Andy Horne made up for lost time by powering his custom-built DAM 4100 GTI to
second overall on Saturday's "star studded" Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally, the
final round of the County Saab Scottish Championship. The Inverness-based driver had to sit-out the middle part of the season after
crashing out of the Border Counties in April - resulting in a complete rebuild
of the Metro 6R4-based car.
However, Horne, with long-time co-driver Jim Howie, was in impressive form
in front of the huge crowds in Perthshire, maintaining his runners-up spot
behind world-rally star Matthew Wilson in an 05' Ford Focus WRC throughout the
four completed stages.
Organisers were forced to cancel the final stage - Craigvinean - after a big
"off" involving 5-times British champion Jimmy McRae and co-driver Andy
Richardson. Their Porsche 911 crashed down a steep banking into a ravine, and
although McRae and Richardson managed to get out signal that they were OK, it
was not before one spectator had phoned "999" on a mobile. This resulted in
several fire appliances making their way onto the stage - one of which got stuck
trying to negotiate a sharp uphill bend.
On a day dominated by 2WD cars - and in particular the iconic Escort Mk2 -
Sauchen's Callum Mackenzie and navigator Alan Clark got one over the
"superstars" with a superb drive for the final podium place.
While finishing with an identical time to Alister McRae and co-driver Campbell
Roy, they had the advantage of a quicker run through SS1.
Last year's "McRae" winner, Dumfries driver David Bogie, endured a difficult day
at the wheel of his first left-hand drive car - an 05 Ford Focus WRC.
Although adapting quickly to the change in driving position, the 21-year-old,
with Kevin Rae on the notes, was far from happy with the set up of the car.
The pair finished fifteen seconds ahead of Gretna's Mike Faulkner and co-driver
Peter Foy from Bingley, who consolidated second place in the championship,
having already secured the Group A title on the previous Merrick Forest Stages
round in their Mitsubishi Evo 6.
However, the day was not without its problems: Faulkner picking up a front
puncture five miles into the fourth Griffin stage, followed by a visit to a
ditch.
The crew had no alternative but to limp through the final 4 miles of the stage,
dropping 30 seconds to the second place Andy Horne and moving to sixth overall.
“We tried everything to limit the loss of time and were still carrying speeds of
100 mph with a flat front”, reflected Faulkner.
Once again Faulkner traded stage times with long-time sparring partner Steven
Clark in his Evo 4 - just one second separating them at the end.
Clark clinched the Group N title on what for him and co-driver Michelle Falconer
was a "trouble-free" event, after seeing his main rival Barry Groundwater first
pick up a puncture on SS2 and then being forced to retire when the rear
differential of his Evo 9 packed in on SS4.
Duns driver Euan Thorburn, with Claire Mole of Paxton on the notes, tied with
Clark after another strong performance at the wheel of his dad Alistair's Subaru
Impreza N10, but had to settle for eighth, having been slower through the first
stage. His highlight of the day was finishing second to Wilson on the famed
Drummond Hill test.
The final two top ten places were held down by Irish Escort Mk2 ace Martin
McCormack and navigator Liam Moynihan who finished five seconds ahead of
Finland's Jarkko and Petri Nikara in a Ford Fiesta ST.
Newton Stewart's Mark McCulloch, with co-driver Craig Wallace, duly secured the
Scottish Junior Championship in his Peugeot 205 GTi – despite the pair having to
push the car to the finish line in Perth city centre, after the clutch and
starter motor failed!
It proved to be a day of attrition for many competitors on the challenging
Perthshire stages - forty of the 140 starters failed to finish - including Irish
world rally star Kris Meeke, former British champion Russell Brookes, and
ex-British Superbike rider and Mk2 exponent John Crawford, who had the
satisfaction of catching and passing both Hannu Mikkola and an ailing Malcolm
Wilson in their respective Mk2's.
Top Ten finishers with total times (mins/secs):
1 MATTHEW WILSON/SCOTT MARTIN (FORD FOCUS WRC) 32:48
2 ANDY HORNE/JIM HOWIE (DAM 4100 GTI) 34:20
3 CALUM MACKENZIE/ALAN CLARK (FORD ESCORT MK2) 34:28
4 ALISTER MCRAE/CAMPBELL ROY (FORD ESCORT MK2) 34:28
5 DAVID BOGIE/KEVIN RAE (FORD FOCUS WRC 05) 34:58
6 MIKE FAULKNER/PETER FOY (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO6) 35:13
7 STEVEN CLARK/MICHELLE FALCONER (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO4) 35:14
8 EUAN THORBURN/CLAIRE MOLE (SUBARU IMPREZA) 35:14
9 MARTIN MCCORMACK/LIAM MOYNIHAN (FORD ESCORT MK2) 35:32
10 JARKKO NIKARA/PETRI NIKARA ( FORD FIESTA ST) 35:37
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