RALLY
NEWS NO.1 End of stage 1 – Friday evening 8.30
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD
AFTER STAGE 1 PORT ERIN
1st (108) Melvyn Evans/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 1.34.4
2nd (3) Roger Duckworth/Mark Broomfield (Impreza WRC) 1.36.1
3rd (4) Paul Bird/Ian Windress (Impreza WRC) 1.40.8
4th (6) Marcus Dodd/Andrew Bargery (Accent WRC) 1.41.6
5th (5) Tony Davies/Patrick Walsh (Impreza WRC) 1.42.0
6th (1) Kenny McKinstry/Noel Orr (Impreza WRC) 1.43.8
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD
AFTER STAGE 2 PARVILLE
1st (108) Melvyn Evans/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 12.44.6
2nd (1) Kenny McKinstry/Noel Orr (Impreza WRC) 12.55.3
3rd (3) Roger Duckworth/Mark Broomfield (Impreza WRC) 12.59.3
4th (4) Paul Bird/Ian Windress (Impreza WRC) 13.04.3
5th (6) Marcus Dodd/Andrew Bargery (Accent WRC) 13.07.0
6th (5) Tony Davies/Patrick Walsh (Impreza WRC) 13.12.8
7th (9) Steve Perez/Scott Martin (Focus WRC) 13.12.9
8th (14) Jon Ingram/Ian Allsopp (Focus WRC) 13.24.5
9th (8) Barry Johnson/Stewart Merry (Impreza WRC) 13.26.3
10th (11) Steve Hendy/Aled Davies (Escort WRC) 13.29.6
One of the first cars
through the opening stage of this Royal Bank of Scotland International
backed Manx National Rally was a fabulous looking full house group
B Audi Quattro. A rather shell shocked looking Mark Higgins was
behind the wheel, performing course opening duties and shouted out
from behind the plastic window. “They were men weren’t
they who drove these beasts!” With that the British Rally
Champion powered off into the distance, the ex Hannu Mikkola Quattro
quite a sight and sound on this beautiful sunny evening on the Isle
of Man.
Then it was down to the
real business as Kenny McKinstry’s Subaru shot into view over
the hillside above Port Erin, the Northern Ireland driver saying.
“We went well, the stage was bone dry, but the tyres ere a
bit hard and slidy, not so good for that short stage but should
work well on the next stages which are pretty long”. Melvyn
Evans was next into view in his blue Impreza WRC. Derek McGarrity
was listed to be next up but he is a non-starter, Melvyn Evans was
seeded up the list from 108 to run 2nd on the road but keeps 108
on the car. Melvyn said he made a bit of a mess of the hairpin but
otherwise had a good run on that opening stage, setting fastest
time, and indeed was fastest on stage 2, by just over a second from
Kenny McKinstry. Paul Bird is driving the McGarrity Circuit of Ireland
winning car from 2 years ago and he really enjoyed the run through
the stage and saying “the car is perfect”.
Roger Duckworth also
had a good run through the first couple of stages, Roger is so often
the bridesmaid here on the island, he’s driving a much older
model Impreza, but is still going to give it everything for a win
this weekend.
Further stores from the
opening stages included: Tony Davies lost all the gears at one corner,
otherwise OK. Marcus Dodd lost a few seconds just at the flying
finish of the stage when spectators unsighted him and he wasn’t
at all happy about it. Interestingly Marcus and his co driver Andrew
Bargery were presented with a Royal Humane Society bravery award
at Government House here on the island yesterday from Prince Edward
and the Duchess of Wessex. This was for rescuing Paul Jones/Hamish
Campbell when their Peugeot crashed into a pond/lake on the Swansea
Bay rally last year.
Steve Hendy felt his
Escort WRC lose a little bit of power half way through the first
stage and you could see that it was reflected in his time, just
a few seconds off the pace. Craig Middleton is having to use an
older engine in his Hyundai this weekend having blown his best unit
on Epynt last weekend. Barry Johnson was grinning from ear to ear
when he emerged from the first stage, very happy with the way he’s
going. Jon Ingram, on his first rally on the Isle of Man, said he
was “pedestrian but tidy”. Richard Gower’s Hyundai
blew its turbo in the stage, didn’t look too good.
John Cope stalled
his Impreza at the start line of stage 1, got going but then stopped
for a poke (an ice cream cone to some!). His Impreza WRC would go
no further than the ice cream van in the stage – reason as
yet unknown. Rob Watson found his tyres very slow to warm up on
the first stage, and by his standards was off the pace, went better
on the 2nd one and had his little Nova in 15th place. More news
after stage 4. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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