Scott Whyte, MD of Watermans Accident Claims and Care, has paid tribute to the company’s road safety ambassador John MacCrone after the rally driver clinched a poignant win on his home event.
One year-on from being involved in a major accident at the Mull Rally, John led from start-to-finish as he won the 2016 edition.
This was the Flying Islander’s second win in his home rally, following on from his 2013 success and his Ford Fiesta R5 carried a tribute to Andy Mort – his friend and co-driver who passed away as a result of their accident in 2015.
John dedicated his victory to Andy and said: “It’s been a challenging year for me, and Andy has been the main thing on my mind all weekend. I’m glad to have won, but this one was for him.”
After dominating the early stages of the 18 stage, 160-mile event, John seemed in complete control of the rally. However, mechanical mishaps threatened to derail John’s efforts on the final day as the Fiesta R5 suffered a broken driveshaft six miles from the end of the fourth last stage. With only sixteen minutes to go until the start of the next test, J-Mac’s team managed to replace it in just three minutes.
Though John’s lead was cut in the final stages by rival and nine-time winner Calum Duffy, he and co-driver Stuart London held their nerve and the lead – with ten seconds separating them from Duffy after the final stage.
Scott Whyte, MD of Watermans Accident Claims and Care, believes John has come full-circle after the win capped off a successful year in which the driver also competed in the Scottish Rally Championship.
Scott said: “It is a testament to the strength of John’s character that not only was he able to get back behind the wheel following last year’s accident, but he was able to be competitive and dominate this particular rally from the first stage until the last.”
“John hails from Mull and many of those on the island in the wider rallying community know what a tough twelve months it has been for him. I’m sure, like me, they will be over the moon to see him back to winning ways.”