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RALLY
NEWS NO.2 End of stage
1 Minard/Sunday 12 noon
www.rallynews.net
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1 Minard
1st (2) Jim Harrison/Harvey Bell (Impreza WRC) 6.48
2nd (4) Donie O'Sullivan/Paul Nagle (Focus WRC) 6.50
3rd (1) Naill Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 6.54
4th (9) Paatrick Elliott/David Moynihan (Imprezaa WRC) 7.04
5th (12) Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (Celica) 7.05
6th (14) JJ Fleming/Robbie Ward (Impreza WRC) 7.10
7th (15) George Cullen/Pat Cashman (Impreza 555) 7.13
(20) Andrew Stewart/Fabian McShane (Lancer N) 7.13
9th (5) Kevin Lynch/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 7.14
10th (21) Ray Breen/Andrew Purcell (Impreza WRC) 7.15
Not only is the above leaderboard unofficial, but it is garnered from the
first few cars only so there could be some quick men coming on to the
leaderboard when more times are available.
As can be seen above, Jim Harrison was fastest. The Macclesfield
reported the conditions to be wet, slippy and treacherous, sentiments echoed
by the other top drivers.
Main talking point to start off with on that first stage was that Melvyn
Evans left the start line OK but within a few hundred yards his Subaru was
reportedly crawling at very slow speed. When we left the stage finish
there was still no sign of the Welshman. Just after we left we got an
unofficial report that John Kearney crashed his Escort and blocked the
stage. Ironically the man who passed on the message to us was Dermot
O'Gorman, whose Midland Crane Hire Company sponsor the Escort. Dermot
joked "He can pay for the sign writing himself the next time!"
Sean Gallagher completed the first stage OK, although he did lose a small
bit of time when his windscreen fogged up in the wet conditions, but
subsequently retired anyway, his Escort Cosworth's gearbox playing up on the
way to stage 2, Conor Pass. David Armstrong had a spin at the
hairpin on the stage, David on a time of 7.28, just inside the top 20. JJ
Fleming also had a spin. Cathal Arthurs had 2 spins.
Just outside the above leaderboard - Willie Fannin is recorded as 11th, 2nd
in Group N to Andrew Stewart. Liam McCarthy in the Corolla WRC
is 12th. Kevin Barrett 13th. Gabriel Martin 14th in his gpN Lancer and
Adrian McElvaney 15th. Adrian is in a new car today, complete with
paddle gear change and not having to use the clutch to change gear, and he
is finding it all a bit odd. More news later. BRIAN & LIZ
PATTERSON
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