Despite heading further north for this year’s Flying Scotsman Rally, it was a team from the south of the UK that went on to win the three-day 600-mile event, after a ferocious battle for the lead.
Driver William Medcalf from Liss, West Sussex, and navigator David Kirkham from Ruislip, Middlesex, crossed the finish line at Gleneagles, north of Edinburgh, in their Bentley Super Sports to claim the win, with Paul Carter and John Bayliss, in the Bentley Derby, less than a minute behind in 2nd place.
After a determined final day’s effort, David Thomson and Alan Smith snatched 3rd place in their Talbot 105 Alpine, just 26 seconds clear of the Jaguar SS100 of Nick Jarvis and Ryan Pickering in 4th, with the Ford Model A of Matthew Abrey in 5th spot.
Each day was laced with several timed tests, a hillclimb, a demanding river crossing and several regularity sections, each challenging the cars, drivers and the leaderboard. The “Great Northern” route started from Birmingham’s Forest of Arden Hotel on Friday morning, travelling through the East Midlands to Derbyshire’s Peak District, Yorkshire, Lancashire, County Durham, Northumberland and over the Scottish Borders.
Despite arriving at Gleneagles in the pouring rain, the more than 100 crews who had come from all over the world including the USA, Canada and Australia to take part, shrugged off the exhaustion to celebrate their achievements at a gala dinner where most indulged in a “wee dram.”
Entries for the 2015 Flying Scotsman Rally, which will venture even farther north by starting in Harrogate, Yorkshire, are invited starting in June, but will get snapped up early due to the event’s popularity.
“Despite the wet weather, nobody’s spirits were dampened,” said Rally Director Philip Young. “It’s been a fantastic three-days of epic historic rallying, great camaraderie and good sport, against the stunning backdrop of the British countryside. A great result for all involved.”
