Inverness race to be moved in Scottish rally driving calendar
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ORGANISERS of the Scottish Rally Championship have announced the Snowman Rally is set to be switched from February to March in 2020.
The Inverness event will still be the opening race of the seven round Scottish championship but will be held on Saturday, March 7.
The 2019 Snowman Rally which was due to take place on February 9 this year was cancelled due to thick ice covering the course making driving unsafe for racing.
SRC Chairman Gordon Adam said the changes to the 2020 championship has been in response to the feedback from the recent competitor forum and survey.
“We are delighted to be returning to a mixed-surface format and the events on offer in 2020 really do have something for everybody.
“It is important to be able to adapt to the changing preferences within the sport as they happen, whilst being able to stay with tradition, and we feel we have struck that balance perfectly starting in Inverness a bit later in the year than has been normal, and coming to its conclusion in Dalbeattie.
"We welcome the Jim Clark Rally back with open arms and are thrilled that the Argyll Rally will run as our second chosen closed road event in their first year on Tarmac.
“There may be some competitors who would rather not compete on Tarmac, but because only five of a potential seven scores will count, these drivers will not lose the chance to win their class or overall title.
"We felt that when we had the opportunity to give our competitors this choice, it was important to do this given the fairly major format changes we have made for the 2020 season.
“Of course, we realise that the gaps between the events in the middle of the season are not ideal, particularly for our volunteer officials, but our hands are tied by the events where they have commitments to other championships.
"This is obviously an important area for our competitors and officials, and one we will focus on for the 2021 season."
Scottish Rally Championship 2020 calendar
March 7 - Snowman Rally, Inverness
April 18 - Speyside Stages, Elgin
May 31 - Jim Clark Reivers Rally, Duns
June 6 - Scottish Rally, Moffat
June 20 - Argyll Rally, Dunoon
August 8 - Grampian Forest Rally, Banchory
September 19 - Galloway Hills Rally, Dalbeattie
Reserve event
October 24 - Carlisle Stages Rally, Carlisle.
