RALLY NEWS NO.5                           Rally HQ - Finish - Sunday  6pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 7 GLENMORE - LAST STAGE
1st (3) Niall Maguire/Paul McLoughlin (Subaru) 1.01.30
2nd (9) Patrick Elliott/Sean Moriarty (Subaru) 1.02.36
3rd (10) Sean Gallagher/Victor Carruthers (Escort) 1.03.05
4th (4) Steve Fleck/Mark Aspinall (Subaru) 1.03.14
5th (5) Robert Woodside/Dean Beckett (Subaru) 1.03.22
6th (2) Melvyn Evans/Alun Davies (Esc.WRC) 1.03.41
7th (16) Jon Mercer/Aled Davies (Metro 6R4) 1.04.08
8th (30) David & June Long (Sierra) 1.04.26
9th (28) Mac McKenna/John Loughran (Peugeot rwd) 1.04.34
10th (8) Richie Curran/Gerry English (Esc.Cos) 1.04.35

Niall Maguire set fastest time through stage 7 - 4s quicker than Steve Fleck - 9 up on Sean Gallagher.  Stage 8 did not run for safety reasons, so this leaves Maguire with an even more comfortable lead in the Dunlop championship standings after this 6th round.  Niall has achieved 5 maximum scores and 1 second.  Patrick Elliott has done enough to reinforce his 2nd place in the Dunlop points, Sean Gallagher in a similar position in 3rd.  David Armstrong looked as if he was going to improve on his 4th place, but 2 punctures this morning put paid to any hope of that.  In the Get Connected series Melvyn Evans scores a maximum to strengthen his position at the front. John Price did not have a great day, his Metro 6R4 never really shining in the times, suspension and intercom bothers hampering the Herefordshire man.

Niall Maguire commented when he reached the ramp here at Jurys Hotel "You always enjoy a rally you win, but I certainly wasn't enjoying it at the start, especially when I had that overshoot. It was very slippy, the same for everyone of course, I fitted 4 second hand wets and they lasted all day. I never did as much sawing at the wheel as I did today as the car skidded about".  Surprisingly 2nd placed Patrick Elliott made the comment "I enjoyed it, I like the wet".  Sean Gallagher in 3rd was hampered by a broken rear suspension bar with his Escort Cosworth, but he too had a really good run. Steve Fleck in 4th said "We didn't have a moment all day, very boring!"  For Robert Woodside in 5th it was quite an indoctrination to Irish National rallying, he scored a good result, particularly considering his Impreza WRC had no 6th gear and it will be extremely good practice for the 23 year old Ballynure man in preparation for the Jim Clark Rally.

Bob Fowden has won gpN from Kieran Molloy. Mac McKenna was best placed 2 wheel drive car - no sign of Phil Collins at the end which would make David James 2nd best 2 wheel drive. John Price has finished 11th, James McCann 12th.  Ford Ka Championship - Gerry Keyes 1st from Ken Mulvaney with David Lyons 3rd.  Keyes increases overall lead in series.

Finally for now many thanks to all who helped with the RallyNews and congratulations to Ann Marie Fitzgerald and her team for seeing the rally successfully through in such difficult conditions.  BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON