Rally
News No.2 Ballymote Service Sunday 1.30pm
Unofficial Leaderboard After Stage Three
1st (2) Jim Harrison/Harvey Bell (Impreza
WRC) 26.25
2nd (3) Ray Breen/Andrew Purcell (Focus
WRC) 26.32
3rd (6) Niall Maguire/Paul McLoughlin (Impreza
WRC) 27.16
4th (145) Sean Gallagher/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC)
27.23
5th (14) Michael Curran/Fabian McShane
(Lancer N) 27.39
6th (5) Patrick Elliott/David Moynihan
(Impreza WRC) 27.44
7th (7) Kevin Barrett/Barry Goodman (Impreza
WRC) 27.46
8th (12) Alan Ring/Derek Brannigan (Impreza
N) 28.16
The above leaderboard is very provisional
following the 8.97 mile third stage Carrigans. Jim Harrison was
fastest by five seconds from Ray Breen after Breen had a overshoot
at a junction, the Focus arriving at the stage finish with the front
covered in grass. Patrick Elliott was able to patch up his power
steering but as his rally engineer Robbie McGuirk informed us it was
very much a temporary affair as the whole system needs bleeding but
it would now seem that the Cavan man has run into brake problems on
stage three and has dropped another thirty seconds. Kevin Barrett
had his gear box successfully changed by the McKinstry mechanics and
Kevin had a solid fifth fastest time through stage three. Sean
Gallagher is on a real charge and was only one second down on Ray
Breen through stage three and has moved up the leaderboard to
fourth.
The news in GpN is that reigning Dunlop GpN
Champion Willie Fannin has blocked stage three, reports say that the
crew are perfectly okay but we have no more times as the stage has
been stopped. Michael Curran had a good run to set a time of 8.35
and was marginally eclipsed by Munster Joinery’s Alan Ring.
Michael’s father Dickie is in attendance today and the Curran
Transport supremo told us that Michael was under instruction to
either “win it or bin it” over the opening stages as stage blockages
have cost him so much time in the past. Maybe he was right.
Further down the field Andrew Mullan is lucky to
still be in the rally when he lost a wheel on the first stage in his
Sligo Pallets Puma, the local man having clipped a chicane, it took
almost ten minutes to fit a new wheel following the originals
departure. Aisling Dooris was in a real quandary following co
driver Wendy Blackledge getting really sick over the opening stages
and they were doubtful if they would carry on in their Suzuki.
Just off the leaderboard after the second stage
include John and James Cairns in their GpN Impreza on a total of
20.00. Ivan Stewart reckons he just bedding himself in but is going
well in the bottom half of the top ten.
More News Later Michael Patterson & Zoe Todd
(Many Thanks to Martin Brady)
