RALLY NEWS NO.2 End of SS! Forenst Party Mountains/Sunday 10.45

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1 AUGHAGOWER
1st (1) Aaron MacHale/Killian Duffy (Focus WRC) 10.37
2nd (9) PJ McDermott/Rory Kennedy (Impreza WRC) 10.55
3rd (10) Seamus Leonard/John McCafferty (Impreza WRC) 10.58
4th (7) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 11.02
5th (3) Patrick Elliott/Paul Goodman (Impreza WRC) 11.11
6th (6) Glenn Allen/Damien Connolly (Corolla WRC) 11.30
7th (11) Sean Gallagher/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 11.31
8th (2) Tim McNulty/Eugene O'Donnell (Impreza WRC) 11.34

The opening stage, Aughagower, was very cold and wet and tyres on the lead cars were getting little grip. There were several incidents including Aaron MacHale, first on the road, arriving at stage finish with the front of his Focus damaged. Then after 10 cars there was a big gap, before news filtered through that Kevin Kelleher had crashed his Lancer, reportedly on standing water. Happily there were no reports of any injuries.

When Aaron MacHale finished the stage he said it was just like ice and he had tried to slow down for a chicane and his Focus just slithered on and slammed into the bales.

Patrick Elliott’s Subaru had red tape sticking out of the grille. The Cavan man reporting 2 overshoots.

Tim McNulty slid his new Impreza WRC S12 on at a junction and although the Pierse liveried car was showing no big signs of damage the newness was off the front of it!! Tim said that the car just slid on at a junction, that he was getting no grip and he would like the Dom Buckley and Prodrive engineers to soften the suspension at service. Noel Redmond seemed to struggle through the stage, didn’t seem too happy but at the same time had no problems, his time was 11.55.

Glenn Allen seemed to be in much the same boat, struggling to get to grips with the conditions, and Niall Maguire caught up with Glenn’s black Corolla and had to sit behind it for nearly 4 miles. Sean Gallagher had a spin and stall. Seamus Leonard set a great time despite a broken drive shaft on his Subaru for much of the stage.

Kevin Barrett’s Subaru stopped in the stage with some turbo charger problem, and then Kevin got going again so hopefully he will be able to stay in the rally.

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