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| Manx National Rally |
| RALLY NEWS No.6 - After SS13 - Saturday @ 14:21:20 |
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WEE MANX TALES NO.6 Grandstand/Saturday
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 13
1st (4) Paul Bird/Ian Windress (Focus WRC) 1.03.05.1
2nd (1) Melvyn Evans/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 1.04.05.1
3rd (3) Marcus Dodd/Andrew Bargery (Accent WRC) 1.04.11.7
4th (2) Roger Duckworth/Mark Broomfield (Impreza WRC) 1.04.43.3
5th (6) Steve Perez/Stephen McAuley (Focus WRC) 1.05.37.5
6th (10) Danny Barry/Martin Brady (Lancer N) 1.07.28.2
7th (23) George Collister/Janet Craine (Lancer) 1.07.38.3
8th (8) David Mann/Alun Cook (Impreza WRC) 1.07.55.6
9th (15) Wayne Sisson/Daniel Stone (Lancer N) 1.08.19.2
10th (12) Nik Elsmore/Craig Drew (Lancer N) 1.08.38.1
There are just 3 stages left on this Manx Telecom National Rally and Paul Bird has exactly 1m of a lead over Melvyn Evans which would indicate that in theory Bird can take it easy to the finish. Melvyn Evans got ahead of Marcus Dodd on stage 13, Marcus now 6s back. Roger Duckworth set a fastest time through stage 13, The Mines. However, it was an unlucky stage for some crews including Asphalt Champion David Kynaston and his co driver Andy Russell. David overshot the first baled junction coming up the hill from St. Mark’s village towards the Mines and then the Audi cut out and stopped. It took a long time to discover that it was the solid stage earthing unit that was at fault and by the time they got the car going there was no point in continuing. Another man who might be in difficulties is local man Andrew Leece, his Subaru seemingly on 3 cylinders and possibly with a hole in a piston. Andrew did get the car here to service and is going to try and soldier on.
When Paul Bird came into service he told us. “I’ll manage it now, take it easy. I was ultra cautious through the heavy rain.” Marcus Dodd commented. “The rain was hammering down in Marine Drive and I had just put on dry weather slick tyres. It’s the same for everybody I suppose but it’s a long way to go”. Melvyn Evans said. “That’s the best run we’ve had. We have made major suspension changes and altered the differential settings. It’s a bit late in the day but we’re getting there. I think we went the wrong way this morning with the suspension settings. Trouble is it is still so slippy in places but the confidence is coming back”. Roger Duckworth admitted to fluffing the start on stage 11, Marine Drive, but then made up for lost time in stage 13, the Mines, where he was fastest. Steve Perez reckons he has been on the wrong tyres the whole way through the rally and the one stage that he might have been right on was the stage that was cancelled.
Danny Barry had a semi spin at the hairpin right following the grid just past the Mines but otherwise had a good run and leads the Evo Challenge and is over a minute ahead of Nik Elsmore in 2nd. Simon Hughes is a further 2m adrift following his earlier problems. Elsmore lost some time in stage 13 when his Lancer had throttle sensor problems. Danny Barry said that at the end of the Mines stage the roads dried and he was getting huge under steer as the wet weather tyres protested about the warm dry roads. Nigel Cannell lost over a minute in stage 13 when his Lancer’s master switch went faulty. He was passed by his great rival Shaun Fox in the Corsa and then Fox had a problem with a fuel pipe and then Cannell passed the Corsa. Wayne Sisson continues to have a smooth run and holds 2nd in GpN in his Lancer. George Collister scraped the side of his Lancer on that loop of stages and co driver Janet Craine had great trouble getting her door open at the control. James Hoseason/Maurice Jellie have retired their Darrian on stage 7 because of power steering problems. Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle continues to lead the Azores Rally in their Peugeot S2000. They are 1m ahead of Kopecky in the Skoda. Interestingly it’s not just the Isle of Man that gets storms – the Azores have been hit with floods and storms also!
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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