WEE MANX TALES NO.5       Grandstand..Saturday 11.15

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 6
1st (1) Ken McKinstry/Noel Orr (Impreza) 40.12
2nd (2) Marcus Dodd/John Bennie (Impreza) 41.12
3rd (4) Roger Duckworth/Mark Broomfield (Impreza) 41.20
4th (8) Melvyn Evans/Martin Henry (Escort WRC) 41.38
5th (114) Tony Davies/Brian Hardie (Metro 6R4) 41.53
6th (3) John & Caroline Price (Metro 6R4) 42.04
7th (10) David Mann/Alun Cook (Lancer N)  42.07
8th (12) Glenn Leece/John Tarrant (Metro 6R4) 42.11

Roger Duckworth was fastest through stage 5 and second fastest with Marcus Dodd through stage 6, where Kenny McKinstry re-exerted his authority and recorded the quickest time.  Rally leader McKinstry ran into a spot of bother on that 5th stage, when he was very hard on the car off the start line, and damaged a rear driveshaft.  Kenny changed the shaft himself on the road section into stage 6.  He told us "The car wasn't too bad to drive with the broken shaft, except on the very tight stuff. Obviously it wasn't handling the best, but not too bad".  McKinstry was running 6th car on the road through stage 6, but the first 15 minutes lateness are penalty free, so it doesn't affect his position at the front of the rally.  Melvyn Evans had been 2nd overnight, but has been slipping back because of a gearbox problem.  His World Rally Car now has no top gear left and his spare box has no handbrake mechanism.  There is a possibility that Melvyn may withdraw.

Marcus Dodd was another to slow slightly in stage 5, he clipped a rim on a stone at the side of the road and also had some intercom troubles. Mark Perrott has not appeared here at service.  No news as yet, but we hear his Lancer has stopped on a road section.  Mark wasn't just as quick through this morning's stages, not on the same pace as last night, so we presume there was some fault develoing in the car.  Instead it has been David Mann setting the group N pace, as he settles back into asphalt rallying.  This is the mushroom farmer's first tarmac event since a big accident here 2 years ago. 

Glenn Leece slackened his pace slightly through stage 6 - his Metro 6R4's oil light was flashing on right hand corners.  Chris Griffiths has retired his Subaru.  We reported earlier that the car was jumping out of 6th gear on stage 4.  This got progressively worse through stage 5, when every gear was banjaxed.  Local driver Rob Watson continues to dominate F2 in his Escort RS2000 with Guy Woodcock 2nd and Neil Collins 3rd, the latter two also in Fords.  Steve Petch has slight clutch/gearbox trouble, should be OK.  John Price is speeding up despite a small oil leak which is putting lubricant on a back tyre, and also caused a small fire.  Tony Davies also has Metro overheating problems. His example is suffering from the front fans not working through stage 6 and Tony short shifted the car through the stage to try to preserve it.  Jon Mercer clipped a bank, little  damage, no time loss. More later.BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON