RALLY NEWS NO.5                  Service near Slieveroe - Sunday 3.45

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 6 GLENMORE
1st (11) Kevin Lynch/Gordon Noble (Impreza WRC) 55.42
2nd (2) Jim Harrison/Harvey Bell (Impreza WRC) 56.26
3rd (6) Patrick Elliott/David Moynihan (Impreza WRC) 56.55
4th (3) Cathal Arthurs/Jakes Kelly (Accent WRC) 57.11
5th (7) Melvyn Evans/Aled Davies (Impreza WRC) 57.21
6th (15) Richie Curran/Gerry English (Esc.Cos) 57.27
7th (4) Ray Breen/Andrew Purcell (Impreza WRC) 57.58
8th (9) Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (Celica) 58.30
9th (17) Noel Redmond/Diarmuid Falvey (Impreza WRC) 59.01
10th (24) Willie Fannin/Richard Price (Impreza N) 59.22

Dunlop Championship leader Niall Maguire has crashed out of the rally on stage 5. 2nd on the road Jim Harrison reckons that if Niall had not gone off, he would, that there was a real river running across the road on a blind corner, and Jim can't understand why some of the onlookers didn't try to slow the cars down.  Happily there are no injuries reported to Niall or co driver Paul McLaughlin.  They were lying 2nd at the time of the crash.

Rally leader Kevin Lynch had his own moments of drama through stage 5, Tory Hill, his Impreza suffering a rear wheel puncture, he ran on the flat tyre for many miles, and reported all sorts of sideways slides, but got away with it.  2nd placed Jim Harrison still has gear change trouble with his Impreza, but the Macclesfield man is keeping his head down, and driving a good rally through these difficult conditions. Patrick Elliott was fastest through stage 6 to move up to 3rd overall, but still a long way behind Harrison, and with only 2 stages to go.  Cathal Arthurs in 4th reported no problems. Melvyn Evans in 5th still seems to be on the wrong tyres, while Richie Curran in 6th is doing a good job in his Escort Cosworth. 

023 Tiles championship points leader starting this rally, Johnny O'Sullivan, would appear to have retired in stage 5, his Escort WRC parked up.  Ray Breen in 7th arrived into service with the front of his Impreza WRC damaged, Ray shrugged it off as a minor bump into a farmyard wall.  Denis Cronin moved up to 8th through stages 5 and 6, Denis at last seeming at last to be getting into the groove.  Noel Redmond has softened the suspension and rear differential setting on his Subaru, he's feeling a lot happier and more comfortable with the car and he is up to 9th.

Willie Fannin has moved into the gpN lead with a good run through stages 5 and 6, particularly stage 6 where he set a superb time to get ahead of Alan Ring.  Ring is now 4s behind Fannin. Gabriel Martin a further 4 back with James O'Sullivan 18s in arrears.    Eddie Garry seems to have parted the group N fray, his Subaru Impreza parked up in service. 

The communications wire in stage 5 seemed to go down  for the later numbers, so we don't have their times as yet, but Ollie O'Reilly seems to be leading his class. While Eamonn Murphy has crashed his Escort out. Paul Mulcahy in the Starlet is still in the hunt but lost some time in stage 6 with a spin. Don Butler seems to have retired in stage 6.
Sebastian Loeb has won the World Championship Rally of Turkey by 26s from Gronholm, Solberg 3rd, Sainz 4th. JWRC won by Andersson from Katajamaki, Wilks 3rd. Kris Meeke/Chris Patterson retired their Corsa on Friday when a wheel bearing collapsed.  Alistair Ginley/Rory Kennedy withdrew from event after road accident involving their service crew.
More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON   www.rallynews.net