Bogie targets sixth Scots titleposted in RSCOT21 | 02 | 2014
THE SCOTTISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP slithers into action tomorrow with the opening round, the Snowman Rally in Inverness. And 26-year-old David Bogie from Dumfries is determined to win the title for a record sixth successive time.
“To have five titles is awesome,"Bogie, who will again be co-driven by Hawick's Kevin Rae, said today, "but to have six would be even better.
"I want to keep on winning championships, that's what it's all about for me. But each year the competition keeps getting tougher. And I know this year won't be any different.
"We're really going to have to raise our levels of performance to yet another level this year, but we're determined to win again."
Ominously for the other 113 crews who will line up for the start of the traditional season-opener in Inverness, Bogie has already got his season off to a winning start.
The duo dominated the Wyevean Forest Rally in Cheshire six days ago, and used the event to get reacquainted with their former Colin McRae Ford Focus WRC.
Related: David Bogie orders Ford Fiesta R5
But such is the level of the expected onslaught from rivals in the Scottish championship, that Bogie has become one of the first two drivers in the UK to order a state-of-the-art four-wheel drive Ford Fiesta R5.
The car is being built for the Scot at M-Sport — the team which prepares Ford's World Rally Championship cars — in Cumbria.
"We should have it by the summer," Bogie, winner of the Snowman in 2011 and '12, admitted. "That will allow us to get some testing in before we tackle the second half of the eight-round Scottish Championship.
"After that, we're definitely going to tackle the final round of the world championship, Wales Rally GB in November."
Bogie's biggest threat in the Scottish this year is again likely to come from Borderer Euan Thorburn.
The Duns driver — who will again pilot his Ford Focus WRC — and co-driver, Paul Beaton from Inverness, ended last season as BTRDA champions.
Unfortunately their Scottish campaign was dogged by various mechanical issues and problems, and they managed only two wins to Bogie's four.
Related: David Bogie wins fifth successive title
"Yeh, last year's Scottish was frustrating for us," Thorburn admitted, "and we know if we'd had the reliability we could really have push David for the title.
"But we've done a lot of work on the car over the winter and we're confident we've got to the root of last year's problems.
"The Snowman's always a tough event, but it would be a big boost for our title hopes if we could start the season with a win."
Third seed Jock Armstrong from Castle Douglas — winner of the season-opener in 2010 — will have experienced co-driver Paula Swinscoe next to him as he looks to put a disappointing 2013 behind him.
Armstrong's season included three non-finishes in his Subaru Impreza, the one high point being a sixth victory on the Galloway Hills Rally.
Banchory's Quintin Milne and Martin Forrest, both from Aberdeen, start fourth in their Mitsubishi Evo. The pair finished last year as runners-up to Bogie and Rae, with a win on the Border Counties, and three third-place finishes.
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Jim McGill