The Scottish Rally Championship is a rallying series run throughout Scotland over the course of a year, that comprises seven gravel surface events. [1]
The 2017 season began in the snow-covered forest tracks around Inverness on 18 February, with the season finale taking place around Castle Douglas on 9 September. Driver Jock Armstrong and regular co-driver Paula Swinscoe started the season as defending champions having won the 2016 Championship. [2]
Aberdeen based haulage company ARR Craib sponsored the series for the fifth year in a row.
Following the Grampian Stages in August Euan Thorburn and regular co-driver Paul Beaton were declared champions in their Ford Fiesta R5. With only one event left to run the pair were uncatchable in the points table. [3]
For season 2017 there was seven events held predominantly on gravel surfaces. [4]
| Round | Dates | Event | Rally HQ | Surface | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 Feb | Snowman Rally | Inverness | Gravel / Snow | (website) |
| 2 | 18 Mar | Border Counties Rally | Jedburgh | Gravel | (website) |
| 3 | 22 Apr | Speyside Stages Rally | Elgin | Gravel | (website) |
| 4 | 20 May | RSAC Scottish Rally | Dumfries | Gravel | (website) |
| 5 | 24 Jun | Argyll Rally | Dunoon | Gravel | (website) |
| 6 | 12 Aug | Grampian Stages Rally | Banchory | Gravel | (website) |
| 7 | 9 Sep | Galloway Hills Rally | Castle Douglas | Gravel | (website) |
Due to calendar changes within the British Rally Championship, the Scottish Rally, usually held in June was brought forward to May. June, meanwhile welcomed a new event to the calendar, the Argyll Rally which saw a return to the forests of Cowal after an absence of 14 years.
| Round | Rally name | Podium finishers [5] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placing | Driver / Co-Driver | Car | Time / Diff leader | ||
| 1 | Snowman Rally (18 February) | 1 | David Bogie / Kevin Rae | Škoda Fabia R5 | 37:51 |
| 2 | Shaun Sinclair / Jamie Edwards | Subaru Impreza WRC | +0:58 | ||
| 3 | Euan Thorburn / Paul Beaton | Ford Fiesta R5 | +1:20 | ||
| 2 | Border Counties Rally (18 March) | 1 | Jock Armstrong / Paula Swinscoe | Subaru Impreza | 43:32.4 |
| 2 | Euan Thorburn / Paul Beaton | Ford Fiesta R5 | +0:30.5 | ||
| 3 | Mike Faulkner / Peter Foy | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX | +0:30.5 | ||
| 3 | Speyside Stages (22 April) | 1 | David Bogie / Andrew Roughead | Škoda Fabia R5 | 51:55 |
| 2 | Desi Henry / Liam Moynihan [N 1] | Škoda Fabia R5 | +0:39 | ||
| 3 | Euan Thorburn / Paul Beaton | Ford Fiesta R5 | +0:42 | ||
| 4 | RSAC Scottish Rally (20 May) | 1 | Euan Thorburn / Paul Beaton | Ford Fiesta R5 | 42:10.1 |
| 2 | Jock Armstrong / Paula Swinscoe | Subaru Impreza | +0:35.2 | ||
| 3 | Shaun Sinclair / Jamie Edwards | Subaru Impreza WRC | +0:58.9 | ||
| 5 | Argyll Rally (24 June) | 1 | Euan Thorburn / Paul Beaton | Ford Fiesta R5 | 32:38 |
| 2 | Jock Armstrong / Paula Swinscoe | Subaru Impreza | +0:04 | ||
| 3 | Shaun Sinclair / Jamie Edwards | Subaru Impreza WRC | +0:31 | ||
| 6 | Grampian Stages Rally (12 August) | 1 | David Bogie / Kevin Rae | Škoda Fabia R5 | 41:17 |
| 2 | Euan Thorburn / Paul Beaton | Ford Fiesta R5 | +0:58 | ||
| 3 | Paul Bird / Stuart Louden [N 1] | Ford Focus WRC | +1:21 | ||
| 7 | Galloway Hills Rally (9 September) | 1 | Jock Armstrong / Cameron Fair | Subaru Impreza | 39:35 |
| 2 | Euan Thorburn / Paul Beaton [N 1] | Ford Fiesta R5 | +0:03 | ||
| 3 | Shaun Sinclair / Jamie Edwards | Subaru Impreza WRC | +0:44 | ||
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** Euan Thorburn finished second overall on the Galloway Hills Rally but, having already won the SRC title, was not registered for SRC points. This was to avoid affecting championship runner-up positions.
Points are awarded to the highest placed registered drivers on each event as follows: 30, 28, 27, 26, and so on down to 1 point. At the end of the season, competitors nominate their best 6 scores out of the 7 events as their final overall Championship score.