Stuart enjoys a fine Scottish Saturday
20.03.16
News release
Stuart enjoys a fine Scottish Saturday
Glasgow co-driver Stuart Loudon enjoyed a rare rally outing on home soil when he tackled Saturday’s Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally with Dale Robertson.
The Scotsmen finished the Jedburgh-based event in seventh place, just six seconds off a top-six place – an impressive performance after what had been a fraught morning aboard the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX.
Loudon was looking forward to a second Scottish Rally Championship outing in as many months, particularly after he and Robertson finished second on the season-opening Snowman Rally.
Two broken driveshafts left the Lancer with only front-wheel drive for the first loop of stages, costing them time and any hope of bettering the runners-up spot they managed in Inverness last month.
With the transmission problems partially fixed in service, the Mitsubishi pair moved back up the leaderboard on a beautifully sunny Saturday afternoon in the Borders.
“We were a wee bit disappointed to have the problem we had in the morning,” said Stuart. “The car was in either two or three-wheel drive for the first few stages and that definitely cost us time. After that issue, the car’s centre differential wasn’t working perfectly, so the car was never 100 per cent for the whole day.
“I was very impressed with our run through the final stage. Bearing in mind the car wasn’t entirely predictable with this centre diff trouble, Dale and I decided we wanted to push as hard as we dared.”
It worked; the pair moved up one place from eighth place and came within an ace of landing a top six.
While hopes of repeating their round one second overall were hit by broken driveshafts, Loudon and Roberston did manage second in class. Their car runs in a less modified category than the majority of others. For example, their Mitsubishi is heavier and comes without performance enhancements like a sequential gearbox.
“I’m happy,” added Stuart. “I’m working with Dale because he’s a very good driver, I love co-driving and I want to keep myself match-fit for whatever might be around the corner. Obviously, the aim for me is to be back in the World Rally Championship as soon as possible and while these might not be WRC events, calling notes at speed is crucial seat time and experience for me.”
Another bonus for Stuart was the weather.
He said: “It was one of those perfect Scottish days: not a cloud in the sky and some absolutely stunning scenery around the Borders. Added to that, it was a rare treat to get into stages like Cardrona, Yair, Craik and Elibank. These forests were only brought back last year and they’re absolutely fantastic.
“The roads were so smooth and so fast, as usual, it was a pleasure to be competing on a round of the Scottish Rally Championship.”
Stuart Loudon media enquiries
Sandra Evans
+44 7887 693993
Sandra Evans
sandra@wordspr.com
44 (0) 7887 693993
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