Pirelli tyres “work well” in difficult Scottish Rally conditions

Pirelli’s rally tyres were tested by sodden conditions at Saturday’s rain-soaked RSAC Scottish Rally, round five of the MSA Scottish Rally Championship. Reigning British rally champions, David Bogie and co-driver Kevin Rae, charged to their fourth victory of the season at the wheel of a Pirelli KM6-equipped Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9.

“When you look at the result it might appear easier than it was,” explained 24-year-old Bogie at the finish line. “We had a really good run and we just kept up the pace but the competition was hot throughout the day. The stages were difficult – they were very slippery – and it was easy to make a mistake. We visited a couple of ditches, so it wasn’t plain sailing by any means. But the result makes up for last year when we got a puncture almost within sight of the finish,” added the Scot.

Borderer Euan Thorburn was second in a Ford Focus RS WRC, also using Pirelli KM6 tyres. Jock Armstrong took the third podium spot in a Pirelli-equipped Subaru Impreza.
 
At the end of the six-stage event based close to Dumfries in south-west Scotland, Bogie – the first driver to claim the Scottish and British title in the same year – had carved out an impressive margin of 50 seconds.

Elsewhere, Dougal Brown took the spoils in the Group N category, piloting his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 to victory on Pirelli KM6 tyres. John McClory and Dougal Brown finished second and third respectively both at the wheel of Pirelli-equipped Subaru Imprezas.
 
In the two-wheel drive category, David Wilson and Keith Robathan took the top two podium spots – both drivers using the new Pirelli GM6 tyres on their Ford Escort Mk2.
 
Pirelli UK motorsport operations manager, Matthew Corby, commended the efforts of the crews at the fifth round of the Scottish Championship: “The road conditions in Scotland were incredibly difficult on Saturday following the amount of heavy rain that the north has had over the past week,” explained Corby.
 
“The feedback from both the KM6 and the GM6 tyres were very good, and to beat off the competition in the various classes is of huge credit to the durability of the tyres. Once again, our tyres have demonstrated that they work well in testing conditions and this has been reflected in a series of top results including victories across three categories at the weekend. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Andrew Wood Motorsport, they continue to do a fantastic job for us in the Scottish Rally Championship and the RSAC Scottish Rally was no exception.”