MCKENNA WINS GRAMPIAN
Gallacher extends SRC points lead with fifth. By John Fife
Barry Mckenna doesn’t spend a lot of time at home in Northern Ireland these days, and such was his pace, he didn’t spend a lot of time in north east Scotland last weekend either. With Arthur Kierans in the hot seat, the American-based businessman was fastest through each of the Grampian Forest Rally’s six special stages in his Ford Fiesta R5+.
After a rushed rebuild of the Subaru Impreza, which was rolled six weeks ago in Argyll, Jock Armstrong and Cameron Fair scored a convincing second place overall to take maximum points in the Scottish Rally Championship.
Now restored to full fitness after an offseason injury and Speyside crash, Garry Pearson finished third with new partner Dale Bowen in his rebuilt Ford Fiesta R5.
Mckenna was quickly on the boil from the start, catching the Scottish regulars by surprise. He was 10 seconds up on Armstrong on the opening five-miler in Drumtochty and 14 seconds quicker through the 10.5 mile Fetteresso Forest stage to assert an early lead.
Only three drivers recorded a sub-10 minute time for that second stage, Mckenna, Armstrong and the points leader going in to the event Andrew Gallacher. As events turned out this was crucial for the Ford Focus WRC driver as his main rival for the national title, Donnie Macdonald, struck trouble in his Fiesta R5. He had been quicker than Gallacher on the opening test, but with three miles to go on the second stage got a right rear puncture. Macdonald said: “We tried to drive out on it but spun, and then spun again when we were down to the rim.”
Top Mitsubishi driver Bruce Mccombie also lost out. “We went off in SS2,” he said. “We were trying too hard and just overshot a junction, and then got stuck. We dropped about 15 seconds.”
It was Mckenna again over stages three and four in Durris with Freddie Milne in his Subaru Impreza S14B WRC taking time out of Armstrong and Pearson on the first one. These two tied on identical times for the second run of the split stage, and Milne didn’t. “We got so far out of shape on a downhill series of fast bends that I saw Patrick [Walsh, co-driver] flinch, and tighten his belts,” he said.
Seizing his opportunity, Gallacher was again quicker than Macdonald through both tests, while Lawrence Whyte blotted his copybook. However, the relative newcomer showed a glimpse of what’s to come, tying with Milne for fourth fastest through the long Fetteresso stage, but erred in Durris. “We just slid off on a right hander,” said the Fiesta R5 driver. “We had to shunt backwards and forwards to get out, losing about two minutes.”
There was no catching Mckenna through the penultimate Drumtochty test, the only driver under 10 minutes for the 10.5-mile stage. Armstrong was 13 seconds slower while Pearson and Milne tied on third fastest. Macdonald was fighting back, taking 10 seconds out of Gallacher.
It was Mckenna’s to lose as the crews headed into the final eight-mile thrash in Fetteresso, but that wasn’t going to happen, and it didn’t. Pearson was only one second behind the leader on the stage, and seven up on Armstrong.
“It was all about getting confidence in myself and the car,” said Pearson, “I said at the start if I was on the pace by the finish, that would be a result.” And it was, third overall behind Armstrong.
“If you had told me after Argyll, that this car would finish second here today, I wouldn’t have believed you,” said Armstrong. “Everything is new except for the two rear doors, and we didn’t put a spanner on it all day.”
As for the winner, it was a case of job done. He leads the Irish Forest Rally Championship and was seeking seat time ahead of the next round, the Lakeland Stages, in two weeks’ time.
“That was dead on,” he said at the finish. “The stages are different over here, narrow but very fast. I really enjoyed it.”
Going into the final stage, Milne was holding third place, but lost out to Pearson by four seconds after yet another scary, high-speed, twowheeling moment, but still took third in the SRC with Mckenna not registered.
As for Gallacher, he put his “sensible head on” for the last stage and cruised through to clinch fourth place holding off Mccombie by six seconds. Macdonald was left thinking if only there was one more stage. He had closed the gap to his title rival by 21 seconds to 13 in total over those last two stages, but it wasn’t enough and he had to settle for seventh place overall.
Gallacher’s result did seal the SRC co-drivers’ crown for Jane Nicol.
Also seeking seat time ahead of the Lakeland Stages was Northern Ireland’s Niall Devine who finished an excellent eighth overall just ahead of Michael Binnie and John Wink rounding off the top 10.