Local hero Donnie wins Snowman 20 | 02 | 2016
LOCAL HERO DONNIE MacDonald (pctured in action today) claimed his maiden victory in the ARR Craib Scottish Rally Championship when he won the season-opening Inverness-based Snowman Rally (see photos of top 5 finishers in 2016 Snowman Rally).
MacDonald, co-driven by fellow Invernessian Andrew Falconer in their Mitsubishi, took advantage of the misfortune of Dumfries driver Mark McCulloch to claim a famous win.
McCulloch, who had started today's final 10.9-mile stage at Raven Rack with a healthy 51s lead and looked on course for his maiden SRC win, suffered heartbreak when he dropped 1m 38s after his car suffered a puncture in the tricky conditions, relegating him to fourth overall.
Related: David Bogie targets second British Rally crown
That allowed MacDonald to slither to victory in his home event, clocking 50mins 15secs to beat the Mitsubishi of Duns' Dale Robertson, co-driven by Larkhall's Stuart Loudon by just seven seconds. Banchory's Quintin Milne, piloting a Mitsubishi Evo IX he only sat in for the first time two days ago and who bagged two fastest stage times, finished third, 23s behind Robertson.
"Those were seriously tough conditions," MacDonald said after returning to rally HQ. "The ice in the opening stage was treacherous, then we had to contend with snow in the remaining four stages.
"It's been a cruel day for Mark, but for us it's a terrific way to start the season. Winning the Snowman Rally has long been a dream of mine. It's a fantastic feeling."
Earlier, last year's champion Jock Armstrong dropped 63s when he ran his Subaru Impreza wide into a ditch on the opening 6.5-miler at Meall Mor. The Castle Douglas driver, who eventually finished 15th, then dropped another 1min 38s on stage three, the 13.7-mile Strath Rory.
The event was delayed by more than an hour after Stage 3 was stopped to allow an ambulance access to a spectator who had slipped in the snow and broken an ankle.
Related: Snowman kicks-off 2016 SRC
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Jim McGill
Photograph: Copyright of LindsayPhotoSport