Junior rally driver Alick Kerr heads for the next round of the Hankook Scottish Rally Championship on a high after a string of impressive results in recent events.

The 20 yearold from Bothwell is set to take on the Elgin-based Gleaner Oil and Gas Speyside Stages as he looks to keep up his rapid rate of progress in the Leaker Direct Subaru Impreza.

Although Kerr had never driven a four-wheel drive car in anger before the third round of this year’s championship, he wasted no time in showing he has the pace to mix it with the usual SRC frontrunners.

Foundry engineer Alick has scored top-ten stage times on every outing with the car so far, and finished the RSAC Scottish Rally seventh overall and third in class.

Despite having to sit out one round earlier in the year, the former 205 Ecosse Challenge and Fiesta SportingTrophy driver also sits twelfth in the Scottish Rally Championship’s overall standings. As competitors discard their two lowest scores over the course of the season, Alick’s championship position could increase significantly if he nets a good result in the Moray forests. Co-driver Drew Sturrock is doing just as well – the MSA Rally Academy member sits in fifth spot outright in the codrivers’ title race with only three rounds to go.

The Alick Kerr Motorsport team will be further spurred on by a strong showing on a recent testing day in New Galloway, where Alick and Drew took part in the latest phase of the Hankook-backed Scottish junior programme. With a fully-funded drive on an international rally in a front-running car as a prize for the top Scottish junior this year, Alick’s team are pulling out all the stops to give the youngster the best possible chance of securing the prize drive. The input from Subaru Group N head honcho George Donaldson on the test day will buoy Kerr as he heads to the Speyside.

“The Scottish was a very important event for us as it was the first time we were able to run the car all day without any problems,” believes Kerr. “I was very encouraged to see my times aren’t far off the top SRC drivers and with more experience in the car I’m hoping to go faster still.”

“Alick’s driving has been very impressive considering the limited time he’s had in the car so far,” agrees Aberdeenshire navigator Sturrock. “We’ve scored some great results and I’m sure we can do even better as we gain confidence in the car.” Further information on the team can be found at www.alickkerr.com