The Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship kicks off it’s 2025 season on the 26th of April with the McDonald & Munro Speyside Stages. The competitors set to do battle over 8 stages that make up the Elgin based event.
The big question heading into the event is can anyone topple the undisputed king of the Speyside stages: David Bogie? The 11 times Speyside winner is back to try and make it 12, joined once again by regular navigator John Rowan. It’s another change of car for them, returning to Skoda power after campaigning Fords and Volkswagens in recent times.
They won’t be having it all their own way though, a strong list of contenders are lined up to challenge last year’s winners.
The always competitive Jock Armstrong & Owen Paterson return, fresh from a year of development on their Skodaru. Jock holds the record for the fastest time through Cooper Park and always goes well at the Speyside.
Mark McCulloch & Michael Hendry are the last crew to win an SRC event, taking the top spot at the final round of 2024 after years of knocking on the door. Now they hope to do it on Michael’s home patch in their very well-developed Proton Satria Evo.
John Wink also took an emotional 1st SRC win at the 2024 Snowman. The Hyundai man is always quick in these forests having finished on the podium in the past. With regular navigator Neil Shanks on organisation duties, super sub Will Atkins jumps into the hotseat once again.
Scott Beattie & Peredur Davies very nearly joined the 1st time winner’s club in 2024, running eventual champion Euan Thorburn very close on the Grampian. The Fiesta crew just need some luck to string a full championship campaign together.
Scott Macbeth & Dan Forsyth have shown brilliant pace in the past but don’t seem to have had the luck. They were strong at the 2024 Snowman and come into this round on form after a great run at the Carlisle Stages in their Skoda Fabia.
Other Rally 2/R5 cars in the mix include regular podium contenders Stephen Petch & Michael Wilkinson’s Fiesta. Hugh Brunton & Drew Sturrock making their 1st SRC start in a Polo and Ian Forgan & Chris Lees, looking to carry on the rally leading pace they showed at the end of 2024.
SRC Clubman supporter Bruce McCombie also returns, navigated in the woods for the 1st time by his daughter Teri in their R5 Fiesta.
Also likely to be in the mix is former Irish Tarmac Champion Darren Gass, returning to the Scottish woods after many years away in a Polo, and BTRDA regulars Daniel Sigurðarson and Ásta Sigurðardóttir in another Skoda Fabia.
Reigning Challengers Champions Johnnie Mackay & Rachel Matheson return to annoy the big cars, representing the older 4wds in their rapid Evo 7.
G&M Mechanical Services continue their sponsorship of the 2-wheel drive (2wd) division. The rally preparation experts have gathered experience all the way from the J1000s to WRC and Dakar. They also have the enviable task of running, in the writer’s opinion, the best sounding Escort in Scottish rallying.
That very Escort belongs to Paddy Munro & Andrew Stevenson. Having narrowly missed out on the 2024 2wd title after a final round shootout they’ll be looking to make 2025 their year. And even if they don’t, it’ll still sound glorious.
They’ll be facing stiff competition though. David Wilson & Kyle Gordon grabbed the headlines with a 2wd win on the Snowman in their newly purchased BMW M3. The car and crew are absolutely rapid and will be one to watch both in the 2wds and overall.
David’s good friend Ross Jarrett returns for his 2nd season in the rapid blue Escort after a great year of learning in 2024. For this year he has new navigator, Susan Shanks making a welcome return to the hotseat. They come into the Speyside fresh from an excellent run at the Carlisle Stages.
Gordon “Montana” Morrison recently won the 2wd category on the tarmac of the Manx. Still learning the gravel game, Gordon showed good pace towards the end of 2024. Mike Dickson steps into the Mk2s hotseat.
Slightly down on power compared to the top 2wds, former champions Dougal Brown & Lewis Rochford are still always a force to be reckoned with. After a disappointing early retirement on the 2024 Snowman, they’ll be looking to kick off 2025 in strong fashion.
Kenny Wood & Charles Mackenzie have led the 2wds on the Speyside in the past. Their ever developing, Vauxhall engined, E30 BMW is a real crowd pleaser out on the stages
Ross Macdonald & Matthew Johnstone make their 1st start utilising Peugeot power, stepping back into front wheel drive after years of Evo motoring in a 208 R4. They’ll have to battle for top front wheel drive (fwd) honours with a returning Andrew Forbes and Alex Hill in their rapid Honda Civic. Andrew is fresh from a day’s tuition with Matt Edwards.
They’re joined in the fwd ranks by the rapid MGs of Niall Cowan Jnr and Alan Scott. The 1600 cars are both capable of upsetting the more potent machinery.
Also in 1600, Roo Campbell returns with a rebuilt and refreshed Chrysler Sunbeam, Josh Paterson jumping into the hotseat.
Historics are well represented, Escort legend Steve Bannister makes a return to the Speyside forests, navigated by another legend, Brian Hodgson. John Rintoul & Ross Hynd make their Scottish rear wheel drive gravel debut in their own Escort and Keith Robathan’s fantastic Vauxhall Firenza returns as does the very tidy Hillman Avenger of David McLeod & Eamonn Boyle.
Many of the top 2wds will also feature in the Challengers category, the division that always produces some of the best battles.
4wds are well represented too, including the Evos of Brett McKenzie & Barry Young, a returning Orrin McDonnell & Clare Fraser, Simon Hay & Calum Jaffray and Martyn Erskine & Peter Carstairs. The Mitsubishi ranks are swelled further by the return of Keith & Mairi Riddick, making their 4wd debut in an Evo 8 and reigning Ladies champion Aileen Forrest, co-driven on this occasion by Paul Gribben.
Fighting the Subaru corner, Duncan Campbell & Michael Cruickshank are debuting a newly acquired Impreza, the new car a higher spec than their well-loved previous mount.
Also keep an eye out for Mike Moates & Gary McDonald in their own new Impreza and a dark horse in the form of clubmen Cameron Black & Duncan Daun in their more developed and potent Mazda 323.
Moates Offshore continues its support of the Junior category. Not only is supremo Mike Moates an avid competitor himself, but he has also supported Scottish juniors from the J1000 ranks all the way to the British Rally Championship, including former junior champion Robert Proudlock amongst others.
A fantastic 6 junior drivers have registered before the Speyside, headed up by Renault Clio R3T crew Justin Gunning & Michael Moates. Justin & Michael were the junior crew to beat at the end of 2024 and will be making another championship bid this year.
3 of those juniors come from the Autoshop MG3 Rally Challenge and they have locked out the podium in that series so far this season. Thomas Milne & Neil Jeffrey starred on the Grampian and Scottish in 2024 and come in fresh from a win at Cadwell Park last time out.
Rian Walker & Stuart McBride were the J1000 crew to beat for most of 2023 and 2024, taking the 2024 title. They opened their 2025 account with a win at Knockhill and Rian is excited to make his gravel debut.
Lauchlan Hunter was also a regular J1000 podium contender. It’s been a good start to his year with 2 podiums out of 2 in the MG3s. Lauchlan is another to make his gravel debut on the Speyside, navigated as always by Richard Simmonds.
Fletcher Falconer & Ian Murray make the switch from tarmac to the gravel for the 1st time in the ex-Johnnie Mackay Fiesta. Fletcher has been a regular in the STRC over the last couple of years and it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the gravel.
Portlethen’s Cameron Murray & co-driver Wallis Henderson line up in a Peugeot 106 Gti, and with 5 other drivers to battle with the Moates Offshore Juniors could be one of the highlights of the whole event.
Groundwater Lift Trucks continue their support of the Subaru Cup. Barry Groundwater is not only a long-time competitor in the SRC and beyond, but he’s also campaigned Subarus, including his wonderful WRC car which he still wheels out for the odd event.
Mike Grant & Graham Kelman battled all through 2024 with Neil Phillip for the class C5 title. This season could see that battle continue for Subaru Cup honours as Mike & Graham’s newer Impreza squares off against Neil’s incredibly long serving GC8 example. Fellow 63 Car Club member David Law jumps into the Impreza’s hotseat to guide Neil around his home stages.
It won’t just be a 2-way scrap however, young charger Jack Ryan begins his 1st full senior season in the ex-Richardson Impreza. Jack is joined by the map man himself, Robin Nicolson, continuing a successful partnership that began all the way back in the J1000s.
The Haddo Energy Super Seniors is the brainchild of regular competitor Ernie Lee, offering a prize to the top 65 and above year old in the SRC rankings. The Super Seniors have produced some excellent year long battles in its time so far and hopefully that continues in 2025.
Ernie & co-driver Patricia are always in the mix in their glorious sounding, historic BMW. They’ve already seen action in 2025, kicking off their year with a solid 66th overall at the Malcolm Wilson Rally.
The Super Seniors could become a BMW benefit in 2025, Donald Brooker & Tony Booth make their return to BMW power after a couple of years of Subaru motoring in their own historic spec E30. The private BMW battle could be one of the highlights of the season.
8 stages make up the day, opened by the traditional 2 blasts through Elgin’s Cooper Park. Keep an eye out on the SRC Facebook and Youtube pages for updates and live coverage throughout the day.
