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Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally 2008

Posted: September 25th, 2008, 2:45 pm
by Mini
Coltness Car Club have recently published the unseeded entry for the McRae Stages and what a list. This rally will possibly be one of the greatest tribute events ever staged.

All the rallying heroes are here from Colin's hero Ari Vatanen to greats like Mikkola, Waldergaard, Blomqvist, Jimmy McRae etc etc. Over half the field is made up of rear wheel drive vehicles and some modern day stars are getting behind the wheel of such classics as the Escort Mk1 and 2. Drivers like, Kris Meeke, Ken Block, Travis Pastrana (entered in a Mk1 but may be in a Group N Subaru instead), Marty McCormack, Richard Cathcart etc etc, will all be out in Escorts.

Some old Scottish rally names are well represented in the entry by the likes of Ken Wood, Andrew Cowan, Ivor Clark and Louise Aitken Walker, just to name a few. There is just so much quality that even a glance at the list will take any rally fan back to the golden period. What a treat is in store for everyone with even a decent field of modern machinery and it will be interesting to see how David Bogie fares in a Focus 05 WRC (using Connor McCloskey's one) against the likes of Matt Wilson. Added to that you have the Irish Mk2 boys featuring Trevor Moore and Frank Kelly to name a couple. Also new stars like Jarkko Nikara who impressed in a Fiesta on the recent Rally Finland, Liam Regan and Elfyn Evans, to add even more intrigue.

There are just so many names and it's also good to see SRC competitors who have been loyal to the event and championship get an entry. Others notable entries include, Brookes, Wilson, Buffum, Collins, Bannister, Alister McRae.....the list is just endless in terms of quality and depth.

What a tribute we have in store, though there might just be the biggest rally traffic jam in history as fans from around the world descend in Perth. There will be no "00" car running but the "0" car will be Colin's old white Escort Mk2.

As the good man said: "If in doubt, flat out!"

A sentiment all the competitors will abide by through the stages on September 27th.

A little taster of what it is going to be like:

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Posted: September 25th, 2008, 2:49 pm
by Mini
24/9/08
Grist set for co-driving return

Colin McRae’s co-driver Nicky Grist will strap into a co-driver’s seat this weekend for the first time since Rally Turkey 2006 - the last event that he and McRae drove together.

On Saturday 27 September Grist will co-drive 1983 World Champion Hannu Mikkola on the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally, a Lanark based round of the Scottish Rally Championship which this year has attracted a superstar entry list in tribute to local hero Colin McRae.

“I didn’t really think I’d be competing in any more events but when Hannu asked I couldn’t refuse,â€