A CONFIDENCE-building exercise for two Machars rallyers who crashed during the Merrick stages of the Scottish Rally in September went well when they took part in parts the Galloway Hills Rally on Sunday.
The Castle Douglas-based event was the first outing for Fraser Wilson and Steven Broll from Port William since their Vauxhall Nova left the track and they had to be cut free during the autumn event.
With their confidence back and their sponsors be
hind them, the duo took their new Nova out to get back into the swing of things.
The pair, who are grateful to their sponsors for sticking by them since the incident, are all set for the next round of driving in 2010.
Steven scooped the second place trophy for co-driver in class two at the Hankook MSA awards 2009 two weeks ago.
Jock Armstrong and Kirsty Riddick from Castle Douglas won their third Armstrong Galloway Hills Rally Championship when they took all five forest stages.including stage four where they had a rear puncture in their Subaru Impreza.
They also won the Galloway Hills in 2006 and 2008.
Armstrong's time for the event was 40.34 minutes, almost two minutes in front of his nearest rival, Craig McMiken. He, driving with Christine Sanderson (Newton Stewart) in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 clocked 42.19m.
Adrian Hetherington and Gary Nolan (Ford Escort Mk2) from Dungannon were in third place, only 12 seconds adrift.
Heavy rain overnight made conditions on some of the special stages at Gatehouse of Fleet, Dalbeattie and New Galloway difficult.
Jock said afterwards: "I really enjoyed the day and only had a few problems. We had a rear puncture on the second-last stage but we managed okay and then at the start of the fifth stage I was sitting revving the engine and nothing happened – because I hadn't put the car in gear.
"Other than that, it was great to win the local rally and to see so many taking part."
Entries this year were down, which has been partly blamed on the economic situation and increasing costs.
But the entry from across
the water was still strong for
the event and they went home with a number of the leading awards.
The event was organised by the Solway, East Ayrshire and Machars car clubs and the presentations, by Jock's mother, Joyce, took place in the town hall at Castle Douglas.
David Hughes and Bruce Harper from Dumfries (Mitsubishi Evo 9) took fourth place while Richard Dickson/Sanny Dobie from New Abbey (Subaru Impreza) finished in seventh place, four places in front of Stuart Paterson/Colin Maxwell from Collin in another Subaru.
RESULTS:
1, Jock Armstrong/Kirsty Riddick (Subaru Impreza) 40.34m; 2, Craig McMiken/Christine (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 42.19; 3, Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Ford Escort Mk2) 42.31; 4, David Hughes/Bruce Harper (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 42.38; 5, Seamus O'Connell/Sean Magee (Ford Escort); 43.37; 6, Shane McGirr/Stephen O'Hanlon (Toyota Starlet) 43.42.
Other local finishers: 7, Richard Dickson/Sanny Dobie (Subaru Impreza) 44.01; 11, Stuart Paterson/Colin Maxwell (Subaru Impreza) 46.18; 14, Lee Hastings/Brian Findon (Subaru Impreza) Collin 46.54; 16, ALister Watson/Billy Dickson (Ford Escort Mk2) Girvan 46.59; 17, Iain Haining/Mairi Riddick (Vauxhall Nova) Dumfries 47.19; James Robertson/George Myatt (Citreon C2R2) Penpont 47.54; 20, Niall Cowan/Marcel Freling (MG ZR) Dumfries 48.10; 23, Scott Murdoch/Ewan Murdoch (Ford Escort) Stranraer 49.44; 28, Ian Bendall/Richard Barber-Fleming (Vauxhall Corsa) 51.18; 32, David Rutherford/Garry Russell (Vauxhall Nova) 60.44; 34, Darren Martin/Martin Steele (Peugeot 205) 69.30.
