Final results 13.30 11th October: It’s a 5th win for the Dervaig Duffys. When the Halls’ punctures yesterday took them from 1st to 10th (they finished in 8th), leaving the Duffy’s to inherit the lead, there was nobody to touch them.

A big success story further down the top ten was 50th seed Shaun Sinclair finishing 7th.

Group N was won by Tristan Pye in 6th place; the 1600 class went to Iain MacKenzie in 14th; and the 1400 class was taken by Andy Knight, finishing in 16th.

The final positions in this 40th Tunnock’s Tour of Mull (previous placings in brackets) were:

• 1: Duffy / Duffy (1)
• 2: McGillivray / Fraser (2)
• 3: Harper / Campbell (4)
• 4: Cope / Fagg (3)
• 5: Bardy / Smith (5)
• 6: Pye / Falconer (6)
• 7: Sinclair / Hamill (8)
• 8: Hall / Hall (10)
• 9: Sisson / Stone (7)
• 10: Sherrington / Bould (9) 

Update 8.00pm 10th October: What a difference a day makes. The big story is that overnight leader and event favourite, Paul MacKinnon and Ewan MacGillivray are out. A cross between an off and a muddle did for them – and came closing to doing for Dervaig’s Callum and Iain Duffy as well.

MacKinnon had an off and the Marshalls were directing him on reversing back out. For whatever reason, MacKinnon kept on coming out as the Duffys were going past and hit the tail end of their Mk2 Escort – luckily only the bodywork. MacKinnon then failed to make it to final Control so is out.

Other top contenders had their troubles too. Dougi Hall hit a drive shaft on Tuath and described the Mitsubishi Lancer’s handling afterwards as more like a three-wheeler. Despite this, at that stage the Halls went into the lead and looked like overnight certs. Then two punctures saw them plummet from first to tenth. A hard position to come back from tomorrow.

There was sudden heavy rain at Calgary – seeing John Cope at least get through it on slicks and James McGillivray congratulate himself on being on soft tyres at the time. Sherrington’s wipers couldn’t cope in this rainstorm and he was blinded – but still managed to get into the top ten. The other top ten entrant tonight is Shaun Sinclair – in 8th and in spite of a 360 spin on oil on the Hill Road.

The second of last night’s top ten to drop down the rankings were Pattison and Whittaker – with no fewer than three punctures this afternoon, knocking seven bells out of their times.

A Mull farmer did the island no favours in being unhelpful to the point where the Gribun stage (16) for tomorrow has had to be cancelled.

Last night there were hairy moments with cows wandering the road in this section. Rally organisers contacted the farmer to ask if he would be prepared to move his cattle to another field for the time being, to secure the stage tomorrow. He wasn’t. And safety issues must prevail.

If this guy thinks he’s scored a famous victory he should ask himself exactly who or what he’s defeated. His island, maybe?

As the Cowal Tourism Forum recently nailed – tourism is everybody’s business. The Tour of Mull Rally is crucial to Mull’s local economy. Is the farmer in question capable of providing this sort of support from his own resources? Think on.

Anyway, the top ten leaderboard tonight (last night’s position in brackets) is:

• 1: Duffy / Duffy (3)
• 2: McGillivray / Fraser (6)
• 3: Cope / Fagg (5)
• 4: Harper / Campbell (4)
• 5: Bardy / Smith (8)
• 6: Pye / Falconer (10)
• 7: Sisson / Stone (9)
• 8: Sinclair / Hamill (11) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9
• 9: Sherrington / Bould (13) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4
• 10: Hall / Hall (2)

Saturday 10th October 8.00am: Proof of the extent of the Tour of Mull’s fanbase is that its website has been log-jammed out. (See below for temporary arrangemnts the 2300 Club has made).

The big news is that the favourite, Paul MacKinnon and new co-driver, Ewan MacGillivray, in the Subaru Impreza and on a steady-as-she-goes strategy, held the lead from the start and finished the night in pole from 112 entrants. (Friday 9th October).

• Second are the Halls in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9; then the Duffys, third, in the Mk2 Escort.
• Fourth are Harper and Campbell in the BMW Mini Cooper S, with Cope and Fagg fifth in the Subaru Impreza WRC.
• Sixth are MacGillivray and Fraser in their Mk2 Escort, with Pattison and Whittaker seventh in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6.
• Eighth are Bardy and Smith in the Nissan Sunny GTI R, wtih Sisson and Stone ninth in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9.
• And in tenth are Pye and Falconer in the Subaru Impreza N175.

Here’s a quick summary of events across the night’s stages:

• Neil MacKinnon and Mike Stayte are out after had a heavy off in their Subaru in Glen Aros on Stage 4. They were taken to hospital in Salen as a precaution and kept in overnight for observation but are not thought to be in any trouble.
• All the drivers agreed that the Tobermory town speical stage was ‘slippy’ and a ‘bit of fun’. (Some descriptions were more colourful.)
• Dave Hopwood’s car had a flat battery, had to get a jump start and did the first stage without spots.
• The O’Donnell twins told Mull Murmurs that the hardest thing was passing the MacDonald Arms without going in for a pint.
• John Cressey went out with a broken gearbox n his Mini and John MacCrone went out after he came off in his Honda Civic.
• Paul Kirtley had a turbo pipe blow off in SS3.
• Jim McDowell had his gearknob come off in his hand (no jokes please).

NOTE: The 2300 Club has made arrangements to have full detailed results and Mull Murmurs published on the British Rally website until its own website is up and running again.