Thursday, November 19

 

Start: 7.50 pm

 

The final round of the year kicks off with a super-special near Scone Palace, an imposing castle where successive Kings of the Scots were crowned on the so-called Stone of Destiny up until the coronation of Charles II in 1651.

 

 

Finish: 8:55pm

 

Friday, November 20

Start: 7:42am

 

This stage was used by the Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally in October. It begins with a climb up to a pass at an altitude of 1,300 metres followed by a long descent featuring a number of hairpin bends. Fog and frost are not uncommon at this sort of altitude. It is a fast stage which gets even faster over the last three kilometres. The second attempt at this stage takes place at nightfall.

 

 

Errochty is the first leg's longest stage. It begins with a technically challenging climb up to the shores of Loch Tummel. The stage then gets much faster, before becoming twistier again towards the finish. The route takes crews through thick forest, and drivers will have to pay attention not to pick up a puncture by clipping one of the many fallen logs that line the stage.

 

Competitors on the recent McRae Forest Stages Rally described this stage as "horrible" after the going was made particularly slippery by foul weather. It is a classic British Championship test which comprises fast portions, narrower sections, blind crests and concealed corners.

 

Finish: 6:20pm

Saturday, November 21

Start: 6:40am

 

This is the first of the day's three stages in the Trossachs region which hasn't hosted a rally for almost 20 years! It is a twisty and technically demanding test, with the exception of the early part which is relatively wide, and includes a number of blind crests and cambered corners as it approaches Loch Drunkie. The conditions get rougher towards the finish.

 

With the exception of the super-special, this is the shortest stage of the rally. That doesn't make it any easier, however, since it features a high number of junctions. The track is narrow and lined by big banks. The going promises to be slippery, too, owing to the gravelly top coating which will see the first cars on the road to sweep aside a cleaner line for those following further down the order.

 

The outcome could well be settled on the longest stage of the rally which is a potpourri of many of the difficulties commonly associated with Scottish rallies, including fast, bumpy roads, narrow sections and tight downhill hairpin bends. Sharp stones could well become unearthed for the second run.

 

Finish: 4:30pm

 

 

This is the first truly international status rally to be held in Scotland for 20 years.

 

Competitive action takes place essentially in the Aberfoyle region, a former highlight of RAC Rallies of yesteryear.

 

The RAC MSA Rally of Scotland will principally be based in Perth and Stirling, whose castle was the scene of an eponymous battle between William Wallace's army of Scots and the English.

 

The second leg visits the Trossachs National Park.

 

 

Up until the early 1990s, the Scottish forests – and notably Kielder – were regularly visited by the RAC Rally.

 

Scotland has produced a long list of internationally acclaimed drivers from most motor sport disciplines, including rallying (the McRae family), Formula 1 (Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, David Coulthard), Endurance (Allan McNish) and Indy Car (Dario Franchitti), etc.

 

Scotland is currently the fifth most successful nation in terms of Formula 1 World Champions.