MANX TALES NO.4 End of stage 6/Friday 11am
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 6 LITTLE LONDON
1st (2) Kenny McKinstry/Noel Orr (Impreza WRC) 28.51.5
2nd (3) Derek McGarrity/Diarmuid Falvey (Impreza WRC) 29.00.7
3rd (1) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 29.09.5
4th (4) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Focus WRC) 29.12.3
5th (11) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza N) 29.48.2
6th (5) Melvyn Evans/Aled Davies (Impreza WRC) 30.03.6
7th (16) Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Ignis) 30.19.7
8th (12) Rory Galligan/Greg Shinnors (Lancer N) 30.26.0
9th (18) Seamus Leonard/Gerry McVeigh (Lancer N) 30.44.8
10th (14) Ryan Champion/Craig Thorley (Lancer N) 30.48.3
Kenny McKinstry was fastest through that Little London stage with Mark Higgins an amazing 2nd fastest in his Group N Subaru Impreza. Disappointingly Andreas Mikkelsen crashed his Focus WRC off the road.
When the cars came down from the Druidale section towards the end of the stage the drivers took a couple of seconds outside Ballaugh to give us a few comments. Kenny McKinstry said “When we drove up the TT course the road was dry, turned into stage arrival and there were 2 lines of water down the road. I don’t think there’s a right tyre for in there. We were on a cut slick and it was OK”. Still, Kenny was fastest, Derek McGarrity was 8s slower and Derek said. “A bit damp for slick tyres”. Eugene Donnelly, normally a master in the wet, was 7s down on McKinstry, Eugene saying. “Still settling”. Eamonn Boland had a good run, but again couldn’t make any impression on McKinstry’s time. Melvyn Evans was next on the road but the Welshman was very crestfallen telling us that just after the start of the stage, on a hairpin right into hairpin left, he spun the car and it just wouldn’t restart. Melvyn said he switched every switch off and on but he dropped an agonising 30s to the top drivers.
Mark Higgins was next along and certainly our jaws dropped open when we saw his time – 2nd fastest – Mark and Rory sitting with very quiet little grins on their faces. British Champion Mark said “I was very depressed leaving service. I was the only top car on intermediate tyres. Looks like I was right”. Guy Wilks was a little disappointed, said he was on the right tyres but getting the traction down on 2 wheel drive on those slippy roads was impossible. Still it wasn’t a bad time.
Andreas Mikkelsen should have been next along….but there was an ominous silence as we waited for his Focus and instead it was Ryan Champion who hove into view. After Ryan, slightly slumped in his Lancer bucket seat related his own woes of a big spin at Brandywell hairpin went on to say that Mikkelsen’s Focus was in a field about a mile or so from the end of the stage, after the 2nd cattle grid, through a series of dips and then a tight left hander, but the Focus went straight on through a barbed wire fence and down the field. We waited for quite a few cars but there was no sign of the Focus appearing. We are now getting news that the Focus has got out of the stage but is running very late.
Rory Galligan had a good run, as did Seamus Leonard and Roy White. Colm Murphy lost a few seconds, his Impreza gear stick flopping about like a piece of grass in the wind, Colm hoping that he can maybe get it steadied up before the next stage. Just outside the above leaderboard Gareth Jones was 11th, Roy White in the red FESP Lancer 12th, Colm Murphy 13th, Jonny Milner 14th.
In the overnight standings local man Shaun Fox in his Corsa was 2nd in class to Guy Wilks with Barry Clark 3rd, Darren Gass 4th and Nigel Cannell 5th. Darren Gass has got new Reiger suspension fitted to his Super 1600 Fiesta, has a bit more traction from the engine and seems to have settled a little bit. Nigel Cannell was having real dangerous handling trouble with his Corsa. Justin Dale led cl.3 from Matt Beebe in his MG with young Toni Kelly 5th in the class in her Civic. Justin said that his group N Fiesta was a little stiff over the bumps and he was going to change the springs. Further stories from last night – Guy Woodcock was leading his class despite hitting a big rock on the first stage. Connor McCloskey dropped a minute on stage 5,, his Lancer had no spotlights fitted. Brian O’Mahony also had light troubles when his Puma blew the main fuse. John Lloyd lost a minute on the first stage with a puncture. Stuart Jones and co driver Craig Parry are reportedly OK after their big accident at the end of Baldhoon. . More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
