RALLY NEWS NO.6                        Parc Ferme/Saturday/6.45

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 8 End of Leg 1

1st (5) Tim McNulty/Eugene O'Donnell (Impreza WRC) 51.19.6
2nd (3) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza WRC) 51.54.0
3rd (6) Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 52.11.5
4th (7) Aaron MacHale/Killian Duffy (Focus WRC) 53.01.4
5th (2) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 53.38.5
6th (16) Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey (Lancer N) 53.42.2
7th (23) Kevin & Martin Kelleher (Lancer N) 54.21.9
8th (15) Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 54.31.4
9th (12) PJ McDermott/Sean Harris (Impreza WRC) 54.40.1
10th (14) Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 54.51.9

(The above times are unofficial.  They include the times for SS1 about which there are some queries.  Those stage 1 times are not showing on official results).

Through the final 2 Saturday stages Mark Higgins pulled out all the stops and nibbled a few seconds away from Tim McNulty in the race for the lead.  These two now putting a lot of fresh air between themselves and the other top drivers.  When the cars arrived in here to Galway City parc ferme following that Black Road stage Tim McNulty said. “We stalled on the line of that last stage, lost quite a few seconds but tomorrow’s another day. It was very tough”.  Mark Higgins told us. “We had a good run this afternoon and all the stages tomorrow are new for everybody which should make it interesting. It was very frustrating earlier today with our awful start.  We were ready to pull out we were so well wound up, very frustrating but I’m getting a feel for the car now. Its very good”.  Third placed Eamonn Boland clipped a rock on the penultimate stage Francis Gap and drove a bit cautiously afterwards, otherwise Eamonn had a good run.

Eugene Donnelly, still getting used a right hand drive rally car, said. “The throttle thing was huge, a broken sensor and it cost a minute in one stage and half a minute on another. On the last 2 stages things were fine but I didn’t push too hard. We will re-evaluate for tomorrow. Fair play to Tim he’s had a great run, especially after me holding him up!”  Colm Murphy in 6th reported lurid slides over the big puddles in Francis Gap but got away with it and is looking good for tomorrow, leading Group N and the Evo Challenge contenders. 

Further stories include: Kevin Barrett’s Subaru suffered a bent rim on stage 7 when he put the car somewhere it shouldn’t have been!  Aaron MacHale commented. “We’re happy enough no undue risks today and we’re getting used to these new tyres in very slippy conditions. We will try and go a bit harder tomorrow”.  Niall Maguire had a great run through the day and even lost very little time when his Subaru sustained a puncture on stage 8 and he finished the stage on a flat wheel.  Kevin Kelleher reported a bad spin over standing water at the cottage on Black Road stage and he had to reverse his Lancer to get back on course. Otherwise the Clonakilty brothers set some good times through the day to hold 2nd GpN.

Eamonn Daly had been going well but unfortunately, possibly because of some wiper troubles, he rolled his Lancer on the penultimate stage. It was a head over heels job. Happily both crew members were unhurt.  Initial indications are that Martin McGee may just have the edge on Wesley Patterson in the National section but Paul Gallagher and Pat Kelly are right there and its really nip and tuck between these 4. 

More news in the morning: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net

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