Bogie puncture lets in Armstrong for first victory in 'Scottish'

Jock Armstrong celebrated a dramatic victory on Saturday's RSAC Scottish Rally, after David Bogie was hit by a puncture just a few miles from the finish.

It was the Castle Douglas driver's first win on the "Scottish" - and his first victory in the MSA Scottish Rally Championship since the Snowman in 2010.

Bogie had looked on course to take top honours on his home event for the second successive year in his Mitsubishi Evo 9 after he had built up a 17 second lead over Armstrong going into the final stage. However, the front puncture knocked the Dumfries driver back to third, with Mike Faulkner securing the runners-up spot.

Armstrong, co-driven by Kirsty Riddick, completed the six stages in a total time of 43 minutes 16.1 seconds in his Subaru Impreza to finish 12.8 seconds ahead of Faulkner and Peter Foy in a Mitsubishi Evo 6. Bogie, with Kevin Rae on the notes, was a further 11.6 seconds adrift.

The result has not affected Bogie's lead in the MSA Scottish Championship. He has an 11-point advantage over Faulkner after five rounds, with Euan Thorburn, who finished fourth in Dumfries in his Mitsubishi Evo 9, a further point behind. At the finish, a delighted Armstrong said he had long dreamed of a "Scottish" win: "I remember doing it years and years ago and I came away 14th overall, and then I was 13th overall and I thought if I do this for the next 15 years I might win it one day!"

He went on: "We've always been there or thereabouts but it's been a perfect result for us today. It's been a good battle with three local drivers making it onto the podium and, for once, I've made it to the top step. We've had mixed results this season, but hopefully this will be the start of a rolling streak and we'll persevere and see what happens."