RALLY NEWS NO.4             Omagh Service/Saturday 1.30

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 4 Mary Gray

1^st (3) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 38.11.8

2^nd (7) Peadar Hurson/Damien Connolly (Impreza WRC) 38.45.9

3^rd (6) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Focus WRC) 38.55.6

4^th (2) Derek McGarrity/Chris Patterson (Impreza WRC) 39.05.2

5^th (5) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 39.32.9

6^th (11) Garry Jennings/Rory Kennedy (Lance3r N) 40.28.9

7^th (9) Sean Devine/Killian Duffy (Impreza WRC) 40.29.6

8^th (16) Seamus Leonard/Gerry McVeigh (Lancer N) 40.48.4

9^th (21) James Cullen/Reba Graham (Lancer N) 41.08.4

10th (8) Gareth Jones/David Moynihan (impreza WRC) 41.18.9

Eugene Donnelly set fastest time through stage 3, Gallan Bridge, and then in stage 4 it was Peadar Hurson’s turn to be fastest. Derek McGarrity was 3^rd fastest through stage 4, but in overall terms McGarrity has struggled for a few stages having been fastest on the opening stage, then ran into clutch trouble, then was delayed behind Tim McNulty.  Tim lost a stack of time through stages 3 and 4 with 2 separate punctures.

Peadar Hurson commented after that Mary Gray test. “We had a better run there, it was very slippy and we had a few hairy moments, but it was OK and the tyres were working well.”  Eugene Donnelly said. “We had that spin on the first stage after service and we got away with it, so lucky we didn’t lose more time. The brakes are still not 100 per cent, too aggressive to the front. The stages have been very slippy in places, and then there is a surprising amount of grip in other spots”.  Derek McGarrity was saying very little, either about losing time getting the clutch changed, or indeed getting stuck behind McNulty’s struggling Subaru.  McNulty said. “In stage 4 there were 2 big rocks pulled out on a fast left and we just crossed over the 2 of them and smashed the rim, and that was that. On stage 3 there was a kink over a junction but I thought I could see a line over the top of a big mound of stones, went for it and didn’t get away with it”.  McNulty’s total time now is 43.03.6 which puts him right outside the top 10.

Sean Devine feels that his Impreza must have some small problem with the centre differential, the car is sliding about a lot and departing from junctions like a Mark 2 Escort.  Sean also lost a few seconds when he stopped with Welshman Gareth Jones to see if he was OK.  It transpired that Gareth had overshot a junction then the car stalled and wouldn’t re-start. He got going having lost about a minute and his total here at service is 41.18.9. 

Garry Jennings continues to lead GpN and is having a marvellous battle with Seamus Leonard, the two swapping seconds.  Seamus’ time above is a bit provisional – in that Colm Murphy crashed his Impreza over the finish line of stage 4 and ripped out the wire between the flying finish clock and the stop clock.  The time will have been recorded OK it will just take a wee while to get it out. Paul Harris crashed at the start of that stage, his Lancer going into the ditch on a tight right hander. We mentioned earlier about William Mavitty retiring his Fiesta, it transpires that the cause was down to a dropped valve on the road section into stage 2. 

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

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