It’s been a busy few weeks for me with back-to-back rally weekends at the end of June and beginning of July.
I’m now halfway through the 2022 Scottish Rally Championship (SRC), with four rallies remaining.
We kicked off with the Snowman Rally in March and Speyside Stages in April, both on gravel.
I had a great result of 3rd in class on the Snowman but unfortunately retired from the Speyside due to a mechanical issue.
We then moved to tarmac for the Jim Clark Reivers and Argyll rallies. I’d only competed on one closed road rally before (Argyll last year) so it was a steep learning curve but I was really pleased with the pace.
The iconic Jim Clark Rally has been on my bucket list for years so it was great to tick that one off!
Argyll went really well, in spite of tough conditions in the dark and rain on the Friday night, and I was pleased with how I’d improved since the previous year.
We had a good run on the Saturday until an unfortunate encounter with a ditch, which resulted in a stage maximum, but we were fortunate to get recovered by spectators and get on our way!
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I also recently competed at the McRae Rally Challenge at Knockhill Racing Circuit on 2nd and 3rd July which was really special for me.
Knockhill is my home circuit and I grew up near the circuit, in Dollar. It’s always very special to return there to compete, and have family and friends attend, and it’s also a circuit which suits my car and driving style.
The event first took place in 2015, to mark the anniversary of Scottish rally hero Colin McRae becoming the youngest driver to win the World Rally Championship. It was planned to run again in 2020 but was delayed due to Covid.
I co-drove in the inaugural event in 2015 and never could have imagined that the next time the event took place I would be driving, so it meant a lot to me and it was an honour to take part in such a special event, alongside three generations of the McRae family.
The 3rd July 2016 was when I competed in my very first rally in the drivers’ seat so it also marked my six year rally anniversary!
One of my sponsors, Carbon Positive Motorsport, also got involved with the event, offsetting the emissions from all the competing rally cars at the McRae Rally Challenge.
It’s fantastic to see so many events prioritising sustainability and the future of our sport.
For the remaining four rounds of the Scottish Rally Championship we’re back to gravel which I’m looking forward to, starting with the Scottish Rally on 23rd July.
Thank you to my sponsors Carbon Positive Motorsport, Morris Lubricants and Demon Tweeks for their continued support.
You can keep up to date with my SRC season on my website AshleighMorris.com and Instagram @ashleigh_morris, Facebook and Twitter.
