MANX TALES NO.2              Grandstand/Douglas/Thursday 8pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 2
1st (2) Kenny McKinstry/Noel Orr (Impreza WRC) 11.50.5
2nd (4) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Focus WRC) 11.52.8
3rd (3) Derek McGarrity/Diarmuid Falvey (Impreza WRC) 11.54.7
4th  (1) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 12.00.2
5th (5) Melvyn Evans/Aled Davies (Impreza WRC) 12. 15.0
6th (11) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza N) 12.15.1
7th (16) Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Ignis) 12.22.4
8th (14) Ryan Champion/Craig Thorley (Lancer N) 12.25.7
9th (12) Rory Galligan/Greg Shinnors (Lancer N) 12.29.6
10th (18) Seamus Leonard/Gerry McVeigh (Lancer N) 12.33.0      

Kenny McKinstry was fastest on the opening 2 stages from Eamonn Boland while Eugene Donnelly admitted to making his usual cautious start.  Gareth Jones sustained an early puncture while Andreas Mikkelsen is having handling problems with his Focus and is outside the top 10 on 13.21.2.  Roman Kresta has rolled his Fiesta Super 1600, driver and co-driver both OK.

Kenny McKinstry commented here at service in control. “On the start line of the first stage I cooked the clutch and I was away through the ford and up the hill before it came back to normal.  I almost cooked it at the start of stage 2, its hard to have the balls to be brutal with it, but that’s what it needs. You’re always afraid of busting a shaft”.  Eamonn Boland made his usual taciturn comment “Not too bad”.  But then he gave a bit of a laugh and said “Its keeping it that way, it usually all goes wrong”.  Derek McGarrity told us. “The first stage was good, the 2nd one I don’t like, too narrow and easy to get a puncture”.  When asked about his new car he said. “Feels like a blue car – no seriously, we’ve only done a couple of miles in it, it’ll take time to figure it all out”. 

In common with most of the drivers Melvyn Evans didn’t particularly like the first stage, his co driver Aled Davies commenting. “It’s a fine line out there, give it too much respect and you lose a lot of time, go too hard and you don’t come out!”  Eugene Donnelly felt that although he knows himself that always makes a slowish start he was just slightly disappointed that he wasn’t a fraction faster over the 2 stages.  Gareth Jones related “Two miles into the stage there was a rock in the middle of the road which somebody else had pulled out, and we just went over the top of it and punctured. Finished the stage on the punctured tyre. I know I should have stopped and changed it, but I didn’t”. 

Andreas Mikkelsen’s codriver Oza told us. “We were off the road two times, everything is chaos in here. We went into a hairpin too far, I think maybe we have puncture, this is not like the car we tested.”  Paddy White caught Nigel Hicklin in the stage, Nigel’s Subaru was struggling along with a flat tyre, there was rubble all over the road.  Paddy wasn’t held up and was surprised that Hicklin hadn’t appeared up the road at service. 

Mark Higgins reported a bit of under steer and the suspension a bit soft, the British Champion saying. “We’re not on it yet, we’re going to play around with the suspension”.  Rory Galligan commented. “Coming from the Jim Clark where the car was so good it feels like a boat at the minute”.  Ryan Champion said his Lancer isn’t picking up the revs.  Gwyndaf Evans reported his car cutting out. Jonny Milner has lost time with turbo failure.  Stuart Jones has crashed at the end of stage 2 and has held up Phillip Morrow and several others. Seamus Leonard has dented wheels on his Lancer following the stage 1 water drains. Colm Murphy lost time behind Kresta’s accident, checked to make sure he was OK, said also his Impreza isn’t handling very well. More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net