RALLY NEWS NO.12      End of Fuhiry..Sunday 5pm

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 17 FUHIRY
1st (5) Stephen Finlay/Rory Kennedy (Focus WRC)2.15.12
2nd (6) James Cullen/Ellen Morgan (Subaru) 2.16.27
3rd (7) Stephen Murphy/MJ Morrissey (Subaru)2.17.37
4th (1) Ian Greer/Dean Beckett (Celica) 2.19.33
5th (18) Donie & Tim O'Sullivan (Escort Cos)2.23.41
6th (28) Hugh Dunne/Greg Shinnors (Legacy) 2.24.36
7th (29) Mark Fisher/Gordon Noble (Impreza N)2.24.58
8th (14) Davy Greer/Michael Reid (Celica) 2.25.03
9th (12) Hugh M Doherty/Billy McCullins(Esc)2.26.22
10th (15) Frank O'Mahony/Hugh McPhillips (Impreza)2.27.04

MODIFIED CATEGORY***
1st (23) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Nagle (Escort)2.30.10
2nd (30) Philip Shaw/Nigel Frazer (Escort) 2.30.30
3rd (32) Pat & Sean Mullane (Escort) 2.31.52
Modifieds - no times available for George Tracey in the Metro 6R4 but he could be moving into the lead.

Just one stage to go - Molls Gap - and most of the leading drivers seem content to pace themselves to the finish, as they headed for that final stage. Stephen Finlay's co driver Rory Kennedy joked "We're now on auto pilot".  Indeed since Andrew Nesbitt stopped on stage 13, Lough Allua, with a fuel problem, Finlay has really felt no pressure.  James Cullen is still sweating hard and keeping a good pace, but not totally attacking.  Interestingly, Eamonn Boland in the Hertz Focus is setting times on a par with James Cullen, even though he is only doing a OO role today. 
One of the drives of the rally has come from Donie O'Sullivan in his first trip in a left hand drive rally car, Donie saying at the end of Fuhiry "Sure we're just bringing her home now. This is better than we could have ever wished for".  Johnny O'Sullivan on the other hand still has a fight on his hands as he struggles with notchy steering on his Escort WRC, following earlier pump troubles.  Frank O'Mahony came off the Fuhiry stage with his Subaru intercooler not working.
Modified category leader Eugene Donnelly told us about his earlier accident on Lough Allua "We're the luckiest men in the rally, we ended 50 yards down into a soft field, 6 feet from a lake".  Mark Fisher still leads gpN, Mark a long way ahead of his nearest gpN pursuer Gerry McVeigh, with Nigel Hickland 3rd and Cork's Liam Davis 4th, Liam loves his new Lancer and has been bedding himself in all weekend.  Max McKillen in his Peugeot 106 still leads his class despite some clutch slip today. British Ka Champion, Simon Maugher, still leads the Puma championship from Derek Daly with Ian Chadwick 3rd after several mechanical problems. Seamus Heron in the ex works Ascona emerged from stagge 17 saying "My arms are aching, it's like driving a Bedford truck and there is just so much driving in these stages". One interested spectator out and about today, Bertie Law, (a former National champion) joked "You'd get a quare price for a jerry can of petrol if you were in the right field about here today"....more later.BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON