UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 7 Bweeng
1st (3) Kevin Lynch/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 50.08.8
2nd (1) Glenn Allen/Damien Connolly (Corolla WRC) 51.07.8
3rd (2) John McCarthy/M Morrissey (Corolla WRC) 51.09.8
4th (4) Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Focus WRC) 53.16.8
5th (5) Kevin O'Kane/Martin Brady (Impreza WRC) 53.33.5
6th (20) Keith Cronin/Antony O'Conail (Lancer N) 53.35.7
7th (15) Pete McCullagh Jnr/Alan Dolan (Lancer N) 53.43.0
8th (9) Dominic McNeill/Francis Kenny (Escort WRC) 54.04.8
9th (12) Garry Jennings/David Moynihan (Lancer N) 54.06.7
10th (14) Pete Willoughby/Greg McCarthy (Lancer N) 54.08.6
11th (11) Brian Lawlor/Bruce Burgess (lancer N) 54.11.0
12th (114) Sean Lynch/Martin McNicholl (Impreza WRC) 54.20.1

Conditions were dry although slightly overcast as the drivers tackled the first stage of Day 2 on this Cork Forestry Rally with Kevin Lynch setting yet another fastest time, 3s up on Glenn Allen and with John McCarthy 1s slower. All 3 top drivers seemed to have a clean run with no problems.

Stephen Moore in 4th place was certainly fired up for the business in hand as he had spent half the night driving up to Dublin airport to meet someone from the north who had brought him down a replacement fly by wire motor for his Focus WRC. The motor was replaced on the way out to the first stage this morning and Stephen had a good run, just 4s slower than John McCarthy. All day yesterday Stephen was hampered by a down on power engine because of this fly by wire problem.

Young Keith Cronin emphasised his burgeoning talent by setting fastest group N time this morning and moving into the lead of the category. In last night’s Rally News we mentioned that Garry Jennings had a 1m penalty. This was ratified and although Garry, along with another half dozen drivers, stoutly maintains that he did not jump the start he has decided to carry on in the rally and accept the situation. At one point last night Garry did consider withdrawing. Another driver to have been hit with the penalty was young Eamonn McElvaney. The young Cavan man is on a learning curve anyway in the forests driving a Group N Impreza and he’s doing well to lie 19th overall.

Just some of the class leaders overnight include young Neil Weaver in his Corsa. Neil who works in M-Sport and is nicknamed “Boyo MacWeave” was hampered yesterday by gearbox and broken engine mounting problems. Seamus O’Connell leads the 2 wheel drive division in his Escort and is lying 1st in class 5, 13th overall ahead of Frank Kelly. Danny McEvoy leads class 4 in his Escort G3. Paul Fitzgerald leads cl.3 in his Ecort. Sean Benskin in his Escort leads cl.4. Donal Cullinane leads cl.2 in his Escort. Richard Dolan, on his first rally, leads cl.7 by several minutes in his Peugeot 106. His father Willie John Dolan is lying 23rd overall in his Impreza.

Looking outside the Cork Forestry, Marcus Dodd won yesterday’s Swansea Bay Rally in his Hyundai from young Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen in his Focus WRC. More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON HYPERLINK "http://www.rallynews.net" www.rallynews.net (with thanks to Greg Shinnors)