SCOTTISH CHAMPIONS . . . Jock Armstrong and Paula Swinscoe, pictured at the Merrick Stages, have scooped the Scottish Rally Championship title. Picture: LindsayPhotoSport
Jock Armstrong, of Castle Douglas, and navigator Paula Swinscoe were delighted to be crowned champions following the cancellation of the final round of the ARR Craib Scottish Rally Championship – the Colin McRae Forest Stages – this weekend.
Following in the footsteps of Dumfries driver David Bogie, who was the first ever competitor to win five back-to-back titles, Armstrong sealed his victory with four consecutive second place finishes following a season opening victory on the Snowman Rally in his Subaru Impreza.
The skilled tradesman, who has been chasing the Scottish title since 2009, said: “This feels like it’s been a long time coming, but I’m delighted to finally get my hands on the ARR Craib MSA Scottish Rally Championship trophy.
“I’ve been chasing this championship since 2009, and had a few near misses.
“It’s always seemed to conspire against me but this year seemed different right from the start – the Snowman win set us up for the season and despite following that with a retirement I always felt that we were in a strong position.”
He added: “This is only my second season with Paula in the navigators seat and we treated the first very much as a learning year where we both worked hard at it, so we were ready to go for this season right from the start of the first stage. It’s been a real team effort.”
The prize pair, who have only been competing together for two years, have now been offered an entry to the national category on Wales Rally GB.
