Double Scottish Rally champ Jock Armstrong admits the return of the series this weekend caught him by surprise.

The coronavirus pandemic means there have been no championship rallies since early March
last year.

But that will all change tomorrow evening with the Dunoon Presents Argyll Rally kicking off the 2021 campaign, meaning a hasty change of plans for Armstrong.

The Castle Douglas driver said: “I hadn’t expected it to come back, I’d set myself doing other things. I had a bike race last Saturday, a bike race and a swim this Saturday and another bike race the weekend after.

“I didn’t think it would happen with the restrictions and people from different households not being able to get together – so I thought it wouldn’t come about.

“It has so I thought I better change direction. I’m quite looking forward to it.

“Saturday was the first bike race I’d done since lockdown began and there’s a lot of fit people out there. I’m probably fitter myself than I was 18 months ago with not drinking or partying.”

A return to action after 15 months off isn’t the only thing Armstrong and co-driver Cammy Fair have to contend with.

The Argyll Rally will take place on tarmac rather than gravel, while Armstrong will be driving a Ford Fiesta R5 rather than his usual Subaru Impreza.

He explained: “I’ve gone out and hired a car as my car is more set up for forestry stages. I always fancied a change and a car was available.

David Bogie competing in the Jim Clark Rally.
David Bogie competing in the Jim Clark Rally.

“My hopes are good. It’s a left-hand drive car and I haven’t been in one for 25 years so it’s a gamble. I’ve had a quick spin in it and it felt good enough but it’s fitting everything together.

“It’s a long dashboard but it should be OK if I get my seating position right.

“I’m looking forward to it. Something’s better than nothing.

“I’m top 10 in the seeding but I’m not a tarmac expert, I’ve not done a tarmac event since 2014 or 2015.

“Dom Buckley from the Kelso area is going to run me and it’s just a case of picking up all the pieces again.”

Armstrong isn’t the only Dumfries and Galloway driver heading to Argyll, with plenty of other crews making the trip after being starved of stage action for more than a year.

Chief among them is five-time Scottish Rally Champion David Bogie from Dumfries, who will have John Rowan co-driving in his Ford Escort Mk2.

Mk2s are also the car of choice for Kirkcudbright’s Stephen Thompson, Dalbeattie’s Iain Wilson and Dumfries’ Mark McCulloch.

Andy Scott from Dumfries is taking part in a Ford Fiesta S2000 with Dumfries’ Billy McLelland competing in a Mitsubishi Evo 9.

Southerness’ Joe McKeand has opted for a Subaru Impreza, as has the Dumfries crew of Lee and Cole Hastings.

In the front-wheel drive classes, Haugh of Urr’s Keith Riddick will be behind the wheel of an MG ZR with sister Mairi co-driving.

And a similar machine has been entered by Auldgirth’s Niall Cowan Jr and Callum Shanks of Castle Douglas.

The Argyll Rally is the first of five events making up this year’s Scottish Rally Championship. The Lockerbie-based RSAC Scottish Rally is scheduled for the end of July, with the Armstrong Galloway Hills Rally in Dalbeattie set for September.