RALLY NEWS NO.3 Service/Newry/Good Friday 6.45

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 4 Anglesey Mnt 2 (End Day 1)
1st (4) Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 57.11.6
2nd (6) Derek McGarrity/Diarmuid Falvey (Impreza WRC) 58.05.8
3rd (3) Tim McNulty/Eugene O'Donnell (Impreza WRC) 58.06.7
4th (1) Gareth MacHale/Craig Parry (Focus WRC) 58.17.9
5th (5) Aaron MacHale/Killian Duffy (Focus WRC) 59.45.2
6th (14) Roy White/Stephen McAuley (MG S2000) 1.01.22.6
7th (12) John McGlaughlin/Crawford Henderson (Lancer N) 1.02.48.6
8th (16) Brendan Cumiskey/Conor Foley (Lancer N) 1.04.19.8
9th (17) Mike Bird/Kevin Keane (Impreza N) 1.05.16.3
10th (40) David & Susanne Wright (Lancer N) 1.07.01.5

The big story from stages 3 and 4 is that Mark Higgins and Rory Kennedy have retired their Subaru Impreza with a suspected broken differential or drive shaft at the start of stage 4. Mark and Rory were leading the Global Group Tarmac Championship after their victory in Galway, and were leading this Circuit of Ireland after stage 3 by almost 26s from Eamonn Boland. Mark & Rory won the Circuit last year and it would have been fantastic for them to win again but that dream is now shattered. As it is it is Eamonn Boland at the front of a very depleted list of runners. Unofficially there would appear to be just 21 cars still running from the 28 starters.

Eamonn Boland commented when he came into service. “It went well, no problems at all, looking forward to tomorrow”. Tim McNulty set a fastest time in his Pierse backed Subaru through stage 4 and said. “We stiffened up the suspension, clicked up the anti roll bars, the car is still very twitchy but it is hard to believe the way it has turned out.” (After stage 1 Tim was almost ready to jack it in as he found the car so hard to drive and his co driver Eugene O’Donnell said that he was biting his lip, the car was like a launcher, airborne most of the time). Tim finished off by saying “We will have a meeting tonight to see what is the best course of action”.

Derek McGarrity in 2nd place lost time through stage 4 when his Impreza seemed to suffer a broken drive shaft at the big jumps before the square left on Cooley Mountain, although Derek said. “It did happen over the jumps, at first I thought I had a puncture. I was backing off on right handers and then I thought there was a broken damper. To be honest I don’t know what it was, its maybe a broken drive shaft, they’re trying to find out now. I threw away about 30 or 40s today between one thing and another. In stage 3 the belts came loose, I pulled them tight and pulled out the intercom wire. I had to stop the car and connect everything”.

Gareth MacHale reported that he felt his tyres were too soft in the compound department and that tomorrow’s stages should suit them better and it is still all to play for. His brother Aaron was in much the same frame of mind, and he said. “Tomorrow’s stages are tighter, should suit me better, listen this is a tough rally and I’m really enjoying it”. Aaron also talked about losing time when he stalled at a hairpin in stage 3, that it is a big pace and maybe his Focus is slightly down in the technological stakes.

In Group N Roy White and Stephen McAuley are the men to beat in their MG S2000. Roy said. “I’m delighted that we’re right there, the car is going like a train, not quite as fast as the Dublin Enterprise. We had a good clean run through stages 3 and 4, pushing hard”. John McGlaughlin is also pushing hard now but was 10s down on Roy through stage 4. John has also been awarded a 1m stage penalty for a jump start which he hotly denies having done. Mike Bird is another one who has been given a jump start penalty but apart from that Mike is going well though he has lost time with 2 overshoots. Garry Jennings eventually got the turbo charger problem sorted on his lancer and managed to keep going, we think he may be over maximum lateness. Denis Biggerstaff had a damaged 5th gear in his Subaru and he is still going but well down the list. Kevin Kelleher is down in 15th and going better, Tom Curley in 12th had fuel surge problems.
More news in the morning: brian & liz patterson www.rallynews.net
**For SMS results text RALLY ITC to 60066 (UK): 53030 (Irl): Cost 25p/30c: RALLY STOP to stop. Provided by Stagetimes.com

© 2008www.rallynews.net (Patterson Agencies). All rights reserved. Unauthorised duplication is a violation of applicable laws.

Contact Us : RallyNews Archive : Links : 2007 Calendar : Irish Notes : Patterson Pacenotes