Lockerbie’s Mike Faulkner became the first driver to win two rounds of this year’s Hankook Scottish Rally Championship when he dominated the season’s Blue Riband event, the RSAC Scottish Rally in Dumfries.
Faulkner, who earlier this season won the Aberdeen-based Granite City Rally, today powered his Mitsubishi to a 13-second victory ahead of England’s Wayne Sisson piloting another Mitsubishi.
But Faulkner’s route to glory was eased when defending champ Jimmy Girvan from Inverness, who started the final stage just one second behind the Dumfries & Galloway driver, rolled his Subaru out of contention when he crashed.
“It was a terrific duel with Jimmy all day,” Faulkner, who was fastest through three of the day’s six stages, said afterwards, “ and it was a pity he crashed in the last stage.
“Winning here is fantastic for my chances of lifting the championship and it means, with just three rounds remaining I’m in there with a real chance of becoming champion. Now we have to focus on maintaining this level of performance to the end of the season.”
But there was disappointment for Scotland’s brightest young rally talent David Bogie. The 21-year-old from Dumfries, who started his home even second in the championship and who won the last round in Duns, crashed out midway through stage four.
“I’m gutted,” Bogie, whose crash was witnessed by his mum and dad who were standing at the corner where the accident took place. “Things were looking good for the championship, but now I’m going to have to do something pretty spectacular.”
While Irishman Steve Whitford was third, a further 10 seconds behind Sisson, Duns driver Euan Thorburn and championship leader Jock Armstrong from Castle Douglas, finished fourth and fifth in their Subarus.
JM