Scottish Malts final preparation – the (Glen) Eagles have landed
*41 crews assemble at Gleneagles ready for five days of tartan adventure
The world-famous Gleneagles Hotel near Auchterarder in Scotland plays host to the start and finish of the 2025 Scottish Malts Rally. 41 crews from around the world assembled to make their final preparations for five days of tartan adventure over the best scenic roads Scotland can offer.
From scrutineering of the rally cars to signing on, the 13 international teams have a broad band of experience from absolute novices to HERO-ERA Cup Champions. There are crews who have won major events across deserts and those who have taken podiums on one day HERO Challenges. There are World Champion sailors and captains of industry, but all are in Scotland to enjoy a fantastic circular route that includes a visit to the Island of Mull, which together with the visit to see Mike Dreelan’s incredible selection of Steam Vehicles, will be just two highlights.
The crews will also be able to enjoy the competition section of the Scottish Malts. With a combination of tests and regularities plus distillery visits set against the Highlands backdrop, the 2025 edition of the rally promises to be an absolute classic.
Ann Gillis, a winner of many rallies is not here with her usual driver and husband Filip, but in his place is their son Arne, but will he be able to win like his Dad?
Arne, “We'll do our best. It's the first time driving this car, so I'm very excited to do it, but it's got to be a learning process in the first days. I don’t know the rules yet, but I’ve got a good teacher.”
Ann; “Filip likes him to drive his car, so he has the trust of his father to drive the cars, but we still must get used to each other in the car and in a more competitive way. We had already some discussions about the measured mile! The problem was, he was right three times, and I was wrong. I'm not in the best shape at the moment, but after a good night’s rest, tomorrow we'll be ready for it in the 911!”
Ean and Alison Lewin are driving their Ford Escort Mexico and really excited about the event.
Alison,” We are looking forward to it very much. It should be absolutely stunning, we've got our fingers crossed for a bit of blue sky each day, and we enjoy Scotland.
Ean; “It’s good at the moment as there is enough wind to keep the midges away! We’ve competed up here before when the car wasn't as sorted as it should have been. We did the hill climb, and I got off the line by about five yards and it stopped, then the fun started. A young lad who was getting married the next day, came down in his L200, hitched me on the back and towed me up at pace! He stopped in the box and set off again. So yes, we've got some good memories of being up here in the Mexico. The difference is now though, the car is sorted!”
Alison; “We should have some incredible scenery to take in so hopefully I won’t be spending the whole time with my face in the navigation book, but it's always lovely to look up and see fantastic scenery, and Scotland's just so dramatic. It's beautiful!”
There are two crews over from Norway to compete, one of them, Bjorn and Anne Schage are regulars in Scotland on HERO-ERA events.
Anne: “We had a direct flight from Oslo to here. We have done the event many times as we just love Scotland, yes of course we have our own beautiful country, but we really love driving here. It's open and it's nice to see everywhere with a lot of nice people and lots of nice cars, and we really love it.”
Bjorn; “Well, actually we like the lot. When you sit down in the car, everything is good. You can't do anything else but drive and navigate and do it, do what you love. That's my best time. We did the Flying Scotsman and had a great time in the weather which was just like this. So we hope to be as lucky as we were there.”
Alfred and Father Philip Dobson are competing in Alfred’s 1969 MGC as Philip takes up the story.
“This one's Alfred's car, we're going for the slightly easier option than the more adventurous La France which is still a bit tired from the last trip to the Sahara. Whether it’s the MGC or the La France, we still have a little bit of work to do. Our learning experience from last year in the Sahara was good but we're still implementing some of the things we learned during that time. So hopefully we'll have a little more learning but more fun on this event!”
Alfred; “The intention on the Malts is to acquire more knowledge of navigation and driving and of the events overall. It's my first time as well, so learning as much as possible is important for me.”