That's the main headline report from the Mach1 Stages Rally now in the on-line mag. A great event by all accounts, not just long stages, but according to those who competed, the Dunfermline Car Club organising team had made good use of the huge facility's taxiway and perimeter roads to create really challenging stages.
Class roundup to follow.
By the way, it's a lo-ong report:
http://www.jaggybunnet.co.uk/2021/07/18-jul-mach1-stages-main-report/
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A full report from the opening round of the Junior 1000 Championship at Machrihanish has now been published in the on-line mag:
http://www.jaggybunnet.co.uk/2021/07/18-jul-mach1-stages-juniors/
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However, I hope the family will forgive me for an observation regarding the adjoining photograph. Those are not clouds. They are in fact great puffs of stoor being blown out of the pipes after months of inactivity as Andrew warmed up ahead of a medley of foot tapping, soul stirring tunes.
Mind you I bet there was someone else up there keeping an eye on proceedings, enjoying the music and appreciative of the 'smoke signals'. Aye, it was awfy guid tae be back.
Full rally report will follow shortly - see previous story!
Ten months ago attentions were distracted and priorities changed. Fortunately, or unfortunately, rallying itself had been somewhat disrupted, so in fact my Big Pal was able to cope with a most dutiful and grandfatherly response.
However, now that rallying has (almost) resumed the big chap is trying to accommodate both roles. The wee chap's Mum (formerly known as Baby Bunnet) is due to resume work after maternity leave so the grandparents will be called into even more regular action. Let the mayhem commence.
Anyway, onwards and upwards, the report is well underway with news of new cars, new hopes and new ambitions.
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| Left to Right: Alistair, Gordon, Colin and Calum |
Completing the podium line-up were Tom Blackwood and Gordon Winning with 4th placed Ian Forgan and Chris Lees completing the Fiesta R5 domination.
Overnight leader Derek McGarrity struck trouble on the second stage this morning. “I’ve chipped a tooth in 2nd gear,” he explained, “It’s happened before so I knew what was wrong, so to save the ‘box I just selected 3rd and drove it out of the stage.”
That left Inglis in the lead but Morrison’s bid to close the gap was thwarted twice this morning when he was baulked by two competitors he was catching.
Bruce Edwards was the first non Ford home finishing 5th in the flame spitting Darrian with Kyle Adam scoring an impressive 6th overall in the Escort Mk2.
And just when Ian Paterson thought he was going to score a top ten finish in his Subaru, the gearbox let go – again. No doubt the air inside the car was a deeper blue than the paintwork.
Morrison was the first to shake Inglis’ hand at the finish, well nearly, he remembered his social distancing just in time, but congratulated him on his win.
“That was a cracking day’s sport,” said Inglis, “it was balls out stuff. The brakes are so good on these cars that the brain wants to brake long before the brakes do!”
Provisional Leaderboard (after 12 of 12 stages)
1, Inglis/Inglis, 97m49s
2, Morrison/MacPherson, 98m 11s
3, Blackwood/Winning, 99m 20s
4, Forgan/Lees, 99m 32s
5, Edwards/Smith, 101m 04s
6, Adam/Brown, 102m 04s
7, Bradley/Crozier, 102m 40s
8, Fitzelle/Mason, 103m 25s
9, Dalgleish/Dalgleish, 103m 31s
10, McQuillan/Turnbull, 103m 59s
Full results on: scotresults.co.uk
Second time out in a Fiesta R5, Alistair Inglis has adapted surprisingly quickly; “It’s so easy to slide,” he said, “and if it starts to slide too far you just press the accelerator harder and it pulls itself straight.”
Gordon Morrison might have posed more of a threat to the leaders had he not spun off on the first stage of the day: “My own fault, I just got a rear wheel on the grass and the tail stepped out and I slid off into a ditch. I thought that was it but we got it out OK.”
Tom Blackwood is going well and was lying 3rd till Morrison reeled him in, and first time out in his Fiesta R5 Ian Forgan is 5th, but very lucky. He got a puncture on SS5 and stopped to change it, but the stage was red flagged and he was given a notional time, so he’s still in the running!
Bruce Edwards is the first non Ford holding 6th place in his Darrian ahead of the mighty impressive Kyle Adam in the Mk2 who’s giving it big licks around this vast facility at Machrihanish. John Bradley is 25 secs behind in another Mk2, the Paterson brothers 9th and the Dalgleish brothers 10th.
As for the red flag that was caused by Lee Hastings’ Subaru which had an underbonnet fire but the crew are OK although the car was towed back to service. Greg Inglis was having a front hub changed at service and Barry Groundwater lost out when the pulley driving the steering pump and the water pump sheared off the engine.
The cause of John Rintoul’s retirement was a PDU failure, the sensor which controls the power delivery to the four wheel drive system. Derek McGarrity said his son has a spare and John can have it. Naturally John said yes, thinking it was in the van, but Derek said no, it was back home in Northern Ireland. So guess what, Derek is flying John over to NI this evening in his helicopter to collect the part and fly back. But Derek needs parts too. Even so, ain’t rally camaraderie wonderful? And there’s another 4 stages tomorrow.
Provisional Leaderboard (after 8 of 12 stages)
1, McGarrity/Robinson, 42m 47s
2, Inglis/Inglis, 42m 50s
3, Morrison/MacPherson, 43m 10s
4, Blackwood/Winning, 43m 18s
5, Forgan/Lees, 44m 07s
6, Edwards/Smith, 44m 25s
7, Adam/Brown, 44m 35s
8, Bradley/Crozier, 45m 00s
9, Paterson/Paterson, 45m 04s
10, Dalgleish/Dalgleish, 45m 16s
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| Inglis 2nd |
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| Morrison 3rd |
