The A.M Phillip Trucktech Snowman Rally was strongly supported throughout the various classes within the Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship.
Class C3
After taking the class win at the Grampian, Robert Tonge was keen for a repeat performance on the Snowman, an event he’s never finished. With Graeme Harris back in the hotseat, the MG man was right in the mix at the top of the class all day, eventually grabbing 42nd overall and top C3 driver’s points.
Tying on time with the MG on stage 1, Alistair Brearley & Richard Wardle shadowed their class rivals for the rest of the day. Enjoying the twisty stages more than the flat out Millbuie, they grabbed 46th overall and maximum class points for Richard. That was enough to give Alistair & Richard the Class C3 title.
Class C5
Delighted to be back after his massive Argyll accident, Jordan Anderson was joined by the experienced Chris Wareham for this round. They started steadily, not helped by Chris feeling carsick on the 1st loop. They built the pace all afternoon and eventually grabbed an excellent 18th overall and maximum driver’s points for Jordan.
Taking maximum co-driver’s points, Graham Kelman was once again guiding Mike Grant around in their Impreza. SS2 was the scene of their biggest moment, parking the car in a big ditch and dropping around 20 seconds to the class leaders. Despite the delay they were happy with another good finish, backing up their Grampian result with 32nd overall on the Snowman.
Class M1
M1 featured one of the closest battles of the day between two MG ZRs. Niall Cowan Jnr & Charley Sayer-Payne were finding their car to be better on the twisty stages while Alan Scott & Shaina Archibald had the advantage on the fast stuff. After 5 stages both crews had 2 fastest stage times each, with Cowan Jnr & Sayer-Payne just 21 seconds up going into the last test.
Unfortunately, Alan & Shaina lost 3 minutes on the last stage with overheating issues leaving Cowan Jnr to take maximum driver’s points and Shaina the maximum in the co-driver’s.
Class M2
Fresh from an excellent run at Mull, Owen Macleod & Ryan Urquhart were keen for another solid result in their glorious sounding 205. Despite having to nurse the car on some of the looser sections they were able to push hard on the cleaner stages to grab the M2 win, 34th overall and maximum junior co-driver’s points for Ryan. 
Meanwhile, 2nd in class was enough for Meghan & John O’Kane to add the M2 title to Meghan’s Junior Championship.
Class M3
Out for just the 2nd time this year, Thomas Bell was continuing to learn his ex-Meghan O’Kane Ford Fiesta, aided on this occasion by Liam Richardson in the hotseat. Getting quicker and quicker as the day wore on, Thomas was visibly growing in confidence with his new car, taking maximum driver’s points along with 43rd overall.
Taking the top co-driver’s points, Nikki Addison had jumped into the hotseat of Callum Atkinson’s Fiesta. Having taken a break from driving in recent years, Callum had lost none of his speed, Nikki expertly guiding her pilot to an excellent 28th despite flirting with the ditches on occasion. They were also 1st on the scene of Duncan Campbell & Michael Cruickshank’s mid stage fire, Callum & Nikki’s help proving vital in helping to save the car.
Class M4
After Charlotte McDowall took unwell, Fraser Smith had installed a more than adequate substitute in Josh Davison in the hotseat of his Escort. After various teething troubles all year, Fraser was delighted that the car was running well and was left wide eyed after holding it on the rev limiter in 6th gear for several seconds. 22nd overall and the class win by just 5 seconds was a good comeback after retiring on Mull. Fraser still has a chance of the class title, squaring up against fellow MK2 man Paddy Munro. Paddy’s regular navigator Andrew Stevenson has already taken the co-driver’s title.
Class M5
Taking the win in both the Challengers and 2 Wheel Drives along with 10th SRC crew, David Wilson & Kyle Gordon were sampling their BMW M3 on the gravel for the 1st time. David very happy with how good the car is on the loose and they were fastest 2wd on the 1st stage. They spent the day keeping Greg McKnight & Harry Marchbank honest until the Escort retired with clutch failure. David & Kyle too suffered a late drama with their gearbox but were able to nurse the car home to 12th overall. Class M5 is still up for grabs, with at least 3 crews capable of taking the title.
Class M6
Rob Cotton & Ethan Kidd needed a good finish to wrap up the Groundwater Lift Trucks Subaru Cup and were still in with a shout of the Challengers title. It was an excellent day, regularly setting top 20 times and enjoying a fantastic 7 way battle for the Class M6 win. Rob saying it was the 1st time he’s had the Impreza in 6th gear in the woods. 13th overall and 11th SRC crew home was enough for them to wrap up both the Subaru Cup and M6 titles with a round to spare after a great 1st season in the SRC.
Class H1
After their disappointing retirement on the Grampian, David McLeod & Eamonn Boyle had burned the midnight oil to rebuild the Avenger’s rear suspension assembly. The car was running well although the combination of a 1600 historic engine and a 4-speed gearbox meant the car was running out of puff on the big hills and the fast sections of Millbuie. 38th overall was a good return to form after the Grampian.
Class H2
Donald Peacock & Mairi Riddick needed a good run to continue their bid for the H2 title and keep Mairi’s hopes of the Ladies navigator’s championship alive. There was a big overshoot and a cut tyre in the morning, but the biggest issue was a brief off on the 2nd run of Ardendrain. They managed to scramble back on the road, taking the class win, 23rd overall and a top score in the Ladies for Mairi. Both the H2 and Ladies navigator’s titles will be decided on the final round.
Class Pro2
Pro2 looked like going to Robert Proudlock & Steven Brown, right up to the point that the 208 crew rolled out of the event on the final stage. That opened the door for Justin Gunning & Michael Moates. The Clio crew had spent the morning shadowing the Peugeot before a puncture in the afternoon dropped them almost 2 minutes. Staying on the road they grabbed the class win and 35th overall along with a junior category win for Justin. The Pro 2 title is still up for grabs on the final round.
images from AFMotorsport Media
