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Provisional Leaderboard after 3 (of 18) Special Stages: |
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| 1 | Neil MacKinnon/Mike Stayte (Subaru Impreza) | 27mins 20secs |
| 2 | Callum Duffy/Hugh Duffy (Mitsubishi Lancer) | 27m 23s |
| 3 | Dougi Hall/Gareth Williams (Ford Escort) | 27m 44s |
| 4 | Eddie O'Donnell/Billy McClymont (Ford Escort) | 28m 23s |
| 5 | Daniel Harper/Daniel Barritt (Vauxhall Astra) | 28m 40s |
| 6 | Andy Knight/Graeme Noble (Ford Escort RS2000) | 28m 50s |
| 7 | Mark Jasper/Alan Snell (Ford Escort Cos) | 28m 57s |
| 8 | John Cressey/Ian Grindrod (Vauxhall Astra) | 29m 18s |
| 9 | John Cope/Tony Cope (Ford Escort Cos) | 29m 32s |
| 10 | Steve Smith/Alistair Douglas (Subaru Impreza) | 29m 43s |
The 31st Philips Tour of Mull may have started dry in Tobermory but by goad it's wet now, and it's even wetter out on the west coast, with some of the drivers thinking the Atlantic Ocean is coming at them sideways.
Neil MacKinnon spun on Stage 3 at Loch Scridain and then picked up a puncture towards the end of the test but leads the rally by 3 seconds after 3 stages from Callum Duffy … Dougi Hall is first two wheel drive ahead of Eddie O'Donnell but Eddie's already in trouble, his alternator is not charging … Andy Knight took a chance on tyres but needs a deeper cut in the tread, "this is not ideal conditions to learn such a powerful new car" he says … Paul Kirtley is suffering severe fuel surge in the Subaru which is seriously affecting the delivery of power – or lack of it at times … Daniel Harper is struggling with no brakes – maybe that's why he's so quick at the moment! … John Cressey says he's never driven this car in the wet before but by heck, he's learning … James MacGillivray had to stop and change a front puncture in the first stage at Dervaig and lost about 5 mins … Steve Smith did a big 360 spin round the rock at Dervaig and then had another sideways moment on Gribun … Mark Jasper has limped in with no electrics due to faulty alternator, just happened near the end of the last stage so no serious time loss … Bill Bonniwell had a big off at Dervaig, "you'd have been proud of me," he laughed, but it left him with no lights and no wipers for the next two stages … Martin Healer says its scary out there with standing water in the braking areas … George MacDonald says it's brilliant fun, he must have been watching too many old Gene Kelly movies … George Grieve has blown a turbo in the second stage and was caught and passed by MacDonald, but he started the event on slicks due to an oversight by his service crew so that didn't help either.
Remember, don't treat the above positions as gospel, but the times are pretty accurate.
That's yer lot meantime, more drivel to come. Yer auld pal, Jaggy Bunnet, Craignure, approaching midnight Friday.
