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Granite Review

BOGIE BAGS GRANITE GLORY

David Bogie bounced back from recent car problems with a convincing win on Saturday's Station Garage Mitsubishi Granite City Rally, the third round of the Hankook MSA Scottish Rally Championship.

The reigning Scottish title-holder won four of the six Aberdeenshire stages in his Mitsubishi Evo 9, finishing with a total time of 41 minutes 26 seconds, seventeen seconds ahead of runner up Jock Armstrong in a Subaru Impreza.

Last year's Granite winner Mike Faulkner took the final podium spot a further seventeen seconds back in his Evo 6 - helped by a bag of flour to stop a slipping clutch.

David Wilson secured fourth overall in his Evo, while Alick Kerr persevered with gearbox problems in his Subaru Impreza to finish fifth, and now leads the championship by six points over Andy Horne, who ended the day seventh.

Bogie, with Kevin Rae on the notes, had struggled with a mysterious loss of power on last month's Bulldog International Rally, the opening round of the British championship.

The Dumfries driver said the Aberdeen victory was just the tonic needed ahead of next weekend's Pirelli International.

"The car's gone well, so obviously the problem's cured. It was a good rally, good stages, good competition, a good steady pace - probably a little slower on the first stage getting into the groove - but after that everything came together. It sets us up well for next weekend".

Snowman winners Armstrong and co-driver Kirsty Riddick were also happy to be back in the points, after gearbox failure had ended their challenge on the Border Counties Rally last month.

With a new box fitted, Armstrong's day included an equal fastest time with Faulkner through stage four, plus two second and two third quickest times.

The Castle Douglas competitor was 12 seconds adrift of Bogie going into the final Fettereso stage - conceding a further five seconds to the champion before the end of the 10.46 mile test - but said that by then, securing the runners-up spot was the main aim.

"We've got a result, and we're back in business. To drop another round at this stage - with the best six out of eight deciding final placings - would have put a real dampener on our championship campaign", said Armstrong, who also finished as the leading Hankook Group N competitor.

Faulkner and navigator Peter Foy also had a DNF on the Border Counties - their car suffering transmission problems - and they did not have their troubles to seek on the Aberdeen event.

"We had clutch problems from the second stage - and it put me off my stride", said Faulkner: "However, at service my brother suggested an old rallying fix of putting a bag of flour into the oily slipping clutch. I don't know if it was plain or self-raising, but it certainly did the trick!"

"All in all, it was a very enjoyable event", added the Kirtlebridge-based driver: "Given our problems, we couldn't really put pressure on the two front-runners, but it keeps us in the hunt".

David Wilson of Alness and navigator Drew Sturrock from Laurencekirk only lasted three stages on the Border Counties, but were in fine form this weekend, including a second fastest time - three seconds adrift of Bogie - on the final stage.

"We're both delighted with the result", said Wilson: "The morning stages weren't great, we just couldn't get into the rhythm at all - but on the last stage everything just fell into place. The car was going great, and I said to Drew, I wish the rally was only just starting now!"

Championship leaders Alick Kerr and Neil Shanks ended the day a further twelve seconds back - recording their third top five finish in as many rounds.

The Bothwell driver went into the event with a new turbo fitted, plus changes to the set up, and said it felt "a totally different and much better handling" car.

However, after the three morning stages, he arrived at service having lost fifth and sixth gears and expressed surprise at how well placed he was in relation to the front runners.

As the gearbox continued to play-up, Kerr and Shanks lost time on SS4 Blackhall, but still managed a fourth fastest time through the penultimate 7.50 mile Glenfarquhar stage - eight seconds off Bogie's pace - and were fifth quickest through SS6 Fettereso.

Cockermouth garage owner Paul Benn, with Richard Cooke on the notes, was contesting a round of the SRC for the first time in three years in his nine-year-old reconditioned Ford Focus WRC.

Benn immediately set the pace on the opening 3.61 Pitfichie stage, pipping Andy Horne by two seconds, and was lying fourth overall by the end of the slippery SS3 Clashindarroch. He had slipped to eighth overall by the end of the penultimate test, but hauled himself up two places by day's end, and declared himself happy with his return to Scottish soil.

A resurgent Andy Horne was delighted with his seventh overall at the wheel of his DAM 4100 GTi, to add to the two sixth place finishes on the Snowman and Border Counties.

A brief off-stage excursion on SS2 - resulting in some front end damage - did not halt the progress of two-time Granite winners Horne and co-driver Jim Howie.

"It's been a great event, and again we've showed that we're picking up the pace - we'll get there", said the Invernessian.

Local competitor and last year's runner-up Barry Groundwater recovered from a disappointing first three stages ("I just couldn't get going at all") to finish eighth overall in his Mitsubishi Evo 9, alongside co-driver Daniel Paterson.

After a promising start through the first two stages in his Mitsubishi Evo 9, Lancashire's Wayne Sisson slipped off and lost more than a minute on SS3 Clashindarroch, before putting in a strong finish to haul himself from thirteenth to ninth overall.

The top ten was rounded off by Newton Stewart's Craig McMiken in his Evo 9, alongside navigator Christine Sanderson of Berwick.

"We had a great battle with Davie Hughes (who finished a further eight seconds back in eleventh in an Evo 9). It was nip and tuck, with a few seconds either way, but we came out on top, so we're very pleased with the result", said McMiken.

Malton's Steve Bannister, with Louise Sutherland co-driving, again emerged as the leading Mk2 Escort competitor, finishing twelfth overall. His nearest Mk2 rival, Northern Ireland's Frank Kelly, was a further 30 seconds adrift in seventeenth, two places ahead of Malcolm Buchanan from the Isle of Lewis.

Bannister admitted the first half of the day had been tough going. "For a stage which hadn't been used for 15 years, that first one was very good. And I thought if this is how it's going to be, it'll be great. But then we got into stage two and it was so rough that we ripped a brake pipe off, and lost some time. We put a harder tyre on for the third stage - more as a safety precaution than anything - and it was also really rough. I found it hard to commit too much because of the changeable surface - loose one minute, good grip the next".

Top honours in the 1600 category and first front-wheel drive car went to Aberdeen's Euan Duncan in a Honda Civic, with Peter McInnes of Maryburgh, navigating.

"I've been waiting for a result like this on my home event for a few years now - new car, new navigator. I really couldn't fault anything today", said Duncan.

Of the 26 retirements, the most notable was that of Oban pair Shaun Sinclair and Chris Hamill - who had taken maximum SRC points on the Border Counties in their Mitsubishi Evo 9.

A second quickest time through SS2 Whitehaugh was followed by a spin on stage three. After service, they were third equal fastest on the fourth test, and were running as high as fourth overall at the end of SS5, before rolling on the final stage.

GRANITE TOP TEN WITH TOTAL TIMES

1 David Bogie (Dumfries)/Kevin Rae (Hawick) Mitsubishi Evo 9 41.26

2 Jock Armstrong (Castle Douglas)/Kirsty Riddick (Haugh of Urr) Subaru Impreza 41.43

3 Mike Faulkner (Kirtlebridge)/Peter Foy (Bingley) Mitsubishi Evo 6 42.00

4 David Wilson (Alness)/Drew Sturrock (Laurencekirk) Mitsubishi Evo 42.24

5 Alick Kerr (Bothwell)/Neil Shanks (Elgin) Subaru Impreza 42.36

6 Paul Benn (Cockermouth)/Richard Cooke (Keswick) Ford Focus WRC 42.50

7 Andy Horne (Inverness)/Jim Howie (Kilmarnock) DAM 4100 GTi 42.51

8 Barry Groundwater(Netherley)/Daniel Paterson(Netherley) Mitsubishi Evo 9 43.12

9 Wayne Sisson (Carnforth)/David MacFadyen (Inverness) Mitsubishi Evo 9 43.26

10 Craig McMiken(Newton Stewart)/Christine Sanderson(Berwick) Mitsubishi Evo 43.39

CLASS WINNERS