RALLY NEWS NO.10
Armagh Regroup/Saturday 3pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE
12 Friary Lough
1st
(1) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 1.41.33.9
2nd
(4) Peadar Hurson/Damien Connolly (Impreza WRC) 1.41.48.6
3rd
(3) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Focus WRC) 1.42.21.0
4th
(25) Garry Jennings/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 1.43.29.6
5th
(13) Gareth Jones/David Moynihan (Impreza WRC) 1.44.04.0
6th
(14) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza N) 1.44.07.0
7th
(20) Gwyndaf Evans/Huw Lewis (Lancer N) 1.44.39.4
8th
(15) Rory Galligan/Greg Shinnors (Lancer N) 1.45.31.2
9th
(22) Stuart Jones/Craig Parry (Lancer N) 1.46.50.5
10th
(26) Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey (Impreza N) 1.46.53.1
Punctures were the order of the day
for many of the top drivers through stage 12, Friary Lough.
There was one particular right hander over a crest with a wooden
fence on the inside where the drivers were cutting in tight, but
there was a rock in the grass. Eugene Donnelly said “It
was a simple 4 right about 3 miles from the end. We finished the
stage on the flat tyre. I was pushing on, I’d had a big overshoot
at the 2nd hairpin left after the jump bridge and was
trying to make up time. Apart from the puncture the roads were
drying quickly and the tyres started to peel. “ Peadar Hurson
said “We kept it steady, nice and tidy, I’m getting into the groove
a wee bit, its 5 months since I sat in a rally car”. Garry
Jennings commented “We had the right tyres, but the wrong weather,
this is all about learning for me”. Eamonn Boland said “I
thought it was slippery on the drying roads”.
Gareth
Jones had a puncture on stage 10 and a puncture on stage 11, sand
said that his Subaru had clipped a stone on one, the other one
was just a puncture. Kris Meeke is still down in 14th
place and he also sustained a puncture when his Citroen tucked
in tight on that right hander and clipped a stone, then he arrived
at the next square left junction, not realising he had a flat
tyre, his C2 Super 1600 doing a full pirouette before continuing
at unabated pace as only Kris can do. “Ken Irwin would have
been proud of me” he laughed as he waited for his time here at
the Mall. (For those who don’t know Ken Irwin has been an autotest
hero for many years).
The
Group N picture changed on stage 12 when Gwyndaf Evans handed
the lead to Mark Higgins. Gwyndaf’s Lancer was another to
suffer a puncture. The tyre came off the rim and he dropped
at least 25s on the last 3 miles. He said “I knew the group N
lead was finished and I didn’t want to damage the car so I didn’t
want to damage the car”. Mark Higgins had a good run, managed
to flick the car past the stone in the grass although he did touch
another stone and the tyre didn’t go down. Rory Galligan
looked weary when he arrived here. The Oldcastle man said
“I’m tired of getting beaten, it just hasn’t been my rally. I’ve
lost more time. I was too fast over a crest into a square left
and rather than hit the hedge I put the nose of the car into a
field. It slipped on, on the grass, and then when I tried to reverse
out it slipped sideways and I had to go forward again and turn
right round in the field!” The remarkable thing is that
Rory only lost about 20s. Stuart Jones’ charge was
slightly slowed when he also had a puncture and lost it under
braking for a 3 left. He got it all together and happily only
lost about 20s.
Colm
Murphy nearly hit a stone plaque/nameplate, avoiding a rock that
was pulled out on to the road, but he got away with it. Tarmac
master Jim McRae even got a puncture on his GpN Impreza, Jim up
to 18th now. Emma McKinstry is 17th and
having throttle problems with his Impreza WRC. James Wozencroft
is 20th and has decided just to get the Suzuki to the
finish now. Rob Swann has been steadily improving and is up to
16th. Errol Clarke overshot a junction in his Lancer,
snapped the car into reverse and broke the release thingy in the
box so hard it came out the side of the housing and he is now
having to top the car up with oil at every opportunity to get
it to the finish. Howard Clarke is also having transmission trouble
but his Lancer has no front wheel drive and he has dropped over
4m what with punctures and penalties. Ray Breen has an engine
problem with his Focus WRC and is not improving on his 13th.
Adrian Kermode/Maurice Beckett have lost the lead of the Historics
and in fact have retired when their Porsche hit the bank on the
6 right 6 left at the end of stage 9. Ray Cunningham now leads
in his Mini Cooper.
More
later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON
www.rallynews.net
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