Loudon celebrates his 100th rally
Uddingston’s Stuart Loudon celebrated a centenary of rally starts at the Pirelli International Rally in Carlisle on Sunday with an exceptional finish on the opening round of this year’s British Rally Championship.
Co-driving Lawrence Whyte on his first ever BRC outing, the Ford Fiesta R5 pair thundered through the Kielder Forests, close to the Scottish border, to finish seventh.
Stuart said:“before the start we thought a result around 10th would be really positive, so to come home seventh? We’re really chuffed with that.
“That has been another step forward for Lawrence. He had never done a recce before and now that’s another aspect of the sport that he understands much more.
“I’m impressed with how he has built on the speed and shown genuine progression since we started working at the start of the season.
“That last stage was really strong for us.
“OK, there had been some niggles with the hand brake not working perfectly earlier in the day, but it all came right in what was a fast and flowing final stage.”
Stuart’s competitive career began on the Mull Forest Rally in 2006 and has taken him around the world in the last 12 years.
He is a third generation of motorsport competitor after grandfather Boyd Tunnock and his dad, Fergus Loudon.
Stuart said:“there have been some real highs in those 100 starts and some real emotion. At times it has been a rollercoaster.
“My goal remains the World Rally Championship.”