It's just about the fiercest and fastest road race in Britain. Run over 160 miles of rain-slicked tarmacadam [as it was last year] or sun scorched asphalt [the year before] the nature of the competition is red-hot!
It is of course the Jim Clark Memorial Rally, round four of this year's Kwik-Fit Pirelli British Rally Championship.
Based in the Scottish borders town of Kelso over Friday/Saturday [July 8/9], a number of local little-used public roads are closed, usually for a few hours at a time, by a special Act of Parliament. Under the terms of this Act, the Road Traffic Act is suspended for the period of the closure and this is what gives this event it's almost unique attraction for competitors - no speed limits!
For safety reasons, members of the public are not permitted to use these roads during the periods of Road Closure, but they can come and watch, and if past events are anything to go by, this is one of the most popular motor sports attractions in the whole of the UK.
Although common in Europe and in Ireland, closed public road events in the UK are few and far between. Apart from the Manx Rally on the Isle of Man and the Tour of Mull Rally on the Isle of Mull, this is on the only closed-public road rally on the UK mainland, hence its unique appeal.
For that reason this event is regarded as something of a 'specialist' event for domestic British Championship crews, who are more used to the gravel forest roads of traditional style rallies. But with the all-tarmac Total Manx International following in a few weeks time [July 28/30] and the Philip White Tyres Ulster Rally [September 2/3] shortly afterwards, it will be October [8/9] before the BRC regulars are back on gravel for the Trackrod Rally in Yorkshire.
Top seeds.
Top seed this weekend is three times winner of the
Jim Clark, Andrew Nesbitt. The Irishman has faced fierce competition every time he's visited the rolling hills of the border country and the task doesn't get any easier.
