Jock Armstrong celebrated a dramatic victory on Saturday's RSAC Scottish Rally, after David Bogie was hit by a puncture just a few miles from the finish.

It was the Castle Douglas driver's first win on the "Scottish" - and his first victory in the MSA Scottish Rally Championship since the Snowman in 2010.

Bogie had looked set to take top honours on his home event for the second successive year in his Mitsubishi Evo 9 after building up a seventeen second lead over Armstrong going into the final stage.

However, the front puncture knocked the Dumfries driver back to third, with Mike Faulkner securing the runner-up spot in his Mitsubishi Evo 6.
Armstrong, co-driven by Kirsty Riddick, completed the six stages in a total time of 43 minutes 16.1 seconds in his Subaru Impreza to finish 12.8 seconds ahead of Faulkner and Peter Foy. Bogie, with Kevin Rae on the notes, was a further 11.6 seconds adrift.

The result has not affected Bogie's lead in the MSA Scottish Championship. He has an eleven point advantage over Faulkner after five rounds, with Euan Thorburn, who finished fourth in Dumfries in his Evo 9,a further point behind.

At the finish, a delighted Armstrong said he had long dreamed of a "Scottish" win: "I remember doing it years and years ago and I came away fourteenth overall, and then I was thirteenth overall and I thought if I do this for the next fifteen years I might win it one day!"

He went on: "We've always been there or thereabouts but it's been a perfect result for us today. It's been a good battle with three local drivers making it onto the podium and for once I've made it to the top step. We've had mixed results this season, but hopefully this will be the start of a rolling streak and we'll persevere and see what happens".

Co-driver Riddick, meanwhile, became the first female competitor to win the event since 1961 when John and Anne Melvin triumphed in a Sunbeam Alpine.
From the outset, Armstrong and Bogie set the tone for a hard-fought tussle on the unusually slippery Dumfriesshire stages with both drivers beating the bogey time on the opening 14-miles of Ae East.

Bogie was clearly frustrated at the outcome as he came into first service, declaring that he hoped it wasn't going to be "the story of the day", while Armstrong put his team to work repairing a broken exhaust.

Faulkner was 2.8 seconds further back, ahead of Wayne Sisson (Mitsubishi Evo 9, Thorburn, and Andy Horne (DAM 4100Gti) .
Bogie pipped Horne by a second on the first of two runs through the special spectator stage at Heathhall, and was fastest again - five seconds up on Armstrong - on the third test, Twiglees.

After taking another quickest time on SS4 Castle O'er, Bogie's lead over Armstrong had extended to 15.1 seconds, while Faulkner was snapping at their heals a further 4.5 seconds back. Horne, co-driven by Jim Howie, was clearly enjoying his day and sitting fourth as the crews came into second service.

There was a bit of drama when the starter-motor of Bogie's Evo jammed and his crew had to push the car the length of the service area to his bay. Once fixed, the double champion was on his way with a second straight "Scottish" victory in his sights.

Horne just got the better of Thorburn and Bogie by half a second through the second Heathhall run ("if all stages were a mile long I might win a few rallies", quipped the Highlander) while Armstrong was thirteenth quickest, 2.8 seconds back.

All was set then for a final push through the fourteen miles of Ae West. Bogie ("I'm just keeping a nice consistent steady pace") was on course to pick up his fourth win of the 2011 SRC. Armstrong was sitting 17.4 seconds further back, with a hard-charging Faulkner just 2.5 seconds behind.

However, as the crowds and officials gathered at the finish to welcome the 4-wheel-drive competitors, word filtered back that the top three positions had changed in dramatic fashion.

A rueful Bogie explained: "We went into the last stage with a comfortable lead and then five miles from the end there was a left hand corner that tightened slightly over a bump. The bump was bigger than we thought it would be and it just pushed the car slightly off line and we went through a kind of shale ditch and that was just enough to cut the tyre. We drove the last five miles with a front puncture so we lost far more time than we would have liked. It's just one of those things, but to get third overall is a good result for us - and we still stay ahead in the championship".

For his part, Faulkner was happy with a second place which keeps him in the hunt in the championship, with three rounds remaining.

"We pushed really hard, we couldn't have given anything more to be honest. We were a little disappointed not to beat Jock on the last stage but we certainly had a go. Two or three miles from the end we thought we had a rear puncture, we were struggling for traction and it was loose at the back, but it looks as though it's been a suspension problem. We're certainly happy with second. It's good for the championship and set's us up well for the Speyside in August".

Thorburn, co-driven by Paul Beaton, was relieved to have secured fourth overall and first in class after a difficult day on the Dumfriesshire stages.

"We went off about two-thirds into the first stage and got stuck in a ditch - wrong tyre choice I'm afraid - and also had two over-shoots at junctions and had to reverse. We were getting too much understeer followed by masses of oversteer. The last stage was better but it was not a great day for us, I'm afraid", said the Duns' driver.

In contrast, Horne was well satisfied with his fifth overall, 27.8 seconds behind Thorburn: "It's been a really good day with no real dramas to speak of. A good steady run. We went off the road briefly on the last stage - it was very slippery - as it was on the first run through Ae. The two stages to the east, Twiglees and Castle O'er, were far better for us - there was more grip there and it showed in our times".

Wayne Sisson claimed sixth place alongside navigator Andy Bull to better his ninth overall in 2010.

"I think we've come away pretty lucky to be honest. We had a puncture on Twiglees and dropped 25 seconds and then on the last stage we went off and down into a ditch for about fifty yards and stalled it at a hairpin. We dropped some time there. So, I think we're lucky to end up where we are".

Seventh overall and Class 10 honours went to John McLory and David Hood - the Brick & Steel construction boss clearly delighted with his best ever result in the SRC at the wheel of his Subaru Impreza:

"I'm really happy, it's an excellent result. On the first stage we caught the car in front half-way through but other than that it's been a fairly quiet event for us with no "moments" to speak of. It was universally slippy but then it was the same for everyone so I've no complaints".

Local farmer Rory Young, with Doug Redpath sitting in for regular co-driver Allan Cathers, maintained his solid record on his home event in his Mitsubishi Evo 5 with an eighth place finish, just 1.1 seconds behind McLory.

"We didn't have an intercom on the first stage so there were some interesting hand signals between navigator and driver", said Young, who also took DMACK Group N honours: "We also had a wee misfire on the third stage but other than that it's been great fun".

Donnie Macdonald and Keir Beaton from Inverness were a further 5.9 seconds back in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 to take ninth overall.

"I came down here for dry, hot conditions as with previous years on the "Scottish" but it turned out to be wet and cloggy and I just couldn't get going. But we picked up the pace throughout the day and I'm happy enough to have finished in the top ten".

The Aberdeenshire crew of Chris Collie and Lisa Watson brought their Subaru Impreza home in tenth overall to make up for crashing out on the previous gravel round, the Granite City, in April.

"I kept the rubber side down this time, so it's been a much better run for us. We've both had a really good day - an excellent event", said Collie.

The leading 2-wheel drive competitor was 2008 Scottish Junior champion Mark McCulloch in the Ford Fiesta ST in which he's contesting this year's BRC Challenge alongside navigator Craig Wallace. McCulloch had been seeded one ahead of 2010 Junior champion Peter Stewart in his Fiesta. However, the much anticipated battle for bragging rights between the two ended when Stewart suffered engine failure on the fourth stage.

The local Thornhill crew of Liam Harkness and Kenneth Marchbank were the clear winners of Class 8 in their Ford Escort Mk2, ending the day 26th overall.
Alasdair S Graham from Paisley, co-driven by Kenny McGuire, picked up his third Class 4 win of the season in his Vauxhall Corsa but could not quite believe it at the finish after struggling with gearbox problems for most of the day.

"I think it's been the hardest rally we've ever done", said Graham: "I had to hold the car in gear and drive it one handed for four stages. We also hit a really bad bump on the first stage and knocked the tracking out so it was driving kind of sideways for the rest of the stage. It's a great result, but I'm shattered".
Alex Pirie from Keith, with David Law of Huntly co-driving, again dominated Class 2 in his Vauxhall Corsa, finishing 26 seconds ahead of second-placed Castle Douglas crew Callum Bendall and James Aldridge in a Ford Ka.

For the second consecutive event, Class 3 honours went to husband and wife team Tom and Sue Hynd who had flown back from holiday in France the previous day to compete on Dumfries event in their Peugeot 205 Gti. The couple finished more than a minute and a half ahead of Borderers Sean and Iain Robson, also in a 205.

Aberdeenshire duo Ken and Gordon Wood secured maximum SRC points in Class 9 in their Triumph Dolomite Sprint, finishing 35th overall.

Of the 95 starters, there were 71 classified finishers with a number of notable retirements, including Evo 9 pilots Sean Sinclair, who shredded a tyre of his Evo 9 and went over the time limit; David Wilson, who ran into a boggy ditch on the first stage; and Barry Groundwater, who experienced transmission problems.
Former SRC front-runner Steven Clark had undertaken a three-day journey from an oil-rig off China to be back in time to compete in his Mitsubishi Evo 4, alongside Steve Bannister's regular navigator Louise Sutherland. The pair had a strong run through the opening Ae East stage - recording an eighth quickest time - but gearbox problems forced them to call it a day at first service.

Crews now have a break of 6 weeks before the sixth round of the MSA Scottish Rally Championship - the Gleaner Oil & Gas Speyside Stages in Elgin on 6th August.

RSAC Scottish Rally - Top Ten finishers with total times:
1 Jock Armstrong(Castle Douglas)/Kirsty Riddick(Haugh of Urr) Subaru Impreza 43 mins 16.1 secs
2 Mike Faulkner (Kirtlebridge)/Peter Foy (Bingley) Mitsubishi Evo 9 43.28.9
3 David Bogie (Dumfries)/Kevin Rae (Hawick) Mitsubishi Evo 9 43.40.5
4 Euan Thorburn (Duns)/Paul Beaton (Inverness) Mitsubishi Evo 9 44.03.2
5 Andy Horne (Inverness)/Jim Howie (Kilmarnock) DAM 4100GTi 44.31.0
6 Wayne Sisson (Carnforth)/Andy Bull (Birmingham) Mitsubishi Evo 9 45.13.5
7 John McLory (Glasgow)/David Hood (Paisley) Subaru Impreza N15 45.44.5
8 Rory Young (Kirkgunzeon)/Doug Redpath (Duns) Mitsubishi Evo 5 45.45.6
9 Donnie Macdonald (Inverness)/Keir Beaton (Inverness) Mitsubishi Evo 9 45.51.5
10 Chris Collie (Aberdeen)/Lisa Watson (Alford) Subaru Impreza 45.53.0

 Photo of Councillor Gill Dykes, Kirsty Riddick and Jock Armstrong courtesy of www.scottish-images.co.uk

David Bogie is aiming to further tighten his grip on the MSA Scottish Rally Championship with a second successive victory on his home event next weekend. He goes into the RSAC Scottish Rally on Saturday, June 25th, with an eleven point advantage over Euan Thorburn in the drivers' standings, and is odds-on favourite to take his fourth SRC win of 2011.

Bogie and navigator Kevin Rae head a strong field of more than 100 crews for the fifth round of the series - played out over the classic forest stages to the east of Dumfries.

The defending champion will be back in his more familiar Mitsubishi Evo 9, after a dominant victory on the Jim Clark Reivers Rally at the wheel of his family's MG Metro 6R4.

"We'll be out to win the "Scottish" and take maximum points, that's for sure", said Bogie: "Obviously, when it's your home event, it gives you an extra incentive. It's been a dream first half of the season for us - but we need to keep up the momentum".

Thorburn submitted a late entry, with the result that his name does not appear on the seeded list as published.

The Duns driver, with Paul Beaton on the notes, has been runner-up to Bogie twice this season in his Mitsubishi Evo 9.

"We were happy enough with our second place on the Reivers, despite losing some time with the odd spin here and there. But David was in a class of his own, and we need to push and get another good result in Dumfries to stay in the hunt", said Thorburn.

Mike Faulkner, who won the "Scottish" in 2009 and was second to Bogie on last year's event, currently lies third in the championship, one point behind Thorburn.

The Kirtlebridge-based driver is determined to continue the good form
alongside navigator Peter Foy.

"Obviously, David is dominating the sport at the moment, leading both the Scottish and British championships. However, he hasn't won the SRC yet, so all we can do is try to put the pressure on him, and keep going until we can't win it".

"The pace in the Scottish championship is relentless this season. It's not just the top two or three who are quick, the whole top ten has serious pace. It's so close. There's no easing yourself into an event - it's absolute maximum attack from the word go", said Faulkner.

Jock Armstrong bounced back from a disappointing couple of rounds to take a hard-earned third place on the Reivers in his Subaru Impreza, and currently sits sixth in the championship, forty-one points adrift of Bogie.

With navigator Kirsty Riddick, the Castle Douglas driver, will be aiming to make amends for a non-finish twelve months ago, following a mechanical glitch on the opening stage, but admits "he will need some luck" as the championship enters the second half of the season.

The Argyll crew of Shaun Sinclair and Chris Hamill return to the fray as fourth seeds in a Mitsubishi Evo 9. The pair finished seventh place overall on the "Scottish" in 2010, and Sinclair has only competed on one SRC round this year, the Granite City, when he also finished seventh overall.

Fifth seed David Wilson, co-driven by Dave Robson, survived a massive 100mph "off" on the Jim Clark Reivers in his Evo 9, but still managed to regroup and  finish in the top 30.

The young Alness driver took the final podium spot on last year's "Scottish" and was also third on the Granite City in April so will be pushing to go even better this time out.

Robbie Head has been "Mr Consistency" since returning to competition this season after a long lay-off, and currently sites fourth in the overall drivers' standings, twenty points shy of Bogie.

The Lanark-based former works driver, co-driven by Claire Mole, opened his account with a seventh place finish on the Snowman, and has since had three sucessive fifth place finishes in his Station Garage/DMack Tyres Mitsubishi Evo 9.

Lancastrian Wayne Sisson has only contested two SRC rounds this season in his Evo 9, the best of which was an eighth-place finish on the Granite City.

The rally car preparation expert will have Andy Bull on the notes as he attempts to better his ninth overall on the "Scottish" twelve months ago. Donnie Macdonald will be relieved to get back onto gravel after enduring a tough Reivers' Rally in his Evo 9. Nevertheless, the Inverness driver finds himself fifth in the championship and has a good recent record on the "Scottish" – eighth last year, and ninth in 2009.

Stonehaven's Barry Groundwater has two seventh-place points finishes and one tenth-place to his name this season. With Neil Shanks co-driving, he will be looking to repeat or better his fine fifth overall on the 2010 "Scottish".

Rounding off the top ten seeds is former SRC front-runner Steven Clark, who is flying back from China where he has been working for an oil drilling firm. Clark last contested his home event two years ago, finishing sixth in his Mitsubishi Evo 4.

Clark's only outing last year was the Rally of Argyll when he took third overall. The car is the same - albeit with a bit more power since he last drove it - but he hopes to be at the sharp end this weekend.

"I don't get into Manchester airport until Friday morning, so it's going to be touch and go whether I make the pre-rally shakedown - which would help me settle back in", said Clark, who will be co-driven by Louise Sutherland: "If I can adapt to a wee bit more power from the car, and if the first stage goes well, then I'll be disappointed if we can't be on a podium pace. Officially though, I fully expect to be rusty and I'm just going for a run out!".

Banchory's Quintin Milne, co-driven by Martin Forrest of Aberdeen, heads the Escort Mk2 contingent – Milne currently sitting second in Class 8. One to watch will be Thornhill's Liam Harkness who has steered his Mk2 to second in the Junior rankings after four rounds, and leads the Red Junior Challenge. He will again be co-driven by Kenneth Marchbank.

After sitting out the Reivers, 2010 Scottish Junior Champion Peter Stewart and co-driver Phil Shortt (Ford Fiesta ST) will be back in action on their home event. They will aim to consolidate their overall lead in Class 7, with Stewart also topping the Clubmans 2-Wheel Drive rankings.

The fight for honours is just as intense for SRC-registered crews in Classes 1 to 5, who, as is traditional on the "Scottish", will start behind the dozen or so Historic entries, and ahead of the 4-wheel drive competitors.

In Class 4, Thornhill's Jim Robertson and George Myatt from Ae hold a slender two point advantage in the drivers' and co-drivers' standings over fellow Citreon C2R2 pairing of Gareth White (who also leads the SRC Juniors) and Mike Dickson.

However, Paisley's Alasdair S.Graham, with Kenny McGuire on the notes, is breathing down their necks, having won the class on the last two rounds in his Vauxhall Corsa, while the Honda Civic crew of Graeme Schoneville/Michael Hendry will also be aiming for a strong result as they push for both class and Brick & Steel Ecosse Challenge honours.

The husband and wife team of Tom and Sue Hynd (Peugeot 205 Gti) are breaking off from a holiday in France to compete on the "Scottish" in the hope of consolidating their lead in both the drivers' and co-drivers' standings in Class 3.

However, they will face stiff competition from, among others, the second-placed crew of Iain Haining and Mairi Riddick, who chalked up three class wins in succession over the first three rounds, and will be out to impress in front of home support in their Vauxhall Nova.

In Class 2, the north-east of Scotland crew of Alex Pirie from Keith and David Law, have built up a commanding lead in their Vauxhall Corsa, but will continue to be pushed by second placed Tevor Longhurst from Thirsk, alongside Crieff's Michael Cruickshank in an MG ZR. Local fans will be cheering on Penpont teenager Greg McKnight, who with dad Chris on the notes, took an impressive class win in his Vauxhall Nova on only his second rally, the Border Counties, back in March.

As well as being the fifth round of the SRC, the RSAC Scottish is also a counter in the Brick and Steel Ecosse Challenge; the Borders Rally and Five of Clubs Rally championships; and the Motoscope Northern Historic Rally Championship.

The event also marks the return of the British Army Rally Team, with six Landrovers entered – their first competitive outing in more than a year.

The first Historic will be flagged away from Dumfries town centre at 0830 on Saturday, with the first 4-wheel drive at around 1000.

Full details can be found at the event website www.scottishrally.co.uk

For news of all SRC rounds, go to www.scottishrallychampionship.co.uk

RSAC Scottish Rally - Top 10 Seeds

1  David Bogie (Dumfries)/Kevin Rae (Hawick) Mitsubishi  Evo 9

2 Mike Faulkner (Kirtlebridge)/Peter Foy (Bingley) Mitsubishi  Evo 6

3 Jock Armstrong(Castle Douglas)/KirstyRiddick (Haugh of Urr)Subaru Impreza

4 Shaun Sinclair (Oban)/Chris Hamill (Oban) Mitsubishi  Evo 9

5 David Wilson (Alness)/Dave Robson (Jedburgh) Mitsubishi  Evo 9

6 Robbie Head (Lanark)/Claire Mole (Paxton) Mitsubishi Evo 9

7 Wayne Sisson (Carnforth)/Andy Bull (Birmingham) Mitsubishi  Evo 9

8 Donnie Macdonald (Inverness)/ Keir Beaton (Inverness) Mitsubishi  Evo 9

9 Barry Groundwater (Stonehaven)/Neil Shanks (Elgin) Mitsubishi  Evo 9

10 Steven Clark (Gretna)/Louise Sutherland (Hawick) Mitsubishi Evo 4

Top 10 Seeds (Classes 1-5)

71 Graeme Schoneville (Carluke)/Michael Hendry (Elgin) Honda Civic

72 Alasdair Graham (Paisley)/Kenny McGuire (Johnstone) Vauxhall Corsa

73 Jim Robertson (Thornhill)/George Myatt (Ae) Citreon C2R2

74 Malcolm Robertson (Roslin)/Katie Stimpson (Aylesbury) Talbot Sunbeam

75 Iain Haining (Dumfries)/Mairi Riddick (Haugh of Urr) Vauxhall Nova

76 Blair McCulloch (Ayr)/Alex McCulloch (Ayr) Vauxhall Nova

77 Tom Hynd (Inverbervie)/Sue Hynd (Inverbervie) Peugeot 205 Gti

78 Sean Robson (St Boswells)/Iain Robson (St Boswells) Peugeot 205 Gti

79 Graeme Smith (Crossford)/Stuart Loudon (Uddingston) Honda Civic

80 Greg McKnight (Dumfries)/Chris McKnight (Dumfries) Vauxhall Nova

Robin Wyllie
SRC Media Officer