2010 Granite Rally sees off Argyll drivers

Round 3 of the Hankook Scottish Rally Championship was flagged away in the Aberdeenshire town of Aboyne last Saturday.

Dry and sunny conditions made the stages very dusty and difficult.

The Championship contending Argyll based crew of Shaun Sinclair and Chris Hamill in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 got off to a good start by setting a decent pace. The crew arrived at the afternoon service in fourth place overall and second in the Group ‘N’ class.

The servicing completed they set off for a further three stages. Going into the final stage the Fusion Marine supported Mitsubishi Evo9 team were just ten seconds behind third overall, but the good run came to an abrupt end when the car slid off the road and landed on its roof, putting an end to the day. The damage appears to have been light and when the car was re -acquainted with the road they were able to make it to the end under their own steam. The team took some consolation from the day with the times they were setting before the off.

Mull’s young British Championship hopeful, John MacCrone also had a day to forget.

The Pallet Force/Rally Team Scotland/TSL, driver was hoping to use the event to get some mileage in his left hand drive Ford Fiesta, unfortunately he slid off the road on the first stage, but with the help of some spectators he was able to get underway again, only to become the victim of a roll on the second stage which ended the rally for him.

Oban based Stephen and Kevin Lockhart were also out of luck on the Granite, the Mitsubishi Evo7 crew, lost the exhaust off their car on stage two; this was followed by a problem with their sump guard which eventually led to their retirement.

Peter MacCrone was the only local with something to celebrate as he navigated Graeme Shenaville to 30th overall and 2nd in class in the Honda Civic.

MacCrones regular co-driver, Ian Fraser was navigating for Jim Carty in the Subaru WRC, unfortunately the crew were also to retire. A tough day all round.

The Granite has again lived up to its name being a hard rally destined each year to bring tears to the eyes of many a strong man. David Bogie and Kevin Rae – the reigning Scottish Champions finished in top spot after a successful day in their Mitsubishi Evo – only big smiles at the end as they lifted the silverware.

The next round of the Hankook Scottish Rally Championship is the Jim Clark Border Reivers Rally on the 30th May; the event takes place on the closed public roads around Duns and Kelso in the Scottish Borders.

Campbell Cameron, Motorsport Editor

The photograph above is of a Mitsubishi Evo VII, the model driven in the 2010 Granite Rally by Oban’s Stephen and Kevin Lockhart. It is by copyright holder 100Yen and reproduced here under the GNU Free Documentation Licence.