2012
This would be the final rally of my debut rally season. I had my doubts about entering a rally in Scotland in September but I couldn’t pass up the chance to ride roads that I actually know, and finish of my Three Nations Award as well. Once I’d received the rally information, I decided to go for the Distance Challenge. Blue are the numbered locations, orange are the lettered and green is the finish at the Suie Lodge Hotel near Killin.
I thought that I could also pick up some of the more remote Grim and Round Britain locations on the way round, and maybe even manage to catch a couple of hours sleep in my own bed! My route basically consisted of a couple of loops, with my sleep rest in the middle.
The good thing about this rally is that you can start from anywhere, which saved my the usual trek just to get to a start point. I set off, aiming to get to my first location for 10:00. Yet again, the weather stayed pleasant for the whole route, and I managed to finish the first
leg and get back home in the early hours of Sunday morning. After 3 hours sleep, I was off again on the second leg.
I planned to get to the finish for about 10:00, well in advance of the 12:00 deadline, just in case. On arrive at the finish I dug out the various receipts I collected on the way round and sat down to fill out the rally card before handing it in for checking. That was when I
discovered my first mistake on this year’s rallies. I hadn’t bothered to double check everything before I left the house and didn’t have my rally card with me! I can only put it down to complacency at being at home this time around, but I didn’t have time to go home and get back again before 12:00. Luckily, they managed to dig out a blank version from somewhere. I’d labelled each receipt with the
location number or letter, so I was able to piece together my route from these and add up the mileages from the paperwork that they had to hand.
The minimum mileage for the Distance award was 650 miles and I’d selected a route that would give me just over that…or so I
thought. In actual fact, I’d travelled 790 miles, some 140 over the requirement. Another schoolboy error, always double and triple check your route!
At the end of the day, all was well and towards the end of the year I received my award for both this rally, and the Three Nations Award.
A good end to a good rallying year.
leg and get back home in the early hours of Sunday morning. After 3 hours sleep, I was off again on the second leg.
I planned to get to the finish for about 10:00, well in advance of the 12:00 deadline, just in case. On arrive at the finish I dug out the various receipts I collected on the way round and sat down to fill out the rally card before handing it in for checking. That was when I
discovered my first mistake on this year’s rallies. I hadn’t bothered to double check everything before I left the house and didn’t have my rally card with me! I can only put it down to complacency at being at home this time around, but I didn’t have time to go home and get back again before 12:00. Luckily, they managed to dig out a blank version from somewhere. I’d labelled each receipt with the
location number or letter, so I was able to piece together my route from these and add up the mileages from the paperwork that they had to hand.
The minimum mileage for the Distance award was 650 miles and I’d selected a route that would give me just over that…or so I
thought. In actual fact, I’d travelled 790 miles, some 140 over the requirement. Another schoolboy error, always double and triple check your route!
At the end of the day, all was well and towards the end of the year I received my award for both this rally, and the Three Nations Award.
A good end to a good rallying year.