RALLY NEWS NO.1 End of stage 1 Bernish Rock/Friday 15.30

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1
1st (4) Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 15.48.3
2nd (2) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza WRC) 15.52.9
3rd (6) Derek McGarrity/Diarmuid Falvey (Impreza WRC) 16.07.8
4th (1) Gareth MacHale/Craig Parry (Focus WRC) 16.29.9
5th (3) Tim McNulty/Eugene O'Donnell (Impreza WRC) 16.33.5
6th (5) Aaron MacHale/Killian Duffy (Focus WRC) 17.01.3
7th (10) Garry Jennings/Martin Brady (Lancer N) 17.10.9
8th (12) John McGlaughlin/Crawford Henderson (Lancer N) 17.12.9
9th (14) Roy White/Stephen McAuley (MG S2000) 17.13.3

The above times are from the first few cars only.

Just two of the top six drivers seemed relatively collected at the end of the opening stage of this 2008 Circuit of Ireland, those two being Eamonn Boland and Derek McGarrity. The other four seemed to be in a real lather. It was a very tough long stage, very tricky and against all expectations was more or less bone dry throughout. That was part of the problem for the drivers, that it was bone dry. There were signs of heavy showers around the horizon but none of it touched those Slievegullion and Camlough roads.

First on the road was Gareth MacHale, and apart from feeling that he had made a wrong tyre choice, going for intermediates, Gareth also developed pins and needles in his leg on the last section of the stage. Next up was current Global Group Tarmac Championship leader Mark Higgins and he reported a catalogue of problems with his Subaru, including no rear brakes, a stall at a hairpin and then low oil pressure. This didn’t sound good at all for Mark and Rory.

Then it was Tim McNulty’s new Pierse backed Impreza WRC S12B that came down off the mountain and Tim, normally so assured and positive, looked completely distraught and told us that the set up of the car just wasn’t right, and he was having real big difficulties keeping the Subaru on the road. Eamonn Boland arrived then, No.4 on his Subaru, and although he was sweating a little he said everything was perfect…”not a bother!” And it showed in his time, fastest overall.

Three times Circuit winner Derek McGarrity then arrived, and of course Derek knows only too well the trials and tribulations of trying to win this long rally, and he was on the icy side of cool. He looked as if he had just had a Sunday drive and reported no worries.

Following that were the first of the group N cars in the shape of Garry Jennings. Garry reported a slight power steering fluid leak on to a front wheel but otherwise OK, although he did have one overshoot. John McGlaughlin was another to have an overshoot and actually slid his Lancer off the road, really regretted picking the intermediate tyres. Roy White was well on the pace in his MG and said that the hand brake was working well at the start of the stage, but then halfway through he slammed it on, it didn’t work, and his Super 2000 machine careered into a post. We couldn’t see a mark on the front of the car so he obviously got away lightly.

Drivers in trouble on that opening stage included Denis Biggerstaff, whose Subaru sustained a puncture. Kinallen man Denis changed the wheel, got going and then beached the car off the road losing more time. He eventually did arrive at stage finish, the car looked fine, but we’re not sure how many minutes he has lost. Kevin Kelleher we think was changing a wheel up on the top of Slievegullion forest somewhere and as we were leaving there was still no sign of him.

When the cars eventually battle their way through the traffic jam around Newry we should get some more news.
BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net

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