Keith Cronin starts the first full day of the Rally of Scotland, the final round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) this morning from eighth place after a promising start to his first outing in an Abarth Grande Punto S2000 during last night's pair of opening stages.

Keith Cronin starts the first full day of the Rally of Scotland, the final round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) this morning from eighth place after a promising start to his first outing in an Abarth Grande Punto S2000 during last night's pair of opening special stages.

The newly crowned British Rally Champion has swapped his regular Mitsubishi Evo that powered him to the title in favour of an Abarth Grande Punto which has been rented from the Italian Procar team for the occasion as Cronin bids to gain his first Super 2000 experience ahead of contesting selected IRC rounds next year. Having not tested prior to the event the Irishman posted a very useful third fastest time on the first of the two spectator orientated stages last night, but slipped down to eighth overall after a slower run second time.

Thousands of fans braved the bitter autumnal winds and driving rain to venture to the start of Scotland’s first international rally since the mid-1990s. A carnival atmosphere with bagpipes and fireworks acted as an amazing backdrop for the event, into which hometown hero Alister McRae led the field out to do battle where the kings of Scotland were once crowned. Having been flagged away by Scotland’s first minister, Alex Salmond, and with the watchful eye of Sir Jackie Stewart in the huge and passionate throng, McRae set the early pace in his Proton Satria Neo S2000 but on the 1.5 km stage the times came thick and fast.

Emerging victorious through the first run was Meeke’s Peugeot UK-backed 207 S2000, hotly pursued by his career-long rival Guy Wilks at the wheel of his new Skoda UK-supported Fabia S2000 with Cronin in third place just ahead of young gun Adam Gould in the BFGoodrich Drivers’ Team Peugeot 207 S2000. Behind the top four came an armada of Ralliart Lancer Evo machines, McRae’s Proton, and the astonishing Honda Civic 2WD entry of Estonian Kaspar Koitla.

A second run through the jam-packed spectator stage at Scone Palace delivered Meeke’s second stage win of the night as he stamped the champion’s authority on the opening night’s action. Once again it was Wilks who gave Meeke the closest run for his money, the double British champion settling in to his new Fabia S2000 with aplomb. Behind them the driver to make the biggest step up was young Ulsterman Alastair Fisher, who hustled the Group N Ralliart Mitsubishi through the stage to set the third fastest time ahead of an improving McRae.

With fog, driving rain and the smoke from fireworks to contend with there were a few nervous moments for many of the 60-strong field on the second run, including Cronin, who dropped back from his third place on SS1. Nevertheless as many have found out in the past, rallies are seldom won on short spectator stages – but often lost. With the field having safely negotiated the opening challenges the action restarts this morning.

Rally of Scotland - provisional positions after 2 stages

1 Meeke (GB) –Peugeot - 2m 18.4s
2 Wilks (GB) – Skoda - +4.0s
3 Gould (GB) – Peugeot - +11.7s
4 McRae (GB) – Proton - +12.4s
5 Fisher (GB) – Ralliart - +12.4s
6 Siguroarson (IS) – Ralliart - +12.7s
7 Greer (GB) – Ralliart - +13.6s
8 Cronin (IRL) – Abarth - +15.9s
9 Kangur (EST) – Honda - +17.1s
10 Weston (GB) – Subaru - +17.5s