UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 4 P-Zero

1^ST (1) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza N) 26.54.5

2^ND (12) Ryan Champion/Craig Thorley (Lancer N) 27.05.3

3^RD (7) Gwyndaf Evans/Huw Lewis (Lancer N) 27.07.7

4^TH (6) Jonny Milner/Nicky Beech (Lancer N) 27.34.6

5^TH (2) David Higgins/Ieuan Thomas (Lancer N) 27.39.1

6^TH (3) Tapio Laukkanen/Ilkka Riieinen (Impreza N) 27.43.0

7^TH (14) Stuart Jones/Craig Parry (Lancer N) 27.43.2

8^TH (10) Martin Rowe/Robbie Durant (Impreza N) 27.45.8

9^TH (9) Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Suzuki Ignis) 27.51.6

10^TH (19) Stephen Petch/Michael Wilkinson (Lancer N) 28.06.3

David Higgins led the rally initially, then Mark Higgins got ahead of stage 2 and has kept his lead through stage 3, Chirdonhead, and stage 4 P-Zero.  David Higgins had some differential trouble at the end of stage 3, of which more later. Ryan Champion was fastest through SS3. Roman Kresta has retired his Fiesta with differential trouble. Further to Rory Galligan’s stage 1 retirement, a stone fired up behind the sump guard some way and punctured the oil filter, this was after Rory slithered the car into a ditch off a raised bit of road.  Neil McCance has crashed his Lancer off the road at fairly high speed on a crest in stage 3.  Happily no injuries, his Lancer fairly damaged at the front.

Mark Higgins commented here at service. “We’ve kept it clean, I’m happy with the pace. I’ve been trying quite hard in places, maybe cleaning the road a little bit.”  Mark gave a little laugh then and said something slightly off the record to the extent of its nice to see the old boys sort the job out!!  (We think he was referring to himself and Gwyndaf and of course the young tigers biting at his heels).  Gwyndaf said. “I’m enjoying it, I’d by lying if I said I wasn’t trying but its 12 months since I’ve really driven and I think things will come easier after a few events. The car is still cutting out on corners”.  Tapio Laukkanen is another who hasn’t done a serious rally for 12 months, the Finnish driver saying “We’re getting there, mile after mile its getting better”. 

Ryan Champion lost a few seconds this morning on the 2^nd stage, but then on stage 3 he turned in a superb time to be fastest overall which keeps him up there in 2^nd place. Jonny Milner in 4^th said. “I’m still braking too early but I’m gradually into gear, getting used to the group N car. Its been a long hard road to get here, I’m not going to land the job in the bushes”.  David Higgins said. “About 2 miles to go in Chirdonhead it was flat out down to the chicane and the braking suddenly disappeared and that’s when I knew the differential had gone.  I also had trouble with 4^th gear when a weld in the linkage broke, so I’m happy enough with the pace”.  David’s mechanics changed the differential here at service and he was a bit tight getting out to the control but looked as if he could have been within his time OK. 

Phillip Morrow on the other hand calculated that if he changed the box on his Lancer – 5^th gear has been gone for 3 stages now – he would definitely have incurred several minutes road penalty. He feels that if he struggles on with the box as it is he will be down under 3 minutes at day’s end, whereas if he changed the box he’d be down 5 minutes.  Phillip’s great rival Stuart Jones told us that the 2^nd stage was OK but on the 3^rd he really struggled through the high speed stuff, but the mechanics have discovered here at service that the rear wheels of his Lancer are towed out which would really affect the handling of the car. Otherwise Stuart is doing well, lying 7^th overall. 

Stephen Petch had a couple of overshoots in stage 3, said he just couldn’t get into it, otherwise the car is OK.  Guy Wilks continues to lead the Super 1600 category, Guy saying that the balance bar to the brakes is bent and seized, there is too much braking to the rear and the car is snapping out all the time. It’s a pig of a job apparently to change the mechanism and takes about 45minutes so Guy reckons he is just going to have to live with it. He feels as well that the car needs the springs changed and if he got all that done he could be close to the pace at the front. Young Barry Clark was most embarrassed to have made an absolute mess of the spectator stage which of course is in his sponsor’s back garden, otherwise he is going well. We mentioned above that Czech  Republic driver Roman Kresta had broken the differential in his Fiesta Super 1600. The M-Sport car is getting a new diff fitted this afternoon and will rejoin the fray tomorrow under Super Rally rules.

Colin McRae has retired his Escort when the differential broke on the first stage. Nicky Grist has just told us that the car seemed a little loose at the back end and was sliding about and Colin even had one spin. Anyway, Colin and Nicky are getting a new diff fitted now and are going to continue in the rally as OO car but keeping their competition number on the side of the little red Escort. More news later. 

More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net

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