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RALLY NEWS NO.3
Harwood-Friday 9.30pm…in the wet, dark and fog!
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 3 HARWOOD
1st (1) Mark Higgins/Bryan Thomas (Clio) 14.27.4
2nd (2) Gwyndaf Evans/Howard Davies (MG) 14.37.8
3rd (24) Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Ford Puma) 14.47.7
4th (8) Jonny Milner/Nicky Beech (Corolla WRC) 15.09.4
5th (20) Paul Bird/Larry Carter (Accent WRC) 15.13.8
6th (12) Julian Reynolds/Ieuan Thomas (Impreza) 15.15.4
7th (23) Kris Meeke/Chris Patterson (Corsa) 15.22.0
8th (3) Garry Jennings/Gordon Noble (Peugeot) 15.23.0
9th (31) Dougie Hall/Steve Egglestone (Lancer) 15.49.4
10th (32) Ryan Champion/Cliff Simmons (Ford Puma) 16.05.3
11th (19) Barry Johnson/Stewart Merry (Impreza WRC) 16.30.5
12th (25) Mirco Baldacci/Giovanni Bernacchini (Punto) 16.35.5
The above leaderboard is unofficial but taken from the Martin Liddle official
results computer back in Gateshead. Up here in the fog and rain at the
end of Harwood we have, by our own reckoning, Jari-Matti Latvala leading with
Tapio Laukkanen just inside the leaderboard. The only explanation we can offer
for the discrepancy is that the passage control where the time cards for the
stage are lifted is down at the junction with the main road, at the far side
of the village, and the visibility is so bad that perhaps the drivers could
not see the control. This is pure speculation on our part of course. Up here
in the forest the conditions are difficult in the extreme. Some drivers
drove through the stage with sidelights, some with fog lights, some with no
lights. First through was Mark Higgins, and he said "It was a real
eye opener in there, I tried to set a rhythm, you can only go at a certain
speed". Gwyndaf Evans commented "Very very difficult".
Garry Jennings in the Peugeot arrived with just one driver's side light
working, and said "I never saw the like of it, I seemed to go better with
the lights off".
Jonny Milner arrived with the Focus WRC of Latvala right on the tail of his
Corolla WRC. Jonny saying "Halfway in the brake pedal just disappeared,
in that fog it was not good". Latvala told us "The fog was
difficult for the first kilometres, really bad, but then not so
difficult". Tapio Laukkanen commented "Very difficult, no
point in taking risks, we stay in the middle of the road. A pity, the stages
are in good shape and the car, everything is working well".
Other stories include - Julian Reynolds' Subaru jumping out of 6th gear.
Austin MacHale slid his Subaru off the road for several minutes, Austin very
unhappy, couldn't seem to get the fog lights on on their own. John Lloyd
remarked "That's the most frightening thing I've ever done".
Paul Bird, in the Accent at No.20, said "We caught 2 cars in the stage,
not bad for a novice!"
Young Kris Meeke has lost 5th gear in his Corsa, also the brakes went. Mats
Andersson's Proton went on to 3 cylinders, couldn't see anyway in the fog,
caught and passed by Kris Meeke. Guy Wilks had a good run despite catching
Andersson at the end of the stage. James Thompson was off the pace in the fog.
Nik Elsmore had a rear drive shaft problem in his new gpN Subaru. More news
after stage 5. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON
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