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Jaggy Bunnet's Rally Report - Monday 05 December 2011 UTS Cheviot Keith Knox Rally, Sunday 23rd October 2011 Cole Wins 'Water'burn The UTS Keith Knox Cheviot Stages Rally brought the REIS Asphalt Rally Championship to a close in a thrilling finale. Considering the fact that the top four positions had already been decided, spectators might have thought they were in for dull processional fare. No chance. This lot went at it like a horde of Scottish midges detecting succulent tourist flesh. Damian Cole and James Morgan won the event in their Ford Focus WRC from Stephen Simpson and Patrick Walsh in their Impreza WRC. After 89 miles of stages, the winners’ margin over second placed was a piddling 21 seconds. Unfortunately, there were only two Scottish crews in the top ten at the finish. Jim Sharp and Amy MacKinnon finished fifth and David Hardie and John McCulloch dropped from fourth overall to ninth place after a puncture on the last loop of tests. Mist and English drizzle shrouded the moors as the cars lined up for the first of the day’s 11 stages, although conditions did dry out a bit as the day progressed, and then only in places. There were still many damp and wet patches to catch out the unwary. Simpson made the best start, the Subaru WRC fastest over the first loop of two tests from the Impreza of Michael Glendinning. Cole could only manage a third and a fourth fastest: “The suspension and the tyres were too hard for the conditions,” said Cole, “but we’ll soften it off and change tyres for the next runs.” John Indri was third quickest in the second test demonstrating that solid progress is being made with the Darrian even in such difficult and changeable conditions. “We’ve raised the ride height to try and get the suspension to work the tyres harder so we can get heat into them,” said Indri, “the car is so light that it’s getting them up to temperature.” Equal sixth quickest on the second test was Peter Taylor in the Renault Clio, but he was reduced to the role of spectator in the next loop. “The tail end clipped a chicane bale, and it just whipped the car round and off into soft ground.” Cole’s times improved over that second loop, but not by enough. Simpson was still in charge but Glendinning equalled him on the fourth test, although it was Indri who set the quickest time on the same stage. Simon Mauger’s rally came to an abrupt end in here too. Driving Paul Benn’s Fiesta R2 for the first time he was already within touching distance of young Taylor’s pace: “It was my own fault,” said Mauger, “I misheard a Note. He (Brian Cammack) got it right, and I didn’t.” The car plunged straight off the road and bogged down. Like Taylor’s, undamaged, but stuck fast. Cole’s persistence was rewarded with fastest time on the fifth stage before the lunch halt with Indri and David Hardie both taking a second out of Simpson who had punctured a rear tyre. That allowed Glendinning to close the gap on the rally leader to one second, but Cole was only 3 seconds behind him! This frenetic four way fight continued after lunch but on the seventh test, Simpson punctured a front tyre and Glendinning swept into the lead, but it only lasted one more stage. On the uphill drag at the start of Stage 8, a loud bang was heard to come from the Subaru which coasted off the road. The gearbox had gone. Cole was now in the lead. David Hardie was now up to fourth place, but his Subaru punctured a tyre in the tenth test and he dropped 4 minutes. That allowed Andy Davison to move up to a heroic fourth place in the demonically driven BMW M3. By the end of the rally he was running out of ‘tank tape’ to hold wings and bumpers in place: “I keep clattering the corners on the bales with the old girl,” he grinned. With his nose in front, there was no catching Cole now and Simpson had to settle for second place with Indri third, but still well pleased with the Darrian’s progress: “We fitted a set of front tyres to the rear rims,” said Indri, “that made quite a difference. Roll on next year now.” Jim Sharp finished fifth having fitted new suspension to the Subaru ahead of this event: ”It’s much more settled over the bumps,” said Sharp, while Adrian Spencer was sixth despite banging a chicane bale and removing the Subaru’s front wing and bumper. George Mackey lost out on a top ten finish when the Lancer’s diff pump failed and so too did Richard Cook when the gear selector broke, while Richard John Clews took seventh place in his Subaru. Paul Swift was a subdued eighth overall and third two wheel drive car in his Escort MkII, with Hardie recovering to claim ninth ahead of Mark I’Anson in the tenth placed Lancer despite a moment on the grass which he thought was going to result in an expensive end to his rally. Cole therefore ended his season on a high, but there’s more to come: “The Focus is the best car I’ve had yet,” he said, “so I’m keeping it for next year – and see if I can make it three titles in a row.” The Classes Paul Banks was the sole runner in Class N1 in his Peugeot 106 as was Nick Jarvis in Class N2 in his Suzuki Swift. Richard John Clews took the N4 class in his Subaru from the similar car of Christopher Daykin, but Richard Cook lost out with a broken gear selector. Alex Laffey won Class A6 in his Fiesta R2 from the Fiat Punto of Rod Bennett with Simon Mauger failing to finish when his Fiesta left the road. Damian Cole took Class A8 from Stephen Simpson. Patrick Messer won Class B9 in his Peugeot 205 by just 11 seconds from Phil Morton in his Fiat X19. Andrew Irving was third in his 205 after sideswiping a chicane bale and Sian Beaty was fourth after puncturing a tyre in her Ford Ka. David Conley narrowly beat Barry Lindsay in Class B10. The Hillman Avenger driver indulging in a half spin on the 8th stage “playing to the gallery!” but staying ahead of the urgently driven Peugeot 106. Darren Underwood was third in his Nova on his first visit to Otterburn. Des Campbell was fourth but had to stop in the first stage to tighten the wheelnuts on a front wheel: “It was my own fault, I forgot to do it, can’t blame the lads.” Kevin Monaghan was in the hunt till he holed the sump on the penultimate test, Chris Singer broke a driveshaft and Graeme Smith went out on the first stage when the hub and wheel parted company with his Honda. Chris Anderson hung on to his Class B11 lead despite the return of a mysterious cutting-out problem in the Fiesta with the Astra of Ray Cummings second. Dave Seed was third, and nearly wasn’t at all, when the Escort got out of shape at a chicane and spun on to boggy ground. Thankfully spectators got him out. Edward Todd retired the GTM after numerous troubles culminating in a broken driveshaft and Alex McClelland’s Chevette blew all its water out of a burst hose, thankfully without engine damage. John Indri took Class B12 from Andy Davison and Jim Sharp won Class B13 from Adrian Spencer. Results: **** |