Fin aims for hat-trick on RSAC Scottish Rally
An international field with competitors from Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Italy, Canada and Japan will line up in Dumfries a week on Saturday (June 8) for Scotland¹s biggest annual motor sport event the RSAC Scottish Rally. One driver who will be particularly fired up for this event is Tapio Laukkanen. The Finn won the RSAC Scottish Rally in 1999 and 2000, but failed in his bid for a hat-trick last year when he had to retire following gearbox problems on the very first stage. The 32-year-old, who now lives in Andorra, is currently sixth in the Pirelli British Rally Championship after the first two rounds. Adding considerably to the international dimension of the rally is the entry of Katsuhiko Taguchi, the 1999 Asia Pacific Rally Champion, in a works Mitsubishi Lancer. The Japanese driver, who finished seventh on the International Rally of Wales, will have highly-experienced Glasgow-based co-driver Derek Ringer to help him on his first Scottish event. Defending his lead in the seven-round Pirelli British Rally Championship, as the competitors head to Dumfries, is 31-year-old Yorkshire motor engineer Johnny Milner. He will be in confident mood as he drives his privately entered Toyota Corolla away from the start ramp, following an outright win on the International Rally of Wales and second place on the previous round the Pirelli International Rally. In second place, just three points behind, is former British Junior Rally Champion Justin Dale from Hampshire. As last year¹s RSAC Scottish Formula Rally winner, the 31-year-old from Hampshire will carry the number one on his Peugeot 206 XS as he leads the field away from the start ramp. Local honours are being upheld by Jock Armstrong, from Castle Douglas, who finished fourth in his class in a Mitsubishi Evo 4 on last year¹s rally, after a troubled event. Brother of former British Ladies¹ Rally Champion Barbara Armstrong, Jock was the highest-placed Scottish driver on the 2000 event. In all there are more than 175 crews the largest entry since 1998 entered in the two-day Royal Scottish Automobile Club event. Supported by Dumfries and Galloway Council the RSAC Scottish Rally, as well as being the third round of the seven-round Pirelli British Rally Championship, is also a counter in the New Pig Scottish Rally Championship, the Peugeot 206 Super Cup, the Autosport Ford Ka Rally Championship, the Ferodo Ford Puma 1400 Rally Championship and the Castrol Polo Challenge. This year the RSAC Scottish Rally will start from High Street, right in the centre of Dumfries, at 8.00 am on Saturday, June 8. On the first day there are six special stages totalling 63 miles of competitive motoring timed to a fraction of a second. After an overnight halt in Dumfries, the remaining crews start the second leg of the rally on Sunday, June 9 at 8 am (preceded at 6 am by competitors in the New Pig Scottish Rally Championship) for five special stages with 61 miles of competitive sections. The winner of the international rally is due to return to Dumfries for the champagne celebrations and award presentation around 4.30 pm on Sunday afternoon. TOP TWENTY 1 PEUGEOT TOTAL Justin Dale GB Andrew Bargery GB Chilbolton Hove Peugeot 206 XS S16 2 PEUGEOT TOTAL Rory Galligan IRL Gordon Noble GB Co Meath Omagh Peugeot 206 XS S16 3 Guy Wilks GB Roger Herron GB Darlington Kilwinning Ford Puma S16 4 Kris Meeke GB Glenn Patterson GB Cockermouth Stranraer Ford Puma S16 5 David Henderson GB Scott Poxon GB Durham City Thirsk Ford Puma S16 6 Martin Sansom GB Phil Wells GB Sidcup Dartford Peugeot 106 Maxi K16 7 Simon Hughes GB Phil Pugh GB Conwy Gwynedd Renault Clio S16 8 James Thompson GB Plug Pulleyn GB Surbiton York Peugeot 106 K16 9 Jonny Milner GB Nicky Beech GB York Oxford Toyota Corolla A8 10 Marcus Dodd GB John Bennie GB Poole Glasgow Subaru Impreza WRC A8 11 TEAM MITSUBISHI RALLIART Katsuhiko Taguchi J Derek Ringer GB Japan Glasgow Mitsubishi Lancer 6.5 A8 12 Austin McHale IRL Brian Murphy IRL Rathcoule New Bridge Toyota Corolla WRC A8 14 Steve Petch GB John Richardson GB Richmond Northallerton Hyundai Accent WRC A8 15 Alistair Ginley GB Craig Thorley GB Rufforth Pocklington A8 16 Robert Woodside GB Dean Beckett GB Ballyclare Aghalee Subaru WRC A8 17 Nik Elsmore GB Huw Lewis GB Coleford Aberystwyth Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7 N4 18 Oscar Svedlund S Bjorn Nilsson S Sweden Sweden Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 N4 19 YOKOHAMA CO-ORDSPORT Leon Pesticcio GB Howard Davies GB Bridgend Pantperthog Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7 N4 20 Jock Armstrong GB Subaru N4 Rally snippets … Watch out for the performance of Justin Dale (Car 1) from Chilbolton on the Castle O¹er stage. Last year he emerged from the stage sporting an ear-to-ear grin and exclaimed, "A couple of bits in there are just magic!". … 1999 Asia Pacific Rally Champion Katsuhiko Taguchi (Car 11) competed in his first European Rally was the Rally of Cyprus last year. With co-driver Derek Ringer from Glasgow he was lying in 11th place, before the notoriously rough conditions took a toll on the Lancer¹s suspension. … David Higgins sat up until 1 am before the rally last year, watching in-car videos of the Scottish stages! With that and the experience from last year, will the second place man from the previous-round International Rally of Wales be unstoppable? … Colin McRae is one of the partners in S-Mac, a new company designed to manage and develop the successful drivers of the future (http://www.s-mac.com). The 1995 World Champion is the principal backer of a company run by Jody Oliver and has already signed promising Ulsterman Kris Meeke (Car 4) on a 10-year deal. McRae was convinced of Meeke¹s potential after riding with him in a 1400 Puma late last year. Kris proved his ability to shine in adversity last year on the RSAC Scottish Rally. Despite a disastrous first stage when a front wheel came off the car and the jack failed when the tried to replace it, he still managed to smile at the end of the stage! … Punctures are a problem on gravel rallies, so teams are constantly looking for more puncture-proof tyres. Earlier this year Guy Wilks (Car 3) from Darlington carried out a day-long tyre testing session with his Ford Puma in Keilder Forest and clocked up 100 trouble-free miles. It was brake problems, however, that dogged his exploits on the RSAC Scottish Rally last year. … Reigning Puma 1400 Champion David Henderson (Car 5) from Durham, has had a disappointing season so far. After the first day of the first-round Pirelli International Rally he catalogued his woes as brakes, punctures and a split wheel. On the second round things did not fare much better sustaining damage on the second stage then a broken track rod arm and problems with the screen misting up. … Tom and Sue Hynd (Car 237 in the Sunday National event), from Portlethen in Aberdeen have just returned from their honeymoon. The RSAC Scottish Rally will be their first event as Mr & Mrs Hynd. Where to spectate on the RSAC Scottish Rally Friday, June 7 Scrutineering: Ice Bowl, Dumfries 15:00 20:00 The competing cars are checked over in the Ice Bowl, Dumfries from 15:00 to 20:00. This is a good chance to see the cars close-up and check out the latest information on the rally. There is a rally help desk to assist with any specific information and refreshments will be available. Saturday, June 8 LOCATION MAP REFERENCE NAT* INT * High Street, Dumfries 84/973 760 08:00 10:00 The crews will be flagged away from the start ramp. This year it is right in the centre of Dumfries on High Street. First away at 8 am will be the contenders in the national event for competitors in the Peugeot 206 Super Cup, the Autosport Ford Ka Rally Championship, the Ferodo Ford Puma 1400 Rally Championship and the Castrol Polo Challenge. At 10 am they will be followed by competitors in the international section. Loch Grannach 77/547 753 09:31 11:31 Park on Raiders¹ Road forest drive, off the A712 between New Galloway and Newton Stewart, opposite Clatteringhshaws Loch. This will give you access to the start (76/612 711) and finish (77/551 742). There is no spectator access to the stage from the A762. Refreshments and toilets are available at the visitor centre. Black Loch 77/505 753 10:11 12:11 Park at the forest car park off the A712 between New Galloway and Newton Stewart. From here it is a short walk to the loch side spectator area. Glentrool 76/315 799 12:39 15:39 Parking is available on the forestry road off the A714 Newton Stewart to Barrhill road, with a short walk to a good spectator area. Shaw Hill 77/547 753 14:33 16:33 Park on Raiders¹ Road forest drive, off the A712 between New Galloway and Newton Stewart, opposite Clatteringhshaws Loch. From here there is access to the stage start (77/554 745) and a mid-point spectator area.\ Glengap 83/653 652 15:26 17:26 This is the final stage of the first day. From the A762 at Laurieston, take the yellow road to Gatehouse of Fleet road. Park at the forest car park, from which there is easy access to a good spectator area. High Street, Dumfries 84/973 760 17:30 19:30 Back to High Street, Dumfries for the finish of the Saturday national events and the overnight halt for the international rally. Sunday, June 9 High Street, Dumfries 84/973 760 06:00 08:00 Start of the Sunday national event for competitors in the New Pig Scottish Rally Championship and the restart for the second leg of the international rally. Ae 78/979 902 07:04 09:04 Follow the yellow road from the A701 at Ae Bridgend and enter the picnic area car park, which offers superb mid stage viewing. There is no access to the start or the finish. Parking will not be permitted in Ae village, in the vicinity of any other houses, the Forestry Commission offices or on the road from Ae village to Loch Ettrick. This may be enforced by the police. Castle O¹er 79/221 946 09:59 11:59 There is a car park on the forest road south of the B723 Lockerbie to Eskdalemuir road, giving access to the stage finish. Enter the forest at map reference 79/221946 and follow the one-way system. Please drive slowly. There is no parking on the B723. Please do not attempt to reach the stage start. Heavy traffic is expected in this area, so please drive with particular care and consideration. Also exercise special caution when entering and leaving the car park as there will be considerable competitor and service vehicle traffic in the vicinity. Twiglees 79/208 938 10:17 12:17 The car park is on the forestry road south of the B723 Lockerbie to Eskdalemuir road. From here there is good access to mid-stage viewing. Please drive slowly as there will be two-way traffic in the car park. There is no parking allowed on the B723. Also there is no access to the stage finish and you are requested to keep clear of the start area. The traffic will be heavy, so please exercise caution. High Street, Dumfries 84/973 760 14:33 16:33 The traditional finish-ramp champagne celebrations and award ceremonies for the victors in the national and international events. *National and International The times under the NAT column indicate the earliest time for the first car in the national events that run ahead of the international fields these events cater for competitors in one-make series on Saturday and the New Pig Scottish Rally Championship on Sunday. The INT time is the time for the international rally, which is the counter in the Pirelli British Rally Championship. Car parks Some car parks may make a small charge for parking this is usually donated to a local charity, as it is often the members of that charity who run the car parks for the rally. Programmes Full spectator information, with colour stage maps and entry lists are contained in the official rally programme that will be available at the Ice Bowl and from vendors around the rally route. Driver biographical information Justin Dale Born: 28th May 1971 Nationality: British Resides: Chilbolton, Hampshire Marital status: Single Occupation: Professional Rally Driver Hobbies: Motorcycling and Mountain Biking In 1992, Justin starting his rallying career contesting the Peugeot Rally Challenge in Peugeot 205 1.9 GTi. He was runner up in both the 1993 and 1994 series, before switching to the new Peugeot 306 S16 for the 1995 season. In 1996, Justin - together with new co-driver Andrew Bargery - secured the title of British Junior Rally Champion. He won four of the six rounds, winning outright the Peugeot Challenge along the way. Justin also finished 3rd overall in the 1996 British Rally Championship - the first Amateur Driver - and collected the Gunk Reliability award for his 100% finishing record. Justin completed the year with his first "works" drive, joining Peugeot for the RAC Rally. In 1997, Justin contested all rounds of the British Rally Championship with Peugeot, driving a Peugeot 306 S16. A consistent year saw him end the year as first non-kit car in the championship. For the 1998 British Championship, Peugeot introduced the stunning Peugeot 106 Maxi to the UK, to contest the new "Super 1600" category. The team had a year of mixed fortunes as the car was continually developed to suit the British forests. Justin demonstrated the car's potential with category win and a career-best of 8th overall on the Ulster International rally. In 1999, Justin continued to drive for Peugeot Sport in the Peugeot 106 Maxi. He won five out of the six rounds of the championship, easily winning the Ferodo Super 1600 category in the British Championship. He finished the year with a career-best 6th overall on the Manx International Rally. After winning the championship, Justin and co-driver Andrew Bargery retained their drive with Peugeot for 2000 when Peugeot Sport UK increased their commitment to the British Rally Championship, running two 106 Super GTi's in the Ferodo Super 1600 category. Two non-finishes prevented Justin from retaining the Championship, but some stunning drives - including 3rd overall on the Manx - established Justin as the quickest 1600 driver. 2001 was an unusual year, with foot and mouth disease causing the British Championship to be cancelled. Rory Galligan Car: Peugeot 206 GTi Age: 29 Nationality: Irish Hobbies: Rallying and riding horses Lives: Old Castle, Ireland Rallying record 1993 Started rallying in a Talbot Sunbeam 1995 Entered the national scene with 7th overall on the Castle Special Stages 1996 Entered the Irish Tarmac Series, finishing 18th on the Donegal International 1997 Won the F2 section of the Irish Tarmac Series 1998 Ryanair Rally Driver of the Year award winner 1999 Finished sixth in the Peugeot Super 106 Cup 2000 Finished fifth in the champinship 2001 Took championship title. David Higgins Date Of Birth: 14/11/72 Born: Isle Of Man Lives: Llanwnog, Powys, Mid Wales Marital Status: Married to Kara Hobbies: Fitness training, cycling, squash, golf Brother of Mark Higgins, who finished third on the RSAC Scottish Rally in 2000, David has displayed the same considerable talent. In 1999 he won the British Rally Championship Production Cup Winner, an award he first won in 1997. In addition to his success on the 2001 Network Q Rally Of Great Britain David won the Ramada Rally in America on only his second visit to the country. David began motorsport at the tender age of nine, graduating from motorcycle trials to local and national kart racing. He won five Isle of Man Championships and the Midland Championship. Along the way competing with, and regularly beating, many of today's single-seater racing drivers such as David Coulthard. As soon as David could obtain a driving licence he graduated to rallying where he was invited to drive a Peugeot 205 in the Peugeot Challenge. Tapio Laukkanen Born September 23, 1969 at Lahti, Finland Lives Andorra Married To Lissu Motorsport debut 1991Former British Rally Champion, Tapio Laukkanen. With last year¹s championship abandoned due to the foot and mouth epidemic, this is his fourth season in the British Rally Championship. Laukkanen (32) dominated the series in 1999 in the Renault by taking outright victories on the Pirelli International, Scottish and Jim Clark Memorial Rallies and second place on the Rally of Wales. The Finns were crowned UK champions with a round in hand. He then switched to Volkswagen and continued his successes. He first drove a Golf GTI IN 1995, taking part in selected British Championship rounds and a full programme of events in Finland. Tapio¹s Volkswagen was F2 winner on the 1995 Nokia Rally and he finished the season as Finnish F2 champion after a string of victories with his Golf. Winner of the RSAC Scottish Rally in 1999 and 2000, having been narrowly beaten on the final stage by Alister McRae in 1998, Tapio Laukkanen¹s bid for a hat-trick in 2001 was foiled by mechanical problems on the very first stage. Tapio has enjoyed success on the world championship stage also. At the wheel of a Volkswagen he took fourth place in F2 on the RAC Rally in 1995 and followed this up with top-three F2 placings in Finland and Sweden in 1997. His first world championship F2 victory came in Britain in 1998 and was followed by victory in Finland in 1999. Jonny Milner Highly popular with the spectators for his quips and extrovert victory celebrations, as well as his equally extrovert driving ability, the 31-year-old motor engineer from Driffield in East Yorkshire could rock the formbook by bidding for outright victory in his privately-entered four-wheel-drive, turbocharged, but production-based, car. His Toyota coupe is owned and prepared by Toyota road car development engineer Duncan McMath. A former, British Rallycross Champion, Jonny assists in the preparation and is almost as well known for his ability under the bonnet as in the driving seat. Recently, Jonny has formed a strong alliance with Toyota. He starred as one of the fastest competitors in the 2000 British Rally Championship, producing a number of gritty performances in a showroom class Toyota Celica, against superior machinery. With the 2001 series cancelled due to concerns regarding the Foot and Mouth outbreak in the UK, 2002 sees Jonny return to action in a latest specification Toyota Corolla World Rally Car (WRC). The step up to a "World Rally Car " level vehicle finally offers Jonny the chance to show his undoubted ability at the top level. Steve Petch Steve Petch and John Richardson are out in the new Hyundai Accent World Rally Car and Stephen Petch (Steve's 18 year old son) and Michael Wilkinson is competing in the Ford KA championship car. The Pirelli International Rally stages were all on gravel roads in the North Yorkshire forests of Dalby and Cropton. With a lot of mud on the roads, he described the going as very slippy and challenging. Both crews coped very well and Steve/John won the rally outright, for the second year in a row and Stephen/Michael came home 5th in their class (up to 1300cc cars) Patrick Richard Non-Rally Job: Chief Technology Officer Age: 28 Residence: Vancouver, BC, Canada Patrick Richard entered the sport of rallying as a newcomer in May 1999. Although he hadn't competed in any form of motorsports before that, he attributes his quick rise in the sport to previous experiences. "I've rolled more cars on the back roads of Whistler than I ever will rallying," he jokes referring to the ski and snowboard resort town of Whistler, B.C. where he spent many of his formative years. Patrick was able to capture the 1999 NorPac SCCA Divisional ClubRally title in his first year of competition, despite only competing in half of the events. He was able to attract enough financial support to mount a campaign to run the entire 2000 SCCA ProRally Championship as well as the 2000 Subaru Canadian Rally Championship. Martin Sansom Martin Sansom, the Formula Rally privateer champion of 2001 and the Peugeot Super 106 Cup champion of 2000 is contesting the Pirelli British Rally Championship at the wheel of the Peugeot 106 Maxi that he drove to success last year. He has taken ownership of the car and it will be run by Sanspeed, his family's business, from the premises in Bexleyheath. Martin was born in March 1976 and started competing at the age of 17 in a Ford Escort on single venue tarmac rallies as the youngest member of Bexley Light Car Club. The Escort was soon traded up for a Darrian T90, loaned to him by ex-Formula One racing car designer, Robin Herd. This took him to many event and championship victories, but the desire to pursue the sport to the highest level saw him retire the light-weight sports car for a Nissan Micra Challenge car. Three years in the very popular Nissan Micra Challenge, were followed by a switch to the Peugeot Super 106 Cup. He led the championship for the first six rounds and only relinquished his grip with a first stage incident on the seventh round in Belgium. In 2000 the championship was decided on the last round. Martin started the very last stage of the championship, Dalby, with an advantage of just one second over his nearest rival, Andy Burnell. The fastest over the stage would be champion. Martin set a time quicker than the morning run over the same stage and was declared champion by Mick Linford of Peugeot at the finish control as Andy Burnell had stopped on the stage. The 2001 Formula Rally Championship followed the trend of last gasp finishes. Although Martin had dominated the early part of the season, a broken drive shaft on the Jim Clark and a broken gearbox casing on the Rally of Kent left him needing to finish directly behind his rival, Simon Mauger. His pace was slowed by a broken reverse gear in the early stages of the Banbury Rally and with one stage remaining, Martin had to gain one place to claim the title. Katsuhiko Taguchi Katsuhiko Taguchi was born in 1972 in Okayama Prefecture and, as the son of a rally driver, motorsport was part of his life from an early age. He began competing in trial events in 1993 before making his rally debut in a Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution in the 1994 Rally of New Zealand. The following year he moved to Australia and contested both the Australian and New Zealand Rally Championships before moving onto the Asia-Pacific series in 1995, where he finished fourth in the category. In 1997 Katsuhiko joined Ralliart Malaysia where he continued a domestic challenge, as well as setting his sights on the Asia-Pacific title. He claimed the Group N Malaysian Rally Championship title for the third consecutive year in 1998, and then went on to win both the 1999 Group N and overall Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, a significant feat in a showroom category Lancer Evolution.