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Reivers "key" to title chase

After three rounds and three different winners, the Hankook MSA Scottish Rally Championship is wide open as crews prepare for their only tarmac event of the season.

Twenty-one-year-old Alick Kerr from Lanarkshire leads the overall drivers' standings going into next Sunday's (May 30th) Jim Clark Reivers Rally in Berwickshire.

The Subaru Impreza driver has a six point advantage over the resurgent Andy Horne who, after eight straight DNF's last season, is back to form in his re-engined DAM 4100 Gti.

Thirteen points then cover the drivers from third-placed David Hughes down to John Morrison in tenth.

As the series approaches the mid-way stage, Kerr knows the pressure is on if he is to stay in contention for the title - with the six best rounds from eight deciding the final placings at the end of the season.

So far this year, the Bothwell competitor and Elgin co-driver Neil Shanks have finished as runners-up on the Snowman, were fourth of the SRC-registered competitors on the Border Counties, and fifth overall on the Granite City.

"If we want a look at the championship then we need to be on the podium this coming weekend", said Kerr, who is seeded seventh for the Duns-based event.

He continued: "The stage times last year were promising given that it was only my second rally in the Impreza and my first tarmac event in the car. We were running small gravel brakes last year, but this time we have a decent set of tarmac brakes, so with that, and the car set up properly, we're looking for a good clean run".

Meanwhile, top seed David Bogie - who won the Reivers in 2009 on his way to the Scottish title -will be at the wheel of an '05 spec Ford Focus WRC, hired from Northern Ireland rally preparation specialist Derek McGeehan.

It is the same car in which Bogie and co-driver Kevin Rae contested the McRae Stages in 2008.

Bogie had to withdraw from Friday and Saturday's International Rally - a round of the British Championship - because of engine damage to his Mitsubishi Evo 9 sustained on last month's Pirelli International.

Bogie currently sits fourth in the drivers' standings - tied with current Hankook Group N leader Jock Armstrong.

The Castle Douglas driver will have Christine Sanderson of Berwick on the notes, while regular navigator Kirsty Riddick competes on the Sol Barbados Rally alongside Paul Bird.

Following gear-box failure on the second round, Snowman winner Armstrong got his campaign back on track with a second-place finish on the Granite City.

He is aiming for another podium finish this coming weekend, following his sixth overall last year - the first time he had contested the Reivers since 2000 ,

Armstrong starts one ahead of Mike Faulkner, who has two third place finishes to his name this season in his Mitsubishi Evo 6 - including the Granite City, where he had to cope with an oily slipping clutch, cured at service by pouring in a bag of flour.

Last year Faulkner and navigator Peter Foy were forced to retire early from the Reivers, and the Kirtlebridge-based driver concedes the event has not been kind to him over the years.

"I had a big accident on the Jim Clark while leading the Peugeot challenge, then in 2008 the engine blew up, and last year the brakes failed causing some very scary moments - not to mention wrecking the gearbox trying to use it instead of the brakes.

He continued: "We are fired up for it though, and the car is ready to go with a new clutch with no oil on it - although the guys did comment that the gear box smelled of bread when they took it out!"

"This is the point in the championship that will determine who is going to stake their claim as a title contender for the second half of the year. We have a reasonable foundation after a couple of podiums so another top 3 is the target and then we can really push for the wins we need when we get back to the forests".

Oban ace Shaun Sinclair has also tasted the champagne this season, taking maximum points on the Border Counties, only to follow it with a roll on the final stage of the Granite City in his Evo 9.

Sinclair, with Chris Hamill on the notes, is noted for his pace on sealed surfaces, having finished runner up in the 2009 Scottish Tarmack Championship.

"First off, I'm wanting to prove the Granite roll has not affected my nerve, and my championship chances - so here's hoping for a drama-free day and a good result, at least against the GpN cars", said Sinclair, adding: "We will probably struggle on the fast open stages, but might hold our own in the tight stuff with the car not having the grunt of the bigger cars".

Another Evo 9 driver keen to get his first full SRC campaign back on track is Lancashire-based rally preparation expert Wayne Sisson, co-driven by David MacFadyen of Inverness.

Said Sisson: "I've never done the Jim Clark before so, yes, it's another new event for me this year. I enjoy tarmac though, so it's vital we have a good result to keep us in the championship fight, To have been lying third overall after two stages on the Granite and then to suffer a puncture and lose a minute was very disappointing".

If the conditions are right, there is one driver who will undoubtedly be mixing it with the front runners, and will be gunning for outright victory.

Steve Bannister - who is seeded sixth - turned in a scintillating display at the wheel of his Escort Mk2 on the bone dry roads in 2008 to take maximum SRC points, and followed it up with a fifth place overall last year.

The Yorkshire farmer, alongside navigator Louise Sutherland from Hawick, will again be pitted against Northern Ireland Mk2 maestro Frank Kelly.

"The Malton Missile will certainly be the man to beat, but we'll be pushing as hard as possible", said Kelly: "I had a bit of a shake down last week on a local tarmac rally which went very well. I will have yet another new co driver for the Reivers in Arthur Kierans, so hopefully we will work well together".

Kelly will be followed off the line by Inverness-based Andy Horne and Kilmarnock navigator Jim Howie - the veteran crew keen to keep the momentum going after three top-seven finishes so far this season.

The 1600 challenge will be led by Carl and Robin Tuer from Alnwick in their MG ZR but they will face strong competition from, among others, Paisley's Alasdair Graham, who currently leads the class in his Vauxhall Corsa.

The first car will leave Duns town centre at 9am on Sunday, with the leading competitors returning just before 5pm. Crews will tackle eight special stages, totalling 67 miles.

For further details go to www.jimclarkrally.com

Article Posted: 22 May 2010