Tough Weekend for Gallagher in Scotland

Posted: June 29, 2003 9:06 PM

The Scottish Rally acted as a double header for the Peugeot 206 Super Cup, with a potential sixty points to be won over the weekend. The rally consisted of two days and eleven stages. The stages, run in the forests around Dunfries, were very rough and punctures were a major problem all weekend.

The event began well for Shaun, setting fastest time on the rally's opening stage. However a puncture on stage two dropped him to 2nd place, nine seconds behind the leader, local driver, Mike Faulkner. Shaun held this position over the next two stages and set fastest time on the penultimate stage of the day. 2nd fastest time on the final stage left Shaun lying 2nd. However fuel problems on the way to the final service caused Shaun to incur road penalties and dropped him to 5th position.

Day two of the Scottish Rally was a fresh start for the Peugeot 206 competitors and there was another thirty championship points up for grabs. Shaun had a trouble free opening stage but a puncture on stage two dropped him twenty seconds and to 6th position. Fastest time on the penultimate stage moved Shaun up three positions to 3rd and another blistering time on the final stage of the event saw him take nine seconds out of 2nd place driver Joan Roca. However, it was not enough and the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Award Winner finished 3rd by just 0.3 seconds.

"I am a little disappointed with the weekend. The two punctures we suffered during the event really set us back, but there is still a long way to go," commented Shaun

Shaun now starts preparations for his trip to Cyprus where he will work with the Peugeot WRC team on Round 7 of the World Rally Championship.