MacCrone bags French podium posted in RSCOT06 | 10 | 2012
SCOTS RALLY ACE John MacCrone scored his second successive podium finish in the latest round of the World Rally Championship Academy (see more official photos of John in action in France).
The 22-year-old from the Isle of Mull overcame a broken gearbox to finish third in the WRC Academy, the three-day event which ran alongside Round 11 of the WRC, Rally de France.
Piloting his Palletforce and Tunnocks-backed Ford Fiesta R2, MacCrone set two fastest stage times as he continued to impress in his debut season.
"We're definitely getting quicker and quicker with every event," MacCrone, co-driven by Glasgow's Stuart Loudon, said.
"In addition to the two fastest stage times, we were regularly in the top three, so we were happy with our consistency.
"We've definitely upped our pace as the season has gone on, and if we hadn't endured the gearbox problems on Day 2, I think we'd have had second place."
MacCrone, who finished third in Germany last time out, was hot on the heels of Spaniard Jose Suarez for second place in the Strasbourg-based event when his car suffered the technical problems.
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"We lost second gear, and that really hit us hard," MacCrone — whose Rally Team Scotland is also backed by Musto, Bespoke Distribution Aviation, Glengorm Castle, S&S Joiners and TSL Contractors — explained.
"It meant we dropped time coming out of all the tight first-second gear hairpin bends.
"I'd guess it cost us around 30 seconds, so to fight back the way we did through the final eight stages just highlights the true pace we had."
MacCrone, who dashed back from France to begin preparations to tackle this weekend's Tunnock's Mull Rally, eventually finished just behind Suarez.
"It's going to be a busy few days, but I couldn't miss the Mull Rally," MacCrone continued.
"It's my home event and the chance to rally on the closed-off public roads on the island is unmissable.
"It's great to have done the job in France, to have finished on the podium and scored more WRC Academy points.
"Now though we've already turned our attention to the Tunnock's Mull Rally, which is a completely different challenge: but we can't wait."
Top Tarmac drivers head to Mull
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Jim McGill