 Well this weekend on Highland TV we are of course looking forward to the Jewel Donegal International Rally which takes place next weekend in the county. As always it's one of the most popular events here in the northwest and it really would be the standout event on the Irish Tarmac Championship calendar and on the Motorsport calendar through the year. I'm joined in studio by two of the members of Colin for Donegal, Stephen Sherdon, who we can call him team manager and the man who's going to be driving the car James Colin, James and Stephen you're welcome to the studios of Highland. Thank you Yossi. Well what about a week or so out from the from the International Rally you're going to compete in a Mark II. Preparations, fair to say James, haven't been ideal over the last five to seven days have they? I think they were going great there till I come in here this morning. Stephen was after telling me the car where Havins Mark II Escort has been hired from Noel Loughran and there's a guy had it in Monster last weekend and he was going great and doing brilliant onto the second match day. It did a little bit of damage so apparently now that's the knock-on effect that means we're not getting around in the car the first time we'll see it now or drive it will be at least at the weekend so just have to apologize to the guys behind me now in advance. Well it's the rally at least that you're going to this weekend. The rally at least now this Sunday. You're not going to get as much prep time as you hoped in the car. I'd hope to get a little run out on it and see what the gears are and get the state done and just to get in the climatization with it and feel what you know these cars are. I've been lucky enough I've sat on my Martin Dordy in his car and it's a real eye-opener. These cars are not slow like they're seriously quick cars and maybe they shouldn't be given to old boys like me to start with but that's the way it is. So it's not the ideal thing but sure listen this is all about what is a nostalgia trip for all of us so as long as we don't hold anybody up with the weekend and we'll learn a little bit and have it ready for Donnie Gollins. We're not putting wings or a quarter panels on before Donnie Gollins. We'll be happy. Okay well sure. We'll talk about that in a little bit more depth in a few moments time but Stephen we'll talk about the idea of calling for Donnie Gollins. It is of course 25 years since the the pink panther took victory. When did the idea of marking the occasion come about and who was the men involved in it? The idea is on the go now for over a year and a half and it started one night in Remelton and the unfamous Murrowview Steakhouse. Aiden Carey was there and Aiden came up with a brilliant idea and then I saw her and myself were in this company and we all thought it was a great idea. We just had to figure out who was going to take it and run with it and ended up that the three of us brought on board another few guys, Brian McDade, Joe Hunter and Martin Dorday and that's the team that has got it to here. Yeah, Vascord is the car. Did you have a good look at trying to find a pink car, a pink Sierra? We did. We investigated and talked to people that have Sierra's but the Escort has evolved over the years to be a pretty good car to drive, a really reliable car. The Sierra's are running in the historic. They haven't evolved the same way in reliability. It was going to be an issue and the effort that we were putting into this we felt that we owed to James, we owed to the people who put the name on the car and to everybody else. We need a car that has a good chance of going the distance and we felt that the Sierra just wasn't the option so we ended up with Escort. You've been involved in rallying in different teams and you've been highly involved in the organizational side of it as well Stephen but I'm sure this is probably one of the most exciting projects you've been involved in is it? Well I've been away from rallying for 10 or 12 years and I never thought that I would be involved at any level again like that's apart from going to White's Rally but this is a brilliant buzz about it and it has captured the imagination of a lot of people. People are happy to become on board and are happy to be involved in the times. It's not easy for people to write the checks to do something like this here but fair play to everybody. They've caught the spirit, they've kept your idea but it's a nostalgic thing. It's honouring a great man and a great rally in County and we're just delighted to bring it this far. And there's a lot of people involved in it trying to bring this thing together but it's the days now. Get closer to it Stephen. How's it feeling with the Camare? Good. We don't actually have a Camare. We'd say it from the start to it would be no Camare but the group of people that is looking after the project. Getting the car out of the weekend has been a bit of a setback. It's a bit unsettling but these things do happen as Jim said hopefully it'll not be us doing repairs next weekend after leash. And we're nearly there. We have a few more bobs to gather. We have a bit of space left in the car but the press conference last Friday night where the car turned up later now that there's just nearly enough space left in the car. We've got this far. We have done it after all the chat and all the predictions and suggestions. Technically Sears sitting there with a letter and honour was something special. And the car was getting a lot of attention as well from those that was there. Fair play to Bernard and CBM. He promised us a car that would be noticeable and they has incorporated all the wee things that we wanted. They put a pink honour, the pink panthers honour if you look in the right places and our sponsors have all got the prominence that they deserve. James, back to you. What did you think of all this when they first approached you? Well, to be quite honest, I thought this would never happen. It's a great idea. We'll go with it for the Kraken. We'll enjoy talking about the old days and then as the thing went on it can become, you know, it's reality now. And it's a wee bit, not unsettling but you know, we'll be apprehensive because never been a bit of a long time out of the car. These cars are what they are. They're like Irish rallying, it's nearly about Mark II escort and you can understand, when you go to watch them, you can understand why. And the guys that drive them are fantastic, they know them and side out. Their commitment is awesome. You know, I've watched them, the last few rallies there now because you've got an extra interest. And they're fantastic to watch, like that really is common good again and I suppose I'm very fortunate that at my age I'm getting a chance to go back down memory lane and since this started and even I was down in Monster last weekend with Martin Doherty and there are people coming out of the woodwork everywhere and saying low tea and it's great to see this and it's brilliant and I tell you, I remember this and I remember that car and I remember being in the circuit of Ireland and and this has been on for me now for three weeks, like it's like it's like having your wake before you die. And I'm sure it's emotional too with the connection of Donegal and Ellen of course who's no longer with us and she was a crucial part of the James Cullen team and taking victories in Donegal. Absolutely, like we've done 16 years rallying together so you know in those years there are lots of ups and downs and we try and hold on to the good days like and sadly that's one of the things that's missing that'd be nice to you could have you know like last year got Bunsen Boner and she was back out two years ago like it but sadly Ellen's not with it so that that can't be done like but that's been part of it like and I'm going to start to think from my point of view personally the amount of people that the guys that I would have rallied against the guys you respected your peers and how many of them are not here and what we started through your list the last day like and it's really a scary. So it's brilliant for all the people who are here who can talk about the people who you know we're still here and it's a truck down mermi lane for all the people in my generation like who rallied at that time who who watched rallies who competed in rallies and let's take a wee refresher for that there and it's actually it's a brilliant. Here we're giving a few of the older boys about I hope the best end of James Cullen can do it I can do it. Well there's a few old boys about there you know it would hit you up rightly like you know I was going to say we'll say we'll not make any predictions now this is hopefully what we want to do is get to the finish. Let's look at look at the car we've talked about it a bit but how does it compare to the car that you won in 1991? It's a completely different like there really are I can't even remember what the car felt like back then you know because everything evolves and we've gone through the four-wheel drive here since that and that would be my last memories of rallying would be that on the Group N car. There really are now you can understand why the buzz is on them why guys want to drive them I was in Martin's car and it just feels like a word rally car that's pretty serious car now. And you're sure you're looking forward to going around some of the big the big classics on it? I'm looking forward you know it once you get this over and Friday over and settled in like and you go back into the the old classic parts of the rally and the best ones are Sunday unfortunately so just we hope we're there for Sunday and be like to head to Glen and Atlantic Drive and fan it some of the best stages in the world again when you thought like you know you'd never do this again like completely and totally on my own mind like you know my rallying time for fun is like I'll not be doing it as quick as you'd like to do it but you still will get the sensation and the enjoyment and like it's you know maybe you're gonna have to do your last event and and it's Donegal and Donegal is so special I've loved it for 30 years and you know to get the opportunity to do this again and I think it's as you get older and you are retired and you come back you actually appreciate a lot more of your own sport than your own county when you get the chance to to go down that road again. And there'll be a lot of memories over the weekend but you have to stay focused as well and get the character then don't you? Well that's that's that's the plan like and hopefully we can behave ourselves and do that like and you know but as I keep repeating the car as they're they're a very seriously quick machine like and just sort of hope that you're reacting. No if you can be comfortable with the car get a pace that we're comfortable and enjoy it and usually when you enjoy it then things kind of fall into place. Yeah. Like as I keep saying the support we're getting and the people who are coming to the rally like a brother George is coming back from Thailand for this rally. There's people coming out that rallied with us years ago who serviced, who supported and they're all coming back again like and so that's great for everybody. And that's as proof Stephen that how important James is to to don't it go? For sure we have got great support and people are very enthusiastic in different ways but have got mighty support. We wouldn't have got the support I wouldn't have got the support if it was me who's going rallying or anybody else. People are delighted to get the opportunity to support them again. And you know sometimes I think that we're not great in this country at honouring our heroes. We do talk occasionally about them and then you meet up and unfortunately maybe it's at somebody's funeral or something like that and I think it's a privilege to be able to honour them in this way to be able to do this. And the proof of that is in the way that people wrote on behind us to do it because no matter what sport you're involved in everybody has heroes and it's nice to be able to recognize them and give them the recognition they deserve. And I'm sure the motor sport fraternity supporters and Donny Gaul and elsewhere would like to honour James when he's coming over the finish ramp on Sunday. He has promised us he's going to get over the finish ramp and he's not even going to marker. And we're really looking forward to that and there'll be some party on Sunday night. It'll not be the party on 91 but we'll give it a good run. And just finding James if you're going to get this car to the finish will the racing bug be back at any stage over the weekend because I'm sure once you sit in the car and once you get comfortable it's going to appear at some stage. The problem is like your mind tells you one thing and your body tells you another so hopefully like you know this is rallying at the end of the day and once you put the numbers in the side you don't know what's going to happen and hopefully you can control yourself. You know the idea is to finish like but you know there's no there's no guarantees on anything like you know. And we'll have to mention the man as well that's something alongside you it's going to be calling the notes because he's going to have an important role of keeping you calm is it? Well I have two guys now actually Joe Freed's going over and Joe's been about for as long as me and he's been retired for 10 years so we've got him convinced to go to Lees so and Damien Colley the Dentman like Damien's very very experienced one of the best co-drivers in the country so hopefully Damien's influence will will help us get it like our jobs to get it to the finish really and hopefully we can do that like but that's the goal but that's everybody's goal nobody goes out on Friday like not to finish on Sunday so fingers crossed we'll make it. Well that's in good three Lees first of all this this this coming weekend and we'll all look forward to the build-up with Colin for Donnie Gaul next week and we'll be seeing you at the finish ramp on the Sunday won't we? Lovely cheers guys that's fantastic. Thank you guys.