SCOTS aces drove to podium glory in both the world of rallying and endurance racing last weekend.
The Jim Clark Rally and Reivers Rally provided three days of top-level action around Duns – with about 240 crews tackling the closed public roads in Berwickshire.
Hosting round two of the British Rally Championship among other contests, the biggest battles were predictably played out by the BRC contenders over the Friday evening/Saturday spectacle.
In the end, Irishman Keith Cronin and co-driver Mike Galvin enjoyed a commanding victory in their Volkswagen Polo GTi R5.
James Williams and Dai Roberts took second place after a gutsy drive in their Hyundai i20 R5, while Duns driver Garry Pearson secured his maiden BRC podium finish at his home event, with co-pilot Dale Furniss, in their Ford Fiesta Rally2.
Afterwards, a jubilant Pearson said: “There is no better place to take your first British Rally Championship podium than in front of a home crowd.”
The race to be the top non-BRC crew home centred around the National Asphalt Championship and it would be Steve Wood and Dale Bowen who took the spoils in their Fiesta WRC.
However, it was Duns ace Euan Thorburn who led for most of the day before a hydraulic pipe failure forced the Focus WRC driver out on the final stage of the rally.
Maintaining local interest, Cornhill’s Michael Binnie and Duns co-driver Claire Mole came sixth in their Mitsubishi Evo, while St Boswells resident Ross Hunter finished 11th with Martin Woodcock alongside.
On Sunday, attention turned to the Reivers Rally and the Scottish Rally Championship contenders looking for maximum points.
But it was Thorburn, with Paul Beaton on the notes, who took a superb win on his home event – redemption after the late retirement the previous day.
David Bogie and John Rowan in their raucous MINI WRC came home second and won the SRC honours.
Ford Fiesta R5 duo Neil Roskell and Andrew Roughead rounded out the overall podium, while Binnie and Mole’s fourth-place finish ensured they came second in the SRC contest.
Fifth place overall went to Duns driver Dale Robertson, who had World Rally Championship co-driver Stuart Loudon, from Lanarkshire, alongside him in a Fiesta R5.
And taking the third step in the SRC battle, Proton Satria Evo duo Mark McCulloch and Michael Hendry finished a fine sixth.
Meanwhile, Lewis Williamson launched his British GT Championship title bid with a super second in the three-hour race at Donington Park in the Midlands.
Highlander Williamson and James Cottingham powered their 2Seas Mercedes-AMG GT3 to second place, with Motherwell’s Ian Loggie and Callum Macleod third in the Ram Racing Merc.
There was more podium joy for Aberdeen father-and-son pairing Stewart and Lewis Proctor as they took 12th overall but third in the Silver-Am class in the Greystone GT McLaren 720S.
Former champ Sandy Mitchell, from Forfar, and Adam Balon suffered a tough weekend – and ended up 15th in their Lamborghini Huracan Evo.
Thornhill driver Ross Wylie teamed up with Matthew Graham in the Valluga Racing Porsche 718 Cayman and they brought the car home sixth in the GT4S category.
But East Kilbride’s Logan Hannah put in a stunning performance to win the third race of the supporting GB4 series after a brace of 10th-place finishes. Team-mate Chloe Grant, from Perth, finished 12th and 11th twice.
Thruxton proved to be a tough hunting ground for the Scots in the British Touring Cars. Three-time champ Gordon Shedden had a late issue in race one – so finished 24th.
And after fighting through to 11th in the second encounter, his afternoon ended early in race three – stalling his championship bid.
Fellow Fifer Rory Butcher fared a little better. He was 11th, 13th and 10th to bag points in every race.
The Laser Tools Infiniti Q50 duo of Aiden Moffat, from Dalkeith, and Glasgow’s Dexter Patterson had a quiet weekend. Moffat was 15th, 25th and 17th while his team-mate was 20th in race one and then had two retirements.
This weekend sees Loggie, Mitchell, Lewis Proctor and Dundee’s Finlay Hutchison all competing in the GT World Challenge Europe 1000km race at France’s Circuit Paul Ricard.
Lockerbie’s Gordie Mutch will be in Praga Cup action at Silverstone, while Fife’s Knockhill circuit is hosting a weekend of Super Lap Scotland, Scottish Legends, ModSports, Caterham Graduates and VW Cup contests.
