1^st (6) Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Lancer WRC) 1.34.53.4

2^nd (19) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Lancer WRC) 1.35.01.7

3^rd (1) Gareth MacHale/Paul Nagle (Focus WRC) 1.35.37.3

4^th (5) Derek McGarrity/Chris Patterson (Impreza WRC) 1.35.48.0

5^th (10) Kevin Lynch/Allan Harryman (Impreza WRC) 1.36.05.3

6^th (2) Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr (Focus WRC) 1.36.58.3

7^th (8) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Focus WRC) 1.37.14.2

8^th (9) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 1.37.30.0

9^th (12) Paul Harris/Eugene O'Donnell (Impreza WRC) 1.37.44.8

10^th (15) Stephen Murphy/M Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 1.38.13.1

Car No.3 Colin McRae/Nicky Grist (Metro 6R4) 1.38.17.4: Colin leads the National Rally and his time would put him 11^th o/a in the International.

Andrew Nesbitt was fastest through stages 14 and 15 by just a smidgeon from his Lancer WRC team mate Mark Higgins.  The gap between the two leaving service was just under 5s and it is now up to just over 8s.  Gareth MacHale in 3^rd was just a few seconds slower than these 2 over the 2 stages, Gareth doing well to hold on to 3^rd.  He was a couple of seconds faster on the 2 stages than 4^th placed Derek McGarrity so for the moment Gareth is looking fairly secure.  He did comment at the finish of Knockalla “I wouldn’t like to be going any quicker”. 

Derek McGarrity clipped a rock on the very narrow section up to the church in Knockalla and although it knocked his confidence a little there was no damage to the car. Andrew Nesbitt finished the stage with no front right wing and looked slightly perplexed when told that there was no mud guard and said “It must have fallen off”.  No doubt that was a master of understatement and it was a pretty hairy run over that notorious Knockalla switchback with the sea lurking many feet below the left hand side of the road. Mark Higgins felt that he had picked too soft a tyre.  Mark was half expecting it to rain and indeed there has been a few spits, but that has been about the height of it.

Patrick Elliott’s Subaru caught a branch or something sticking out of a hedge on a right hand bend which caught the spoiler and pulled off the boot lid. Patrick was amazed that the car then was virtually undriveable as all the aerodynamics were wrong and he reckons if he doesn’t get a boot lid he will have to withdraw from the rally.  Colin McRae kept his Metro rolling at stage finish so we couldn’t really get a comment and we think the clutch could be playing up.  Earlier reports were that Colin had spun and stalled his Metro in stage 14 at the same spot as he had had a spin on the previous visit to the stage.

Colm Murphy arrived at stage finish with his Impreza fairly damaged at the front and down the side. Colm reported hitting a chicane very hard but lost no time.  Unfortunately as he checked the damage he noticed a dry sump oil pump leaking and discovered that there was no oil left in the engine. Obviously if he can’t get some oil he can’t keep going. More news on that to follow.         

There were reports of a mid field competitor crashing on stage 14 and that emergency services were sent in.  Noel Clarke, one of the Stewards of the rally, phoned us a while afterwards to say that there were no serious injuries.

Colin McRae continues to lead the national rally from Dessie Keenan. Ollie O’Reilly was in the top 10 but has retired with a broken gearbox. In the Historic part of the rally which started at lunch time today John Farrell in his Mk1 Escort led after 3 stages by a handful of seconds from Adrian Kermode in the Porsche with Sean Tracey 3^rd a further 16s back.  Kermode’s co driver Maurice Beckett who is the MD of FIT, Future Interior Trends the shop fitting company, told us that they discovered that the Porsche had racing rear struts in it on the Killarney Lakes rally and that was why they were getting no grip.  Local historic crew Ernest & Norma Stewart reported a slow time on the first stage when their Hillman Hunter had trouble with the points closing up. Happy memories….

Back to the international part of the rally…..Garry Jennings retired from the group N hunt when his Lancer blew its gearbox in stage 14. Fortunately for Garry it happened almost outside the Carrs of the Diamond pub!!! Shaun Gallagher still leads gpN from Roy White. Seamus Leonard has raced up the gpN leaderboard and is now on a par with Phillip Morrow for 4^th.  More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net

**FOR LIVE SMS RESULTS: Irish mobiles text RALLY ITC to 53503: UK mobiles text RALLY ITC to 60066. Cost 30c/25p

Don’t forget about the autograph signing session that Modern Tyres are sponsoring at the Pirelli unit beside the Mt Errigal hotel at 8.30.