MSA Scottish Rally Championship: TITLE RACE SET TO HOT UP ON SPEYSIDE
Posted: July 29, 2012 9:37 PM
Defending Scottish champion David Bogie believes next weekend's Gleaner Oil & Gas Speyside Stages Rally could see the closest finish of the season so far – with just a second or two separating the leading pair.
Bogie and co-driver Kevin Rae are looking for an unprecedented fifth straight victory on the Elgin-based event – the sixth round of the MSA Scottish Rally Championship.
The triple champions, who come off the back of a fourth 2012 victory on the RSAC Scottish Rally in June, head a strong field of around 100 crews.
Bogie expects to come under early pressure in his Mitsubishi EVO 9 from, among others, second seed Euan Thorburn, who finished runner-up on the Scottish in his Ford Focus WRC; Jock Armstrong, who marked his return to the championship by taking third in Dumfries in a Subaru Impreza; and regular front-runner Mike Faulkner, who was fourth in his EVO 6.
"As always the Speyside starts with two runs through the special spectator stage at Cooper Park in Elgin", said Bogie: "There's nothing to be gained there, but everything to lose. With the pace of the front runners being so close, I think this year we all have to go as hard as we can through there, because at the end of the day, it could be a second or two which splits the top two crews".
"Once out into the forests there's a new route with more stages, each with less mileage than previous years. So it's really going to be a sprint rally, and the key to success will be trying to make as few mistakes as possible. But our preparations are going well. No one had won the Speyside three times in a row, and I've managed four, so it's an event I've got fond memories of, and I hope I can back that up with a fifth victory".
Thorburn, with Inverness-based co-driver Paul Beaton on board, will be going all out to deprive his Dumfries rival of that honour.
The Duns' competitor suffered early car problems on the Scottish – losing more than a minute – but then proceeded to charge up the leaderboard to snatch second spot – evidence, if it was needed, that he had got to grips with the Focus WRC after a difficult start to the season.
However, Thorburn, who sits eight points behind Bogie in the points, knows it is now make or break time if he is to dent the champion's charge towards a fourth Scottish title.
"We kept our championship hopes alive on the Scottish – but only just. We need three wins from three now, so it's a big ask", said Thorburn, who was second on last year's Speyside.
Meanwhile, Armstrong, with Kirsty Riddick on the notes, returns to the event where twelve months ago his Subaru flipped onto its side, causing extensive damager.
The Castle Douglas pair finished as runners-up to Bogie and Rae the previous year, and will be aiming to go one better this time out. Although Armstrong is not in the title race, having only just returned to the series, he is registered and eligible for points.
Mike Faulkner and navigator Peter Foy start fourth in Elgin, after taking the third podium spot in 2011.
"I think we were put in our place on the Scottish, where we finished fourth", said Faulkner: "We drove our hearts out, and couldn't get anywhere close. It won't stop us giving it 100 percent again, but we have to be realistic. Our plan is to stay as close as possible and try to pick up the pieces if anything happens with the front runners. With eight short stages, including some new ones, it will provide a different challenge and we'll have to make every mile count".
Faulkner's Mitsubishi EVO 6 will be followed off the start line by the EVO 9 of Barry Groundwater – the driver with whom he currently shares second in the points, five adrift of Bogie. The Stonehaven competitor, who will be co-driven by Daniel Paterson, has had one of his best seasons so far in the SRC, including two third-place finishes.
Non-SRC registered Jon Burn, the 1999 Scottish champion, starts sixth in a Subaru Impreza WRC, alongside co-driver Allan Stark, ahead of the Inverness duo of Donnie MacDonald and Andrew Falconer in an EVO 9.
MacDonald, ninth on the Speyside in 2011, has had two top ten finishes so far this year, including sixth place on the Scottish.
Banchory's Bruce McCombie, with Michael Coutts of Torphins on the notes, is another driver who is having a positive campaign – he was third in the points on round three, and seventh in Dumfries.
John McClory and David Hood start ninth in their Subaru Impreza N15 – the Strathblane driver currently fifth in the championship points, eighteen adrift of Bogie, and ten back from fourth-placed Thorburn.
The top-ten starters in Elgin are rounded off by Quintin Milne in his Mitsubishi EVO 9. The Banchory-based competitor, with Aberdeen's Martin Forrest on the notes, is widely regarded as the "dark horse" on the event.
Milne did not take part in the Scottish, but showed real pace on the early rounds, only to miss out on a podium spot through a combination of car problems and punctures.
Ford Escort Mk2 pilot David Wilson from Alness and Jedburgh co-driver Dave Robson finished as the leading two-wheel drive crew in Dumfries and will lead the 2WD pack off the start line next weekend.
They will be fighting for class honours with fellow Mk2 exponent Keith Robathan from Alford, paired with long-time navigator Ian Nicoll from Forfar.
In the 1600cc category, John Boyd and Chris Williamson have built up a healthy lead in their Ford Fiesta R2 over the Honda Civic of Graeme Schoneville, co-driven by Michael Hendry. The two crews finished first and second, nine seconds apart, on the Scottish, with Schoneville declaring it as "one of the best battles of my rallying career so far". Others to look out for include Graeme Smith and Laura Marshall, also in a Civic, who are currently lying third in the drivers' and co-drivers' points, and fourth-placed Paisley's Alistair S.Graham and Alford's Laura Stuart in a Vauxhall Corsa.
In Class 3, Ayrshire's Blair and Alex McCulloch will look to press home their advantage after re-taking the championship lead on the Scottish in their Vauxhall Nova. Iain Haining and Mairi Riddick, also in a Nova, will want to capitalise on their class win last time out on their home event, while Inverbervie's Tom and Sue Hynd will be looking to get their campaign back on track in their Peugeot 205 Gti following their first non-finish of the season. Round one winner Willie Stuart, with Neil Ewing on the notes, will also be aiming to be in the mix in his Talbot Sunbeam.
Keith's Alex Pirie, co-driven by David Law from Huntly, has the opportunity to take the lead in Class 2 in his Vauxhall Corsa. He is just two points adrift of Dumfriesshire's Greg McKnight who is not entered for the event.
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