Thumbs up for Scotland

The Rally of Scotland, which was run last week as the penultimate round of the IRC, met with a universal thumbs up from all the drivers and teams. Skoda’s Juho Hanninen, who won the rally, said: "This was an absolutely fantastic event. These Scottish stages are well-known for requiring absolute bravery and commitment, so I really enjoyed driving on them. I’d like to thanks the organisers and spectators; we had a fantastic time."

The local favourite was PROTON driver Alister McRae, who grew up on roads similar to the ones used on the Rally of Scotland. "In my opinion these are some of the best stages in the world," he said. "They contain a bit of everything and they were a real pleasure to drive on; particularly in the excellent conditions that we enjoyed last weekend."

Honda driver Slim Plangi, who won the IRC 2WD Cup in Scotland, concluded: "I loved Scotland and I loved competing on the IRC. It’s a great experience that I hope to repeat very soon."