Rob’s high hopes for Jim Clark Rally

Rob Cotton will be keeping his fingers crossed for a trouble-free run on this weekend’s Jim Clark Rally.

After retiring with transmission trouble on the Carlisle Stages, the reigning John Easson Award winner has been busy getting his Subaru back into shape for round three of the Probite British Rally Championship.

“We thought it was just a cracked bellhousing, but once we got the car back to the workshop, we found an extra surprise,” explained Rob.

“The Crown Wheel Pinion had broken into pieces and a shaft in the Limited Slip Differential had snapped, so we ended buying a complete new LSD.

“But the good news is the car was all back together on Sunday, and it’s already been for a run up the road to make sure everything is working as it should.”

With this year’s co-driver Owen Paterson unavailable for the Jim Clark, Rob has enlisted the help of his mapman from last year, Ethan Kidd.

The pair spent Tuesday doing a recce for the two-day event, making their own pacenotes.

“We had six hours checking the roads and making the notes, and I’m really happy about that,” said Rob.

“Making your own notes is so much better than using pre-prepared ones, which we have used before. With our own notes, I know what I want to hear as we drive at competitive speeds, not someone else’s interpretation.”

Although this will be Rob’s debut on the Jim Clark Rally, he competed on the 2024 Jim Clark Reivers Rally, the Sunday clubman event, last year, so is familiar with the type of roads around the Scottish Border town of Duns.

2024 Reivers Rally

He said: “It is familiar territory, and I recognised many of the roads on the recce, from last year, and all the You Tube videos I’ve been watching in preparation.”

“I would be nice to have a rally without too many issues, I have a feeling it could go well. The roads suit me and suit the car.”

*Over 260 competitors are expected to start the Jim Clark and Jim Clark Reivers Rallies this weekend, which boasts over 100 stages miles across Friday night and Saturday. The rally kicks off with a ceremonial start in Duns Square on Friday evening. Leading the field away is Estonian driver and Junior WRC champion Romet Jurgenson in a Fiesta R2. Rob and Ethan are seeded at 26 in their Impreza B13.

Rob Cotton would like to thank

2300 Club John Easson Award
Cotton Competition
North Coat Ltd
Questmead Ltd
Motordrive Seats
PD Extinguishers
Proflex UK
British Rally Championship
Project Podium Rally Foundation
Rally Stages
MRF Motorsport Tyres UK
Service & Sport

Published October 13, 2007

2007 – Murmur Chapter 6

MullMurmurs – Chapter 6

Provisional Leaderboard after SS8 (of 19)

1 Neil MacKinnon/Daniel Barritt (Subaru Impreza WRC) 54 Minutes 35 Seconds
2 Dougi Hall/Andy Richardson (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) 55m 29s
3 John Cope/Robert Fagg (Subaru Impreza WRC) 55m 58s
4 Paul Kirtley/Jim Kitson (Subaru Impreza) 56m 34s
5 Daniel Harper/Chris Campbell (BMW MINI Cooper S) 56m 51s
6 James MacGillivray/Ian Fraser (Ford Escort Mk2) 57m 03s
7 John Swinscoe/Paula Swinscoe (Mitsubishi Lancer) 57m 32s
8 Denis Biggerstaff/Graeme Thomson (Subaru Impreza) 57m 57s
9 Tristan Pye/Kirsty Riddick (Subaru Impreza) 58m 09s
10 Tony Bardy/Reg Smith (Hyundai Accent WRC) 58m 41s

As dawn clambered over the rocky outline of Mull on the morning of Saturday 13th October there were many bruised egos and battered cars littering the landscape. Last night provided a typical ‘crash, bang, wallop’ start to this 38th Tunnock’s Tour of Mull Rally, but out front was 11 times winner Neil MacKinnon, with Daniel Barritt, going for win number 12.

Speaking of winners, we’ve already had one winner this weekend. After his cycling exploits on the 22 miler on Wednesday, Dougi Hall entered the Tunnock’s Teacake eating contest at Craignure on Thursday night, and he won! 20 teacakes and a bottle of Irn Bru in 4 minutes. What an athlete this boy is.

Looking further down the results listing after the first Leg of 8 stages Lewis Gallagher is leading the 2 litre class in his Peugeot 205 by just 3 seconds from Curly Haigh in the MkI and holding 16th and 17th places overall respectively. In 20th place is 1600 leader Mike Storrar in the Anglia with nearly a minute in hand over young Kris Hall (son of Dougi) in a Peugeot 205. In the wee class, Matthew Tarbutt’s Nova has 2 minutes over the Nova of Ewen MacGillivray.

There is one change to the overnight interim positions. In the previous Bulletin we didn’t have times for Denis Biggerstaff, but following a gearbox change at Craignure, Northern Ireland’s finest is still running, albeit quite far down the running order, and he’s currently lying 8th at the overnight halt.

But if there was a prize for sheer stubborn stupidity, Jim McDowall would be in the running. His ex-works Sunbeam seized its engine 3 miles into the first stage last night, so he called home to Newton Stewart (in the deep south west) and told the boys to bring the engine out of his Avenger up overnight. They are busy fitting it at the moment ready to (hopefully) re-start the Trophy Rally this afternoon.

And if there was an award for gardening, that would be down to Brian MacLeod (82). He went so far off in SS2 last night, the local farmer thought someone had started the ploughing early. That was nothing compared to the service crew who spent the next couple of hours prizing and poking packed earth out from driveshafts, gearbox linkages and stuffed sumpguards creating enough mess to start a new series of the Beechgrove Garden.

Now it’s daylight and the survivors have Leg 2 to look forward to, so doubtless there will be more motoring mayhem on Mull to come. But spare a thought for McDowall’s team, the only thing that’s keeping these boys fuelled is a constant supply of Tunnock’s caramel wafers. However did they manage without them before?

Yer auld pal, Jaggy Bunnet, Tobermory, 11.00 am Saturday

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