RALLY NEWS NO.4 Service/Sunday 1pm

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 4 Mealagh Valley
1st (2) Ray Breen/Andrew Purcell (Focus WRC) 39.26
2nd (3) Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (Impreza WRC) 39.27
3rd (7) Melvyn Evans/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 40.16
4th (5) Patrick Elliott/Martin Cahill (Impreza WRC) 40.41
5th (1) Jim Harrison/Harvey Bell (Impreza WRC0 40.50
6th (11) Michael Curran/Fabian McShane (Lancer N) 41.42
7th (10) Nigel Hicklin/Damien Connolly (Impreza WRC) 41.53
8th (6) Kevin Barrett/Barry Goodman (Impreza WRC) 42.09
9th (34) Cyril MCCullagh/Kevin McGovern (Octavia WRC) 42.16
10th (15) Kevin & Martin Kelleher (Lancer N) 42.22

Ray Breen turned in a sparkling time through stage 3, 13s quicker than Denis Cronin, which allowed the new Dunlop champion Breen to move into a slender lead. On stage 4 Breen and Cronin tied. Denis commented. “With the roads drying out I’m losing my advantage, the older car doesn’t have the pace. The tyre choice was OK, the road was part damp part dry, but it’s the same for everybody”. Breen said. “Everything’s a hundred per cent although we lost a few seconds when we caught Jim Harrison. Otherwise we’re having fun its great not to have to worry about the championship”.

Melvyn Evans was slightly downbeat when he arrived into service, his times for stages 3 and 4 definitely not having the same bite as they had on the first loop, the Welshman saying “We had an overshoot on the road down the side of the mountain, thought we were going rightly but the times aren’t there”. Patrick Elliott in 4th was a couple of seconds faster than Evans through those 2 stages, Elliott now on a fully fit gearbox and starting to regain some of his old form.

Kevin Barrett continues to set subdued times, the Triton Showers man determined to bed himself in fully to his new Impreza WRC S9, go for the finish and try and secure 3rd place in the Dunlop National Championship. Nigel Hicklin is another who has put his earlier gearbox woes behind him and his Impreza was fully fit through the last couple of stages.

Kevin Kelleher continues to hold 2nd group N behind young Michael Curran, Michael saying. “We’re pushing quite hard” which really means that Michael is absolutely flying and well on course to secure the Patterson RallyNews Group N award in the Dunlop series. Willie Fannin and Alan Ring were the 2 group N drivers capable of depriving Curran of that championship win, but neither are having a good day. Fannin’s Impreza gear change now consists of a Snap On three eighth socket drive shaft taped to the stump of the old gear lever.

Alan Ring lost 4 minutes in stage 4 when a rear left tyre punctured just a few miles into the 11.5 mile stage and he was forced to stop and change the flat. Ring said “I don’t understand it. We landed heavily after a jump but it was the right rear that took the force of it and then the left rear went down”. James O’Sullivan set a pretty good time through stage 4 James well pleased with the temporary job that the mechanics did on his Lancer’s damaged steering. Kevin Kelleher felt he had picked too hard a compound tyre. There was no sign of Kieran O’Callaghan at the control into service, we hear that Kieran’s Lancer may have suffered a puncture. Owen Murphy is just outside the top gpN contenders, Owen reckons his Lancer suspension is just too old for the job. He also had a major moment when he was nearly off the road at the same spot where PJ McGrath put his Subaru on its roof. Dickie Curran is just outside the leaderboard on 42.36, by our unofficial reckoning 11th overall and 3rd group N. Dickie says he is settling into the new Lancer 8.5 very nicely.

Tom Randles told us that the temperature warning light in his Celica is flashing, feels there may be some sensor trouble with the engine. Tadgh Linehan is going well in the Bio-Tech Impreza, Tadgh on a total of 42.59 which is unofficial 4th best group N at the moment.

In the 2 wheel drive category Wesley Patterson seems to be the man to beat, his total 43.38. Ken O’Neill in the Puma is on 43.46 and Allen Treacy in the Corolla has dropped back a little, his total now 44.39. Brian O’Mahony seems to have dropped back a little, we hear unofficially that his Puma is stuck at a hairpin and he can’t get reverse gear, but we must emphasise this is unofficial.

On Catalunya Rally Loeb has won from Duvan by 1m21s with Hirvonen 3rd. Sordo was 12th and best Junior as well as taking the title. Eamonn Boland was 15th. Kris Meeke 28th after a very troubled rally. Paddy White retired earlier today.
More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
Associate Rally sponsor – Irish Yogurts