The 2019 Jim Clark Rally got underway from the town
square in Duns this afternoon with just one special stage at Abbey St Bathans
before the overnight halt. The planned two stages at Langton had to be called
off earlier today after heavy rain led to water streaming off the fields and down
the road while water levels at the notorious ford were too high.
Rain may have dampened conditions but it hasn’t dampened
enthusiasm for the return of the rally with huge crowds watching the colourful
cavalcade of 100 cars leaving the start and thronging the spectator area on the
opening stage.
Even so, conditions on the stage are treacherously slippy so
it was a surprise to see that the rear wheel drive Ford Escort Mk2 of David Bogie
was the early rally leader. Five seconds behind him Josh Moffett and Dale Robertson
share the runner up spot at this early stage in their Ford Fiesta R5 machines.
Hugh Hunter is 4th in his Ford Focus RS ahead of Ross Hunter in a
Fiesta R5 after a last minute deal was done otherwise he would have been out in
his Peugeot 205. Gordon Morrison rounds off the top six in his new R5.
Dale Robertson might well have been a bit quicker but for a
rear wheel puncture 2 miles from the end of the 8 mile stage and then admitted
that he had been well off the road at one point when he hit standing water and the
Fiesta shot into a field for 50 yards. John Indri suffered a right front
puncture in his Mitsubishi Mirage while Andy Fenwick had a wee scare when he
hit standing water just over a crest with the Fiesta which stepped out some 45
degrees and heading for the banking when he caught it.
Just outside the top ten Alan Kirkaldy reckoned he made a
wrong tyre choice. With everyone else on full wets he opted for a Monte Carlo
type tyre which is good in snow and ice and which he thought would be good to
cut through the wet muddy surface. It wasn’t! First time in RWD Garry Pearson
is also just outside the top ten in his Escort Mk2 but the grin said it all: “We
had a good few moments in there,” he said, with his co-driver Ross Hynd, adding:
“Big ones!”
With weather conditions the way they are today it would be
wise to check the Jim Clark Rally website and Facebook page for spectator
information for tomorrow (Saturday) some car parks are a bit muddy and may have
to be changed and keep your fingers crossed that water levels at the Langton
ford drop overnight so that the stage can run tomorrow.
Provisional leaderboard:
1, D Bogie, 7m 34.0s
2= J Moffett, 7m 39.1
2= D Robertson, 7m 39.1
4, H Hunter, 7m 39.8
5, R Hunters, 7m 42.6
6, G Morrison, 7m
43.0
7, J Ford, 7m 57.2
8, M Binnie, 7m 57.7
9, A Fenwick, 8.00.6
10, S Simpson, 8m 01.0
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