Bogie bags podium in Ulsterposted in RSCOT21 | 08 | 2011
SCOTLAND'S NEWLY CROWNED rally champion, David Bogie, took another significant step towards also sealing the British Rally Championship (BRC) when he finished on the podium in Ulster.
But the 23-year-old from Dumfries, partnered in his Mitsubishi Evo IX by Hawick co-driver Kevin Rae, was forced to fight all the way to the finish in Antrim after his car suffered tyre and suspension problems.
"The opening block of stages were held just as rain swept across the area," Bogie, who had already won three rounds of the BRC and will tackle October's RallyScotland, explained today after completing the all-tarmac event.
"That meant tyre choices were really difficult. One minute we were fitting dry tyres, because the area at the start was dry, only to encounter rain once we got into the stage.
"Then we'd start a stage on intermediate tyres, only to discover the stages further on were dry and, of course, the inters struggled in the dry conditions."
To compound Bogie's problems, he was also mystified by two high speed spins which cost him time in stages seven and eight.
The Scot was understandably relieved when his crew found a damaged rubber bush in one of the rear suspension arms which had caused the Mitsubishi to handle unusually on left-hand bands.
Bogie though battled back to eventually claim the third step on the podium, just 18.4 seconds behind the Renault Clio R3 of County Longford's Tommy Doyle.
The event was won by local driver Martin McCormack from Draperstown. The Northern Irishman took advantage of Bogie's problems to slither his Citroen DS3 R3 to his first BRC victory of the year.
Bogie though heads to the penultimate round of the championship, the International Rally Yorkshire at the end of September, leading the championship by 14 points from nearest rival, Welshman Elfyn Evans.
"It was important after the problems we suffered early on this weekend to come away from Ulster with a good haul of championship points," Bogie, bidding to become the first Scot to win the SRC and BRC in the same season, continued.
"Getting on the podium was a bonus, and now we've a healthy advantage in the championship with two rallies remaining. But we're not taking anything for granted; we know we have a big job to to in Yorkshire."
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Jim McGill