Money matters for Aberdeenshire driver Quintin Milne as he aims to compete with the Scottish rally elite after a superb second-place finish in the national rally championship.
The 33-year-old could only spend a 10th of the budget of British champion David Bogie (Dumfries) and placed ahead of recently crowned BTRDA Champion Euan Thorburn (Duns) in his converted Mitsubishi Evo 9 road car in a season to remember.
Now the Banchory driver wants to move up a gear in the Scottish rally championship to challenge for a first title.
To do so Milne needs to upgrade to a faster, more powerful and robust world rally car or at least match the machinery that gives experienced drivers Bogie and Thorburn an edge.
Milne can look back on a tremendous year in which he consistently beat the odds, winning the Borders Rally, placing third at the Scottish Rally, Speyside Stages and Merrick rallies and crossing the finish line in fourth at the Granite City Rally.
After leaving his job as a sales consultant for an oil company to work at the Aberdeen rally centre just outside the Granite City, Milne wants to make the transition to Scottish rally championship contender.
He said: “I could not have asked for a better season, considering I was up against world cars which are in a different league to mine and such a high level of talent in the top 10.
“It was a great result to finish second. After being considered best of the rest by many, I would like to take it further next season and it depends on sponsorship.
“I would love to move a step up and compete with the likes of David Bogie and Euan Thorburn and see how I fair on even ground.
“Motor sport is unlike other sports in that it comes down to money in many ways and I missed out the final round (Galloway Hills Rally) as I could not afford it, but fortunately it did not change my points total (as every driver drops two scores in the championship).
“I tried my best in inferior machinery and still managed to finish in the top three.”
Milne outlined the difference in cost and speed with his rivals.
He added: “A production car is a converted road car which has limitations in terms of suspension, strength and power.
“An engine in my car would cost £5,000, in a world car it would be £70,000. To run a world car it costs around £25,000 an event, to run my car it is about £3,000 an event.
“The world rally cars have one-and-a-half times the torque and if I had the same I would like to think I could be recording similar times to the likes of Bogie and Thorburn.
“Other drivers are spending up to 10 times the amount of money to be a second a mile or so ahead of me. It is like a First Division club in football competing at the top end of the Premiership.
“I am still mixing it with the best but I need to get another car to compete at the top in the next three months. The season starts again next February but I need to get a car quickly, test it and get used to it.
“I am very grateful to be able to drive a rally car and for of all the support I have been given. It is a real privilege and I would love to take it to the next level next year if I can.
“This year has been made possible by three Aberdeen companies: AGR Petroleum, Caledonian Logistics and John Wink Design; and all my friends who help me in the whole process of getting the car ready. It would be great if anyone out there could help us move up again.”
Contact Quintin at the Aberdeen Rally Centre or at qmilne@gmail.com if interested.