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RALLY NEWS
NO.10
Ballinacarriga/Sunday 4.15
UNOFFICAIL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 14 Bealad
1st (3) Donie O'Sullivan/Paul Nagle (Focus WRC) 1.52.31.3
2nd (5) Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy (Corolla WRC) 1.52.58.7
3rd (1) Melvyn Evans/Marc Jones (Impreza WRC) 1.53.48.2
4th (17) JJ Fleming/Robbie Ward (Impreza WRC) 1.54.46.3
5th (24) Kieran O'Callaghan/Denis O'Donovan (Lancer N) 1.55.55.0
6th (7) Steve Fleck/Patrick Walsh (Impreza) 1.57.25.0
7th (12) Nigel Hicklin/Sam McMullan (Impreza WRC) 1.57.27.1
8th (27) James O'Sullivan/Rebecca Walsh (Lancer N) 1.58.46.15
9th (169) Gabriel Martin/Mark Kane (Lancer N) 1.59.02.3
10th (14) Johnny O'Sullivan/Pat Cashman (Escort WRC) 1.59.24.2
11th (11) Phil Collins/Howard Davies (Escort) 1.59.27.2
12th (18) Barry Coleman/Don Montgomery (Impreza WRC) 1.59.33.1
There were major dramas for rally leader Donie O'Sullivan on stage 14, Bealad -
on a flat out right hander through junction 2 Donie saw a large rock lying on
the road in front of him, possibly pulled out by a course car - he doesn't know.
But anyway, he couldn't avoid it and punctured a front left tyre. Second
placed Liam McCarthy caught and passed the struggling Focus WRC, but still
O'Sullivan managed to hold on to his lead. McCarthy possibly lost a few seconds
squeezing past the Ford, anyway Melvyn Evans was fastest on 9.29.9. Liam
MCCarthy had a time of 9.34.0 and O'Sullivan 11.09.6. Quite a difference,
but the Bio-Clear Focus still has a 27s advantage with 2 stages remaining.
Liam McCarthy commented "We're pushing hard but I don't think there is
anything more in this car, maybe a couple of seconds if we picked a harder
compound tyre". Melvyn Evans is just trying to get his car home without any
dramas. While JJ Fleming set a 3rd fastest time through that stage 14 to
reinforce his 4th position.
Phil Collins is now back in 11th following his stage 11 puncture sand said that
he is going well, but he has lost some of his commitment.
In Group N Kieran O'Callaghan says he is just driving for the finish now and
barring problems should be very safe as the group N leader. James O'Sullivan
holds on to 2nd despite having to crunch and bang his ways through the gears.
Now Gabriel Martin, 3rd in yet another gpN Lancer, is also having gear troubles.
Further back Eddie Garry and Alan Ring are having their own group N battle for
5th and 6th in the category. Ring was 2s fastger than Garry through stage 14 but
18s in arrears overall. Mark Morgan is 4th, his Lancer is well down on
power.
Johnny O'Sullivan's Escort WRC is still misfiring badly, he is losing time and
just trying to get the car home. Steve Fleck is having more and more
problems with his Impreza's gears. Nigel Hicklin speeded up well through
stage 14, enjoying the dry roads, and looking fairly solid in 7th place at the
moment. Just outside the leaderboard Anthony O'Halloran leads his class now by
over a minute in his Manta. 17 year old Owen Murphy from Ballinacollig has
his Corsa 4 minutes in the lead of his class. Owen is the young man who won the
Ford Academy series in England. Peter Clifford/John Young have crashed
their Lancer out in stage 12. Joe Connolly (Escort) continues to lead the
Historics from Frank Cunningham in the Cooper S. Martin Ward is 3rd in his Manta
A, despite having to rebuild the gearbox at every opportunity. On the WRC in
Mexico with 3 stages remaining Martin leads from Sainz, then Duval, Hirvonen
& Solberg. In the PWRC Sola leads from Arai, Niall McShea 3rd. More
news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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