UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 4 Lough Melvin 2

1^st (7) Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr (Focus WRC) 48.12.0

2^nd (6) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Focus WRC) 48.32.4

3^rd (4) Kevin Lynch/Allan Harryman (Impreza WRC) 48.41.0

4^th (9) Glenn Allen/Damien Connolly (Corolla WRC) 50.19.3

5^th (1) Daniel Carlsson/Mattias Andersson (Lancer N) 50.42.0

6^th (2) Freddy Loix/Robin Buysmans (Ignis) 50.56.1

7^th (8) Gareth MacHale/Paul Nagle (Corolla WRC) 51.13.4

8^th (16) Roy White/Stephen McAuley (Lancer N) 51.25.9

9^th (23) Aaron MacHale/Ger McMonagle (Lancer N) 51.26.4

10^th (10) Sean Devine/Killian Duffy (Impreza N) 52.45.9

Although young Matthew Wilson has a 20s lead after 4 stages of this Rally Ireland, conditions are such that the race is still wide open.  It was Kevin Lynch who was indeed fastest through stage 4, 6s up on Matthew Wilson with Boland surprisingly another 13s back.  When asked the reason Eamonn had no hard and fast reply, said it didn’t really click, although the road was drier than he thought it would be, although there were still some damp patches, but anyway he felt that maybe his tyre choice could have been better.

Kevin Lynch said after the stage “Its starting to come together, the tyres worked well for that one, we’ll see over the next couple of stages, we’ll have to have a go”.  Matthew Wilson said. “On stage 3 everything worked really well, there was plenty of grip. Stage 4 went well although we weren’t fastest but I’m really looking forward to next couple of stages”. 

Glenn Allen in 4^th place commented. “The engine in the car has been over hauled, and there’s a ball of power with it, but I’m still having some brake problems which takes all the confidence away, plus I had a half spin in stage 3 which didn’t help”. 

Daniel Carlsson has set the roads alight as regards group N, fabulous times through stages 3 and 4, but he said when he arrived here at service. “I don’t know, I just drive the car, now the lights on the dash are like the discotheque, but it goes OK”.  Freddy Loix in 6^th place and fastest in class 5 brought his diminutive Suzuki Ignis into service and told us. “Stage 3 was bumpy and I must back off, it eats time, on the bad bumps you have to come off the throttle otherwise you go off! Stage 4 was better, but the car is very good although it is not an absolute tarmac car. It is good, prepared by JM Engineering from the Czech Republic. I met them first on the Ypres Rally and thought they looked very professional so we have done this deal”. 

Gareth MacHale in 7^th place survived a stage 3 spin into a hedge which punctured the front left tyre of the Corolla which meant that Gareth the new Irish Forestry Champion had to drive for over 3 miles on a flat wheel.  He was happier in stage 4 where he was 4^th fastest overall. 

Roy White in 8^th overall and 2^nd group N with his FESP backed Lancer said “We’re pleased enough with stage 3 but the engine felt a bit flat through stage 4, we are going to change the spark plugs now. The boys did a fair bit of work yesterday to the engine mapping so overall the car is good”. Aaron MacHale is 3^rd in gpN and holds 9^th overall, Aaron saying that he is going for a harder compound tyre for the last 2 stages of the day, but at the same time he was keeping a weather eye on the dark clouds sitting on top of the hills in the distance.

Sean Devine rounds off the top 10 but his Impreza WRC has further gearbox troubles, the dash read out has gone complete blank which mean Sean has no idea what gear he is in at any given time. John McGlaughlin is sitting very handily just outside the top 10 in 11^th and 4^th gpN in his Lancer. While George Tracey survived a blown rear brake calliper in his Peugeot 206 WRC to hold 12^th overall. 

We mentioned on the last RallyNews that we heard that Garry Jennings had gearbox trouble – unfortunately this turned out to be true. It was actually the gear linkage that broke, Garry tried to patch it up as best he could to get the car to service but it was no go. Shaun Gallagher has dropped right out of the reckoning having dropped a lot of time with turbo trouble.  Shaun told us. “To add insult to injury, when I pulled over to let Roy White past in the stage I  burst a rear wheel”.

More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net

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