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RALLY
NEWS NO.10 Cork – Sunday 4pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 13 John’s Bridge
1st (2) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza WRC) 1.53.50.7
2ND (1) Markko Martin/Dave Senior (Impreza WRC) 1.54.42.8
3RD (3) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 1.55.15.1
4TH (9) Gareth Jones/David Moynihan (Impreza WRC) 1.56.37.3
5TH (10) Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene (Focus WRC) 1.58.51.1
6TH (7) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 1.59.04.2
7TH (17) Melvyn Evans/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 1.59.17.5
8TH (22) PJ McGrath/Killian Duffy (Impreza WRC) 2.00.43.2
9TH (31) James Foley/Lisa Roe (Lancer N) 2.00.46.5
10TH (21) George Cullen/Jakes Kelly (Impreza WRC) 2.01.09.8
Mark Higgins continued to set the pace at the front through stage
13, although on that one he was only 0.7 of a second faster than
Markko Martin and Eugene Donnelly was just over a second slower
than the Estonian. There was a major change in the positions at
the front though as Andrew Nesbitt crashed his Lancer off the road
at a junction in stage 12 Churchtown. Andrew’s Mitsubishi
went straight on at a T junction and landed in a field. Happily
the area was box-junctioned off and there were no spectators. Andrew
aggravated an old back injury when the car landed nose down so heavily
in the field. His son Graham went with him in the ambulance and
took time out to phone to us to say his father’s injuries
were definitely not serious. He said as well, “Do you want
a quote from Dad?” The quote was: “I’m very proud
to have cleared the fence, didn’t knock it down!” Ironically
when the mechanics arrived at the scene later the Mitsubishi started
on the button and was able to be driven out.
Further stories include: Austin MacHale spun his Focus WRC and jammed
it between 2 banks in stage 13. Andreas Mikkelsen had already inched
ahead of Austin in stage 12, this opened a real bit of daylight
between the Norwegian and the Dubliner. Ray Breen dropped off the
leaderboard when his Focus fly by wire mechanism broke, the National
Champion dropping almost 10m in the stage and relegating him to
25th overall. Ray still had the last stage to complete and was trying
to jury rig a throttle system.
In Group N James Foley continues to lead while young Keith Cronin
continued to set great times and has now moved to 2nd group N ahead
of Roy White with Colm Murphy 4th which leaves the positions in
the group n section of the Pirelli Tarmac c/ship finely poised.
In the National Rally Phil Collins still led after stage 13 from
Paul Purtill while John Hickey has come into 3rd in his Escort.
In the Historic Rally Denis Moynihan has taken the lead after stage
11 from Mike Doody who crashed his Mini off the road on a square
right. Martin Ward is into 2nd in his Manta and Martin Sheehan 3rd.
Adrian Kermode/Maurice Beckett were in 4th despite their Porsche
filling up with smoke because of oil leaking on to the exhaust.
John Keatley had been going well in his 911 but he had parked the
car by the side of the road in the 11th stage.
Patrick Cunningham led the Junior section of the rally after stage
11 in his Civic from Paul Fitzgerald and Niall O’Rahilly,
both in Escorts.
More news after final stage. BRIAN 7 LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
(with thanks to Martin Brady: Ciara Conlan: Kirsty Riddick and Dougie
Hughes)
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