Jock Armstrong scored his first podium of the KNC Groundworks Motorsport UK Scottish Rally Championship season on Saturday.
The Castle Douglas ace and co-driver Cameron Fair took second place on the McDonald and Munro Speyside Stages in their Subaru Impreza.
The pair had been running fourth for much of the day, behind David Bogie, Euan Thorburn and Garry Pearson.
But a broken steering rack on the Skoda Fabia R5 of Dumfries’ Bogie put him out while Pearson suffered issues in his Ford Fiesta R5.
That put Armstrong into the runner-up spot, 41 seconds behind the Ford Focus WRC05 of Thorburn.
Castle Douglas rally driver Jock Armstrong aims for first Speyside Stages victory
Armstrong said: “We’re a second a mile slower than Euan but, with the comparison between our cars, that’s not too bad.
“Euan’s on a roll. He’s contesting the BTRDA currently and doing well down there too so he’s flying the flag for Scotland that’s for sure. I’m quite happy to be second to him.”
The class one victory went to Castle Douglas’ Scott Peacock and Haugh of Urr’s Robin Neill in their MG ZR.
Castle Douglas rally driver Jock Armstrong finishes fifth on Border Counties Rally
They saw off the similar car of Niall Cowan Jr of Dumfries and co-driver Thomas Bruce.
Thornhill’s Harry Marchbank co-drove Thomas Gray to eighth place in their Mitsubishi Evo 9.
Third place in the two-wheel drive class went to Dumfries’ Mark McCulloch and co-driver Michael Hendry, making their rear-wheel-drive debut in a BMW E 30.
