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NEWS NO,6 Charterhall/Service/Saturday 6.45
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 12 FOGO
1st (1) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 1.20.03.7
2nd (3) Tim McNulty/Diarmuid Falvey (Impreza WRC) 1.21.26.7
3rd (2) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Focus WRC 1.21.39.9
4th (6) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza N) 1.23.22.1
5th (7) Gwyndaf Evans/Huw Lewis (Lancer N) 1.23.23.3
6th (14) Gareth Jones/James O'Brien (Focus WRC) 1.24.40.3
7th (8) David Higgins/Ieuan Thomas (Corolla S2000R) 1.25.29.2
8th (18) Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey (Impreza N) 1.25.58.8
9th (16) Phillip Morrow/Daniel Barritt (Lancer N) 1.27.16.7
10th (25) PJ McDermott/Sean Harris (Impreza WRC) 1.27.39.6
There was high drama on this Jim Clark Rally as rain swept across the
Berwickshire countryside and caught many of the drivers out on the wrong
tyres. British Championship leader Guy Wilks was the most badly affected
as he crashed his Lancer at high speed through a hedge into a field on
the Fogo stage. The accident happened on a right left kink past a house
on shiny tar. To the best of our knowledge Guy and co driver Phil Pugh
are OK. This leaves Mark Higgins in the top Tesco 99 BRC position but
by only a second from Gwyndaf Evans. Eamonn Boland scored fastest overall
through stages 11 and 12 in his Focus WRC, but Eugene Donnelly has a comfortable
lead and didn’t seem too perturbed as he faces day 3 with well over
a minute advantage over Tim McNulty.
Eugene Donnelly commented here at service “That was very interesting
on cut slicks. I normally carry 2 intermediates to change. The rain makes
this place very slippy. I wasn’t trying to take any more time just
to get to the finish. Overall it was a good day but it’s a pity
the rest of the top Tarmac Championship guys are not here, and that is
not knocking Tim or Eamonn. It’s a great championship and it’s
a pity its not being supported here”. Tim McNulty brought his Pierse
backed Subaru into service and despite losing a few seconds through 11
and 12 was still fairly upbeat and said. “We just got caught out,
we had the hardest tyres and the hardest set up, what can you do but get
through it”. Mark Higgins said. “We got through the last stage
OK. On the first stage out after last service we were struggling with
the tyres, on the 2nd one it was half and half, 3rd one not too bad but
there was a safer choice”.
Gwyndaf Evans made slightly the wrong call on tyres through stages 8 and
9 and got it slightly wrong again through 10 and 12 and aid of stage 12
– “It was dangerous in places”. David Higgins now comes
into 3rd in group N in the new Toyota S2000, and he had a good run over
the last few Saturday stages and is looking forward to tomorrow. Colm
Murphy was hand braking everywhere through the last stage to keep his
Impreza on the road and still heads the Irish GpN drivers. While Phillip
Morrow has turned in good times on stages 9, 10 and 11 to move up the
leaderboard. He recounted that it was so slippy in stage 12 that on a
tight right into a square right it was just one big drift and he burst
out laughing in the middle of it.
Gareth Jones dropped a little time when he put his Focus into a hedge
at a junction and said also he just survived the last stage. Rob Swann
backed off over the last few stages as his closest rival Wyn Humphreys
lost a lot of time with a damaged centre diff. Roy White reckons his Lancer
is set up too hard for the rain and had spins on the last 2 stages, said
he was trying a bit too hard. Jon Ingram has disappeared from the leaderboard,
now listed as a retirement following a small accident. However his Focus
drove into service under its own steam and looked OK.
Simon Hughes has retired the diesel Astra following a broken driver shaft
on the Abbey St Bathans stage. He plans to compete on the Sunday stages
under Super Rally rules. Looking back a couple of stages, Lorna Smith
moved into the lead of cl.2 in her Suzuki. James Wozencroft lost time
in his Suzuki when he sustained a puncture. Clipped a rock pulled out
by Vesa Mikkola after he hit a bank. George McDonald in the ex Meeke Citroen
C2 is re joining under Super Rally rules. He was stopped by broken wheel
studs. Looking back a little – Andy Fenwick led the National rally
from David Bogie in his Metro with Nigel Worswick 3rd in his Escort Cosworth.
Andrew Glover led the Land Rovers in his Discovery from Alan Parramore
in the Armed Forces Rally Team Land Rover. Mark Gamble led the Stars in
his Citroen from Matt Cotton in his MG ZR.
More news in the morning. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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