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RALLY NEWS
NO.5 Service In..Saturday 4pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 6
1st (4) Hugh M Doherty/Billy McCullins (Escort WRC) 51.35
2nd (3) Tim McNulty/Eugene O'Donnell (Celica) 52.19
3rd (20) Joe McHugh/Dermot McHugh (Escort Cos N) 53.11
4th (24) John & James Cairns (Impreza N) 53.23
5th (23) Andrew Stewart/Fabian McShane (Impreza) 54.30
6th (19) Alan Nesbitt/David Smith (Escort) 55.48
7th (9) George Robinson/Tommy Speers (Escort Cos) 56.07
8th (18) Maurice Moffett/Gavin Campbell (Peugeot rwd) 56.12
9th (22) Micky McArdle/Ger McMonagle (BMW M3) 56.21
10th (15) Mac McKenna/John Loughran (Peugeot rwd) 56.30
(30) Seamus Gallagher/John McCafferty (Civic) 56.30
Top retirements on the last 2 stages include the heroic Eugene
Ferry who led the rally after the first stage, and was lying
3rd when his Escort Mk2 cried enough on the Croagh special stage.
Unconfirmed reports say that the car is parked at the side of
the road with a pool of oil underneath. The tough jumpy
stages are certainly taking their toll and the list of retirements
amongst the top drivers is pretty startling. Ivan Stewart was
3rd overall early in the day, and he has stopped as has Rory
Kennedy in the gpN Lancer. Rory stopped in stage 5 to change
a punctured tyre on his Lancer and then the car cried enough
in stage 6, we hear with electrical problems.
Out at the front of the rally Hugh Martin Doherty tells us he
had a big 6th gear moment in stage 6, Letterbara, he caught sight
of McNulty's Toyota in the distance and just got carried away.
Otherwise everything is OK. Tim McNulty's co driver Eugene O'Donnell
tells us "You wouldn't believe the amount of driving there
is in these stages, very tough. But you know we were 24s faster
through Letterbara that time after softening up the suspension".
The sweat was pouring off Tim McNulty and he joked "You'd
be sweating too if you had this man here pushing you on!"
Third placed Joe McHugh, the gpN leader, told us "We're
trying to shake off Cairns, he is still very close. We made a
wrong tyre choice there in stage 4 but everyting is going well".
Cairns reports no problems, while Andrew Stewart is now going
very hard after having that new gearbox fitted to his car at
service.
Mac McKenna reports no 3rd or 4th gear in his rwd Peugeot and
he is now losing time. This is particular significant with
regard to the Border championship. Maurice Moffett has
now got ahead of Mac for the class, with the gearbox the way
it is Mac has no real answer, and he has to win the class to
take the Border title. If he does not win the class, Paul Gallagher,
despite having retired in stage 2, could be the new champion.
Alan Nesbitt fairly speeded up through stage 6, but got caught
out with the sun in his eyes, didn't see a jump coming, took
it too hard and wrecked the G3's rear spoiler, so violent was
the landing! Fleet Inn man Martin Howley reports his Subaru very
nervous over the bumps - thinks he stretched the suspension on
the first stage bumps and jumps. Young Stuart Darcy was right
into the top 20 after the first 3 stages in his gpN Civic, and
leading cl.2. Seamus Gallagher leads gpA 1600 cl. in his Civic.more
later..BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON |
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