BOGIE TO COMPETE IN MINI JCW WORLD RALLY CAR
Former BRC champion will use car on Galloway Hills Rally
Three-time Galloway Hills Rally winner David Bogie has entered this year’s event in a Mini John
Cooper Works WRC.
The car will be hired in what is expected to be a one-off from Derek Mcgeehan Motorsport, and has been used by Mcgeehan himself in Northern Ireland this season.
Bogie owns a modified Mk2 Escort but not a four-wheel-drive car as he sold his Skoda Fabia R5 in June. That has allowed him to explore other options, and the 2011 British Rally champion is excited to try a 1.6-litre World Rally car on an event for the first time.
“I’ve known Derek [Mcgeehan] for a long time and he’s had Mini World Rally cars for a good few years now. I’ve tested a Fiesta previously, [but] I’ve never had a chance to use one on a rally,” Bogie told MN.
“It’s a bit different to what I’ve done over the last few years with R5 cars so it’ll be a bit of a change and I’m looking forward to it.
“I’ve got a free entry from winning the rally last year so I always planned to do it. I’m from Dumfries so I’ve always counted the Scottish [Rally] as my home event, but the Galloway Hills was an event I watched growing up and probably what makes it special traditionally is the time of year it ran, it was difficult conditions and it always brings the Irish guys over so I’ve got some fond memories from the Galloway Hills.”
The Galloway Hills is the final round of both the British and Scottish Rally Championships. Bogie has registered for both this season, but will contest the SRC event which is 45 miles rather than the 75 miles on offer for BRC crews.
“Basically there’s two winners [from the National A and National B event] and they win the same trophy, so that kind of made it easier for me. I don’t really see the point in doing the extra mileage to ultimately win the same rally, it’ll be joint winners,” Bogie explained.
“I’ll be scoring points for the Scottish championship. If I wasn’t registered it might be quite easy for some of the guys to discount me and say ‘there’s no point in trying to catch David because he’s not registered for points.’ At least when I’m registered everyone is fighting for the same thing and that’s what makes it good.”