A Dumfries man is set to compete in the Border Counties Rally tomorrow 20 years after his dad was killed taking part in the same event.
Roger Herron will be behind the wheel with Alan Doncaster in the co-driver seat next to him.
Alan was driving the Peugeot 206 that slid into a ditch and crashed into trees in 2003, resulting in the death of co-driver Roy at the age of just 50.
Roger and Alan’s aim is to do what didn’t happen two decades ago – get the car and the names Herron and Doncaster – to the finish line and on to the results list.
Roger, 42, said: “My dad died and Alan was seriously injured in the accident that happened during the second round of the Scottish Rally Championship in Kielder Forest.
“I was also competing that day. I waited for my dad and Alan to finish but they never did.
“Things went quiet and nobody really knew what was happening. It wasn’t until two or three hours later before I heard the news.
“My mum Beth was at home and I had to phone her straight away before she read it on Teletext what had happened.”
Alan, from Uplawmoor, was taken by air ambulance to Newcastle General Hospital, suffering from abdominal, chest, spine, leg and facial injuries.
Two days later, Roger and Beth made the journey to visit him there.
Roger said: “Alan was heavily medicated but we needed to tell him that nobody blamed him for what happened. It was purely an accident and one of the risks that you accept with rallying.
“We’ve never come to terms with losing dad but he’d been involved in the sport and loved it since he was a teenager so it was probably the way to go for him.”
Out of the tragedy grew an unbreakable bond between Roger and Alan, who describe themselves as “brothers”.
Alan, 45, said: “I had known Roy for a long time but we’d only ever done two rallies together.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him. Inside a rally car, you’re a partnership, and Roy put his trust in me that day.
“I’ve had to carry the guilt of his death all these years but Roger, Beth and the entire rally community embraced me and carried me through.
“Out of a terrible situation an unbreakable bond formed between me and Roger and I was best man at his wedding to Lee. We’re like family.”
Born and raised in the Machars, Roy had competed in motorsport since from the age of 17 and his life was steeped in the sport.
He was an active member of the local car club before joining Coltness Car Club.
Roger said: “We’d like to say a massive thanks to Niall Cowan Jnr and his dad Niall for letting us use their car for the rally and for all their time and effort in getting it ready. They’ve put a lot of trust in me.
“The car is looking great and will be even more poignant carrying the stickers marking the memory of dad, which rally organisers also did 10 years ago. It means so much to me.
“There are also a lot of other people we need to thank for their help in getting us to this point, including Mark McCulloch for his time on the car, Jock Armstrong for the use of his quarry to test the car and to many others who have loaned us equipment.
“We were always going to do something to mark the 20th anniversary of dad’s death and this is the ideal way. We just want to get the two names to the end as a mark of respect and to enjoy ourselves.”
