| RALLY
NEWS NO.3 Friday/Service/2.45
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 3 Mongorry
1st (2) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza WRC) 20.02.7
2nd (1) Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC) 20.32.0
3rd (5) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 20.36.7
4th (7) Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene (Focus WRC) 20.43.5
5th (11) Kevin Lynch/David Moynihan (Focus WRC) 20.55.2
6th (16) Paul Harris/Eugene O'Donnell (Corolla WRC) 21.33.2
7th (15) Stephen Murphy/MJ Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 21.37.3
8th (26) Seamus Leonard/Gerry McVeigh (Lancer N) 22.02.6
9th (17) Patrick Elliott/Paul Goodman (Impreza WRC) 22.05.1
10th (24) Hugh M Doherty/Michael McBride (Impreza WRC) 22.12.9
Mark Higgins has been fastest on all 3 stages this morning, while 5 times
winner Andrew Nesbitt has not emerged from stage 3, his Subaru reportedly
stopped after the big jumps. Tim McNulty is well down the list, his Subaru
sustaining a puncture in stage 2 and it would appear that he has some
rear differential trouble with the car. When Mark Higgins and his co driver
Rory Kennedy brought their Pirelli/MIS Subaru into service Mark took time
to say. “We have a slight problem with the steering, when we’re
turning under compressions, but otherwise the car feels fantastic. The
tyres are working well, its great to be leading. Can we stop now?!”
When Sebastien Loeb’s Citroen arrived in and his co driver Daniel
Elena gave us the times, the World Champion was on the radio to his engineer
and studying the complex read outs in the car, the Frenchman taking time
to say “Is not easy, it is bumpy out there”. As he was saying
this he was making some Gallic gestures with his hand indicating the car
moving over the bumps.
Tarmac Champion Eugene Donnelly seemed fairly unhappy and said. “My
neck is killing me, it is an old injury, it started to get sore last night.
Then we picked totally the wrong tyre this morning, Mark was on an intermediate,
we picked a cut slick, plus he’s driving very well”. Andreas
Mikkelsen recounted a stage 2 spin but otherwise OK. That spin cost as
much as 30s. Kevin Lynch clipped a rock in stage 3, felt a bad vibration
off the front right wheel and backed off the power thinking he had a puncture.
Seamus Leonard hit a rock just near the tree where Willie Fannin had a
problem last year. Seamus still leads group N. Denis Biggerstaff is having
some problems with his Subaru gears, it won’t go down the box. Patrick
Elliott said he is finding the car very difficult, it is too soft and
he is going to try some adjustments here at service. Paul Harris feels
his Corolla is down on power. Kevin Barrett reckons his Subaru is set
too hard in the suspension department. Hugh M Doherty softened his Subaru
off for the wet but found that it was bouncing and under steering, he
is going to try and tighten the suspension here. Sean Devine had a puncture
in stage 2, stopped and changed the wheel, lost a lot of time. James Cullen
reported. “The only good news is I haven’t gone off the road.
I have new suspension fitted and it is not set up properly”.
Willie Fannin in the gpN Impreza hit a rock and the tyre deflated, costing
Willie at least half a minute. Cahal Rogers was slow over the first couple
of stages then found out his Lancer turbo wasn’t working, boost
was down and a puncture added to his woes. Seamus Heron in the Focus WRC
was another to lose time with a puncture, and is still having intercom
problems. Stuart Darcy made a wrong tyre choice but is still in the group
N hunt, as is Danny McBride who has been flying over his home stages.
Damien Tourish was hoping for a real good run on his home stage but that
was spoiled with a puncture. Gavin Harris in the Remax Lancer caught Damien’s
Lancer for a couple of miles and lost a few seconds. Paul Gallagher in
the Corolla is having electrical problems, the car is going on to 2 cylinders.
The battle for Modified honours is still unclear, there seems little to
choose between Phil Collins, Damien Gallagher and Brian Brogan. More news
later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net *Rally News to your
WAP enabled phone, text RALLY WAP to 53033 in Irl. 60060 in UK. Cost 60c/50p.
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