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Jaggy Bunnet's Rally Report - Monday 24 October 2011 Tunnock’s Mull Rally, Friday/Saturday/Sunday, 14/15/16 October Mac-Nificent on Mull Paul MacKinnon and Ewan MacGillivray scored their second Tunnock’s Mull Rally win after a mature display of skill, speed and car control over the Island of Mull’s unique variety of sinuous, slippery, wet and dry tarmac. Calum and Iain Duffy, and Dougi Hall and Alistair Wyllie were the only crews who could rise to the challenge. Unfortunately, those challenges faded early on. MacKinnon simply continued on his imperious way as those who sought to depose the rally leader wilted in the face of such a commanding pace, or went off the road trying. Those who claim that local knowledge wins every time overlook the simple facts. To exploit that local knowledge, a driver has to possess three other vital attributes, speed, skill and bravery. Many visitors have acquired the knowledge and undoubtedly have the skills, so it comes down to bravery - or extremely large spherical objects. Leg 1 Anyone witnessing that furious opening onslaught over Mishnish Lochs on Friday will understand exactly. Six and a half miles of the most demanding tarmac in the UK was dispatched in less than six and a half minutes under the rear wheels of a MkII Escort. Calum Duffy had taken 6 seconds out of the Impreza WRC of local rival Paul MacKinnon. “I stalled it twice at the start,” said MacKinnon, “It’s the first time I’ve driven the car. It’s OK when I’ve got it going, but getting it off the line cleanly is tricky.” Dougi Hall in the Lancer EVO9 was right on the Impreza’s exhaust pipe at the stage finish but was already concerned that his tyres were going off. Only one second behind Dougi was John Cope’s Impreza. Let battle commence. Well, maybe not. MacKinnon hit the front over the second 14 mile Hill Road/Loch Tuath stage. He was 20 seconds quicker than ‘Calum the Comet’. “My brakes went spongy half way through,” said Duffy, “I was having to pump the pedal to get any sort of braking at all. That’s not good.” No one else dipped below the 13 minute barrier, Cope was nearly a minute behind the MacKinnon machine: “I’ve been here before,” said Cope, “I’ll start gently and pick my own pace!” James MacGillivray was left shaking his head at the end of the Hill Road: “I’m driving as fast as I can and I can’t get near those two. I lost the brakes at the end of the Hill Road but they’re coming back now.” An early retirement last year, Hugh Hunter was in determined mood. Determination counts for little over here. “Half way through I felt something go,” said Hugh, “the car was snatching and pitching badly. We thought it was a shaft in the transfer box, Turned out it was a driveshaft.” Another early retirement. Slightly luckier was Daniel Harper: “I got a puncture 2 miles from the end of the Hill Road but the alternator’s not charging. I’ve got no lights. I did the last 6 miles on dipped beam and no power steering.” Hall was on the case though. He was only 18 seconds behind Duffy as he went through the FF boards – never to be seen again. “I got to service OK and everything was fine,” said Hall, “then on the road section to the next stage, no gears. Nothing.” A roller pin in the gearbox linkage had broken. The gearbox was fine and the transmission was fine, but the ‘missing link’ was a broken 20p part. Another in gearbox trouble was Tony Bardy: “I think I broke the gearbox on a ‘jump’, I’ve lost fifth gear but hope to change the ‘box at service.” The Nissan was also overheating so Tony was a worried man. Andy Rowe was another retirement, out with a broken alternator in the EVO3 while young Peter Taylor was reported to be off. It turned out he had pulled over to let O’Donnell past and just slid off the edge of the road in the dark, but the Renault’s brakes were proving unequal to the task of dealing with the island roads. Four tests on the southern tip of the island followed where the wet and skitterish tarmac had an impact on panelwork as much as pride. Amongst them was another top local seed, Eddie O’Donnell locking up the Escort’s brakes, sliding off and getting a puncture. Thereafter he set about getting back into the top ten. Daniel Harper too had a puncture in the MINI, and like O’Donnell got the head down. There was work to be done this dark and dismal night. Fastest through the two brand new tests at Bunessan was Tony Bardy in the Nissan with John Cope and Tristan Pye giving the locals a hard time on roads they don’t know. Tim ‘Timo’ Stell, and Richard Cook on his first ever visit to the island, were on the case too as was Taylor, but in Ardtun, MacKinnon and Duffy were back at the top of the time sheets. Alan Gardiner limped out of Ardtun on a puncture, but that wasn’t his main worry: “The steering wheel has come loose,” as he waggled it about for scary effect to anyone who was looking! “I nearly had a bigger moment in there,” added Alan, I almost ran right into the back of Calum who was stopped where Eddie had gone off at the end of a straight!” Eddie looked a bit sheepish after it: “I didn’t realise the junction was so short, the car stalled and wouldn’t re-start.” Then on the eighth test running north up Gribun Rocks, ‘The Comet’s’ progress was eclipsed. The diff had broken in the Escort, Duffy was out. Taylor was still in trouble: “The brakes are OK on the short stages, but they disappear on the long ones, I had to slow down in there and use the hazards to warn folks catching me.” At the end of the first Leg, MacKinnon (55m 57s) had over a minute on Cope (59m 12s) with James MacGillivray third (60m 13s). “At the rate these boys are disappearing, it’ll either be me next, or I’ll win it,” joked MacGillivray. Prophetic words. Tony Bardy was next to go. After earlier gearbox problems, the Nissan’s engine failed, and he too joined the lengthening list of retirements. Leg 2 The second Leg in daylight was wet and dry, puddled and misty, but John Cressey wouldn’t know. The MINI’s clutch failed on the road section to the start. MacKinnon set off like Buzz Lightyear again but on the final stage of the afternoon, doubts arose: “It started missing badly,” said MacKinnon, “I had to switch it into safe mode to reach the finish.” MacGillivray had a lucky escape too: “I hit Dougi’s (Hall) wall in Ardtun. No damage, just my pride.” Tim Stell was another who was lucky: “I broke a wheel, but the tyre didn’t go down.” On the other hand, Phil Scholes in the Fiesta wasn’t quite so lucky: “I broke a driveshaft in Loch Scridain and had to do the next stage with one wheel drive.” Dave Hopwood’s MkII head butted a banking at a 90R in Ardtun and although the fan broke, the radiator was OK. It wasn’t just wet for the afternoon run, the stages were misty in places and conditions caused Curly Haigh to comment: “That Eddie O’Donnell has a screw loose. I thought I was going well in the conditions till he passed me in there. That was scary.” By the end of Leg 2/Stage 15, MacKinnon (1h 39m 37s) had opened up the gap by over 6 minutes to MacGillivray (1h 46m 44s) with Tristan Pye steadily picking away at MacGillivray’s lead on 1h 46m 57s. More impressively, Harper was back up to fourth place in the MINI while Eddie O’Donnell was also back in the top ten even with a 1 minute road penalty. There was no sign of John Cope though. The Impreza was parked up in the final stage of the afternoon with a snapped input shaft: “I went from fifth to ,” said John, “and it went – Bang!” Game over. It was the same story for Billy Bird, the Chevette was parked up in the same stage with a broken rear diff. As for young Taylor he was still going at it like a terrier with a stick: “I fried the brakes on the last one, again, and slid off into the hedge. Fortunately the spectators dragged us out.” Ah, the spectators, those ranks of sodden stalwarts manning the ditches and the dykes. Many folk were grateful for their persistence and their efforts. They also serve who only stand and watch. After changing the dampers on Friday night Bruce Edwards was back on song in what passed for daylight on Saturday afternoon, but had a tale to tell: “I aquaplaned at 100 mph in that last one. It was a BIG moment – it really got my attention.” Alan Gardiner had dropped back too. The MkI Escort was overheating on the final stage of the afternoon. Fingers crossed he started the first stage of Leg 3, then the temperature shot up, and he switched it off. Another one down. Leg 3 Meanwhile James MacGillivray, Tristan Pye and Daniel Harper were having a bit of a fraught time. When the communications went down on the east side of the island in the early hours, there were no times available for the drivers to compare so co-drivers were having to keep track as best they could. James said: “There are three of us going at basically the same pace, and since we can’t get any times, we’re just having to go as hard as we can.” It was a point shared by Tristan: “I can’t keep up with these guys in a Group N car, no matter how hard I try.” Harper had other things to worry about too: “The car was wandering all over the place in Loch Scridain and Gribun, a front balljoint and wishbone had worked loose.” O’Donell was still hard at it too: “I lost the brakes in Calgary,” said Eddie, “and was having to pump the pedal. That cost me a fair bit of time but with no times to check I just don’t know how far ahead Daniel is.” There seemed to be no stopping MacKinnon though - until the final stage in the early hours of Sunday morning. “It just died on me,” said Paul, “the misfire got worse, then lapsed on to 3 cylinders, it wouldn’t pull me up the hills.” He dropped 2 minutes to MacGillivray but reached the finish. An injector wire had broken. In full re-heat mode, Harper had overhauled Pye for third: “If I come back next year, it won’t be in a Group N car,” said Pye! O’Donnell too had set the damp heather ablaze finishing fifth just ahead of an impressive Jonathan Mounsey who had survived an excursion on the final stage, overshooting a corner on someone’s dropped oil. However, he managed to regain the road, despite a minute loss and retain his sixth place. Lewis Gallagher scored an excellent 7th place overall and there was relief etched on his face too: "This was my first time out in a new car - and I've got to give it back in one piece tomorrow!" Tim Stell was eighth ahead of Doug Weir who picked a sensible pace and stuck with it while Iain MacKenzie made up for last year's expensive 'deer ecounter' with s superb tenth overall in the Fiesta. There was more relief on MacKinnon’s face than pleasure at the end of 160 torrid miles: “I thought the game was up on the last one,” said Paul, “when it spluttered on three cylinders. I kept thinking it was just going to stop on me.” What was that Queen anthem again? – ‘Don’t stop me now.’ With his second victory under his belt MacKinnon the Younger only needs ten more to match ‘The ol’ Man’! Results: **** Full Results: www.FlyingFinish.co.uk |