MOTORSPORT

Words Chris Fletcher Photography Chris Fletcher and Dale Mather MULLING IT OVER

Rally action on the wet-‘n’-wild island

Jagged peaks, pretty villages and crystal clear waters – these are all things you will expect to see on the sleepy Isle of Mull, situated close to the mainland and the beautiful town of Oban just on the midwest coast of Scotland. Usually the island is frequented by wildlife photographers chancing their luck on an eagle or an otter, but early in the second week of October things take a turn. Teams of motoring enthusiasts from all over Scotland and beyond assemble in one of the most stunning sets of rally stages on the British Isles, and in 2022 it was for the 50th time! My good friend Dale Mather and I had booked ourselves (very fortunately, I might add) on the new ferry out of Oban on Saturday the 15th to catch some of the action and hopefully some good photographs; with a rucksack full of raincoats and coffee, we were set. As is the way with most rallying events it is an early start and we picked up the ferry while it was still dark (and raining) and got settled in a comfy seat with a faint view of Oban out of the rain-streaked windows, filled with excitement and plans of where to spectate. Now, I will add that this was the first time to the Mull Rally for either of us, despite living locally; it is an incredibly popular event, so good planning and booking ahead is well advised with the Calmac ferry company and if you are lucky enough to be able to book your car too, this is well advised for the high likelihood of needing to escape the temperamental weather and grab a sandwich! The rally was made up of three legs and a stage stretching out to nearly 31 utterly stunning miles running at both day and night. One of the wonderful things about the Mull Rally is the diversity

of the cars and the drivers. Anything from father-and-son teams running on a budget to fully-fledged four-wheel-drive weapons backed by a crew, it all happens here! The town of Tobermory is the main hub and is just a twenty-minute drive from the ferry terminal. On the way there we stopped in Salen for a much needed bacon roll and coffee at The Little Bespoke Bakery, where the owners gave us good pointers for our first visit. From there we made our way up to SS16 to the final hairpin before the finish for some good sideways action from the rearwheel-drive competitors, and it was this particular corner that gave us some fantastic photo opportunities of car no.1 driven by Dan Harper and co-piloted by Chris Campbell in their MINI JCW WRC, who placed second overall despite technical difficulties at the beginning of SS7&9. It was also a delight to see some of the classics out in the bad weather, including John and Martin Cressy in their Austin Mini Cooper S, Martin Melling and Lewis Griffiths in their Austin Mini, and Kenny Watt and Sorcha Cantwell in their Leyland Mini, all putting down respectable times. Both the Leyland and the Austin (144 & 145) were neck-and-neck and, in some instances, so dramatically close to one another that you may have imagined you were on the set of The Italian Job, producing some extremely interesting spectating. In conclusion all I can say is that I sincerely recommend the Mull Rally. It’s bucket-list stuff and features quite frankly some of the most stunning backdrops motorsport has ever seen.

MINIS TO THE ALPS - MCR’S 2022 TRIP

The Mini Cooper Register heads to the mountains

Words and Photography Malcolm Voss / Mini Cooper Register

The ‘Minis to…’ event is a weeklong tour run annually by the MCR to various destinations, and this to Mulhouse, Ais-les-Bains, Gap and Evian-les-Bains, with the route following several iconic roads of the year it was the Alps. The route took in some of the famous rally roads of the 1960s and ’70s on which the Mini found fame. The event is restricted to 40 cars and is open to all members of the club. As ever, there was a service van in attendance which was packed with both parts and expertise.

The crews gathered at Maidstone one Friday in September before starting the event proper on day two with a drive to Reims; the next six days took the crews Monte Carlo and Alpine rallies. The weather was warm and sunny throughout, with the mountains and lakes providing a beautiful backdrop to a superb event. It finished with an awards dinner at Evian-les-Bains before the crews made their way back home, some taking a leisurely meander through the French countryside. After all, you can never have too many miles in a Mini can you? Next year, Minis to Ireland!