Scottish Rally - (Sat) 29 Jun 13

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Posted: February 12, 2014 12:08 PM

2013 British Rally Championship - Scottish Rally - Full Programme from British Rally Championship on Vimeo.

Daniel Mc Kenna the Billy Coleman Award Winner Takes Control of the Rally Two Category in Scotland

Posted: February 12, 2014 12:05 PM

After the 3rd round of the British Rally Championship (BRC), the Scottish Rally in Dumfries, Daniel and Co-Driver Arthur Kierans find themselves leading the Rally Two (R2) Championship by 5 points from Norwegian driver Steve Rokland and lying a magnificent 5th in the overall championship among the top R3 category drivers after finishing 1st in R2 and 8th o/a.

This is the first time the Scottish Rally has been a round of the BRC for 7 years and was a new challenge for the majority of the championship competitors including Daniel. After a very challenging Recce on the Friday, all of the crews knew that they had a very tough day rallying ahead of them as the stages where very technical but also very fast. The biggest fear however was the sharp stone surface which would most definitely cause punctures and would probably have some reckoning on the final results. Also the fact that the Scottish national rally competitors were running ahead of the BRC crews, this would cut and rut the surface up, making it an even bigger challenge.

Daniel and Arthur were happy with their Pacenotes from the Recce and after checking the notes on Friday night, they decided to start the event steady trying to avoid any punctures and build their pace as the day went on. The team and the Fiesta R2 backed by Scanbitz Ltd, Ravenol Motoroil Lubricants were prepared and ready for action.

Stage 1 early Saturday morning was a 6 mile test, the crew stuck to the game plan and set 2nd fastest time in R2, 2 seconds behind Rokland with no problems. However on the next test a 13.5 mile stage the crew encountered an unavoidable rock that had been dragged onto the racing line about 1.5 miles into the stage which created such an impact that it bent the rear axel making the car crab quite badly for the remainder of the stage. The crew still managed to set 2nd fastest R2 time on the stage but dropped 11 seconds to Rokland as the majority of the other R2 competitors were already experiencing puncture problems. Stage 3 was a short spectator stage only 0.75 miles long before the much needed service to the car. Daniel made a big effort through the test setting the 5th fastest time o/a and fastest R2 despite the mishandling car.

Then Daniel and Arthurs’s dedicated service team kicked into action replacing the rear axel and carrying out all of the other usual checks in less than 20 minutes which left the crew losing no time and held their position 2nd in R2 13 seconds off the lead.

Stage 4 and it was time for Rokland to have bad luck as near the end of the test his gearbox mounting broke and he also picked up a puncture and Daniel was 4 seconds quicker closing the gap to 9 seconds. Jon Armstrong was also having a good run and was only 6 seconds behind Daniel. Stage 5 proved to be a big turning point as Daniel had a fairly clean stage despite encountering a power steering problem near the end of the stage. Rokland was still carrying his gearbox problem and Armstrong had a puncture so Daniel had a 26 second lead at the 2nd service.

Unfortunately the service crew although they tried hard could not repair the power steering problem in the short service, so Daniel and Arthur knew they would have to carry the problem and probably drop time on the final 3 tests, but were confident of holding their position. Daniel was again quickest through stage 6, the spectator stage by 0.2 of a second from Rokland stretching his lead to 27 seconds.

On stage 7 however Rokland was on a charge and took 10 seconds out of Daniel who was being cautions with his steering problem and the gap was reduced to 17 seconds with 2 stages to go. However stage 8 was cancelled due to an accident in the national rally and it was down to the final stage for Daniel to try and hold onto the lead. The 13 mile stage was a tough and rough test to finish with but everything was going to plan for the crew until 10 miles in and disaster struck. A wishbone bolt sheared on Daniel’s Fiesta on one of the bad bumps through the stage and to add insult to injury he then picked up a left rear puncture making the car virtually un-drivable. He managed however, to scrape the car over the finish of the stage very disappointed thinking that the top result was gone. The rough terrain of the Scottish rally was to inflict a lot of trouble to almost all of the R2 competitors including Rokland as he picked up a puncture and dropped 4 minutes and dropped to 4th in the class.

This meant that Daniel and Arthur survived their final stage ordeals to take the R2 win and 8th o/a by over 2 minutes and now have a 5 point advantage over their nearest rival in the R2 category heading into the 4th round of the championship, the Ulster rally back on tarmac which would be considered a home rally for Daniel and Arthur. Daniel will let you all know how preparation are going for the Ulster rally with a pre-event press release so keep an eye on his website, Twitter and Facebook pages over the next few weeks.

Fisher/Noble take fine first win in Scottish forests

Posted: February 12, 2014 11:55 AM

Northern Irish duo Alastair Fisher and Gordon Noble took victory on round three of the MSA British Rally Championship, the RSAC Scottish Rally, a first win for the 23 year old after his debut in the series on the Jim Clark rally in 2008.

The DGM Sport crew’s win is particularly special for Fisher, having come so close on several occasions in recent years. But he didn’t have it all his way from the start, swapping stage times with Morris Lubricants DMS crew Tom Cave/Ieuan Thomas from the outset.

In fact it was Cave who was fastest out of the box, stopping the clocks 2.3 seconds ahead of Fisher on the opening stage, Windy Hill. Fisher responded in his identical Citroën DS3 R3T and took a 0.8 second advantage, crews reporting that the regarded stages were very loose.

Meanwhile, championship leaders Jukka Korhonen and Marko Salminen struggled to find a rhythm, losing out to the front pair to the tune of fourteen seconds after the excellent spectator stage at Heathhall.

While the Finn scratched his head at the pace of the leaders, they added another statistic to the recent BRC close finishes, on exactly the same tenth of a second as they headed to the first service of the day.

Cave then snuck ahead by a tenth after the second run through Windy Hill, Fisher stating that he felt confident and coming back to eke the biggest gap of the day. The 4.5 second ‘buffer’ seemed enough to break Cave’s charge, slipping back over the next several stage to eventually fall into the improving Finn’s clutches.

With stage eight cancelled after an incident in the NGK Spark Plugs BRC Challenge, there weren’t enough stages for Cave to mount a comeback, leaving Fisher first and Korhonen second.

Fishers win leap frogs the amiable Tyrone man to second in the MSA British Rally Championship, closing the gap to leader Korhonen to five points at the season’s halfway mark.

Fisher said at the finish in Dumfries,
“It has been a long time coming, but I’m delighted to be on the top step of the podium at last. We should have won several times in the past although it isn’t the first outright win for me and Gordy (Noble), We have won an event at home before. We’ll look at the championship carefully now, as there is a clash with our home event and Rally Deutschland WRC3.”

Culina Palletforce crew John MacCrone and Phil Pugh had just what was needed, a solid finish in fourth having overhauled reigning Pirelli Star Driver Mark Donnelly. But Fisher’s DGM Sport team-mate Donnelly and co-driver Dai Roberts also fell into the clutches of Jonny Greer and Jonny Hart who improved as the day’s stages unfolded.

Thanks to Fisher’s top points, DGM Sport now takes a clear two point lead in the BRC Teams Cup ahead of Morris Lubricants DMS, with three third places leaving Culina Palletforce Racing needing good results to catch up.

BRC RallyTwo honours went to Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans after the Irishmen held their nerve in the face of stiff opposition. Early leader Steve Røkland and James Aldridge had a gearbox mounting problem and ended the event fourth R2, the offending item replaced by a ratchet strap.

McKenna had problems of his own en route to his second win, first bending a rear axle, then struggling with errant power steering on his Fiesta R2. But buoyant to the last, he smiled as the opposition waned.

Scots Ruary Macleod and Drew Sturrock were rewarded with second place after Jon Armstrong also hit trouble with a puncture early on, Røkland’s rally was spoiled, Garry Pearson holed his sump and Alex Parpottas exited the event with a roll on stage two.

It was a good day in the office for Macleod, who not only stayed out of trouble, but impressed on the way, securing the third Pirelli Star Driver nomination to add to those of Røkland and McKenna on rounds one and two respectively.

As the only manufacturer registered for points, it is a foregone conclusion that Citroën UK extend the lead in the MSA British Manufacturers Rally Championship and will certainly retain the 2012 title. But the Citroën Racing Trophy UK points follow those of the main championship, Korhonen ahead of Fisher and Cave. The Fiesta SportTrophy has a new leader in the form of McKenna who overhauls Røkland with a lead of three points with Jon Armstrong leap-frogging Parpottas for third.

The MSA British Junior Rally Championship also has a new leader. Ben Mckay’s victory over a Harry Threlfall puts him and co-driving dad Jason two points clear, Threlfall’s puncture robbing us of a ding-dong battle. The Twingo Renaultsport R1 Trophy UK mirrors these results too, the first time both crews have avoided serious trouble to make the finish.

Jon Armstrong may have had problems, but he still extends his lead in the RAVENOL Oils Newcomers Trophy, Irishman David Carney maintaining second despite crashing out of the event on stage two. He shares that second place with Ben Mckay however, both drivers on 32 points apiece.

Returning after a sabbatical on the Jim Clark Rally was Timmy Cathcart, the trip from Northern Ireland made worthwhile by winning the Mantis Best Presented Car Award, trophy and cheque for £250 – his Fiesta R2 deemed the best turned out by scrutineers at the start of the event.

THORBURN WINS ON BOGIE'S HOME TURF

Posted: February 12, 2014 11:36 AM

Euan Thorburn got his campaign back on track with a decisive win on Saturday's fourth round of the ARR Craib MSA Scottish Rally Championship in Dumfries, while series leader David Bogie had to settle for the runners-up spot on his home event.

The Borderer led the RSAC Scottish Rally from start to finish in his Ford Focus WRC, completing the five special stages 19.5 seconds ahead of the defending champion, who was also in a Focus. Banchory's Quintin Milne snatched the final podium spot in his Mitsubishi EVO 9 to consolidate his second place in the drivers' standings, eight points behind Bogie.

Thorburn, co-driven by Paul Beaton from Inverness, had been determined to push for the win after losing out to Bogie on his local rally, the Jim Clark Reivers in Duns, at the beginning of June.

"We had a big push in Ae forest in the morning and got a good time, so it was all about consolidating that during the afternoon stages", said Thorburn at the finish in Dumfries town centre: "We kept the pace up and made sure we were in front of David, but there were some big stones and rocks to watch out for, so it was also a case of keeping it tidy and avoiding punctures. We came here for the victory today, so we're obviously delighted – we just need to go out and win the rest now!".

For their part, Bogie and Hawick co-driver Kevin Rae had gone into the "Scottish" looking for a third win on the Dumfries event, and their third back-to-back success of the current season:
"I felt I was driving pretty well, my braking points were good, my high speed commitment was good, it was just one of those days that leaves you baffled", said the four-times champion: "Over the last few years, I've been pretty consistent and quick on this event, but Euan raised his game today. It could have been better, but we should be pleased with second, and it keeps us ahead in the championship".

Going into the final Loch Grannoch stage, Milne, co-driven by Martin Forrest from Aberdeen, was lying fourth behind Thorburn, Bogie, and Dave Weston in a Subaru Impreza WRC. However, the non-SRC registered Weston suffered a rear-wheel puncture, dropping three places. Milne inherited third overall after a day-long battle with Jock Armstrong, who finished less than two seconds further back:
"I'm delighted to be able to swap times with Jock. I rate him hugely", said Milne, who, with the leading pair and Armstrong, beat the bogey time on the final test: "The top ten is very competitive and to be able to trade times with him today, and finding a little bit of time myself and finish third is a fantastic result. David and Euan are cracking drivers in their world rally cars and almost in a different league. So the rest of us battle it out, and I feel as though I've won the rally myself".

Milne had got the better of Armstrong over the first two stages of the rally, with the Castle Douglas-based Subaru Impreza driver upping the pace in the afternoon, alongside co-driver Kirsty Riddick:
"We were happy with the performance in the afternoon where we had a couple of clean runs and took time out of Quintin. However, at the end of the day I'd lost too much time on the morning stages", said Armstrong: "I didn't get in the groove straight away, and with it being such a short rally – four stages and the spectator super-special – you have to be on the button straight-away, and we weren't today".

Stonehaven's Barry Groundwater, with Neil Shanks of Elgin on the notes, maintained his third spot in the championship with a strong fifth place overall at the wheel of his EVO 9:
"That last stage was quick. We were doing 127mph – the red light was on for longer than I would have liked", said Groundwater: "There were one or two rough bits on the stages, but we got through fine, while others were getting punctures. So all in all it was a good day for us".

2006 Scottish champion Weston, who had not competed in a rally car for two and a half years, ended the day less than half a second adrift of Groundwater. He was co-driven by Jedburgh's Dave Robson, with whom he won the “Scottish” in 2008:
"It was all about trying to get back in the groove after such a long time away", said Weston: "The first stage was a steep learning curve, the second stage we were starting to push on a bit. The fourth test we had a massive moment in the middle of it, which lasted for hundreds of yards – and that gave me a real fright – and then we were going well on the last stage before we picked up the puncture".

It was a difficult event for Mike Faulkner and Peter Foy in their Mitsubishi EVO 9, finishing seventh overall, sixth in the points, half a second behind Weston. They had already had a series of eve-of-event incidents to cope with, including a broken windscreen and a blown turbo, and the problems continued on the day: ".
"We broke a wheel on the opening stage, and lost valuable time, and then there was a diff setting issue on the second stage", said Faulkner: "The first afternoon stage was a lot better, and we had a real push in the last one – they were really fast stages and the times were so close. We caught some dust near the end of the final stage and lost a couple of seconds. We were quite relaxed about it, but then realised afterwards we were less than a second off Barry's overall time, so that was a bit frustrating".

Erstwhile BRC competitor Peter Taylor, with Andrew Roughead on the notes, was back at the wheel of his Ford Focus WRC after winning the DMACK Carlisle Stages the previous weekend. The pair who were not eligible for championship points, finished eighth overall, with Taylor admitting he was still getting used to the Scottish pacenotes, as opposed to the format of the British series.

Aberdeenshire crew Chris Collie and Lisa Watson survived a challenging day to bring their EVO 6 back to Dumfries in ninth place, seventh in the SRC points:
"We made it just. We had a puncture and snapped the drive shaft about four miles from the end and on that speed of stage we just lost so much time", said Collie: "It was my own fault – Lisa called the notes, it was a chicane with a bump on the outside and I was just too fast, ran wide and bang we had a puncture and snapped the shaft. It's a pity because were lying fifth or sixth going into the stage".

Another non-SRC registered driver, Jon Burn, who was the Scottish champion in 1999, rounded off the overall top ten in his distinctive yellow Subaru Impreza WRC, alongside Alan Stark.

Andy Horne and Jim Howie survived three punctures to make it home in eleventh place, eighth in the points, in their DAM 4100gti. “I don't know why we picked up the punctures, perhaps we were on the wrong compound, it wasn't because we were hitting anything. Certainly the first one, the road was pretty rough, but the last two weren't, they just seemed to happen”.

Dougal Brown and Lewis Rochford from Inverness were ninth amongst the SRC competitors in a Mitsubishi EVO 9, with tarmac specialists Alistair and Colin Inglis ("we had a front-wheel puncture on the second stage and dropped quite a lot of time") tenth in their EVO 5.

Group N honours went to John McClory and David Hood, who finished seventeenth overall in their Subaru Impreza, just 2.3 seconds ahead of the Mitsubishi EVO 9 of John Morrison and Peter Carstairs.
“We were really on the pace today. It's been a good battle with John, and the result carries on the good form from the Jim Clark where we won the class”, said Morrison.
In the 2WD classes, Alasdair S.Graham from Paisley, co-driven by Laura Stuart of Alford, picked up his second consecutive victory in the 1600cc category in a Vauxhall Corsa, finishing a second ahead of Graeme Smith and Laura Marshall, who were the leading Honda Civic crew.

Iain Haining from Locharbriggs celebrated his fourth straight win in Class 3 in his Vauxhall Nova, alongside co-driver Mairi Riddick from Haugh of Urr – the event marking their fifth anniversary together in the car:
"Today got off to a bit of a shaky start – we broke a clutch cable on the way to the first stage. Thankfully a competitor behind gave us a spare and we got on our way. We had no dramas on the stages, so it all went to plan", said Haining.
Aboyne's Stewart Davidson, with Breagha Dobney from Inverness on the notes, took the Class 5 victory in his Ford Escort, while Ayrshire's Robert Harkness and Lockerbie co-driver Mike Curry were the sole entrants - and winners - in Class 9 in a BMW 316i. Stuart Glendinning from Glasgow, with Craig Robb of Inverness on the notes, made sure of Class 8 in his Ford Puma R2000, while the victors in Class 2 were Scott Macbeth from Rosemarkie and Inverness navigator Callum Macleod in a Vauxhall Nova.

The fifth round of the ARR Craib MSA Scottish Rally Championship is the McDonald & Munro Speyside Stages in Elgin on August the 3rd.

Results

Posted: February 12, 2014 11:13 AM

Scottish Rally - (Sat) 29 Jun 13 - RESULTS (All sections Zip File)

Results on Line - Scottish Rally (2013) | Results by Tynemouth Computer Services Rally Results

Daniel Mc Kenna the Billy Coleman Award Winner Ready for Assault on the BRC RallyTwo Championship

Posted: June 27, 2013 5:08 AM

Ahead of the 3rd round of the BRC, the Scottish rally in Dumfries on the 29th of June, there has been much speculation about what direction the most recent winner of the prestigious Pirelli Star Driver (PSD) nomination would take for the remainder of the championship.

Daniel had plans on the back burner that if he were to secure a PSD nomination in one of the 1st 3 rounds of the championship that he may switch to a Rally 3 category car and make an assault on the overall championship. But after much deliberation he and the team have decided to continue in the Rally 2 category and try to win the championship before the PSD shootout at the end of the season and perhaps make an assault for overall honours in the championship in the future.

This decision has come from the fact that Daniel now joint leads the R2 category in the championship and is looking like one of the top contenders for the crown, also he would only be able to fund the upgrade to an R3 spec car for the remainder of the championship by selling his current mount of which there is no guarantee and finally, the top contenders for the championship will have a massive advantage in terms of there points haul from the 1st and 2nd rounds of the championship and their experience in the cars to date, which would make it extremely hard to be at the sharp end of the competition.

Daniel alongside Arthur Kierans on the notes and with the support of sponsors Scanbitz Ltd and Ravelol Motoroil Lubricants, will be hoping to take the fight to round 1 winner Steve Rokland from Norway, who has a lot more experience on the gravel surface and jointly leads the championship along with Daniel. All of the usual competitors will be competing also so it will be a mammoth battle to take the top step on the podium for the second time in the Championship.

Daniel and Arthur will be conducting a small gravel test in their Fiesta R2 in the lead up to the event to try and fine tune the driving technique and make any changes to the setup that may improve the performance and speed of the car before heading for the Friday recce in Dumfries. Daniel will try to let you all know how the event is going so keep an eye on Daniel’s Twitter and Facebook pages over the weekend.

Regulations / Rally Guide / Details

Posted: May 13, 2013 12:48 PM

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