Chris Ingram and Alex Kihurani secured a well-earned victory on the 2024 Voyonic Grampian Forest Rally [August 9-10] after a memorable battle in the Kincardineshire forests.
The Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 pairing beat Osian Pryce/Rhodri Evans by just nine seconds with 2022 Grampian winners Keith Cronin/Mikie Galvin finishing third, both crews in a Fiesta Rally2.
Organised by Stonehaven & District Motor Club, this year's Grampian was the biggest in years with the addition of two special stages on Friday evening before the usual rally action on Saturday. That presented competitors with nine stages and 57 competitive miles on some of the fastest and most challenging roads in the country in the Durris, Drumtochty and Fetteresso forests.
The Probite British Rally Championship's return to Banchory attracted the rally's most impressive ever entry list with World, European and British champions all in action, generating enough fanfare to prompt the organisers to add a 'rally zone' at the King George V Park to the itinerary - bringing spectators closer to the stars and cars.
Thousands turned up to meet their heroes and learn more about the sport of rallying, bringing motorsport to the masses with live interviews and podium celebrations on Saturday evening. The service park at Milton of Crathes also welcomed the public, with hundreds more spectators mingling with millions of pounds worth of machinery and watching the action on the big screens.
Event winner Chris Ingram was super-impressed with what he saw.
"This has been one of the most difficult yet enjoyable rallies I've done in the country," Ingram, the 2019 FIA European Rally champion, said.
"Fair play to Osian and William [Creighton], they had some strong pace. These stages were really great to drive and it was fantastic to see so many people supporting the event."
M-Sport WRC2 driver William Creighton was the fastest man on the opening test, but it was 2022 British champion Pryce who held the overnight lead on Friday.
But as punctures beset Creighton and a spin undid Pryce's victory bid, Ingram sailed through to record a first ever victory for the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 in the British Rally Championship.
There was history too in the Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship, as Euan Thorburn became a four-time Scottish champion with victory in his Volkswagen Polo GTI R5.
He fended off Alford man Scott Beattie, who drove superbly in a Ford Fiesta R5 ahead of Hugh Brunton who took third in the SRC behind the wheel of his Skoda Fabia Rally2 EVO.
There was plenty more success for local drivers, with Banchory's Bruce McCombie finishing a fifth in the SRC and 13th overall in his Fiesta R5. Aberdeen's Simon Hay also secured second in class in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI.
The Grampian also celebrated a legend, as five-time British Rally champion, and father of 1995 World Rally champion Colin, Jimmy McRae chose the event to mark his half-century in rallying.
Jimmy wanted to compete on Scottish gravel to mark the 50th anniversary of his first rally, and chose the Grampian because of its superb stages and top organisation. He would eventually finish 42nd overall, with grandson Max McRae piloting a state-of-the-art Fiesta Rally2 to eighth overall on the event.
This 2024 Grampian was backed by Voyonic Crew Management Group Limited for the third consecutive year. The Voyonic Group has offices in Aberdeen, Newcastle, and the Isle of Man, as well as global locations in Malta and Manila and specialises in employment and seafarer management services to the commercial shipping, offshore energy, cruise, and yacht industries and their involvement in the rally dates back over a decade.
Television highlights of all the action will be broadcast on ITV4 at 8pm on Wednesday August 21, and then available to catch-up on ITVX thereafter.
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