UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 3 New Inn

1^st (3) Kevin Lynch/Gordon Noble (Impreza WRC) 23.50

2^nd (4) Patrick Elliott/David Moynihan (Impreza WRC) 24.26

3^rd  (5) Ray Breen/Andrew Purcell (Focus WRC) 24.28    

4^th (8) Sean Devine/James McKee (Impreza WRC) 24.40

5^th (9) Melvyn Evans/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 24.43

6^th (2) Jim Harrison/Harvey Bell (Impreza WRC) 24.44

7^th (7) Adrian McElvaney/Paul Goodman (Impreza WRC) 24.47

8^th (11) Sean Gallagher/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 24.53

9^th (1) Niall Maguire/Paul McLoughlin (Impreza WRC) 24.55

10^th (17) Kevin Barrett/Barry Goodman (Impreza WRC) 24.58

After stage 1 Kevin Lynch and Charlie Donnelly were tying. Donnelly’s Corolla suffered a stage 2 puncture. After stage 2 then Lynch had edged in front of Harrison by 7s. But in stage 3 Harrison blotted his copybook and suddenly Lynch was out on his own at the front of this Cavan Rally.  The Dungiven man said when he reached service “No problems, taking it steady enough, still a long way to go.”  The sweat on his brow would perhaps indicate that he wasn’t taking it that steady!  Jim Harrison’s co driver Harvey Bell told us “It was the 3^rd junction of the 3^rd stage, after a long straight, a turn 90 left, there was gravel and the car slid up the bank. It got beached, stuck, and it took ages to get going”.  Ages in these boys terms mean over half a minute.

Niall Maguire, running No.1 on the road, said “We’re going well, I’m enjoying it, but these boys behind are really going”.  Charlie Donnelly was a bit depressed about his stage 2 puncture. That 2^nd test Tonyduff was 8.1 miles, Charlie saying “I felt the tyre flat almost from the start line. We kept going as best we could, the tyre was flapping off the rim at the end”.  Charlie felt that he went well on the 3^rd stage, but he was 14s down on Lynch and 5 down on Elliott.  The latter told us “This is the first time this year I’ve felt it really coming together, it feels good”. 

Ray Breen is not a mile off the pace in his Focus WRC, the Waterford man saying “Its going well, but I find the roads quite slippy”.  Melvyn Evans in 5^th place feels that his Subaru suspension is a bit on the soft side so he is going to firm it up a bit for the next loop of stages. Adrian McElvaney in 7^th made a slow enough start but set a pretty good time in stage 2 and a cracker time in stage 3. After the first stage Adrian said he just hadn’t settled, then on stage 2 he got held up a little behind Charlie Donnelly.  On stage 3 Adrian had some gear selector troubles, the car didn’t want to go into 5^th and when he clicked the lever again it went into 6^th.  This would make his time look even better.

First major retirement of the rally would appear to be Noel Redmond and Diarmuid Falvey.  They have pulled their Impreza WRC in on stage 2, feeling they are flogging a dead horse the car is so far down on power. Sean Devine reported no major problems.  Sean Gallagher had a nice run over the last couple of stages and he is fairly well in the hunt.  Kevin Barrett rounds off the top 10, the Triton Showers man had a really good run on stage 1 and 3, but lost a bit of time in stage 2 when he got caught behind Redmond’s Impreza at the chicane.

In Group N Willie Fannin sets the pace in his Impreza, his time 25.37 and that is despite Willie suffering from a sore back.  Mike Curran has settled down well and is on 25.47.  James O’Sullivan has 25.51 and Alan Ring 26.05.  Young Ian Barrett is back on 26.32 having lost a few seconds on the opening stage when his Lancer clouted a bank. 

In the battle of the 2 wheel drive cars Maurice Moffett is setting the roads alight despite having lost 4^th gear in his Starlet. Maurice was raving about stage 4 saying “Absolutely brilliant, fabulous stuff, it takes 10 years off your life it makes you feel so good”.  Enda Keenan is 9s behind Moffett and thrilling the spectators with his all sideways driving in the black Escort. Gordon Rogers is on his home patch and he is just 9s behind Keenan in his class 13 Escort. Mac McKenna seems to have retired after stage 1. Cootehill man Mervyn Wedlock is going well on 26.41. Joe McHugh in the Escort Cosworth lost some time when his intercom failed, his total 27.03. David McNulty had a fair run in his Escort Cosworth and he is half a minute ahead of McHugh.