Scottish Malts 2025 – Behind the Beauty lurks a Quiet Hint of Competition

The Scottish Malts 2025 is a perennial favourite, combining an incredible route around the eye fest that is the Scottish Highlands with competition and distillery visits to underscore Scotland’s great export, whisky.* But behind the tradition and beauty lurks a strong hint of competition as the 19th edition entry list betrays winners and champions who may have thoughts of climbing more than just the Scottish hills, but the podium too.

The Scottish Malts, a biennial rally which starts and finishes in the sumptuous Gleneagles (1 - 5 September) has become a beloved tradition for both semi-experienced and Novice crews, who will have their own pre-event briefing to help them savour the experience through basic navigation and timing procedures. But blending the thrill of exhilarating driving routes with the allure of Scotland’s incredible landscapes and world-renowned distilleries visits are some class and rally winning crews, and even a HERO Cup winning Champion. They will surely have their eyes on the prizes as well as the scenery!

Former HERO Cup Drivers Champion Stephen Owens is teaming up with his son Thomas in their 1962 Porsche 356B. Stephen is a winner, but with his son Thomas navigating on the 2023 Scottish Malts, they nearly won but finished on the podium anyway. Combining the passion for classic cars with the rich heritage of Scottish Malt Whisky, will be the Steve and Julia Robertson, winners of the London to Lisbon and the RAC Rally of Tests Lite, they will definitely be competitive in their MGB GT V8.

Ken and Sarah Binstead are a formidable team with many podiums on the national scene including HERO Challenges, but on the international stage they nearly won the L2L in 2023,  just missing top slot as Graham Platts won with Neil Ripley, also in an Austin Healey. This time Graham will revert to navigating with Nigel Ward in his 1958 Jaguar XK150.

With 10 tests and 20 regularities over a circuitous 950 mile route from Gleneagles, the Malts will pass through signature Scottish venues such as Pitlochry, Aviemore, Inverness and then in a HERO-ERA coup, the second Island of Speed to the Ilse of Man – Mull. The Island of Mull will be a highlight as it is not just awe inspiring, but part of Scottish rallying history. It hosts an epic stage rally, just as the Jim Clark Rally and Rally Scotland do on the mainland.  Scottish has great motorsport history too, their drivers have always punched above their weight given the size of the country. Colin McRae was World Rally Champion whilst on track, Jim Clark and Sir Jackie Stwewart scored five F1 World Drivers titles between them.

If the event wasn’t under such a colourful tartan cape, it could be said that the entry list of star cars and crews was literally glittering with Gold, Silver and Bronze medal winners. Peter and Louise Morton, equally happy winning on the high seas in their yachting endeavours, scored a hard earned Classic Category second place on the tough Badawi Trail to the Last Oasis in 2023 in their V8 Rover P6, the same car they will use on the Malts. HERO-ERA Medium to Long event regular competitors John and Nicole Whitelock are in their Vintage 1938 Ford Coupe, just as Stephen and Sam Hardwick return in their Alfa Romeo for the Scottish Malts experience. Both crews competed on the New Zealand Classic in 2020.

At the beginning of their long road to the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge 2028 are Ryck Turner and Angie Barbour in their 1928 Bentley, the oldest car on the rally. Having experienced the HERO Challenge One earlier this year they know they are on a long journey, but equally, the Scottish Malts will provide them with a slightly less competitive environment in which to hone their skills and enjoy the big Bentley over the best roads Scotland can offer.

The Scottish Malts is one of the most popular events with international as well as UK based crews. This year, the international crews are represented by no fewer than 12 different nationalities. Apart from the Europeans, there are teams from Argentina, South Africa, Lebanon and New Zealand. Kiwis Mike and Paula Donald are regulars on the Scottish Malts in their BMW. Francesco Molinari and Christian von Sanden are both from Argentina, but Christian has form as a HERO-ERA podium sitter with his beautiful 1958 Porsche 356 Convertible D, this time he has Alexnder von Bernewitz (LI) navigating. Christian absolutely loves the Scottish Malts, so if he doesn’t get too distracted by the scenery, he may score a good result!

The majority will not be too worried by the results though. They will be in Scotland for the experience of the Scottish Malts, one of the world’s most beloved classic car events. This rally combines the thrill of motoring across remote highland roads with Scotland’s rich heritage, which is why it draws enthusiasts from across the world. There are two Norwegian teams, who not content with the Fjords, cross the North Sea to sample the Scottish Lochs and traditional hospitality! Agnete Segalstad and Ole Rasmus Robak will again be in their Mercedes Benz SL500. Agnete loves nature and really enjoys the Scottish countryside, but once she concentrates on the road, she does have a ‘press on’ style.

The other Norwegian crew of Bjorn and Anne Schage will be driving their 1938 Aston Martin 15/98.

However, there are a couple of other European crews with the credentials to win!

Belgians Ann Gillis and Filip Engelin have competed in Scotland on the Flying Scotsman with mixed results, but have an enviable international record. They won in New Zealand on the Classic in 2020 and in South America winning the Classic Category of the Lima to Cape Horn 2022, followed by a first in the Classic Category on the Badawi Trail to the Last Oasis. They love Scotland, but they love winning more, so they are the favourites to win in their rapid and reliable 1974 Porsche Targa.

The Swiss are well represented on the Malts, but one Swiss crew in particular stands out, Martina and Carlos Rieder. Carlos was a podium sitter on the gruelling 2024 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge and knows how to score a strong result, he also knows the remote roads of Scotland well having threaded his gargantuan Buick down the lanes of the Flying Scotsman Vintage Rally. For the Malts though, Carlos will have his svelte 1972 Alfa Romeo Berlina underneath him, which should at least improve manoeuvrability!

Guy Woodcock, HERO-ERA Competition Director and Clerk of the Course for the Scottish Malts suggested that the event will prove to be a great combination of magical scenery and competition.

“There will be some real highlights, Mike Dreelan’s amazing steam collection being the first treat and he's going to bring some of his cars up to the yard. Basically, everything will be out on show!

“Mull is another highlight. I wanted to go back there since we last visited in 2016, so nearly nine years have passed since we were there last, but it's always a challenge getting on and off Mull. Once there though, everybody's going to be able to enjoy it and wander around the town, They might even get involved in the filming, because they're shooting a new series of kid’s TV ‘What's the story Balamory’ on Mull at the moment.

“People are going to see a great part of the island, the scenery is just unbelievable. When we did the recce, it was just like, ‘this is sensational’ Of course, it all depends on the weather, for example when we were over on there in 2016 we had snow, rain and sunshine all in the space of an hour!

“The route we put together is designed so people can enjoy the wonderful driving roads they have in Scotland combined with the great scenery and exceptional places to visit. The competition really just intersperses with the driving roads. It’s another reason to be there but it's not the be all and end all as the competition is an add on, but I'm sure there'll be some of our competitors who will take it more seriously than others!

“Some will have their eyes on the prize. Ann Gillis and Filip Engelen for example in their Porsche, and they will be joined by Dick and Harry Baines who have bought a new car, a  Porsche 911! They won the last Scottish Malts in their Mini but they’re coming in their latest acquisition to shake it down for the Classic Marathon. Then there is Christian von Sanden who always goes well in Scotland, and he is competitive!

“Peter and Louise Morton, the Robertsons, Paul Hernaman and Ray ‘Crow’ Crowther, they could all do well, but there's nothing too detailed about it, unless they're not thinking, or if they're not thinking quickly enough. So, we’ve kept it simple, but it gets a bit harder over the last couple of days when crews won't have all the information to work things out. There’s nothing difficult in there at all, but I'm sure some of the more experienced teams may find it's easy, so they may not feel the need to concentrate – but then they'll fall into a trap!

“Julia Perry is my Deputy Clerk of the Course, she did a great job of pulling everything together from the recce onwards. After all the initial work together then the paperwork, it is Julia’s baby, I’m just overseeing, but I think we have a great event in store.”

The rally gets its name from Scotland’s finest export – its legendary Malt Whisky. Participants will enjoy exclusive but responsible tastings, according to HERO-ERA’s guidelines,* at renowned distilleries like Dewers in Aberfeldy and at the Chivas Brothers, which will add to the full Scottish experience to go with the indescribable flavour of the full Scottish breakfast at Gleneagles.

All the Scottish experiences are special, but regular HERO-ERA competitor Mike Dreelan’s home will be a very special part of the trip as he is opening up his incredible vehicle collection for the rally to enjoy which will be an absolute highlight. 

Mike made a remarkable recovery from a dreadful accident on the Peking to Paris in 2024. He returned to competition with HERO-ERA on the Pearl of India rally earlier this year where he finished second in class in his Alvis 25 with his loyal navigator Bob Pybus, who was also injured in the P2P accident, but fortunately with less serious injuries.

Happily, ever the historic motoring enthusiast, Mike Dreelan is hosting the HERO-ERA Scottish Malts competitors to part of his estate in Aberdeen where he will be showing the crews some of his incredible cars as a treat. Competitors will also see the largest collection of historic steam driven vehicles in Europe whilst also enjoying lunch. He also owns and operates an entire steam driven fairground which will is quite remarkable!

*Reference responsible drinking:

While the Scottish Malts 2025 visits numerous distilleries, HERO-ERA Events do not condone drinking and driving. If it is established that either crew member has been consuming alcohol between the first and last Time Controls of a day, then in line with HERO Standard Regulations, the crew will be excluded from the event.