MANX
TALES NO.4 Grandstand/Saturday 11.45am
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD
AFTER STAGE 8 BALLIG
1st (1) Kenny McKinstry/Noel Orr (Impreza WRC) 1.01.48.7
2nd (3) Roger Duckworth/Mark Broomfield (Impreza WRC) 1.02.06.1
3rd (108) Melvyn Evans/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 1.02.22.0
4th (4) Paul Bird/Ian Windress (Impreza WRC) 1.03.14.0
5th (6) Marcus Dodd/Andrew Bargery (Accent WRC) 1.03.48.2
6th (14) Jon Ingram/Ian Allsop (Focus WRC) 1.04.50.1
7th (5) Tony Davies/Patrick Walsh (Impreza WRC) 1.05.06.2
8th (19) Mark Jasper/Don Whyatt (Metro 6R4) 1.05.42.2
9th (7) Steve Fleck/Tony Ettlinger (Impreza WRC) 1.05.44.2
10th (16) David Kynaston/Andy Russell (Audi A3) 1.06.03.9
11th (21) Rob Watson/Rob Fagg (Nova Kit) 1.07.06.2
12th (20) Alistair Tough/Alistair Mackay (Impreza N) 1.07.13.7
Kenny McKinstry was fastest
on the opening 2 stages today, Barroose and Ballcreetch, and then
on stages 7 and 8, Kella and Ballig, it was Roger Duckworth who
set the roads alight to score 2 fastest times and move from 3rd
to 2nd. When McKinstry arrived into service he reported no problems
with the car although he did discover that he had forgotten to switch
the water injection on for a couple of stages. Kenny went on to
say that he had picked too soft a Pirelli tyre for stages 7 and
8, and that the Impreza was washing out on the corners. The next
stage is Marine Drive which has corners all the way so he will use
a slightly harder compound for that one, and then maybe switch to
a harder tyre for the next stages.
On the subject of Pirelli
Dick Cormack from the tyre company told us this morning that they
are now supporting Tapio Laukkanen and Alister McRae in 2 new Impreza
N12s for next weekend’s Pirelli International, opening round
of the British Championship. David Higgins has also now got a run
on the Pirelli Rally, in a new Lancer built by ADR.
Back here on the RSBI
Manx Rally Melvyn Evans was slightly disgruntled at having lost
2nd place to Duckworth. Melvyn’s Irish co driver Sean Mullally
said. “It is not looking like our day, there was a delay at
the start of stage 7, something to do with the lights not working.
Kenny was gone maybe 5 minutes before we could start the stage and
it was a very disconcerting feeling.” Welshman Evans also
said that the car had a puncture towards the end of the stage and
then on stage 8 they didn’t go particularly well, although
they are not quite sure why. Roger Duckworth joked that he had found
an extra gear after his superb times through stages 7 and 8. Paul
Bird was a lot happier with his Subaru than he was last night, although
he did have an overshoot in stage 7, said “It was a bit silly,
I’m cross with myself”. He went on to say that the tyres
went off towards the end of stage 8, and again it was possibly his
own fault as he was using the same rubber from the start.
Marcus Dodd reported
a little turbo trouble through stages 7 and 8, otherwise OK. Jon
Ingram said earlier that his stomach was upset, he seemed to be
a lot better when he arrived into service but was still pretty glad
to be there. Tony Davies has had some up and down times over the
4 stages today. In stage 8 he had an overshoot and also stalled
at the hairpin. Apart from that Tony said he is having a steady
run and the gearbox troubles from last night seem to be resolved.
Mark Jasper has been the best of the Metro 6R4s from the start of
the rally, although he slowed slightly over the last couple of stages
when he had a 5th gear soft brake pedal panic and also cracked the
exhaust manifold over a jump. John Price has withdrawn his Metro
6R4 following his earlier brake problems and no solution in sight
as to how to fix them. Steve Fleck has moved from an overnight 10th
to 9th and says he is having a better day today.
David Kynaston reports
no troubles with his Audi while Alistair Tough said his group n
leading Impreza seems to be wandering about a little after the big
jumps and he also had a moment through a slippy farmyard covered
in you know what! Anthony Willmington is up to 2nd group N in his
Lancer and that is despite all sorts of dramas when he had brake
troubles and put the car through an open gate into a field. He has
also been making some suspension changes and thinks he is going
the wrong way, its getting worse instead of better. Stephen Petch
is settling in to his newly built Lancer to hold 3rd group N, just
ahead of Conrad Rautenbach in 4th. Rautenbach had some strange noises
coming from the gearbox after the jumpy section over the mountain
and overall says he is on a learning curve, and also trying to keep
the car good for next weekend’s Pirelli. He did set one fastest
gpN time this morning in stage 5, but there were only seconds separating
all the top GpN drivers.
Further stories –
Dave Price has retired his rwd Escort Mk6 because of a broken drive
shaft. While Steve Hendy pulled out following clutch trouble. The
00 ex Mikkola Audi has stopped with gearbox troubles. Local man
Stephen Quine with CoC John Skinner’s son Richard on the notes
in the modified Astra has some spongy brake pedal concerns and are
2nd in cl.B11 to Rob Watson.
More news later. BRIAN
& LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
|
