Castle Douglas ace Jock Armstrong got his bid to win the Hankook Scottish Rally Championship off to the best possible start when he dominated the 120-car field in the opening round, the Snowman Rally in Inverness.
Armstrong, who narrowly missed out on the title last year, was fastest through four of the five Highland stages in his Subaru Impreza to win by 2mins 32secs. Bothwell 22-year-old Alick Kerr was second in another Subaru.
“That’s the perfect start to the season,” Armstrong said today. “Conditions were treacherous in places with a lot of snow and ice, but we were fortunate to make the righty tyre choices . Now we can mount a full-on assault on the championship.”
Kerr meanwhile, another of the latest crop of young rally drivers emerging from the junior ranks, was delighted to have scored his best-ever finish in the championship.
“Brilliant,” Kerr, co-driven for the first time by Elgin’s Neil Shanks and whose previous best finish was fifth, beamed. “The Snowman’s always a tough event and to finish second, and on the podium, is fantastic for us.”
Lockerbie’s Mike Faulkner completed the top three in his Mitsubishi, 20secs behind Kerr.
JM