RALLY NEWS NO.9
Service/Letterkenny/Saturday 3.45
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE
12 Knockalla
1st (1) Eugene Donnelly/Paul
Kiely (Corolla WRC) 1.05.54.0
2nd (7) Tim McNulty/Eugene
O'Donnell (Impreza WRC) 1.07.08.4
3rd (6) Eamonn
Boland/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 1.07.15.3
4th (4) Austin MacHale/Brian
Murphy (Focus WRC) 1.08.25.9
5th (16) Kevin Barrett/Barry
Goodman (Impreza WRC) 1.10.47.5
6th (11) Cathal Arthurs/John
McElhinney (Accent WRC) 1.10.53.3
7th (9) Steve Perez/Neil
Dashfield (Focus WRC) 1.11.14.2
8th (12) Gareth Jones/Paul
Goodman (Impreza WRC) 1.11.39.4**
9th (23) Garry Jennings/Rory
Kennedy (Lancer N) 1.11.49.6
10th (17) Maurice Gass/Andrew
Cullen (Fabia WRC) 1.12.34.6
** provisional see below.
This Shell Donegal International Rally
turned on its head on stage 12, Knockalla, when first overall
Andrew Nesbitt retired. Nesbitt crashed at the first proper
corner in the stage. We haven’t spoken to Andrew yet so we
don’t know the full facts, but he had picked a fairly hard
compound tyre, an S5, and it is a possibility that because of
a delay at the stage start the tyres were cold and didn’t grip
fully. What also adds possible weight to that theory is that
the previous stage, Carn Hill, was cancelled.
There were further dramas when Derek
McGarrity, who had been 2nd but in theory would
have moved into first following Nesbitt’s retirement, but
McGarrity’s Subaru clutch overheated in the stage and he had
great difficulty even getting to the end of the test. It
looked as if McGarrity would also be out of the rally, but we
do hear that the clutch has cooled down and is providing a
little bit of grip and Derek is trying to get the car up the
road to the next stage Garrygort. In the middle of the whole
drama Austin MacHale did his best to help Derek by pushing the
stricken Subaru with the Focus for a couple of miles. We
haven’t shown any stage time above for McGarrity, simply
because we don’t have one!!
Eugene Donnelly finished the stage
using the manual gear shift, the paddle gear change not
operating on down shifts. Eugene also had a huge sideways
moment on the long 2 right past the car park up on the top of
Knockalla, and his Corolla WRC kissed the concrete railings at
very high speed. Eugene said there was no big damage, but
having said that the rear wheel could have taken a knock. Tim
McNulty picked too soft a compound tyre, otherwise OK. Eamonn
Boland suffered tyre damage – the mousse insert exploded -
finished the stage OK and changed the rim on the road
section.
Seamus Leonard seemed to be missing
…which would leave Garry Jennings leading group N from Cathal
Rogers. Roy White stopped on Knockalla when his FESP Lancer
ground to a halt with seized transmission, blocking the road.
More news to tollow….
BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON
www.rallynews.net
(with thanks to Michael Patterson & Martin Brady)
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