RALLY NEWS NO.4                             Service-Sunday 4.15

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 6
1st  (1) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 52.43
2nd (4) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Celica) 53.22
3rd (6) David Armstrong/Herbie Blackburn (Esc.Cos) 53.48
4th (7) Patrick Elliott/Sean Moriarty (Impreza) 53.54
5th (23) Adrian McElvaney/Paul Goodman (Lancer N) 55.07
6th (19) Aaron McHale/Damien Connolly (Lancer N) 55.36
7th (10) George Robinson/Tommy Speers (Esc.Cos) 55.50
8th (141) James and Paul McCann (Esc.Cos) 56.09
9th (33) Seamus Gallagher/ John McCafferty (Saxo) 56.10
10th (27) Trevor Lancashire/Noel Hall (Escort) 56.26
11th (29) Gordon Rogers/Philip McEntee (Escort) 56.29
12th (30) Paul Gallagher/Karl Reid (Corolla) 56.32

Niall Maguire is setting unopposed fastest times now.  His closest rival Michael Barrable has seemingly retired his Subaru with reportedly brake maladies.  Closest pursuer to Maguire now is Eugene Donnelly in the Celica but Eugene is a couple of seconds per stage off the Monaghan man's pace.  Eugene told us when he came in here to service "There's nothing left in the car and nothing left in me. I'm going as hard as I can.  The earlier problem with the engine has cleared up, we had the wrong spark plugs for the conditions".   Maguire commented "Everything's going well, but boy they're tough stages".  David Armstrong in 3rd place echoed Eugene Donnelly's sentiments by telling us he is going just about as hard as he can go, and he had one very big moment on a crest in stage 3.  

In Group N Adrian McElvaney was 10s faster than Aaron McHale through stage 5 and then 6s faster through stage 6, Aaron's Lancer still suffering from a down on pressure turbo, although McElvaney again mentioned tyres going off the boil.  Andrew Stewart did lead group N earlier, but had an accident in stage 3.  Andrew and co driver Fabian McShane just arrived into service to report that they are both in fine fettle and the damage to the car isn't too bad.  

News of a further retirement is that Norman Armstrong's Mk2 Escort has broken down and Rodney Wilton's similar example is also stopped after a square right in stage 6.  

Further stories include….James Cole had a lucky escape in stage 5 when his Celica clouted a rock which deranged the steering - still going on a total of 57.04.  Mac McKenna has started to get on the pace following his earlier slow time when the engine was giving trouble. It turned out to be a squashed fuel line in the boot. More news later... BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON                                                 www.rallynews.net