RALLY NEWS NO.9 Ballinasloe Service/Sunday 2.30

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 12 Ballymacward
1st (5) Tim McNulty/Eugene O'Donnell (Impreza WRC) 1.25.35.8
2nd (3) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza WRC) 1.25.46.2
3rd (6) Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 1.27.34.6
4th (7) Aaron MacHale/Killian Duffy (Focus WRC) 1.29.10.4
5th (2) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 1.31.35.3
6th (23) Kevin & Martin Kelleher (Lancer N) 1.31.44.2
7th (14) Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 1.32.24.8
8th (24) John McGlaughlin/Crawford Henderson (Lancer N) 1.33.33.4
9th (18) Garry Jennings/Damien Connelly (Lancer N) 1.33.45.2
10th (32) Jonny Greer/Jonny Hart (Lancer N) 1.33.47.7

Former British Champion Mark Higgins sliced 8s off Tim McNulty’s lead through stage 12, Ballymacward, which means that there is very likely going to be a grandstand finish to this Safety Direct Galway International Rally. Further back current Tarmac Champion Eugene Donnelly is in trouble with his Subaru. Eugene had been 4th overall but dropped well over 2 minutes in stage 12 when the Impreza gearbox decided to play up. When Tim McNulty finished that 12th stage, weather conditions now slightly better than earlier, he said he had had a good run and there was no more left. Mark Higgins is really on the boil now and delighted that his windscreen visibility problems seem to have cleared. Eamonn Boland is in his own little bubble in 3rd place, can’t catch the cars in front, no pressure from behind and maybe its just as well as he reckons he picked the wrong tyre for that stage.

Eugene Donnelly had a real struggle to get his Subaru to the end of the stage, was just crawling along and he’s in two minds about whether to keep going or to pack it in. Eugene and co driver Paul are looking at the time gap between themselves and 10th overall which is now down to a couple of minutes. The name of the game is to try and get some points in the Global Group Tarmac Championship, but it looks like a long shot.

Kevin Barrett and Kevin Kelleher in 6th and 7th both lost time behind Eugene’s struggling Subaru but didn’t lose any places on the leaderboard. Kevin Kelleher continues to lead Group N while Owen Murphy set the fastest GpN time and he continues to lead the Evo Challenge contenders. Owen’s closest pursuer in the Evos is Brendan Comiskey and he was just over 3s slower in that stage.

Further stories include: PJ McDermott seems to have retired his Subaru after being on the leaderboard overnight. Niall Maguire has also retired his Subaru following turbo pipe problems. JJ Fleming pulled out as his Focus was suffering a terminal misfire at early morning service. Brian Brogan crashed his Escort out in stage 10.

More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net (with thanks to Michael Patterson)
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