GMSC Members at the Snowman
Well Saturday saw a few well known faces at the Rally who were out spectating for the day.
Making a change from organizing,marshaling and generally servicing on events throughout the year, Ian Park,Robert Ness and Jonathan Stepney took the trip north on the friday night to prepare for the day ahead.
After a fair nights sleep and a healthy breakfast the threesome took off from the startline at the Thistle Hotel and headed to the 1st special stage , Millbuie, where Ian had found a back door entrance courtesy of a very friendly farmer who had let them park in his field which lay immediately beside the live stage.
Togged up against the elements of a cold biting wind the trio joined a few others , some known as Team Africa and another Glenrothes local of Colin Hay to watch the exciting downhill into a 90 left and 90 right with a very slippy non grippy surface for the competitors to handle.
First to appear was the entertaining Q! in his Evo cleaning the road on behalf of his fellow competitors. Ther were some very mixed approaches to the corners from all the front runners, none less than Craig McMiken who was very lucky to get away with his visit through the ditch, oh for 4 wheel drive !
However with the stage being slippy and wet it cut quickly and many of the speccys got showered in mud as the proffesionals powered their way through the corners.
The 90 left also saw the demise of one of the intrepid three when DAN took a roll down the banking and through the awaiting ditch , as he explained to the others how not to ditch hook ! However he survived and made it out the stage with the others and continued to navigate his way to stage three at Rogie where the three joined many others at the dam entry and the short walk up to the narrow passage under thr railway bridge. Dan decided he would stay with the transport as he could see more of the stage from his vantage point tho , and save any more acting out rally terms to his Welsh counterpart , Jonathan , who was visiting these stages for his very first time.
This stage proved to be equally as interesting to spectate , as first to appear was Jock , a good five mins in front of all the rest of the pack, but the reason became clear , when news filtered through that he was out with a driveshaft failure and had decided to call it a day with a cut and run. Several others also became unstuck in ,or before this point, but it was sad to see our very own Glenrothes Vice President suffering with a severe misfire amongst other things on his first event in his newly aquired Accent WRC. he did manage to finish tho.
Eventually having watched all the teams pass the three spectators grabbed a quick sandwich and headed to the finish ramp.
The finish ramp was attended by many of the followers who had watched the battles all day long and were glad to hear that all had gone well this year despite a few offs.
Everyone had their tales to tell as the top three sprayed the champagne,, even our three !
DAN is now resting his torn achillies and being attended to hand ond foot by his ever patient wife.
Super event and see you all again soon.
-Ian DAN Park.