RALLY NEWS NO.9                Omagh Service/Sunday 1pm

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 10 Craig Hill

1^st (3) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 1.33.10.5

2^nd (6) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Focus WRC) 1.34.33.3

3^rd (5) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 1.35.02.9

4^th (8) Gareth Jones/David Moynihan (Impreza WRC) 1.36.44.0

5^th (11) Garry Jennings/Rory Kennedy (Lance3r N) 1.37.29.7

6^th (9) Sean Devine/Killian Duffy (Impreza WRC) 1.37.36.5

7^th (16) Seamus Leonard/Gerry McVeigh (Lancer N) 1.38.03.8

8^th (21) James Cullen/Reba Graham (Lancer N) 1.38.26.7

9^th (4) Tim McNulty/Anthony Nestor (Impreza WRC) 1.38.58.6

10^th (19) Roy White/Stephen McAuley (Lancer N) 1.39.36.4

11^th (23) John McGlaughlin/David McElroy (Lancer N) 1.39.56.9

12^th (26) Connor McCloskey/Crawford Henderson (Lancer N) 1.40.22.4

Of the 3 stages this morning Eugene Donnelly was fastest on the first one, Barnes Gap, Eamonn Boland was quickest on the 2^nd, Rousky, and then there was a new name at the top of the time sheets, young Welshman Gareth Jones, best through stage 10, Craig Hill.  Eugene Donnelly said of his performance this morning. “I was very conservative in my tyre choice, had very heavy cuts in the tyres just in case it got wet, and as well as that we set the engine to number 2, just to conserve it.  Pity in a way because I wanted to have a real go through Rousky, and I know bits of it, but the rally is more important.” Eugene’s co driver Paul Kiely was rubbing his right eye and told us that it had got sore just as he was leaving service at Omagh this morning, and it had caused him some difficulty through the 3 stages. As well as that the wipers stopped working in Craig Hill when the skies opened! 

Eamonn Boland had picked a hard slick tyre for his Focus WRC and it worked brilliantly through the long stage 9 where he was fastest and the road was patchy wet and dry. Then through stage 10 when the rain came the car got very wayward indeed.  Austin MacHale has set some pretty good times this morning, 2^nd fastest through stage 10 for example, and Austin seems to be driving very well. He’s certainly in with a fighting chance.

Gareth Jones has been the real surprise package today. That was a pretty stunning fastest time through stage 10 and he was very close to fastest through 9 as well, just over a second slower than Boland, and his progress was slowed there by a spin. Gareth was very unhappy with the handling of his Impreza at the start of the event. The engineers changed all the suspension set up and differential settings and he’s certainly making up for lost time now.

Sean Devine dropped several places on the leaderboard through 9 and 10 when his Impreza gearbox started to play up. Sean is hopeful that the mechanics can change the box here within the allotted time here at service. Tim McNulty has moved on to the leaderboard following his overnight 14^th place. Tim said. “I’m just doing my own thing, minding my own business, changing the set up a little and we’ll see how we go, but I have no great ambition”. 

In Group N Garry Jennings is still the man to beat. Seamus Leonard was happy to get through his home stage where he crashed out on the Ulster Rally, although he nearly got it wrong this time as well when he had a massive overshoot through the tapes, reckoned his tyres were cold.  James Cullen was charging hard yesterday but he has eased slightly this morning reckons he has a warped brake disc in his Lancer.  John McGlaughlin also has brake troubles an he has lost his momentum this morning, banging the right rear of his Lancer against a bank at one point. Connor McCloskey is struggling a little with the handling of his Lancer and had a spin in 10 as well as clipping a gate post in stage 8. Paul Harris is just a little off the leaderboard, and he is driving his Lancer on the door handles, but getting nowhere fast. Reckons that the car is down on power and there is a pipe somewhere low down at the front which has maybe got squashed that is cutting the boost. Roy White eased back through stage 10 when he encountered heavy rain and actually switched his Lancer into forest mode.  Paddy White was unhappy with the handling of his Impreza WRC this morning and overshot a couple of hairpins when the hand brake/transmission wouldn’t work properly. Nigel Hicklin was dropping back over the earlier stages this morning, Nigel just not happy with his Corolla WRC and just can’t get the hang of it.

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

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