RALLY NEWS NO.2 Saturday/Ballylar/End of SS1 Fanad/11am

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1 FANAD
1st (6) Dom Buckley/Mike Wastling (Impreza) 6.48
2nd (2) Peadar Hurson/Damien Connolly (Impreza WRC) 6.49
3rd (1) Eugene Donnelly/James Sharkey (Impreza WRC) 6.51
4th (7) Martin Doherty/Eugene O'Donnell (Impreza WRC) 6.53
5th (4) Patrick Elliott/Martin Cahill (Impreza WRC) 6.56
6th (3) Paul Harris/Donal Barrett (Corolla WRC) 6.57

Scotsman Dom Buckley set the Fanad roads alight this morning as he scorched to fastest time on the opening stage. Dom may have been an older model Subaru but there was nothing backward about his time. He commented at stage finish. “Sound, good run, only problem was the windscreen washers kept coming on!”

As the sun sparkled off the Atlantic it was Eugene Donnelly who was first on the road, his S11 Subaru streaking through the townland of Magheradrummin and down to the finish outside Ballylar Post Office. The Tarmac Champion, on his first run in a WRC S11 said. “That was fantastic, there is no doubt there is so much left in the car. I’m not really committed, could go harder, and the suspension could be harder”.

Peadar Hurson was next up, Peadar always very nervous before the start of a rally, seemed OK, and said he was being cautious. Paul Harris in his Corolla, 3rd on the road, said much the same thing, that he was taking it relatively easy. Patrick Elliott reported his Subaru sliding wide at the first hairpin and then he had a vibration in the car which was probably down to much in the rear wheels. Martin Doherty had a good run to 4th fastest.

It wasn’t all sweetness and light – the phones started to jangle and there was news that Hugh Martin Doherty had crashed his Focus 2 miles into the stage. Early indications are that Hugh Martin and his co driver are OK, but the car is damaged. Further retirements that we have heard of from that first stage included Paul Elliott/Martin Brady whose Lancer gearbox exploded on thestart line and Seamus Devine has rolled his car.

Further stories include – Adrian McElvaney felt he lacked confidence and recorded 7.10. Niall Maguire 7.06.

James Cullen was the first group N car on the road and his time was 7.17. James stopping briefly to make sure that Hugh Martin Doherty was OK. Michael Curran was next up and he had to squeeze past Hugh Martin’s Focus, his time 7.25.

More news later.

BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net