The 78th running of the RSAC Scottish Rally will make a return to the South West Scotland town of Dalbeattie for a second year in a row, after the innovative move to the `Granite Town` in 2023.
Running on 20 July, the highly regarded motorsport event will once again be based at the impressive JAS P Wilson Forest Machines facility which offers the opportunity for a new and dynamic route for competitors and fans alike to enjoy this summer.
The rally will offer six special stages in total, with the Dalbeattie and Kinharvie forests making a welcome return after the success of 2023 and housing two tests each. In a new addition for this year, the Glengap stage has been introduced into the route bringing the total competitive miles to 44.
And all set to sample the exciting new route, are the contenders from the Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship and Motoscope Northern Historic Rally Championship, along with the Armed Forces Rally Team who have been attending the event in their formidable Land Rovers since 1963. The Autoshop MG3 Rally Challenge will head for Dalbeattie for the first time, the popular cost-effective single make series making the most of the compact route.
The 2024 edition takes place in the 125th anniversary year of the Royal Scottish Automobile Club who are organisers of the rally and for the twenty-seventh time, it will be supported by Dumfries and Galloway Council.
It’s understood to be the longest-running partnership between a rally and a local authority anywhere in Britain, with the Council supporting over one-third of all the Scottish Rallies run since the first in 1932. It forms one of the Council’s seven ‘Signature Events`, which cover everything from Burns Suppers to arts festivals and World Championship Ice Hockey each year.
Jonathan Lord, Clerk of the Course said, “We are delighted to be returning to Dalbeattie following the warm welcome we received from Iain Wilson and his colleagues at Jas P Wilson Forest Machines last year. The rally relies heavily on the support received from Dumfries and Galloway Council, and it’s a privilege to be one of their seven Signature Events, which help bring so much to the region.
“We are constantly striving to re-fresh the rally and a new route offers an additional challenge for competitors. Two-wheel-drive crews will run first on the road in a reverse order to give them the best conditions and to ensure rally fans are catered for, we have listened to feedback from last year. and we are working to improve on the spectator locations at Dalbeattie, plus offering a new location at Glengap.”
Spectator access will be permitted for scrutineering on Friday afternoon at the Jas P Wilson facility in Dalbeattie, and during the course of the event, there will be a large screen bringing live action from the stages to the Service area. Please check the Spectator area of the website closer to the event for more information.
Regulations for the Event are now available to download from https://www.scottishrally.co.uk/Regulations2024
Former winners of the event include World Rally Championship legends such Colin McRae, Ari Vatanen, Hannu Mikkola and Stig Blomqvist although more recently, it has been local ace David Bogie from Dumfries who has written his name in the history books, winning the event a record-breaking seven times over the years.
More information on the event will be released over the coming months.
