Stewart: Rally huge for Scotland
Three-time Formula 1 World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart was present at the official launch of the Rally of Scotland - and spoke of the inaugural event as a major opportunity for Scottish sport
Stewart was joined by this year's Intercontinental Rally Challenge and Scottish Rally Championship winners Kris Meeke and David Bogie, both of whom will contest the event which runs from November 19-21.
Speaking at the launch in Glasgow, Stewart said: "Scotland has an amazing heritage when it comes to motorsport - and rallying in particular. The RAC Rally went through England and Wales but it was Scotland that was the largest part, with probably the best special stages anywhere in the world.
"This rally is a tremendous opportunity for Scotland to project itself through sport, to highlight its natural beauty and create new opportunities.
"The rally is going to give people the opportunity of coming to Scotland. They're going to see the highlands and the islands of Scotland, the beauty, the majesty of it, the rugged mountains, the lovely lochs - all because there's an international rally coming back to Scotland. The rally is going to go through some of the best special stages in the world of rally."
Andrew Coe, chief executive of the event organiser IMS, added that he had been particularly impressed with the way the local population had embraced the event.
He said: "The level of co-operation from the Scottish people and our hosts in Perth and Stirling has been phenomenal."
The rally, the final round of this year's IRC, starts from Scone Palace, Perth on the evening of Thursday November 19 and finishes on Saturday afternoon in Stirling.
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