BOGIE AIMING FOR JOKER BOOST
Double-points for Scot’s home event RSAC SCOTTISH RALLY PREVIEW
David Bogie will use his doublepoints joker card on this weekend’s Scottish Rally, his home event and the fourth round of this year’s British Rally Championship.
The driver – from the town of Dumfries where the rally is based – has had an up and down start to the season and lies sixth in the standings with co-driver Kevin Rae.
However Bogie believes the pace he has shown means a return to the podium in the BRC – which he won in 2011 – is imminent.
“Of course we’re going to go to the Scottish and try and win,” said Bogie, who switched from a Ford Fiesta R5 to a Skoda at the start of the season. “I’ll be using my joker too, it is quite important as Elfyn [Evans] and Fredrik [Ahlin] have played theirs.
“I think on the whole the pace has been very good,” he said. “When you look at Elfyn and Fredrik and the speed they’ve got, they’re two guys capable of going into WRC2 anywhere in the world and winning, so the benchmark has been high but I think my pace has been good. I’ve beaten them both on stages I’ve just not been able to keep it all together and get a win. These guys are unbelievable and I’ll certainly need to be at my best to beat them.”
Ahlin leads the championship with 65 points to Evans’ 60. But both drivers won on the rounds they played their double points joker on, boosting their wins from 25 to 50 points.
Bogie competed in Donegal last weekend winning the prestigious ‘National’ rally in a Ford Escort Mk2. He believes he can settle back in quickly to the Skoda Fabia R5 he campaigns in the BRC.
“Possibly using the rear-wheel-drive Escort in Donegal isn’t the best preparation,” he added. “But Donegal is an event that’s very special to me and when we get back I’ll get a test in my car and some seat time and hopefully we’ll hit the ground running.”
Another driver playing his joker is Tom Cave. He had the perfect warm-up for the Scottish by winning the Plains Rally, a round of the BTRDA, last month. He’s fourth in the overall standings. Another Fiesta driver to win a national event recently was Jamie Anderson who took Severn Valley Stages honours in his quest for more seat time in his new car.
Josh Moffett returns to the championship after missing the previous Pirelli Carlisle event as he competed in Killarney instead. However, the last BRC round he entered – the Circuit of Ireland – he won and he finished fourth in Donegal last weekend. He’ll be hoping to up his gravel pace with more experience, although he’s the reigning Irish Forestry champion and is no stranger to the loose.
In the Junior category, Robert Duggan proved the Vauxhall Adam R2’s gravel pace by winning the Pirelli Carlisle Stages. However punctures for team-mate Mattias Adielsson means the gap between the two should be much closer come the June 25 event. Also hoping to challenge for Junior honours will be Meirion Evans, who is hoping his Fiesta engine woe is over after being down on power in Carlisle, while a turbo went on the round before; the Circuit of Ireland. ● See page 23 for a list of BRC jokers.