The R W Thomson 57th Memorial Rally - Sunday June 28th
When I first attended the RW Thomson Memorial Rally around 7 or 8 years ago, like today it was based in Minaralwell Park in Stonehaven but the entries covered around half of the main field. It was a very good show with plenty to see and do and of course it was held to celebrate one of Stonehaven's greatest inventors - Robert William Thomson, the inventor of the pneumatic tyre. Born in 1822, RW Thomson was a brilliant Scottish Inventor whose ideas helped shape modern transport around the world. Patented in 1845, the very first pneumatic tyre was far ahead of its time and this event proudly remembers and celebrates his legacy.
The show has grown in popularity over recent years and this year featured over 650 entered vehicles. This year's showcase attracted so many classic cars, vintage tractors, and commercial vehicles that organisers had to spread the displays across two fields!
As usual, we had a club stand at the event and were located in our now traditional spot at the top of the hill with a commanding view over both fields. 17 crews from the Club entered and made a very impressive display. Due to the number of cars attending, this year we were not allowed to turn into the park from the opposite side of the road but instead had to drive into Stonehaven, turn around and join the queue coming out of town. As it was bright and sunny even at that time of the morning, this led to some very hot engines and just as Mike Austin was turning into the park in his MGF, ominous puffs of steam were seen coming from under the bonnet. Having just had some major work carried on the car this was a concern but Mike elected to park the car at the entrance and wait for it to cool down; suspecting a possible split hose. Ably assisted by Phil Kenyon, they returned to the car, armed with a torch and a mirror purchased from one of the stands, they returned to the car and after a thorough examination they could find nothing wrong! They topped it up with coolant and drove it onto the stand with no further dramas - the consensus being that it had suffered from an air lock in the cooling system following the work. After bleeding the system, all was well!
The event included a short road run around the town to showcase some of the cars.
This show is one of the highlights of the year and if you have never been, is thoroughly recommended. It fills up very quickly - I reserved the club stand back in early January so keep an eye out early in 2027 if you would like to join us.
