Michael Binnie will be driven by fond memories when the Snowman Rally returns to the Scottish Rally Championship schedule today.
Binnie, who is from Cornhill-on-Tweed, and co-driver Claire Mole triumphed when the event was last held in 2020.
It was a maiden victory for the 29-year-old, who began competing four years previously.
The Highland rally proved to be the only SRC event which went ahead that year, with the season curtailed due to Covid-19 shortly afterwards.
That makes Binnie all the more eager to return to the scene of his triumph along with Mole, in their Mitsubishi Evo 9.
He said: “I will always hold it really fondly. It was my first overall win, which is always a special moment.
“We had been in second place all day, and in the last stage we romped it home.
“It was a massive shock when we came out of the last stage. Claire was doing the maths, and just said: ‘we could win this rally.’
“It sets the tone for the season. Last year we didn’t start until June. It just didn’t feel like a championship, as we were halfway through the season.
“The Snowman Rally is always the start of the season, and with it being cancelled last year everyone is well up for it.”
New start and finish point for 2022 event
This year’s event will start and finish at Black Isle Showground, where the first cars are due to leave at 9am.
The rally is scheduled to finish at 3.51pm this afternoon.
Despite triumphing last time out, Binnie revealed he has limited previous experience of the Highland track.
He added: “I started competing in rallying in 2016. We chose not to do the Snowman that year as it would have been our first ever rally. With the nature of the beast, we didn’t think it was sensible.
“The only year I had competed in it before I didn’t finish because our engine overheated.
“That meant I had actually only done one stage of the Snowman rally before I won it.
“It had not been the best history in the event, but when I did manage to string it together we managed to win.”
Binnie leads the seedings in a strong entry list, with former Scottish champions David Bogie and Jock Armstrong closely behind him.
Aberdeen’s Freddie Milne is seeded fourth, with John Wink (Huntly), Bruce McCombie (Banchory) and Scott Beattie (Alford) also among the top 10.
The top-seeded local drivers are 2016 winner Donnie MacDonald (Inverness), Scott Macbeth (Muir of Ord) and 11th seed Keir Beaton (Inverness).
Binnie says being first out will be a new experience for him, adding: “We are top of the seeding pile, with David Bogie and Jock Armstrong behind us.
“Between David and Jock there are eight Scottish Championships, and I don’t know how many rally wins.
“It’s an absolute privilege to be seeded number one, but I know those guys are more than likely going to be quicker.
“It’s a whole new element for me being out first as there are no lines, and I can’t see breaking points.
“I’m just hoping there’s no frost or snow, as the first out is the first one to find the problems.
“I want to enjoy that experience though, and hopefully in future it’s something we will do a lot more of.
“My target is to have as good a run as I can. If I can bring it home in a respectable place, I will be over the moon.”
Snowman Rally 2022 – Top-10 seeds
1 Michael Binnie (Cornhill-on-Tweed) and Claire Mole (Duns) – Mitsubishi Evo 9
2 David Bogie (Dumfries) and Kevin Rae (Hawick) – Mini JCW WRC
3 Jock Armstrong (Castle Douglas) and Cameron Fair (Tobermory) – Subaru Impreza
4 Freddie Milne (Aberdeen) and Patrick Walsh (Aberystwyth) – Ford Fiesta R5
5 John Wink (Huntly) and Neil Shanks (Elgin) – Hyundai i20 R5
6 Bruce McCombie (Banchory) and Michael Coutts (Torphins) – Ford Focus
7 Scott Beattie (Alford) and Paula Swinscoe (Withnell) – Mitsubishi Evo
8 Alan Carmichael (Ballymoney) and Ivor Lamont (Ballymena) – Hyundai R5
9 Donnie Macdonald (Inverness) and Andrew Falconer (Inverness) – Ford Fiesta Rally 2
10 Scott Macbeth (Muir of Ord) and Daniel Forsyth (Elgin) – Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9
