The Junior 1000 Ecosse Challenge delivered a barnstormer at Knockhill for Round 7 – the McRae Rally Challenge – with drama, pace, and heartbreak across the field.
Ollie Forrester and George Myatt emerged victorious after a two-day scrap that went right down to the wire. Overnight leaders Henri Cynwyl and Catrin Price were heartbreakingly sidelined by a broken steering arm on Sunday, opening the door for a flat-out duel between Forrester/Myatt and Mckenzie Snowden/Jonathan Turnbull. The pair traded blows all weekend, finishing just three seconds apart after 10 stages.
Behind them, rising star Gregor Reid, with Simon Mills co-driving, stole the spotlight with a superbly controlled run to his maiden podium and Novice win – under pressure all the way from Alfie Letham and Leesa Watson, who survived brake dramas to grab fourth.
Further back, Angus Henderson and Grahame Douglas impressed with their best result yet in fifth, while James McLaughlan and Keith Fair surged through the field on day two to snatch sixth. Tyler Bowness, Thomas Babb, Shane Collins, and Kyle Green rounded out a fiercely contested top ten.
There were hard-luck tales too: Cynwyl and Price’s cruel exit after leading, William Paterson’s five-minute penalty masking blistering stage times, and several crews nursing battered cars to the finish in true McRae spirit – “if in doubt, flat out.”
With three all-female crews also in the mix, April Blair and new navigator Eilidh Williamson shone brightest, storming from 17th to 11th and topping the Ladies’ battle.
The Juniors now gear up for a brand-new challenge at Forrestburn Hillclimb on 2 November.
Image courtesy of Becksport Media
