13 FEBRUARY / By David Ferguson
IF THE energy and stress that swirls around a driver during a rally sends your mind into an uncontrollable spin, then you should maybe stop reading at this point.
That is because the level of expectation, intensity, frustration, excitement and, occasionally, delight around a rally mechanic is a whole other ball game.
It goes without saying that none of the cars we marvel at in local, national and international rally events would even be there were it not for the long hours pre, during and post rallies that are put in by guys and girls who know the insides of motors better than anyone. But how many are really aware of the intense emotional rollercoaster these skilled operators endure?
Many drivers prepare their cars themselves out of love or necessity, and they will know of the challenges only too well, but in the complicated world of car engines there has been a growing demand for experts to help.
Scott Miller of G&M Mechanical Services – sponsors of the Scottish 2WD Championship – is a prime example. The 31-year-old can’t actually remember the first time he saw a rally car, his father John having been around them for a large part of his life and ‘wee Scott’ just following on behind him from a very early age.
Long hours and late nights just part of the job
But he can tell you how many gearboxes, diffs and brake discs he has fitted and changed in the last few weeks as he helps to prepare ten cars for competition in this year’s British and Scottish Rally Championships, and one-off events.
“Oh, aye, a few late nights, that’s for sure,” is his typically under-stated response to a question on whether this is a busy time, before returning under the bonnet.
Like me, you might wonder why they do it, year after year, so let’s start with the positive, and why he was quite emotional as 2025 drew to an end.
Since first stepping into the rallying world as a teenage mechanic, taking on more and more roles from and alongside his father, around 2010, Scott has shared the ambition of all of his car drivers to lift a championship. The 2WD titles have been the aim and there have been numerous close things, where an off at the wrong time, mechanical issues or simple bad luck has blown up a bid.
Two years ago, it was so close he could feel it as powerfully as a hot gear linkage in service. Paddy Munro was the most consistent driver in the Scottish 2WD category, and he even ended up with the most points, but the world of rallying and dropping rounds meant that he was pipped to the post. Another year, another close thing, back to the garage and the tools, the day-to-day of mechanical work easing the despondency.
And then 2025 came around and a few cars were out in force. We won’t recall the many ups and downs of the whole year here, and skip to the best bit – where Paddy and co-driver Andy Stevenson finished 14th overall in the SRC and claimed the 2WD championship in their Ford Escort Mk2, while another of G&M’s Rally Prep crews, Andrew Forbes and Alex Hill, finished second.
After the blood and sweat, came the tears
“I’m not an emotional man, really, but yes I had a tear in my eye at that I have to admit, just because that’s how much it meant to me,” he said.
“It was pretty stressful as Paddy went off in the last rally, and he never goes off, so he didn’t finish the last one, and then you’re waiting to see what everyone else does. That last rally was one of the most stressful events I’ve ever done, with things constantly changing all the time.
“And that was just the end. There’s so much that goes into the whole year, so many ups and downs, so many hopes when the car goes out and so many things that can go wrong in motorsport, from the cars to drivers, weather to the stages, that it can actually get painful. So, to come through it all with your guys winning… it’s impossible to put into words, really.
“But, aye, the mechanics do care more than what some people probably think and after 16 years of hoping one of your guys would become a champion it’s amazing to finally get there. Of course, it’s the driver and navigator who make it happen out there, but we put a lot into getting the cars in prime condition and able to withstand the battering they take on every rally, and to see Paddy and Andy come home with the championship was just brilliant.”
Scottish crews continuing to make their mark on world rallying
Also now a contractor for M-Sport and Nasser Racing, G&M Mechanical Services Rally Preparation is now recognised as one of the leading support crews in Scotland, following in the footsteps of the Buckleys and other great Scottish companies exporting their talent and hard work around the globe. Scott’s passport has many European stamps from Finland to Portugal, as well as the Middle East to Chile and Argentina, from servicing cars at all levels up to WRC and Dakar with M-Sport and Nasser Racing.
But it all started for him in Scone, Perthshire, as the Robert Douglas Memorial schoolboy found his time being spent more and more in a garage.
“I would come home from school, go to the workshop and spend more time there than I would be doing my homework most days,” he said. “My dad and his former business partner started running a car for a friend, who rallied as a hobby really.
“I loved it. I loved being around the cars, seeing the drivers and crews doing their magic to get everything out of cars, and I loved going to servicing at rallies and going out to watch on stages to see how they were getting on. I just grew up with it. Now I have a son of my own, there’s always the hope that he follows in the same footsteps as I did with my father.
“I’ve been asked many times whether I wanted to drive, but aside from the cost of it, which you’re well aware of as mechanic, the rallying side of the business has just kept growing and growing over the years and so I’ve been too busy with that.
“Now the rally workshop is often busier than the front workshop, as I call it, which is pretty full of road cars, vans, trailers and stuff. I’d say we’re at about 50:50 with general work and rally cars during the year, but in the last week or so getting ready for the Snowman and the new SRC season I’d say it’s absolutely 90:10 in favour of rally cars. We’ve got four people in the workshop at the moment and there’s only one round the front – and we’ve got others all helping us out through the week and at the weekend coming – so that shows you where the priority is right now!”
‘I hate failure – I can’t help but feel responsible’
At this stage, responsibility for getting the cars in the best shape possible for drivers with a variety of temperaments brings big responsibility.
“I’m sort of renowned for being a bit of a perfectionist,” said Scott, “which can be good and bad. I will spend every minute on getting things just right… you just hate failure. If the car doesn’t finish, there can be all sorts of reasons, but I can’t help but feel responsible – I see myself as accountable for that.
“Even when it’s nothing to do with me, you’re frustrated and wonder if you could have done something different. Thankfully, there’s rarely a mechanical fault but if there is that really drives me up the wall. I absolutely hate it because it’s the end of the day our names are on these cars, and it’s failed.
“People spend a lot of money to compete in rallying and so I feel my reputation is on the line every time a car leaves a garage. And that’s why the feeling when it wins is just amazing.
“When we came so close in 2024, finished with most wins and top of the points, but lost out because of the fact you have to drop rounds, it was horrendous, but I suppose that made it even better when Paddy got there last year. And I suppose that’s what drives you on now, to repeat it and, whether it’s Paddy or someone else, see one of your crews come out on top. It’s the best feeling in the world.”
Growing up with Scottish rallying’s next generation
Scott hopes to have five cars involved in the Snowman this weekend as the SRC 2026 launches back in the Highlands, before heading to the Border Counties next month for its return to the SRC and its old Tweed Valley stages. One of the newcomers is Borderer Robbie Wood and Scott is particularly delighted to be supporting the 21-year-old as he takes his first steps into a full Scottish championship.
“The cars vary from some that needs lots of prep with gearbox rebuilds, transmissions, suspensions, to others that don’t need much at all, just checking, cleaning etc, but you’re working to make sure that everything’s as absolutely safe and reliable as it can be.
“But, yes, it’s been great seeing young Robbie stepping up because I’ve known him since he was a toddler I think. We have both grown up in the rallying world with our dads, and I think I’d be maybe in my teens when he was being brought to rallies by Andrew and Ann, and I’ve watched him grow as a brilliant quad racer and now come into rallying – the sport we both love.
“When he hired a car from us for the Border Counties last year, he was right on the pace straight away, which was pretty cool.
“I took him for a little run and was just showing him what to do, and he just took to it like a duck to water. I’ve seen people drive rally cars for 20 odd years and not many have that natural ability. I wouldn’t like to predict too much about his future because I know how frustrating this sport can be, but I’m really excited about working with him this year.”
The passion keeps on driving the enthusiasm
So, despite finally seeing one of his cars at the top of the tree, and the stress that comes with every rally, and every championship, Miller time is continuing.
“You always get to the end of a year and people are quiet about their plans so you’re not sure what the next year will bring,” adds Scott, “and then January comes and I’ve gone from thinking it might be a bit quieter to having everyone it seems wanting us to support them.
“So, we’ll have ten or 11 on the go this year, some competing regularly and some in events here and there; some close to home and others all over the place, so plenty of challenges, plenty of excitement … plenty of stress!
“But if I didn’t have a passion for it, I wouldn’t be doing it. Yes, the experiences, the people you meet and the travelling is great, and rallying has taken me to places I’d never think of going, but if the passion’s not there, which, for me, means to do whatever it takes to get cars in the best shape they can be, just like in any walk of life, then you’re wasting your time.”
It’s an interesting final comment as much of the work mechanics do on cars for rally events could feel like a bit of a waste when the car doesn’t make it to the finish or compete in the way hoped.
But in that mechanics are no different to drivers, navigators, marshals, organisers and fans – the unique thrill of rallying and being on that rollercoaster overtakes everything else.
