RALLY NEWS NO.2 Glenariff – Friday – 5pm

1^st (11) Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Subaru WRC) 7.40.4

2^nd (14) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Subaru WRC) 7.46.1

3^rd (20) Daniel & Michael Doherty (Subaru WRC) 7.53.3

4^th (12) Jonny Milner/Nicky Beech (Corolla WRc) 7.56.1

5^th (17) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Subaru WRC) 7.58.5

6^th (22) Maurice Gass/Geoffrey Orr (Subaru WRC) 8.07.2

7^th (16) Peadar Hurson/Ian Porter (Celica) 8.08.2

8^th (25) Seamus Leonard/Kevin O'Brien (Impreza N) 8.12.9

(26) Dickie Curran/Gary Lyons (Lancer N) 8.12.9

10^th (1) Justin Dale/Andrew Bargery (Peugeot) 8.13.3

Excitement would be an understatement really as the story unfolded at the end of Tardree. Justin Dale in the works Peugeot reported some hugely hairy moments on a series of bad bumps, when his Peugeot stood on it’s nose, and he thought he was lucky to get away with it. Justin had no sooner said it than news came through that his Peugeot team mate Rory Galligan had crashed heavily on a series of bumps. Rory got going but lost approximately 3 minutes. Then Kris Meeke crashed his Puma almost in sight of the finish, and James Thompson failed to appear at stage finish, and the unofficial story is that his car was damaged in a fire. Happily there were no reports at all of any injuries. Then news came through that Robert Woodside had stopped just a few hundred yards from the beginning of the stage. Robert phoned us a few minutes later to say that it appeared that a drive shaft had broken and smashed the steering rack.

A big part of the secret of the first stage seemed to be tyre choice. There were damp slippy patches under the trees. McGarrity, who knows that Tardree road like the back of his hand, picked a slick tyre, Daniel Doherty chose a cut slick and Nesbitt more of an intermediate set up. Jonny Milner said that he caught a hedge going into a tight left hand corner, and he had quite a moment, his Corolla WRC under-steering as well. But as he said himself "This is classic Ulster stuff". Most of the leading drivers reported the stage very slippy and treacherous.

Gwyndaf Evans did the whole of the first stage with his MG on 3 cylinders and dropped 37s to Justin Dale, a poor birthday present for Gwyndaf's’co driver Chris Patterson! Martin Rowe was very unhappy at stage finish, reporting his Puma all over the road and he had a few scary moments on the grass. Rowe was still 2^nd fastest Super 1600 on 8.23.2, Guy Wilks 3^rd on 8.27.5. Simon Hughes went well in the Clio with 8.33.5.

In Group N as can be seen above Seamus Leonard and Dickie Curran were fastest. Trevor Cathers admitted to a slow run and was 3s down on 8.16.1. Roy White 8.17.7. Initial Peugeot 206 Super Cup news indicates that Shaun Gallagher was leading after stage 1 with Garry Jennings 14s down, his 206 suffering clutch trouble. Chris Moore 3^rd. More later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON