RALLY NEWS NO.4      End of stage 4..Sunday 3.45

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 4
1st (1) Niall Maguire/Paul McLoughlin (Impreza) 37.46
2nd (2) Bertie Fisher/Rory Kennedy (Impreza) 38.29
3rd (3) David Armstrong/Herbie Blackburn (Escort) 38.37
4th (10) Mac McKenna/John Loughran (Peugeot) 40.22
5th (16) Dessie Keenan/Barry McMahon (Escort) 40.24**
6th (6) Maurice Gass/Geoffrey Orr (Celica) 40.32
7th (14) Norman Armstrong/Kieran Kelly (Escort) 40.47
8th (15) Maurice Moffett/Gavin Campbell (Peugeot) 41.00
9th (8) Sean McArdle/Damien Garvey (Celica) 41.20
    (9) Micky McArdle/Ger McMonagle (BMW M3) 41.20
11th (23) Charlie Beatty/Crawford Henderson (Corolla)41.40
12th (21) Mervyn Wedlock/Philip Smith (Escort) 41.45

THE ABOVE TIMES ARE PROVISIONAL AND FROM THE FIRST FEW CARS ONLY

Niall Maguire set fastest time through stage 4, Sheetrim, and despite the road being even muckier than before, with gravel on every junction pulled out by the 130 strong field, now reduced to 103, Niall set the same time as his first run through.  Bertie Fisher was 8s down on the Monaghan man's stage 4 effort, Bertie unwilling to try any heroics in today's treacherous conditions.  David Armstrong was 3rd fastest as befits his 3rd place, David's time attained despite having an overshoot at a junction and having to reverse.

**Dessie Keenan's total is very provisional after stage 4.  He had been setting the roads alight in his Mk2 Escort earlier but had some problem at the end of the 4th test, possibly clutch trouble, and his time is provisional, to say the least!

Mark Fisher lost all that time on stage 1 when his Lancer blew it's turbo pipe off, so Mark is now just clocking up the miles, getting in some practice for the Rally of the Lakes and the Pirelli City Challenge.  Interestingly, the Peugeot Super 106 Cup winner set a 4th fastest time through stage 4 in the gpN machine. 

Mac McKenna continues to lead class 11A, his earlier steering rack troubles now seemingly OK.  Dessie Keenan leads cl.11, Charlie Beatty cl.10A from Paul Gallagher. Mervyn Wedlock is right in the hunt on 41.45, Charlie Beatty's total is 41.40 just outside the top 10. Paul Gallagher 42.18. Enda Keenan is on 41.41 and lying well up in cl.12, behind Micky McArdle.  In group N Andrew Stewart still seems to be the man, he was 17s ahead of Harold Bunting at service after stage 3, both in Lancers. Mark Fisher was over 22mins in the first stage so he is really out of the gpN picture. More later.BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON