RALLY NEWS NO.2
End of stage 1/Sunday 1pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1 BUNNOE
1st (2) Charlie Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Corolla WRC)
8.54
2nd (3) Patrick Elliott/Rory Kennedy (Impreza WRC)
8.56
3rd (6) Aaron MacHale/Paul Nagle (Focus WRC) 9.03
4th (8) Kevin Barrett/Barry Goodman (Impreza WRC)
9.08
5th (5) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza
WRC) 9.13
6th (133) Adrian McElvaney/Paul Goodman (Impreza
WRC) 9.19
7th (9) Martin Doherty/Andrew Cullen (Impreza WRC)
9.24
(10) Willie Fannin/Mick Courtney (Impreza N) 9.24
9th (11) Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Impreza N) 9.38
10th (141) Peter Wilson/John Kilmurray (Lancer N)
9.41
Dry roads greeted the drivers on this opening stage and
Charlie Donnelly fitted just the right tyres to his Corolla WRC to
suit the occasion and was fastest by 2s over Patrick Elliott. At
stage end Charlie said to his brother, Tarmac Champion Eugene,
“Everything worked well”. When Eugene quizzed Charlie a bit further
he admitted “Yes, there’s a bit to come yet”. Patrick Elliott said.
“It was a tough stage”.
Third on the road Adrian McElvaney said. “Brutal, I made a
bad start, far too slow”. Former Champion Niall Maguire felt he had
had a good run while Aaron MacHale was also happy enough with the
way it went. Interestingly Aaron’s brother Gareth was there to
support him and check the stage times.
Kevin Barrett had a very good run to record 4th
fastest. Martin Doherty seemed very subdued at stage finish although
he said everything was fine.
Willie Fannin was fastest in group N in his new Prodrive
Impreza. Willie of course originally from that area of the opening
stage. Alan Ring also had a good run but he slowed down momentarily
to avoid a small dog in the stage.
For Clonakilty brothers Kevin & Martin Kelleher the stage
was a disaster, their Lancer blowing yet another turbo, meaning the
end of the rally and also the end of their Dunlop National
Championship bid to win group N. This is the 5th turbo
this season at thousands of pounds a time that they have blown. It’s
no wonder Kevin’s chin was on the tarmac at stage finish. PJ
McGrath lost a few seconds when he caught up with Kelleher’s smoke
streaming Lancer. PJ’s time 9.45. Ian Barrett did a 9.42 as he
settled in to his new car. Gabriel Martin wasn’t happy, his Lancer
suffering a lack of turbo boost, his time 9.50.
In the race for best 2 wheel drive honours Mark Alcorn’s
rally came to naught when his Corolla stopped at a hairpin in the
stage. Maurice Moffett recorded a time of 9.53 and felt that the
stage was quite greasy and slippy, hard to read, not easy in a 2
wheel drive car. Not in 2 wheel drive is jack Sleator in the
Impreza, his time 9.43, Jack saying that the tyres went off before
the end of the stage.
More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON
www.rallynews.net
