RALLY NEWS NO.3 Service/Glenariffe/Saturday/12.30

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 3 BALLYPATRICK
1st (6) Sean Devine/Damien Duffy (Impreza WRC) 16.06
2nd (1) Craig & Rodger Bennett (Focus WRC) 16.20
3rd (23) Trevor Moore/Glenn Campbell (Escort) 16.27
4th (2) Raymond Johnson/Richard Bell (Impreza WRC) 16.28
5th (3) Kieran Shaw/Crawford Henderson (Lancer WRC) 16.35
6th (17) John Donnelly/Oran Donnelly (Escort WRC) 16.40
7th (9) John McGlaughlin/David McElroy (Lancer N) 16.43
8th (8) Neil McCance/Sean Ferris (Lancer N) 16.45
9th (11) Peter McCullagh/Alan Dolan (Lancer N) 16.46
10th (10) Martin Elliott/Brian Crawford (Lancer N) 16.51
11th (21) Andy Magee/Andy Hamilton (Escort) 16.52
12th (22) Mark Barnett/Jonathan Charleston (Escort) 17.06

The times for stage 3 Ballypatrick make interesting reading with Sean Devine fastest on 6.17, Craig Bennett 2nd fastest on 6.19, Raymond Johnson 3rd fastest on 6.30. Sean Devine has been fastest from the word go although he wasn’t happy about the way his Subaru was handling, nor the way the gearbox was behaving itself. He said however at the end of stage 3 that was his first clear run. Craig Bennett was only 6th fastest after the first stage, but his time through stage 3 was a revelation. The Clogher Valley chemist saying “I haven’t been in the car for a while, I’m starting to settle down. The Focus always seems to be better on the smoother stages and Ballypatrick has been regarded whereas the first 2 stages were bumpy”.

Trevor Moore was up into 2nd after the first stage and complaining of a recalcitrant 5th gear in his Escort. He seems to have that little problem behind him and is going well, although he did have a small overshoot at the posts where the stage goes on to tarmac and had to reverse. Raymond Johnson is having a solid run whereas Kieran Shaw is having problems with the car stalling at junctions as he is changing down the box. He has discovered a button on the gear change which is meant to stop the car from going into reverse, it seems to be malfunctioning and Kieran is trying to find a way around it.

Further stories include James Murphy’s Escort WRC, having gone well over the first couple of stages and lying on the edge of the top 10, is off the road in Ballypatrick on a muddy section. The car is beached and reportedly no damage but can’t get out. Kieran Graffin’s Lancer went off the road on a downhill bumpy section in Beaghs and is stuck. Gerard McFall’s Escort Cosworth was slow through stage 3, suffering a broken drive shaft. John McGlaughlin continues to lead Group N but he reckons his Lancer is not handling 100 per cent, possibly a back wheel deranged, so Neil McCance and Peter McCullagh were joint fastest through stage 3. Neil still very much with an eye on the group N Champion’s title and is trying no heroics. Martin Elliott was slowed with a small overshoot, his lancer brakes still not quite right.

More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
(with thanks to Michael Patterson & Ian Beasant for the phone call from the end of Ballypatrick).