|
|
RALLY NEWS
NO.3
Clonakilty/Service/12.45
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 2 Aghyohill
1st (3) Donie O'Sullivan/Paul Nagle (Focus WRC) 20.02.5
2nd (5) Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy (Corolla WRC) 20.12.2
3rd (9) Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (Celica) 20.30.2
4th (24) Kieran O'Callaghan/Denis O'Donovan (Lancer N) 20.47.1
5th (11) Phil Collins/Howard Davies (Escort) 20.47.7
6th (7) Steve Fleck/Patrick Walsh (Impreza) 21.04.5
7th (26) Willie Fannin/Michael Coleman (Impreza N) 21.12.0
8th (1) Melvyn Evans/Marc Jones (Impreza WRC) 21.13.8
9th (14) Johnny O'Sullivan/Pat Cashman (Escort WRC) 21.14.0
10th (6) Maurice Gass/Andrew Cullen (Accent WRC) 21.23.5
Liam McCarthy was fastest through stage 2 following Donie O'Sullivan's quickest
time on stage 1. On that second test O'Sullivan was held up behind Melvyn
Evans, the Welshman not happy at all with the handling of his Subaru, and in
fact spun the Impreza and O'Sullivan managed to get past him. Such is the
race in front, that the few seconds lost by O'Sullivan was enough to give
McCarthy the edge for the stage. Liam McCarthy reports a rear anti roll
bar broken on his Corolla WRC, but reckons in today's wet conditions it has
little effect. Denis Cronin reports no problems in 3rd place.
Local man Kieran O'Callaghan had a brilliant run in his gpN Lancer to hold 4th,
and Phil Collins has once again put many of the World Rally Car pilots to shame
by bringing his Mk2 Escort into 5th overall. Co-driver Howard Davies told us
that they are going to play with the suspension, that the car is a bit violent
over the bumps. Steve Fleck rounds off the top 6, Steve driving his gpA
car this time and not his World Rally Car, and he told us he is having a laugh a
mile, thoroughly enjoying it.
Maurice Gass admitted "to be honest its taking me a lot of time to bed into
this car". At least Maurice is still in the race, fellow Hyundai
driver Noel Redmond parked his Accent in a field at the end of a 350 yard
straight, slippy into a square left….(Jakes will be pleased!).
Further stories include Nigel Hicklin losing a few seconds when he stalled his
new Subaru at a hairpin, and then hoked in the wrong place for the hand brake.
JJ Fleming had a massive overshoot on stage 2, and the anti lag wasn't working
properly on stage 1. Paddy White joked "I think I'll only do rallies
in good weather from now on", as he surveyed a damaged front guard on his
Impreza WRC.
Mark Morgan is the 2nd highest seeded group N car but he was very slow off the
mark, and is over a minute down on Kieran O'Callaghan after the first 2 stages.
Willie Fannin in his new gpN Impreza went hard but lost some time when he caught
another car. Alan Ring in the new Munster Joinery backed gpN Impreza
stalled his engine on the 2nd stage, and he is on a total of 22.24.1.
Peter Clifford in the gpN Lancer went reasonably well, but is having some brake
problems and also a spin and his total is 22.14.
In the Mk2 Escort division obviously Phil Collins is the man to beat, but
Gwyndaf Evans wasn't a mile away on 21.36. Interestingly, Gwyndaf would
have given the impression before the rally that he is just rallying now for a
bit of fun. However, the horns were out when he came in here to service,
and he was spitting angry by having been held up by 2 different cars on those
first 2 stages. Competitive or what!! Talking of Mk2 Escorts, no sign here
of Tom Randles. While Willie McCarthy had some intercom problems and is on a
total of 22.16. Jer O'Donovan in the 4 wheel drive Escort Cosworth had a
spin and is on a total of 23.20. No sign also of John Morgan in his Escort
WRC - do not know yet what has happened, but the engineer spent all day
yesterday fitting a new engine block at Murphy's garage here in Clonakilty.
More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
|
|
