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.
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.
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.
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.
