McKinstry takes the biscuit after Bulldog
Ulsterman leaves rivals baffled as he outclasses the field
BULLDOG RALLY - David Evans
THERE was Ulster domination on Saturday’s Bulldog Rally. Nobody could hold a candle to Kenny McKinstry and Mark Fisher who romped home in their respective Subaru Impreza 555s.
There was no easing your way into this final ANCRO National Rally Series round of the season. Crews faced the daunting task of an 18-miler through Hafren at 08.30 in the morning. This was one to sort the men from the boys - and it did.
35s faster than Fisher, who had Gordon Noble reading the notes.
“Everything just clicked,” said Kenny at the end of the test. “We were going hard, but not silly I wanted to have a good go in there to see what we could do.”
Fisher admitted he'd been caught napping. “I was over cautious. You can’t give that sort of an advantage away on the first stage.”
The rest of the field were agog at the frontrunner’s pace. Roger Duckworth and Mark Broomfield were third quickest in their Impreza 555.
“I was going to say I felt a bit rusty.” said Duckworth. “But I can’t use that excuse - Kenny hasn’t been out much lately either.”
Mark Perrott/Garry Mansell were excused. They had posted a I time just four seconds shy of Duckworth in their Gp N Mitsubishi ,Lancer E5. Perrott proved how quick he is these parts when he held second overall, on. the Vauxhall Rally of Wales at the start of the season. As the year progressed he proved he'd lost; none of his flair, and proceeded to; show the rest the way home.
Vince Wetton and Joff Haigh managed fifth fastest but the Gp A Lancer was making some worrying noises.
“There’s a problem with the propshaft,” explained Wetton. “There’s loads of vibrations, coming from it, but it’s still connected and we’re still getting four-wheel drive.’
Andy Burton had installed Aled Davies in his Peugeot Cosworth for the day, but the recently crowned BTRDA Silver Star champion was struggling. More than minute down on McKinstry something was amiss.. Two stages later the Cosworth engine let go and he was out.
Fisher nicked four seconds out of McKinstry on SS2. Arriving in Dolgellau for first service, he admitted there was more to do.
At 27 miles, the next two stages in Dyfiant and Gartheiniog were crucial. The treacherously slippery surface, which had lined Hafren, would be replaced by drier and more flinty roads in the brace of mid-Welsh tests coming up.
McKinstry and Fisher tied through the Dyfi, each stopping the clocks on 12m 43s. Duckworth was next up. 14s adrift.
The leader emerged from the ensuing stage with a front-right puncture, however.
“We didn't hit anything." he said, “It was at the end of a really long straight. We’d been down the straight with the shift light on in sixth gear for ages. The moment I stood on the brakes for the next corner, she was away The car was all over the road trying to slow it down, tor the bend.”
Fisher had caught a slower car with two miles of the test remaining and could only manage second quickest behind Duckworth but cut Kenny’s advantage at the top of the time sheets to 12s.
“We dropped about 15s behind the car on stage four said Mark “It’s going to be close through these last three stages but if I can tidy my driving up; bit think we can have a go.
Have a go he did, taking four out of McKinstry in the first use of the Aberhirnant stage near Bala for some years.
The outgoing Mintex champion has seen all this before though. A seasoned and wily campaigner; McKinstry devastated his rival in the penultimate stage. Through the nine miles of Penllyn, he was 16s up.
“I chose the right tyres in there, ’' he said. “It was quite muddy and we’d taken the more open-pattern Pirelli. It worked really well. After Mark had taken the time on the one before, I was determined to have another go in there.”
Despite his 24s-lead, McKinstry went quickest again on the last one, to arrive at the Shrewsbury finish 30s ahead.
“If it wasn’t interesting enough, that puncture this morning made it even more so,” said the winner, who added the Bulldog to his previous Granite City and Manx wins this year. “It’s just a shame we had to miss the Kerridge, otherwise the championship might have been more interesting. The car’s been excellent today and we’ve had a good time.
Second-placed Fisher said: “I don’t know if we took the wrong tyres in the last but one stage,” he said. “But Kenny was quick. Okay; 1 wanted to win, but I’ve got out in conditions similar to those we’ll get on Network Q Rally GB, so from that perspective it’s been good.”
Duckworth took the final podium place, still slightly mystified at the pace of the boys ahead.
“On some of the Manx stages we weren’t that far away from Kenny.' he said. “Then on the Enterprise we were equal with Mark, but they seemed to pick it up. I don’t know why. Maybe it was just me."
Perrott survived a late puncture scare to claim GpN and fourth.
“We got a flat tyre on the road section he said “We changed without losing any time but dropped back little bit on the road.'
Jones and Ryland James enjoyed i trouble-free day in their ex-All Stars Impreza 555. The car ran faultlessly and Jones’s only drama was catching a car in the first test of the day The Welshmen started the day sixth, but moved past Wetton with fourth fastest time in Dyfi.
Wetton brought his Lancer home just eight seconds behind Jones. The transmission problem had remained all day and caused a few moments along the way
He said: “On some of those long straights, where we were flat-out, I kept thinking: “I hope it doesn’t break here."
Mechanical problems had hit others hard, too Trackrod Rally winners Warren Philliskirk/ Eurig Evans suffered a broken centre diff in their Metro 6R4 - but managed to get home, albeit 25th overall, while last year ’s Bulldog winners Gary Smith/Phil Clarke, couldn’t have had a bigger contrast to 12 months earlier in their Escort Cosworth.
“The oil cooler fell off on SS1,” said Smith “Things went from bad. to worse Last year [had the luck, this year I’ve had none. ”
Gary Mid winter/Martin Saunders were an untroubled seventh, in their Escort WRC, with Guy Robinson and Huw Lewis enjoying a similarly quiet run one place behind in their Escort Cosworth David Humphreys/Ian Pryce (Lancer E6) overcame an early 8 puncture and intercom failure to take second in Gp N and ninth overall, while GpA Lancer new boys Charlie Payne/Craig Thorley rounded off the top ten. It was a shame recently crowned ANCRO Champion Marcus Dodd wasn’t around in his Impreza WRC. The pace of Ulster’s finest might have given the Englishman something to think about.
Classes
Roberts misfires but battles back to take third
FFESTINIOG driver John Roberts brought his recently-built Lancer E6 to third overall in one of the most competitive Gp N classes in a while.
Roberts and co-driver Steve Griffith had battled against an early misfire to make it to the end. Julian Reynolds was out for some pre-Rally Australia practice in his Lancer E4, finishing just four seconds behind with Richard Skinner alongside.
Seventh in class was enough for David Mann/Alun Cook to clinch this year’s GpN ANCRO title.
Graham Middleton/John Morgan were top two-wheel-drive runners in their ex-works Hyundai Coupe kit car. The former national champion was slowed by a broken anti-roll bar from the second stage onwards, nevertheless he managed a top-20 finish in what were far from ideal two-wheel-drive conditions.
Just 24 seconds behind Middleton came the first of the Mk2 Escorts. Robin Bradbury and Peter Thomas took B11 despite a flying pairing of Phil Collins and Howard Davies earlier in the day. When the latter were side lined with transmission trouble, Bradbury took the laurels.
“We had a misfire on the second stage,” said Bradbury. “Apart from that, the only problem was consistent bad tyre choices.”
John Ashton/Mark Lewis (Ford Escort) were the masters of B10, with Phil and Mick Squires overcoming a huge moment on SS4 to place their similar car second in class.
Neil Collins/James Phillips (Ford Escort kit car) survived wiper failure and major gearbox problems to claim second in A6 behind Middleton, while Dave and Pamela Hull (Vauxhall Astra) took a 30-second N2 win from Skip Green/Martyn Allen (Rover 220).
The N1 honours went to Kathryn and Paul Heath in their Skoda Felicia.