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RALLY NEWS NO.2
End of SS1 Rooskey/Friday 1.30pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1 ROOSKEY
1st (10) Kevin Lynch/Allan Harryman (Impreza
WRC) 7.42.1
2nd (4) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla
WRC) 7.44.4
3rd (7) Tim McNulty/Anthony Nestor (Impreza
WRC) 7.44.5
4th (5) Derek McGarrity/Chris Patterson
(Impreza WRC) 7.44.7
5th (11) Gareth Jones/David Moynihan
(Impreza WRC) 7.48.0
6th (8) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Focus
WRC) 7.48.3
7th (3) Colin McRae/Nicky Grist (Metro 6R4)
7.50.1
8th (1) Gareth MacHale/Paul Nagle (Focus WRC)
7.50.7
9th (6) Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Lancer
WRC) 7.52.3
10th (9) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus
WRC) 7.57.0
The pace of the leading drivers was stunning through
the opening stage, Rooskey, with Kevin Lynch the most stunning of all
setting a fastest time despite gear change difficulties and oil
flowing out from his gearbox. Eugene Donnelly, 2nd
fastest, reported the stage very slippy and he felt himself to be a
bit slow through the first half of the stage but pushed on very hard
towards the end. First on the road, Gareth MacHale, told of a 10
minute delay at the stage start and his tyres went cold and it knocked
him out of the groove a little, otherwise OK and he fully realises it
is a 3 day rally. Matthew Wilson recorded a time of 8.06.8, Matthew
having trouble with the hand brake on his Focus and he had a bit of an
overshoot and found the car wouldn’t go around hairpins.
According the spectators, third on the road, Colin
McRae was just awesome the way he was driving the Metro 6R4, and of
course the noise of the 6 cylinder engine was fantastic. At stage
finish former world rally champion Colin was as cool as a cucumber and
just said – “That was quite good”. Mark Higgins is just off the
leaderboard on a total of 8.03.9, Mark saying that when he hand braked
his Lancer WRC the front wheels locked and he stalled the car 3
times. His Mitsubishi team mate Andrew Nesbitt had a good run, but
Andrew felt the car was slipping about a bit at the back, almost like
a rear wheel drive car.
Derek McGarrity was happy with his Impreza and with his
run through the stage but found the road to be very slippy towards the
end. Austin MacHale had a small brake problem and overshot a junction,
but otherwise OK.
Further stories include – Niall Maguire having a spin
at a junction. Nigel Hicklin had the throttle stick open on his
Impreza and the car careered up a bank. He managed to get the Subaru
back on the road but the handling wasn’t right and he has withdrawn.
Patrick Elliott had a good run to record a time of
8.00.8. Tony Davies finished the stage on 8.11.3, the Milton Keynes
man struggling a little as he found the hand brake to be in a
different position from his old car. Kevin Barrett had a half spin.
Guy Woodcock retired his RS2000 before the start of the rally when he
engine blew an oil seal.
In Group N local man Shaun Gallagher was fastest on a
time of 8.07.0. Garry Jennings recorded 8.11.2 despite a soft brake
pedal. Seamus Leonard 8.13.3 having stalled his Lancer at a junction.
Further group N times included Roy White on 8.20.4. Willie Fannin
8.18.8, Willie suffering from a very sore neck. Jonny Milner was
8.26.9 and no real reason why he was a few seconds off the pace. Colm
Murphy 8.20.0, Colm having some turbo problem with his Impreza. More
news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON
www.rallynews.net
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