The fifth Flying Scotsman Rally, which takes enthusiasts on a drive from London to Edinburgh in a pre-war car, proved a vintage year with a nail-biting finish that found two ladies snatching 2nd place overall, thought to be the highest position for any all-female crew on an international Historic Rally.
The winning crew of Gareth Burnett and Jeremy Haylock (pictured above) brought their 1934 Talbot 105 across the finish line a mere seven seconds ahead of Sue Shoosmith and Trina Hartley (pictured right), who had hauled their big Bentley up the leader board for nearly 1,000 miles over the three-day event.
“One more day of this and we could have beaten all the blokes,” said an exhausted Trina at the finish line. In a true old-school demonstration of girl power, the ladies beat all previous winners of the event, and were the highest-placed of the Bentley contingent, but couldn’t quite make it past the front-runners —a remarkable achievement.
The top ten finishers featured four Bentleys and three Talbot 105 Alpines. Interlopers among the Bentleys and Talbots were an Alfa Romeo 6C, a 1500cc Riley 12/4 and a Lagonda M45R. The oldest car taking part, a 1912 Chalmers 10 crewed by Robert Abrey and Brad Webb, boasted the second-largest engine in the event at 7500-cc, just 500-cc short of the 8000-cc engine in the ex-Jack Sears 1931 Bentley Speed Six entered by Neil Corner and Dick Crossthwaite.
Leaving Hertfordshire with almost 1,000 miles in three days ahead of them, more than 100 vintage cars from 18 different countries—a record entry for the Flying Scotsman—took on the challenge to journey to Gleneagles Hotel north of Edinburgh. This year’s route threaded its way up the backbone of England to the Scottish borders over remote roads through the Derbyshire Peak District and Yorkshire Moors.
Finishing at the Gleneagles Hotel, competitors were rewarded with a richly deserved dinner and celebration of three days of serious competition, physical and mental agility and the spirit of the golden age of motor sport. “This has been the best-designed route so far,” said Jayne Wignall, at the finish—Jayne having entered all previous Flying Scotsman events in her 20hp Sunbeam.
