McDonald and Munro Speyside Stages rally preview: Huntly’s John Wink ready to battle an abundance of former Scottish Rally Championship winners in season opener in Moray and Aberdeenshire
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One of the most impressive fields in the history of the McDonald and Munro Speyside Stages rally will be assembled this weekend.
That’s the view of Huntly driver John Wink, who finished third in the event last year and completed his best Scottish Rally Championship season yet by coming third in the overall rankings after four podium places.
Wink, a member of the hosting 63 Car Club in Elgin, would love to emulate his achievements of 2023 but knows he has a hard act to follow in the face of increasing competition.
He counted the number of former SRC champions and previous Scottish rally winners who will be on the start line at Elgin’s Cooper Park on Saturday, and believes it will be a difficult event to win for them all.
But with more enhancement carried out on his Hyundai i20 R5, he is relishing the opening round of this year’s championships.
“I can’t wait to get going,” he said. “We have done some upgrades to the suspension, the latest suspension over the winter.
“We didn’t have it on for the Malcolm Wilson Rally in March but we have it on now and we did a wee test at the weekend so the car is feeling really good. I felt confident in it right away and that is what you want.
“All the ingredients are there, we have upgraded the last possible thing that we can on the car so we are running out of excuses really.”
Wink would love to pick up his maiden championship victory this season, and doing it in his home event would be a dream come true - but he knows how tough the challenge is.
“It’s a hard act to follow last season, that’s the trouble. And the entry for this year’s Speyside is just something else. From the top 15 cars, anybody could win it really.
“If you take the top three and exclude Finlay (Retson) who won it last year, (David) Bogie, (Euan) Thorburn and Jock (Armstrong) must have 11 Scottish Rally Championships between the three of them. So it’s going to be tough getting close to them.
“It’s a hard ask but we will certainly go out there and try our best.
“The times will be what the times are. But it is going to be an enjoyable event. Hopefully the weather stays nice for it and we can all enjoy it because it is probably the best rally on the calendar.
“Last year we were on the podium and finished third. We had a day-long battle with Michael Binnie and Claire Mole and came out on top just by a second. It’s about as close as it gets.
“We really want to push on this year so we will try and get a good result if we can.”
Wink knows he has to compete with a different co-driver at the Speyside Stages, as his regular navigator Neil Shanks is clerk for the course and isn’t allowed to enter this one event.
Just like last year, Wink will team up with Whitchurch-based Will Atkins who helped him to last season’s podium.
“For some time now I’ve only really sat with Neil or Will. Will is really easy to listen to, so that makes the transition all the more comfortable.
“It’s not easy when Neil and I have built up a huge level of trust with each other over the course of the last four years sitting together and the value of that is immense from a pace point of view.”
But the Huntly driver believes he is in good shape to challenge in every event of the Scottish calendar, just like in 2023.
“We got four podiums and we finished every rally. That is maybe 14 finishes on the trot now so it is kind of leaning towards suggesting that we are consistent and I want to continue that but build the pace.
“We have been building the pace but it’s important that we do that but still remain comfortable. We are not doing anything stupid so we are just aiming to start up from where we finished last year.
“I haven’t won an SRC yet. I’ve been second twice, and third a handful of times and fourth or fifth so many times.
“I’ve never won one, the closest ever was last season when I was just six seconds away from a win, and I was leading the whole day so it was difficult getting it taken away in the last stage.
“But I never thought going into any of the events that I was really in a driving position to win. But I will keep trying. I am definitely getting there, and with a wee bit more luck we might have had one or two.
“I want to come out and finish rallies and give my sponsors the most exposure I can, and try and win.
“Consistency is key, I don’t like taking big risks so I want to do it properly.”
Wink and Atkins start in car 6 while Aberlour navigator Michael Hendry is in car 8 alongside Dumfries driver Mark McCulloch in a Proton Satria Evo.
Elgin’s Daniel Forsyth partners up again with Muir of Ord-based driver Scott Macbeth in a Ford Fiesta Rd at car 10.
Forres driver Dougal Brown’s Escort MkII enters as car 31 with Keith-based Lewis Rochford again in the navigating seat.
Elgin’s Brett Mckenzie comes in at car 36 in an Evo 8 and Keith duo Scott Mutch and Greg McDonald in an Escort MkII enter in car 42.
The Speyside Stages wouldn’t be the same without long-standing Elgin duo Mike Grant and Graham Kelman in their Subaru Impreza (car 59).
Moray brothers Sandy and Ian Arbuthnott in an Escort MkII (car 63) make up another established crew in the event, and Elgin driver Robert Tonge in an MG ZR takes part in car 82.
