Scots' hopes for a home victory will be focused on two drivers Alister McRae and Robbie Head. Alister holds a slender two-point lead in the Mobil 1 British Rally Championship as the cars gather in Dumfries for the RSAC Scottish Rally. The 26-year-old Lanark driver won the first round Vauxhall Rally of Wales in the 1997 series in his Volkswagen Golf GTi, but hit problems on the second and third rounds. The closeness of the competition is underlined by the fact that three drivers are tied on second place. Among them is the second Scot gunning for a home victory.
Robbie Head (29 on May 28), from Bothwell, won the previous round on the Pirelli International Rally in a Renault Megane Maxi and will be hoping to taste the victory champagne on Saturday afternoon in Dumfries. Tied with him on 41 points in second place are the current British Champion Gwyndaf Evans (who will be 38 on June 4), from Wales, in a Ford Escort and Mark Higgins (26), also from Wales, in a Nissan Sunny GTi. Among the others contending for overall honours are likely to be Tapio Laukkanen (28) from Finland, driving a Volkswagen Golf GTi, who duelled for the lead of last year's rally until mechanical problems forced him out of the competition.
The ladies' competition is also expected to see close competition with Stephanie Simmonite (27) from Bradford battling in her Escort with top local driver Barbara Armstrong (31), who comes from Castle Douglas just 18 miles from this year's rally base in Dumfries. Driving her Seat Ibiza, the 31-year-old local woman is currently lying in second place to Stephanie Simmonite in the Pirelli Ladies' Cup.
Organised by the Royal Scottish Automobile Club (Motor Sport) Ltd, the RSAC Scottish Rally is a counter in five leading championships: the Mobil 1 British Rally Championship, the Scottish Rally Championship, the Triple Crown Championship for the Bruce Trophy, the British Junior Rally Championship and the Colway Formula 1300 Rally Championship.
The rally will start at 9 am from Whitesands, Dumfries on Friday (June 6) for a full day's rallying in the Border forests around the Tweed Valley. The rally restarts at 8 am on Saturday (June 7) for a the second day's rallying to the west of Dumfries before the champagne celebrations back in Dumfries at 4.45pm.
In addition to the international rally, there are three other events running within the overall rally framework: the RSAC Scottish Historic Rally on Friday (June 6) then the RSAC Scottish National Rally and RSAC Scottish Formula 1300 Rally on Saturday (June 7). The RSAC Scottish Historic Rally sets out at 7.20 am from Whitesands and runs through all the Friday (June 6) stages with the exception of Yair 2 around 1 hour 40 minutes ahead of the international rally. The RSAC Scottish National Rally and the RSAC Scottish Formula 1300 Rally set off ahead of the international field on Saturday
Issued: May 27, 1997
For further information: Ken McEwen / Neil Robertson, The PR Partnership (Scotland) Ltd, telephone +44 (0)1224 638633
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Last Modified: 27 May 1997