David Bogie’s love affair with Moray continued on Saturday as he won the McDonald and Munro Speyside Stages rally for the 10th time.
The Dumfries driver and Irishman Barney Mitchell had to do it the hard way, however, as they David Henderson and Chris Lees raced into a lead over the two spectator surrounded stages around Cooper Park in Elgin.
Jock Armstrong and Cameron Fair were seven seconds quicker than the top seeded Bogie and Mitchell in the first forest stage only for Bogie to claim a second back in SS4.
Armstrong and Fair took the honours again in SS5 but five-time Scottish champion Bogie would not be denied and he and Mitchell won stages six through to nine to clinch victory by 20 seconds with Armstrong and Fair having to settle for second place.
Snowman rally winners Michael Binnie and Claire Mole finished third while Freddie Milne and Patrick Walsh were fifth with Scott MacBeth and Daniel Forsyth rounding off the top six places.
Clerk of the course Neil Shanks was thrilled to see an exciting race unfold on the event’s return.
He said: “Jock raced out the blocks quickly in the first gravel stage and he really laid down a marker that he was here to compete.
“David really had to fight for it which is testament to how well Jock raced but David’s experience got him over the line.
“It was a terrific race for our first one back and an unpredictable one too which is great to see. I don’t think anyone would have expected this one to unfold like it did.”
With the race the first Speyside Stages event to take place in three years Shanks was delighted with the feedback he received.
He said: “It went really well and we’re delighted to have the event up and running again.
“When it has been three years since the last one there is part of you which is worried if you will remember everything but it all went off without a hitch.”
The Scottish Rally Championship returns next month for the third event of the eight scheduled rounds with the Jim Clark Reivers Rally in Duns on May 29.
