DAY 5: THE BATTLE CONTINUES

First man away, Dougie Lampkin would head the field on Friday in overcast and windy weather on day five of this year’s event for the first time in his career. Calling on his many years of experience which has resulted in 11 victories at the ‘Scottish’ he parted with just a single mark in the second group of the day, using the calculated mark to keep the machine moving forward. With slime on the rocks in the early part of his day, he was at his very confident best, which was further evidenced through the remaining hazards of the day. Dabill would remain in control of the event though, as he kept his two-mark advantage having matched Lampkin in the hazards riding at the back of the entry. Commonly known as the road-based day, the scenic route around the Moidart Peninsula tests the machines’ reliability to the limit but is a little gentler on the riders with only two small moor crossings included in the days 30 hazards and 96 miles. For the riders at the back-end of the day the forecasted rain returned, making for a cold ride back to the Lochside base in Fort William. Having a day not losing any marks is very precious at this event, and for Beta rider Richard Sadler that’s exactly what he achieved.