A RECORD-BREAKING 298 cars will contest this weekend's Jim Clark Rally, the biggest single rally to be held in Britain this year.
The action in three-day event, a counter in both the British and Scottish Rally Championships — as well as the Irish Tarmac Championship — is focused on Duns and Kelso.
The only rally run solely on closed-off public tarmac roads to be staged on t
he British mainland, the Jim Clark is notoriously fast and it's expected Irish tarmac specialists such as Eamonn Boland, Gareth MacHale and Eugene Donnelly will dominate.
However, with none of the Irish contingent registered for British Rally Championship points, Dumfries youngster David Bogie is eyeing his first maximum points haul.
The 21-year-old, third last time out in the Pirelli International, fires up his Mitsubishi Evo X knowing he must outpace the Subaru of former British champ, Manxman Mark Higgins, and championship leader Keith Cronin's Mitsubishi.
The Irishman, who won both opening rounds in Wales and Kielder forest, has tarmac experience but this will be his first taste of the ultra-fast Berwickshire lanes.
And Bogie is hopefull of capitalising on his inexperience.
"The tarmac roads round Duns are blisteringly fast and, unlike the roads in Ireland, they're billiard table-smooth," Bogie explained, "which makes them treacherously slippery, especially if it gets wet.
"I love the event, and led comfortably last year before the gearbox on my car packed in.
"Obviously I would love to win what is my home event. I know it's going to be tough, but I'll be doing everything I can to get that victory."
After six overnight stages tonight , the competitors in the BRC tackle another 11 timed tests — including famous names such as Eccles, Edrom and Leitholm — tomorrow, starting at 7am, before the podium ceremony at Kelso racecourse.
Those contesting the Scottish round of the Jim Clark then set out at 10.15am on Sunday for eight stages totalling 62 miles before their podium celebrations in Duns Square later in the afternoon.
The full article contains 347 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
