KILMARNOCK ON AUGUST 23RD & 24TH.
If you own a historic rally car and are looking for a chance to give it a run out before a competition, or you have a car that you want to drive at your own pace then one of the Lombard Rally events might be the answer.
The second running of Lombard Rally Festival Craufurdland Castle taps into the growing interest in historic rally cars. Many of the cars are too valuable to be rallied, fall outside current regulations in the UK or their owners do not want to damage them due to difficulties in obtaining replacement parts.
After the success of the 2024 event, it is back with a bigger weekend of historic car action where entrants will be joined by rally champions, Dai Llewellin from Wales and Harald Demuth from Germany, who were both factory drivers for Audi in the legendary Quattro. From Finland Harri Rovanpera, factory driver for Peugeot, Toyota and Seat and Harri Toivonen who was, like Dai Llewellin, a driver of the iconic MG Metro 6R4 in 1986. Taking part in period cars at Craufurdland, the drivers will put on a great spectacle and be happy to talk to spectators and tell stories of their past successes.
The Lombard Rally Festival events recall a period when the Lombard RAC Rally was the largest attended sporting event in the UK. More people came out to watch over its November weekend than watched every football league match added together during the season.
In addition to the Rally Car action, the event kicks off on Friday afternoon with a meet and greet hosted by Andrew Dodds Autocare in Ayr. On Saturday morning a Scenic Tour will start from Balloch, on Loch Lomond, before finishing later in the afternoon at Craufurdland Castle, where people taking part in the Tour will be able to join spectators to see the Rally Cars in action. The Rally Cars will start running from 11.30 on Saturday morning.
A social follows in the evening, with the featured drivers telling a few stories. On Sunday the Rally Cars are joined by a static display of classic and sports cars in front of the Castle, with the Rally Car action again starting at 11.30am.
You will see cars ranging from ex-works cars from the 1960s, from the 1970s such as Ford Escorts, Vauxhall Chevettes, Hillman Avengers, Triumph TR7V8s, from the 1980s such Talbot Sunbeams, Opel Mantas, Ford Sierras, before moving onto the Group B era of Audi Quattros, Ford RS200 and MG Metro 6R4, through to early WRC cars. The drivers are always approachable and ready to talk about their cars; particularly the older ones who have stories of finishing rallies in cars that they have literally dragged to the finish line, winning or losing – as the saying goes ‘the older we get, the faster we were’!
For more information: http://www.lombardrallybath.co.uk