RALLY NEWS NO.3       Service..Monaghan..Sunday 2.30

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 3 - Kilmore 8.5mls
1st (1) Niall Maguire/Paul McLoughlin (Impreza) 27.38
2nd (2) Bertie Fisher/Rory Kennedy (Impreza) 28.13
3rd (3) David Armstrong/Herbie Blackburn (Escort) 28.14
4th (16) Dessie Keenan/Barry McMahon (Escort) 29.24
5th (10) Mac McKenna/John Loughran (Peugeot) 29.32
6th (6) Maurice Gass/Geoffrey Orr (Celica) 29.55

Atrociously wet weather conditions have taken their toll on the cars on this Monaghan Stages Rally.  Early leader Daniel Doherty slid his Subaru just a fraction wide at a junction, one rear wheel sliding into the ditch.  Daniel kept the power on and the car went about 10 lengths of itself before the front wheel was sucked in as well, and the car beached.  The brothers would like to thank about 6 spectators who covered themselves in mud and glory, to eventually get the Impreza back on the road, but despite the fact that there was no damage to the car, it was too late, and there was no point in going on.

Mick McQuaid's Mk2 Escort is another stuck in a ditch, and there is no sign of Mick here at service.  Glen Allen has retired with a broken gearbox. Joe McGurk is also out of the rally, reason as yet unknown. 

Niall Maguire has had a clean run so far, but last year's winner said "It's so slippy out there, we've a real sweat on".  Bertie Fisher got his Subaru stuck between 2 banks after spinning at a junction.  The rear bumper of the McKinstry hire car got damaged in the process, Bertie got going after losing about 20s.  Dan McCartan has retired his Lancer with a broken front strut at the first junction of the first stage.  David Armstrong's co driver Herbie Blackburn was a bit sick in stage 3 and couldn't really read the notes, so David is doing well to hold on to 3rd place, especially when the anti lag wasn't working for stage 1.  Mac McKenna has some steering rack difficulties.  John Rooney has gearbox troubles, and also fuel starvation and is running very late.

Mark Fisher is still going - but lost a mountain of time on stage 1 when the turbo pipe came adrift.

Some more totals include - Sean McArdle, still settling down, on 30.23.  Micky McArdle in the BMW 30.09. Enda Keenan 30.37: Philip Shaw & Nigel Frazer going well on 30.04. Charlie Beattie leading cl.10A with 30.38 as against Paul Gallagher's 31.07, both in Corollas. Andrew Stewart is now the front running gpN car with 30.11..More news to follow..BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON