UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 3 Langton1
1st
(1) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 18.27.4
2nd
(4) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Focus WRC) 18.38.1
3rd
(2) Derek McGarrity/Diarmuid Falvey (Impreza WRC) 18.40.7
4th
(5) Gareth Jones/David Moynihan (Impreza WRC) 18.46.2
5th
(9) Jon Ingram/Ian Allsop (Focus WRC) 19.08.0
6th
(11) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza N) 19.09.5
(12)
Rory Galligan/Greg Shinnors (Lancer N) 19.09.5
8th
(16) Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Ignis) 19.12.8
9th
(17) Gwyndaf Evans/Huw Lewis (Lancer N) 19.21.7
10th
(21) Seamus Leonard/John McCafferty (Lancer N) 19.22.7
When Eugene
Donnelly brought his Corolla WRC in here to service he was looking
fairly happy and told us. "For once I made a good fast start,
although everything nearly went pear shaped towards the end of that
first stage when the brake pedal went soft. We had a bit of a
moment, we were doing really high speed down towards a square right
when the pedal went down. We grazed the kerb on the outside but
just got slowed enough. We gathered it up from there to the end of
the stage. The car is good, roads were dry, it was fine". Derek
McGarrity told us. "The first stage was a bit messy for me, it was
my own fault, I was a bit timid over the rocks where I got a
puncture last year, but otherwise it went well and the car seems
perfect". Eamonn Boland was in deep consultation with his engineer
young Dom Buckley when he arrived into the control and his only
comment to us was. "Not a bother!". A couple of the top drivers
said before the start of this event that Eamonn could be a dark
horse here - and there he is in 2nd place.
Young
Gareth Jones in 4th place told us that he had made quite
a few adjustments to the car before the start, to the set up, but he
reckons now that he either went too far or went the wrong way, but
he is going to have to get it all changed back to the original
settings. Jon Ingram in 5th laughed when he recounted
careering through the water splash backwards, he also stalled the
car once, but otherwise went well.
As can be
seen above Mark Higgins and Rory Galligan are equal 6th
to lead group N. Mark said that he clipped a rock on the 2nd
stage, thought he had a puncture and eased back for a few miles
before he realised everything was OK. Rory Galligan's co driver
Greg Shinnors said "We're glad to get a few stages done, the first
this year. On the first stage today we had a good clean run, the 2nd
one was OK with a bit more to come and then on the 3rd we
lost time at the ford when we got a bit knotted up".
Guy Wilks
in 8th place and leading Super 1600 reported a great run
through the Abbey St.Bathans stage, really suited the car, whereas
most of the stages are much more suited to the more powerful cars.
Anyway, Guy had a good run. His nearest Super 1600 rival so far is
Roman Kresta on 19.41.4, Kresta's Fiesta cutting out and stalling at
a stage 2 chicane. Barry Clark's Fiesta is cutting out on left hand
hairpins and Darren Gass' Super 1600 Fiesta seems to be cutting out
when he pushes in the clutch.
Drivers
with problems have included - Barry Johnson - whose Subaru broke a
turbo pipe on the first stage, dropping 2 minutes and then a
driveshaft broke on the 2nd. John Cope has had some
engine problems with his Subaru, we don't have his times as yet.
David Higgins had a spin on the first stage, overheated the clutch
as well and had to do 5 miles conservatively to let it settle. Then
knocked the blades off the fan at the Langton water splash, the
blades went into the radiator, but he is here on a respectable total
of 19.34.4. Shaun Gallagher said he is just not getting it together
while Roy White reckons his Lancer is down on power. Stuart Jones
said his car is just horrible to drive, far too soft in the
suspension, it is picking wheels up on every corner and very
sideways. Further stories include....William Stobart clocking a really
good time on stage 2 despite this being his first time in the Focus,
his total now 19.23.8, just outside the top 10. Ryan Champion is
just outside the leaderboard on 19.29.0, just a little careful to
start. Colm Murphy is on 19.27.5, Colm exhausted after a difficult
week, a hard recce and a broken down van along the road somewhere!
Phillip Morrow is reasonably happy with his early stages although he
said he nearly threw the car off the road on the very first corner
of the rally, his total 19.32.2.
More news
later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON
www.rallynews.net
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