INGLIS IS LUCKY IN LEUCHARS FOR GRANITE WIN

Organiser: Aberdeen & District MC When: October 22 Where: Leuchars Air Base, Leuchars, Fife Stages: 8 Starters: 58 and 13 juniors

Brothers Alistair and Colin Inglis won the inaugural Granite Rally at the former Leuchars Air Base venue. Although they led from start to finish in their Lotus Exige, they were never allowed to relax as John Marshall and Scott Crawford were only 5 seconds adrift at close of play in their Subaru Impreza.

Two seconds separated the Mk2 battlers with the Ford Escort of John Paterson just pipping the similar car of Gary Adam for third place, with Adam admitting to a spin on the second stage when he almost went the wrong way at the split.

Ian Paterson was fifth but only after removing the Subaru’s anti-roll bar, which was fouling his steering rack. Ian Forgan was a cautious sixth on his first time out in his new Impreza.

John Rintoul was slowed in his Group N Mitsubishi Lancer by a confusion of flashing warning lights on his dashboard, but finished seventh ahead of Bob Grant, who went the wrong way at one of the splits. He gallantly admitted: “It was a team effort!”

Alan Wallace and Russell Mann rounded off the top 10 in their Mitsubishis, but Quintin Milne didn’t even complete the first stage when his newly acquired Mitsubishi broke its transfer box.

In his first time out for 11 years, Iain Grubb won the 1400 class from Drew Barker. Just 5s separated the Citroen C2s of class winner Greg Inglis from Michael Harbour.

In the separate Junior Rally, there was yet another 5s finishing gap between the regular frontrunning top two of Ewan Tindall and Finlay Retson.