The Keystone Cops couldn't have
a done a better job at Crail yesterday. There were tyres and bales going
everywhere. If anyone claimed not to have hit, skiffed, spun or overshot, then
they were fibbing, mistaken or on the wrong tablets.
It was certainly end of term for the
Blackwood Plant Hire Championship, the season long protagonists hellbent on proving
that cold tyres, cold brakes and cold brains need a bit of warming up before
venturing out on to the open tarmac plains of Crail.
Cauld? By goad it wis cauld. Even the polar
bears were complaining. Despite the rich feast of human flesh on offer and the
tempting aromas from Big Winnie's mobile burger wagon, the Bears stayed in
their hibernation hideaways. They were the wise ones.
As it was, Nigel Feeney took the win, but
lest ye think it was a faultless run. It wasn't. He clipped a tyre, spun off
and landed in the field, then stalled it. Lee Hastings was second, but had no
anti-lag all day so that was a valiant effort. There was a bit of sibling
rivalry going on for third place. On the first stage, Ian Paterson biffed a
bale which let Stuart Paterson ahead, thereafter, Ian was faster than his wee brother
on each of the remaining 6 tests to claim the final podium step.
Tom Blackwood's magnificent Mk2 was sporting
a few black scuff marks on the bright yellow paint job as he sped to fifth with
Ian Archer sixth.
Best result of the day? That might well have
been Michael Harbour's 7th in the class winning 1600cc Citroen C2. At first I
thought it was a leftover firework from earlier in the week, but no, Michael's
wee red rocket was a treat to watch as it scooted round the chicanes.
Shaun Sinclair lost out on the first stage
when he clouted a tyre marker, bent a bottom arm and broke a driveshaft, John
Rintoul had a piston fail, Gordon Morrison broke a bottom balljoint, Taylor
Gibb broke his transfer 'box, Colin Gemmell's Escort cut out as it sat in the
queue for the first stage and stubbornly refused to re-start, and Jimmy
Christie had a misfire in the Lancer which was getting worse, so he called it a
day before serious damage was done.
Top Ten:
1, Nigel Feeney/Phil Sandham (Mini JCW WRC) 59:55
2, Lee Hastings/Cole Hastings (Subaru
Impreza) 60:14
3, Ian Paterson/David Crosbie (Subaru Impreza
N10) 60:40
4, Stuart Paterson/Allan Paterson (Subaru
Impreza) 62:08
5, Tom Blackwood/Gordon Winning (Ford Escort)
62:51
6, Ian Archer/Neil Ogilvie (Mitsubishi Lancer
Evo9) 62:56
7, Michael Harbour/Ian Macdougall (Citroen
C2R2 Max) 63:34
8, Brian Watson/Charlie Sayer-Payne (Mitsubishi
Lancer Evo) 64:03
9, Graeme Rintoul/Jim Rintoul (Ford Fiesta) 64:12
10, Alan
Wallace/Darren Robertson (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6) 64:18
