First ever historic car rally heading to Ayrshire
Lombard event never been held in Scotland before now
Last updated 13th Sep 2024
The man behind a first-of-its-kind car rally taking place in Ayrshire this weekend admits he hopes to make it an annual event.
Former race driver Tim Nash has been pivotal in bringing Scotland’s first-ever Lombard Rally Festival to Craufurdland Castle in Kilmarnock.
The festival will feature classic rally and sports cars from down the years and give motorsport enthusiasts a chance to see the vehicles up close and chat with the drivers.
The two-day show will attract people from all over the UK and Europe and, speaking to Clyde 1, Tim admits it is a chance to hark back to a bygone era.
He said: “The idea is to recreate something that looks like the old spectator stages that used to be at international rallies in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s.
“They were often taken to a stately home and would be driven around there, and they were easy for the spectators to come and see the cars in action, to see the cars before and after their runs.
“It’s recreating that sort of feel.”
Tim started these types of events in Bath in 2018, when he expected just a handful of people and rivers to turn up to talk all things motors.
But over a hundred drivers turned up with their cars a number that was beaten only by the spectators who arrived to watch them race around.
And Tim insists back in the day, rallying was a big deal to British sport fans.
“Rallying was a huge sport in Scotland and in particularly the central belt and Ayrshire,” he continued.
“This might sound daft, but back when I was rallying in the 1970s and 1980s, the Lombard RAC rally was the largest attended sporting event in the country.
“More people came out over the weekend that it ran that went to every football league match, all over the UK, put together, on any weekend in the year.
“It was an enormous event; millions of people came out.”
Before adding: “Sadly, car rallying is not the sport it was, it doesn’t take place in locations that are easily accessible now anymore.”
The future
Tim is confident a well-supported event will mean many more Lombards arriving in Ayrshire, as urged petrolheads to make their way to Craufurdland at the weekend.
He finished: “We very much want to make sure we keep running this.
“Please come along and support the event. The more people that do, the more chances it will continue for many years to come.”
The showcase will begin on Saturday with gates opening at 1 pm and again on Sunday at 8 am.
People travelling to the site are reminded the only access to Craufurdland Castle is via Waterslap, beside the Castle entrance.