RALLY NEWS NO.6
Service/Macroom/Saturday 5.30
UNOFFICIAL
LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 8 Cool Mountain
1st (4)
Tim McNulty/Anthony Nestor (Impreza WRC) 1.07.30
2nd (2)
Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 1.07.58
3rd (1)
Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 1.08.02
4th (6)
Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Focus WRC) 1.08.30
5th (7)
Pieter Tsjoen/Eddy Chevaillier (Corolla WRC) 1.09.02
6th (5)
Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 1.09.39
7th
(11) Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (Impreza WRC) 1.10.43
8th
(18) Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey (Impreza N) 1.12.12
9th
(15) Garry Jennings/Rory Kennedy (Lancer N) 1.13.05
10th
(24) Nigel Hicklin/Damien Connolly (Impreza WRC) 1.13.56
11th
(20) Aaron MacHale/Ger McMonigle 9Lancer N) 1.13.58
12th
(31) Stuart Darcy/Diarmuid Falvey (Lancer N) 1.14.59
Pieter Tjsoen
turned in the fastest time through stage 7. His Corolla
WRC covered the 7.85 miles of the Capeen stage in
7m07s. Derek McGarrity and Tim McNulty were equal 2nd
fastest on 7.11. While Eugene Donnelly and Eamonn
Boland were equal 4th fastest on 7.12. On
stage 8 it was Austin MacHale who got on to the right
tyres for the 11.25 mile stage, and his Focus WRC
stopped the clock on a fantastic 8m32s. Tim McNulty was
8.39 and Eugene Donnelly on 8.41.
It has been a real
close battle all day. Tim McNulty in the Pierse backed
Subaru opened up an early lead and although he hasn’t
been fastest through the afternoon stages Tim has done
more than enough to keep a solid 28s lead for Day 2.
Tim says he enjoyed the stages, although they were bumpy
and tight and tough, it was a bit like the old Killarney
days. Eugene Donnelly is still on course in terms of
the Pirelli Tarmac Championship and he said. “I’ve been
an absolute ball today, I’m not far off the pace,
they’ve been brilliant stage, some of the best this
year. I’m happy enough with our position but if we had
to push much harder I don’t know if there would be much
left”. Derek McGarrity said. “I seem to have got my
tyre choice upside down, never quite right, but its been
OK”.
Eamonn Boland had
a small touch of brake problems through stage 8. When
Pieter Tjsoen was quizzed about his stage 7 fastest time
and was he taking chances, he gave a small sort of
Belgian chuckle and said. “It was getting warm at
times”. Denis Cronin is still happy enough to be 7th
and still very confident of his Subaru.
Colm Murphy held
on to 8th despite crunching the front of his
Group N Impreza in stage 7. Colm laughed when he
recounted. “We came into a square left with the back all
over the place, we caught grip and hammered into a bank
and I was in the wrong machine for moving it! There were
cars off everywhere in the stage from the first run
through. We burst a rim as well. Our accident was at a
crossroads and the bumper came off, and I would love to
have it back if anyone finds it” Garry Jennings has
moved up to 9th and still 2nd gpN,
Garry saying. “We’re doing our own thing”. Nigel
Hicklin has moved up to 10th despite earlier
intercom problems with his Impreza WRC.
Top drivers having
problems in that last loop of stages included Liam
McCarthy, with rally sponsor Kieran Murphy in the hot
seat – their Corolla crashed off the road on the first
square left of stage 7. Erik Wevers put his Corolla off
the road in stage 7. Tadgh Linehan crashed his Impreza,
dropped at least a minute and held up young Brian
O’Mahony in the Puma. James O’Sullivan put the 023 Tiles
Lancer in a hedge, James was caught out over a crest
into a sudden right hander, lost little time. James
Foley found his new Lancer filling up with fuel and
fumes – James had fitted a high pressure fuel pump which
blew a pipe. James was nearly knocked out with the
fumes. Dropped 16 minutes and eventually got the car
here to service.
Just outside the
top 10 Aaron MacHale is having a good run to hold 11th
overall and 3rd group N with Stuart Darcy 12th
following his loose steering column incident. Erik
Wevers has dropped to 13th following his
accident. Paddy White 14th and Kevin Kelleher
16th in his GpN Lancer. The reason for Tim
Van Parijs retirement earlier was a broken front
differential. More news in the morning. BRIAN & LIZ
PATTERSON
www.rallynews.net
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