2018 Border Counties Rally - CANCELLED

NCS Border Counties – Organisers announcement

Posted: March 16, 2018 5:16 AM

Despite extensive consultation over the past few days, the Organising Committee of the NCS Border Counties Rally regret to announce that the event will not go ahead in 2018 after being unable to find a new date which suited all championships, land owners and key rally officials.

The Jedburgh based rally was originally planned for the 10th March but was postponed in the week leading up to the rally due to the extreme conditions experienced in the South of Scotland and Tweed Valley forests where the stages were located.

Forestry operations were suspended and access became impossible due to unprecedented snowfall and ice which covered the region and the executive committee of the Hawick and Border Car Club and Whickham and District Motor Club organised rally would not have been able to guarantee the safety of competitors, marshals, volunteers and officials.

The full organising committee met last weekend to consider the current position and the options available for rescheduling the event. In an already packed British Rallying calendar, the choice of dates available was extremely limited and did not offer a realistic chance of running a rally in similar stature to that organised for last weekend.

Finding a date to suit both the Prestone MSA British Rally Championship and the ARR Craib MSA Scottish Rally Championship was also proving difficult and with options being limited to a congested end of season, it could have meant organising two Border Counties Rallies in just four winter months which was an unrealistic prospect.

Sadly the conclusion from the committee was that cancellation is inevitable.

All competitors who entered this year’s event have been fully refunded.

Clerk of the Course of the Border Counties Rally Clayton Lackenby is looking to the future.
“It’s certainly not a position we wanted to be in, but now the organising team will now turn its thoughts to 2019 and decide how, and when to run a viable event” he says.

“Amongst other ideas, we are exploring routes which may allow a Rally 2WD format and we will watch with interest how other rallies progress with this during the year. We would like to thank our sponsors NCS, local and regional councils, championships and of course our competitors for their ongoing support.”

Event Postponed

Posted: March 2, 2018 3:16 PM

Organisers of this year’s NCS Border Counties Rally regret to announce that due to the extreme conditions currently prevailing in the South of Scotland and Tweed Valley forests, they are unable to guarantee the safety of competitors, marshals, volunteers and officials, leaving no option but to postpone the event which was scheduled for the 10th March in Jedburgh.

The executive committee of the Hawick and Border Car Club and Whickham and District Motor Club organised event held an emergency meeting today (Friday 2nd March) to discuss the situation in the stages which have been subject to the unprecedented snowfall and ice which has covered the region in the past few days.

The current conditions have led to all local forestry operations being suspended and any snow plough access to the forests used would not be possible until the early part of next week.

With the set-up process usually commencing the weekend before the event, consisting of thousands of stakes, notices and tape being erected well in advance, organisers would also be unable to ensure the event meets the required safety standards.

Coupled with a significant number of local roads still closed, continuing drifting snow with a strong East wind and further snow forecast for Sunday (4th March), organisers could simply not guarantee the safety and welfare of set-up crews, let alone event participants and marshals, leaving no other option but to postpone the event.

Clerk of the Course Clayton Lackenby has not taken the decision lightly.

“The entire team have been working flat out to come up with a plan and numerous solutions to overcome the conditions in the area and quite simply this course of action to postpone is down to the safety of everyone involved in the event as this can never be compromised” he says.

“We are of course disappointed to have to make this decision but we felt it only fair to give everyone as much notice as possible due to the significant distances competitors and volunteers have to travel.

We would like to thank our sponsors NCS, local and regional councils and of course the championships for their ongoing support at this time”.

The Hawick and Border Car Club and Whickham and District Motor Club organised event was due to be the opening round of the Prestone MSA British Rally Championship and second round of the ARR Craib MSA Scottish Rally Championship and a round of the Motoscope Northern Historic Championship and the Border Rally Challenge.

All entrants will be contacted shortly regarding refunds of fees already paid.

Organisers will be in talks with the championships, sponsors and stakeholders to seek an alternative date for the event to run in 2018.

Statement from the organisers

Posted: February 28, 2018 2:17 PM

Organisers of this year’s NCS Border Counties Rally are disappointed to announce that due to a significant shortfall of entries in the National A, National B and Clubman sections, this year’s event will be shortened to a one day rally on 10th March 2018.

The Hawick and Border Car Club and Whickham and District Motor Club organised event will still form the opening round of the Prestone MSA British Rally Championship, but the National A rally mileage will be reduced and will consist of a single day format.

Competitors in the ARR Craib MSA Scottish Rally Championship, Ecosse Challenge, Motoscope Northern Historic Championship and the Border Rally Challenge will be run as normal and their event will be as previously planned.

Despite efforts to lay on an exciting opening round of the British Championship and second round of the Scottish Rally Championship, dovetailing the National A & B events with a Clubman option on the Sunday stages, the minimum number of entries required to make a 2 day event viable has not been reached.

To ensure the financial stability of the motor clubs and that the event can continue in the future, organisers of the 2018 event had to make the difficult and heart wrenching decision earlier today.

Clayton Lackenby, Clerk of the Course is disappointed to have to make the decision to reduce the event.
“We believe that we had created a fantastic format that would suit some of the best drivers in the business as well as those looking to have a great day’s motorsport in the Borders” he says.

“We have done everything possible to run as planned but it was concerning having not reached even last year’s numbers, which was required to make that format work, so we had to look at other options. With the potential of a reduced field on Sunday, there was only one clear choice.

We would like to re-assure our competitors that the event will still be a fantastic day’s rallying on classic stages and we look forward to seeing them all in Jedburgh in just over a week’s time. Our thanks go to our sponsors NCS and to the championships for their support”.

Competitors in the National A section will be advised shortly of a reduced entry fee.

NCS back the Border Counties Rally

Posted: February 23, 2018 6:06 AM

North East based specialist Building and Civil Engineering firm NCS have pledged their support for one of the biggest sporting events in the Scottish Borders as the County Durham firm sponsor this year’s Border Counties Rally.

Based in Jedburgh, the annual motoring extravaganza is set to attract over 100 rally crews from across the world to the region as the 10th/11th March event will host the opening round of the Prestone MSA British Rally Championship and the ARR Craib MSA Scottish Rally Championship once again in 2018.

The two-day rally enters its 18th year and will see some of the best rally drivers in the business head to the host town for the event which takes place in the forests of the South of Scotland, the Tweed Valley and north Keilder.

Formed by Directors, Sean Anderson and Dave Gardner, NCS has developed rapidly in stature, completing projects for clients such as Egger, Newcastle City Council, Sports England, BOC, BAE Systems, and Redcar & Cleveland Council. The County Durham firm will become the title sponsor of the Hawick and Border Car Club and Whickham and District Motor Club organised event, which will be known as the NCS Border Counties Rally.

The ability to put on a high-class event in the area is thanks to the newly announced partnership with NCS and Sean Anderson, Director of the firm is thrilled to announce their new partnership with the rally.

"We started working with Ollie Currie, chairman of Whickham and District motor club, several years ago, and recently we were delighted to win another contract for him through a new housing development, for Gatsby Homes” says Anderson.

“By chance, he mentioned his involvement in motorsport and in particular rallying. The fact Whickham and District motor club meet only a stone's throw from our head office, meant that when the opportunity arose to take on title sponsor for the Border Counties Rally, NCS were thrilled to offer their support.”

“We always support events or charities with a personal connection and given the fact the organising club are part of our own local community it was a perfect way to assist one of the most active motor clubs and their biggest event. We are very excited to support the NCS Border Counties Rally in 2018 and it's a great way to start the British & Scottish Rally Championships".

The firm has its headquarters just outside Washington in the North East and has completed a huge range of works across the breadth of the country including leisure facilities, heritage sites, education and care properties and much more.

Entries Received

Posted: January 26, 2018 9:25 AM

www.rallies.info/webentry/2018/bordercountiesa/

Border Counties Rally opens entries with new sponsor for 2018

Posted: January 25, 2018 9:49 AM

Jedburgh will once again play host to the opening round of the Prestone MSA British Rally Championship (BRC), as the Border Counties Rally opens its entries with a brand new title sponsor for the 10th/11th March event.

North East based specialist Building and Civil Engineering firm NCS have pledged their support for the popular two-day rally which will see over 100 rally crews from across Europe descend on the town and forests in the region to compete on the event.

Formed by Directors, Sean Anderson and Dave Gardner, NCS has developed rapidly in stature, completing projects for clients such as Egger, Newcastle City Council, Sports England, BOC, BAE Systems, and Redcar & Cleveland Council. The County Durham firm will become the title sponsor of the Hawick and Border Car Club and Whickham and District Motor Club organised event and will be known as the NCS Border Counties Rally.

The announcement has also heralded the release of the event regulations, meaning entries are now officially open for the British Championship opener. Joining the BRC will be the ARR Craib MSA Scottish Rally Championship (SRC), heading South after the first round of the series in Inverness. The event is also a qualifying round of the Ecosse Challenge, Motoscope Northern Historic Championship and the Border Rally Challenge.

With a subtle change to the format of previous years, event organisers have devised a formula that will suit both the best drivers in the business as well as newcomers to the sport. Offering the opportunity to compete on some of best stages in the North during the 18th running of the rally, the event has also retained many of the popular features of previous events.

Based in Jedburgh, the rally will start under the gaze of the glorious Jedburgh Abbey at around 8.30am on Saturday 10th March where crews from the British and Scottish Championships will leave the start ramp. They will also be joined by competitors who wish to contest the opening day’s stages comprising of six stages and 44 miles of competitive action in the South of Scotland and Tweed Valley.

After a full day of rallying in the region, Scottish Championship crews will spray the champagne at the ceremonial finish back in Jedburgh at around 4.00pm whilst BRC crews head for the overnight halt.

On Sunday 11th, British Rally Championship contenders head back out for four stages and 36 miles of driving in the forests south of Jedburgh and they will be joined by the new Clubman event which offers a cost-effective chance to tackle prime stages in a compact format at a reduced entry fee. The ceremonial finish and prizegiving will then take place early that afternoon back in Jedburgh.

Marshals are also required for the safe and smooth running of the event and Chief Marshal Guy Whickham would like to hear from anyone who is interested in volunteering either on or off the stages.

On Line Entry / Regulations / Rally Guide / Event Website / Details

Posted: December 4, 2017 11:24 AM

Border Counties