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Mathew Wilson/Scott Martin Ford Focus WRC05

It was a mammoth task for the team to pull off. People were coming from all over the world to compete and spectate. Press, TV crews and live coverage on WRC.com all wanted in on the action. Extra spectators brought extra safety measures, extra route planning, extra spectator areas etc. Tayside police were given the task of keeping roads clear and dealing with the congestion on the narrow country roads.

All this planning went ahead and it was only the week before the event that the reality of it all started to sink in to many of us. Could we do it? It could be the greatest rally if all went well but one slip up and it could be disaster.

Friday the 26^th September 2008 4pm and every bit of planning goes into action. Drivers, co-drivers and cars all come and go to signing on and scrutineering. The huge Stobbart TV screen kicks into life ready to broadcast the All Star Forum to those not luck enough to have a ticket. Thousands of spectators start to turn up.

Our very own John Fife gets the Forum underway at 8pm. It is a 2 hour session of interviewing the Stars past and present. During the interviews each of the drivers pick a numbered ball from a bag to secure their starting order for the next day. It is down to the last 2, Jimmy McRae and Ari Vatenan, and the number 1 spot has still to be claimed. Both pick the balls out of the bag – Ari Vatenan partnered by Dave Richards will be first on the road in their Rothmans decaled MKII Ford Escort! The dream line up is in place and it is off to bed and to prepare for the rally in the morning.

At 9.01am on Saturday the 27^th September 2008 Ari Vatenan leads the top stars and 140 competing crews over the start ramp in the city centre of Perth and off into the woods to play.

With all the marshals are in place and thousands of spectators lining the route the competitive stages get under way. A short stage through Fonab, a 12 mile route through Errochty, navigation though the spectacular views and large drops of Drummondhill. Next we are off to service before a blast through Griffin and onto the last stage Craigvinean. There were some casualties along the way, a few mechanical and Kris Meeke’s fast coming together with a Drummondhill tree.

The remaining Stars line up for the last stage – Craigvinean. One by one they set off into the forest engines echoing and cheers coming from the spectator area at the Hermitage. The cars start to emerge form the end of the stage. Who has won? Suddenly panic – Jimmy McRae is missing in the stage. Call start to come in saying that he had gone off the stage at the last junction, dropping 100 feet into a valley and river hitting trees on the way down. A few tense minutes passed till the call came in from Jimmy to say that the crew were all okay.

Unfortunately due to calls, made by spectators seeing the accident, to the emergency services fire crews and ambulances had turned up at the stage. 2 Fire tenders and a rescue unit entered into the stage and despite our efforts to stop them the rescue unit got stuck. The recovery of the unit took time as it had slid into a ditch. The event was now running very late and light was fading fast so the decision was made to cancel the stage.

Back at Rally HQ the results were in. 1st place overall in the rally was taken by Mathew Wilson in his Ford Focus WRC. Honours for the 1^st 2 wheel drive and the challenge of the stars went to Alister McRae.

The day finished and the weekend was rounded off by a Gala dinner organised by the McRae Family to raise funds for the Colin McRae Vision trust, a charitable fund set up by the McRae Family.

Over the weekend of the rally the proceeds of the Forum tickets and the profit from the sale of the souvenir programme were also collected for the Vision Trust. A few weeks after the event at a dinner dance Coltness Car club presented a cheque for £12000 to Jimmy McRae.

Now that the event is over we look back and take into account the thousands of spectators, the world’s eyes on us for that weekend and all the top stars who all came to their tribute and respects to the man who gave the event its name – Colin McRae.

Was it the best driver line up in the world? We at Coltness Car Club are a little biased but as far as we are concerned it was the greatest rally to be held on Scottish, possibly even British soil – EVER!