74 crews lined up to contest last weekend’s A.M. Phillip Trucktech Snowman Rally, the penultimate round of the Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship. The Driver’s Championship may already have been decided, but plenty of other titles were still up for grabs.
Taking their firstst SRC win as a team, John Wink/Neil Shanks bounced back in the best possible way after a late retirement on the Grampian last time out. Second after two stages, they made their move in SS3, equal fastest and jumping into a 4-second lead. They extended that to 9 seconds after SS5 and held that lead all the way to the finish. A very popular win around the entire service park.
Fresh from a podium on his home event, Scott Beattie arrived in Inverness full of confidence. With Emily Easton-Page in the navigator seat this time they started steadily, 5th after two stages. Then the charge began, climbing the ranks with every stage and grabbing second by just 2 seconds with one stage to go. A clean run over the final test was enough to take a second consecutive second place for the white Fiesta.
Jock Armstrong/Owen Paterson topped the standings after two stages in their Subaru-powered Skoda. Running first on the road they slipped back to second after only recording eighth fastest time in SS3. Lying third going into final test, just 2 seconds off second place, they threw caution to the wind and would spin and stall early on in the stage. They had to settle for third at the finish but were happy with another good day of learning the new car.
One of the big titles still up for grabs was the overall Navigator’s championship. Keir Beaton topped the standings heading into the event, stepping into the hot seat of Freddie Milne’s Fiesta for this round. His brother Paul, Bruce McCombie, and Mark McCulloch’s regular navigator Michael Hendry could still take the title.
It was McCulloch/Hendry who would have the best day, grabbing an excellent fourth at the finish, not enough to keep Michael’s title hopes alive but still another excellent result. Bruce/Paul took an excellent sixth, crucially one position ahead of Freddie/Keir. It had been a tough day at the office for Freddie/Keir, battling back from an early 14th after issues with the 4wd system to take seventh eventually.
It was a tense wait for Keir to see if they’d done enough to take the title, but unbeknown to him, Paul had contacted the SRC and elected not to claim points. That meant his younger brother had done enough to take his 1st Scottish title, which was made even sweeter by clinching it at his home event.
G&M Mechanical Services 2WD and Albyn Garage Challengers
The G&M Mechanical Services 2WD and Albyn Garage Challengers titles were also yet to be decided. Greg McKnight/Harry Marchbank were in the driver’s seat of the 2WDs, although if they slipped up eight other drivers and five other co-drivers could still grab the championship win.
One of their closest 2WD rival crews Paddy Munro/Andrew Stevenson topped the Challengers points standings, two other crews could still take that title, Johnnie Mackay/Rachel Matheson and Rob Cotton/Ethan Kidd.
What followed was a difficult event for three of those main contenders. McKnight/Marchbank were doing exactly what they needed to do, leading the 2WDs with one stage remaining before being sadly forced out with clutch failure on the final test.
Also retiring, Mackay/Matheson would clout a big rock in SS2, removing several important suspension components in the process.
Munro/Stevenson couldn’t take advantage of the dramas that befell their two big rivals, after spending 3 minutes in an SS1 ditch. 71st after SS1 they battled back to 24th overall by the finish.
Taking the win in both categories along with tenth SRC crew home, David Wilson/Kyle Gordon were sampling their BMW M3 on the gravel for the first time. David very happy with how good the car is on the loose and they were fastest 2WD on SS1. Keeping McKnight/Marchbank honest all day they too suffered a late drama with their gearbox but were able to nurse the car home to 12th overall.
Both the 2 WD and Challengers championships will now be decided on the final round.
Groundwater Lift Trucks Subaru Cup
Rob Cotton/Ethan Kidd needed a good finish to wrap up the Groundwater Lift Trucks Subaru Cup and were still in with a shout of the Challengers title. It was an excellent day, regularly setting top 20 times and enjoying a fantastic seven-way battle for the Class M6 win. 13th overall and 11th SRC crew home was enough for them to wrap up both the Subaru Cup and M6 titles with a round to spare after a great first season in the SRC.
Moates Offshore Juniors
Both the driver’s and co-driver’s titles were still to be decided in the Moates Offshore Juniors. The navigator’s title has developed into a two-way battle between Ryan Urquhart, alongside Owen Macleod/Michael Moates, sitting with Justin Gunning. The two crews spent the day swapping times with Gunning/Moates just ahead of Macleod/Urquhart after four stages.
Justin/Michael then suffered a puncture in SS5, dropping behind Owen/Ryan. Both crews went for it on the final stage and ended the day one second apart, with Owen/Ryan just coming out on top. That gave Ryan the co-driver’s win, but Justin the driver’s win in the event. The navigator’s title is still to be decided in the final round.
Meghan O’Kane just needed a finish to wrap up the Junior driver’s title in her R2 Fiesta. Meghan and her dad John endured another tough day at the office, continuing their season long battle with the Fiesta’s handling, the car getting especially wayward on the fast sections. Despite the issues, second Junior driver home was enough for Meghan to take the title.
Haddo Energy Super Seniors
Gordon Murray/Peter Carstairs were looking to bounce back after their Grampian retirement and wrap up the Haddo Energy Super Seniors title. It was another good run for the big Escort, grabbing 27th overall and maximum seniors points. Gordon’s biggest concern at the finish seemed to be deciding where they were going to go on holiday as part of their prize.
Ladies Championship Titles
Both Lady Driver and Co-Driver titles were also yet to be decided. The Lady Drivers Championship was a straight shootout between Aileen Forrest/Meghan O’Kane. While Meghan battled her handling issues, Aileen was battling stages she doesn’t particularly enjoy. With Paul Gribben back in the hot seat, Aileen was feeling she had finally clicked with her Evo and was pleasantly surprised at how much she enjoyed the stages, especially the flat-out sections of Millbuie. It was back and forth, but Aileen did just enough, pipping Meghan by only 3 seconds to take another Ladies Driver title.
The Ladies Co-Drivers has come down to a battle between Rachel Matheson/Mairi Riddick. Rachel retired early alongside Johnnie Mackay after their argument with a rock. That gave Mairi the advantage, expertly guiding Donald Peacock around to 23rd overall despite Donald’s best attempts to throw them off the road. The Co-Driver’s title another to be decided in the final round.
Final Results
01: J. Wink/N. Shanks (Hyundai i20 R5) – 40m 11s
02: S. Beattie/E. Easton-Page (Ford Fiesta R5) + 9s
03: J. Armstrong/O. Paterson (Škoda Fabia Proto) + 22s
04: M. McCulloch/M. Hendry (Proton Satria Evo S2000) + 23s
05: S. Petch/M. Wilkinson (Ford Fiesta Rally2) + 54s
06: B. McCombie/P. Beaton (Ford Fiesta R5) + 1m 21s
07: F. Milne/K. Beaton (Ford Fiesta R5) + 2m 48s
08: I. Logan/C. Lees (Ford Fiesta Rally2) + 3m 01s
09: S. Peacock/C. Wallace (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII) + 3m 18s
10: D. Wilson/K. Gordon (BMW M3 E36) + 3m 39s