Marvellous, simply marvellous. When the Dayinsure WRGB National
Rally finished yesterday evening under the bunting and banner bedecked Mostyn
Street in Llandudno, it was Kermit, the green Mitsubishi which led the mud
streaked cavalcade into view. Bruce McCombie and Michael Coutts had won their
first outright victory on a special stage rally. And what a stage on which to
do it.
Next year both Bruce and Michael celebrate their 20th year of rallying,
but this was their first victory. Both looked stunned, delighted and really
quite emotional. I don't think it had quite sunk in as they appeared at the
final control.
What was really nice to see in this sport was that second placed Luke
Francis and John Roberts and third placed Roger Duckworth and Alun Cook were first
out of their cars at the Finish line to congratulate the victors. Nice one boys,
nice one sport.
McCombie and Coutts started the final day with a 32 second lead over
Francis. Ahead lay 3 stages, Glocaenog (4.78mls), Alwen (6.47mls) and Brenig
(4.93mls) a total of 33.29 miles. In other words, the Welshman only needed to
find a second a mile and the leaders would be under serious threat. And
remember, the Internationals had already been through them twice!
At the late Sunday morning start some observers heard what sounded like
the Santa Claus overture - Jingle Bells, but different. Bruce explained: "My
nerves were jingling this morning. I said last night that I would drive today
as I had done yesterday. The worst bits today was the waiting. At each stage
start we had to wait because of delays and accidents ahead. We were 2 up on
Luke in the first one, but he got 6 back
on the next."
There was a sharp intake of breath as Bruce recalled: "We had a
BIG moment, we nearly hit a wall in that second one. The last stage was just a
matter of getting through it, and we took 9 out of Luke. I texted the wife at
the finish - 'We've done it'. We're just so chuffed."
Equally impressive were Iain Wilson and Keith Riddick's 4th place
finish. Holding fifth place last year when
they went off, they were back and finished the job this year: "That
last stage was a nightmare. It was so slippery, but overall it was really
good."
Wee brother Scott McCombie and Mark Fisher completed the family
domination of the National event with a superb fifth overall on their first
visit to Wales: "Don't ask me how we did that. I can't believe we took
time out of Wug on the last day to move up to fifth. I suppose I just got into
it more as the rally progressed." Was that jubilation etched on their
faces? Relief, more like!
The fourth Scot in the top ten was Fraser MacNicol with his Irish
co-driver Aaron Johnston, and Fraser's smile lit up the whole street. Disbelief
was etched on his face too: "Last night the plan was to hold on to 8th,
but we got 7th. We just pushed on today and managed to take a bit of time out
of Paul Walker and Rudi Lancaster." Like Bruce there was a sharp intake of
breath when he recalled: "We nearly threw it all away in that last one. We
had two wheels fully in a ditch and thought that was it. All over. But she
pulled out. I still don't know."
Tenth overall was just a stretch too far for Robert Thomson and Steven
Kerschat. Nevertheless they moved up a place on the final day to finish 12th.
And with a smile that would light up Blackpool seafront, Robert said: "We
just lost out on 11th by 6 seconds, but we're delighted. We lost the intercom
on the final stage but just so glad to be here."
Jim McRae and Pauline Gullick were 16th in the Firenza: "It was
getting rough in places so I didn't stick my neck out. We were lucky though. We
got a puncture in that last one but it was only a mile from the end."
Simon Hay and Calum Jaffray made it 7 Scots in the top 20 when they
finished 20th on their first visit to Wales, but there was some cracked
fibreglass around the bumper: "We hit a chicane bale head-on, but it
wasn't our fault. An earlier car must have hit it and left it in the middle of
the road," but as he pointed to the substantial new underpan, remarked:
"it did its job."
Tom Coughtrie and Calvin Coolidge fished 29th overall in their Escort
ahead of Ian and Kathryn Forgan in the Subaru in 31st place. They had a busy
weekend, and that carried through to the Sunday run too: "W did the clutch
on Friday, the diff yesterday, and cracked the windscreen and got a puncture
today."
And after their bad starts to the event, the 'come back kids' did well
too. Kevin Robertson and Murray Strachan finished 42nd, Geoff Goudie and Keegan
Rees were 45th and Lee Hastings and Chris Robertson set some cracking times
over the final stages but after their accident on the first day, had to settle
for 50th."
But there was one sad tale. Carl and Rob Tuer put the MG off in the
final stage. They had been coming under pressure from a closing Gee Atherton in
a Fiesta R2 which had the legs of the MG. A valiant fight but a bitterly
disappointing conclusion.
On the biggest stage of their careers, the boys and girls dun good, eh?
Just in case there was any doubt, Bruce McCombie and
Michael Coutts won the Dayinsure WRGB National Rally. It wasn't a dream, and no
they didn't nick the trophies or drive the car on to the ramp when everyone had
gone home. Their victory ensured that the Saltire flew over Wales as it did in
the past two years thanks to Mike Faulkner and Peter Foy who unfortunately
failed to score a hat trick of wins while the year before that (2013) Euan Thorburn and Paul Beaton scored
the win. 
