Grant Construction Rally 2024
2024 Kicks off with a bang at Knockhill under the unseasonabe conditions, Sunshine and blue skies were on hand for the opeining event of the 50th Annaversary of the circuit,
Kicking off the action under a low rising sun and a damp circuit Hugh Brunton and Terry Mallin raced out of the pitlane for SS1 and from there they were untouchable, The very first launch from the Skoda off the start line the battle for the first place position with Peter Stewart and Kerrie MacGillivray in there Citreon C3 was close with mere seconds between them but as the day progressed the gap grew and that was the theme of the day as the furious pace couldnt be matched.
Hugh Brunton and Terry Mallin Skoda 1600 Evo on his way to 1st overall - Image by CMC-Images.co.uk
The action on the stages was great through out the day under a very slowly drying track most of the competitors were struggling to make a correct tyre choice either to keep the wet tyres or change to dry which would benefit the circuit section but comprimise the rally school off road gravel section, As a one venue event the stages are split between the tight twisty rollercoaster circuit section followed by the off road section which is very tight and technical which over the day caught many competitors out.
Peter Stewart and Kerrie MacGillivray in the Citreon C3 on rout to 2nd overall - Image by CMC-Images
One of the top competitors over the event was Donnie McDonald in his VW Polo however the day before the event the Polo was at a rally in Ireland and Donnie had only seen the car on Sunday morning, Through out the first couple of stages he was making good pace until an issue on Stage 4 stranded the car out on stage dropping the polo down the order to 14th over all at the end of the event.
Donnie Macdonald and Andrew Falconer VW Polo on route to 14th overall - Image by CMC-Images
Topping off the podium positions was Ian Forgan and Chris Lees in the Ford Fiesta having a very consistant day throughout coming up with an overall Class 5 3rd place finshing 24 seconds ahead of Barry Groundwater and Ashleigh Will in there impressive bold Mitsubushi Evo VI.
Ian Forgan and Chris Lees On route to the final podium position Image CMC-Images
Barry Groundwater and Ashleigh Will on route to 4th overall - Image CMC-Images
The first event for the 50th Annaversary weekend at Knockhill was action packed and under some bold blue sunny skies which was very off season and attended by a healthy crowd, The next event we will be covering will be the opening round of the 2024 Scottish Motorsport Racing event at the end of April and we cant wait to start publishing and attending more events this season.