RALLY
NEWS NO.7 Hawkhirst Remote Service/Saturday
5.30
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 14 Bewshaugh
1st
(2) Mark Higgins/Bryan Thomas (Focus WRC) 1.34.06.2
2nd
(5) Paul Bird/Ian Windress (Focus WRC) 1.34.57.1
3rd
(4) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 1.35.30.1
4th
(14) Gareth MacHale/Paul Nagle (Corolla WRC) 1.36.14.9
5th
(9) Sebastian Ling/Ian Allsop (Accent WRC) 1.36.44.3
6th
(8) Tapio Laukkanen/Harri Kaapro (Impreza N) 1.36.58.1
7th
(1) David Higgins/Daniel Barritt (Lancer N) 1.37.57.3
8th
(3) Jonny Milner/Nicky Beech (Corolla WRC) 1.38.41.0
9th
(16) Richard Gower/Aled Davies (Accent WRC) 1.38.48.2
10th
(25) Stephen Petch/Michael Wilkinson (Impreza N) 1.40.59.9
Without
taking any crazy risks Mark Higgins has kept it steady and fast
through the last 3 stages to record quickest time on all three.
Paul Bird has held on to 2nd, battling hard to keep
Austin MacHale at bay, while Austin’s son Gareth isn’t so far off
the pace, and indeed was 2nd fastest through stage 13
Bower, behind Mark Higgins.
Mark said
“Its going fine, keeping it neat and tidy but these are strange
conditions. Shepherdshield for example was very difficult, very
slippy in places after the heavy showers. Paul Bird in 2nd
place said. “Its going well, I hope I can finish the way we are,
I’d just love to beat Austin MacHale, he’s an Irish legend”.
Austin himself reported all well and said he was taking it
“steady”.
Gareth
MacHale had that really good run through stage 13 but then was
perhaps overly cautious through 14, there was a suspicion of a
spin which co driver Paul Nagle denied, but whatever, Gareth was
16s slower than his father on that one whereas he had beaten him
by 6s on the previous one.
Seb Ling
in 6th place is just trying to get his Accent to the
finish now the hydraulic pressure all but gone, the car snapping
sideways under braking. Tapio Laukkanen 6th overall now
and leading group N, said “No worries, everything goes well. We
have tried different mapping during the day and the car feels good
now, I’m quite confident with it”.
His main
group N rival David Higgins, driving now with a syncromesh gearbox
following damage to the rally box, said. “Its difficult, I’m
inclined to try to leave it one gear as much as possible, and then
on the twisty stages its hard. I want to just keep it going now,
pick up some points. We’re getting a lot of front tyre wear, just
with the different driving technique, and although the mechanics
set a new record of changing the box in 25 minutes, we still had
50s road penalties”.
Jonny
Milner in 8th said “The old flow is coming back, its
going really well, feels good. Getting better all the time, just a
shame about the earlier puncture, and you know the rock that I
hit, I think I’ve had it in my notes over the years, but didn’t
put it in this time”. Richard Gower said that he also found
Shepherdshield a very difficult stage, took no risks and then
found it hard to get going on the next stage.
Missing
so far here at Hawkhirst is Steve Perez. His Vodka Kick Focus WRC
is reported stopped in stage 14. Steve was having power steering
problems with the car and we understand he was working under the
bonnet and had a fire extinguisher on standby. Following drivers
such as Lorna Smith and Stephen Petch had to slither their
respective group N Imprezas into the ditch to get by, and it was a
very difficult place just after a crest. Lorna we think is now
unofficially in 11th place. Robert Swann is just behind
Lorna and then its Aaron MacHale, we believe still in gearbox
difficulties. More news after final stage. BRIAN & LIZ
PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
