Rallying: Thrills and spills at inaugural RallyScotland as Meeke wins

Published on Monday 23 November 2009 08:39

DESPITE 72 hours of incessant rain and the worst Mother Nature could throw at the 70-car field, the inaugural RallyScotland accelerated on to the world stage in dramatic fashion.

The last round of the Intercontinental Rally Championship (IRC) was poised for a nailbiting conclusion as Dungannon's Kris Meeke entered the final 22-miler at Loch Ard defending a 20.7sec advantage over the Skoda of Darlington's Guy Wilks.

Unofficial timings a third of the way through the stage indicated Wilks was between five or six seconds faster than Meeke's Peugeot S2000. But just as the intensity grew, seven miles into the stage Wilks hurtled round a corner to be confronted by the stationary Proton S2000 of Alister McRae.

The Lanark driver's bright yellow car, hazard lights piercing through the falling gloom, signalled the premature end of the stage – Dumfries's David Bogie, the 2009 Scottish champ had spectacularly rolled his Mitsubishi.

The car came to a halt straddling the forest track with a cliff face on one side and a 100-foot drop on the other. As a result, none of the following cars could squeeze past and the stage was halted meaning the positions at the start of the stage became final.

For IRC champ Meeke, the victory was emotional. The 30-year-old spent three years living with the late Colin McRae's family in Lanark while the former world champ funded his driving. "This win, RallyScotland, is for Colin," said Meeke as tears welled in his eyes.

Local hero Alister McRae nursed his battered Proton to third.