Mark Higgins secured his second top score of the season on Saturday, by taking a hard-earned Fuchs Lubricants British Historic Rally Championship victory at the Dunoon Presents Argyll Rally [21/22 June].
Higgins and co-driver Carl Williamson hauled their mighty Triumph TR8 V8 through the narrow lanes of the Cowal Peninsula in western Scotland, to claim the win by almost two minutes from Seb Perez in the Porsche 911. Winning 14 out of the 18 stages, Higgins was almost unstoppable, storming to his second maximum points haul of the season and bringing the former British Rally champion right into the mix for the title race.
Despite a light entry from the BHRC contenders, the battle across the tight and technical closed-road event would be a fascinating prospect, as the championship’s first visit to the Argyll Rally would level the playing field.
A battle for the runner-up spot was brewing between Mennell and Perez, who were just two seconds apart. Once the daylight of Saturday arrived, Higgins continued his form, but it was the Escort of Mennell who was showing its pace on the asphalt for the first time. Sadly, the Yorkshireman’s charge came to an end just before service, crashing heavily the Loch Fyne test.
Perez continued his impressive run of form to take second and the Category Two [cars registered between 1968 and 1975] honours and in doing so, moved into the lead of the championship, with a healthy gap to second-placed Richard Hill.
Round six takes crews onto the Military Ranges in Wales at the end of July, for the Tour of Epynt.
