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RALLY NEWS
NO.2 Service..Sunday
2pm
www.rallynews.net
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1
1st (2) Mervyn Wedlock/Philip Smith (Escort) 9.38
2nd (5) Gordon Rodgers/Martin Sherlock (Escort) 9.42
3rd (4) David Percy/Owen Percy (Escort) 9.43
(8) Patrick Higgins/Liam Higgins (Escort) 9.43
5th (6) John O'Sullivan/Darren Hayes (Peugeot 205) 9.50
6th (19) Michael Fogarty/Eoghan Fogarty (Escort) 9.52
7th (14) Shaun Gallagher/Ciaran Coyle (Corolla) 9.55
8th (20) John Rock/Ralph Keeleghan (Escort) 9.56
(26) Joe Curran/Oliver Garry (Astra) 9.56
(9) Freddie Walker/Finbar Mangan (Escort)
9.56
11th (15) Fergus Kelly/Doc Doherty (Escort) 9.57
12th (18) Eoin Woods/Dorothy Cavanagh (Escort) 10.06
Mervyn Wedlock reported the stage to be drying out well and really
enjoyable as he returned her to the service area with a fastest
time from the early runners. Gordon Rodgers was just 4s
back, David Percy and Pat Higgins a further 1s away. The
rally has all the hallmarks of being a big fight to the finish.
Those not so happy included Tom Holton who lost a mountain of
time with a first stage puncture, while Gerry Reilly has reportedly
put his Civic in the ditch. There was no sign of Tom Murphy
here at service, his Escort was running late, oil pressure problems
the cause.
David Percy told of a couple of spins on that first stage, wasn't
totally convinced that his choice of slick tyres was correct.
Mick McQuaid posted a time of 10.18 for the stage, the Monaghan
man settling in to his new car. Fifth placed John O'Sullivan
had a spin, as did Pat Higgins, his at the big hairpin.
Freddie Walker's Escort suffered a misfire through the stage,
Freddie also delayed when he caught up with Tom Holton in a narrow
piece of road and couldn't get past. John Hickey was another
to lose many seconds getting past Holton's stricken F2 machine.
Fergus Kelly snicked the rear of his Escort on the second last
junction of the stage. Eoin Woods told us he nearly wrote his
car off on the very slippy section near the end of the stage.
Following a 5 year lay off and 2 punctures in the familiarisation
run, Mick Fogarty got well into his stride on the first proper
stage, 6th fastest overall. Liam Fitzgibbon dropped a bit of
time at the stage start when the throttle stuck open, and had
other problems, to record a time of 10.20. Joe Curran was the
fastest F2 driver, and indeed had a brilliant time through the
stage, a missing driver's side mirror testimony to how close
the Astra was coming to the scenery. Shaun Gallagher was fastest
class 11 car so far. John Kelly is highest seeded gpN driver,
his time 10.28 in the little Peugeot. Trevor Harding in the Puma
went well with a time of 10.11. More news to follow.BRIAN &
LIZ PATTERSON
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