UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 24 Widow Magee 2

1^st (7) Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Impreza WRC) 2.32.56

2^nd (3) Derek McGarrity/Chris Patterson (Impreza WRC) 2.35.37

3^rd (5) Eamonn Boland/Anthony Nestor (Impreza WRC) 2.36.08

4^th (2) Austin McHale/Brian Murphy (Corolla WRc) 2.38.53

5^th (9) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 2.39.17

6^th (6) David Greer/Michael Reid (Corolla WRC) 2.39.51

7^th (19) Trevor Cathers/Gordon Noble (Lancer N) 2.40.52

8^th (10) Brendan Kelly/Rory Kennedy (Lancer N) 2.43.47

9^th (26) Dickie Curran/Gary Lyons (Lancer N) 2.44.18

10^th (14) Maurice Gass/Geoffrey Orr (Impreza WRC) 2.46.35

Just outside leaderboard – Patrick Elliott 37.11: Philip Shaw 47.26: Donie O’Sullivan 47.34: David Armstrong – doesn’t know his own times:

No obvious change in the leaderboard after stage 24, but plenty going on for all that – Eamonn Boland’s Subaru collided with a fence on a double cautioned crest jump into sudden square left and lost perhaps 15s. The Group N battle looks to be effectively over as well. Brendan Kelly put his Lancer off the road for over 2 minutes on stage 24, although ironically did not lose a place on the leaderboard, such was his advantage over Dickie Curran.

Out at the front of the rally, Andrew Nesbitt still sets fastest times, with Derek McGarrity 2^nd fastest, although Derek remarked "That stage (Widow Magee) is like a rally graveyard with cars parked in hedges everywhere. Easter Stages people. Even the OO car went off at the front of our rally, they waved us down and it cost us probably 5s."

Other stories from the front include…Shaun Gallagher has apparently put his Peugeot off the road at a jump/crossroads in stage 24. Austin McHale and Niall Maguire stopped to help Eamonn Boland on the road section between 24 and 25, all in a fierce hurry through the passage control. A further retirement is Mark Doyle, calling it a day with clutch/differential trouble.

EASTER STAGES: Eugene Donnelly leads after the first 3 stages, Eugene bubbling with happiness when he reached service, and said "I wasn’t quite sure how the car would be after the Bishopscourt accident, we have forestry suspension and tarmac brakes on, but it is working brilliantly, especially over the bumps". Trevor Moore is 2^nd despite being in a field, although we think that one stage time is a bit suspect. James Gillen is 3^rd despite having caught Denis Biggerstaff on the 3^rd stage, the latter’s 6R4 lapsing on to 3 cylinders. Glenn Allen is 4^th, slowed a little by a faulty anti lag system. Kieran Shaw’s Escort WRC had a slow puncture on the first stage, but then a good run through 2 and 3 to lie 5^th. Stevie Whitford had 2 spins on the first stage, coming into service in 6^th place. Stevie has since retired his Celica when the exhaust broke and set fire to the wiring beside the fuel tank. Denis Biggerstaff was 7^th. Gary White 8^th. Kevin O’Kane 9^th, George Robinson 10^th. More later…BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON