Sunday 30 October 2011

Rally - Jock in Charge?

After two stages, Jock Armstrong leads the Galloway Hills, but for how long? He and Kirsty pushed the car into Service-In Control: "The fuel pump's not working," he gasped, "a wire melted!" It would appear that additional work needed done at service for he was almost late out and the car still wasn't sounding quite right, so finger crossed.

As for early rally leader Mark McCulloch: "That was p*sh in there," he said, "it was my own fault, I tried too hard and made too many mistakes. That was the first time I ever led a rally. The first stage no moments at all, and then all overt the place in the second."

So he's dropped to third with Jock on 18m 13s, from Steve Petch on 18m 35s who said: "This is the first time I've been here since 2001 - and that was in a Ford Ka," said the Hyundai WRC driver.

McCulloch is third on 18m 35s from Pat O'Connell 18m 58s with Chris Collie and Richard Dickson both on 19m 29s from Liam Regan on 19m 34s.

Jim Sharp is off in Cairn Edward and hasn't appeared at service although Fraser Wilson has. "We went off and were well stuck," said Fraser, "just panel damage and we would have stayed there but for the spectators. There was only a few at first then suddenly thoosands appeared |(at least 20!) and somehow managed to get us out."

Ian Paterson has had no boost for the first tewo stages, Stuart Paterson has a stuck thermostat and Allan MacDowall admitted to a "wee off" in the first stage, at the same place Shane McGirr went off in the Starlet although he too got back out and away.


Steve Petch had little to say at service as the car was fine, but his eyes went wide when he was talking about Jock's lines through the stages: "It's incredible to see Jock's line going into the corners - then they just disappear! He must be a full car's width off the road in some places. I came round some corners, and thought - where the 'f' has he gone!"

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