| RALLY
NEWS NO.4 Carlisle Service/Saturday 1pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 7 PUNDERSHAW
1st (5) Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Lancer N) 48.31.9
2nd (4) Gwyndaf Evans/Huw Lewis (Lancer N) 49.11.3
3rd (2) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza N) 49.49.8
4th (1) Ryan Champion/Craig Thorley (Lancer N) 50.14.4
5th (10) Wyn Humphreys/Ally Mackay (Impreza N) 51.48.4
6th (12) Robert Swann/Darren Garrod (Impreza N) 51.55.5
7th (8) Connor McCloskey/Robbie Durant (Lancer N) 52.03.7
8th (7) Conrad Rautenbach/David Senior (Citroen C2) 53.16.0
9th (14) Nick Kenny/George Gwynn (Impreza N) 54.30.7
10th (28) Vesa Mikkola/Tapio Suominen (Civic) 54.50.3
Through stages 5, 6 and 7, the Pundershaw/Kielder tests, Guy Wilks
was fastest on each one. Mark Higgins got very close to Guy’s
time on stage 5 but otherwise the rally leader had a clear advantage.
Retirements on that loop included the Suzuki driver James Wozencroft
who damaged a front wheel when he ran wide on a corner. Swedish
visitors Andreas Siolander/Haken Jacobsson retired from 10th place
when their Fiesta suffered mechanical problems.
When Guy Wilks reached service here at the airfield he took time
out to tell us. “We had no dramas, just trying to control
it and go fast enough to keep the concentration. We will make a
slightly adjustment to the dampers before the next loop, but everything
is fine, the stages are in good condition although I’ve been
keeping my eyes peeled for loose rocks”. Gwyndaf Evans said.
“We’ve been going OK, just following that man in front,
he’s probably the quickest man in Britain at the moment. We
have some slight under steer with the car but otherwise it is all
good”. Mark Higgins moved from 4th to 3rd this morning, the
British Champion saying. “We had an issue with the lamp pod
last night, the airflow was causing high inlet temperatures and
also we were not getting full throttle, but its good today, we are
at our pace, but we can’t catch the cars in front now”.
Mark also talked of discomfort caused by his HANS device, that is
the safety collar that the competitors were, catching on a bolt
in the seat head rest. This was causing him real problems in the
stage.
Ryan Champion, who won the rally last year, was a bit disappointed
with his pace this morning as he fell back from 3rd to 4th and he
said. “I’m going as hard as the car will let us, and
even a bit harder! On that Pundershaw stage we were quickest last
year this time we are 17s off the pace. Its all moving on”.
Robert Swann was 5th last night, 6th now, and said. “We were
a bit too cautious, need to stiffen the car for the higher speed
corners. I found it a bit different this morning, hard to get the
confidence”. Wyn Humphreys moved up a place and he said. “We’re
quite happy although I had a little problem with the car, something
wrong with the speed sensor and it was causing the differential
to lock up and that was pushing the nose of the car”.
Connor McCloskey is going hard and closing the gap slightly on the
cars in front, Connor saying. “These fast stages are brilliant,
we’re really enjoying it and the car is fine”. Conrad
Rautenbach in 8th place is leading class R3 with his C2R2, Conrad
happy that his engine problem of last night is behind him and his
only trouble now running out of revs in top gear in the fast sections
of the stages. Conrad said. “We really need a 7th gear!”
He also said. “This is hard work in these little cars”.
Nick Kenny moved up well over this morning’s stages and admitted
that he has no experience in the darkness and he lost time last
night. However this is the youngest crew in the rally and they are
doing a great job to hold a top 10 slot. Vesa Mikkola reported a
good run this morning although mud in a wheel in stage 7 caused
a worrying vibration. Rob Gill in 12th is still getting used to
his Impreza and recounted a reprieve last night when a turbo pipe
came adrift and they were able to re-secure it themselves. David
Meredith in 11th is running his Lancer in a fairly safe ECU mode
as he becomes accustomed to the car. Lorna Smith is 2nd in class
and 14th o/a in her Suzuki, Lorna determined to the car the car
to the finish and said. “I’m trying to keep it neat
and tidy, some corners are really good, others just a little slow
and losing the flow”. Lorna’s team mate James Wozencroft
we have already said has stopped and the latest we hear is that
his Swift is on the back of a tow truck at Hexham and is on its
way here to get classified under Super Rally rules.
Young Ulsterman Martin McCormack was fastest in the Historic Rally,
Martin actually driving a “Classic” Escort, with Liam
Moynihan co-driving. Nick Whale was 2nd overall in his Porsche and
won class C4. David Stokes was 3rd overall and won class C5 in his
Escort RS1600. Steve Smith did his championship chances no harm
by taking 5th overall and 2nd in class C4. Dick Slaughter was 6th
in his Escort RS1800 and took 3rd in class D5. Jimmy McRae was 7th
o/a in his Escort and 4th in class D5. Jimmy had brake troubles
last night and was well down the order but then fought back this
morning with 3 fastest times. Tim Mason in his Porsche was 8th and
3rd in class C4. Gareth Lloyd was 9th and 5th in class D5 in his
Escort and Martin Freestone 10th and 6th in class D5, also driving
an Escort.
More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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