Speyside - (Sat) 22 Apr 17

Bogie takes record-breaking Speyside victory

Posted: June 5, 2017 7:44 AM

David Bogie grabs eighth victory in Elgin based Scottish Rally Championship qualifier

Five-time Scottish rally champion David Bogie took a dramatic victory at the third round of the 2017 ARR Craib MSA Scottish Rally Championship (SRC), winning the McDonald & Munro Speyside Stages by over 40 seconds in his Skoda Fabia R5.

The Dumfries driver claimed a record-breaking eighth win in the Moray and Aberdeenshire forests but was challenged early on by reigning SRC champion Jock Armstrong. However, the slippery, flowing stages would later claim the Subaru Impreza pilot who would disappear down the order in the closing stages of the event.

Bogie was on the pace immediately, grabbing the lead after SS3, the first gravel test that followed the two tarmac spectator stages in Elgin’s Cooper Park. A puncture would see the Skoda driver lose his lead briefly to Armstrong who was on a charge in the opening loop. But Bogie soon turned a deficit into a healthy advantage and would never look back, to win eight of the event’s ten special stages.

“It’s been a good rally, with the car feeling great and no real moments to speak of” said Bogie at the finish. “The nature of these stages makes them so enjoyable to drive, they’re very fast and flowing with good medium speed corners. It feels like a home event to me as I know so many people up here so I couldn’t ask for better preparation ahead of the Pirelli [next weekend].”

Euan Thorburn brought his Ford Fiesta R5 home in second place to take a third consecutive podium in as many starts this season. The Duns driver suffered a handling issue in the morning but recovered well in the afternoon to set top three stage times in the final loop. This result means Thorburn now takes the lead of the championship after round three of the series.

“We struggled this morning but we improved as the day went on,” Thorburn admitted. “We’re still not where we want to be but we’re getting there. Hopefully next time out we can go one better.”

Third SRC driver home was Mike Faulkner in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, repeating his podium result from the Border Counties Rally. The Cumbrian driver was in the thick of a developing battle for the podium places all day and was glad to come out on top despite a high speed moment in the penultimate test.

“It’s a great result for the championship but it was a challenging day for sure,” Faulkner explained. “We rode our luck at times, there wasn’t much left to give but I really enjoyed it, and it was great to finish ahead of Shaun [Sinclair] after a big push in the last two [stages].”

Sinclair took fourth overall in his Subaru Impreza S14 WRC, five seconds down on Faulkner’s Mitsubishi. The WRC pilot had a day which wasn’t without problems. With the car pulling to the right and a lack of confidence hampering his pace, his consistency was rewarded with a solid points finish.

Fifth went to the Mitsubishi Evo IX of Bruce McCombie who returned to the SRC after missing the Border Counties. The Banchory man got the better of Mitsubishi rival Greg McKnight who was feeling under the weather in sixth.

Mark McCulloch made it back to Elgin seventh overall, with an unnerving noise and a puncture slowing his Mitsubishi down. Donnie MacDonald grabbed eighth as he continues to acclimatise to his right-hand-drive Fiesta R5.

Ninth went to Armstrong. The 3.8 miles of the Bin stage had not been used in over a decade and the Castle Douglas star would ditch his car near the start on the slippery surface, losing three minutes in the process.

Freddie Milne continued his cautious approach to wind up tenth at the close of play in his ex-Barry Groundwater Evo IX.

John Wink took the SRC Challengers win on his home event with 11th overall in his Mitsubishi, the Huntly man making the most of his local knowledge to win the category by two seconds from Michael Binnie’s older Lancer. Simon Hay took third with 18th overall.

Binnie’s impressive speed in difficult conditions didn’t go unnoticed, with the Cornhill driver receiving the SRC John Horton Star Driver Award for the Speyside Stages. He will now go into an end of season shoot-out along with Thomas Gray, Greg McKnight and four others to win a free entry to a top European event.

“It’s been a really challenging day, we were certainly trying our hardest but this is great for my confidence,” Binnie enthused. “I’m chuffed to bits to receive the Star Driver Award. I never thought in my second year of rallying I would receive something so prestigious so I am incredibly grateful.”

Quintin Milne took Scottish 2WD honours after a strong performance in his Ford Escort Mk2. Dougal Brown stayed in touch with a mere couple of seconds separating the pair at mid-distance, but the Inverness man had to settle for second in class in another Escort ahead of the similar car of Michael Stuart who impressed in third.

On his first forest outing in his new car, Scott Macbeth powered his Citroen C2 R2 Max to 25th overall, netting him the top SRC Junior in the process. Marty Gallagher was just three seconds back in a Peugeot 208 R2 with Thomas Gray taking third at the wheel of his Fiesta R2.

John McIlwraith won the www.usedcarparts.co.uk Subaru Cup with his first finish in the GC8 Impreza which he debuted on the Snowman earlier this season. Last year’s champion Matthew Thomson claimed second with Colin Baxter rounding out the class podium.

With crews making the trip over from Ireland to contest the event, the SRC co-driver podium had a different look to that of the drivers. Paul Beaton took top spot alongside Thorburn in the Fiesta R5, with Peter Foy enjoying the runner up position with Faulkner. Jamie Edwards was on the final step on the podium thanks to Sinclair’s efforts.

The 2017 ARR Craib MSA Scottish Rally Championship is partnered by Pirelli Motorsport, Reis Motorsport Insurance and Coltel Communications.

The calendar consists of seven gravel events across the width and breadth of Scotland, taking in over 300 competitive stage miles.

The RSAC Scottish Rally, based in Dumfries, is next up on Saturday 20th May.

You can keep up to date with the championship via the website or through the social media channels using the hashtag #SRC17.

Results

Posted: June 5, 2017 7:39 AM

Speyside - (Sat) 22 Apr 17 - RESULTS

Results by: flyingfinish.co.uk

Exciting entry for Speyside Stages

Posted: April 18, 2017 9:08 AM

A strong field lines up for round three of the 2017 Scottish Rally Championship

The 2017 ARR Craib MSA Scottish Rally Championship (SRC) resumes after a five week break in Elgin for round three of the series, the McDonald & Munro Speyside Stages.

Contested in the Moray and Aberdeenshire forests on Saturday 22nd April, the rally is the only to feature tarmac in the entire SRC season with a spectator stage in Elgin, but the event is characterised by its clean, flowing forest stages.

Using just five miles of double usage in a compact event with ten speed tests, the Speyside Stages is a favourite among competitors and that is reflected in the capacity entry that is heading to Moray in 2017.

David Bogie heads the entry list in his Skoda Fabia R5, with Andrew Roughead stepping in for Kevin Rae in the co-drivers’ seat. The five times Scottish Champion won the season’s opening round in Inverness and as a previous winner of the event seven times over, he is a strong favourite for victory on Saturday 22nd April.

Championship leader and defending double SRC champion Jock Armstrong lines up as car two in his Subaru Impreza, once again co-driven by Paula Swinscoe. The Castle Douglas ace stormed to his first victory of the year last time out in Jedburgh, so will be looking to make that two in Elgin.

Euan Thorburn and Paul Beaton start at three in their Ford Fiesta R5, having scored two podiums on the first two rallies of 2017. The Duns driver bagged some valuable testing mileage on Rally of North Wales recently so will be looking to get up to speed quickly on round three and challenge at the front.

Mike Faulkner and Peter Foy grabbed their first podium with their new Mitsubishi Evo IX on the Border Counties, with the Cumbrian pilot still getting to the grips with his upgraded machine. The BSW Energy backed man starts at six ahead of Shaun Sinclair and Jamie Edwards who will be looking for a strong result in their Subaru Impreza S14 WRC after a trip into a ditch on the Border Counties.

Bruce McCombie and Michael Coutts return to the SRC after missing the second round in their Evo IX, and start ahead of the similar car of Mark McCulloch and Michael Hendry who were lucky to get fifth in the Borders after a frightening final stage moment.

Donnie MacDonald and Andrew Falconer bring their right-hand-drive Fiesta R5 to Elgin in search of a strong result, with the ever improving Greg McKnight start at 11 in his Mitsubishi Evo IX. Dale Robertson and Stuart Loudon make a welcome return to the championship in a Tunnock’s backed Fiesta R5.

Iain Wilson starts as top Challenger and will be looking to make it three wins from three in his Subaru, but local drivers John Wink (Evo IX) and Scott Mutch (Impreza GC8) will be looking to spoil the Dalbeattie driver’s party, with Simon Hay (Evo VI) and Michael Binnie (Evo V) also expected to challenge.

Dougal Brown heads the Scottish 2WD’s heading to the Speyside, but will face stiff competition from the similar Mk2 Escort of Quintin Milne, who switches back to the iconic machine after contesting the Snowman in Brian Watson’s Mitsubishi Evo. The pair had an epic duel last year with Milne just getting the better of his rival, so this is one contest to keep a watchful eye on.

Max and Callum Redpath lead the Juniors after a solid start to their season, but the battle on round three is expected to be the one that lit up the Snowman: Marty Gallagher versus Thomas Gray. The youngsters battled their Peugeot 208 and Ford Fiesta R2’s ferociously in Inverness finishing just seconds back, with Gray looking to get his revenge after losing out in this battle on round one.

In the www.usedcarparts.co.uk Subaru Cup, 2016 challenger Scott Mutch returns with Matthew Thomson, John McIlwraith, Michael Robertson and Colin Baxter all expected to fight for honours.

There is also the added incentive of the SRC John Horton Star Driver Award, given to the SRC-registered driver who most impresses a panel of judges during the rally. Thomas Gray and Greg McKnight have already booked their place in the end of season shoot-out for a paid entry to a top European event at the end of 2017.

Neil Shanks, Speyside Stages Clerk of the Course, explains the challenges that round three has to offer.

“The Cooper Park spectator tests which open the event are unique to the Speyside, and are a very popular spectator feature of the rally,” he said. “Not necessarily for the drivers though, as the hazards of the town park have caught out the likes of Steve Petch and Dave Weston before! v
“This year’s rally route builds on 2016 which we ran for the first time in April. However, we’ve mixed things up with the ten year return of a stage which has never been run in this year’s format before.”

The McDonald & Munro Speyside Stages will be contested on Saturday 22nd April, in and around the city of Elgin.

You can keep up to date with all the drama across the weekend by following the SRC’s Facebook and Twitter accounts using the hashtag #SRC17.

Seeded Entry List

Posted: April 18, 2017 9:04 AM

Speyside - (Sat) 22 Apr 17 - SEEDED ENTRY LIST

Entries Received / Regulations / Rally Website

Posted: March 11, 2017 2:54 PM

Speyside Stages