Murmur 8

Mull Murmur 8 (Click HERE for Printer Friendly Format)

- published on the island, during the event by Jaggy Bunnet

MullMurmurs – Chapter 8

Provisional Leaderboard after 19 (of 19 stages):

1 Calum Duffy/Del Duffy (Ford Escort MkII)                     2 Hr 26 Mins 06 Secs
2 James MacGillivray/Ian Fraser (Subaru Impreza)         2.27.40s
3 John Cope/Tony Cope (Subaru Impreza WRC)          2.28.57s
4 John Swinscoe/Paul Swinscoe (Mitsubishi Lancer)      2.32.57s
5 Paul Kirtley/Jon Geldart (Subaru Impreza)                    2.33.49s
6 David Taylor/Mark Andrews (Subaru Impreza)              2.34.29s
7 Billy Bird/Plug Pulleyn (Mitsubishi Lancer)                     2.34.54s
8 Martin Healer/Shaun O’Gorman (Ford Escort WRC)    2.35.26s
9 Pat Johnson/Graham Harper (Subaru Impreza)            2.35.42s
10 Frosty Smart/Carl Swinnerton (Mitsubishi Lancer)      2.36.13s

The battle’s over – for another year, Calum and Del Duffy scored their fourth win on the 35^th Philips Tour of Mull. “After last year I really wanted that,” said Calum, “back to back wins in the Escort.”

But for a while it looked in doubt: “I got my confidence back after the first two tonight. I took it steady on the long Tuath/Calgary test and then went for it on the Lochs. If the engine was going to go I thought it would have gone there, and it didn’t The oil pressure isn’t right and I think the engine is damaged, but I felt it was going to last the final three stages.”

Even so, he couldn’t relax: “I was listening for every wee noise and had one eye on the pressure gauge all the way.”

It was a good result for James MacGillivray and Ian Fraser too: “We changed the turbo after the afternoon run,” said James, “and the whole left rear corner after our clatter on Calgary, so the car was fine tonight but there was no catching the man at the front.”

The ‘Cope twins’ were third: “Going into the final stage we were dead level with Tony Bardy We had taken 8 seconds out of him on Scridain and he took 8 back on Gribun so we were dead level at the start of the final stage and then he put it off.”

He wasn’t the only one. Daniel Harper lost out on 5^th place when the MINI landed on the beach on Gribun. He had been complaining about a bouncy rear end, and maybe he was trying just a shade too hard, whatever, the car ended up on the beach and Daniel was needing help before the tide came in and swept the car out to sea! Tony Bardy went off on the Hill Road, sliding off on a L into R12 and bang went a potential 3^rd place – but that’s rallying. Billy Bird was a shade more fortunate. He punctured on the final stage but drove out to conserve his 7^th place behind a delighted John Swinscoe, Paul Kirtley, still struggling with lack of brakes, and David Taylor. Rounding off the top ten were Martin Healer, Pat Johnson achieving his aim of a top ten finish and Frosty Smart, both relieved and delighted. The weather was goodf all weekend but the action was even better!

That’s all for now, look out for the after rally round-up.

Keep up to date with: www.2300club.org and tune in to Oban FM on 103.3.

Yer auld pal, Jaggy Bunnet, MacGochans, Tobermory, 2.00 am Sunday.