RALLY NEWS NO.1 Lurgan Park/Saturday/11.15

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1
1st (1) Kevin Lynch/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 2.08.4
2nd (2) Mark Higgins/Michael Gibson (Lancer WRC) 2.10.9
3rd (3) Kenny & Susan McKinstry (Impreza WRC) 2.11.1
4th (5) Charlie Donnelly/Noel Downey (Corolla WRC) 2.11.2
5th (10) Darren Gass/Sam Cross (Impreza WRC) 2.12.1
6th (4) Peadar Hurson/Damien Connelly (Impreza WRC) 2.15.7
7th (7) Glenn Allen/Brian McCracken (Corolla WRC) 2.15.8
8th (11) Garry Jennings/Darragh Mullan (Lancer N) 2.16.9
9th (8) James Gillen/PJ Gillespie (Impreza) 2.17.4
10th (6) Denis Biggerstaff/Stuart Biggerstaff (Impreza WRC) 2.17.6

It is a bit like last year here at the Turkington Lurgan Park Rally, wet underfoot and Mark Higgins chasing Kevin Lynch for the lead. The organising North Armagh Club has shown great fortitude in getting the rally up and running through this morning’s torrential rain and now the sun is breaking through the clouds and the spectators are really enjoying this tremendous spectacle.

When Kevin Lynch brought his Subaru into the finish of the first stage he was sweating heavily and said. “It was very slippy in there, I think I’ve lost about half a stone”. When Mark Higgins brought the ex works world championship Mitsubishi in he said. “I had no feeling with the car, very difficult”. Mark told us before the start that he had a test in the car yesterday at MIRA and a slight engine misfire upset proceedings so he has really had little testing at all.

Kenny McKinstry is an older type Subaru, a WRC S8, but it is still a very good car and his daughter Susan who is on her very first rally had a great view from the passenger seat of how to drive Lurgan Park in wet slippy conditions. Kenny admitted at the end of the stage that he didn’t have the ideal choice of tyre, a cut dry weather slick, but it was all he had and it seemed to work. Peadar Hurson admitted that he was just a little too cautious. Charlie Donnelly had a great run in the Corolla to be 4th fastest. Glenn Allen reported a very big moment on a 3 right and Garry Jennings also said he had a huge moment when he got his Lancer on to the grass and dodged through a load of park benches. John McKeown did well to get his Subaru round in one piece despite a blown turbo.

Wesley Patterson was fastest of the Mk2 Escorts and 13th o/a. Phil Collins was 15th but just half a second down on Wesley. Rodney White was 3rd in that class 2 in his Sunbeam. Kris Meeke was slightly down the order following a bit of a moment, 4s back on Collins.

More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net

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