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RALLY
NEWS NO.1
Clonmel - Sunday 9.30am - www.rallynews.net
Niall Maguire heads a strong entry here on this Clonmel based
Stonethrowers Rally, the Monaghan man intent on continuing his bid
for his 3rd Dunlop National Championship title. Niall leads this
season's table with 98 points, as against Patrick Elliott and Jim
Harrison tying for 2nd on 68. All three drive Subaru Impreza WRC's.
Cahal Arthurs is 4th on 59 points, and along with Elliott and
Harrison, still hasn't given up hope on this year's title.
Interestingly, when Arthurs completed his first recce run over the
stages, he phoned his engineer, told him how smooth the stages
were, and asked him to lower the ride height of his Accent. The
car also has a new engine fitted, so Co. Down man Cahal means
business! The man the top drivers probably fear most is Kevin
Lynch, seeded down at 5 today, and 7th in the Dunlop points, but
on a crest of a rally wave these days. His latest success came
just yesterday, when he won the Dogleap Rally in the sister
Impreza WRC S9 to the one he drives here today. (Glen Allen was
2nd on the Dogleap, Kevin O'Kane 3rd. Kieran Shaw had been a close
2nd, his Impreza WRC converted to RHD and Kieran a lot happier but
slipped into a ditch for 4mins on the penultimate stage!)
Sean Gallagher is at 7 today, hoping for some reliability from his
Subaru - he's had it re-sprayed red, the engine has been back to
Prodrive following a cam belt shredding itself. Kevin Barrett
starts at 8 in his Triton Showers Subaru and is 5th in the Dunlop
standings. Noel Redmond, also in an Impreza WRC, rounds off the
top ten. Non-starters from the top ten are JJ Fleming (6) and John
McCarthy (9). Some non-starters from outside the top ten include
Tommy Kiely (16), Eoin Doyle (21), John Hickey (23), Seamus Heron
(25), which does mean that a lot of the reserves will get a run.
The rally is also a round of the Triton Showers South East
Championship, with Paul Mulcahy, seeded at 34 today in his
Starlet, leading. Current Champion Mick Nevin, currently 2nd in
the points, is at 54 in his Escort. The South East is a class
based series, so the boys will be flat out for a category win
here. On the subject of classes, there are some brilliant Mk2
Escort men who should be in the reckoning before the day's out -
drivers such as David James, Enda Keenan, Liam Wall and a whole
lot more. Interestingly David James' co-driver Jim Crowe is on his
24th Stonethrowers and running at the same number as when he
started, with a young driver then, the late Frank Meagher.
GpN on the event should be interesting as well - there are at
least a dozen drivers in brilliant cars who should be there or
thereabouts. Highest seeded is Dunlop Championship points leader
Willie Fannin at in his Impreza·..no doubt there'll be plenty of
GpN stories throughout the day· more news later. BRIAN & LIZ
PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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