Kingdom Stages 2008

Glenrothes Motor Sport Club Ltd proudly presents

THE KINGDOM STAGES “The best rally in the Kingdom”

Too late! It is all over; the 2008 Kingdom ran on 1st November, and Bob Grant and Pete Carstairs won by just over a minute in the Grant Construction Imprezza, with an engine that smoked all day but held together to the end.

Pre-event favourites John and Jim Rintoul retired when the Evo ate its gearbox, and number 3 seeds Bruce Edwards/Jim Smith went out when a stub axle broke on the Darrian and a front wheel departed, taking the hub and brakes with it. ("Its a Honda, what can possibly go wrong?", some eejit had written. Well, the Honda bits kept working fine.)

Graham Clark and Amy McKinnon were second in another scooby, and Ross Hunter and Eildon Hall took third in their Evo4.

Congratulations to all those who finished; to Bob and Pete on winning their first Kingdom, though it was just a matter of time; to Iain and AngusMackenzie who not only won class 3 in their 106, but kicked that poor wee car into the top ten with all the big bangers; to Ian and Kathryn Forgan who phoned to cancel on Thurday night because the fabulously expensive new engine had run for 10 seconds and broken, but they made another one out the bits lying around the garage, a squeezy bottle, some sticky-backed plastic and a pair of Val's old knickers, and took the First GMSC Crew trophy, and 7th overall; To Stewart Morrison, who finally finished a rally on the 15th attempt (17th overall, by the way, you couldn't make this stuff up, could you?), and to 17 year old Kenneth McRae, passed his driving test last Friday, started last but brought it to the finish still shiny side up, on four wheels and car shaped. He’ll not be last next year.

Commiserations to those who didn’t make it; like the 2006 and 2007 winners, John and Jim Rintoul, whose gearbox self destructed on SS5; like Brian Fraser and David Moodie, who rolled the Avenger Tiger on the first stage; or Graeme Rintoul and Stuart Wilshire who rolled the Fiesta into a ball at the control tower, a quarter of a mile from the end of the rally (in glorious TechniTubeColour below).

Bad day for the Rintoul clan, Bobby was navigating Neil Thompson and they didn't make it either.

Thanks to all the marshals who risked sunburn and heat-stroke in the balmy autumn weather of the Fife Riviera, and to the set-up crews who dug holes, laid several tons of concrete, and dragged tyres and bales around in horizontal rain and sleet, comforted only by a cup-a-soup and a pot noodle (and you have to be pretty desperate before a pot noodle counts as comfort).

Thanks and also apologies to the radio and safety crews who were cruelly deprived of goody bags and a place in the prize draw by an administrative cock-up. Stupidity is our only excuse, but we’ll try to make up for it next year. Maybe we can get some adults to supervise us.

Finally, we’d like to acknowledge the many contributions to the marshals prize draws, including those from Andrew Wood Motorsport www.woodsport.co.uk , WheelsAround www.wheelsaround.com , MAC Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn-z6OkbxUk , Ben McCosh of Alba Water for the tea and coffee supplies, and of course Graham Clark, Ian Mackenzie and Ian Forgan, who were chauffeurs on the marshals guided Tour of Crail

That’s it, see you all next year for

“The best rally in the Kingdom”.

Photos copyright Rally-Photo.com