In the Scottish Parliament today, John Lamont MSP has said the 2017 Jim Clark Rally is “weeks away from being cancelled” and has urged the Scottish Government to do all it can to help it take place.
It has been announced that the tragic events of 2014 will be subject to a FAI following a lengthy Crown Office investigation into the incident.
Since 2014, the rally has not taken place in its original closed roads format. The FAI will also consider an earlier death at the February 2013 Snowman Rally in the Highlands. The Snowman Rally has continued to be held since this incident.
Local MSP John Lamont has said that while the legal process must be followed, the Scottish Government should work with Scottish Borders Council and the police to try to allow the 2017 Rally to take place.
In response, the Cabinet Secretary for Sport, Shona Robison said the organisers bid for a 2017 rally was being considered and promised to keep the MSP informed about how this progresses.
John Lamont MSP said: “The Fatal Accident Inquiry is likely to take years to complete, but it does not, in itself, prevent the Jim Clark Rally taking place.
“We are now just a matter of weeks away from the 2017 event having to be cancelled. The Snowman Rally, which is also subject to the FAI, has been allowed to continue and it seems unfair that the Jim Clark Rally has been postponed for so long.
“I urged the Crown Office to work closely with Police Scotland and Scottish Borders Council to try to allow the 2017 event to take place.”