The pair drove a calculated rally in the Ford Fiesta Rally2 and finished runners-up spot, at the Armstrong Galloway Hills Rally in the KNC Groundworks Motorsport UK Scottish Rally Championship.
Bogie and Rowan had led by seven seconds after two stages, but after a puncture and knowing this was his last opportunity to score points due to the final round in October clashing with his brother’s wedding in Brazil, Bogie couldn’t allow himself to be sucked into a race with eventual winner David Henderson.
County Durham driver Henderson didn’t let his lack of knowledge of the stages stop him claiming victory in the Armstrong Galloway Hills Rally. Co-driven by Chris Lees from Glasgow, the Ford Fiesta Rally2 driver took a 35 second victory after 44 miles and six stages in the Galloway forests. The duo also secured maximum points in the Championship.
Organised by Solway, Machars and East Ayrshire Car Clubs, the 48th running of the event had suffered a route change just two weeks before it was due to take place, due to insufficient entry levels meaning the planned event was not financially viable.
Following the announcement of the death of Her Majesty The Queen, the event began with a two-minute silence and a lament on the bagpipes by Solway Car Club member Scott Sloan, and the lament and the ‘silence’ were successfully transmitted over the Radio Communications system to HQ and throughout the Stages by the Comms team.
Third place went to event sponsor Jock Armstrong. He suffered car issues in his ageing Subaru Impreza for the duration of the event, but he and co-driver Cammy Fair managed the problem well.
Dumfries-based construction and renewables specialists, The Armstrong Group, have sponsored the event since 2000, and without them, along with funding from Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Major Festivals and Events Strategy, the rally stage would not be possible.
Dumfries and Galloway crew Angus Lawrie and Paul Gribben scored their best results to date, taking fourth overall in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9. They also took home the ‘Lawrance Clark Trophy’ which is awarded to the highest-placed co-Driver resident in the DG postal district in memory of the 1987 winning co-driver.
John Wink and Neil Shanks rounded off the top five in their Hyundai i20 R5, just four seconds ahead of Mark McCulloch from (Dumfries) and Michael Hendry in their Proton Satria Evo.
Stuart Egglestone and Brian Hodgson from Penrith scooped the top two-wheel-drive honours in their Ford Escort Mk II, finishing ninth overall. The duo collected the ‘Brian Allan Memorial Award for Top rear-wheel-drive in the process, in memory of the well-known Machars farmer.
In the front wheel drive category, Dumfries crew Peter Stewart and Harry Marchbank took victory in their Peugeot 208 Rally4.
The event was also a counting round of the Motoscope Northern Historic Gravel Rally Championship, with the Thirsk crew of Nick Kitching and Andrew Trollope bringing their Ford Escort Mk II home in first.
In the Marque Awards, the first East Ayrshire Car Club crew were William Pollock and John Marshall who finished 31st in their Ford Escort Mk II, while the immaculate Chrysler Sunbeam Ti of fellow East Ayrshire members David McLeod and Eamonn Boyle was the Scrutineers’ choice for the Jay McNicholas Memorial Award for Best Presented Car.
The Barbara Armstrong Ladies Awards went to Meghan O’Kane (Driver) and Mairi Riddick (Co-driver), and the final special award of the event, the Robbie Murphie Spirit of the Rally Award was awarded to popular Scottish journalist John Fife, as a tribute for all he has done, and continues to do, for Scottish motorsport.
