Provisional Top Ten after SS2 (of 19)
1 Neil MacKinnon/Mike Stayte (Subaru Impreza WRC) 19 Minutes 52 Seconds
2 John Cope/Tony Cope (Subaru Impreza WRC) 20m 18s
3 Calum Duffy/Iain Duffy (Ford Escort Mk2) 20m 21s
4 Dougi Hall/Allan MacDougall (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) 20m 33s
5 Paul Kirtley/David Jones (Subaru Impreza WRC) 20m 37s
6 Paul MacKinnon/Kirsty Riddick (Mitsubishi Lancer) 21m 09s
7 John Price/Caroline Price (MG Metro 6R4) 21m 11s
6 James MacGillivray/Ian Fraser (Ford Escort Mk2) 21m 15s
9 Denis Biggerstaff/Graham Thomson (Subaru Impreza WRC) 21m 20s
10 John Swinscoe/Bill Robertson (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9) 21m 25s
(Please Note: These times are provisional pending confirmation by Rally HQ)
A clearer picture is now emerging of the battle for the lead on this Teacake Tour of Mull Rally with Neil MacKinnon snatching an early lead after two stages from the on-form John Cope. But don’t discount Calum Duffy yet, the night is young!
Biggest surprise of the night so far is the pace of young Paul MacKinnon (Neil’s son) who is well inside the top ten first time out in a Lancer. James MacGillivray is toiling with the new car which is not yet set up the way he would like it and isn’t Paul Kirtley going well?
Further down the field the casualty list is mounting and the tall tales are getting taller by the mile. Martin Healer (31) broke a driveshaft on SS1 … John Marshall (30) is struggling with turbo problems in his new Subaru … Willie Bonniwell (11) is out with a broken gearbox … Iain Grubb (27) is reported stopped in a stage … Iain MacKenzie (37) has damaged his suspension … Mike Russell (56) broke a driveshaft …. Neil Morgan (48) has lost a headlight (but didn’t admit what against!) … Ian Dawes is having a problem with the MINI, a driveshaft keeps popping out and popping back in again … Stephen Thomson boiled his brakes at the end of SS1 – but in a Nova who needs brakes? …Duggie Ingram (70) is toiling with a misfire. He has a sump in the petrol tank and it keeps slopping past the pickup! (The cheapskate should fill it up)… Martin MacLean (65) got passed by 3 cars when he had fuel starvation … Geoff Wright (78) was looking pleased with himself, he passed one car and caught another in SS2 … John Rintoul (73) lost a chunk of time when he had to stop and change a punctured tyre, well, his co-driver did. John couldn’t see in the dark and Jim changed the wheel on his own – sounds like porkies to me! …Chris Paton (83) is going well. The Nova has new bigger brakes and although they overheated on SS1 were perfect on SS2: “I’m not going to put a spanner near it when I get to service” beamed Chris who is tackling his 36th Tour of Mull whole co-driver Dave Cabena has started all 37! … Grant (Sid the Parrot) Fleming (75) with co-driving Tunnock’s Production Director Fergus Loudon limped out of SS2 with a broken driveshaft: “It broke in SS1,” said Grant, “and so we had to take it easy through SS2 – but we still didn’t get caught by anyone!” … looking puzzled at Salen was Paul Miller, all the electrics cut out at the end of SS1 and they spent a lot of time fixing it before they could start SS2 so investigations are called for at Service.
And finally, for those of you feeling a little starvatious after this opening night’s entertainment, PoshNosh in Tobermory Main Street is staying open for the purveying of butties and Tunnock’s delicacies till the wee sma’ hours.
Yer auld pal, Jaggy Bunnet, Salen Hotel, 11.30 pm, Friday
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