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RALLY NEWS NO.10
Clones Service/Sunday 4pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 12 Drumavaddy
1st
(1) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 1.18.23.7
2nd
(2) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 1.18.34.8
3rd
(4) Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Impreza WRC) 1.18.49.6
4th
(5) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 1.19.01.7
5th
(7) Tim McNulty/Eugene O'Donnell (Impreza WRC) 1.20.05.3
6th
(3) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 1.20.28.0
7th
(16) Sean Devine/James McKee (Impreza WRC) 1.22.41.7
8th
(57) Garry Jennings/Rory Kennedy (Lancer N) 1.23.46.8
9th
(17) Willie Fannin/Mick Courtney (Impreza N) 1.26.27.0
10th
(20) Paddy White/Graeme Stewart (Impreza WRC) 1.28.06.8
11th
(14) Aaron MacHale/Ger McMonagle (Lancer N) 1.28.16.5
12th
(18) Alan Nesbitt/Paddy Robinson (Impreza N) 1.28.29.5**
13th
(21) Donagh Kelly/Adrian Deasy (Lancer) 1.28.57.6
14th
34) Brian O’Mahony/John Higgins (Puma) 1.29.36.1
15th
(35) Peter Wilson/Lisa Roe (Civic) 1.30.19.1
No
sooner had Andrew Nesbitt regained the lead on stage 11, his Impreza
suffered a rear right puncture on stage 12, Andrew dropped over 30
seconds and from 1st to 3rd. Eugene Donnelly
set a fabulous time through the stage, 8s faster than Derek McGarrity.
This makes the rally really interesting – McGarrity is just 11s in
front of Donnelly, who is 15s up on Nesbitt. There are 4 stages still
to go today and all to play for. Nesbitt finished the stage on the
battered rim and was going to change it between stages. Tim McNulty
had a good run through stage 12, as did Austin MacHale, although
Austin is still having bother with his Focus WRC exhaust manifold.
Kevin Lynch had his KPL Subaru up into 6th place at service
after stage 11, but in stage 12 he smacked the car into a hedge and
burst the radiator, meaning instant retirement. Further back Alan
Nesbitt seems to have incurred a 60s road penalty, so he has now
dropped behind Aaron MacHale in the battle 3rd in Group N.
Garry Jennings still leads the category despite some brake problems
with Willie Fannin 2nd. As Garry came into last service
there was yet another helicopter flew low in over our heads to park in
the football ground. Garry remarked that as he would driving on the
stages, there were times when he could hear this “whoosh whoosh
whoosh” coming through the intercom headphones. It took a while to
realise it was a helicopter shadowing them down a stage! We asked him
did it upset him or knock him off the pace, and he replied that he
didn’t let it bother him at all.
Outside the top 15 we have young Conor McCloskey in 16th.
Michael McColgan 17th. Raymond McLoughlin 18th,
all in Group N Lancers. Brendan Comiskey is 19th and
leading his class in his Civic Type R. Derrick Jobb 20th
in his Celica. Eugene Meegan is 21st and 2nd in
class N3 to Comiskey. Alan Cathcart is 3rd in that class in
his new black Civic, running standard suspension. Willie John Dolan
is now into the top 30 and started to speed up. He discovered that a
couple of the wheels in his new Impreza were pointing in the wrong
direction. Also one of the differentials wasn’t working properly. He
has all that adjusted and says it feels like a different car. Emma
McKinstry is going a lot better today and she is just outside the top
20. Emma slowed through the last few Saturday stages when she became
affected by fumes in her gpN Lancer.
RPM’s Andrew Bushe put his Peugeot off the road a couple of stages
ago, lost a little time but got going with little damage. Convoy’s
Andrew Stewart reversed his Swift into a wall at high speed, deranged
the back axle, but managed to get the car into service where there
were some hasty repairs carried out.
In
the National part of the rally Paul Gallagher & Karl Reid maintain
their lead after stage 11, by 34s from Colm McFaul. Seamus O’Connell 3rd.
Emily O’Mahony has retired, her Lancer stuck in a stage 11 ditch.
More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSONU www.rallynews.net |
