UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 22 Knockmanny

1^st (7) Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Impreza WRC) 2.16.45

2^nd (3) Derek McGarrity/Chris Patterson (Impreza WRC) 2.19.04

3^rd (5) Eamonn Boland/Anthony Nestor (Impreza WRC) 2.19.16

4^th (2) Austin McHale/Brian Murphy (Corolla WRc) 2.22.22

5^th (9) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 2.22.40

6^th (6) David Greer/Michael Reid (Corolla WRC) 2.23.12

7^th (19) Trevor Cathers/Gordon Noble (Lancer N) 2.23.46

8^th (10) Brendan Kelly/Rory Kennedy (Lancer N) 2.24.33

9^th (26) Dickie Curran/Gary Lyons (Lancer N) 2.26.51

10^th (14) Maurice Gass/Geoffrey Orr (Impreza WRC) 2.29.02

Just outside the leaderboard – David Armstrong 2.29.29: Patrick Elliott 2.29.39: Donie O’Sullivan 2.29.45: Philip Shaw 2.29.49 (a bit of a query on one of Shaw’s times, he was 10^th…)

Andrew Nesbitt continues to clock up fastest times – through Fall Brae he recorded 8.11 as against McGarrity on 8.17 and Boland 8.18. Through Knockmanny the scores on the doors read – Nesbitt 8.31 Boland 8.35 and McGarrity 8.36. Austin McHale continues to trail the top 3 and indeed is fighting hard to keep Niall Maguire at bay. Austin commented "We stalled the car on the start line (Knockmanny), and had an overshoot as well. We’ve no front diff at all now and the car is difficult to drive even in a straight line. I’m keeping going to get experience of the left hand drive, and of course points in the championship. It’s a good car but we don’t have the little valve necessary to sort out the front diff".

Nesbitt commented "It’s going well, we’re driving fairly steadily now, but its incredibly slippy". McGarrity told us "We’re losing a second or two out of every square junction, the pre-load on the rear diff has lost it’s setting, making lots of noises as well, but still working once we’re moving". When Eamonn Boland saw that he had taken 1s off Derek on Knockmanny he said "I thought he would have cleaned us, we had a spin at an uphill square left". Eamonn’s co driver Anthony Nestor added "I went off the notes a small bit as well after the spin". Behind the top 4 Maguire is going well, as is David Greer, but his Corolla still has a misfire.

Trevor Cathers was fastest in the gp N race through stages 21 and 22, Brendan Kelly has no answer, being 4s and 7s slower. Dickie Curran has backed right off, saying "I’ve had more scares this morning than the whole rally, trying to keep up". 4^th in gpN Donie O’Sullivan, told us "We’ve softened the front suspension of our Subaru, it’s handling beautifully over the bumps but will not turn in as well as before. We’re also having anti lag problems but overall going well, and quite content really, although we’re 4^th in gpN, Dickie Curran has not registered for the Tarmac, so with a bit of luck we will get 3^rd place gpN points. More news later…BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON