| RALLY
NEWS NO.11
Cork Road Service/Sunday 2pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 13 Knockacullig
1st (7) Kris Meeke/Jonas Andersson (Impreza WRC) 1.42.58.8
2nd (4) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 1.43.27.4
3rd (5) Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene (Focus WRC) 1.43.32.2
4th (1) Gareth MacHale/Paul Nagle (Focus WRC) 1.44.40.4
5th (2) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza WRC) 1.45.00.4
6th (14) Stephen Murphy/M J Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 1.47.38.0
7th (15) Patrick Elliott/Paul Goodman (Impreza WRC) 1.47.57.8
8th (8) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 1.48.01.5
9th (17) Aaron MacHale/Derek Brannigan (Focus WRC) 1.49.06.0
10th (10) Gareth Jones/Greg Shinnors (Focus WRC) 1.49.53.4
11th (24) Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey (Impreza N) 1.52.52.2
12th (18) JJ Fleming/Robbie Ward (Focus WRC) 1.54.14.8
Mark Higgins in the Pirelli Subaru was fastest through stage 12, Caragh
Lake, and then on stage 13, Knockacullig, it was Kris Meeke who topped
the time sheets. That stage 13 was treacherously slippy and Tim McNulty
unfortunately crashed his Subaru off the road and out of 6th place, having
been 4th overnight. Mark Higgins described it “Tim looked
as if he has out braked himself going into a square junction. It doesn’t
look like a lot of damage, perhaps he’ll get going”.
Rally leader Kris Meeke was just a couple of seconds down on Caragh Lake
to the fastest, and then it was Kris’ turn to be quickest on stage
13. He said. “Everything is fine, the tyre choice was Ok but the
problems is that there are delays of up to 20 minutes at stage starts,
the weather is changing and the tyres are going cold”. Eugene
Donnelly still feels very much under the weather with the onset of flu
or a bug or whatever it is, otherwise everything is going well.
However, with just 4 stages to go the chances of Eugene pulling back the
time on Kris Meeke looks slim and indeed Eugene will have to be on his
mettle to keep Andreas Mikkelsen at bay. Just how hard the young
Norwegian is trying was probably demonstrated in stage 13 when he over
cooked it on a 3 left and his Focus went right up a bank taking chunks
of soil out. Following drivers were amazed that he had got away
with no damnage.
Gareth MacHale wasn’t just as quick on stage 12 in comparison to
his earlier times today and indeed in stage 13 he was also a couple of
seconds adrift, possibly finding his tyres not quite to his liking. Mark
Higgins had a good run. Stephen Murphy’s Focus seemed to lose power
halfway through stage 13, on a downhill section and the engine sound a
bit rough here at service. Patrick Elliott pulled 17s back from Murphy
on that one stage. Austin MacHale is having a great battle with
Elliott and with his son Aaron, and there is plenty to fight for at the
back of the top 10 as well as the front. Melvyn Evans had been in
12th place, just behind Gareth Jones, but Melvyn has pulled out reckoning
that his engine is only pulling about 65 per cent.
Colm Murphy is 12th and leading Group N. Local man Kevin O’Donoghue
is into 2nd in group N. Kevin Kelleher had been 3rd in the category but
the Clonakilty man’s Lancer suffered a puncture in stage 13, Knockacullig,
and although he lost over a minute he has managed to hold on to 4th gpN.
Alan Ring is doggedly battling on, was 5th group N, but his Impreza is
still having fuel surge problems and he’s losing time to Martin
Browne who is now only a few seconds back in his GpN Lancer. James Cullen
is in turn making up time following his delay this morning and James is
also closing in on Ring.
JJ Fleming is holding 12th overall in his Focus WRC and reports a clean
run today. David McNulty is up to 19th in his Impreza WRC, just ahead
of Mark Nangle in 20th in his GpN Impreza. Ken O’Neill is 21st in
his Puma and leading cl.6. Andrew Bushe was 2nd in that class but
his Saxo has stopped with a mechanical problem so Brian O’Mahony
is back up to 2nd as he claws back time following his puncture with his
Clio. In the Fiesta Sporting Trophy following Ballaghbeama Conor
Harvey had a 6s lead on Jonathan Greet with Alastair Fisher a further
11s back. Tadgh Buckley unfortunately crashed his Fiesta on the opening
stage, Molls Gap. The following Fiestas stopped to make sure everything
was OK , so that stage was lost for them. In the National Rally
James M Stafford is fighting for grip in his Darrian but still leads the
pack while Wesley Patterson has dropped a little time as his Escort wipers
have failed. More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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