PICTURE SPECIAL: Drivers face tough conditions on classic Lejog car rally
Europe’s toughest endurance rally, LeJog 2022 finished after five legs and 1300 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats (Dec 3-6).
The competitors attended a special dinner with the presentation of awards at the Norseman Hotel in Wick which saw the haggis piped in by Alasdair Miller, carried by chef Phil Overton and addressed by Willie Mackay.
Stephen Owens won the HERO Cup and Pete Johnson is Golden Roamer winning navigator and 12 medals were awarded to top crews.
Competitors tackled 33 regularities and 17 tests, but significantly, the large European contingent from 13 different countries and one American, really enjoyed their dose of endurance over some of the toughest and most remote roads in the UK. Their clamour for LeJog’s unique endurance recipe helps maintain its reputation as one of the most demanding yet adrenalin packed historic reliability trials in Europe.
Deputy clerk of the course for LeJog, Nick Reeves, changed the route for 2022 to run up the west coast past the gateways to the Scottish islands, then across the top of the remote rugged coastline roads to John O’Groats. The adventurous route included a night test at Oban Airport after the runway closed for the day, its staff ushering the cars into position using their glow batons normally reserved for guiding aircraft. The European teams, in particular, loved the rugged nature of the testing tracks.
Traditional historic venues such as the Rest and be Thankful were still in the popular mix, but during the final two legs the pressure mounted as crews ran for 26 hours with just a two-hour break. There were two long regularities over narrow fast undulating tracks to keep teams on their toes in the Strath
More hills and past Loch Naver. The final regularity came after a welcome dawn breakfast, and it proved to be a real "sting in the tail" – the final punch which had some navigators swearing, others in awe. Whilst the international teams loved the adventure of LeJog, some were "less enamoured" by the traditional Scottish breakfast which included haggis and black pudding served at dawn.
Twelve medals were awarded, six golds, four silvers and two bronze after a great battle by different crews and their cars to achieve the traditional LeJog valued medal status.
Two HERO-ERA championships were resolved at the same time during this, the last HERO-ERA event of the 2022 season. Stephen Owens finally won the HERO Cup for drivers, a championship he has been runner up in on five previous occasions.
Pete Johnson also won the prestigious Golden Roamer Award for the highest placed navigator in 2022 after a tussle with another top navigator Henry Carr.
