The Beatson's Building Supplies Jim Clark Rally in Duns, Scotland has always been a favorite among rally enthusiasts.
The picturesque setting of the Scottish border town, coupled with the challenging country roads makes for a thrilling weekend of rallying. This year, the rally serves as Round 3 of the 2024 British Rally Championship attracting top drivers from around the world. The competitors are gearing up for 86 tight, twisty, and exciting stage miles over the course of the weekend.
Chris Ingram, leading the standings coming into the event, is undoubtedly one to watch as he looks to extend his lead in the championship.
However, Keith Cronin, starting second on the road, is determined to make a comeback after a challenging start to the season.
The weather leading up to the event has not been kind, with heavy rain making the roads greasy and slippery. This adds an extra element of difficulty for the drivers, who must navigate the treacherous conditions to succeed.
The opening stage sees Ingram taking first blood with an impressive performance, while Callum Black is hot on his heels, only one second slower through the stage.
Drama unfolds early on as Stephen Petch and Michael Wilkinson crash into the side of a narrow bridge on SS1, causing a delay while the car is recovered and the bridge is assessed for damage. Despite the challenging conditions, the big names start to find their form on Abbey St Bathans for SS2. Cronin, Creighton, and Pryce all put in strong performances, moving into contention alongside the leaders.
Local heroes Euan Thorburn and Paul Heaton also make their mark, finishing second fastest on the final stage of the loop, Blackadder.
At the end of the opening loop on Friday, Chris Ingram and Alex Kihurani lead in their Melvyn Evans Motorsport VW Polo GTi R5, setting the pace for the rest of the field.
However, disaster strikes for Osian Pryce and Rhodri Evans during the evening loop, forced into an early retirement thanks to engine issues suffered at the Langton water splash. The night continued with heroics and drama as Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin put on a masterclass in the darkness, storming through Friday's second loop with stage wins on SS5 and SS6. Their blistering pace saw them close the gap to leaders Ingram and Kihurani, with a jaw-dropping 14.1 second advantage on SS5 showing their intent to take the top spot.
Local hero Euan Thorburn continued to impress, consistently finishing within the top 4 in all second loop stages. Much to the delight of the hometown crowd. Meanwhile, Creighton and Regan held onto 3rd place overnight, setting themselves up for a strong Saturday morning start.
As the sun rose on Saturday morning, the action only intensified with another run through the iconic Langton stage. Ingram narrowly edged out Cronin for the stage win, but it was Callum Black who stole the show on the formidable Edrom stage, taking a stage victory from the hard-charging Cronin.
Then tragedy would strike for rally leaders Ingram and Kihurani as a slow puncture caused them to run off at the very last corner of the stage, damaging their suspension and ultimately ending their rally hopes. This turn of events propelled Cronin and Galvin into the lead, with Creighton and Regan hot on their heels.
The morning loop continued to be eventful, with Callum Black showcasing his speed and skill with another stage victory, while Meirion Evans and Jonathan Jackson were forced to retire their GR Yaris Rally2 due to steering issues.
As the final stage of the morning loop concluded, Cronin had built a comfortable 33-second lead over Creighton, with Ford sitting in third place. With the competition heating up and the stages becoming more challenging, the rally was far from over. The sun was shining brightly in Scotland as the Jim Clark Rally came to a thrilling conclusion, with all eyes on the battle for the top spot. Keith Cronin, with his wealth of experience, knew he just had to manage his lead and could relax to a certain degree as the final stages approached. However, it was James Ford and Neil Shanks who stole the show on the final run through Langton, just edging out Hugh Brunton and Drew Sturrock by a mere tenth of a second. The tension was palpable as the top contenders duked it out for stage victory.
But the drama wasn't over yet, as Brunton and Sturrock encountered power steering issues on the final run through Edrom, halting their charge and dashing their hopes of a stage win.
Meanwhile, Cronin continued to manage the gap, with Creighton, Black, Thorburn, and Ford pushing hard for fastest stage times in the final runs of Ayton and Fogo. In the end, it was Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin who emerged victorious, making it three different winners from the opening three rounds of the championship.
William Creighton and Liam Regan continued to showcase their consistency, securing their third second-place finish of the season and taking the lead in the championship standings.
The excitement didn't end there, as Scotsman Gary Pearson and co-driver Daniel Barrit thrilled the crowd with a very popular third-place finish in the BRC1 category.
Max McRae and Cameron Fair also impressed with a fourth place finish, despite limited seat time in Rally2 machinery.
And rounding out the top 5 would be Kyle White and Emily Easton-Page. An impressive result considering this is only Kyle's first year behind the wheel of Rally2 machinery.
In other categories, Callum Black and Jack Morton took the win in the BRC Open category, while Kyle McBride and Darragh Mullen emerged victorious in the BRC Junior category.
With the championship standings now taking shape, the teams will have a brief summer break before the season returns to gravel at the Voyonic Grampian Forest Rally on the 9th and 10th of August. Fans can expect more thrilling action as the competition heats up on the rough and challenging gravel roads.
The Jim Clark Rally may be over but the excitement and drama of the British Rally Championship are far from finished. Stay tuned for more thrilling action in the coming rounds of the championship.
Content courtesy of Rob Sayer & Gary Fothergill.
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