UNOFFICIALLEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 19 Carricknabrock

1^st (7) Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Impreza WRC) 1.52.07

2^nd (3) Derek McGarrity/Chris Patterson (Impreza WRC) 1.54.08

3^rd (5) Eamonn Boland/Anthony Nestor (Impreza WRC) 1.54.21

4^th (2) Austin McHale/Brian Murphy (Corolla WRc) 1.56.56

5^th (9) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 1.57.02

6^th (6) David Greer/Michael Reid (Corolla WRC) 1.57.28

7^th (19) Trevor Cathers/Gordon Noble (Lancer N) 1.58.03

8^th (10) Brendan Kelly/Rory Kennedy (Lancer N) 1.58.38

9^th (26) Dickie Curran/Gary Lyons (Lancer N) 2.00.19

10^th (43) Philip Shaw/Derek Brannigan (Escort) 2.02.09

11^th (14) Maurice Gass/Geoffrey Orr (Impreza WRC) 2.02.55

12^th (37) Donie O'Sullivan/Paul Nagle (Impreza N) 2.03.08

Andrew Nesbitt arrived in here to Belleek at the finish of day 2 with a very clear advantage of almost 2 minutes over Derek McGarrity, Andrew commenting "Extremely difficult stages today and of course we had the vibaration in the back of the car most of the way, which happily seems to be sorted, thanks to the generosity of Daniel Doherty. But don’t forget there’s another day to go". Second placed Derek McGarrity told us "It’s good to be 2^nd but I would have liked to have been a bit more clear of Eamonn Boland. We’ve had niggly problems, nothing big but they all add up. The latest has been some trouble with the power steering, and then the throttle pot, and we borrowed a piece from Daniel’s car to keep us going". When asked about the gap between himself and McGarrity in front, Eamonn Boland said "We’re keeping the best to last". Austin McHale in 4^th is still struggling with the car, the electronic response is not working properly and neither are the diffs. The earlier in car fire reported at the end of stage 17 was due to the mechanics having to open up the exhaust box to fix the catalytic converter and re-weld the box in a hurry, so that there was some exhaust gasses escaping and scorching the floor of the car. Niall Maguire in 5^th place turned in a really quick time in stage 18, just a couple of seconds, off fastest, and reports no problems. David Greer in 6^th still has a slight misfire.

Trevor Cathers in 7^th is giving Brendan Kelly behind no leeway in their massive battle for gpN superiority. Other stories towards the end of day 2 included Norman Armstrong losing time with a huge spin, as did Maurice Gass. Philip Shaw is still highest placed rear wheel drive car, and although the Mk2 was quite suited to the tight roads this afternoon, Philip found it a real handful over the bumps and jumps. Donie O’Sullivan is still 4^th in gpN and moved up to 12^th overall. The Killarney man reports everything going well. Jaye Jordan has retired his Escort Cosworth from 12^th, the engine reportedly blown. Shaun Gallagher has moved his Peugeot up into the top 20 and is leading his class. Willie John Dolan has reportedly retired his Subaru with mechanical problems. Billy Gamble changed the gearbox earlier without losing time. More news in the morning..BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON