RALLY NEWS NO.5
Service/Newry/Saturday 3.45
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 8 (Cooley)
1st (7) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Cellica) 34.49
2nd (4) David Armstrong/Herbie Blackburn (Escort) 35.34
3rd (3) Derek McGarrity/James McKee (Impreza WRC) 35.38
4th (1) Robin Philips/Mike Gibson (Corolla WRC) 35.51
5th (9) Stevie Whitford/Mark Crowe (Lancer) 36.22
6th (2) Denis Biggerstaff/Damian McCann (Metro 6R4) 36.56
7th (10) George Robinson/Tommy Speers (Esc.Cos) 37.01
8th (19) Alan Nesbitt/Fabian McShane (Escort G3) 37.23
9th (11) Norman Armstrong/Ciaran Kelly (Escort) 38.04
10th (12) Trevor Lancashire/Noel Hall (Escort) 38.10
Derek McGarrity keeps piling the coals on in his efforts to catch leader Eugene
Donnelly, but for everything McGarrity throws at him, Donnelly has an answer and
over the fabulous Cooley Mountain the Bio-Clear Celica stopped the clocks on
8.38, with McGarrity on 8.40. David Armstrong is driving superbly but his
Escort Cosworth just doesn't have the grunt of the cars in front, and the best
he could do over the Cooley stage was 8.52, while Robin Philips was on 8.57 in
the Corolla WRC. Donnelly commented here at service "The car felt
brilliant starting the Cooley Mountain, on slicks, but then two thirds of the
way through the stage the rain started, and I backed off a bit".
McGarrity's Subaru had a front right rim full of mud when he reached service,
evidence of how hard the Glengormley man was trying when he put the blu Subaru
off the road on a square left. Derek told us that the clutch is now
starting to slip more and more, and when quizzed about the clutch job before the
start, Derek said it was just a patch up, there was no new clutch to go in.
Another major retirement is that of Gary White, whose Escort Cosworth stopped
after the big jumps in Cooley. Gary had been lying 5th overall today, but said
before the start that basically he needs a new car, that his own just isn't fast
enough any more. Gary was lying 3rd in the championship starting the day,
obviously will not improve on that now, but who knows what way the points will
be by the time the rally reaches the finish. Also stopped up on the
mountain was Terence Taggart, his Escort lying just outside the leaderboard
prior to that.
Stevie Whitford continues to dominate the gpN category, Stevie reporting no
major problems. John Cairns' brother Gary is also going well in gpN swopping
times with Mark Leathem in the Subaru - no sign of Willie McKee in the Lancer.
Some times just outside the top 10 include Paul Gallagher on 38.24. Paul is
trying to do just enough to win the class. Martin Taggart is on 38.46. Alistair
Cochrane 38.56. Enda Keenan 39.58. Rodney White 38.48. More news later. BRIAN
& LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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