Author Archives: Barry Whenman

Targa Announcement

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Hi,

Just to keep you up to date with a pre-announcement:

Mull Car Club Ltd (in association with Saltire Rally Club) are intending on putting on a dual permit multi-venue Targa Road Rally & Historic Road Rally as part of the replacement for the cancelled Mull Rally. The Route and Permit applications have been submitted this week, it’s all been a mad rush since our stage rally was cancelled, but we are getting there.

Full announcement and regs/entries should be out by the end of August.

Outline details:

Scrut & Signing-On Thursday afternoon
(we are also hoping to be able to accommodate a few on Friday morning*)
Daytime route, mid-morning Start in Tobermory
Approx. 95 miles total / 17 of which are private and are mainly gravel
Approx. 14-16 tests and 4 Regularities
Last Car finishes approx. 6pm in Tobermory (plenty time to leave on the last ferry*)

*while we really would love everyone to stay on the island as long as possible, we also wish to make the event as accessible as possible to those who are time-limited. There are 3 ferry sailings to Mull on Friday morning which allow crews to make the start, and one late night sailing which allows crew to leave afterwards.  Check www.calmac.co.uk for timetables and bookings.

There will also be a Gravel Rally Time Trial on Saturday 14th Oct for those with Stage-prepared cars, and some social events.

All to be announced on www.mullrally.org

Mull Rally Needs Your Feedback

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Mull Rally Needs Your Feedback!

Hi Everyone,

Since then early June when the bad news broke, the organising team have been beavering away behind the scenes, trying to put on alternative motorsport events for the weekend of 13th – 15th October. Every kind of motorsport has been considered, the feasibility & attractiveness of each one investigated and the operational & safety aspects discussed with the MSA. We have had extensive discussions with dozens of landowners and users, all of whom have been supportive.

We are very grateful to all of you who have offered suggestions, knowledge, experience, time, resources and more. It is very encouraging to see the high standing that the Mull Rally, the Isle of Mull and the people of Mull have in the rallying community.
We are also very grateful to Beatson’s Building Supplies for their unstinting support during this difficult time – without them, new events might not be possible.

The main objective we have worked towards has been to put on a weekend that the usual Mull Rally visitors would enjoy – whether as competitors, volunteers, sponsors, local businesses, or spectators. The social side will come, but we wanted to establish the sporting side as early as possible.

Now we are at the point where we can present three possible events, and we would very much like your feedback on them. These three are more than ideas, there are detailed feasibility checks behind each and landowner engagement. We are hoping that we could put two of these, but that will be confirmed if and when we get the landowners’ agreement and MSA Permit(s).

But it’s only worthwhile doing so if we get enough competitors and general interest to make it worthwhile. So please send your feedback by email to duncan@mullrally.org

• Would you consider entering?
• Would you consider spectating?
• For the Time Trials, would you pay extra for co-drivers?
• For the Targa, are you happy with some gravel roads?
• What would make this event more attractive to you?
• What are you worried about?

So here they are:

Gravel Rally Time Trial
• 2.6 mile route, never rallied before
• spectator-friendly location
• 30-40 cars / 4+ runs each plus slow speed recce
• entry fee roughly £200

Tarmac Rally Time Trial
• 1.2 mile route – may be familiar, unique layout
• Spectator-friendly location
• 30-40 cars / 4+ runs each plus slow-speed recce
• Entry fee roughly £150

Targa Road Rally
• 120 to 145 miles route in daylight
• Special tests on private roads
• Regularity tests, mixed between tarmac and gravel – some roads that have never been open to the public before (and may never be again!)
• Stunning lunch stop location
• 30-40 cars maximum, standard cars and historics (Blue Book Section R.18 and R.19 )
• No MSA licence nor helmets required, club membership needed.
• Entry fee roughly £120

Statement on 2017 Mull Rally

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2017 Beatson’s Mull Rally — Statement

It is a matter of considerable regret for the organisers and the Motor Sport Association, the sport’s governing body, that the Beatson’s Building Supplies Mull Rally cannot run as a closed road event in 2017 due to insurmountable insurance issues.

MSA Chief Executive Rob Jones explained the current situation:

“The Mull Rally runs under a private Act of Parliament. It has emerged that the private closed road legislation raises very significant insurance challenges for Mull this year, which was first thought to render the Mull Rally uninsurable.

“The MSA has been endeavouring to find a solution with its brokers. Whilst the brokers have offered a potential solution for 2017, this is unfortunately totally impractical as each and every claim under the policy would be subject to a very significant excess payable by the organisers, and one which the organisers cannot afford.”

Consequently the Mull Rally is unable to run as a closed road event this year. It will be the first time the world renowned three-day rally, which last year attracted a record-equalling 150 crews and generates around £1 million for the local economy, will not have run on closed public roads since the event was granted its Act of Parliament in 1990.

“This development has come as a massive shock,” Andy Jardine, Mull Rally Clerk of the Course, said on receiving the news, “as we were well on with a lot of the early work of setting the route and preparing the paperwork.

“As I understand it, the MSA has been working behind the scenes to try and agree a work-around but have been unable to come up with an acceptable solution. Our attention is now focussed on what can be done in the short timescale to make sure something happens over the weekend.”

Donald Brown, chairman of the Guardians of Mull Rally, admitted the cancellation of the 2017 Mull Rally will have a negative financial impact on the island.

“There’s no denying this is a huge blow to the Island and its businesses who work hard to welcome the competitors, volunteers and spectators each year to the island in October,” Brown said.

“The organising team is endeavouring to put on an alternative motorsport event for the same weekend on Mull. Naturally those plans are at a very early stage of development, but it’s hoped the new event will be attractive to Mull residents, competitors, volunteers and spectators alike.

“Initial feasibility checks have been started to see what can be done to mitigate the impact and hope we can rely on our regular visitors continuing to support us.”

The MSA and Mull Rally organisers fully acknowledge the Mull Rally’s economic benefit of around £1 million to the Isle of Mull.

It is hoped that following the conclusion of the Fatal Accident Inquiry into the Jim Clark and Snowman rallies in July and August this year, that the Scottish Government will quickly adopt the new legislation recently passed in Westminster which will allow the Mull Rally to make a return in its closed road format in 2018.