Jock Armstrong missed out on a win in the Coogie Urquhart Snowman Rally in dramatic circumstances on Saturday.
The Castle Douglas driver and navigator Cameron Fair went into the final stage of the first round of the KNC Groundworks Scottish Rally Championship with a 17 second lead in their Subaru Impreza.
But Michael Binnie and Claire Mole stormed through the final 11.85 miles on Lochletter an incredible 37 seconds quicker in their Mitsubishi Evo IX to take victory by 20 seconds, Armstrong and Fair hanging on to second by just three seconds.
Armstrong said: “I’ve picked up second prizes all the way through my life. I said to Cammy it would be nice to win a rally today but it wasn’t to be, maybe we just fell asleep on the last stage. But we had a good day, quite successful so a good start to the year.
“Well done to Michael Binnie, that’s his first victory and it’s well deserved.”
Ninth place went to the Ford Escort Mk2 of Dumfries’ Mark McCulloch and co-driver Michael Hendry, giving them victory in the two-wheel drive championship. Dalbeattie’s Iain Wilson, who won the title last year, had to retire after they snapped a wheel and a brake disc on their Escort with a puncture on the first stage of the season.
The next round of the championship is the McDonald and Munro Speyside Stages in Elgin on April 18.
