RALLY NEWS NO.7 Armagh/Saturday 9.45am

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 7 FRIARY LOUGH
1st (1) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 58.01.3
2nd (4) Peadar Hurson/Damien Connolly (Impreza WRC) 58.22.0
3rd (3) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Focus WRC) 58.26.7
4th (17) Kris Meeke/Glenn Patterson (Citroen C2) 58.42.0
5th (25) Garry Jennings/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 58.54.4
6th (13) Gareth Jones/David Moynihan (Impreza WRC) 59.27.9
7th (20) Gwyndaf Evans/Huw Lewis (Lancer N) 59.38.1
8th (14) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza N) 59.51.6
9th (15) Rory Galligan/Greg Shinnors (Lancer N) 1.00.07.5
10th (26) Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey (Impreza N) 1.01.05.0

The 2nd stage this morning was equally if not wetter than the first and the leading drivers all reported big moments over standing water. Peadar Hurson was blindingly quick on the first stage out and admitted to taking chances, but slid off the road when his Subaru aquaplaned and smashed into a hedge. Peadar was able to keep going and only dropped 12s to Donnelly, 17 to Boland but the temperature gauge on Peadar’s Impreza shot away up and he’s not sure if the engine is going to be OK. He did stop on the way into Armagh to put some water in. The other big drama from that 2nd stage this morning is that Phillip Morrow has crashed his Lancer into a field at a double caution crest jump into hairpin right. Co driver Chris Patterson was last seen standing in the pouring rain, way down the field, no coat on, but giving the thumbs up that there were no injuries.

Eugene Donnelly arrived in here to service first on the road and told us “A good day for ducks, we pushed to a certain point but I’m not going to take chances. I wasn’t getting great heat into the tyres although halfway through that 2nd stage it was a bit better and we pushed on a bit. I could screw up the championship here so I’m being reasonably careful, but its not good when a 1600 car beats you – Meeke is world class, his times yesterday were fantastic”. When we went to Meeke’s fabulous little Citroen he was on the radio to the technicians up at service, the boy from the Bush crossroads finishing off with “Merci Monsieur” before turning around to us and telling us. “I had reports that the 2nd stage was worse than the first but I didn’t find it just so bad although still tricky. The straights are the worst for me with the standing water, just 2 lines, get sideways and you’re on to the grass, there were some scary moments. Otherwise all OK”.

Eamonn Boland jumped from an overnight 6th place to 3rd with a fastest time on stage 7 and he said “We’ve nothing to lose. Yesterday was one of my worst day’s rallying for about 5 years, the harder we tried the worse it got”. Gareth Jones has slipped back a little this morning, the young Welshman saying. “Its just down to me”.

Gwyndaf Evans continues to lead group N but the former British Champion said. “Didn’t feel good, its so difficult, the aquaplaning like hell, once or twice I lost my confidence”. Rory Galligan commented. “I was in a hedge three quarters of the way through the stage on a left hand bend, part of the problem being the screen misting up and then I spun at another junction. I’m doing my best to throw it all away”. Mark Higgins said. “I’m being careful now, trying not to overshoot, sliding about in 5th gear its so easy.” Mark works with Pirelli on the world rally championship and is instrumental in some of the tyre choices, he finished off here by saying “At least tyre choice here is not difficult at the moment”.

Seamus Leonard was the best of the Irish Tarmac group N runners overnight but he’s being going backwards this morning while Colm Murphy is going forward. Following his puncture on the first stage this morning Seamus told us that he was still on totally the wrong tyres for the 2nd one and was in and out of several hedges, dropping almost a minute to the faster gpN drivers. For his part Murphy said. “I’m not looking for great times this morning just want to finish. My budget doesn’t have it, the car needs re-mapped now since we changed the turbo. I’m up and down the box to compensate”. Roy White still has big diff problems and said he was off and on the road between 5 and 10 times in that stage 7. The car is on front wheel drive and the brakes don’t know what to do next. Julian Reynolds had a decent time in 7 despite a spin. Stuart Jones had a couple of really good times and he is moving up the leaderboard, up to 13th now. Jonny Milner was another up a hedge in 7, still going no real damage.
More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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