RALLY NEWS NO.2 Millstreet Service/Saturday 09.30

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1 MOLLS GAP
1st (6) Donie O'Sullivan/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 9.16.8
2nd (4) Tim McNulty/Anthony Nestor (Impreza WRC) 9.20.6
3rd (2) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 9.22.8
4th (14) Gareth Jones/David Moynihan (Impreza WRC) 9.33.6
5th (1) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 9.41.3
6th (11) JJ Fleming/Robbie Ward (Focus WRC) 9.42.1
7th (15) George Cullen/Jakes Kelly (Impreza WRC) 9.42.1
8th (8) Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (Impreza WRC) 9.54.5
9th (16) Stephen Murphy/M Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 9.55.2
10th (27) Seamus Leonard/John McCafferty (Lancer N) 10.00.1
11th (23) Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey (Impreza N) 10.02.8
12th (12) Aaron MacHale/Craig Parry (Focus WRC) 10.03.4

No.1 seed Eugene Donnelly made his usual slow start and was well down on the fastest man Donie O’Sullivan over the opening Molls Gap stage. Eugene gave no particular reason. Even though O’Sullivan was fastest he reckoned his tyres went off the boil. Derek McGarrity had a clean enough run while Tim McNulty was held up slightly when he caught up with Eamonn Boland’s Focus. Wexford man Boland, currently 2nd in the Pirelli Tarmac Championship, had gearbox problem through the stage and lost a minute on the fastest time. Eamonn reckons that if he cannot get the problem sorted fairly quickly there is no point in continuing.

Denis Cronin had a good run although he felt a bit rusty not having done a tarmac rally for some time, and having retired from the first stage of the West Cork when his Impreza broke its prop shaft. Denis Biggerstaff said he stage was comfortable, not fast. Denis’ time 10.33.5.

Nigel Hicklin felt his Subaru was down on power even though the engineers changed the ECU yesterday to try and boost the car up a bit.

Colm Murphy was complaining about the turbo on his group N Impreza, felt it wasn’t just doing the business. Having said that Colm was 2nd group N behind Seamus Leonard. Seamus is driving a new Lancer and got a bit of a fright yesterday when the car broke the differential and subsequently a new one had to be flown in from England.

Some further times included: Garry Jennings in 13th with a time of 10.08.1. Munster Joinery man Alan Ring was 14th, 4th gpN on 10.08.7. Nigel Hicklin 15th with 10.12.8. Kevin O’Donoghue 16th: James Foley 17th: Roy White 18th: Eamonn Boland 19th: Kevin Kelleher 20th.

More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net (with thanks to Padraig Reddington)

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