Rally - First Leg, Mull

A Night for giant killers …. Friday night was not a night for the fearful or the ungodly. As ever, the Beatsons Mull Rally served up a battlefield where giant-killers rode their skill and their luck. To call conditions treacherous is an understatement. It’s not just the rain that upsets predictions and hopes, it is where the water lies in hollows and verges or runs across the road in veritable streams – and usually in the wrong places. Like braking zones!

And yet, the front runners still manage to head the results, but not all of them. John MacCrone and Kirsty Riddick covered the 44 miles of water slicked tarmacery of Friday’s opening night tests in 41 and a half minutes. That’s not skill, that’s witchcraft. Fully a minute behind them were Colin O’Donoghue and Evan MacBride. I’m sure I saw a leprechaun cackling away merrily on the roof of the Escort in hot pursuit of the witches’ four wheeled broom but only 8 seconds behind them were Hugh Hunter and Andy Marchbank heading up the ‘old guard’.

In fourth place was a Rally4 car, the Opel Corsa of Luke Constantine and Ifan Devine and there was another Rally4 car in the top ten with Ross Hunter and Chris Dodds in the Peugeot holding 8th place, but putting in a demon drive (yet again) was the old school Peugeot 206 of ‘Dangerous’ Des Campbell and Rhys Donaldson.
 
And this is where the real magic of Mull makes itself known, and it’s not just about the machinery its about the men and women inside the projectiles. In 18th place overall are Daniel Harper and Chris Campbell – in a Mini. Not one of those giant german sausage tin MINIs, but a real, genuine British Leyland Mini – just like the car in which he finished 10th overall on this event exactly 30 years ago!

And what about Junior 1000 Graduate Ollie Forrester, first time on Mull in his new Citroen C2. The first time he’s seen real rain and terrifying darkness. He and Chloe Fleming lie just outside the top 20 in 21st place. Marvellous, absobluidylutely marvellous! There’s another young Junior 1000 graduate showing well too with number 99 seeds Ruan Lowry and Ian McRae holding 60th place in the 125 car field.

Top lady at this stage, and she is a rally driver, not just a ‘lady’ rally driver is Sarah Hunter (that’s her big brother in the top ten!) who is holding 28th place with James Braithwaite. No real surprise there given her proven pace on Irish events this past year! And there’s the wee Rover Metro of Innes and Kirsty Mochrie skipping over the puddles to finish the first Leg inside the top 50 in 47th place and looking more like CalMac’s Loch Frisa when it encounters some of the more watery sections!

And that’s what Mull is all about, the people and personalities, so keep an eye out too for Iain ‘’Phooey the Fireman’ Noble in the 121 Avenger, Marc McCubbin on his first Mull with a 1 litre Junior (although Marc’s certainly no ‘Junior’!) Challenge car running car 129 and Cammy Fair, the co-driver turned driver, in his new Nova running car number 90 – but pick your own favourites and follow their fortunes – or misfortunes!!

And what of Fergus Barlow? At the shakedown yesterday, his rally hopes took a dive when a death rattle was heard from under the bonnet. The search was on for an engine or a car, and in the end a bright red Historic spec Escort Mk2 was sourced from Stirling and sent northwards. At close of play last night, Fergus and Heather MacCrone running with the number 135 on the door were holding 12th place overall – first time out in a completely different car!

Provisional Top Ten after Leg 1:
1, John MacCrone/Kirsty Riddick, 41m 30.8s
2, Colin O'Donoghue/Evan MacBride, 42m 32.2s
3, Hugh Hunter/Andy Marchbank, 42m 40.1s
4, Luke Constantine/Ifan Devine, 42m 55.15s
5, Jonathan Mounsey/Richard Wardle, 43m 41.2s
6, Stephen Thompson/Larry Higton, 44m 06.5s
7, Des Campbell/Rhys Donaldson, 44m 11.7s
8, Ross Hunter/Chris Dodds, 44m 13.2s
9, James Hall/Laura Stone, 44m 31.2s
10, Owen Paterson/Catrin Price, 44m 38.0s

Booktique roadtrip

Thought I'd break the long and arduous road trip north with a short scenic cruise aboard the luxurious 'Inner Hebridean Disco Princess' which offers a full zero calory range of nowt and nae drink but has a huge outdoor freshwater pool for bathing in the all inclusive price.

Rally - Planning ahead

Planning a long and arduous road trip requires considerable thought and research. As such, suitable enriching fortification is an essential requirement both before, during, and after such a demanding undertaking. With that in mind any traveller contemplating such a gruelling endeavour must ensure adequate supplies of nutritious foodstuffs to last, not just the pre-event planning, but the long trip itself utilising its mix of highways, byways and former drove roads.

Then there is the added hazard of the risky sea crossings across the whirlpool of the ‘Narrows of Corran’ followed by the Atlantic current running through the ‘Sound of Mull’ where the carrier of choice, CalMac, ferries boatloads of people wearing anoraks with hoods. An added hazard here may also include having to deal with the intervention of Police, Border Control and Island Immigration Officers although the RNLI can be relied upon to intervene and ensure safe passage.

In other words a road trip to the Isle of Mull is no piece of cake hence the need for careful consideration and planning. Fortunately, the source of such sustenance can easily be acquired once the border with SouthLand has been crossed into NorthLand in any number of retail stores and food banks across the land.

And if there is a shortage – perhaps the blame can be laid at my door. I’ve got mine, have you got yours?

https://fife-motor-sports-agency.square.site/

Rally - Mull bound

The Book-tique is heading to Mull next Friday 9th October, but only for the day. First ferry over in the morning and an evening ferry back home. Unfortunately, a full weekend is just a bit out of reach these days. The Doc was told it was just a wee day trip to deliver some orders, but I didn’t quite get around to telling him the destination was Tobermory, and he didn’t ask!

The plan is to set up somewhere near Scrutineering which this year is back in the Distillery yard and I’ll publish a wee fotie with details once I get there so the Book-tique will be easily found.

I’ve got some orders for collection but I’ll also have copies of all the other books as well as copies of ‘Murmurs on Mull’. This book actually takes up from where Brian Molyneux’s book finishes. The late founder of the Mull Rally published two books, the second an update of the first, and covers the period 1969 to 1993 with ‘Murmurs on Mull’ taking the story from 1993 to 2010.

However it has to be said, and potential readers warned, that the style and content of the ‘MoM’ volume is rather different from the academic, erudite and detailed storytelling of the original documentaries as written by the original and genuine authority on the subject, whereas the current story extension wasn’t!

In fact the ‘MoM’ volume is comprised entirely of the FULL set of the ‘MullMurmurs’ on-event bulletins which were composed and typed on to stencils during the rally itself and then run off on a duplicator in the back of a van before the hurriedly printed bulletins were handed to ‘Bulletin Bill’ and his sundry collection of press-ganged cohorts for distribution around the island – and all accomplished while the rally was underway!

Unfortunately, the author of the original Mull Rally books which told the story of ‘the Best Rally in the World’ declined to update the history any further and so in the absence of intellect, common sense and expert insight this 1993-2010 update relied entirely on the compilation of the on-event bulletins as invented, composed and written by the feverish mind of one Jaggy Bunnet Esq.

No-one is quite sure who this character was (is?) such was his fleeting presence at various locations around the rally route and in the pubs (fuelled by the Salen Hotel’s steak pie – thanks Gerry) compiling the gossip, scandals, tales, fibs and occasional rally facts into some sort of informative medium. Remember this was in the days before pocket sized computers, compact dot matrix printers and mobile telephones which could send and receive messages without having to sprachle up nearby hills in search of a signal.

In fact, the introductory chapter in this book details how the job was done while the reproduction of the bulletins themselves in this 350 page (yes, really!) book tells the story of the rally as it was at the time recalling the sights, sounds, smells and weather as events actually happened.

In fact, I have been told by an authoritative source (?) that it provides the most evocative commentary on events as they happened.

So for one day only, the Book-tique will be on Mull and open from 9.00 am (ish) to 5.00 pm (ish) on Friday 9th October somewhere near Scrutineering. Just look for the red Transit and I’ll try and put my flag up as well !!

https://fife-motor-sports-agency.square.site/

Book - On schedule

Print run done …. ‘The Scottish Rally Championship 2010-2019’ book is now in print! It’s still far from finished though as the sheets will have to be guillotined and then bound with hard cover added, but it is still on schedule for the November launch.

Speaking of the launch there will be a couple of changes for this year’s ‘do’. Firstly it will be in a new (but nearby) venue and secondly it will be a wee bit more low key this time. The first one was pretty much just a basic car club get-together albeit with hunners more folk in attendance! The second one had attracted a few stars including Arthur Gallacher who had dragged his M-Sport boss up to the Coltness ‘country club’ for a night-out and then the third one turned into an even more formal ‘Rally Forum’ when more guests turned up and the ‘Larkhall Foghorn’ had to be pressed into service as MC.

Anyway, the idea is to get back to basics, folk can just come and go as they wish, and have a natter (or not) with like minded folks. No timetable and no guest list, so there’s no need to be there for a certain time while later arrivals won’t miss anything. Having said that, someone might just get up at some point during the evening and utter a few words, but really no formal plans are being laid.

Things just got a wee bit out of hand over the past two years, so no expectations this time, just a chance for a natter and an opportunity to get a book ahead of the Christmas rush. More details and directions will follow.

https://fife-motor-sports-agency.square.site/

#ScottishRally #RallyScotland
#MotorsportBooks

Rally - Those were the days

 

They might need to dig out and dust down the old transporter – if they can find it !!

Rally - Good news for WRC!

 They’re back …. And coming to a Cumbria near you! About bluidy time too !!