First-ever victory in Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship for Aberlour co-driver Michael Hendry in the Caledonian Rally alongside Dumfries driver Mark McCulloch in a Proton Satria
A Speyside rally co-driver celebrated his maiden Scottish championship victory in his tenth year of competing with his Dumfries-based driver.
Michael Hendry first took part in the SRC as a teenager in 2008, and the 33-year-old was finally able to stand on top of the podium at Sunday’s Caledonian Rally in Lockerbie to bring the curtain down on the season in style.
Hendry navigated driver Mark McCulloch in a Proton Satria to victory by 15 seconds, as both claimed over second place in the Asset Alliance Group Scottish Rally Championship for 2024.
The pair have laid claim to numerous podium places over the years, but never the holy grail of first place until last weekend.
“I was over the moon,” said Aberlour-based Hendry. “Everything went right on the day and it was really good just to finally get the win. We’ve been close a couple of times.
“That’s our tenth season together and we got our first podium way back in 2016 so to finally get a win was good.
“We have had a few podiums over the years. We have been leading in rallies before, but punctures and things like that have cost us.
“On Sunday, we built up a 21-second lead going into the final stage. So it was a case of going fast enough but no stupid risks that could affect our time.
“It was a bit of a nervy last stage, just trying to keep it clean, but we got there.”
While the champagne corks were traditionally popped at the end by the winning duo, there was no celebration for the Moray man.
“Because it was on the Sunday it was just a case of heading back up the road and working on the Monday,” said the Speyside engineer.
McCulloch and Hendry were in third place after the first of six classic forest stages in Dumfrieshire, and were equal quickest on the second stage before a big push saw them hit the front and gain a seven-second advantage at the midway point.
Gradually they extended that lead and held on for the elusive victory, with one of Hendry’s team-mates in Elgin’s 63 Car Club in second spot.
Huntly driver John Wink went into the Caledonian on the back of his own maiden victory at the previous round in the Snowman Rally. With his usual co-driver Neil Shanks currently competing in New Zealand, Wink took in Jack Bowen and despite going off briefly on stage three, they set the fastest time in the final stage to jump from fourth to second by the finish.
That result earned Wink third spot in the overall driver’s standings, while for Hendry it was a record-equalling second place in the co-drivers’ table.
“I’ve been second co-driver once before and Mark hasn’t, but that got us both second in the championship which is our highest ranking,” Hendry said.
Hendry was happy to post a convincing win, in the knowledge that split seconds can make all the difference even when you are competing over big distances
“We missed the podium at the Snowman by one second, and earlier on in the year we made it by 0.2 of a second - that’s how close it is just now.
“Over 45 miles that is nothing really, but it’s good when it is close.
“Everyone on the scene is quite friendly anyway so a bit of banter is quite good.”
Euan Thorburn and Keir Beaton has already tied up the championship before last weekend’s event, but the battle for second place was very much alive.
Being able to sew that up was a big achievement for McCulloch and Hendry, given that they can’t call on as big a support team or financial backing as some of the top crews.
“Mark does all the prep on the car himself, he looks after it all and it’s just friends who help us out and look after it at events. He developed the car himself so that makes this win a bit more special.”
With a maiden SRC success under their belts and a runners-up spot in the overall standings, is the ambition now to go one better and secure a future championship series triumph?
“There’s always the hope to go and win the championship one day but it is so competitive these days,” Hendry said. “There’s at least ten crews who could win a rally.
“We’ve got a good partnership going and we’ll see what next year brings.”
Another Moray success at the event arrived for long-term Elgin duo Mike Grant and Graham Kelman, who won the Groundwater Lift Trucks Subaru Cup despite a difficult day.
In stage one, roadside repairs were required on a burst radiator pipe and the improvised job did well to keep their challenge going until another problem developed.
This time the steering wheel on Grant’s Impreza came loose, and while they managed a more solid radiator fix at service, the steering was a continuous issue which they somehow overcame to take 15th overall and the prize for best Subaru finish.
