Macdonald secures season-best finish
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DONNIE Macdonald achieved his best finish of the season on the penultimate round of the MSA Scottish Rally Championship.
Inverness driver Macdonald (pictured right) went to the Ian Broll Merrick Stages, which took place in and around the Galloway Forest, looking to secure a fourth top six finish of the campaign.
Competing alongside co-driver Andrew Falconer, also from Inverness, in his Mitsubishi EVO 9, Macdonald was in great form as he claimed fourth overall.
"It was a great day for us — certainly worth the trip south," he said. "That long Glentrool stage (on which Macdonald was fifth fastest) was worth the journey in itself."
The day itself, however, belonged to David Bogie as he became the first driver to win four success Scottish Rally Championship titles.
The 25-year-old from Dumfries completed the four stages in the Galloway Forest, including one of 19 miles, in a total time of 39 minutes 39 seconds behind the wheel of his Mitsubishi EVO 9.
Runner-up Jock Armstrong was a further 11 seconds back in his Subaru Impreza, 38 seconds ahead of last year’s winner Mike Faulkner in an EVO 6.
Going into the last stage, Bogie was neck and neck with his nearest rival Euan Thorburn from Duns and his co-driver Paul Beaton, of Inverness, but the Borderer was forced to retire his Ford Focus World Rally Car with gearbox-related problems.
Thorburn blasted through the tricky and, in places, muddy opening nine-mile Craignell stage, five seconds faster than Bogie, with Armstrong and navigator Kirsty Riddick a further four seconds back. Faulkner was fifth quickest.
Thorburn and Paul Beaton were again quickest through the 19-miles of Glentrool, with Bogie 10 seconds back and Armstrong a further seven seconds down on the champions.
Bogie took the honours on stage three, but only by two seconds from Armstrong. Faulkner was another six seconds back, two seconds ahead of Macdonald. With developing gearbox problems, which were traced to an oil leak, Thorburn could only manage fifth fastest.
Armstrong had a one-second advantage over Bogie on the last stage Poultrybuiehill. However, by then the champion had secured another slice of rallying history.
The top 10 was rounded off by Jimmy Christie, of Inverness, and co-driver Iain Thorburn in a Mitsubishi EVO 6, just two seconds ahead of the leading 2WD crew — Keith Robathan and Ian Nicoll — in their Ford Escort Mk2.
The final round of this year’s MSA Scottish Rally Championship is the Colin McRae Stages, based in Aberfeldy, on Saturday 6th October.
