Isle of Man based co-driver Rob Fagg and his Scottish driver David Bogie earned their best result on Saturday since teaming up for 2007, finishing a superb third overall on the Wold Construction North Humberside Forest Rally. 

The event was primarily a testing opportunity for the crew to get further mileage under their belts in the Oakbank Services/Pro-Tec Motorsport/Kumho Mitsubishi Evo 9, though they were seeded in the top ten and the first of the production class crews. Having led the Mitsubishi Evolution Challenge round on the Border Counties Rally the weekend before, confidence in the team was high, and this was very much a no pressure event.

A frustrating 15 seconds passed before the Evo was safely on it’s way again, but despite the time loss, 13 minutes 5 seconds was enough to hold seventh place.

On to Dalby for the second test, and the pair were set to push hard on the long forest straights. However mechanical problems upset their rhythm, a faulty switch intermittently turning the differential controller on and off. The pair were forced to change their approach, backing off to ensure they reached the end of the stage safely. They duly did so, but dropped down to tenth place as a result. 

More importantly they made mid-event service, where the electrical problem was solved by the mechanics. A new set of Kumho tyres were also fitted, and the crew were soon ready to attack on the final two stages to climb as high as they could back up the leader board.

The approach worked well. The Evo flew through Cropton on full commitment from the crew, setting the fourth best time to move into fifth overall.

The final stage was back at Langdale, albeit the reverse of the morning stage. Thankfully though there was no repeat drama, as David and Rob launched the car through the test on maximum attack to record joint third fastest time.

Back in Whitby the results confirmed a fantastic third overall and victory in the production category. The only drivers to beat them were former national champion Steve Perez, and reigning British Rallymasters champion Will Nicholls, both in much higher specification world rally cars. 

As sign of how hard the Evo had been driven came from the data management system, recording speeds of 125mph on the forest tracks!

Rob was obviously thrilled with the result.

“What can I say we have had a great run today and the final two stages were just fantastic” commented a very happy Rob. “Despite the spin on the first stage we have had a near faultless run and David has driven superbly again and is showing continued improvement with each mile he competes over. Third overall is just an amazing result and to beat some more established drivers in more powerful cars is a great achievement. A big thank you to Pro-tec Motorsport for running the car and to Kumho Tyres who provide an excellent product and invaluable advice. ”

The next major challenge for the pair is Rob’s home event, the RBSI Manx Rally, which is round three of the Mitsubishi Evolution Challenge. His local knowledge and previous production class experience on the island should enhance the team’s chances of a good result. 

Before that, a possible outing on the Granite City Rally later this month, part of the Scottish Rally Championship is on the cards.

Rob would like to take this opportunity to express his thanks to the Isle of Man Steam Packet who he has received a scholarship from through the Manx Sports Foundation for the past 12 months. There help has been invaluable in the success of the past 12 months.