By Andrew Wallace
Scotland is set to host a large part of one of Europe’s toughest historic regularity rallies – the RAC Rally of the Tests.
This year the 750 mile, four-day rally starts in Darlington, and finishes in Windermere, with the bulk of the route being in southern and central Scotland.
The rally, a recreation of the famous RAC Rallies of the 1960s, has attracted 80 crews from as far away as the USA and Hong Kong. Their cars, ranging in age from 1936 to 1990, feature a wide range of famous makes from the past.
The route, some of which is tackled in the dark, has 30 speed tests held on private estates, hill climb and kart tracks, forests and military land, as well as 22 tough navigational regularity sections.
Scottish interest centres on just three cars. Car 1 is a 1962 Volvo PV544, crewed by last year’s winners, Dan Willan from Cumbria and Scottish navigator Niall Frost, who is originally from Brechin.
At 14 is Edinburgh’s Callum Guy, co-driven by Amy Henchoz, in a 1964 Sunbeam Tiger.
And seeded 24th is former Stonehaven man George Topp. Now living in SW France, he and his wife Rosalind are in a 1966 Volvo Amazon 132S.
The 22nd running of the event will start from Darlington on November 7, spend two nights in the Scottish Lowlands and finish in Cumbria, on the edge of the Pennines.
The “Tests” offers the ultimate challenge in the historic rallying calendar with a wide variety of regularities, tests and TC sections on classic roads and venues in the North of England and Southern Scotland. The 2024 edition sees the event start at Redworth Hall, close to Darlington and head into the rolling hills, wooded valleys and epic valleys that make up Northumberland. Crossing the border for two days in the Scottish Lowlands the event will continue its tradition of taking the road less travelled, challenging crews with every twist and turn as the route makes it way south following the Pennines to finish on the shores of Lake Windermere, Cumbria, on Sunday Nov 10. A wide variety of tracks, forestry and private land will be used throughout the event.
Feature image – George and Rosalind Topp in their vintage Volvo
