Abominable Snowman
GALLOWAY'S rally crews survived treacherous and unpredictable conditions on Saturday's Snowman Rally at Inverness, the opening round of the 2010 Hankook MSA Scottish Championship.
Craig McMiken and Mark McCulloch from Newton Stewart, and Port William's Fraser Wilson and Steven Broll, battled to make it to the finish in Inverness – while overall honours went to Castle Douglas ace Jock Armstrong who dominated the event from the start.
Competitors were faced with a mix of snow, ice and gravel – all on the same stage at times – which made tyre choice difficult.
McMiken and co-driver Christine Sanderson led home the local competitors to take a deserved eleventh place overall in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 after an eventful day.
Said McMiken: "We had snow tyres on – which worked well in the snow but as soon as you got onto the ice the grip went – and you really needed a dedicated ice tyre for that. Then on the third stage, we hit a bump and the car totally cut out, just as it did a year ago, and we lost about 50 seconds. Even so, we're pleased to have got back to the finish in one piece."
McCulloch, competing for only the second time in his Subaru Impreza, finished a creditable 25th overall – having targeted a top 30 place at the outset.
With co-driver Craig Wallace on the notes, McCulloch said it had been a "day of attrition" but enjoyable nonetheless.
"We started the first stage in fine form – the tyres we got hold of were an open gravel tyre which worked in the soft snow, but the second stage was sheet ice everywhere. We overshot one junction by about 200 yards and then near the end we went off into a banking and lost about two minutes.
"After that things went well – we got back onto gravel and the car was excellent. I can't wait for the Border Counties next month!"
Fraser Wilson and Steven Broll were back in action in a "new" Vauxhall Nova after their dramatic crash on the final round last season, and survived the day to claim a hard-fought third in class.
It was a relieved Wilson who returned to Rally HQ in Inverness:.
"It's good to get a finish after failing to make it home on the last couple of rallies we've competed in. I found the third stage particularly difficult with the mix of ice and gravel and it was difficult to read the road, but we got through it, so we're quite happy and we're getting the confidence back."
At the top end of the leader board, Armstrong and Haugh of Urr navigator Kirsty Riddick were in a league of their own – posting the fastest times on all five forest stages in their Subaru Impreza, to end the day more than two and a half minutes ahead of the field.
Last year's championship runner-up, Mike Faulkner of Kirtlebridge, got his campaign off to a strong start by powering his Mitsubishi Evo 6 to third place overall, while Kirkgunzeon farmer Rory Young survived five punctures to finish a superb fourth in his Evo 5.
There was no holding back Armstrong, who was determined to push for the win after finishing third last year – his first attempt at the Snowman in 19 years.
At the end of the opening Meall Mor stage, the Stewartry pair were 23 seconds up on the rest, and following what many acknowledged to be the most difficult stage of the day, Millbuie, had extended their overall advantage to more than a minute.
After the Torr Achilty stage the overall cushion was one minute and 32 seconds and by the end of the Strathrory stage Armstrong had an additional 20 second cushion, increasing it still further after the fifth and final test of the day, Scotsburn.
Said a jubilant Armstrong after the race: "It's been fantastic – we were so close 12 months ago, and I thought there was no reason why we shouldn't go for the win, so it's all gone to plan. Compared to last year, the stages were actually more difficult by not having so much snow on them. There was more ice, and you were also going a lot quicker. But all in all, a great day, and it's set us up well for the season ahead – we need to nail the first two or three rounds."
Riddick was also full of praise for her driver: "It's been a fantastic day, and Jock has just driven so well for the conditions. There's not been a single "moment" all day and I'm really proud of him – it was a great effort."
Earlier in the day Mike Faulkner had spoken of the difficulties posed by changes in the levels of grip – with sheet ice followed by gravel on some high-speed sections. It was, he said, a "question of survival".
He opted for a snow tyre on the first stage – finishing outside the top ten - before switching to an ice tyre for the six miles of Millbuie, where he promptly set the second quickest time.
He was also second fastest on the final Scotsburn test, and with co-driver Peter Foy, was more than happy with the outcome.
"It's brilliant – we'd targeted a top five finish – ideally a podium – so it's just what we wanted to start the year off. We had a few heart-stopping moments, particularly the fourth stage where we had a big spin, but apart from that it's just been a case of reading the road and making sure we had a strong finish."
Rory Young and co-driver Allan Cathers, beset by multiple punctures, had, nevertheless, moved into fourth overall after the fourth stage.
They managed to hold position through the final test despite having to run the entire 5.81 miles with a flat tyre because they had run out of spares!
"After everything we've been through we're pleasantly surprised by the result, to be honest," said Young, adding: "It's certainly been one of the most challenging days I've spent in a car, that's for sure. The five punctures were a bit demoralising, but we've survived and have a strong finish."
The Dumfries crew of Davie Hughes and Bruce Harper rounded off the top ten in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 after what Hughes described as a "horrendous but good fun day" which started with a third fastest time on the first stage.
Late entries Lee Hastings and Brian Findon of Dumfries recorded a top 30 finish while Peter Stewart and Phil Short – also from Dumfries - took a second in class in their Ford Fiesta.
The second round of the Hankook series is the Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally, based in Jedburgh, on March 20th.
Snowman Rally
Dumfries and Galloway
finishers with total times
1 Jock Armstrong (Castle Douglas)/Kirsty Riddick (Haugh of Urr) Subaru Impreza 51 min 11sec
3 Mike Faulkner (Kirtlebridge) /Peter Foy (Bingley) Mitsubishi Evo 6 54.03
4 Rory Young (Kirkgunzeon) /Allan Cathers (Carlisle) Mitsubishi Evo 5 55.22
10 Davie Hughes (Dumfries) /Bruce Harper (Dumfries) Mitsubishi Evo 9 57.11
11 Craig McMiken(Newton Stewart) /Christine Sanderson (Berwick) Mitsubishi Evo 9 57.43
20 Lee Hastings (Dumfries) /Brian Findon (Dumfries) Subaru Impreza 1.01.53
24 Alan Doncaster (Glasgow) /Roger Herron (Dumfries) Subaru Impreza 1.03.07
25 Mark McCulloch (Newton Stewart)/Craig Wallace (Kirriemuir) Subaru Impreza 1.03.22
44 Peter Stewart (Dumfries)/Phil Shortt (Dumfries) Ford Fiesta 1.06.31
65 Fraser Wilson (Port William)/Steven Broll(Port William) Vauxhall Nova 1.11.05
71 James Roberston (Thornhill) /George Myatt (Dumfries) Citreon C2 R2 1.12.50
87 Paul Glass (Chiswick) /Michael Hunter (Dumfries) Lada Samara 1.20.21
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Weather for Newton Stewart
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -0 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 0 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: South
