Brutal Bogie

Scot hammers BTRDA opposition in BRC preparation.

- Stephen Brunsdon

Few tests demand more of both driver and car than the Grizedale Forest of the Malcolm Wilson Rally. But David Bogie navigated both of them perfectly to complete his British Rally Championship preparations with a dominant victory in the first points-scoring round of the BTRDA Rally Championship.

With the slate being effectively wiped clean following the cancellation of the Cambrian last month due to bad weather, the first event of the year attracted an impressive entry list of 138 cars, eager to make the most of a shortened season in the forests of Cumbria.

Many of them, including Bogie, were using the event as a warm-up for the BRC on the Border Counties next week, swelling the entry further. On paper, Bogie’s winning margin of 20s appeared to suggest an easy victory for the Skoda driver, but it was far from that. His chief rival for overall honours was none other than three-time BRC champion Keith Cronin.

The pair traded fastest stage times on the blasts through Hobcarton, Comb and Wythop, with Bogie coming out on top in Greystoke 1 to take a narrow three-second lead into first service.

Overnight rain made the morning’s first stage slippery at best, with Hobcarton particularly rough due to the regrading of the stage.

Unconcerned about the pace of Cronin in the Fiesta R5 and losing time on SS3, Bogie already knew the importance of nailing Grizedale North (SS5) and South (SS6).

Bogie said: “The morning was probably a bit slippier than I thought it would be, and it was cutting up quite a bit too.

“I lost a bit to Keith on Wythop though. I just couldn’t seem to get into any flow. Keith’s pace was good but we soldiered on.”