2008 Timetable of Events

Provisional Top Ten after SS19 (of 19)

1 Neil MacKinnon/Mike Stayte (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2 Hr 21 Mins 53 Secs
2 Calum Duffy/Iain Duffy (Ford Escort Mk2) 2h 24m 23s
3 John Cope/Tony Cope (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 27m 13s
4 Paul Kirtley/David Jones (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 28m 37s
5 Denis Biggerstaff/Graham Thomson (Subaru Impreza) 2h 29m 40s
6 Tony Bardy/Reg Smith (Hyundai Accent WRC) 2h 30m 19s
7 John Price/Caroline Price (MG Metro 6R4) 2h 31m 14s
8 John Swinscoe/Bill Robertson (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9) 2h 33m 10s
9 Cameron Maclean/Alastair Fraser (Ford Escort Mk2) 2hr 34m 34s
10 Tristan Pye/Andrew Roughead (Subaru Impreza) 2h 35m 24s
 (Please Note: These times are provisional pending confirmation by Rally HQ)

Ten years ago, Neil MacKinnon ran with the number 4 on the door and it was at the end of a somewhat barren spell in terms of results. Ten years on, he had number 4 on the door and hadn’t won for five years. Isn’t coincidence a funny thing?

“This is good, I enjoyed that, and I enjoyed the car,” said  Neil, “The gearbox was fine just as long as I lifted off before changing up. I went quite well in the first two stages on Friday night just to see what the pace was like and then again this afternoon. But the tyres were good too. I started my road rallying days on Michelins and I was using Michelins again tonight, and I was in a McKinstry car. Aye, this was good.”

As ever Calum Duffy finished with a flourish. He had just survived another ‘moment’ in the penultimate stage: “There was all sorts of sh*t and mud at the last junction and I thought this is not the place to have an accident!” But he survived and at the Dervaig junction executed the perfect pirouette to the great appreciation of the serried ranks of spectators. “It was a fast pace all rally,” added Calum, “certainly the fastest rally I’ve ever done.”

John Cope was third : “We had a good run tonight but we were always coming from behind after that puncture. Then we blew a seal in the gearbox and lost the active diffs, and it blew the replacement, but we fitted an old seal for the final stages and we got here.”

Second in class last year, Mike Storrar was top 1600 this time in the Ford Toyota Anglia: “We bent the steering on Friday night after hitting a rock through the Flying Finish at Ardtun and then I drove like a tart in the long one tonight b ut we finished and we used the same set of Matadors all rally, second hand on the back and new ones on the front.” Who said budget rallying was finished.

The Tunnock’s Tour of course is not just about winners, it’s about those taking part. For instance, Donna Ingram (124) in the wee Mini lost all her brakes in the 23 miler and then went into Mishnish quite brakeless. She made it all the way through the stage and Flying Finish to the ‘Stop’ line where the Marshal stepped out into the middle of the road to stop her and give her a time – only he didn’t know she had no brakes! Well, the poor lad executed a lightning-quick audition for ‘Billy Elliot’ while Donna did all she could to miss him, and physical contact was avoided – just!

That’s yer lot for now,
Yer auld pal, Jaggy Bunnet, Aros Hall, Tobermory, 2.30 am, Sunday

Provisional Top Ten after SS14 (of 19)

1 Neil MacKinnon/Mike Stayte (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1 Hr 31 Mins 37 Secs
2 Calum Duffy/Iain Duffy (Ford Escort Mk2) 1h 33m 09s
3 John Cope/Tony Cope (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 35m 36s
4 Paul Kirtley/David Jones (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 36m 05s
5 Denis Biggerstaff/Graham Thomson (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 36m 36s
6 John Price/Caroline Price (MG Metro 6R4) 1h 37m 44s
7 Tony Bardy/Reg Smith (Hyundai Accent WRC) 1h 38m 09s
8 John Swinscoe/Bill Robertson (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9) 1h 39m 11s
9 Cameron Maclean/Alastair Fraser (Ford Escort Mk2) 1hr 40m 04s
10 Mark Durham/Andy Mort (Mitsubishi Lancer) 1h 40m 10s

(Please Note: These times are provisional pending confirmation by Rally HQ)

As most of you will know after trudging out of empty stages late on in the afternoon, rallying was curtailed due to a number of separate incidents. Thankfully none too serious, but the cumulative effect meant that the organisers were running out of Road Closure Time to get everyone through. One competitor has been airlifted out of  a stage, but this is purely a precautionary measure as the competitor in question was able to make phone calls whilst the Medics were attending!

So rallying will resume on this 37th Tunnock’s Tour of Mull Rally at 9.00 pm to-night outside the Salen Hotel in Salen, that is provided the event leader makes it to the start time. It would appear that Neil MacKinnon will re-start the third and final Leg tonight on his third gearbox! But at least he is still in the rally, his son Paul isn’t. “I just felt it miss a little last night,” said Paul, “but we thought it was fuel starvation but then on the first stage this afternoon it wasn’t revving too well, and when the oil light came on, I switched off!”

Calum Duffy is still holding off John Cope in second place, Paul Kirtley’s doing the business in fourth but Denis Biggerstaff is closing in and with John Price running in sixth place we have all four home nations represented in the top six of the Tunnock’s Tour.

And just to round off this rather official style bulletin, here is a true tale to warm the hearts of a hospitable nation. Apparently a French family arrived on the island to drive to their hotel earlier this afternoon completely unaware of the fact that this is ‘Motorsport Month on Mull’. Confusion reigned when they were denied access to the road which led past their hotel till Safety Officer Ron Cowan threw his cape across the puddle and bridged the cultural gap. He personally escorted them by orange flashing beacon to a safe spectating point, provided a variety of Tunnock’s confections, apparently they had never seen a teacake before let alone eaten one, and some bottles of Irn Bru, another foreign taste to their culture upbringing. Delighted? Ils sont tres hereuse (that’s French you uneducated lot!). Aye, it just proves the ‘Auld Alliance’ is alive and well on Mull.

And remember, the Mediterrania Restaurant at Salen does the best pizzas on the island. Genuine Italian food cooked to genuine Italian recipes, and both sit-in or takeway. Why not drop in when down that way tonight.

That’s yer lot for now,
Yer auld pal, Jaggy Bunnet, Aros Hall, Tobermory, 6.30 pm, Saturday