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| Manx International Rally |
| RALLY NEWS No.3 - After SS4 - Monday @ 16:34:57 |
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RALLY NEWS NO.3 Grandstand/Douglas/Thursday 9.15pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 4 Cringle
1st (4) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza N) 20.21.5
2nd (3) Guy Wilks/David Moynihan (Lancer N) 20.39.5
3rd (1) Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 21.03.4
4th (5) David Higgins/Ieuan Thomas (Impreza N) 21.12.9
5th (6) Phillip Morrow/Daniel Barritt (Lancer N) 22.00.7
6th (10) James Wozencroft/Chris Ridge (Impreza N) 22.02.7
7th (9) Darren Gass/Neil Shanks (Lancer N) 22.08.7
8th (18) Brian O'Mahony/John Higgins (Clio S1600) 22.20.4
9th (17) Guy Woodcock/John Skinner (Escort Maxi) 22.22.3
10th (15) John McGlaughlin/Damien Connolly (Lancer N) 22.30.2
Despite spinning his Subaru in the treacherous conditions Mark Higgins was fastest through the difficult 4th stage, Cringle, to move into the lead of this Rally Isle of Man going into the overnight halt. Guy Wilks had led starting that 4th stage but his Lancer incurred a puncture and Guy did well to only lose a few seconds and set 2nd fastest time. He explained here at the Grandstand service that he just couldn’t get the car slowed down for a junction and clipped something on the inside in his efforts to get slowed. Mark Higgins had a spin at the hairpin right going on to the Round Table where the bale is, very slow speed but still cost a few seconds. Co driver Rory Kennedy said. “We were having a fantastic run up tot hat”. Eamonn Boland also had a spin, Eamonn said it was a real struggle on slick tyres and he had to do a bit of reversing to get back on track which cost at least 40s.
David Higgins said that he was trying a new engine management system and he had been playing around with the differentials, then he backed right off on the very slippy section up to the Round Table, the tyres went cold and never regained their heat. Phillip Morrow said he was being extremely cautious through that stage and seemed almost surprised that he was 5th overall here at the end of this first leg. James Wozencroft had a spin as well in his Subaru and then a flashing light warned of some problem with the anti lag system, so he switched it off as a precaution and said as well that he really struggled through the fog. Darren Gass was another who said it was really hectic in the fog and the rain, summing it up by saying. “It was hairy stuff, we just toddled through”. Brian O’Mahony reported that despite all the warning bells in his head he arrived at a chicane far too quickly, it just leapt at him out of the fog, and he put the Clio up the hedge to get around it. John McGlaughlin was off at the same chicane and said afterwards he just didn’t know how he got away with so many moments and felt that he was going so slowly that the was going to stop for a picnic. Still, there he is in 10th overall.
Nigel Cannell is 11th and leading class R2 just ahead of Adam Gould. Nigel said that he picked totally the wrong tyres while Adam reported a misfire with his Clio but he still managed to push on quite well through the fog. Adam did have two intermediate tyres as spares and was able to change on to those before the stage although he damaged a wheel nut in the process. Swedish driver Andreas Sjolander was another to struggle in the conditions and he is down in 14th place. Andreas said about the rain and the dust, but we think by dust he meant fog!!
Drivers in trouble on that opening loop included Stuart Jones whose MG S2000 had wheel bearing problems at the end of the 2nd Castletown stage. We hear that the bearing collapsed and Stuart was trying to borrow tools to effect a repair but really without much chance of success. Jody Patterson & Jeremy Taylor have put the rallynews.net Lancer off the road on the very slippy section before the Round Table, the same piece of shiny tar that claimed Seamus Leonard and Ryan Champion a couple of years ago. There is not too much damage and if Jody and Jeremy can get a missing wheel replaced they may do Super Rally. More news in the morning: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON
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