Flying Scotsman 2026 – The Prologue
*A gentle start bathed in sun
*Theo Hunt and Jimmy Gulliver take an early lead but get a little scare as their alternator belt snaps
*Peter and Kit Moore are second in the Riley Special
*Third place Simon Arscott and Emily Anderson are impressive as they sling the Aston Martin around on the test
*Jim McLaren has to hold himself in MG as his door flies open and loses notes in the test
The 16th Flying Scotsman Vintage car rally started from Gleneagles bathed in glorious sunshine as it made its way out across the hills, with a blue sky backdrop, towards the one regularity of the evening. Then one test followed at a brand new venue to complete the Prologue of the Flying Scotsman 2026.
This relatively gentle start helped ease the 69 competitors from 15 countries around the world into the three day, 600 mile event, which has never been described as easy, but has certainly been described as Europe's finest yet hardest Vintage car rally.
It wasn’t a gentle start for Theo Hunt and Jimmy Gulliver in the Frazer Nash TT as they were good on the regularity then threw the car around on the test aiming to make amends for their dramatic technical failure when leading two years ago. But they got a bit of a scare when their alternator belt snapped on the test, “we think it dug in on part of the gravel and snapped the belt” said Jimmy Galliver.
Martin Hunt who was second overall in his 1937 Frazer Nash BMW in 2022 with Bob Mannix, had a reasonable start albeit with a bit of a misfire. As the father of Theo who he consoled two years ago after he endured heart break with Jimmy Gulliver when their own Frazer Nash TT broke down when in the lead with the Flying Scotsman finish line almost in sight, dramatically snapped an alternator belt on the test. They got back to the control OK, but this time the mechanical gremlins have hit at the start!
Martin takes up the story: “We've got a bit of a misfire, which developed after the regularity, I think probably driving at low speed caused it as the car didn't like too much. I tried to clear it and blow it through, but it hasn't quite solved it, so we're going to check the points, and maybe change the plugs.
“Theo and Jimmy have a broken alternator belt, but he does have a spare in situ on the prop shaft, so that should be easy to change, but he's now worried that that leaves him with no spares. However, Halfords aren't answering in Perth, and of course, it's now seven o'clock, but it's a fairly standard part so we should be able to get that easily enough. But while he's at it, he's just had a new clutch plate delivered to Gleneagles reception, which he ordered yesterday from Amazon, so he is going to change the clutch as well, it's not a massive job.
“I could see that having had a year off, Theo and Jimmy were ready to come back and give it another go. We weren't quite sure to begin with whether they were going to take it seriously and really go for it, but it seems that they probably are!”
Competitors were bedding in their Vintage machines and loving the test as many were throwing their cars around creating huge clouds of dust, but it was one slide too many for Tim Eades (USA) and Jim McLaren (USA) in the little 1949 MG TC as Jim nearly fell out!
Jim explained; “We we're on the test section, when the safety strap came off and the door flew open, my notebook slid right off my lap and into the dirt, I was hanging on just trying to stay in the car which I thought was more important than my notebook! Tim went back into the test to retrieve the book and only three or four cars had ran over it - so it was still in one piece!”
Father and son Peter and Kit Moore have made a great start in their Riley Special to take second place after the Prologue whilst Simon Arscott and Emily Anderson were really impressive on the test as their Aston Martin was never really going straight as they charged around the test sideways, both clearly enjoying the slippy surface.
Whilst the experienced Flying Scotsman crews were getting to grips with the slippy surfaces, there were crews trying to get to grips with Europe’s best Vintage rally for the first ever time. Christian Le Gousse (FR) and Marie-Claire Le Vouedec (FR) are on their first Flying Scotsman driving their 1936 Riley 12/4 TT Special.
Christian said; “Definitely, it's our first. That's something I wanted to do since at least 10 years, so I'm very excited, we are both very excited to do this, the rally has quite a reputation in Europe. We're coming from Brittany to Scotland and also we think Gleneagles is quite magnificent!” The French crew have started well as they are in the top ten in their class.
So the surface of the event has only just been scratched. Now Day One lies in store on Friday with seven regularities and three tests as the rally will make its way from Gleneagles to Aberdeen with the field having been reseeded and led away by overnight leaders Theo Hunt and Jimmy Galliver in the Frazer Nash TT.