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MullMurmurs – Chapter 5

Provisional Leaderboard after SS7 (of 17)

1 MacKinnon/MacGillivray        48 Mins 04 Secs
2 Hall/Hall                49m 36s
3 MacGillivray/Fraser            49m 52s
4 Duffy/Duffy                50m 00s
5 Harper/Campbell            50m 22s
6 Pye/Falconer            50m 45s
7 Cope/Fagg                50m 45s
8 Pattison/Whittaker            50m 53s
9 Bardy/Smith            51m 01s
10 Sisson/Stone            51m 13s
(Note: These positions may change as more Time Cards come in)

At the close of play on Friday night at the end of the first Leg of this 40th Tunnock’s Tour of Mull, Paul MacKinnong and Ewan MacGillivray still lead the rally. For the moment, Paul has picked a pace he is happy with: “I’m not really bothered what the others are doing at this stage. I’ve stiffened the suspension up a wee bit but it’s still skipping a bit on the bumps.”

Behing him Dougi and Sam Hall are holding station in second place. “I’ve softened the suspension up a bit,” said Dougi, “but these boys are flying tonight.” Ewan MacGillivray is still in third place but the fast closing Calum Duffy has designs on higher positions: “I was pretty steady in Scridain,” said Calum, “but I pushed a bit in Gribun.”

John Cope dropped back a bit: “I stalled on the startline of Scridain,” he admitted sheepishly, but the car appears to be bottoming out too much for his liking and this will need to be checked overnight. Tony Bardy is cursing himself for being too smart: “I changed the steering rack for this event as I thought the new one would be a bit too nervous over the Mull bumps, but if anything it’s worse!” Daniel Harper is still going well, despite: “I know it can’t be helped, this is rallying after all, but I just can’t get going with all this stopping and starting.”

So as the top seeds head off to bed, the 2300 Club organisers were still working on the notional times for stages 3 and 4. The top seeds managed to get through them all, but after the accident they were forced to run the later runners around them and they would all get a notional time for the tests. Anyway, that will all be sorted out.

Meanwhile, further back in the field, Euan MacKay (99) was worried about some smoke appearing inside the car but it didn’t seem to slow him down and Callum Bendall (82) had a wee spin in SS5 when the Ka got a wheel on the grass verge. Mark Borthwick (101) exclaimed: I thought Otterburn was bad, but this takes the biscuit.” (I wonder if he meant that as a pun? Think about it. Oh please yourselves, I’m tired and it’s late).

Jim McDowall’s (97) gearknob came off in his hand, David Johnston (102) is worried about his clutch pedal sinking to the floor and David Calvert reckoned the lost the Notes somewhere in Loch Tuath but it didn’t slow them down. Martin Page was planning a precautionary underside inspection at Service after a really heavy landing on one of the Tuath jumps and Graham Brown was worried about heavy landings too. All his electrics cut out, but came back after some frenetic wire waggling but he had Gribun ahead with even more jumps! Ross Hunter (112) was slowed when he caught a car and Haydn Williams (111) caught a deer. It was so close it knocked a door mirror glass out. Bruce Hosie is worried about excessive play on his power steering but is carrying on at unabated pace and David Steggles has concerns about his brake pedal ‘going long’ at all the wrong times. Alex Brown in the MacCrone Peugeot is taking things steady, it’s his first real rally in the wet and Gordon MacFadyen (126) arrived at the Salen Control with smoke reeking out of the back brakes.

First time out in a 4WD car, Iain ‘Fuey the Fireman’ Noble is getting on fine but he’s never driven a car with so many switches and buttons. Aye this new technology catches up with us all Fuey. When the back end of the Sunbeam stepped out on him, it made James Fairbairns (129) wake up smartish and Shug Rutherford (124) is concerned about his low oil pressure. It might be John Hislop’s (130) first time on Mull but co-driver Gareth Williams has been around here a few times with Dougi Hall. Kevin Charles (132) was just dead chuffed to have caught and passed a car and Norman MacPhail (134) was struggling to get back on the pace after the long wait before Stage 5, but he was looking happier as he headed towards his home stages in the south of the island.

That’s yer lot for now,
Yer Auld Pal, Jaggy Bunnet – Friday, 4.00 am, At the Sea Life Centre in Oban

MullMurmurs – Chapter 4

Provisional Leaderboard after SS5  (of 17)

1 MacKinnon/MacGillivray        37 Mins 40 Secs
2 Hall/Hall                38m 44s
3 MacGillivray/Fraser            38m 49s
4 Cope/Fagg                38m 19s
5 Pye/Falconer            38m 19s
6 Duffy/Duffy                39m 22s
7 Harper/Campbell            39m 23s
8 Bonniwell/Ewing             39m 30s
9 Pattison/Whittaker            39m 34s
10 Sisson/Stone            39m 42s
(Note: These positions may change as more Time Cards come in)

The big news is that the boys are OK. Neil MacKinnon and Mike Stayte went off near the start of Stage 4 in Glen Aros. The Subaru suffered a heavy impact to the rear end and the boys were shaken and well stirred. The rescue services were called in as a precaution and the crew were taken to the hospital where they will be detained over night for observation, although they both walked into hospital at Salen unaided.

Meanwhile, the rally was delayed for an hour because of the incident but it’s now back on with vengeance. After his front puncture on the Lochs, Callum Duffy is back up to sixth place already having dropped back to 24th, but Paul MacKinnon and Ewan MacGillivray still lead: “Just steady away”, said Paul.

It was wet over the Lochs but it’s drying a bit and there’s more grip out there now. Dougi Hall is second but says: “I’m just not going quick enough, we’ll see what happens next.”

Willie Bonniwell is having a bit of trouble. He’s having to keep the Subaru running because the starter motor has failed, while Tony Bardy says he’s getting too old, and going quickly – backwards! Daniel Harper says there was standing water in Calgary but the front runners are dissipating (good word that) it and it’s drying out for the later runners. Dave Pattison lost time when a fuel pump failed and it took him a few minutes to suss out the problem and switch over to the spare. Tristan Pye is slowly getting to grips with the new shape Impreza. “It’s faster in a straight line and it’s deceptively quick on corners, I’m just trying to find its limits.”

Paul Kirtley was in bad trouble: “A turbo pipe blew off in SS3 and I lost power, but there’s something wrong with the suspension at the rear. When it lands after crests, it’s diving to the right or the left. It’s been a lively night so far!” Dave Hopwood says the standing water has gone – and been replaced by mud dragged on to the road by the front runners cutting corners. Denis Biggerstaff lost a chunk of time in SS5 when he clipped a rock and punctured a front tyre just 3 miles in so he had to stop and change it. Eddie O’Donnell has a slipping clutch but no time to change it at Craignure so he’s going to have to try and get through the next two stages and change it overnight.

John Swinscoe has bruised ears. He got a right telling off from the wife – for going too slow! Andy Knight has brake problems. Inconsistent. When the brake pedal goes long it shifts all the bias to the rear and the car is oversteering everywhere, but he never knows when it’s going to do it. Stuart McQueen spun on the Lochs but got away with it, reversing into a soft banking.  Reay MacKay’s exhaust is getting noisy on the Metro – all these high revs are blowing the insides out of it! Stevie Brown broke a driveshaft in that last one but limped out OK. John Rintoul is losing power and doesn’t know why. Guy Woodcock had an electrical fire when the wiper fuse blew but is still going. Billy McClelland’s windscreen misted up in the Lochs and had a slight off when he couldn’t see and then had a big moment in Glen Aros. Cameron Maclean is worried about a noisy back axle and has brake problems and Jimmy Christie says: “It’s only slippy in places – but there’s LOTS of places!” And Dave Thomas is out in the Mini. It developed a serious misfire after he was playing to the crowds in Tobermory!

PLEA FOR HELP: Can anyone help out Car 53, Paul Daniel with a Peltor intercom or Peltor helmet (small) – he’s desperate!

That’s yer lot for now,
Yer Auld Pal, Jaggy Bunnet – Friday, 10.00 pm, At the Salen Hotel (in the lounge!)