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MULLMURMURSMULLMURMURSMULLMURMURS – Chapter 6
– published on the island, during the event by Jaggy Bunnet
MullMurmurs – Chapter 6
Provisional Leaderboard after SS12 (of 17)
1 Hall/Hall 1 Hr 24 Mins 11 Secs
2 Duffy/Duffy 1h 24m 49s
3 Cope/Fagg 1h 25m 02s
4 Harper/Campbell 1h 25m 10s
5 MacGillivray/Fraser 1h 25m 20s
6 Bardy/Smith 1h 25m 33s
7 Sisson/Stone 1h 26m 02s
8 Pye/Falconer 1h 27m 01s
9 Sinclair/Hamill 1h 27m 37s
10 Sherrington/Bould 1h 28m 29s
It's all change at the top of the leaderboard after the five daylight stages on this 40th anniversary Tunnock's Tour of Mull Rally. Dougi and Sam Hall now lead the rally after 12 of this year's 17 stages but they are coming under severe pressure from the Dervaig Dervishes, Callum and Iain Duffy.
Hall has had his troubles today though: “We did a driveshaft on Tuath. It's banging and clattering away, and it feels worse on lefthanders than righthanders. We nursed it through the first two stages, pushed a bit on Calgary, and then said **** it, and went for it over the last two. But we'll need to see what exactly is wrong before tonight. It feels like three wheel drive at times and I'm not sure at others.”
Duffy was in trouble too but not of his own making. After changing the crown wheel and pinion in the axle last night, the MkII is flying today. “I got hit by Paul MacKinnon,” he said, “Paul had gone off and was reversing out helped by Marshals. They were telling him when it was safe but whatever happened he started coming out just as we were going past. We were lucky, he hit the tail of the car but missed the wheel,. Otherwise we might have got mechanical damage as well.”
A close call, but it means MacKinnon is out as he didn't make it to the final Control this afternoon. That puts John Cope back into contention. He was on fire over the second Hill Road setting fastest time and has moved up to third place, but he was lucky too: “We were on slicks when that downpour hit us on Calgary!”. Daniel Harper had a fright too when the hub came loose from the strut: “The pinch bolt worked loose and the hub was clattering against the strut, but we fixed it at the end of the stage.” James MacGillivray was beaming at the end of the Lochs: “I was cursing. I thought I had picked too soft a tyre, but it rained in Calgary and my choice was perfect. I also got held up a few seconds at Paul's off.”
Tony Bardy is now happy with his steering: “It feels like an ERF but it's not darting left or right as the other one did.” Wayne Sisson is picking up pace now too, and had a spin on the Hill Road, but Tristan Pye dropped back with a front puncture half way through the final stage of the afternoon. Outside the top ten last night, Shaun Sinclair is on a mission today. He's up to 9th now despite spinning on somebody's oil on the Hill Road: “It was a full 360 and then some, but I lost 30 seconds getting it turned round and on its way again,” he said. Tugs Sherrington rounds off the top ten despite the wipers getting themselves knotted during the downpour in Calgary and he couldn't see.
Denis Biggerstaff came out of the Lochs with a huge grin, “I just love that stage”, he said. Steve Cressey's new Subaru has a crumpled front corner courtesy of a huge deer in Gribun last night: “We were flat in sixth and there was this big deer right in the middle of the road!” Doug Weir spun on the Hill Road: “It was my own fault – I missed a gear.” Iain Mackenzie has the wee Peugeot well wound up but is losing time to the bigger cars now that conditions are drying later in the afternoon. Dave Pattison is toiling. A string of good times has been ruined by three punctures this afternoon alone. Curly Haigh is heading straight to service, his gearbox is grumbling and due a change before tonight. Jonathan Mounsey is enjoying himself: “It's slicks all the way, the wetter the better!” Bluidy masochist! Stevie Brown forgot to Note the shiny tar during the recce – he found it today, but you just can't faze these youngsters these days. John Rintoul's lack of pace last night was explained in daylight, a turbo pipe was leaking. Grum Willcok is going better, he's got his confidence back, the brakes are working well. Tim Stell was having a good run till it “dowsed it down on Calgary” but he's still inside the top twenty. Ian Chadwick is 2nd in class but doesn't think he can get 1st because of the notional times, so he's just out for the 'craic' now. Cameron MacLean has cured his brakes troubles from last night with new front calipers and the noisy back axle was only a rattling leaf spring! John Morrison got caught in the heavy rain on the Hill Road but at least it was washing the mud off it a bit. Stuart McQueen didn't need a fag at the end of the Lochs – he must be getting cocky now, and Paul Kirtley is struggling with an intermittent turbo problem. One minute no boost and the next plenty, and usually when he doesn't want it. And the grin is back, Andy Knight was smiling so hard it was stretching his helmet. “We got the brakes sorted out last night,” said Andy, “that was good in there,” he said referring to the Lochs. But he needs a good skelp and a severe talking-to. A wee 1400 shouldn't be cuffing turbo motors.
That’s yer lot for now,
Yer Auld Pal, Jaggy Bunnet – Friday, 3.00 pm, At Island Bakery, Oban
MullMurmurs – Chapter 7
Provisional Leaderboard after SS 12 (of 19)
1 Neil MacKinnon/Daniel Barritt (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1hr 22m 28s
2 Dougi Hall/Andy Richardson (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) 1.24.38
3 John Cope/Robert Fagg (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1.24.53
4 Daniel Harper/Chris Campbell (BMW MINI Cooper S) 1.26.18
5 James MacGillivray/Ian Fraser (Ford Escort Mk2) 1.26.40
6 Paul Kirtley/Jim Kitson (Subaru Impreza) 1.27.06
We’re now well into the daylight section of this 38th Tunnock’s Tour of Mull Rally, and there’s more change at the top. MacKinnon still leads but James MacGillivray has caught and passed Paul Kirtley
But Denis Biggerstaff’s overall position is currently in doubt. After changing his gearbox last night he continued on his way and looked to have 8th place secured by the close of Leg 1, but there may be a problem. It looks as though he incurred a stage maximum late last night with his gearbox woes which has dropped him out of contention again.
But MacKinnon is on a charge, “Steady away today, but I just tried it in there.” Without a bead of sweat on his forehead, MacKinnon shattered last year’s record of 6m 22s for the Lochs with a new record today, 6m 13s! Even previous record holder John Cope could do nothing about it, 2 seconds slower than ‘the man’.
Dougi Hall hung on to 2nd despite a big spin in Calgary when he encountered a wet patch on a hairpin and Paul Kirtley had yet another huge off again in Calgary, but in a different place from last night and James MacGillivray did a personal best over the Lochs with 6m 36s, so these boys are flying today. And what about Daniel Harper, he was grinning fit t burst his crash hat after that one.
I wonder if the 1 litre Nissan Micra WRC (White Rally Car) is the lowest powered in the rally. Haydn Williams (118) stopped in the penultimate stage last night along with three cars behind him to extricate a car blocking the road. Even after they got back into their own car they caught up with the guy in front and they finished the Leg last night 99th out of 115 …. Mark Booth (143) got stuck in SS5 last night when the throttle cable snapped … Robert Davies had to stop in SS2 last night to change a punctured tyre – in the dark …. Graham Brown (84) lost all his brakes last night near Ulva Ferry when a stone slackened a brake line union and all the fluid pumped out, so he finished the stage on the handbrake …. and young Ross Hunter (152) had to change a kn*ck*r*d bottom balljoint this morning and now has a wee ‘clunk’ from the rear axle.
As for Chris MacKenzie (68), words fail me. The dumpling has only gone and lost his car keys. The team now have two options, break a window or find a spotty 17 year old to hot wire it!
And just to bring the results of the Tunnock’s Teacake eating contest at Craignure on Thursday night up to date, there was a Team Prize too. This was won by the Rally Recovery crew, Team Vulture, comprising Ben and Claire McCosh and Graeme Barrie. So if you go off tonight you know who to look out for. This team is now so full of caramelicious goodness, they glow in the dark!
And remember to look out for Bulletin Bill in the Flying Ford Focus with Cuddles Craig handing out these ‘MullMurmur’ scandal sheets. They are running ahead of the rally. So if they stop, grab your Bulletin and hightail it to spectator safety before the rally cars come.
Stop Press: Looks like young Stevie Brown is out, off the stage, but OK.
Yer auld pal, Jaggy Bunnet, Riverside, 2.30 pm Saturday
Words by Allan Durham Hearing of Allan’s passing was indeed a shock and filled all of us who knew him with sorrow. […]