RALLY NEWS NO.2 From end of
stage 1/Saturday 10.40
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1
Flowerhill
1st (2) Tim McNulty/Anthony
Nestor (Impreza WRC) 9.59.4
2nd (1) Eugene Donnelly/Paul
Kiely (Corolla WRC) 10.12.2
3rd (3) Derek McGarrity/Dermot
O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 10.16.1
4th (6) Eamonn Boland/Francis
Regan (Focus WRC) 10.17.0
5th (11) Peadar Hurson/Damien
Connolly (Impreza WRC) 10.18.7
6th (5) Austin MacHale/Brian
Murphy (Focus WRC) 10.27.0
7th (8) Ray Breen/Andrew
Purcell (Focus WRC) 10.32.1
8th (4) Andrew Nesbitt/James
O'Brien (Impreza WRC) 10.36.3
9th (139) Philip Morrow/Derek
Brannigan (Lancer N) 10.36.9
10th (34) George Tracey/Liam
Brennan (206 WRC) 10.41.0
11th (20) John McGlaughlin/David
Doherty (Lancer N) 10.44.9
12th (21) Roy White/Stephen
McAuley (Lancer N) 10.46.6
Eugene Donnelly’s Corolla emerged from the
first stage of this First Choice Flooring Galway International
Rally unscathed, Eugene saying “It could have gone either way. It
was so slippy, we had a couple of big moments and I thought to
myself, wise up here, this is a long rally”. As can be seen above
it was Tim McNulty in the Pierse Construction backed Subaru who
was fastest, the Cork 20 winner picking a “cut slick” Pirelli
tyre, a brave choice but it paid off. Most of the other drivers
were playing it safe on an intermediate tyre because the general
chat before the start of the rally was that it would be
desperately slippy. Derek McGarrity was off the road briefly in
the stage, happily his fabulous looking new silver Impreza still
in one piece. Andrew Nesbitt was just a few seconds off the pace,
but Andrew gave us no real explanation.
Gareth Jones’ Subaru came out of the stage
with a flat front tyre, didn’t get his time but he seemed to have
lost very little. Aaron MacHale, running at No.10 in the Corolla
WRC, also had a slow time, Aaron finishing the stage with all the
dash lights extinguished and no idea what gear he was in. Maurice
Gass running at 12 in the Skoda was also slow, getting no grip.
In Group N it was Philip Morrow fastest
even though he professes not to enjoy the asphalt surfaces. Group
N Champion Garry Jennings stopped in the stage, his Lancer
reportedly in engine troubles. Seamus Leonard had a slow time his
Lancer sporting a damaged rear left wheel. Although Roy White was
well on the gpN pace he was having some brake troubles with his
FESP Lancer. Last year’s gpN winner Colm Murphy was in gear stick
troubles and also lost a few seconds when he caught up with
Leonard.
Some more times – Aaron MacHale 11.10.7:
Colm Murphy 10.48.0: JJ Fleming 10.50.0: Paddy White 11.14.2: Hugh
M Doherty 11.08.0: James Foley 11.15.0: Willie Fannin 10.52.8:
More news later.
BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON
www.rallynews.net
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