AGM 2024

VSMA AGM 2024

The 2024 AGM will be held on Friday 25th October prior to the Annual Dinner.

The meeting will be held in the Cora Linn Suite, New Lanark Mill Hotel, ML11 9DB.

Arrival 5.00pm, meeting 5.30pm

Back to Events Page

The Scottish Rally Championship 1980 – 1989

The Scottish Rally Championship 1980 – 1989 by John Fife.

Ex ‘Motoring News / Motorsport News’ contributor for 50 years (1972-2022) John Fife has written the first of six planned books documenting the history of the national Scottish Rally Championship. What started as a single volume history during lockdown quickly evolved into a series of six books – one for each decade since 1960.

As John explained: “I simply couldn’t fit everything into one book, so it had to be six, and even now I’m still having to leave out information and stories. Who knows, there may yet be a seventh book containing all the scandalous bits left out! By that time I’ll be past caring getting sued anyway!!”

The first book covers the decade 1980-1989 simply because John has kept complete records since then with work already having started on the next book, covering the 1990-1999 period.

Sadly no one person, club or championship has kept complete records since the sport of stage rallying began in 1961 hence John’s current search for sets of rally results from the 1960s and 1970s. So if anyone has a pile of old rallying paperwork in the loft that are not completely mouse eaten, John may well be interested.

The first A4 format hardbacked book is now on sale with 216 pages and over 350 photographs at £35 or £40 incl P&P.

Click on the image below to order your copy.

The book wasn’t designed to be read from cover to cover, although some ardent fans may do that, but rather something to be dipped into as and when the need for a trip down memory lane arose. On the other hand some readers may turn only to the reports of those events in which they participated.

Of course there are now various internet sources which store rally results from the past, but that’s a bit like reading the last page of a thriller to see ‘who dunnit’ and missing out on the story of how the heroes and heroines got there. One other important aspect, the results as recorded in this book are accurate, unlike some website information – because the author was there, in person!

Back to Home Page

Newsletter August 2023

Newsletter August 2023

We are sad to inform you of the passing in July of Stuart Parker, one of the founding members of the association

Forthcoming Events:

Note: for full details and entry forms for these events:-

1. Click on LOGIN at the top of this page
2. Enter your user ID and password. This will open your profile page.
3. On your profile page click on MEMBERS HOME at the top of the page.
4. On the MEMBERS HOME page click on FORTHCOMING EVENTS on the menu.
5. On the FORTHCOMING EVENTS page click on the event you are interested in.
6. There you will see full details of the event and a link to the entry form.

Dumfries House – NOTE: date change to 7^th October 2023.

We are planning a visit to Dumfries House on Sunday 8^th October

Starting at Caulders Garden Centre in Newton Mearns, the 35 mile route will head down to Ayshire using mainly scenic country roads to arrive at Dumfries House in time for lunch.

After lunch we will be treated to a 1 hour tour of Dumfries House which is part of the Prince’s Foundation having been purchased in 2007 by a consortium led by HRH The Prince of Wales and, in doing so, saved the house and one of the most important collections of Georgian Scottish and English furniture for the nation.

 

Annual Dinner – 10^th November 2023.

Following on from our previous reunion with guest speaker John Cleland, our 2023 annual dinner will be held on 10^th November. We are pleased to announce our guest speaker will be Peter Scott, a well known rally co-driver from Derry in Northern Ireland, who has competed alongside many of Ireland’s top drivers as well as several British drivers including our own Willie Crawford.

Spring Run 2024. Tuesday 16th April – Friday 19th April 2024.

For the Spring Run in 2024, we are heading south of the border to Slaley Hall Hotel Spa and Golf Resort, near Hexham, Northumberland. We decided at the board meeting on Tuesday 4th August to go for midweek since those taking part in the run are mainly retired and the rate midweek is substantially less than the rate for the weekend.

NOTE: The Hotel will only hold the provisional booking until 8th September 2023 so entries placed after that date are not guaranteed a room allocation.

 

On 8^th and 9^th July, V.S.M.A. were represented at An outing to Kames with the Eunos Ecosse Club. 

Several members were present with their cars and Charlie Young was at the signing on table handing out recruitment flyers for VSMA membership.

The weekend was in celebration of the Eunos Ecosse club’s tenth anniversary and took place on 8^th & 9^th July. The VSMA were invited to come along to support this new and vibrant club.

It was a fun weekend and a chance for anyone to appreciate the exhilaration of the race track. There were plenty volunteer drivers and passengers for a three lap experience.

The Eunos Ecosse club set up is to provide low cost motorsport in Scotland for Mazda MX5 owners. The club has grown and is MSA accredited and the main reason why we have many more MX5’s competing in hill-climbs and sprints today.

The members are very supportive of each other and when one became severely ill and was unable to continue with the rebuild of his car, the club stepped in. Secretly, with the daughters permission, his car was taken and was rebuilt for him. It was done in accordance with his plans and what a magnificent job they did as it was literally a shell when they took it away.

 

Some members of the VSMA enjoyed the sunshine along with the fabulous home baking available at Kames. It was also a chance to encourage some youngsters interested and who knows perhaps a future champion!

It was a great couple of days at Kames with fun, friends and fast cars. In the sunshine too!

 

Press BACK on your Browser