Tour of Mull on TV (again…!)

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

Provisional Top Ten after SS2 (of 19)

1 Neil MacKinnon/Mike Stayte (Subaru Impreza WRC) 19 Minutes 52 Seconds
2 John Cope/Tony Cope (Subaru Impreza WRC) 20m 18s
3 Calum Duffy/Iain Duffy (Ford Escort Mk2) 20m 21s
4 Dougi Hall/Allan MacDougall (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) 20m 33s
5 Paul Kirtley/David Jones (Subaru Impreza WRC) 20m 37s
6 Paul MacKinnon/Kirsty Riddick (Mitsubishi Lancer) 21m 09s
7 John Price/Caroline Price (MG Metro 6R4) 21m 11s
6 James MacGillivray/Ian Fraser (Ford Escort Mk2) 21m 15s
9 Denis Biggerstaff/Graham Thomson (Subaru Impreza WRC) 21m 20s
10 John Swinscoe/Bill Robertson (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO9) 21m 25s

(Please Note: These times are provisional pending confirmation by Rally HQ)

A clearer picture is now emerging of the battle for the lead on this Teacake Tour of Mull Rally with Neil MacKinnon snatching an early lead after two stages from the on-form John Cope. But don’t discount Calum Duffy yet, the night is young!

Biggest surprise of the night so far is the pace of young Paul MacKinnon (Neil’s son) who is well inside the top ten first time out in a Lancer. James MacGillivray is toiling with the new car which is not yet set up the way he would like it and isn’t Paul Kirtley going well?

Further down the field the casualty list is mounting and the tall tales are getting taller by the mile. Martin Healer (31) broke a driveshaft on SS1 … John Marshall (30) is struggling with turbo problems in his new Subaru … Willie Bonniwell (11) is out with a broken gearbox … Iain Grubb (27) is reported stopped in a stage … Iain MacKenzie (37) has damaged his suspension … Mike Russell (56) broke a driveshaft …. Neil Morgan (48) has lost a headlight (but didn’t admit what against!) … Ian Dawes is having a problem with the MINI, a driveshaft keeps popping out and popping back in again … Stephen Thomson boiled his brakes at the end of SS1 – but in a Nova who needs brakes? …Duggie Ingram (70) is toiling with a misfire. He has a sump in the petrol tank and it keeps slopping past the pickup! (The cheapskate should fill it up)… Martin MacLean (65) got passed by 3 cars when he had fuel starvation … Geoff Wright (78) was looking pleased with himself, he passed one car and caught another in SS2 … John Rintoul (73) lost a chunk of time when he had to stop and change a punctured tyre, well, his co-driver did. John couldn’t see in the dark and Jim changed the wheel on his own – sounds like porkies to me! …Chris Paton (83) is going well. The Nova has new bigger brakes and although they overheated on SS1 were perfect on SS2: “I’m not going to put a spanner near it when I get to service” beamed Chris who is tackling his 36th Tour of Mull whole co-driver Dave Cabena has started all 37! … Grant (Sid the Parrot) Fleming (75) with co-driving Tunnock’s Production  Director Fergus Loudon limped out of SS2 with a broken driveshaft: “It broke in SS1,” said Grant, “and so we had to take it easy through SS2 – but we still didn’t get caught by anyone!” … looking puzzled at Salen was Paul Miller, all the electrics cut out at the end of SS1 and they spent a lot of time fixing it before they could start SS2 so investigations are called for at Service.

And finally, for those of you feeling a little starvatious after this opening night’s entertainment, PoshNosh in Tobermory Main Street is staying open for the purveying of butties and Tunnock’s delicacies till the wee sma’ hours.

Yer auld pal, Jaggy Bunnet, Salen Hotel, 11.30 pm, Friday

MullMurmurs – Chapter 5

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 Tristan Pye/Kirsty Riddick (Subaru Impreza) 58m 09s
9 Tony Bardy/Reg Smith (Hyundai Accent WRC) 58m 41s
10 John Cressey/Stan Quirk (BMW MINI Cooper S) 59m 30s

The 38th Tunnock’s Tour of Mull could be renamed ‘Things that go bump in the night’ going by recent events, after a steady start, the scenery is now taking a pounding. But let me begin with an apology. Although I had the correct order in my previous top ten leaderboard, I mis-heard some times and it must have looked like amateur gibberish, but then again, I’m getting too old to be up this late at night or early in the morning depending on your point of view.

But the big news is that Calum Duffy is out. He made it through the third stage but it would appear that his earlier ignition and alternator problems were unable to be resolved. And just when it looked like MacKinnon Jnr was going to give the ol’man a hard time, Neil turned it up a notch, just one second off his own 2004 Calgary record and equalling John Cope’s 2004 record over Mishnish Lochs. Unbeknownst to him though, son Paul was in trouble in Calgary, two punctures dropping him out of the top ten. Pressure off, but this is such a cruel sport, is it not?

It’s also an unfair sport. Despite heroic efforts to get the car ready (again) for Mull, the O’Donnell twins are out. The Escort is parked well off the road in Calgary – through a hedge! Dougi Hall has leapt into 2nd place but John Cope is still there, so too is Paul Kirtley despite a big ‘off’ in Calgary, but just look at Harper in the MINI and now Cressey is in the top ten too despite a big spin in Calgary, and another at Dervaig. John Swinscoe is pleased, he’s just gone under 7 minutes over the Lochs for the first time and Lyndon Barton is just getting back up to speed after his recent big ‘off’ in Epynt. Willie Bonniwell punctured in Gribun and had a huge spin while Stuart McQueen was in serious trouble – he nearly ran out of cigarettes. And how’s this for a bit of luck? Mike Storrar’s clutch failed at the finish of the final stage, and it was downhill all the way to the Tobermory Control, so he made it, and lives to fight another day.

Further down the entry list, Ian Ackroyd (117) is out in SS2 after a bump in which he broke his arm so he was carted off to Salen Hospital …. Alan McLaughlin (78) is out too, after he parked his car on the beach – quite a few yards from the road in Calgary ….Derek Carless (85) has retired with mechanical problems …. Andrew Smith (94) crashed in the Lochs …. and Malcolm Davey (111) is out too which is a great pity. He was dedicating this event to the memory of Howard Turner who died in Yorkshire just a couple of months back …. Louise Thomas (131) is out too, so her charity fund raising efforts won’t be as great as they could have been …. Rod Brereton (154) has parked his new Clio off the road in the second stage …. Dave Dalgleish (124) retired with either gearbox or clutch failure …. Norman MacPhail (134) is off in SS4 ….and Shug Rutherford (122) lost all his oil pressure.

Time for a tea cake, Tunnock’s of course, and bed.

Yer auld pal, Jaggy Bunnet, Tobermory, 2.30 am, Saturday