RALLY NEWS NO.2 END OF STAGE 1 SLIEVENAMON SUN 11.00AM

VERY UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1

1ST (9) Robbie McGuirk/Rory Kennedy (Impreza) 6.38

2ND (2) Dominic McNeill/Francis Beegan (ESCORT)6.41

= (3) Eamonn Boland/Anthony Nestor (Subaru WRC)6.41

4TH (4) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Nagle (Toyota Celica)6.48

5TH (11) Brian Murphy/M J Morrisey (Subaru WRC)6.55

= (14) Paul Staunton/Bruce Burges (Ford Escort)6.55

7TH (17) Peter Willoughby/Greg Shinnors (Lancer)7.00

8TH (6) Kevin O'Kane/Stephen Griffith (Impreza) 7.02

First on the road and championship leader Dominic McNeill arrived at the end of the first stage, Slievenamon happy but complaining that conditions were very very slippy. The overnight rain having an effect on the rocky forest road surface. McNeill set a time of 6.41 for the stage equalled by Eamonn Boland in his Impreza WRC, the Wexford man also finding the stage very slippy.

Eugene Donnelly was happy enough with his pace, finding the stage very rough in places, but admitting that he could go a fair bit harder if required. Niall Driver in his Mitsubishi found the car to be very tail happy in the slippy conditions, getting very sideways in places.

Robbie McGurk and Rory Kennedy gave us a time on 6.38 for the stage which would put them into provisional lead of just over 3 seconds, the Omagh driver reporting everything was well.

Things not going so well for local hero Frank Meagher, the Cloneen man out in the forests for the first time in about nine years, was having major problems in his Sierra. The car had no power especially out of junctions and hairpins, Frank thinks that maybe he needs a new ECU, his time 7.37 indicates the problems he faced.

Brian Murphy struggling to get to terms with the hired Harper Impreza WRC, though he set a reasonable time of 6.55, he was not happy.

Pete Willoughby in the Pitlane Lancer set a very good time of 7.00, the only problem he had was himself, while Patrick Elliott was a little bit of the pace on 7.33.