Turbine power has delivered a vital sponsorship boost to this weekend’s Brechin cartie race.
Thousands of people are expected to pour into the Angus town on Saturday for the Halloween in the City spectacular, organised by the BRAVO Brechin community group and they welcomed the injection of support from a new main sponsor, which will help the event move up a gear.
In addition to becoming main sponsor, Alba Power, based at Nertherley, near Stonehaven, will enter one of the 30 carties in the weekend field on the near kilometre-long course from its High Street start.
Alba Power sales manager Campbell Archibald said the company was delighted to be backing the fun event but admitted the regulations had prevented the firm from fully harnessing the turbine technology it has developed for customers across the globe.
“We are really excited to be part of something that engages with so many in the local community,” he said.
“Many of the workforce at Alba Power are from the local and nearby area and this will mean a great day out for them and their family.”
Derek Harper of BRAVO Brechin said: “This is the third cartie race and as we grow we are learning every time.
“The addition of a main sponsor will allow us to do that even more and Alba Power’s support is a really great boost, to add to all the other backing we have had since we established the event.”
Town businessman Ian McIntosh, of Duncan McIntosh Trailers at Brechin Business Park, has been tweaking the firm’s entry, which he will pilot on Saturday, hoping it can retain the honour of being the fastest local cartie in a field which will also include entries from Northumberland and throughout Scotland.
He said: “When they set up the cartie event, I thought it was something that was right up our street.
“We’ve a good engineering workshop here and after starting out with a fairly simple idea for a cart we’ve moved things on a lot.”
The trailer firm’s machine is now a sleek racer, with an adapted roofbox for bodywork and a specialised braking system which has also proved an effective advertising vehicle for the business.
“It’s a talking point to customers here and we also take it to our trade stand at events like the Angus Show,” added Ian.
Brechin should also see the crowning of the Scottish Cartie Association champion in the 2014 race to find the nation’s soapbox racing supremo.
Event chairman Gavin Brymer, of BRAVO Brechin, said: “As well as being a fun event for the town, it’s the grand final of the cartie association’s tournaments throughout Scotland and some of the racers take things very seriously in trying to build the best cartie.”
Saturday’s programme will see morning practice runs on the High Street-Bridge Street course, which finishes near the leisure centre and is Scotland’s biggest gravity cartie race.
Brechin pipe band is lined up to fanfare the start of proceedings, with a gravity bike head-to-head demo races scheduled to take place before the serious business of racing gets under way just after noon.