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RALLY NEWS NO.9 Mallow Service/Sunday 1pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 11 CastlemagnIer
1st (2) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza WRC) 1.34.57.9
2nd (1) Markko Martin/Dave Senior (Impreza WRC) 1.36.05.2
3rd (4) Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Lancer WRC) 1.36.16.5
4th (3) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 1.36.26.0
5th (9) Gareth Jones/David Moynihan (Impreza WRC) 1.37.37.4
6th (7) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 1.39.46.0
7th (10) Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene (Focus WRC) 1.39.53.8
8th (17) Melvyn Evans/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 1.40.00.2
9th (12) Ray Breen/Andrew Purcell (Focus WRC) 1.40.18.6
10th (31) James Foley/Lisa Roe (Lancer N) 1.41.24.5
11th (22) PJ McGrath/Killian Duffy (Impreza WRC) 1.41.24.7
12th (16) Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy (Corolla WRC) 1.41.43,7
Mark Higgins was fastest through stage 11 to give him a lead of
over a minute with just 3 stages to go on this Cork 20 Rally. British
Rally Champion Mark commented here at Mallow service. “I can
back off a bit now, its still very slippy, you just don’t
know when you are going to have grip and its very fast in places.
We have been on the rev limiter a couple of times in 6th gear this
morning”. Markko Martin reported all well while Andrew Nesbitt
said. “We lost the brakes again in the middle stage, a bit
worrying”. Fourth placed Eugene Donnelly told us that he is
braking early because you just wouldn’t know where there was
good grip and no grip. We did Eugene a bit of a disservice on the
last Rally News as we had a slightly wrong time for him. He was
actually 2nd fastest through stage 10, sandwiched between Higgins
and Martin’s times.
Gareth Jones encountered heavy rain towards the end of stage 11
with the onset of a sudden shower but he wasn’t that far away
from the leading times. Austin MacHale reported no problems. Andreas
Mikkelsen set a scorching time through stage 10 and had actually
got ahead of MacHale, but the Norwegian dropped time at the start
of stage 11 when his Focus engine refused to fire up. Melvyn Evans
felt he was on too hard a compound tyre but still holds 8th. Ray
Breen remains 9th despite a spin in stage 10 and a slight stall
at a junction.
In Group N this morning James Foley moved into the lead on stage
10 and that was despite going off the road slightly, James saying
“Would you believe it was the same corner as last year, a
5 right over cow shit and the Lancer slithered into a ditch”.
Colm Murphy retains 2nd in Group N despite his Impreza breaking
a drive shaft on stage 10. He then had to drive stage 11 as well
with the car in the same condition, the broken drive shaft also
affecting the brakes. Colm’s problems should have allowed
Roy White to get ahead and keep his hopes alive in the race for
gpN honours on the Pirelli Tarmac c/ship. However Roy went off the
road in stage 10, it was a flat in 5th slight left corner and his
FESP Lancer slid down the backwards in the ditches and closed off
the exhaust which left the Mitsubishi down on power. Still by all
accounts Roy is lucky to be still in the rally. Keith Cronin also
had a torrid time through the last couple of stages, his Lancer
losing its brakes.
Further stories include – Steve Perez reckoning he had slightly
the wrong tyres fitted to his Focus. PJ McGrath is on a charge to
try and haul in Foley. Aaron MacHale said his Corolla is all over
the shop, very giddy. Denis Cronin is not making any real headway
up the classification, Denis saying he just can’t commit at
all, totally off form.
More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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