Four weeks after scoring maximum points in the Duns-based Jim Clark International Rally, Manxman Mark Higgins stormed to victory in the latest round of the British Rally Championship on the Isle of Man.
The multiple British overcame a series of scares with his Subaru Impreza — which included a nailbiting, last-minute replacement of his car’s clutch — to win by 1min 26.4secs ahead the Mitsubishi of Ireland’s Keith Cronin.
“It was nip and tuck all the way to the finish,” Higgins, who now shares the lead of the championship with Cronin, said afterwards, “and we struggled all day with the clutch.
“The guys did a fantastic job changing it in just 20 minutes at the service but then, just as I went to pull away, they noticed the exhaust down-pipe was still on the floor. So we had to sit for another 30 seconds or so while they jacked the car back up and fitted that.
“It’s always fantastic to win your home event and this really gives my championship hopes a major boost before we head to Ulster for the next all-tarmac round.”
And while Irish youngster Alistair Fisher finished third in his Mitsubishi, there were encouraging performances from two young Scots with Euan Thorburn from Duns finishing fifth, just ahead of Aberdeen’s Dave Weston Jnr in another Impreza.
There was continued frustration though for Scotland’s brightest young rally prospect David Bogie. The 22-year-old from Dumfries lost time on stage four when he spun his Mitsubishi Evo X.
“I came down to a slippy left hand junction and the car’s rear stepped out on the handbrake, spun and stuck between two banks,” Bogie, who finished 20th, explained. ”Spectators tried pushing us but but eventually a farmer pulled us out with tractor.
“While we managed to get going again, the car’s rear exhaust was squashed which meant we were down on power. Then the car suffered misfire problems. An event to forget really.”
JM