Rally News No.2 Service In Sunday 10.40am

Unofficial Leaderboard After Stage Two

1^st (3) Jim Harrison/Harvey Bell (Impreza WRC) 20.48

2^nd (7) Noel Redmond/Diarmuid Falvey (Impreza WRC) 20.51

3^rd (6) Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy (Impreza WRC) 20.58

4^th (9) Sean Gallagher/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 21.12

5^th (2) Patrick Elliott/David Moynihan (Impreza WRC) 21.24

6^th (8) Denis Cronin/Helen O’Sullivan (Impreza WRC) 21.25

7^th (17) Alan Ring/Greg Shinnors (Impreza N) 21.36

8^th (5) Cathal Arthurs/Jakes Kelly (Octavia WRC) 21.37

9^th (16) James O’Sullivan/Rebecca Walsh (Lancer N) 21.39

10^th (1) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 21.51

11^th (11) Bob Fowden/Jerry Hynes (Impreza WRC) 21.59

12^th (18) Barry Coleman/Don Montgomery (Impreza WRC) 22.02

= (21) Adrian Quinn/Alan Moran (Lancer N) 22.02

Jim Harrison absolutely flew through the opening 10.6 mile Nowen Hill Stage clocking a fastest time of 9.14mins compared to Liam McCarthy who was 15 seconds slower on 9.29 from Noel Redmond on 9.36. But it was Noel Redmond who scorched the 12 mile second stage Mount Kid with a time of 11.15 compared to Liam McCarthy’s 11.29 and Jim Harrison on 11.34. All the leading drivers finding the opening tests very very slippy after days of rain and a constant heavy mizzel this morning not helping the drivers find any grip. First on the road is Niall Maguire and the Dunlop championship leader was openly very very cautious over the first two stages but is already well on course for a good points haul and lies just inside the top ten. Maguire’s closest Dunlop challenger is Patrick Elliott but already the Cavan man is in trouble with a gear box problem on the opening stage and then an anti-lag glitch on the second stage sees him just over 30 seconds off the lead.

Cathal Arthurs is steering the big Skoda Octavia with gusto but the ex works machine is struggling with an unknown brake problem while Sean Gallagher was pleased with his pace in 4^th overall. Jim Harrison reported no problems in the MAN Direct Impreza as did Liam McCarthy in the similar Murphy Construction car. Denis Cronin found himself a little bit cautious over the first stage as he bedded himself into the Ray Breen Impreza WRC but the local driver may very well have shown his hand over the second stage with joint second fastest time.

The GpN race is already showing signs of excitement as Alan Ring and James O’Sullivan are separated by just 3 seconds after the first two stages. Seamus Heron is right on the case and lies just off the leaderboard on a total of 22.08. Also going well is Tadgh Lineman whose total is 22.06 and this was despite pranging his Impreza about a mile into the first stage, Tadgh putting the error down to cold tyres. Gabriel Martin and Jack Sleator both admitted to struggling in the damp conditions but Kieran O’Callaghan caught Sleator in SS2, got past him only to incur a punctured left front wheel dropping him back behind the Opel dealers Impreza. Enda Keenan looks to be leading the Mk2’s on a total of 22.59 while Wesley Patterson although only 15 seconds behind reckons he needs a set of L plates as he learns his Mk2. More News Later Michael Patterson & Zoe Todd