Niall Philips cannot wait to attack his second AM Phillip Trucktech Snowman Rally in the Highlands as he aims to finish a car chase he grew up adoring.
The opening round of the KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championships bursts into action on Saturday.
There is a first-class field of former winners leading the chase for glory after Covid led to its cancellation last year.
Inverness driver Philips, 34, will be easily spotted in his eye-catching 1996 Ford RS2000 4×4, with Aberdeen’s Michael Moates junior alongside him as co-driver.
For 20-year-old Moates, it’s a change as he’s more used to being the man on the notes for his dad, Mike Moates, who will be running in car 35 with Gary MacDonald in a Subaru Impreza.
Following in his dad’s tyre tracks
Philips cannot wait to get out into the stages, with one in particular of importance to him.
He said: “My first recollection of the Snowman was standing as a wee boy on Glenurquhart stages, or Lochletter as we call it now.
“My dad, Robert, used to rally Escorts in the 1970s, so there’s a connection there too. I have been rallying off and on for three years now and I am now in a position to financially do it this year.
“There is also something special for me doing Glenurquhart because that’s where some of my heroes have been through there and my father has been through there too and they have been using that stage all those years. It’s nice to do that myself.”
Moates’ experience was the clincher
A Facebook appeal from Philips led to him linking up with Moates, although they won’t have met until the eve of the rally itself as they go out as car 82.
Philips, who mainly did sprinting and hill-climbing in a Clio 182 last year, said: “It can be difficult these days to get co-drivers, so I put a message on one of the rally pages and there was a lot of interest.
“However, considering Michael’s age, he’s got a lot of experience, so I decided to team up with him. It puts me at ease having him alongside me.
“Michael seems very prepared and we’ll go over all the notes on Friday and he’ll put me at ease.
“We were on the phone on Sunday for around two hours, just going over everything, but Friday will be the time for the final preparations.”
Second crack at the Snowman Rally
Philips’ first main rally was the Speyside in 2019, which he finished, but bad luck struck when he competed in his first Snowman the following season.
He said: “When I did my Snowman two years ago, I broke a strut when I hit a boulder, so I was forced to retire.
“I want to start nice and steady, get a feel for it and build up as the day goes on. I want to finish, and get my seeding up, especially when we’re aiming to do the Speyside, the Grampian Forest and the Galloway Hills.
Champions going for glory in north
Defending champion Michael Binnie is out in car one and top class former Scottish champions David Bogie and Jock Armstrong are the next two competitors to hit the road.
Philips is thrilled to be in the company of such an appealing range of drivers going for glory.
He said: “The top five cars are all different makes and it’s great for the spectators to have that variety as well.
“It’s obviously going to be hard to compete with the likes of David Bogie in the WRC Mini, but it’s a good strong turn-out. There is no snow or ice forecast, which is a relief for the drivers, if not the spectators.”
His car itself will be a talking point, largely because there are few of them around.
He said: “I have had my car for around 12 years and been building it on and off as money allows.
“It’s a very rare car and there were not many made at the time. There are only around 50 left I believe. It has taken a lot of time, effort and, not to mention money.”
Meanwhile, the Moates father-son combination at the Snowman Rally two years ago remains a fresh memory for the co-driver.
He said: “It was a really good rally in 2020. We finished 24th overall and won the Subaru Cup by just under a minute.
“I have spectated at the Snowman for many years, so it was great to compete. Some of the stages are amazing – some of the best we’ve got.”
Philips’ car is ‘absolute stunner’
And Moates junior cannot wait to sample the action in Philips’ cracking car.
He added: “It’s a rare car – that’s the best way of putting it. It is an absolute stunner. There are only about 50 of these kicking about.
“Niall has put a lot of time and effort into the car. He has built it himself, to get it the way he wants it, which is always great, when you have that personal touch.”
His hope is rallying will move into a third generation of the Moates family in future years too.
He said: “My son, Noah-Flynn, is only one, but he is already rally-mad, so hopefully the sport will continue to run in the family.”
Fans will be out to follow the action
The Snowman blasts into action at 9am from the Black Isle Showground in Muir of Ord, while another main spectating point is from 12.40pm at Dingwall High Street at the cars regroup.
Official programmes are packed with details and the outlets at which they are available are on the Snowman Rally and Highland Car Club’s Facebook pages.
The other dates and venues for the 2020 Scottish Championship are – April 23 – McDonald and Munro Speyside Stages (Elgin), May 29 – Beatson’s Building Supplies Jim Clark Reivers Rally (Duns), June 25 – Dunoon Presents Argyll Rally (Dunoon), July 23 – RSAC Scottish Rally (Moffat), August 13 – Grampian Forest Rally (Banchory), September 10 – Armstrong Galloway Hills Rally (Castle Douglas), October 22 – Carlisle Stages Rally (Kielder).
