RALLY NEWS NO.3               Service/Sunday 2.30/Not the sunny South East today!

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 4  (Pink Rock)
1st (3) Niall Maguire/Paul McLoughlin (Subaru) 35.03
2nd (9) Patrick Elliott/Sean Moriarty (Subaru) 35.37
3rd (10) Sean Gallagher/Victor Carruthers (Escort) 35.46
4th (5) Robert Woodside/Dean Beckett (Subaru) 35.58
5th (4) Steve Fleck/Mark Aspinall (Subaru) 36.12
6th (2) Melvyn Evans/Alun Davies (Esc.WRC) 36.31
7th (30) David & June Long (Sierra) 36.32
8th (16) Jon Mercer/Aled Davies (Metro 6R4) 36.33
9th (8) Richie Curran/Gerry English (Esc.Cos) 36.51
     (28) Mac McKenna/John Loughran (Peugeot rwd) 36.51

11th (21) Derek Smith/Darragh Cafferky (Escort) 37.01

As the rain continues the roads on this Ravens Rock seem to get slippier by the mile and virtually none of the top drivers have escaped either an overshoot or a spin.  No.1 seed Michael Barrable, joint leader after the first stage with David Armstrong, has retired from the rally, transmission trouble the cause. Michael told us that he braked hard for a T junction in stage 2, locked the wheels and had to reverse. Then the transmission would not select forward gears properly and he was forced to call it a day.   Armstrong dropped right down the leaderboard when his Escort Cosworth incurred 2 punctures in stage 3.  Expected front runner Melvyn Evans is struggling to stay on the leaderboard, reporting no grip at all with his Escort Cosworth.

Dunlop championship leader Niall Maguire has had a reasonably clean run since his first stage spin, Niall and co driver Paul McLaughlin reporting more or less together "Serious serious slippy!"  2nd placed Patrick Elliott had "lurid moments" in stage 4, but Patrick is holding up well in the slippy conditions and holding as well on to his 2nd place in the Dunlop National series. Sean Gallagher is 3rd and he is also going well, supporting his 3rd place in the Dunlop series.  On the subject of the tyre giant - Nigel Greene has been taken to Waterford Hospital after smashing the top of a finger and is currently having a small operation.  Best wishes from all your rallying friends Nigel.

Jimmy Lambert, co driven by Suirway Forklifts man James Coleman, has retired on stage 3 following an accident.  Other stories includeBob Fowden lost the gpN lead to Kieran Molloy, the Welshman dropping over a minute on stage 3 when his Lancer suffered a puncture. Cathal Arthurs was well in the hunt but put his Celica off the road on stage 4, total now 39.18.  Robert Woodside's Impreza WRC has now no reverse gear, an overshoot and a spin leaving Robert in a right mess. Robert reported the conditions patchily slippy which he finds is misleading him slightly.  Kieran Molloy, gpN leader, reported going up a slip road in stage 2 and banging into a red Subaru - apparently many people had been skating up the same road and the poor Subaru couldn't get reversed out because of cars sliding in behind him.  Ford Ireland Ka C/ship - James Eivers leads by 14s from Gerry Keyes, David Lyons 3rd a further 15s back. More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON