The final countdown is now under way – there is just a month to go before the leading stars of the high-profile Intercontinental Rally Challenge descend on Perthshire and Stirlingshire for the eagerly-anticipated 2010 RACMSA Rally of Scotland (15-17 October).

Factory-supported crews representing the likes of Skoda, Peugeot, Proton, Subaru and Ford will soon be heading for their latest event in San Remo, Italy and then it’s on to Scotland for the penultimate event on the IRC calendar.

Leading British drivers such as last year’s winner Guy Wilks (Skoda), 2009 IRC Champion Kris Meeke (Peugeot) and Scottish ace Alister McRae (Proton) are among the top names to watch for on Rally of Scotland that gets under with a spectacular Friday night start at Scone Palace. From there it moves into the forests of Perthshire and Stirlingshire for two days of high-speed action on some of the sport’s most exciting competitive timed stages in the world. The Ceremonial Finish – where this year’s winner will be crowned – will take place at Stirling Castle on Sunday afternoon.

Indeed, with superb input from national events agency EventScotland, the rally route takes in many iconic Scottish landmarks and stunning scenery to make Rally of Scotland truly one of the nation’s major sporting spectacles of 2010.

This week the event has really begun to take on an international flavour with Belgian ace Thierry Neuville (Peugeot) and rapid Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen (M-Sport Ford Fiesta) both lodging entries. More overseas crews are expected to register soon as many – despite having contested IRC rounds in South America and mainland Europe – are eager to compete in Scotland, regarded by many as the IRC’s most exhilarating and daunting test of the year.

In addition to McRae, the partisan crowds watching from the excellent vantage points out on the stages will have plenty more home talent to cheer on including Aberdeen youngster Dave Weston Jnr in his Subaru – a real star find on last year’s event – plus Colin Smith and co-driver Craig Chapman (also both from Aberdeen), competing for their tiny Perth-based crew, SCR-Sport from Perth, and out for glory in their Honda Civic in the smaller ‘Two Wheel Drive Cup’ class. They’ve already achieved a podium finish in class this season in the IRC’s Sardinia round. Weston Jnr, Smith and Chapman were all present at today’s Rally of Scotland ‘Media Day’ event at world-famous hotel Gleneagles along with Wilks and Meeke.

This year’s Rally of Scotland (15-17 Oct) falls a month earlier than 2009’s inaugural event. That should mean better weather for fans. The added fact that it is the IRC’s crucial penultimate round – with the title still in the balance – brings further drama and thrills to enjoy for the public who this year are also getting better value for money thanks to a restructured pricing policy. Admission for children to all stages and service areas is FREE while adults can purchase tickets for just £10 to see Friday night’s ceremonial start and opening stages or all-day passes (Saturday or Sunday) for just £20 or a full event Alba Pass for £45 (in advance only).

All tickets can be purchased via the official rallyofscotland.com website or the hotline 0844 847 2488. All adult tickets include a complementary official spectator programme worth £6.50 – UK based spectators should book their tickets before 9.00am on 7 October (9.00am on 1 October for overseas-based customers) to ensure their tickets are posted to them. Bookings made after these dates will require tickets to be collected from the Service Park on event.

The rallyofscotland.com website also provides latest event news and information including full details of stage locations, times and access. For those unable to attend, there’s plenty of TV coverage to keep up to date with latest goings-on with Eurosport broadcasting a third of the event live to a global audience.

IMS Chief Executive Andrew Coe commented: “The scene is set for a quite fantastic event in one of the most stunning locations any form of top-class motor sport could wish to visit. A world-class entry of teams, drivers and cars is already beginning to fall into place – the level of competition and the spectacle for the crowds is going to be sensational. Of course our many thanks must go to the local organisers and councils of Perth & Kinross and Stirlingshire, plus Forestry Commission Scotland for providing such a fantastic backdrop and EventScotland for its terrific support. It’s an event that Scotland should be justifiably proud of and also one which many other major events in the world of rallying and sport generally will also view with great envy.”

EventScotland’s Chief Operating Officer, Paul Bush OBE, said: “The event season in Scotland continues to drive ahead with great pace and the Rally of Scotland is set to help heat things up this autumn. We hope it will provide a wonderful three days of action and excitement for local spectators and those who head north to enjoy the race and all that Scotland has to offer.”