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RALLY NEWS NO.3
Millstreet/Service/Saturday 10.45
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 2 Gortnagane
1st (4) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 19.44.7
2nd (7) Kris Meeke/Jonas Andersson (Impreza WRC) 19.53.8
3rd (3) Tim McNulty/Anthony Nestor (Impreza WRC) 19.58.3
4th (1) Gareth MacHale/Paul Nagle (Focus WRC) 19.59.0
5th (2) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza WRC) 20.00.8
6th (9) Kevin Lynch/David Moynihan (Focus WRC) 20.02.0
7th (5) Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene (Focus WRC) 20.15.7
8th (6) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Focus WRC) 20.20.6
9th (14) Stephen Murphy/M J Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 20.31.9
10th (8) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 20.41.5
Mark Higgins in the Pirelli Subaru was fastest through stage 2 to move
from 7th to 5th while early leader Kris Meeke dropped from 1st to 2nd
when his Impreza WRC sustained a puncture in stage 2, Gortnagane.
Through all the drama Tarmac Champion Eugene Donnelly moved the Reid Motorsport
Subaru to the front, Eugene consistently quick over the first 2 stages
and he said when he arrived into service. “We had a good clean run,
I’m still getting used to these tyres, learning their capability.
I was braking a wee bit early and honestly thought I would have dropped
more time to Mark.” For his part British Champion Higgins
said. “Keeping it safe, really didn’t feel like I was on it
in there”.
Kris Meeke, cool calm and collected as ever despite his McKinstry prepared
Subaru being missing a front mudguard because of the puncture, told us.
“I just felt a touch on the front wheel as I was skimming past bushes.
I’m amazed I lost so little time. Somebody has just told me
I was 8s up on Eugene at the halfway mark”. Tim McNulty had
a good run through the 2nd stage to move up to 3rd place, Tim saying.
“I was comfortable, finding our legs”. Gareth MacHale
reported. “We had a good run over Molls although it was my first
time over the Gap and I’ll have to speed a couple of the notes up.
I was a bit cautious over the gravel in Gortnagane”.
Norwegian teenager Andreas Mikkelsen dropped from 3rd to 7th when he lost
some time with a small accident, his co-driver Ola Floene said “It
was slippy, 90 left into 90 right 2 kilometres before finish”.
Kevin Lynch lost some time stuck behind Austin MacHale for several miles,
Austin still struggling with intercom troubles. Austin was really annoyed
at having held Kevin up but said he just didn’t see him and thought
for sure he would have taken a 1m gap and not a 30s gap.
Gareth Jones lost a little time when a turbo pipe came adrift on his Focus.
Stephen Murphy had a half spin on stage 2 and lost a few seconds. Aaron
MacHale thought he had a slightly turbo boost drop on his Focus but now
seems OK. Melvyn Evans’ co driver Sean Mullally said. “The
tyres went right off at Ladies View on the gap, they are still off, we
should have stopped for a cup of tea!” Patrick Elliott is
in 11th and is a lot happier with his Subaru than he was in Monaghan.
Colm Murphy leads group N and lost a few seconds when he caught Seamus
Devine on stage 1 and Denis Biggerstaff on stage 2. Munster Joinery
man Alan Ring is 2nd GpN after stage 2 and James Cullen 3rd. Ring felt
his Impreza wasn’t handling quite right on the Molls Gap stage.
James Cullen was disappointed not to set fastest gpN time on the Gap –
he was pipped by 0.3 of a second by Colm Murphy and James so wanted to
dedicate a fastest gpN time to his former co-driver, the late Ellen Morgan.
Roy White lost a few seconds on stage 1 when his Lancer cut out and then
on stage 2 it cut out again and he dropped well over a minute. Garry Jennings’
Group N Lancer is stuck at the end of stage 2 following a small under
bonnet fire.
Johnny O’Sullivan unofficially leads the Nationals despite spinning
his Escort WRC at the first junction of stage 2. Close to his home!
More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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