UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 8 – FINAL STAGE

1^st (4) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Focus WRC) 1.04.13.7

2^nd (1) Ray Breen/Andrew Purcell (Focus WRC) 1.04.25.6

3^rd (3) Charlie Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Corolla WRC) 1.04.42.7

4^th (8) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 1.05.55.4

5^th (11) Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (Impreza WRC) 1.06,16,2

6^th (6) Noel Redmond/Diarmuid Falvey (Impreza WRC) 1.07.27.1

7^th (14) Michael Curran/Fabian McShane (Lancer N) 1.07.59.8

8^th (5) Kevin Barrett/Barry Goodman (Impreza WRC) 1.08.03.3

9^th (15) Alan Ring/Derek Brannigan (Impreza N) 1.08.46.4

10^th (23) Eamonn Daly/Ger Healy (Lancer N) 1.08.59.4

The positions at the top of the rally did a reverse flip on stage 7 when Charlie Donnelly’s Corolla suffered a puncture and lost over 50s to allow Eamonn Boland to move to the front and take victory after the 8^th and final stage.  Donnelly was fastest on the last stage but he had too much ground to make up to even get back into 2^nd, that honour going to Ray Breen.  Breen’s 2^nd place will almost certainly bring him maximum Dunlop Championship points as Boland is not contesting the series. This result leaves Ray in an extremely strong Dunlop series position even with 2 rounds, Clare and Fastnet, still to go. Eamonn was driving JJ Fleming’s Focus WRC today just to see how the car would go, and said at the finish ramp at the Raheen Woods Hotel. “The Focus is a different car completely from the one we drove in 2000.  The suspension is still far from right though, very stiff.  But it’s a nice car. However if my own Subaru can be repaired following JJ’s accident I will use that on the Ulster Rally. The rally today was good, organisation, the stages, everything was fine”. 

Unfortunately Ray Breen chose to miss the ramp ceremony so we do not have his finish line comments.  Sadly there has been an accident back at home and co driver Andrew Purcell and Ray had to hurry back to Waterford. 

Charlie Donnelly was understandably pretty down in the dumps when he lined his Corolla WRC up.  It looked almost certainly as if Charlie was going to score his first Dunlop Championship victory this season, but the puncture ruled that out.  He told us. “It was a 5 right tightens with a don’t cut stone on the inside, I turned in a wee bit early and a wee bit fast and the front right just clicked it.  It was early in the stage and I struggled through with the flat.  I could see Eamonn coming behind and fortunately I didn’t hold him up. It’s a funny old game though, the 16 seconds that I lost on the 2^nd stage would have come in very handy at the end. As regards the National Championship we will probably do Claire but I’m not totally sure about that. A lot depends on finance and also what Eugene is doing. He wants to compete on this Rally Ireland for example and that is going to take a fair bit of the budget and may affect my plans. I don’t think there’s a great chance of pulling the championship back now”.  Current National Champion Niall Maguire drove an accomplished rally to come into 4^th. Denis Cronin had a good run to 5^th and Noel Redmond did well to take 6^th despite his hurt back. 

Michael Curran & co driver Fabian McShane produced another brilliant performance to finish 7^th overall and win Group N. Michael said at the end. “We just drove at our own pace and tried to do nothing special just keep it all together and I was able to back off on the last stage. We had a good rally.”  Alan Ring finished 2^nd in group N and despite 1 fastest time is the first to admit he just wasn’t fast enough today. Eamonn Daly & Ger Healy brought their Lancer into 10^th and 3^rd group N, displacing group N Champion Willie Fannin who struggled over the last few stages with clutch troubles in his Impreza.

It is too early as yet to talk about class places, but in the battle for class 13 Anthony O’Halloran’s Manta has stopped on the penultimate stage which leaves Paddy Boyle a clear road to the class win with Pat Spain almost certainly 2^nd and Aidan Walsh perhaps 3^rd. Finally for now very well done to Galway MC for another great rally, our thanks to CoC Pat Shiel and his wife Phyllis and to all who helped and supported the RallyNews.     BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net