RALLY NEWS NO.5                                Lurgan Park/Saturday 3.30

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 6

1^st (1) Kevin Lynch/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 11.53.3

2^nd (3) Kenny McKinstry/Fintan McGrady (Impreza WRC) 12.02.9

3^rd (5) David Higgins/Ieuan Thomas (Impreza WRC) 12.10.7

4^th (7) Denis Biggerstaff/John Lewis (Impreza WRC) 12.15.7

5^th (20) Garry Jennings/Dara Mullan (Lancer N) 12.23.4

6^th (4) Niall McShea/John Reddington (Impreza WRC) 12.23.6

7^th (11) Raymond Johnston/Richard Bell (Impreza WRC) 12.24.7

8^th (19) Michael Curran/Fabian McShane 9Lancer N) 12.25.2

9^th (13) Sean Devine/Kenny Hull (Impreza WRC) 12.29.1

10^th (12) Neale Dougan/Rory Doyle (Escort WRC) 12.34.8

Ten times the winner of this Lurgan Park Rally Kenny McKinstry was just 0.3 of a second slower than Kevin Lynch through this 6^th stage with Niall McShea and David Higgins equal 3^rd fastest.  Raymond Johnston had a good time, a fraction faster than Denis Biggerstaff.  It is all very close stuff but having said that Kevin Lynch is looking very secure at the front.  Dungiven man Lynch commented “I’m steadying it up now, gong for the third win”. 

Kenny McKinstry told us “I clipped a wee stump, thought I had a front left puncture otherwise I might have got him”,   Niall McShea seems to be getting to grips with the Subaru now and although his times are a bit up and down that was a real good run through stage 6.  David Higgins feels there is a flat spot when he goes into 2^nd gear on his Impreza and he’s hoping that the engineer or Kenny himself will put the computer on the car here at service. Denis Biggerstaff may not be winning the rally but the Kinallen man is certainly enjoying it and was laughing away when he finished stage 6 and said. “Not too bad for two old farts in a fast car!”  James Gillen at No.8 has been lying just outside the top 10  over the last few stages but the Castlederg man had a slow time through stage 6 saying that he had spun his Subaru and that the centre differential may have gone.

Nigel Worswick was having a marvellous run through the day but he has unfortunately been forced to retire at the end of stage 6, his Escort WRC suffering damaged steering after contact with a chicane.  Peadar Hurson is speeding up now, Peadar saying “We’re getting braver on the loose!”  Neale Dougan had a change of tyr3es for that stage but found they were not working so well.  Neale is lying 11^th.  John McKeown is 12^th in his Escort Cosworth and Derek McGeehan, normally seen engineering for Eugene Donnelly, is thoroughly enjoying the day out in the Denis Heaney Corolla. Martin Elliott is 14^th and 3^rd group N. Martin lost a few seconds when he stalled the car off the start line.

Garry Jennings continues to lead group N but he’s coming under increasing pressure from Mike Curran.  Curran was 0.5 of a second faster through that 6^th stage to leave the gap between the two 1.8 seconds with just 2 stages remaining.  Curran remarked at the stage finish “There’s nothing left.”  Garry just looked a bit grim.  He may have to turn the active differentials on again!  Richard Hogg is 4^th group N, Richard saying “We hit just about everything in that stage, doors, mudguards and bumpers!”  Emma McKinstry has dropped back a bit, her Lancer suffering damage to something in the transmission on that run.

In the Mark 2 Escorts Wesley Patterson was a scant 0.4 of a second faster than Alister McRae, but the two separated by 4 seconds at the top of the Escort challenge time sheet.  Camillus Bradley is now 3^rd in the Escorts, just ahead of Jimmy McRae.  Sandwiched in the middle somewhere is Rodney White in his Sunbeam.  Rodney is running in class 2, as are the Escorts, but Rodney is in line for a different bit of silverware.  More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net