MULLMURMURSMULLMURMURSMULLMURMURS – Chapter 3
– published on the island, during the event by Jaggy Bunnet
Provisional Leaderboard after 3 Stages:
| Posn | Driver/Co-Driver | Car | Mins:Secs |
| 1 | Callum Duffy/Hugh Duffy | Ford Escort | 24:16 |
| 2 | Neil MacKinnon/Mike Stayte | Subaru Legacy | 25:31 |
| 3 | James MacGillivray/Brian Kennedy | Opel Corsa | 25:33 |
| 4 | Eddie O'Donnell/Eddie O'Donnell | Ford Escort | 26:23 |
| 5 | John Price/Mike Bowen | MG Metro 6R4 | 26:29 |
| 6 | Richard Thompson/Reg Smith | Nissan Sunny | 26:43 |
| 7 | Paul Kirtley/Jon Geldart | Ford Escort Cosworth | 27:12 |
| 8 | Chris Griffiths/Stephen Griffiths | Subaru Legacy | 27:20 |
| 9 | Gordon Boyd/Stella Boyles | Ford Escort Cosworth | 27:30 |
| 10 | John Cope/Adrian Gladwin | Ford Sierra | 27:33 |
The above top ten is by no means accurate, these are just the first cards in, but it gives some idea of what is happening out there on this 27th Philips Tour of Mull Rally … In other words, young Callum Duffy has gone off, not like a rocket, but a powerboat. He currently holds a 1 min 15 second lead over 7 times winner Neil MacKinnon … Duffy leads despite a heart stopping moment on the first stage when he crested a brow to find a "river" on the other side. The nose of the Escort gave the tarmac an awfy dunt (hard smack!) and broke the oil cooler. He was near the stage finish so he pressed on and fixed the pipes at the stage finish, filled it up with oil and he's still going … MacKinnon is not yet quite familiar with the new car and he was pretty cautious over the first test but he's picking up the pace a bit now … John Price was off the pace on the first one because the heavens opened shortly after he started the test and his tyres were far too wide but he switched to full wets for the next two … Chris Griffiths also had a cautious start, but he also had a bit of luck as a rear tyre deflated as he approached the finish of the stage. First time on Michelin intermediates, they're good, but he needs to build up a bit of confidence … Steve Davies was off at the hairpin on the Hill Road but reversed out dropping 3 minutes to the leaders. But Keith Robathan looks as though he's out for good. All that can be seen of the Escort, sticking out of the bushes, is the bootlid! … John Cressey is in trouble already. Lost a lot of time on the first test when the fan belt came off and then the oil pump belt too. Gordon Boyd is changing his alternator at service. Billy Bird (2nd last year) is struggling with the new car, it doesn't handle as well as the old one … But the story of the rally is all about water, plenty of it, lying on the roads and falling steadily out of the sky. It's not only the drivers who are having a hard time with misted up windows, spare a thought for the poor Marshals, especially at Gribun where the rain is horizontal.
Yer auld pal, Jaggy Bunnet, (Craignure, Friday, 10:00 pm)
IMPORTANT P.S. There is a £20 spot fine for improper use of under-bumper fog lights. If you are running round the island using these, then DON'T, they are blinding other drivers in this terrible weather. The Police are taking note.
