RALLY NEWS NO.5
Glentrool Regroup/Saturday 1pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER
STAGE 8 Jenny’s Hill
1st (1) Mark
Higgins/Bryan Thomas (Focus WRC) 46.26.0
2nd (2) Austin
MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 47.10.0
3rd (8) Rory
Galligan/Greg Shinnors (Lancer N) 47.16.0
4th (7) Sebastian
Ling/David Moynihan (Accent WRC) 47.54.6
5th (4) Barry
Johnson/Stewart Merry (Impreza WRC) 47.54.8
6th (32) Brian
O’Mahony/John Higgins (Puma) 51.35.2
7th (24) Robert
Swann/Ken Bowman (Impreza N) 51.39.6
8th (30) Andrew
Leece/Robbie Durant (Clio) 51.43.6
9th (29) Tom
Metcalfe/Howard Pridmore (Stilo) 52.04.5
10th (28) Shaun
Woffinden/Inbal Edry (Stilo) 52.08.8
Mark Higgins and Austin
MacHale in their respective Focus WRCs have moved on to a really
tough hard wearing Safari type tyre for the stony conditions up here
in these midge infested Glentrool forests. They may be a slightly
slower tyre, but able to withstand the punctures that have beset
many of the other drivers.
Another major retirement is
that of young Gareth MacHale, his Corolla WRC off the road following
a fast 5th gear right hander in Glentrool. Happily there
is no great damage reported, the car and the crew are both OK.
Mark Higgins commented after
the Jenny’s Hill test “Keeping out of trouble, no problems, the new
tyres are working Ok with no punctures”. Austin MacHale virtually
echoed Higgins’ comments, and said as well that the tyres that they
have moved on to were not as good on the pebbly soft surfaces, and
also that dust was still a major problem. Mark Higgins is of course
getting the benefit of clear air. Even though the cars behind are
fighting for 2 minute gaps they are still struggling in places with
poor visibility.
Barry Johnson had led the
rally after stage 6 but his Subaru incurred a puncture about 8 miles
into Glentrool, a flailing tyre also damaging a brake pipe. Barry
did well to only lose just over a minute to the fastest cars.
Sebastian Ling also had a
puncture, his about 7 miles from the end of the Glentrool stage, so
again he was lucky to stay in the hunt. Rory Galligan had a good
run through both stages 7 and 8, although he had quite a moment at
the end of the Glentrool stage when the Lancer nearly got away from
him on the very fast section.
Richard Gower had been up as
high as 4th overall after the Ae stage, but it all went
disastrously wrong in Glentrool when his Hyundai incurred a puncture
on the very first corner of the stage. He stopped and changed it 3
miles in then got another puncture after the 8 mile mark. He lost
in total about 5 minutes.
Other drivers to suffer
punctures and dust problems included Lorna Smith, Julian Reynolds,
Barry Clark, James Edwards and Brendan Kelly. Natalie Barrett did
not get punctures but has completely lost confidence in her Impreza,
says it is nothing like a Lancer and seems to be wandering at high
speed. Young Stephen Petch’s Group n Impreza has had turbo
problems, and co driver Michael Wilkinson says they can see
absolutely nothing through the dust. They are currently lying 13th
behind Richard Gower with Rob Gill 11th. Brendan Kelly is
14th and James Edwards 15th. Barry Clark has
dropped to 16th.
Andrew Leece has had a good
run in his black Clio to continue to lead F2, his only real problem
a spin in Glentrool. Shaun Woffinden is fighting to get some time
back from fellow Fiat Stilo pilot Tom Metcalfe, the latter slowed
with intercom problems, but both doing amazingly well to hold places
in the top 10. Brian O’Mahony has kept out of trouble with his
Puma, the young Cork man an amazing 6th overall and
leading Super 1600, although in truth he is the only one left in the
category.
More news later. BRIAN &
LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
