| 
Alastair Findlay and Douglas
Anderson shake hands over the Anthony Hart Mini
George
Donaldson opens the press launch following video of events in the 50's
and sixties.
Grand
Setting in the Blythswood Hotel
Douglas leans casually for
another photo opportunity
Alastair grins for the
cameras, despite throbbing arthritic knee !!
Much easier to pose in front of
the display.
Douglas prepares for his piece
to camera for the BBC
| | |  | Monte Carlo Historique Glasgow
Start Formally Launched
Report
and photos Jim Paterson
 Press
and television descended on the Blythswood Square Hotel on Tuesday
19th October for the formal launch of Glasgow as a start venue for the
Monte Carlo Historique Rally on the 27th January 2011.
Launched
in the former premises of the Royal Scottish Automobile Club, now a
hotel but still proud of its links with the "Monte", CCHMSC joined
forces with the RSAC and the Glasgow Marketing Bureau team to announce the
forthcoming programme of events.
George Donaldson,
former rally driver and team boss, acted as host, introducing Douglas
Anderson from CCHMSC, Joe Aitken from the Glasgow Marketing Bureau, Jonathon Lord and Alison Clark of the RSAC, and Alastair Findlay who
took part in the event during the seventies.
Douglas
reported that he had achieved his lifetime ambition to see the Monte
start return to Blythswood Square Glasgow. The last time Glasgow was a
start was back in
1973. He reported that entries for the Glasgow venue were filling up
fast and hoped that a full entry of some 70 cars will be achieved.
Glasgow, joins Warsaw, Marrakesh, Barcelona and Reims as start points,
providing a total of 500 expected entries for the Automobile Club
de
Monaco event. Douglas confirmed that the proposed route through the UK
had been approved, following a meeting with the club earlier in the
month in Monte Carlo.
Joe Aitken for Glasgow
Marketing Bureau team welcomed the rally to Glasgow, and promised to support and
ensure Glasgow was ready to host this prestigious event. At a time of
year when tourism is generally low, the event is expected to draw a
wide range of enthusiasts and general public as well as the teams and
crews into the city, which he valued at some £1m to Glasgow.
 Alison
Clark, in charge of the event hospitality, outlined some of the highlights,
including the Civic Reception on the 26th, a Gala Dinner with the
legendary Stuart Turner as speaker. Stuart, as all CCHMSC members know,
was Competitions Manager n both BMC and Ford and was responsible for
the works teams on the Monte during the "Classic" years. [Read more on
Stuarts' visit to CCHMSC here]. Thursday
27th will start with a Classic Motorsport Show leading up to the Blythswood Square start at 1830 in the evening.
Jonathan
Lord from the RSAC provided some of the history to the Glasgow start,
going back to the late 1920's. One of Jonathan's predecessors, A.K.
Stevenson not only started events but then jumped in a car and
competed in the event! Organisers, perhaps unfortunately,
cannot enter events they are involved with any more. Jonathan also
pointed out that the term "Rally" was started with the Monte Carlo
event. The term "rally" being drawn from the fact that starters
"rallied" to a central point for the joint competitive sections
(the concentration run). Many rallies of the fifties used the same
format, even the Scottish Rally, with start points around the UK. In
1961 the BBC entered a London Taxi, which did reach Monaco, and the
last start from Glasgow in 1973 had the Scotsman newspaper enter a Mini.
Alastair
Findlay reported some of his experiences, including the his 1971 entry
when he, and many others, were stopped near Bouverie following an
avalanche. Now most would call that Force Majeure, but not the French!
He, and the other unfortunates were declared OTL at the next Time Control and
excluded. Not content with such a response Alastair fought the decision
and was given a free entry to the 1972 event. Unfortunately that was
canceled due to the fuel crisis at the time. When trying to use the
free entry on the 1973 event the Club
dismissed their free entry, saying it should have been used in
1972 !
Photographs
of the organising team, Alastair Findlay and CCHMSC's Douglas Anderson,
gathered round Anthony Harts beautifully restored Mini followed. Getting
the Mini into the foyer of the hotel is another story, but Douglas had
to reverse it up the stairs to the front door, see photo of entrance above. The Italian Job springs
to mind! The BBC interviewed Douglas for the Scottish News bulletin on
the 19th October.
Much
work
is required between now and the start of the event. The Rallye
Monte-Carlo Historique Glasgow Start organising committee will be
putting all its efforts towards making the Glasgow
start a success, showing that Glasgow and Scotland can successfully
work with one of the worlds most famous and respected automobile clubs.
Pre
Regs are now
available from
the Automobile Club de Monaco
More on the Monte Carlo Start
Blythswood Hotel - part of the Town House Collection
|
| Updated 24 October 2010
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