Scotland has a new rally champion, or perhaps not quite so
new, it’s his third national title! Euan Thorburn and Paul Beaton won today’s
Grampian Forest Rally and with one round to go in this year’s KNC Groundworks
Scottish Championship, he has done enough to put the title beyond reach of the
pursuit.
A finish inside the top nine might well have done it so the
choice was to go for a win or go for a finish. After two stages, Jock Armstrong
and Kirsty Riddick were leading in the Subaru Impreza, but a 14 second faster
time through the 3rd stage at Drumtochty put the Ford Focus WRC crew
into the lead by 3 seconds. A lead which was extended to 27 seconds by the rally
finish.
Completing the podium line-up were a delighted John Wink and
Neil Shanks in the Hyundai i20 R5. Michael Binnie was 4th and Scott
Beattie 5th first time out in the ex-Fred Milne Mitsubishi. Thomas
Gray was 6th in another Lancer despite a puncture in the first stage
of the day.
Bruce McCombie was on course for a top 3 finish till the
Focus WRC indulged itself with a sideways somersault in the final stage. It
landed back on its wheels and the crew drove on to finish just outside the top
ten.
Iain Wilson was top 2WD in 10th place with the
Escort Mk2 while arch rival Mark McCulloch broke a half shaft in his Mk2.
Donnie MacDonald was another to lose out, although he did finish.
Lying 4th overall at the half way point, the Fiesta R5 driver
dropped 7 minutes in the next stage at Durris with an unplanned botanical foray,
John McClory retired his Lancer with a centre diff problem and Marty Scott put
his Lancer off the road in Fetteresso.
Folk were fearing the worst as they opened curtains this
morning and could see – almost nothing. Thick mist cloaked the north east and
the forests, with no sunshine to ‘burn’ it off. At least it was better than the
day before when rain lashed the area and threatened to turn the service park
into a wee loch. The first cars encountered patches of thick mist but also found
that the stages were in remarkably good order although a bit slimy and slippery
under the trees. And then the sun came out. It was almost like Summer.
At the finish, Euan praised the stages and added: “That was
a relief. It was a difficult position to be in this morning. Whether to go hard
or sit back, but the stages were good. This has been a hard-to-beat season
(with his BTRDA Championship victory), my first Scottish title was the best,
but this was equally as good.
(Full report in Wednesday’s ‘Motorsport News’)
Top Ten
1, E Thorburn/P Beaton, 42m 30s
2, J Armsgtrong/K Riddick, 42m 57s
3, J Wink/N Shanks, 44m 25s
4, M Binnie/C Mole, 44m 56s
5, S Beattie/P Davies, 46m 01s
6, T Gray/H Marchbank, 46m 15s
7, K Morris/T Mallin, 46m 43s
8, I Baumgart/S Young, 46m 58s
9, A Dickson/M Forrest, 47m 03s
10, I Wilson/C Williams, 47m 13s
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