UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 16 Little Swinton
1st
(2) Mark Higgins/Bryan Thomas (Focus WRC) 1.41.11.9
2nd
(6) Tim McNulty/Eugene O'Donnell (Impreza WRC) 1.41.37.2
3rd
(3) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 1.43.08.1
4th
(4) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 1.43.26.5
5th
(7) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 1.43.38.1
6th
(15) Rory Galligan/Greg Shinnors (Lancer N) 1.49.08.5
7th
(26) Philip Morrow/Glenn Patterson (Lancer N) 1.49.34.4
8th
(21) Craig & Roger Bennett (Focus WRC) 1.50.30.5
9th
(18) Garry Jennings/Rory Kennedy (Lancer N) 1.51.28.1
10th
(24) Ryan Champion/Craig Thorley (Lancer N) 1.53.15.8
This
afternoon’s loop of stages certainly brought its fair share of
troubles for quite a few drivers. Austin MacHale was leading the
Pirelli British championship starting this event but his Focus has
stopped with mechanical problems. David Higgins has made it into
service but has lost a lot of time when the car stopped after the
water splash through the White Adder River. Ryan Champion broke
his Lancer’s rear suspension on the big Swinton jump. Neil
McCance’s Lancer broke its rear differential on the start line of
White Adder. Emily O’Mahony’s Subaru Impreza N11 has gone on fire
and is reportedly badly burned.
Out at
the front of the rally Mark Higgins has opened up a little bit of
fresh air between himself and Tim McNulty. Tim was the faster of
the 2 through Black Adder by just half a second, but on the other
stages Mark has been tucking away 2 or 3 seconds per stage to open
the gap up to almost 26s from 14s leaving service. Tim McNulty had
an overshoot in stage 15 which didn’t help his cause but otherwise
had a fairly good run. Mark commented here at service. “Tim’s
driving well, I can’t go much quicker. The different set up in the
car is working well, I don’t know what it would have been like if
it had rained on the rally. This is an 02 Focus and it was never
fantastic on the wet roads. Don’t forget Tim is in the very latest
Subaru” When asked would Austin MacHale’s retirement as leader of
the Pirelli British championship have any affect on Mark’s
attitude to the remainder of the rally – would he back off for
example and just concentrate on PBRC points and let McNulty go
ahead if he wanted – Mark looked at his inquisitor as if they were
half mad and said. “No chance, no way, I don’t want to win any
championship by just tootling round and getting the points I’m
here to win rallies”. News has just come in that the problem with
Austin’s Focus was in the engine department.
Eugene
Donnelly reported a huge moment at the jump crossroads in Swinton,
his Corolla very nearly going end over end it landed so
viciously. The stage is being run in the opposite direction to
before and there is a small chicane up from the crossroads to cut
the speeds, but it would still seem to be a bad place. Derek
McGarrity said his engine was so bad in that last stage that it
actually cut out a couple of times. It is hard to understand how
he is setting such good times, but he is.
Phillip
Morrow admitted that he took some of the jumps in Whate Adder and
Swinton far too fast, huge bad landings costing him time and
allowing the bionic Rory Galligan to forge past into the group N
lead. Rory also had a big moment at Swinton. Ryan Champion felt
that he wasn’t going too hard for the Swsinton jumps and yet it
completely smashed his Lancer rear suspension. Ryan did a great
job in staying in the rally, staying in the top 10 and indeed is
still in a position to get 2nd Evo Challenge points.
Stephen Petch smashed the front of his Impreza in the Black Adder
stage and although he dropped time he is still in 11th.
David Higgins lost 9 minutes in White Adder following the river
crossing, so he seems to be well out of contention. Lorna Smith’s
gpN Impreza suffered a misfire after the Swinton river crossing,
she backed off and the car returned to full health. Shaun
Wofffinden is still going strong and leading the Fiat Stilo Cup.
Last word
for now goes to Garry Jennings – when asked about the Swinton jump
he said his Lancer landed heavily as well and then it started
sliding down the road from one side to the other and it was like
“an oul time waltz”….more later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON
www.rallynews.net
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