 Evo Challenge.

The new Evo replaces "Doris" the old Evo 4 Greenock driver Andy Kelly has used to great effect for the past 7 years with numerous class wins and top ten overall results. Andy said "We had been looking for a new car since summer of last year and had almost given up. In fact Doris had been prepared to start the new season. Then the week before Christmas we got the opportunity for the new car which we picked up the second week in January and Dom Buckley Motorsport have been working their magic on her since then. The rebuilt engine will be back in the car this week ready for the Arnold Clark Thistle Snowman on the 18th of this month".

The Older Evo 4 is still a fantastic wee car and I'm sorry to see her go but I cant afford two rally cars. Linda Allan from Oban has bought the car and she is intending doing the championship with it, just hope she doesn't beat us!!!

This year's 8 round County Saab Scottish Rally Championship kicks off in Inverness town centre on Saturday the 18th at 9:00 AM. The event has attracted 80 crews that will tackle the demanding ultra fast forest stages North of the highland capital. Andy said "We are really looking forward to getting back to the sport - a wee health problem stopped us from contesting the last round of the 2005 championship but that's all fixed now. We all had such a good time last year and got on so well it didn't take much to convince everyone to have another go this year. We are looking for wet and slippy conditions which will narrow the gap between the more powerful world rally and group A cars. We are seeded at 14 with 2 other Group N cars in front of us so that will be a good bench mark for us. We want to be able to firstly, get the new car going as quick as the old one and then look to improve our pace from last year. We reckon it will take a couple of events to get up to speed".

Andy will for the second year be partnered by the very experienced Doug Redpath from Duns. Doug said "I'm really looking forward to the Snowman and the Championship this year and the fact that we have a new car is a bonus. The old one went pretty quickly but at times we certainly lost out to the newer technology. A wet Snowman Rally would be good. Sometimes it can be very icy on this event and that makes things a bit of a lottery. Most of the stages are very fast and we can expect speeds in excess of 120 MPH on the narrow gravel roads - good exciting stuff".

The team are once again being supported by Glasgow based Park Systems Furniture, Interact Interiors, Genesis Window Blinds, kmgflorida.com and Five Mile Garage in Aberdeen. Dom Buckley Motorsport will again prepare the car and Andrew Wood Motorsport will provide the Dunlop tyre package and on event assistance.

The Team have adopted the charity Radio Lollipop. We are trying to raise awareness of the work done by the volunteers who provide entertainment and radio broadcasts to the children in Glasgow's Yorkhill Hospital. Andy said "We supported Lollipop a few years ago and done a bit to raise awareness and a wee bit of cash. They have to find the volunteers to go out on the wards and entertain the children some of whom are in long term care, they also have to purchase their own equipment. I visited them last year and was again blown away by what they do with so little. We intend to use the car whenever we can and we will have the collecting tin at events!!!".

For more information and to keep up with the team visit the web site at www.kellys-heros.co.uk why not come and visit the team service area at events.

Competitors head to Inverness for round one of the County Saab Scottish Rally Championship - 10 February 2006

County Saab Scottish Rally Championship Press Release – February 10 2006

Competitors head to Inverness for round one of the County Saab Scottish Rally Championship

Competitors in the County Saab Scottish Rally Championship are raring to go this weekend on the stages around Inverness for the start of the 2006 season.

With the dates for the year ahead all confirmed and the continued backing of County Saab in place it is full steam ahead for the Scottish series.

The opening round, the Arnold Clark Thistle Hotels Snowman Rally, sees eight World Rally Cars in the top 10 and is shaping up to be a cracking start to the season.

Iain Campbell, Clerk of the Course on the event, said: “We are looking forward to the event. The stages are in good condition and have all been re-graded from last year.

“We are really looking forward to having everyone back up here for the traditional start to the season. We are hoping for a bit of snow before Saturday, although it’s looking unlikely.”

The 2005 champion, County Durham’s Barry Johnson, co-driven by Stewart Merry, will be first on the road and he will be hoping to defend last year’s win on the Snowman.

Johnson said: “The car has been completely rebuilt and we are looking forward to getting back out in the car. I was out in Norway last weekend and it was useful to get back into the car before the start of the season.

Johnson said he was waiting to see whether or not he would be out on the remaining rounds of the SRC. He added: “I want to wait and see who else is going to be out there this year before making any definite commitments,” he added.

Competition on the Snowman looks set to come from the direction of Glasgow’s Alan Dickson and Martin Forrest in their Subaru Impreza WRC.

Dickson will be launching a full-blown assault on the series this year to marking his 20th anniversary in the sport in style.

He said: “We are looking forward to this season. We spent a lot of time learning
The car last year and our pace really came on towards the end of last year.”

The team are under no illusion that not only do they have to be fast this year but they also have to avoid the two retirements that cost them dearly last season.

The WRC 99 has been completely rebuilt and will start the year with a fully rebuilt engine on the latest mapping, which Dickson hopes will improve the performance.

Alan, who will be the fourth car on the road, added: “We have just completed our winter testing programme and are delighted with the car, it ran faultlessly. The whole team were pleased with a big improvement in performance from last year, the most significant coming from the engine.

"The improvement in mid range power is huge," said Alan, "We tested on the same stage with the old engine at the end of last year and we are fully up a gear in every corner now, its a dramatic improvement."

Another driver set to make an impression, and hoping to be nipping at the heels of last year’s winner Johnson, will be Neale Dougan, of main sponsor County Saab. As well as backing the championship through County Saab Dougan also intends doing what he can to raise the profile of the sport in general this year.

Speaking during the 2005 prize-giving event he said they were delighted to be involved for another year and were looking forward to raising the profile of what he says is the country’s top rallying series.

Ayr’s Dougan, who has been rallying for more than 20 years, said: “Through one of Scotland’s well-known rally drivers, Robbie Head, the sport of rallying has been given a heightened profile in recent years and we are delighted to have his support in our series. Robbie has become a well-known face on the television as he travels the globe reporting on rounds of the World Rally Championship.

“This is the third year we have been involved in the Scottish series and we feel this continuity will bring added bonuses with people becoming more familiar with the name.

“This is an exciting time for the Scottish championship and County Saab and we are looking forward to the year ahead.”

After an outing in a MkII Escort on the Galloway Hills Dougan, who will be running fifth on the road, says he will be returning to the familiar Ford Escort WRC he was in last year. Dougan was one of the casualties last year on the Snowman after crashing out while leading on one of the early stages of the day.
He added: “Following the discovery that my car had a very old specification engine we have had it completely rebuilt to the latest WRC spec. We are now looking forward to 2006 knowing it will be much more competitive.
“This year I intend making a concerted effort to make it to each round and hopefully get some good results to be in with a chance of the title at the end of the year. There are also plans afoot for a number of test days throughout the season,” added Dougan, who will this year be paired with co-driver Rick Forster from Lancashire.
Dumfries driver Malcolm Proudlock, who finished second in the 2005 championship last year is another competitor eager to get back on the road on Saturday. Proudlock, paired by Elgin’s Steven Clark, is hoping he can continue his good form from last year in the Subaru Impreza. Running second on the road the pair are looking to step up their pace from last year.

Proudlock said: “We are hoping to up the pace from 2005 but with all these newer cars around this year we are going to have to take a few more risks out on the stages. We will be hoping for dry weather, especially with running second on the road, and we intend pushing from the start.”

Another of the WRCs in the top 10 belongs to the pairing of Dave Weston, from Aberdeen, and Elgin’s Neil Shanks. They will be out in a Ford Focus WRC and are fully intending giving some competition to Johnson.
Top local hope on the event will be the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5 of Jimmy Girvan, from Inverness, who will be paired with Mike Ramsay of Forres.
Cockermouth’s Paul Benn is busy beavering away this week to get his car finished in time for Saturday but at the moment it is looking unlikely.
Benn, who has been building his new Ford Focus WRC 01 along with his brother-in-law at Msport, said: “We are really hoping to be out this weekend but we will just have to see how things go. We are all working really hard and if we can get it finished we will be there. Malcolm (Wilson) sat in the car earlier this week and said it was great.
“I am going to be out for the rest of the year tackling the Scottish series and hope to have a good chance. Last year we were fairly consistent and at one point were lying second.”
The Group N category, the class for production cars, will be an exciting category to watch this year with many regulars appearing in new cars - including Greenock’s Andy Kelly and Malloch Nicol of Dundee – fresh from a good result on the recent Ralloy Mull Forest Stages Rally. Malloch will again be paired with Roy Campbell. This year will also see the return of last year’s Group N champion, Alistair Tough from Inverness.

Tough, who will be seventh on the road, said he was still unsure what his plans were for the rest of the season – but he is looking forward to the Snowman.

He said: “I am a little undecided at the moment about my plans for the rest of the season. The Snowman is on my doorstep so it made sense to do this one, but depending on a number of things, including budget, I may just concentrate on the ANCRO rounds this year.”

Kelly, partnered by Duns co-driver Doug Redpath for the second year, is out this year in a Mitsubishi Evo 8 and he is hoping for a good season.

The new Evo replaces the old Evo 4 Greenock driver Kelly used for seven years – picking up numerous class wins and top ten overall results on the way.

Kelly is looking forward to getting back out on the stages following a health problem at the tail end of last season.

He said: “We are really looking forward to getting back to the sport - a wee health problem stopped us from contesting the last round of the 2005 championship but that's all fixed now. We all had such a good time last year and got on so well it didn't take much to convince everyone to have another go this year.

“On the Snowman we are looking for wet and slippy conditions which will help narrow the gap between the more powerful WRC’s and Group A cars. Most of the stages are very fast and we can expect speeds in excess of 120mph on the narrow gravel roads - exciting stuff!”

The pair have also this year adopted the charity, Radio Lollipop, to raise awareness of work done by volunteers who provide entertainment and radio broadcasts to the children in Glasgow's Yorkhill Hospital. The team will have a collecting tin at events and are hoping everyone will do what they can to help raise funds.

Oban’s Linda Allan has bought the Lancer Evo 4 of Kelly’s and is looking for a good run in her first year in a four-wheel drive car. She will be paired on the Snowman with Louise Sutherland, from Invergarry, who spent last year co-driving for the two-wheel drive champion Iain Grubb in his Peugeot 106 GTi.

Grubb, of Banchory, has taken a back seat on the first round while his new car, a Mitsubishi Lancer, is prepared. Despite missing the start of the season he is hopeful of a good year in four-wheel drive – which he admits will be a bit of a change from the faithful Peugeot which has served him well in recent years.

Many competitors will be delighted to see Andy Horne back out in his Dam 4100 GTi following the recent controversial MSA ruling that it was not eligible.

The two wheel drive challengers on the Snowman include Mull’s Eddie O’ Donnell Jnr and Snr in the Ford Escort RS. Last year’s regulars returning to the scene include Bruce McCombie from Banchory in the Nissan Sunny; local entrants Charlie Jarrett, of Dingwall, and Gordon Chalmers of Inverness in the Ford Escort MkII as well as Alford’s Willie Stuart, also in a MkII.

This year's eight round series kicks off in Inverness town centre on Saturday (Feb 18) at 9.30am. Around 75 crews will set off for the demanding and fast stages near to Inverness.

The stages being used this year include Millbuie, Tarlogie, Scotsburn and Rogie. Servicing will take place throughout the day at nearby Dingwall. The first car is expected back at the finish at the Inverness Thistle Hotel at 4.10pm.

This year’s championship will again see the 2-wheel drive challenge taking place on four events, with results from the best three to count.

The DUNLOP Tyres 2-Wheel Drive Challenge will mean the 2-wheel drive cars will be running at the front of the field on the Brick and Steel Border Counties in Jedburgh, the MultiWage Granite City in Aberdeen, the RSAC Scottish National in Dumfries and the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally in Perth.

Programmes will be on sale at outlets throughout Inverness this week prior to the event and on Saturday.

ENDS

The dates for the 2006 calendar are:

Arnold Clark Thistle Snowman Rally Inverness February 18
Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally Jedburgh March 18
MultiWage Granite City Rally Aberdeen April 29
RSAC Scottish Rally Dumfries June 10
Jim Clark Reivers Rally. Kelso July 9
Gleaner Oil & Gas Speyside Stages Elgin August 19
Park Systems Furniture Stages Newton Stewart September 9
Colin McRae Forest Stages Perth September 30

2005 points table (after round 8 of 8)

1. Barry Johnson 180 points
2. Malcolm Proudlock 161
3. Alistair Tough 155
4. Gordon Cunningham 143
5. Alistair Thorburn 137
6. Phillip Morrow 135
7. Barry Groundwater 132
8. Alan Dickson 123
9. George McDonald 118
10. Malloch Nicoll 99

ENDS

BORDER OPENS FOR BUSINESS! - 06 February 2006

Regulations for the BRICK & STEEL BORDER COUNTIES RALLY (Saturday 18th March) are now available and, as a qualifying round of no less than ten different Championships, competition for one of the 140 places in the entry list is bound to be fierce!

The rally welcomes contenders for both the MSA National Gravel & County Saab MSA Scottish Rally Championships – the first of two occasions they meet during the season – and 2005 winners, BARRY JOHNSON & STEWART MERRY (Subaru Impreza WRC), have confirmed that they will be defending their title.

The organisers – Whickham & District Motor Club Ltd and Hawick & Border Car Club Ltd – are utilising the same successful format as last year, which sees both National ‘A’ and National ‘B’ permit events running concurrently.

The first car will leave the start in Abbey Place, Jedburgh, at 8.30am on Saturday 18th March and, after 45 miles of special stages, competitors in the National ‘B’ event will begin arriving back for the finish from 3.30pm. Meanwhile, following a further 25 miles of stages timed to one-tenth of a second, the first of the National ‘A’ runners will return to Jedburgh at 5.30pm.

Regulations for the Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally are available from :
Gordon Bradford – Tel : 0191 496 0926/E-mail : gordon.bradford@talk21.com

Further details of the event are available from :
Andrew Haill – Tel : 0121 313 1416/E-mail : andrew.haill@btconnect.com
OR
By visiting the Event Website : www.bordercountiesrally.co.uk

- ENDS -