Rallying: Dream racer on right road

Rugby reporter

Sunday 29 July 2012

John MacCrone wouldn't be the first young man to while away his time watching rallying videos on YouTube, but the 23-year-old joiner from Mull can at least offer the excuse that his interest is strictly professional.

John MacCrone can't wait to take part in the Rally of Finland this week Photograph: WRC Academy

Custom byline text:

Alasdair Reid

For while his contemporaries can only fantasise about hurtling sideways through Scandinavian forests, MacCrone will be living that very dream this week when he straps himself into his Ford Fiesta R2 alongside co-driver Stuart Loudon and sets off on the harum-scarum adventure that is the Rally of Finland, the most eagerly-awaited event on the calendar for those who like their motorsport served with a garnish of mud and gravel.

MacCrone will be taking part in the third round of the World Rally Championship Academy Cup, the feeder tier for those who aspire to rub shoulders with such acknowledged giants of the sport as Sebastien Loeb, Mikko Hirvonen and Petter Solberg. After events in Portugal and Greece, he and Loudon, a 24-year-old fitter from Glasgow, lie seventh in the Academy table, and this week's round – it starts on Wednesday – is an opportunity to take a stride towards the top-five place they crave.There are no more points on offer in Finland than at any other event, but its prestige dwarfs every other rally. "The Finnish rally is all on gravel," MacCrone explained. "There are some very famous stages here, and they're probably the fastest in the world. There are a lot of jumps as well, so it can be pretty hairy. It's sometimes called the Finnish Grand Prix because of how fast it is. It's definitely the place where you want to do well. If you can be fast here you'll be fast anywhere. Every guy I'm up against next weekend wants to go well here. If you can impress here then you'll catch the eye."Hence the hours watching YouTube footage, as MacCrone tries to familiarise himself with the stages he will be driving in a few days' time. Some of his fellow competitors might have the resources for more sophisticated – ie expensive – forms of reconnaissance, but rallying aficionados would surely be impressed by MacCrone's resourcefulness, a quality that has always been one of the foundation stones of the sport. They would also warm to the natural speed he has been showing since he hopped into a car for the first time at the Tour of Mull four years ago and announced himself to the rallying world by finishing 13th at his home event. It was not just an astounding debut, but a declaration of potential that would be fulfilled as MacCrone's progress through Scottish and British championships led him, almost inevitably, towards the world stage. Yet for all that he has grown familiar with a country-hopping lifestyle that will also take him to Germany, France and Spain over the next few months, MacCrone's fondness for his home event is undiminished. The Tour of Mull may not draw the sport's biggest names, but its combination of local colour, companionable atmosphere and glorious setting is so distinctive that those who repeat the claim that it is the "best rally in the world" are rarely guilty of hyperbole."It's definitely what got me interested," MacCrone said. "As long as I can remember, every October there were cars flying past my house and it was the biggest thing in my life. All year, I would look forward to the rally coming round."In which light, perhaps his smartest move was to take a job with TSL Contractors, the Craignure-based haulage, property and construction company which, conveniently, is headed by Andy Knight, a multiple winner of the Tour of Mull rally. As a consequence, he was able to complete his joinery apprenticeship while still getting the time off he needed to pursue his sporting ambitions."I only finished my apprenticeship about a month ago," MacCrone said. "My boss is very supportive and allows me to come away to events for a couple of weeks and to do stuff in between rallies too. I'm pretty lucky in that respect."It was also his good fortune to catch the eye of Richard Moore, founder and team principal at Rally Team Scotland, just at the point when major backing was required. "I won the Scottish Jr Championship and Richard spotted me and wanted to help me out," said MacCrone. "He knew I didn't have a big budget and didn't have big backing behind me. "He bought a car and helped me to compete in the British Championship. Ever since then we've been working together to push on further and move up the ladder. We decided to call it Rally Team Scotland in order to try to get Scottish companies on board and have an identity people could relate to and want to get involved with."That arrangement attracted major backers in the shape of Tunnocks and Palletforce. Yet at the heart of the effort, the most critical component remains the driving ability of MacCrone himself. His skills brought a stunning class win in the Wales Rally GB last year, and his ambition saw him back in the Principality a couple of weeks ago, where he was treated to an individual masterclass by Nicky Grist, the legendary co-driver who helped both Juha Kankkunen and Colin McRae become world rally champions. MacCrone said: "Colin McRae was my hero. When I was younger, my dad and I used to sit up late at night to watch reports of his rallies on television. So it was great to work alongside Nicky, who also gave me some good tips for Finland. Really, I'm living the dream."And where does the dream go next? MacCrone is undecided between a move up to full WRC level – and all the costs that would entail – and another year at Academy level, where his experience might allow a serious push for the title. In a sport of so many complex variables, it is understandable that he should want to keep his options open. "To a certain extent, I have things mapped out," he said. "It's not a great life plan that's cast in stone, but we have a general idea of where we want to be and how we're going to get there."

Contextual targeting label:

Automotive

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

Rallying: Dream racer on right road

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED