THE rally season at Kames Motorsport Complex ended with an action-packed competition which ended in a convincing victory for Trabboch’s Colin Gemmell and his Ayr co-driver Derek Keir in their 2.5 litre Mk2 Ford Escort.

Graham Bruce, from Sundrum and Paul Toner were runners-up in a similar car with another East Ayrshire Car Club crew David McLeod and Eamonn Boyle third in a hard-worked Talbot Sunbeam. The three cars, all classics in the eyes of rally enthusiasts put on a most entertaining display much appreciated by the large gallery who watched in warm sunshine.

However, while these may have been the fastest cars on the Muirkirk track the fiercest battle came in the Junior section where Oliver Hunter / Tom Hynd (Peugeot 107) and Lewis Haining / George Myatt (Skoda Citigo) were tied going into the final special stage. In the nail-biting finish Oliver, from Ayr stopped the clock on 1 minute 40 seconds while his New Galloway rival posted 1 minute 41 seconds, a remarkable result after a day long battle over sixteen special stages.

The senior section of the rally saw a little bit of history being made with an electric car making a debut in a motorsport competition north of the border. The Renault Zoe ran well in midfield and its Welsh driver Cameron Davies spent much of the day explaining the characteristics of the car to competitors and spectators alike.