UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 2 Warhouse Hill
1st
(2) Patrick Elliott/Rory Kennedy (Impreza WRC) 14.03
2nd
(1) Charlie Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Corolla WRC) 14.18
3rd
(6) Noel Redmond/Alan Keena (Impreza WRC) 14.34
4th
(3) Aaron MacHale/Craig Parry (Focus WRC) 14.35
5th
(5) Michael Barrable/M Morrissey (Focus WRC) 14.37
6th
(8) Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Impreza N) 15.01
7th
(9) Willie Fannin/Mick Courtney (Impreza N) 15.06
8th
(7) David James/Sean Mullally (Focus WRC) 15.07
9th
(12) Ian Barrett/Eoin O'Flaherty (Lancer N) 15.10
10th
(10) Gabriel Martin/Paddy Robinson (Lancer N) 15.21
Patrick
Elliott and his co driver Rory Kennedy, when they arrived in here to
service near Clonamickle were in top form and full of confidence.
No.1 seed Charlie Donnelly on the other hand appeared to be slightly
jumpy and uptight, Charlie admitting that he wasn’t driving well.
“Don’t worry though, I’ll get a cup of tea in service and I’ll be
grand”. Dunlop Championship leader said. “The car’s good no
problems, but we picked a fairly hard compound tyre and I’m having
to take it a little easy for the first couple of miles of each
stage”.
Aaron
MacHale was just a little happier than he was at the end of the
first stae when he told of wayward handling on his Focus. This time
he said “We changed the diff settings for that one but my tyres are
too soft and I’m going to change back to the harder springs as it
was before the rally”. Michael Barrable felt he wasn’t driving
particularly well, at times he was in 3rd when he should
have been in 5th. He did say however that he was enjoying
it and made the wry comment “Half the battle is being quick, the
other half is enjoying it”.
Noel
Redmond was 3rd after the first stage and managed to hold
on to 3rd but his time for stage was equalled by both
Michael Barrable and Aaron MacHale. Redmond said “We had two
massive moments in there, the car’s just not handling, the back end
is breaking away”. David James still had intercom problems in his
Focus, otherwise OK.
Alan Ring
was fastest group N on that 2nd stage, 5s up on Willie
Fannin, Ring admitting to a major moment on a left 4 which took the
wind out of his sails a little. Willie Fannin told us that he
Subaru seems to be back on full power, a solid 1.8 bar but he was
just a little cautious. Gabriel Martin lost a few seconds when he
overshot a square left and his Lancer hit the hedge. Kevin Kelleher
was slightly off the pace on the opening test but got it together
well in stage 2, despite his newly rebuilt Lancer being a little
soft in the rear suspension department. Ian Barrett had a good time
on the 2nd stage despite cutting a corner too tight and
banging a front wheel very heavily, so much so that he thought he
might have had a puncture but it turned out to be OK. Tadgh Linehan
was another to slide off the road at one point in that 2nd
stage but he only lost a few seconds. Trevor Harding overshot 2
junctions, Trevor thinking he’s still in the forests and trying to
throw the Subaru sideways as if he was on a gravel road and not
asphalt.
Maurice
Moffett is the early pace setter amongst the 2 wheel drive
competitors although Maurice feels that the brakes in his Starlet
leave a little to be desired, also finding some of the junctions
pretty tight where the bales are, sort of disturbing the flow.
Maurice is on a total of 15.28. Mick McQuaid is on 15.07. Visiting
Welshman Gwyn Thomas and Phil Harrison 15.45 in their Puma. Willie
Whitty 15.50. Whitty found his intercom going towards the end of
stage 2 and also the car losing power. He found then at service in
control his Escort wouldn’t re-start because the battery lead had
fallen off! We reported earlier that James Coleman had stopped in
stage 1. He eventually got going, mole grips attached to the broken
gear stick. More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON
www.rallynews.net
