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RALLY NEWS
NO.5 Service/Saturday/7pm
UNOFFICIAL HISTORIC L/BOARD AFTER STAGE 4 Coolick 2
1st (1) Ray Cunningham/Richard Hyland (Mini Cooper) 29.22
2nd (2) Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride (Porsche 911) 29.27
3rd (17) Adrian Kermode/Liz Jordan (Porsche 911) 31.45
4th (24) Phillip Wylie/John Lemon (MGB) 32.19
Last year’s winner Ray Cunningham has maintained his Historic
lead through this afternoon and evening’s 4 stages but is
now coming under increasing pressure, both from the extremely heavy
rain and from Dessie Nutt in the Porsche behind. Cunningham is glad
of the overnight halt respite as the water was getting into the
electrics of the Mini through stage 4 and he dropped 7s to Nutt
on that one stage. Dessie has won the Historic rally here in Killarney
6 times and was staying fairly cool, just keeping the pressure on.
Adrian Kermode in 3rd reports no problems with his Porsche but was
still trying to come to terms with the 2 litre engine in the older
car, but did say he was surprised at how well it handled.
UNOFFICIAL POST HISTORIC L/BOARD AFTER STAGE 4
1st (6) Nick Whale/Sally Woods (Porsche 911) 28.11
2nd (3) Todd Falvey/Dan Barry (Porsche 911) 28.19
3rd (15) James Sutherland/Howard Pridmore (Porsche 911) 28.43
4th (8) Denis & Dan Moynihan (Escort) 29.01
5th (16) Mike Doody/Jonathan Doody (Mini Cooper) 29.05
6th (20) Martin Ward/Linda Conroy (Manta) 29.47
Nick Whale has led the Post Historics from the word go today but
dropped 14s to Todd Falvey in stage 4, Nick’s Porsche having
wiper troubles, not a good thing on a night like this. Whale commented
“Glad to get that stage over”. While Todd Falvey observed
“That was hard work in there, very difficult”. Marc
Duez is still well down the order in his Porsche in 11th overall
and was 52s slower than Falvey through that 4th stage, the Belgian
saying that he was having real problems with visibility as his 911
screen was well misted up. Jamie Sutherland had a great run through
stage 4, sad did Denis Moynihan. They were 2nd fastest in the stage
just 2s down on Falvey. Mike Doody in 5th was another to drop time
through stage 4 because of visibility problems and also spun his
Mini at one point. Martin Ward in 6th also struggled. Kevin Flanagan
in the Mini in 7th caught and passed Drew Wylie in the stage. Chris
Browne in 8th was trying spectacles for the first time but found
co driver Ali’s map light in the car reflecting off the glass
so he just took the glasses off for the next stage! Frank Cunningham
is 9th Post Historic, his Escort still troubled with a misfire.
Martin Sheehan 10th.
CLASSICS: Martin McCormack and Tom Randles are now tying for the
lead at the end of day 1 with Martin Freestone in 3rd. Freestone
told us he just can’t see at all tonight in these dark and
wet conditions, while McCormack and Randles are having a great battle.
McCormack 11s faster through stage 4.
UNOFFICIAL MODIFIEDS L/BOARD AFTER STAGE 4
1st (104) Pat Donegan/Andy Donoghue (Escort) 26.02
2nd (95) Dessie Keenan/Enda Sherry (Escort) 26.05
3rd (97) Kevin O'Donoghue/Joe O'Leary (Escort) 26.23
4th (96) Phil Collins/Adrian Deasy (Escort) 27.27
5th (102) Martin McGee/Arthur Kierans (Escort) 27.53
6th (111) Mike Quinn/Sean Enright (Escort) 28.12
Pat Donegan turned in a superb time in stage 4 to move into the
overnight leadf of the Modified category. Dessie Keenan said when
he came off that 4th stage “I’ll take my hat off to
any man who beats that time”. Dessie recorded at 7.27 and
not only did Pat Donegan beat it with a 7.20 but Kevin O’Donoghue
as well on 7.23. Phil Collins would normally be a front runner in
the Modifieds but his stage time was 8.03 and Phil is now well over
a minute down on the lead, a misted up windscreen in his Escort
part of the problem. Pat Donegan said when he reached service here
at the Liebherr factory. “We went really well through the
rain tonight, the gearbox still isn’t right but I’m
just going to have to drive around the problem”. Making up
the top 10 is Fergus O’Meara in 7th: Frank Kelly 8th: Brian
Brogan 9th: Lloyd Hutchinson 10th. More news in the morning: BRIAN
& LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net (with thanks again to Padraig
Reddington and Brian & Linda from Great Stuff Catering) |
