The FLYING SCOTSMAN RALLY is underway as 100 Classics race across the Great Northern Route

The first of the 100 pre-war classics was flagged away from the new Birmingham starting point of this year’s Flying Scotsman Rally, organised by the Endurance Rally Association, on Friday 4th April. Competition began in earnest as soon as the entrants crossed the start-line with the 600-mile drive to Scotland in their sights.

The first of three off-road test-sections began just a few miles from the set off point of the Forest of Arden Hotel, with one of the day’s four regularity sections staged just minutes from being flagged away.

Event newcomer Dave Kirkham, navigating the well-prepared 1925 Bentley of William Medcalf, snatched an early lead. Kirkham, a former British champion navigator of the road-rally scene in his youth had clearly lost none of his old skills and settled into vintage-rallying by hitting the ground running.

The Bentley duo has some keen competition snapping at their heels but finished day one with a total loss of penalties of nine-minutes 34 seconds

Dirk and Nick Van Praag, from Belgium, in the well turned out blue Delehaye 135M finished second overall, with penalties of ten minutes and one second, while David Thomson navigated by Alan Smith in the 1936 Talbot 105 Alpine hold third place, just seven seconds behind.

With special-tests between manicured lawns Arbury Hall, Nuneaton, and Merevale Hall, near Atherstone, followed by a blast around the Curborough sprint circuit, acceleration and braking were at a premium today to gain those valuable seconds.

For the rest of the field who maybe weren’t celebrating as much as those at the top of the leaderboard, the crowds were cheering on their behalf. Local residents in villages in Warwickshire, Staffordshire, through the Derbyshire Dales, and over the Pennines, lined the streets to wave the crews on.

Some turned the arrival of the cars into a street party with drivers receiving home made refreshments. This only added to the camaraderie, making the first of the three-days of competition a special experience for all 200 crewmembers, as well as taking in some of Britain’s finest scenery.

There was a night of repairs and maintenance by the Endurance Rally Association’s sweeper crew so the cars were fully prepared for the long day of battle on day two, which would see them tackle more remote areas as they reach the Scottish Borders.

Those who survive to day three are expected to arrive in Scotland, reaching Gleneagles, north of Edinburgh, on Sunday 6th April at around 5pm, where over 60 silver trophies are waiting along with champagne from event sponsor Bonhams.

The Endurance Rally Association has a track record of over 60 major international events behind them including the new Alpine Trial 2014, the Road to Mandalay 2015 and the Peking to Paris Motoring Challenge, next held in 2016.

Competitors Northern Grit on Day two of the Flying Scotsman Rally 

Competitors on the Flying Scotsman rally showed some northern grit as they crossed into Scotland on day two of the three-day event. The miserable weather didn’t dampen spirits though as the battle for the top spot continued.

The day was laced with several timed Tests, a hillclimb and several regularity-sections, which have given the leaderboard a shake-up.

William Medcalf and David Kirkham still lead the results table, but now with Paul Carter and John Bayliss, who have won the event twice before, mounting a serious charge – they have moved up to second, just over half a minute separates the two Bentleys.

Nick Jarvis and Ryan Pickering have also moved up in their Jaguar SS100, now in third spot, just three seconds clear of the Talbot 105 Alpine of David Thomson and Alan Smith, with Fred Gallagher and Neil Oatley having another good day moving into fifth with the little Lancia Aprilia, ahead of Mat Abrey’s Model A Ford Special, and Jan Dingeman’s BMW 328. Andrew Bailey’s Bentley is eighth, and the Vauxhall from Australia in the hands of Max Stephenson has moved up to 13th position at the end of a long and demanding day. Follow the Results links, left, for the full leader board.

A river crossing proved a demanding test for some, the K3 MG Magnette with the air-inlet to the supercharged 1100cc engine set low down called for prudence of the extreme kind and a push through the water with the engine off, others were far more gung-ho throwing caution to the wind.

Runners-up at last year’s event, Trina Harley and Sue Shoosmith in the Bentley pushed too hard after collecting a severe dose of penalty points, resulting in the back axle breaking and the team’s retirement. Back axle failure also forced the blue Delahaye of Dirk Van Praag to retire.

Among other dramas of the day, the red Jaguar SS100 of Shane Houlihan and Michael Jackson suffered a fuel leak. When an SU carburettor sprayed a hot exhaust with petrol – the engine caught fire, shooting flames through the louvres in the top of the bonnet, fortunately the crew were able to use their fire-extinguisher in time to prevent serious damage, and the car continues with blistered paintwork.

Climbing up through the Durham Dales, into rolling Yorkshire moorland and on into Northumbria crossing Hadrian’s Wall, where the roads became wilder, and more empty, as the day wore on.

The run into Peebles was along an undulating switchback road through stunning open moorland, as the route carved its way across the Scottish borders – traffic-free open-road motoring very typical of the 1930s conditions still exists here. The day took in two coffee stops, the second in Newcastleton saw a large group of spectators throng around the cars.

The final day sees the race for Gleneagles, north of Edinburgh, on Sunday 6^th April at around 5pm, where over 60 silver trophies are waiting along with champagne from event sponsor Bonhams.

The Endurance Rally Association has a track record of over 60 major international events behind them including the new Alpine Trial 2014, the Road to Mandalay 2015 and the Peking to Paris Motoring Challenge, next held in 2016.