… RSAC Scottish Rally, 25th June, 2016 …
Garry Pearson and Robbie Mitchell scored top ARR Craib Scottish Rally Championship points when they clinched a hard fought victory on the RSAC Scottish Rally at Dumfries. They also finished a damned impressive 8th overall in this joint BRC and SRC event. At the rally finish, 17 seconds covered the top three places with Jock Armstrong and Paula Swinscoe taking second place while Mike Faulkner and Peter Foy were third. That meant four Scottish crews in the top ten and another 6 Scots crews in the next ten places. On that basis our boys ‘dun good’ as they say in football circles.
In the BRC event, David Bogie was on course for second place behind Elfyn Evans, but a second puncture on the last stage damaged his radiator and the Skoda was unable to complete the road run from the final stage to the Dumfries finish. What a bitter disappointment and he was playing his joker too. On the other hand, Euan Thorburn was pleased with a trouble-free run in his Peugeot settling for a finish and a steady fourth place overall.
But back to the SRC boys and girls, and as they left the Dumfries start there were already black clouds gathering over the south west forests. No, not rain. Squillions of midges. The tiny bloodsuckers had a field day on the poor Marshals and spectators. All exposed flesh was busier than a McDonalds on a Bank Holiday. Marshals should not just get tabards, they should get medals.
SS1, Twiglees, 8.93 miles.
Fastest three overall:
1, Elfyn Evans/Craig Parry (Ford Fiesta R5) 8:20.1
2, David Bogie/Kevin Rae (Skoda Fabia R5) 8:28.9
3, Tom Cave/James Morgan (Ford Fiesta R5 Evo) 8:31.9
Fastest Scots/SRC crews:
6, Mike Faulkner/Peter Foy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 8:47.9
7, Euan Thorburn/Paul Beaton (Peugeot 208 T16) 8:49.2
10=, Jock Armstrong/Paula Swinscoe (Subaru Impreza) 8:51.3
12, Steven Clark/Steve Pugh (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5) 8:52.0
14, Rory Young/Dave Robson (Ford Fiesta) 8:55.7
15=, Mark McCulloch/Michael Hendry (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 8:57.7
17, Bruce McCombie/Michael Coutts (Mitsubishi Evo) 8:58.9
After a good wee test the day before, Faulkner was out of the trap like a startled greyhound, the Lancer driver a full second and a half quicker than Thorburn but more importantly, 4 seconds up on Armstrong. For his part, Armstrong wasn’t hanging about either, equalling Ollie Mellors’ time in the Proton. Less than a second behind him was Steven Clark, another impressive fast-starter, from Rory Young, Mark McCulloch and Bruce McCombie. Shaun Sinclair had been on the pace for a decent time but punctured a tyre in the Subaru which cost him 8 seconds on the leaders while Freddie Milne was also on the pace, while Donnie MacDonald and Garry Pearson weren’t.
MacDonald was already experiencing brake problems and was losing confidence in the Lancer while Pearson emerged from the forest only 25th fastest. The Fiesta R5 had spun on the sandy surface and dropped nearly 20 seconds to its rivals! Freddie Milne nearly followed suit: “I had a big moment in there too. Just as I came over a crest I realised that was where I had my big accident last year.”
SS2, Castle O’er, 5.89 miles.
Fastest three overall:
1, Elfyn Evans/Craig Parry (Ford Fiesta R5) 5:44.3
2, Fredrik Ahlin/Morten Erik Abrahamsen (Ford Fiesta R5 Evo) 5:46.8
3 , Tom Cave/James Morgan (Ford Fiesta R5 Evo) 5:48.2
Fastest Scots/SRC crews:
4, David Bogie 5:48.8
5=, Euan Thorburn/Paul Beaton (Peugeot 208 T16) 5:56.6
8, Garry Pearson/Robbie Mitchell (Ford Fiesta) 6:00.3
9, Jock Armstrong/Paula Swinscoe (Subaru Impreza) 6:00.5
12, Mike Faulkner/Peter Foy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 6:05.5
13, Steven Clark/Steve Pugh (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5) 6:06.3
14, Rory Young/Dave Robson (Ford Fiesta) 6:09.6
17, Bruce McCombie/Michael Coutts (Mitsubishi Evo) 6:17.8
Across the road in Castle O’er, Pearson made up for his earlier mistake setting the fastest SRC time – but by only 2 tenths of a second from Armstrong! Faulkner was a full 5 seconds adrift of this pair, while behind them it was Clark from Young and McCombie. There was more woe for Sinclair in here, this time when a driveshaft broke and McCulloch limped out with a puncture.
As they pulled into first service there was a worried frown on Armstrong’s face: “She’s overheating. The new exhaust hasn’t been properly shielded,” he explained, “and there is tremendous heat build-up inside the sumpguard.” He had another problem. When the under-bonnet temperatures got too high, the sequential gearshift stopped working and he had to manually select gears. The team tried to cut holes in the sumpguard to improve the airflow, but that was taking too long, so the Subaru left service with the front half of the guard in place but no underbody shielding. Risky choice, especially with three stages in Ae ahead.
SS3, Glencorse Hill, 6.63 miles.
Fastest three overall:
1, Elfyn Evans/Craig Parry (Ford Fiesta R5) 6:20.9
2, Fredrik Ahlin/Morten Erik Abrahamsen (Ford Fiesta R5 Evo) 6:27.5
3, Tom Cave/James Morgan (Ford Fiesta R5 Evo) 6:36.5
Fastest Scots/SRC crews:
4, David Bogie/Kevin Rae (Skoda Fabia R5) 6:37.8
6, Garry Pearson/Robbie Mitchell (Ford Fiesta) 6:42.5
7, Euan Thorburn/Paul Beaton (Peugeot 208 T16) 6:45.5
10, Steven Clark/Steve Pugh (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5) 6:52.3
13=, Jock Armstrong/Paula Swinscoe (Subaru Impreza) 6:55.8
13=, Mark McCulloch/Michael Hendry (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 6:55.8
17, Rory Young/Dave Robson (Ford Fiesta) 6:57.6
18, Greg McKnight/Chris McKnight (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 6:58.2
19, Freddie Milne/Chris Williams, (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 7:00.2
Pearson was fastest again on the first stage after service from a slightly cautious Armstrong who had McCulloch tying with him on third fastest time and this despite an overshoot: “I overshot a Left 7,” said Mark, “I knew it was coming – and I still did it”. Rory Young was fifth quickest but there was a wee bit of a revelation behind him. In his first rally in a 4WD car, Greg McKnight set sixth fastest time having been just outside the top six on the previous two stages and was 2 seconds quicker than Freddie Milne.
SS4, Gubhill Rig, 9.6 miles.
Fastest three overall:
1, Elfyn Evans/Craig Parry (Ford Fiesta R5) 8:43.7
2, David Bogie/Kevin Rae (Skoda Fabia R5) 8:48.5
3, Tom Cave/James Morgan (Ford Fiesta R5 Evo) 8:54.0
Fastest Scots/SRC crews:
5, Garry Pearson/Robbie Mitchell (Ford Fiesta) 9:09.6
6, Euan Thorburn/Paul Beaton (Peugeot 208 T16) 9:11.2
9, Steven Clark/Steve Pugh (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5) 9:17.9
11, Mike Faulkner/Peter Foy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 9:22.7
12, Jock Armstrong/Paula Swinscoe (Subaru Impreza) 9:24.1
15 , Rory Young/Dave Robson (Ford Fiesta) 9:33.0
16 , Greg McKnight/Chris McKnight (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 9:36.5
It was Pearson again in Gubhill, but this time from Clark, Faulkner and Armstrong with Young and McKnight completing the top six times. Bruce McCombie had a lucky escape: “We hit a huge stone on the inside of a downhill Right 6 in Gubhill which threw us across the road into another huge stone.” Milne didn’t escape scot-free either, he emerged from the stage with front right and rear left punctures.
SS5, Rivox, 6.61 miles.
Fastest three overall:
1, Elfyn Evans/Craig Parry (Ford Fiesta R5) 6:20.7
2, David Bogie/Kevin Rae (Skoda Fabia R5) 6:26.5
3, Tom Cave/James Morgan (Ford Fiesta R5 Evo) 6:29.5
Fastest Scots/SRC crews:
7, Euan Thorburn/Paul Beaton (Peugeot 208 T16) 6:43.4
8, Garry Pearson/Robbie Mitchell (Ford Fiesta) 6:45.2
9=, Jock Armstrong/Paula Swinscoe (Subaru Impreza) 6:46.2
9=, Mike Faulkner/Peter Foy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 6:46.2
11, Rory Young/Dave Robson (Ford Fiesta) 6:48.5
12, Mark McCulloch/Michael Hendry (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 6:49.4
16, Shaun Sinclair/Stephen O’Hanlon (Subaru S9 WRC) 6:54.5
It all went wrong for Steven Clark in Rivox who parked his Mitsubishi Lancer upside down at the edge of the road prompting a stage stoppage whilst the road was cleared. “I ran wide on a right hander and it went up on two wheels, I got it back, then it fell over the other way. It wasn’t too bad, we drove the car out once it was rescued,” said Steven.
Pearson was quickest again but by only a second from the tying Armstrong and Faulkner ahead of Young, McCulloch and Sinclair.
SS6, Burnfoot, 5.59 miles.
Fastest three overall:
1, Elfyn Evans/Craig Parry (Ford Fiesta R5) 5:03.5
2, Tom Cave/James Morgan (Ford Fiesta R5 Evo) 5:10.0
3, David Bogie/Kevin Rae (Skoda Fabia R5) 5:10.5
Fastest Scots/SRC crews:
6, Euan Thorburn/Paul Beaton (Peugeot 208 T16) 5:18.2
8, Jock Armstrong/Paula Swinscoe (Subaru Impreza) 5:24.6
10, Mark McCulloch/Michael Hendry (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 5:26.5
11, Garry Pearson/Robbie Mitchell (Ford Fiesta) 5:29.1
13, Shaun Sinclair/Stephen O’Hanlon (Subaru S9 WRC) 5:30.5
14, Mike Faulkner/Peter Foy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 5:31.1
15=, Rory Young/Dave Robson (Ford Fiesta) 5:33.2
15= , Greg McKnight/Chris McKnight (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 5:33.2
This time Pearson hit trouble: “We had a big impact in there, and the jolt killed the power steering. No problem I thought, we have a switch to re-set it, but it didn’t work! I drove the last two and half miles without power steering.”
Still, that was good enough for third quickest behind Armstrong and McCulloch and kept him ahead of Sinclair and Faulkner: “My misfire’s back,” explained Mike, “It’s ok most of the time but on uphill sections under load it’s missing at the top end. I thought we had fixed it after Speyside, and the Border Counties, and the Snowman!” He still managed to be quicker than the tying Young and McKnight though.
SS7, Cancelled (hole in road after overnight rain washaway)
SS8, Mount Joe, 10.64 miles.
Fastest three overall:
1, Tom Cave/James Morgan (Ford Fiesta R5 Evo) 10:24.7
2, Elfyn Evans/Craig Parry (Ford Fiesta R5) 10:29.2
3, Jamie Anderson/Ross Whittock (Ford Fiesta R5) 10:45.5
Fastest Scots/SRC crews:
4, David Bogie/Kevin Rae (Skoda Fabia R5) 10:47.8
6, Euan Thorburn/Paul Beaton (Peugeot 208 T16) 10:51.4
8, Mike Faulkner/Peter Foy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 10:53.3
10, Garry Pearson/Robbie Mitchell (Ford Fiesta) 10:54.9
12, Jock Armstrong/Paula Swinscoe (Subaru Impreza) 10:57.8
13, Rory Young/Dave Robson (Ford Fiesta) 11:00.0
15, Mark McCulloch/Michael Hendry (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 11:07.9
16, Bruce McCombie/Michael Coutts (Mitsubishi Evo) 11:18.0
Going into the last stage Pearson observed: “That last one and this one are really fast, top-end stuff, they should suit the Subarus and Mitsubishis, but I also had to remember what happened on the Speyside. I nearly lost that victory with a huge spin in the final stage.”
There was no spin this time, but he was happy enough with second fastest behind Faulkner who might have stretched his stage margin to more than a second had it not been for the misfire. Armstrong was 3 seconds behind but ahead of Young and McCulloch who had been hoping for better: I put new tyres on before that one,” said Mark, “but three of them were cut badly and I had to put three worn ones back on for the final stage.” Bruce McCombie completed the top six fastest times.
A contender for ‘Driver of the Day’ must surely have been Greg McKnight. First time in a four wheel drive car, he finished not only sixth in the Scottish points, but fifteenth overall in the rally and it looks as though there is more to come: “I struggled on the tight stuff, but it was good on the fast!”
Snowman Rally winner Donnie MacDonald had a bad day with loss of brakes on the first four stages in his Mitsubishi: “We don’t know what caused it yet,” said Donnie, “but we’ll need to find out and sort it for the next event, we can’t have that happening again.” He did manage to regain some time in the afternoon but finished behind Barry Groundwater, Scott McCombie and Ian Baumgart.
There was a sting in the tail yet though. Shaun Sinclair retired in the last stage with clutch failure, Andrew Gallacher broke a driveshaft in there too, and Freddie Milne retired on the final road section – just like David Bogie!
Final Overall Results:
1, Elfyn Evans/Craig Parry (Ford Fiesta R5) 0:51:02.4
2, Tom Cave/James Morgan (Fiesta R5 Evo) 0:51:54.8
3, Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan (Skoda Fabia R5 0:5) 0:53:16.8
4, Euan Thorburn/Paul Beaton (Peugeot 208 T16) 0:53:35.5
5, Jonathan Greer/Kirsty Riddick (Citroen Ds3 R5) 0:53:45.0
6, Josh Moffett/John Rowan (Ford Fiesta R5) 0:53:58.4
7, Jamie Anderson/R Whittock (Ford Fiesta R5) 0:54:01.2
8, Garry Pearson/Robbie Mitchell (Ford Fiesta) 0:54:10.4
9, Jock Armstrong/Paula Swinscoe (Subaru Impreza) 0:54:20.3
10, Mike Faulkner/Peter Foy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 0:54:27.2
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