Thirlestane set for uphill (and down) challenge

This year’s BVAC Classic at Thirlestane Castle faces an uphill challenge this year, as it plays host to the Scottish Borders Hill Rally.
By Kevin Janiak
Published 11th Apr 2023, 14:34 BST
Updated 11th Apr 2023, 14:34 BST
Visitors to the BVAC event at Thirlestane will be able to enjoy plenty of these gradient-munching beasts.Visitors to the BVAC event at Thirlestane will be able to enjoy plenty of these gradient-munching beasts.
Visitors to the BVAC event at Thirlestane will be able to enjoy plenty of these gradient-munching beasts.

The rally, which is organised by the Scottish Hill Rally Club, will see competitors tackle stages across the region on Saturday and Sunday, June 17 and 18, including a special spectator stage within the BVAC Classic at the historic Lauder castle.

Hill Rallying is a cousin of traditional stage rallying and sees competitors tackle a variety of off-road stages against the clock … the main difference being that the terrain often tends to be more extreme than in normal stage rallying and as such, so are the vehicles.

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The cars are mostly derived from road-going 4x4s, but with some fairly major modifications. Expect to see stripped-out Land Rover Defenders with V8 engines giving out 500+ bhp amongst other weird and wonderful off-road monsters.

The event’s rally service park will be based within the BVAC Classic Showground at Thirlestane. This will be the home for teams and crews competing in the rally and is where the cars are serviced (and sometimes repaired) in-between stages, meaning visitors to the BVAC Classic will be able to get up close to some of these impressive machines.

In addition, visitors will be treated to the sight and sound of a special rally stage within the showground, where there will be a spectator area where you can see the cars setting off in dramatic style and power sliding their way down the estate’s gravel stage. The stage will run intermittently throughout the day.

Fraser Wenseth of the Scottish Hill Rally Club said: “We’re delighted to bring the top UK and international cross country crews and cars to the Borders for a Hill Rally and being able to showcase the action to crowds at this year’s BVAC Classic and Beyond the Hill Rally action.

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"The show will feature a huge array of attractions to keep the whole family entertained. There will extensive displays of stunning veteran, vintage and classic cars, a retail area, children’s play zone and activities, arena stunt displays, pipe band shows and plenty of wonderful food and drink vendors to keep visitors fuelled throughout the day.”

Advance tickets (£10) can be bought at https://bvac.org.uk/bvac-classic/tickets/ or £15 on the day.

Related topics:Land Rover