Elliot Payne took a record breaking fourth straight victory at the Border Counties Rally after BTRDA championship contender Matthew Hirst suffered a time penalty.
Hirst and Dear came out the blocks swinging during the morning opening stages, setting fastest time on each one of the Border Counties.
Eventually extending the gap to 44 seconds come the finish, a very good result towards their championship battle and a second win of the season or so they thought.
In a statement on Facebook Hirst stated this “Regrettably, we have been handed a ten-minute penalty for — and I quote — “driving in a manner not compatible with good driving on the public road.”
“I won’t be commenting further on the matter. However, congratulations to Elliot and Patrick on their win; a well-driven rally and a deserving result.”
As a result of the penalty Hirst would finish outside the points. Daníel Sigurðarson inherits second with local man Scott McBeth claiming third in the process.
