Driving the Andreas Mikkelsen Ford Focus WRC, two times Scottish champion, Barry Johnson, claimed victory on the Brick & Steel Border Counties Rally.

County Durham driver Johnson and co-driver Stewart Merry finished 5.6 seconds ahead of the Subaru Impreza WRC of Cheshire driver Jon Ingram and Ian Allsop on the Jedburgh-based event after they edged into the lead on stage six and maintained it to the finish.

Ingram and Allsop took the honours in the Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship ahead of Richard Cathcart and Martin Brady, who were third overall in their Mitsubishi Evo 9, winning the Mistubishi Evo Challenge and Group N as a capacity entry of 150 cars started the Whickham and District Motor Club and Hawick and Border Car Club event.

"I'm very pleased to finish first on the Border Counties Rally," Johnson, who has won the event before, said. "It's a long time since I've been out in a car so it's great to get the win."

Changeable weather conditions of sunshine and snow hit the event as Jimmy Girvan and John Bennie finished fourth overall in their Subaru Impreza and took maximum points in round two of the County Saab MSA Scottish Rally Championship whilst three-time British champion Mark Higgins and Rory Kennedy were fifth in the new MG S2000 Sport car as they used the event for a shakedown ahead of the forthcoming Pirelli International Rally in two weeks time.

Irish crew Daniel Barry and Mark Bowens came sixth in their Mitsubishi Evo 9, ahead of the Subaru Impreza WRC of Julian Reynolds and Patrick Walsh, who lost time on stage four with a spin due to a puncture.

Stephen Petch and Michael Wilkinson finished eighth in their Hyundai Accent WRC, they suffered a problem with the throttle sticking earlier in the day and a spin on stage five lost them some time.

Neil McCance and Anthony O'Connell finished ninth in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 whilst Andy Burton and Shelley Rogerson finished tenth in their Peugeot Cosworth. The pair had taken the lead on stage two before Johnson and Merry edged ahead on stage six, but they suffered an engine problem on the final stage and lost around two minutes. 

"It's been a fantastic event, it's gone really well," Clerk of the Course Paul Hughes said. "It's been really challenging for the crews, which is what we hoped and the weather has also made it difficult at times."

In the National B Rally Ali Thorburn and Paul McGuire took the honours in their Subaru Impreza, finishing 23.9 seconds ahead of Mike Faulkner and Peter Foy in their Mitsubishi Evo 6.

In the Mini Rally Ian Haining and Phil Shortt came out on top in their Vauxhall Nova.

Further information is available at www.bordercountiesrally.co.uk and www.gravelrally.co.uk 

Results

1, Barry Johnson/Stewart Merry (Ford Focus WRC) 59:32.8
2, Jon Ingram/Ian Allsop (Subaru Impreza WRC) 59:38.4
3, Richard Cathcart/Martin Brady (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 1:00:30.4
4, Jimmy Girvan/John Bennie (Subaru Impreza) 1:00:47.1
5, Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (MG S2000 Sport) 1:01:11.2
6, Daniel Barry/Mark Bowens (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 1:01:11.5
7, Julian Reynolds/Patrick Walsh (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1:01.15.5
8, Stephen Petch/Michael Wilkinson (Hyundai Accent WRC) 1:01:37.3
9, Neil McCance/Anthony O'Connell (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 1:01:58.6
10, Andrew Burton/Shelley Rogerson (Peugeot Cosworth) 1:02:12.3