RALLY NEWS NO.13 Grandstand/Service/Saturday 4.30

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 26 Final stage
1st (10) Jonny Milner/Nicky Beech (Corolla WRC) 3.01.03.5
2nd (12) Kenny McKinstry/Noel Orr (Impreza WRC) 3.06.01.0
3rd (11) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 3.07.38.2
4th (8) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Impreza WRC) 3.08.45.4
5th (19) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 3.08.58.4
6th (21) Seamus Leonard/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza N) 3.16.18.7
7th (1) Garry Jennings/Gordon Noble (Peugeot) 3.19.11.4
8th (28) Paddy White/James McKee (Impreza WRC) 3.20.23.0
9th (27) John Cope/Donna Harper (Esc.Cos) 3.20.47.1
10th (25) Aaron MacHale/Damien Connolly (Lancer N) 3.25.09.3

Jonny Milner was able to cruise his Corolla WRC through the final 18.8 mile Barclays Classic stage which finished along the TT Course here in front of the Douglas Grandstand.  Kenny McKinstry and Derek McGarrity in 2nd and 3rd were in equally safe positions and able to treat the final stage with great caution.  Austin MacHale and Eamonn Boland were having a big dice for 4th place, Austin 11s faster than Eamonn over that final test to take 4th, Eamonn 5th and then it was Seamus Leonard, the gpN winner, in 6th and Garry Jennings 7th and victor in the Super 1600 category. 

When Jonny Milner and co driver Nicky Beech brought their Corolla WRC into service it was ear to ear grins all round, Jonny commenting "Its something I've always dreamed of to win the Manx. And of course it has done us a lot of good in the Pirelli championship. When I passed Signpost Corner about a mile from the end of the last stage I thought, I've got it, I've got the win, I've been trying to do this for many years now, and its not an easy event"  For Kenny McKinstry this is his 3rd time being runner up here on the Manx, but the Banbridge man wasn't too downhearted and when asked did he think he could have won if it had not been for the double puncture in stage 7, Kenny said "It would have been hard to beat Jonny, and it's a different situation, ifs and buts, if I had been trying hard all the way I could easily have been in the sheugh, its only a whisper away". Derek McGarrity's 3rd place reinforces his position at the front of this year's Tarmac Championship. Derek saying "I nearly got it all wrong on that last stage, I had pace noted to the point of the triangle at Brandywell Cottage, but I should have been going the short way, and there was one wild scramble to get round". 

Austin MacHale's co driver Brian Murphy commented at the finish "We were sort of asleep for the first day and a half, woke up today and it all came together. On the last stage we had a good tidy run. This puts us 2nd overall in the British Championship, and I know in theory we can't catch Jonny, but then you never know, it's a fickle sport".  Eamonn Boland tried hard on that last stage to catch MacHale but he got his Impreza all crossed up at the first chicane and lost valuable seconds.

Group N winner Seamus Leonard, who has led the category convincingly, especially since Roy White's retirement earlier on, said "It was a bit monotonous today, we set a couple of good times during the rally despite a lot of brake problems. I thought the rally was much tougher than last year".
Supeer 1600 winner Garry Jennings said "We were very careful on the last stage, spectating from the inside out, its only my 2nd finish in the car and its great to win Super 1600. We were running forest brake pads today as we ran out of the tarmac ones, although we didn't let anyone know that. There were a few problems with the car, but otherwise it ran fine". 

Paddy White finished 8th despite having no recce and a new co driver in James McKee. John Cope and Donna Harper did a brilliant job to bring their Escort Cosworth into 9th and young Aaron MacHale along with co driver Damien Connolly finished 10th overall and 2nd gpN.  Russell Millward was 11th in his Lancer. Dermot Hanafin 12th and 3rd gpN, despite smashing the front of his Subaru into one of the last stage chicanes. Dermot just pipped George Tracey for 3rd in gpN, George finishing 13th overall. Last minute stories include an unconfirmed report that young Glenn Wilson, 14th overall and leading his class by miles, has burst his Peugeot gearbox on the start line of the final stage.
In the Ford Ka Championship Jonnie Wigmore has taken the lead from young Stephen Petch with Justin Griffiths 3frd. David Crossen had led but suffered a 5 minute puncture. Shaun Fox leads the Trophy Rally overall. Kenny Brown led the Polo Challenge from Adrian Kermode. Finally for now, congratulations and many thanks to Richard Bargery and all his team for another magic Manx Rally……BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net