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RALLY
NEWS NO.4
Near Castletownbere - Sunday
1.30
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER
STAGE 6 Tim Healy
1st (7) John
Farrell/Christy Farrell
(Escort) 55.56
2nd (9) Ray & Elaine
Cunningham (Mini Cooper) 56.46
3rd (1) Dessie Nutt/Geraldine
McBride (Porsche 911) 57.06
(4)
Martin Freestone/Chris Hayes
(RS1600) 57.06
5th (6) Lloyd Hutchinson/Lester
Hutchinson (Mini Cooper) 57.24
6th (2) John Keatley/Maurice
Beckett (Porsche 911) 58.44
7th (11) Martin Ward/Linda
Conroy (Manta) 58.50
8th (16) Mervyn
Johnston/Richard Hyland (Mini
Cooper) 59.21
9th (12) George Tracey/Elva Roe
(Escort) 59.29
10th (17) Liam Sheehan/Martin
Cronin (Escort) 59.34
Stage after stage John and
Christy Farrell in their blue
Mk1 Escort are setting
fastest time after fastest
time. Through stage 4
Cods Head, where a heavy rain
shower made the going even more
difficult, Farrell clocked
10.42, Martin Freestone and
Lloyd Hutchinson each had a
10.59 and Dessie Nutt 11.00.
Through the very tough Ardgroom
stage Farrell was on 14.13,
Cunningham 14.19 and Hutchinson
14.20. Then on Tim Healy,
possibly slippier than usual
due to just the lightest trace
of diesel on the road surface,
the Farrels stopped the clock
on 6.53. Cunningham was on
7.00, Freestone 7.02.
Cunningham's Mini had a slight
misfire through stage 4 Cods
Head, but seems to be not so
bad here at service. Lloyd
Hutchinson's Mini still suffers
from a very high temperature
reading, copious amounts of
Radweld seeming to keep the
mater somewhat under control.
The Farrells report no real
problem. Martin Freestone's
Escort suffered a broken shock
absorber an alternator
problems earlier, both now
fixed. Dessie Nutt said
he is "going well".
John Keatley joked after
spinning his Porsche "I
think we'll go for a finish
now!" Sean
Tracey's BMW has stopped with a
broken clutch when lying just
inside the top 10.
Steve Perez had a huge moment
at the big rock face in
Ardgroom, the Porsche took off
and did not seem to want to
come down. Martin Ward's Manta
is spinning the back wheels as
if the limited slip is not
working.
Classics after stage 4 Cods
Head - Philip Shaw (total
32.26) had taken over the lead
from Donie O'Sullivan, indeed
Donie had dropped to 3rd after
the Cods Head stage. Phil
Collins was 2nd, 6s behind
Shaw, Donie O'Sullivan 3rd 2s
behind Welshman Phil.
Wesley Patterson 4th, Padraig
Price 5th, Gareth Lloyd 6th,
James O'Sullivan in the 1600
Escort 7th and Dave Slattery
recovering from early brake
problems 8th. John Hickey
dropped out of the running
somewhat when his bonnet blew
up on the Cods Head stage. We
reported earlier that Red Mills
man Joe Connolly put his
Porsche on to a wall on Tim
Healy - he got going again with
only superficial damage.
Interestingly, Denis Cronin,
O0ing in his lovely BMW, is
celebrating 21 years of
rallying this weekend.
After stage 6 Philip Shaw had
extended his lead over Phil
Collins to 22s while Donie
O'Sullivan had dropped quite a
few seconds when his Escort
sustained a puncture and
slightly damaged steering on
Ardgroom, to leave the
Killarney man 42s behind
Collins, but still 3rd. Wesley
Patterson is 4th and Padraig
Price 5th. Gareth Lloyd found
the car tram lining through the
puddles of Ardgroom and is
going to try fitting different
front rims.
More news to follow …..BRIAN
AND LIZ PATTERSON
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