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RALLY
NEWS NO.5
Munster Agricultural Showgrounds/Sat. 5.45pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 6 Mullaghanish
1st (1) Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Impreza WRC) 51.03
2nd (2) Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 51.57
3rd (4) Peadar Hurson/Ian Porter (Celica GT4) 52.12
4th (5) Donal O'Donovan/Pat Lordan (Celica GT4) 53.10
5th (8) Maurice Gass/Geoffrey Orr (Impreza WRC) 54.01
6th (19) Bob Fowden/Jerry Hynes (Lancer 5 N) 54.57
7th (16) Trevor Cathers/Dessie Wilson (Lancer 5 N) 55.35
8th (9) Ollie O'Donovan/David Moynihan (Subaru) 55.38
9th (7) Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy (Corolla WRC) 56.00
10th (25) Dickie Curran/Anthony Donnelly (Lancer 6 N) 56.07
Fastest through the Mullaghanish test was Andrew Nesbitt
with a time of 7.56….11s better than his first trip
through the beautiful 9.2 mile classic mountain stage.
Peadar Hurson was 5s down on Nesbitt through that 6th test,
Eamonn Boland a further 4 back. In the battle between
Donal O'Donovan and Maurice Gass, Donal was 5s faster in
his Celica than the Armagh man in the Subaru.
In Group N Bob Fowden took a stunning 30s from Trevor
Cathers - we can only presume that Trevor had a problem.
Dickie Curran was 2nd fastest gpN and Aaron MacHale 3rd
quickest.
MacHale Senior (Austin) has been confirmed as retired, his
Corolla halted by an obscure electrical problem on the road
section before the Mushera test. Just outside the
leaderboard Aaron MacHale is 11th overall and English
visitor Paul Alexander, with Tralee's Jakes Kelly on the
notes, in the Lancer Evo7 12th. Dessie Keenan
from Monaghan was forced to stop in SS4 and change a fuel
pump, lost 10m, then knocked bumper off in SS7, now going
like blazes to make up time in his Peugeot 106.
In the Ford Ireland Focus Championship runners Brendan
Kelly has re-taken the lead. Colm Murphy and Oliver
Stanley had edged ahead of Kelly, but both their Fords have
suffered punctures and have lost a little time. In the race
between the Ford Ka's - Kenneth Mulvaney has stopped,
reason unknown, so David Lyons is out on his own and can
still take the title. Points leader is of course
Gerry Keyes, who is unfortunately sidelined after his
accident in Clare.
In the Historic section of the rally Martin Freestone is
out in front in his Escort Mk1 from Sean Tracey in the BMW.
Frank Cunningham is 3rd, Mervyn Johnston in the Mini 4th.
Martin Ward in the Opel Manta 5th.
News from France is that Garry Jennings is 14s behind Shaun
Gallagher going into a repeat of the 30 km stage where
Garry was so fast this morning.
An interesting snippet of information is that the Irish
Sports Council Anti-Doping Unit is in position here at
overnight parc ferme to take a few samples from the
drivers! BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON
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