Friday night's alright for rallying as McDonald & Munro Speyside Stages motors into a second day for the first time this weekend

The 25th running of the Speyside Stages rally is promising to be the best yet.

Moray and Aberdeenshire's leg of the KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championships is staged on a Friday and Saturday for the first time.

Organisers 63 Car Club (Elgin) will have the event running smoothly again in their own 60th year, marking 10 years of their partnership with main sponsors McDonald & Munro.

For the first time, two special stages will be held in the forests on the Friday night, with reverse seeding guaranteeing that the top boys run in the darkest of conditions. A proper challenge to mark this special year.

Topping the bumper entry are Snowman winners Jock Armstrong and Hannah McKillop, the Impreza continuing to defy the hordes of R5s and Rally 2s. The car will be looking refreshed with a new spoiler.

As always, there's a huge entry of Moray-based crews and a strong representation for the 63 Car Club led by Huntly driver John Wink in car five, fresh from an excellent third place at the Snowman alongside Elgin co-driver Neil Shanks.

With Shanks again unable to compete as he is clerk for the course of the Speyside Stages, Wink teams up with Whitchurch-based Will Atkins in his Hyundai 120 R5.

Angus Lawrie and Paul Gribben are top Evo seeds, fifth on the Snowman despite late engine issues. They’re followed by Scott Beattie and Peredur Davies’ Evo 7 and the Satria of Mark McCulloch with his Aberlour navigator Michael Hendry. Those two crews had a ding-dong battle on the Snowman, only decided by punctures on the final stage.

Elgin rally veterans involved in the event include navigator Iain Thorburn in Inverness driver Keir Beaton's Escort Mk2 at car 25, and John Shepheard co-driving for Tain's Michael Renton in car 34.

Speyside regulars Mike Grant and Graham Kelman team up in their Impreza in car 55 while Peter Garrow and Karen Gordon compete in an Escort in car 74.

Keith driver Scott Mutch teams up with Mosstodloch sidekick Greg McDonald in a Subaru GC8 and Forres' Dougal Brown, with Keith's Lewis Rochford in the passenger seat also back, their MK2 setting fastest 2wd times towards the end of the Snowman as the former champions got back into their groove.

Elgin drivers Brett McKenzie in car 44 - fresh from a class win on round 1 - and Brian Ross in car 47 will look to do well, as will Sandy and Ian Arbuthnott in an Escort Mk2 at car 59.

Alves' Neil Philip drives car 73, an Impreza, and Elgin drivers Colin Patterson (Escort Mk2) and Robert Tonge (MG ZR) are in cars 77 and 81.

Another Keith driver takes on the stages as Damian Breckon in a Fabia S2000 Evo enters with co-driver Angus Kennedy.

Elgin's Sean Donnelly again navigates for Kinneff-based Brian Watson in an Impreza in car 107.

Second on the Snowman, the Speyside is going to be a big weekend for Michael Binnie and Claire Mole, lining up for the first time in John Forrest’s Fiesta R5.

Freddie Milne and Patrick Walsh line up third in their 2-litre engined Skoda Fabia.

Hugh Brunton and Drew Sturrock had a low-key run at the Snowman by their standards. They are seeded just ahead of Stephen Petch and Michael Wilkinson.

Bruce McCombie and Michael Coutts represent 63 Car Club in their first start of 2023, returning to the SRC behind the wheel of a Fiesta Rally 2 for the first time.

An excellent fourth on the Snowman, Finlay Retson and Paul Beaton look to continue that momentum in round 2. Two second-fastest times on the last two stages on the Snowman showed their ability and pace in the woods in the Rally 2 Fiesta.

Other crews in the mix include Scott McCombie and Murray Strachan in their Evo 9. Bob Adamson and Jamie Edwards look for another solid finish after a good Snowman.

Both John Rintoul and Iain Wilson endured difficult days at the Snowman and will be looking to improve. Willie Paterson and John Morrison are looking to bounce back after not finishing round 1 as is Subaru Cup sponsor Barry Groundwater in his Polo S2000.

Reigning 2wd champions Peter Stewart top the Autoshop 2wd seeds after a dominant performance on the Snowman in their 208 R4. Their big rivals from last year Stuart Egglestone and Brian Hodgson were an early retirement on round 1 but return to the rally where they took their 1st 2wd win in 2022.

David Wilson and Kerrie MacGillivray took an excellent second in the 2wds at the Snowman in the big orange BMW Compact despite late engine issues.

Gordon Murray makes a return in the big Escort, rebuilt after it’s Grampian accident, with Terry Mallin alongside for the Speyside. Paddy Munro and David O’Brien line up just behind them, the blue MK2’s new engine one of the best sounding powerplants on the Snowman.

The 1600 front wheel drive cars could provide a highlight of the event. Des Campbell and Craig Forsyth make their first foray into the woods for around eight years in the famous 206. They’ll be chased down by reigning Moates Offshore junior champion Robert Proudlock and Steven Brown. The Adam crew fresh from another excellent run in the BTRDA Championship.

Former Ecosse J1000 champion Archie Swinscoe makes his gravel debut in his Adam, co-driven by 2018 Scottish champion navigator Jane Nicol.

John McIlwraith and Heather Grisedale were one of the sensations of the Snowman, dominating both the Albyn Garage Challengers and the Groundwater Lift Trucks Subaru Cup in finishing 12th overall. Can the C5 specification Impreza pull off another giant-killing performance at the Speyside?

Duncan Campbell and Michael Cruickshank ran second in the Challengers contest at the Snowman until gearbox problems forced them out. The Impreza crew are fired up for round 2, particularly looking forward to stretching the car’s legs in Gartly, a stage that has always suited their car.

Championship sponsor Kevin Crawford & Andrew Stevenson’s luck finally changed with an excellent run on the Snowman. Kevin will be especially keen to get through Cooper Park in particular after last year’s performance. Anyone familiar with our video coverage will have seen how that went.

Other 4wd challengers to watch include Scott Peacock and Craig Wallace in their Evo 8 and the Subaru Cup Imprezas of Jordan Anderson and Ian Macdougall.

Championship supporter Mike Moates and Gary McDonald ran very well on the Snowman, really enjoying the car on its new suspension. Their 2022 rival Orrin McDonnell didn’t even see the start of the Snowman due to engine issues and is looking to kick start his and co-driver Clare Fraser’s season. They’re followed by fellow Subaru Cup competitors Thomas Rapson and Michael Sutherland and the Evo of John Easson award winner Johnnie Mackay and Ian Parker.

Jim Robertson tops the Haddo Energy Super Seniors after his win on round 1. The Escort man, joined by new navigator Graham Wild, will be hoping for fewer small issues than he experienced on round 1. They will be chased all the way by 208 pilot Richard Stewart and Carin Tait-Logan and Haddo Energy supremo himself Ernie Lee, joined by wife Patricia as always in the wonderful sounding BMW 325i.

Reigning ladies champion Aileen Forrest opened her title defence with a win on the Snowman. Both her and husband John will also have one eye on their R5 Fiesta in the hands of Michael Binnie and Claire Mole, excited to see what they can do in a Pro4 spec car.

Meghan and John O’Kane make their second start with a 2 litre engine in the Fiesta, hoping to bounce back after retiring on the Snowman. Meghan made herself internet famous in 2022 with a fantastic sideways moment in Cooper Park, hopefully she can get some good miles under her belt with the new engine.

The ladies are also very well represented on the other side of the car with a fantastic 17 co-drivers lining up to tackle the Speyside.