Jock Armstrong missed out on third KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship title on Saturday.
The Castle Douglas ace and co-driver Cammy Fair needed to win the Carlisle Stages Rally or finish at least two places ahead of rival Garry Pearson.
However, Pearson and navigator Niall Burns lead from the first of the five stages in their Skoda Fabia, Armstrong’s challenge ending when the engine on his Ford Fiesta R5 failed on the final stage.
That left Pearson free to claim his first title, his dad Monty having been co-drivers champ in 1994.
There was still some success for Dumfries and Galloway crews in the final round of this year’s championship.
Peter Stewart from Dumfries won the two-wheel drive class with Thornhill’s Harry Marchbank on the notes. That result also saw Peter secure the Albyn Garage Challengers drivers title. The pair came home a tremendous 10th of the Scottish championship runners in their Peugeot 208. They won class three, with runners up being the similar car of Dumfries’ Richard Stewart and Carin Tait-Logan.
Class two runners up were Audlgirth’s Niall Cowan Jr and Castle Douglas’ Callum Shanks in their MG ZR. One place behind was the MG 3 of Dumfries’ Niall Cowan, with the Peugeot 205 GTi of Bryan and Scott GOurlay of Dalbeattie fourth.
