The Forth Rail Bridge provided the backdrop for a preview of the Monte Carlo Classique/Historique Rally which will be calling at Queensferry at the end of the month on its way to the South of France.
Members of the Ecosse Rallye Drivers Club (ERDC) who’ll be competing as a team in the event brought along their cars and dressed for the occasion in kilts and club polo shirts in spite of the biting wind..
Proudly showing off their 1963 Austin A40, 1978 MGB GT, 1979 Porsche 924 and 1968 Volvo were Fraser and Barrie Hendrie, Ken Brown and Aidan Walsh, Alan Thompson and Alan Brisbane and Neil and Cameron Oliver.
The event will begin at the much-photographed John O’Groats signpost on January 29th, marking the centenary of the start when a group of intrepid adventurers left the windswept northern tip of mainland Scotland to drive 1500 miles to Monte Carlo in the south of France to establish what has become one of the world’s best-known motorsport events.
A century on, their modern counterparts will replicate their achievement in a range of cars, some of which date back to the early years.
The event has been run several times in recent years with a variety of Scottish starts including Paisley, Glasgow and Clydebank but for this year’s major milestone in the history of the event there’s a welcome return to the traditional John O’Groats start.
One of the participants’ main stops on the marathon journey will be in the early evening at Stirling Castle on January 29th where there will be a ‘Monte Fest’ with the chance to mingle with some of the competitiors and their cars. That will be followed by an overnight stop at North Queensferry before heading south to Hull for the overnight ferry to Rotterdam for the run through to the South of France.