RALLY NEWS NO.4                     Malton Showgrounds/Saturday 3.25

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 6 Givendale 1
1st (1) Mark Higgins/Bryan Thomas (Focus WRC) 41.56.7
2nd (2) Jonny Milner/Nicky Beech (Impreza WRC) 42.47.4
3rd (3) David Higgins/Daniel Barritt (Accent WRC) 43.11.6
4th (6) Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin (Focus WRC) 43.21.6
5th (7) Steve Perez/Claire Mole (Focus WRC) 43.40.2
6th (4) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 43.56.2
7th (8) Steve Petch/John Richardson (Accent WRC) 44.11.2
8th (12) Chris Mellors/Craig Thorley (Esc.Cos) 44.36.1
9th (5) Barry Johnson/Stewart Merry (Impreza WRC) 44.47.1
10th (11) Dorian Rees/Patrick Walsh (Impreza N) 46.07.4

The big story from this most recent loop of stages is that Pirilli British Rally Championship leader David Higgins would appear to be out of the rally.  David was in 2nd place, but then slipped to 3rd when his Accent clipped a large lump of concrete on a left hander in the Givendale stage. Other drivers described it as being like the bottom, the anchor, of a fence post which was sitting out on the road and had not been there on the recce. Jonny Milner said he thought it was just a lump of soil, but as he drove past it realised it was concrete.  Anyway, David's Accent hit it and it tore off the whole front suspension and wheel.  He tried to get the car back here to service but the police intervened, and it would appear his rally is over. 

Out at the front Mark Higgins continues to set the pace, but admits it is far from easy, saying "We have had so many moments, the stages are so difficult, so slippy. I had a bit of a misunderstanding leaving service, I asked for the same tyres, the boys fitted the same tyres as we had on, not new ones the same as the old ones!"  Jonny Milner is a small bit disappointed to be dropping almost a second a mile, but at the same time Jonny is driving his own rally, finds he is braking too late for some corners, and other times too early, impossible to judge the grip.  Matthew Wilson is keeping it all smooth and together, driving brilliantly for a 17 year old in a world rally car. Steve Perez thought he had a puncture through Givendale, could smell burning rubber and backed off, but the smell was almost certainly coming from Barry Johnson's Subaru in front.  Barry had whacked a rear wheel off a bank at the quarry, and finished the stage on a flat tyre.  Perez' earlier gearbox trouble, when the Vodka Kick car jammed in reverse, was down to a computer glitch and has been well sorted.

Austin MacHale is another struggling to find grip, braking too late or too early, Austin finding the lack of recent gravel miles going against him. Steve Petch is keeping his nose in front of Chris Mellors, Petch saying "steady away".  As for Mellors, his co driver Craig Thorley of Motorsport Travel saying "The rust is falling off Chris now, he's enjoying it a bit better, its starting to flow". 

Dorian Rees is up to 10th and leading Group N, Dorian reporting no major dramas, content to go for points in the Prodrive Subaru Cup.  Ryan Champion had been leading GpN, was fortunate only to lose 10 or 15s when he punctured a front left tyre on the same rock that accounted for David Higgins' chances. John Lloyd has recovered well from an earlier puncture in his Subaru and is in 11th overall.  Jon Ingram is 14th but not very happy, having finished 2nd on the Plains last week he decided to change the step off gears on his Subaru to give the car a higher top speed, but instead it has just taken all the zing away from it.  Simon Hughes put his 22 Motorsport Impreza off the road on a square left over crest in stage 5, dropped a minute. Then the car landed very heavily into a rut at a downhill square left, broke a drive shaft and Simon struggled through the next stage losing time all the way.  Lorna Smith continues to have a good run and is up to 15th overall, 4th gpN behind Seb Ling.  Jennie -Lee Hermansson is just inside the top 10, co driver Howard Davies saying that she is getting a little ragged in places through sheer frustration at the slippy conditions. 

In Super 1600 Leon Pesticcio is keeping his Suzuki Ignis nose in front of Barry Clark in the Puma, Leon saying "We are determined not to make any mistakes, back off on the rougher stuff and get the car to the finish. I'm still not 100 per cent used to the Suzuki, some small things like not using the clutch going down the box".  Young Stuart Jones arrived into service with his Proton sprouting flames from the front left wheel. The car had broken a hub, Stuart had struggled into service with the brake s catching.

On the Cork 20 Rally Eugene Donnelly has dropped nearly a minute to McGarrity through stage 5 in the race for the Pirelli Tarmac Championship. Donie O'Sullivan rolled his Focus WRC, holding up other cars including McNulty, the latter being shown down the order, but when times are corrected, he could well be leading!

More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON  www.rallynews.net