RALLY NEWS NO.6                       Baldoon/Service/Saturday 2.30PM
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 7 CRAIGNELL


1st (1) Jonny Milner/Nicky Beech (Impreza WRC) 56.29.2
2nd (2) David Higgins/Craig Thorley (Accent WRC) 56.48.7
3rd (7) Barry Johnson/Stewart Merry (Impreza WRC) 59.23.3
4th (30) Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Ignis) 59.50.3
5th (3) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 1.00.21.2
6th (9) Sebastian Ling/James Phillips (Lancer N) 1.00.34.9
7th (6) Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin (Focus WRC) 1.00.54.9
8th (10) Leon Pesticcio/Tim Sturla (Punto) 1.00.57.6
9th (18) Jonnie Wigmore/Robbie Durant (Puma) 1.01.19.8
10th (17) Simon Hughes/Craig Parry (Clio) 1.01.24.7
11th (11) Aki Teiskonen/Miika Teiskonen (Saxo) 1.01.39.5
12th (31) Barry Clark/Neil Shanks (Puma) 1.02.03.1


There were no end of dramas through stage 7, Craignell (or Black Loch as it is better known) with several of the top 10 drivers having punctures/accidents.  No such problem though for the top 2, Jonny Milner and David Higgins. Jonny in particular had a good clean run to set fastest time.  David had a lurid spin just where the stage drops down to the lake, Jonny saw the marks and really went for it over the last few miles, to try and hammer home an advantage.  Nicky Beech commented. "He was getting a bit wild towards the end".  Jonny said. "There was a big delay at the start of the previous stage, I was nearly off at the first corner on cold tyres, a wall of death. After that it went well".   David Higgins reported. "On the fast bit down towards the lake, at a fast left over crest passing the quarry, we were just a fraction fast in 4th gear and the car broke away. I thought I had a puncture then and backed off, also a flattened exhaust over the jumps, but then I realised it was probably down to the slippy roads". 
Behind the leading pair Paul Bird had been in 3rd, and indeed is shown as having a fastest time through stage 6.  Although there is some doubt on that. Paul did pick a Pirelli KML which is an open patterned tyre which should work well on gravelly loose top surface tracks.  It all became irrelevant anyway when Paul's Focus WRC stopped in stage 7, whether it was mechanical or an accident still has to be ascertained.  Barry Johnson finished stage 7 with a flat wheel but lost little time to move up to 3rd place.
Guy Wilks picked his way through the rocks and boulders to again score a good time, and move up to 4th overall, which can't be at all bad for a Super 1600 car.  Austin MacHale's Focus hit a large rock in the road towards the end of stage 7, Austin says he couldn't avoid it, but anyway the Focus punctured and he lost close to 2 minutes. Matthew Wilson got a puncture about 6 miles into stage 7, stopped to change it, while he was doing so Barry Johnson and Austin MacHale passed him. Matthew changed the wheel in good time but then caught MacHale towards stage end as he struggled with his flat wheel, which cost Matthew a bit more time. Steve Perez swerved his Vodka Kick Focus to avoid a large rock in the road, went up one bank, shot across the road and up another, and then the car feel over.  In the middle of all this he also got a puncture, so dropped a lot of time, from being well up the top 10 is now right out of the hunt and contemplating withdrawing, his thoughts turning towards next weekend's Dukeries Rally.
Group N leader Sebastian Ling was one to stay out of trouble and he moved up to 6th. Lorna Smith in the 22 Motorsport Impreza also had a smooth run, she is now 14th and 2nd gpN. Jennie-Lee Hermansson raised the ride height of her Impreza, played it safe, stayed out of trouble, but dropped 25s to Lorna in that stage. Swedish lady Jennie-Lee is still a fine 18th.  Third in gpN is now showing as Mark I'Anson, with Dorian Rees 4th and heading for a good collection of Prodrive Subaru Cup points.  Stuart Jones had 2 punctures in stage 7, stopped to change one of them and lost the best part of 4 minutes.
In the Super 1600 category Leon Pesticcio has held on to 2nd behind Wilks, Leon losing surprisingly little time having battled through stage 7 with his Punto minus brakes, and having a duff shock absorber. Jonnie Wigmore is 3rd in Super 1600 with his Puma despite clipping a rear wheel against a bank and damaging a hub. Simon Hughes had an excellent run through stage 7, just 6s slower than Wilks to move up to 4td in the category, with Teiskonen 5th and 11th overall.
In the Fiat Stilo Cup William Bonniwell damaged his suspension in stage 4, the car was bottoming out and they cut a corner in stage 5, the Fiat was pulled into a ditch and got stuck to allow Chris Davies into the lead. Paul Tod left service after 5 with his Stilo stuck in 2nd gear and 2 stages to do, so we wish him luck!  Kev Kilgour leads the Land Rover part of the rally in his gas driven Discovery, with John Duncan leading the Lex Army Rally Team from Gary Mitchell by 25s.
BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON    www.rallynews.net

 

 

 

 

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