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RALLY
NEWS NO.2
Service/Sunday 11.30
UNOFFICIAL
LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1 Morgan’s Lake
1st
(3) Charlie Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Corolla WRC) 8.39
2nd
(2) Ray Breen/Andrew Purcell (Focus WRC) 8.44
3rd
(136) Kenny McKinstry/Harvey
Bell
(Impreza WRC) 8.50
4th
(10) Michael Curran/Fabian McShane (Lancer N) 9.02
5th
(11) Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey (Impreza N) 9.05
(5) Niall Maguire/Paul McLoughlin (Impreza WRC) 9.05
(6) Paul Harris/Donal Barrett (Impreza) 9.05
8th
(133) Noel McCarrick/Eugene O’Donnell (Impreza WRC) 9.08
9th
(8) Kevin Barrett/Barry Goodman (Impreza WRC) 9.13
10th
(12) Alan Ring/Derek Brannigan (Impreza N) 9.15
Charlie
Donnelly is setting the pace here on this Clare Rally with a
sparkling time down the narrow tortuous first stage.
No such good news for No.1 seed Ollie O’Donovan whose
Subaru engine gave up the ghost in the stage.
Charlie Donnelly commented at stage finish. “The Corolla
felt a bit bumpy on that one, but it should be good for the next
stage. There was plenty of grip, bone dry”.
When Dunlop Championship leader Ray Breen brought his Focus
WRC to a halt he said. “We went at a nice pace, we were going hard
but not too hard”. The
name of the game for Breen today is just to go for a good result and
he could tie up the Dunlop series even with Skibbereen remaining.
Kenny
McKinstry said he had a good run on the way to 3rd
fastest, but at the same time Kenny was coughing and spluttering,
and is suffering from a touch of the ‘flu.
Paul Harris set a good time.
He was a little worried that his co driver Donal Barrett, out
for the first time, wouldn’t be able to manage the notes, but Paul
said “He did well, I’m not really going for it. More worried
about holding up the car behind”.
Niall Maguire said he lost a few seconds at stage
finish when he slowed too early.
Noel
Redmond
told us. “We had a massive moment at a crest early in the stage,
it knocked the stuffing out of me, a 3 right came up very quickly
afterwards”. Tommy Graham told of a clean run, but did stall his
Subaru at a hairpin.
In
Group N Michael Curran was stunningly fast in his Lancer.
Colm Murphy was 2nd fastest in group N, said he
enjoyed the stage, but a small fuse box cover fell off at one point
and got stuck under his feet. Colm
is not really contesting the National championship, more interested
in the Tarmac series and told us that he unregistered himself here
so that he wouldn’t interfere with the group N championship
contenders. In that
context Michael Curran is looking very strong.
Alan Ring had a good run but was 13s slower.
While current gpN champion Willie Fannin spun his Impreza at
a 5 left and had to reverse back and forward to get going, losing
perhaps 30s. Aaron
MacHale finished the stage almost 50s down having stuffed the front
of his Lancer twice. Worse was to follow as James O’Sullivan
crashed his group N Lancer and blocked the stage for the following
runners.
Finally
for now we have had some extremely tragic news from Wales Rally GB
in that Markko Martin has crashed in the Margam special stage and
his co driver Michael Park did not survive the accident and was
pronounced dead at 10.45. The
rally is not continuing. 39
year old
Newent, Gloucestershire man Michael was a really special guy who had
time for everyone. Our sincere condolences go to all his family and
friends.
BRIAN
& LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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