The Scottish Hill Rally Club

Following the success of the 2009 & 2010 Scottish “Borders” Hill Rallies the Organising Committee and the Scottish Hill Rally Club (SHR Club Ltd) are delighted to be able to welcome you back to the 2011 event.

Once again, we are returning to the popular venue at the Forrest Estate near St John’s Town of Dalry in Dumfries and Galloway.  This private forestry site provides for fast graded Cat A routes, well worn Cat B tracks, and something a bit more challenging along the way.  Most of the site is relatively all-weather, and we have worked with the land owners to make stages as interesting as we can. Once again, we are going to squeeze as much as we can into the service yard, allowing the maximum entry of 50. Those who were there in 2010 will know this is the limit, and space is heavily restricted!

We work hard to keep the costs down, however costs everywhere have increased and we have had to increase our entry fee as well, though we are still well below the £400 entry from 2008  We still have a two-day event with over 100 special stage miles. We have retained the fast flowing stages and no public road mileage so vehicles do not need to be road taxed or MOT’d.  

The event remains at National B – so a Clubman Licence is the minimum required (Hill Rally, so both driver and navigator need a licence). There is still a wide tyre choice (provided they are listed in the All Terrain or Mud Terrain lists in the Blue Book) however a good sidewall is definitely recommended.

As well as the Quaich for the overall winner, and the Kempster Trophy for the highest placed Mixed Crew, we are also delighted to be able to present the Duckworth Trophy for the highest placed Novice Crew (where neither driver or navigator have competed in a Hill Rally before.) To this end, we are reserving five entries for novice crews.

In 1995, Ian Sykes had been down to see The Hillrally (in Wales). During the long drive back up to Inverness, he dreamed and schemed and plotted.... and decided that it was feasible to run something similar in Scotland. By dint of much legwork, a huge phone bill, and a neck so brassy and shiny it would make a Drill Sergeant proud, he got an event together.

Organised by the Royal Scottish Automobile Club, permit number 44730 was for an event of 371 miles (of which 110 was off-road), spread over 10 special stages.

Over the years, land owners changed, routes altered, people came and went... but Ian Sykes continued to organise the event.

In 2006, the future of RSAC was in doubt. The club had been in existence for over 100 years, however membership had been declining and the future was looking grim. In a bid to save the "Scottish", Ian formed a new club: the Scottish Hill Rally Club.

In 2009, after guiding the club for three years, and after organising 12 Perthshire Hill Rallies (and three Borders Hill Rallies), Ian wanted to step back to spend time with his family, although he continues to support the club... and pitches in to run as the course car at some events.

The 2009 committee elected Ian Stuart as chairman (obviously there is a need to keep an "Ian" at the helm....)