Expect the Unexpected
Rally Report of the 2000 Tour of Mull -
by Jaggy Bunnett
Rain falls downwards from the sky, roads are safe stretches of tarmac on
which to drive and the pubs shut at 11:00 pm. Yeah, right! Only those who have
never been to the Island of Mull will believe that.
Last year's Philips Tour of Mull Rally earned itself another title. Sweden
may have its 'Rally of a 1,000 Lakes', Mull had its 'Rally of a Million
Puddles'. Over on the west coast of the island the rain was coming horizontally
off the Atlantic Ocean, the roads were too wet for boats and the pubs didn't
close at 11. At 3:00 am, rally fans were celebrating Callum and Hugh Duffy's
second victory on the island in MacGochan's - with nothing stronger than
lead-free cola and vitamin c-charged juice, of course. Yeah right!
It was the third wettest Mull rally on record, even so few would have bet
against Neil MacKinnon and Mike Stayte in the Kenny McKinstry prepared Subaru
Impreza. It was a car they knew well over roads they knew better than the route
from the MacDonald Arms to the Mishnish, and MacKinnon had won this event nine
times in the past. Rain, hail, ice or shine, MacKinnon has triumphed when the
island was at its worst, and its best.
On the other hand, Callum and Hugh Duffy had only won it once before in 1998
in a rear wheel drive Mark 2 Ford Escort, and there they were last year, first
time out in a four wheel drive, turbocharged Mitsubishi Lancer.
At the end of Leg 1, MacKinnon led Duffy. At the end of Leg 2, MacKinnon led
Duffy, but at the end of Leg 3, the one that counted, Duffy led MacKinnon. 28
seconds separated the twosome after 152 miles of Special Stages. Even the
Network Q RAC couldn't match that, after a mere 236 miles, Richard Burns' margin
over Marcus Gronholm was a whopping 65.6 seconds. Well, you know what I mean,
I'm entitled to a bit of journalistic licence.
Making it a clean sweep for the locals was Andy Knight in third place with
the first of the two wheel drive cars, a Ford Escort RS2000 Kit Car ahead of two
Vauxhall Astras, Daniel Harper who scored his best result on the island with
fourth place ahead of John Cressey who had managed to shake off the pursuit of
his fan club groupies - their bus got stuck leaving the Blue Rinse Retreat.
Sixth place should never have been allowed. Anyone who saw John and Paula
Swinscoe's MkII close up will understand. These two should be locked up. Their
Ford Escort in works-Rothmans livery was a veritable feast for rally starved
eyes. It was just so clean, tidy and gloriously minted it should have been on
display, not thrashed around an island within an inch of its shiny life. Thank
goodness it finished intact, otherwise they might have been done for grievous
bodily harm.
Stuart McQueen was 7th in his Lancer ahead of the similar car of Roger Binyon
with James MacGillivray top of the 1600cc class in his Corsa in 9th place ahead
of Mark Jasper's Escort Cosworth, but they were the lucky ones, they got a
result.
Of the 150 cars which left the Tobermory start only 78 reached the finish.
The 31st Philips Tour of Mull lived up to its reputation. Yes indeed it is the
best rally in the world, but it's also one of the toughest. This second longest
stage rally in Britain (I mentioned the other slightly longer one earlier on -
but it lacks the appeal, the charisma, the close competition, the camaraderie
and the hospitality of this one, otherwise it's fairly good). In other words
almost half the entry went home with bent and broken motor cars.
One of the first to depart the spray, oops, I meant fray, was Dougi Hall.
Second last year, the 2.4 Escort failed to swim out of stage 8 after doing a
swallow dive into retirement on Mishnish Lochs. At least he got further than
Callum Guy, his Astra was left blowing bubbles in the first stage. Steve Smith
retired when he beached the Subaru - the other side of a dry stone dyke, and
Martin Healer's Escort chomped its gearbox to bits and the exuberant Willie
Bonniwell not only skelped the rocks at Dervaig once, he did it twice. Only one
flaw. He did it right the second time and the Escort was too sore to continue.
But if you think the guys at the front had it all their own way, James
MacGillivray stopped in the very first stage dropping 5 minutes to change a
puncture, and he still won the class and finished in the top ten. Callum Duffy
broke a rear suspension arm on the third stage and finished the test with the
Lancer "dragging its ar*e along the ground". Then on the long stage on
Saturday night a shock absorber broke on the long test - when he was flat out in
5th. "It was the biggest moment of my life," recalled Callum, "I
was going from lock to lock until a tree loomed out of the darkness, banged the
tail, and straightened us up." And all without lifting, I would have paid a
month's wages to have seen that!
But the biggest fright of the night befell Doug Weir and Duncan Brown. The
Nova kissed the barrier at Dervaig and flipped over it - into the sea, coming to
rest upside down in the water. As ever, straight out of Baywatch, the marshals
were right in there helping out and even pushed the car back on to dry land
where our two intrepid heroes got it fired up and went on their way - minus
windows and lights, Duncan leaning out of the door with a torch shining on the
verge. Nutters, every last one of them.
As for the Marshals, well they were wet anyway, they couldn't have gotten any
wetter wading in to help the guys. By goad it was wet and you have to marvel at
the sheer stubborn-ness and lunacy of these volunteer officials who rocked
gently at anchor at their posts throughout two nights and one afternoon of rally
power boating. The only difference that daylight made was they could see the
rain!
And just when the finish line is in sight and all is well with the world with
a top ten finish flashing tantalisingly before your eyes, spare a thought for
George MacDonald and Paul Kirtley. With a surefire top ten finish in prospect
after a night of horrors, MacDonald's Sunbeam punctured and Kirtley's Impreza
blew a turbo. Now that's torture.
For sure, it won't be as wet this year as it was last year, it can't be, not
two years in a row. So here's to good weather on the 2001 Philips Tour of Mull -
but you know something, I can't help thinking 'expect the unexpected!' But then,
that's what the "Best Rally In The World" is all about.
Jaggy Bunnett
September 2001
