RALLY NEWS NO.7 Mallow Service/Sunday 12.45

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 10 Peters Hill
1st (3) Kevin Lynch/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 1.04.38.5
2nd (1) Glenn Allen/Damien Connolly (Corolla WRC) 1.05.47.8
3rd (2) John McCarthy/M Morrissey (Corolla WRC) 1.06.27.8
4th (4) Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Focus WRC) 1.08.32.8
5th (20) Keith Cronin/Antony O'Conail (Lancer N) 1.08.44.9
6th (9) Dominic McNeill/Francis Kenny (Escort WRC) 1.09.11.2
7th (12) Garry Jennings/David Moynihan (Lancer N) 1.09.15.0
8th (5) Kevin O'Kane/Martin Brady (Impreza WRC) 1.09.17.1
9th (14) Pete Willoughby/Greg McCarthy (Lancer N) 1.09.49.8
10th (18) Seamus O'Connell/Paul Hone (Escort) 1.11.00.3

Glenn Allen fitted new tyres and gave stages 9 and 10 a real good go. When his Corolla arrived in here to service he told us “We got everything just right on stage 9, braking points and everything, got to within a second of Kevin Lynch but then in stage 10 he just took off again and opened up the gap.” Glenn just shook his head as he stuck the Corolla into gear and headed into service….As for Lynch himself, he commented “Everything’s fine, not overdoing it now”. Unbeknown to Kevin his son Sean who had been lying in 8th overall and was doing a fabulous job on his first proper forest rally had slid his Impreza P2000 into a deep ditch right at the end of stage 10. It would appear that he won’t get the car out although there is very little damage.

John McCarthy had closed right up on Glenn Allen after stage 8 but decided then to go for McCauley Trailers championship points, relaxed just too much and spun in stage 10. Stephen Moore in 4th survived a puncture right at the end of stage 10 and lost little time. Holds on to 4th place.

Keith Cronin holds a marvellous 5th place and leads group N and is under no pressure from Garry Jennings behind. Garry was 1s faster than Cronin through stage 9 but Cronin was 2 up through stage 10. Garry commented “No time in wrecking the car now”. Pete McCullagh Jnr had been 2nd in group N but he has dropped a mountain of time through stage 10, his Lancer having blown its turbo. Pete doesn’t know if the can get a spare fitted and may have to withdraw.

Kevin O’Kane dropped time earlier today when his Impreza suffered a damaged throttle body, not the crank shaft sensor as was at first thought, anyway Kevin set good times through 9 and 10, his Subaru back on course. Pete Willoughby dropped a few seconds through stage 10 feeling that there is something wrong with the steering on his Lancer. Dominic McNeill had a good run, as had Seamus O’Connell to lead the 2 wheel drive brigade, just over a minute ahead of Frank Kelly in a similar Escort, Frank commented “I’m driving like I stole it!” By the way, on the last RallyNews we said about Seamus O’Connell’s Escort having the number CIL 999 from the late Bertie Fisher’s Escort. It transpires that the number is actually CIL 995 (but it looks remarkably like 999!!!) John Hickey is hanging on just outside the leaderboard in his Subaru and said. “Its running like a bird, you can’t stop her, she wants to fly everywhere!” Andy Mackeral’s Lancer is suffering a slipping clutch but he is battling on. Monaghan man Damien Hagan is well inside the top 20 now in his red Lancer and says he’s getting the finger out. Eamonn McElvaney, former Billy Coleman Award winner, had a slight off road excursion with his Subaru in stage 10 but in overall terms is going pretty well. Willie John Dolan has had a good run this morning and found stage 10 to be cutting up. Young Neil Weaver’s Corsa suffered a puncture at the end of stage 10, lost little time. Neil’s co driver Nick Thornton told us that the marshal at the end of the stage implored with them to slow down a bit as they were embarrassing the locals!!! Talk about enthusiasm….Owen Murphy’s father Gerry has just arrived in from Swansea Bay Rally and is heading out to marshal here in Cork. He told us that Owen survived a slow speed roll on the final stage in Swansea and still set 2nd fastest time to Fiesta winner Chris Moore, Owen finishing 6th, taking 4th place points. More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net