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RALLY NEWS NO.4
Mitchelstown-Sunday 4.15
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 4
1st (3) Dominic McNeill/Francis Regan (Esc WRC) 36.20
2nd (8) Ollie O'Donovan/David Moynihan (Legacy) 37.50
3rd (7) Niall Driver/Francis Corrigan (Lancer) 37.54
4th (2) Kevin O'Kane/Stephen Griffiths (Impreza) 38.07
5th (16) Eddie & Tom Kinirons (Celica) 38.36
6th (19) James Murphy/Con Mulcahy (Esc Cos) 38.48
7th (17) Paul Staunton/Bruce Burgess (Escort) 39.17
8th (11) Liam McGarth/Denis Jackson (Escort) 39.22
9th (22) Pete Willoughby/Greg Shinnors (Lancer) 39.51
10th (24) Andrew Mackarel/Greg McQullian (Astra) 39.59
11th (33) Garry Jennings/Derek Brannigan (Peugeot) 40.07
Following a certain amount of confusion due to accidents on stages 2 and 3
the drivers eventually tackled stage 4 and Dominic McNeill tied for fastest
with Pete Willoughby in the Pitlane Lancer. In truth McNeill has built
up such a solid lead that he admitted he was taking things just a wee bit
easier. Unfortunately Willoughby isn't getting the credit for his fast
driving in overall leaderboard terms, because he had to take
"standard" times for stages 2 and 3. Ollie O'Donovan is now
2nd overall but was a few seconds down through stage 4, telling us "I
thought it was a tidy run, we're not
doing anything exciting, and I could smell something burning, like bakelite,
which disturbed my concentration".
Reigning Forestry Champion Niall Driver set a good time through that 4th
stage, just 9s down on McNeill and Willoughby, 2s slower than Kevin O'Kane,
and Niall told us "The stage is getting quite cut up now, I left the car
in the ruts mostly and I was getting a bit of traction".
Both Eamonn Boland and Eugene Donnelly are continuing in the rally despite
their problems in stage 2 - Donnelly had been off the road for quite some
time, happily no damage to his Celica. Boland had also been off the
road, plus his Impreza WRC needed a new differential and prop shaft fitted at
service. However, although they are still going very quickly, it
doesn't look like they are going to figure on the leaderboard at the end of
the day.
Liam McGrath continues to set some pretty remarkable times in his Mk2 Escort,
although Liam, a previous winner of the rally, knows the forest well through
his work. Andy Mackeral emerged from that Cambaun stage with the
warning light for the engine's cooling fan glowing. Jimmy Lambert lost
time on stage 2 when he clipped a stone and broke a wheel.
James Murphy completed stage 4 on a time just 9s away from fastest, so he's
getting switched on to his new Escort Cosworth. Brian McCloskey has retired
his Escort Cosworth from the rally, reason unknown. We have no
definitive word on John McKeown who was taken to hospital after his stage 2
accident, but we are led to believe, and sincerely hope, that nothing too
untoward is wrong. More news after last stage. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON
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