UNOFFICIAL L/BOARD AFTER STAGE 13 Healy Pass 2
INTERNATIONAL
1st (1) Daragh O'Riordan/Tony McDaid (Impreza WRC) 1.44.58.6
2nd (4) Darren Gass/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 1.46.21.5
3rd (6) Garry Jennings/Barry McNulty (Lancer N) 1.51.27.2
4th (9) Sam Moffett/James O'Reilly (Lancer N) 1.54.586
5th (12) JJ Fleming/Robbie Ward (Focus WRC) 1.55.00.4
6th (15) Vincent O'Shea/Brian Hickey (Lancer N) 1.56.21.2
NATIONAL
1st (10) Roy White/Liam Brennan (MG S2000) 1.50.24.3
2nd (23) Barry Meade/Liam Moynihan (Escort) 1.50.51.0
3rd (18) Fergus O'Meara/Diarmuid Lynch (Escort) 1.52.37.6
4th (24) Ed Murphy/John McCarthy (Escort) 1.53.59.4
5th (33) Denis Moynihan/Eamonn Hayes (Escort) 1.55.48.6
6th (20) Charlie Hickey/Johnny Hickey (Escort) 1.56.13.6
The drivers have just completed the most challenging loop of stages consisting of Cods Head, Ardgroom and Healy Pass. Daragh O’Riordan was fastest on all three to lead the International Rally by 1m.22s from Darren Gass with 3 stages remaining before the Killarney finish. There was disappointment for Eugene Donnelly and his co driver Paddy Toner when their Corolla WRC ground to a halt on the Ardgroom stage. Donnelly had been 2nd starting the day and then had slipped to 3rd, just 3s behind Gass. On Ardgroom however his Corolla started to blow oil down the side of the bodywork as the engine lubrication system pressurised and the car went on to 3 cylinders. The diagnosis is a blown piston spelling not just the end of 7 times Tarmac Champion Eugene’s hopes here, but also a bit of a body blow towards his Tarmac aspirations for this season.
Darren Gass is doing a great job to hold on to 2nd which will more than maintain his points lead in the Tarmac series. Garry Jennings now moves up to 3rd o/a as well as leading Group N here. Sam Moffett lost time in stage 11, cods Head, when the ECU inside his Lancer got a knock and a wire came adrift. Otherwise Billy Coleman Award winner Sam is doing a sterling job to hold on to 4th o/a and 2nd GpN on this his first visit to the Lakes. Sam is now looking over his shoulder at the hard-charging JJ Fleming who is just 1s back.
In the National Rally the FESP back MG S2000 of Roy White has fairly flown through the last few stages to pull out a slender lead over Escort man Barry Meade. Roy was 2nd to Meade this morning but now has a 26s advantage. Fergus O’Meara in the Dairymaster Escort continues to hold a very solid 3rd place.
John O’Connor (Citroen C2R”) and David Fleming (Civic) were the joint leaders of the Junior category following their first stage, Molls Gap. Gary Dineen was 3rd in his Escort. An interesting addition to the Junior ranks was young Andrew Sheehan from Clonmel in his green Nova and he held a creditable 12th place on his very first rally.
Cork crew Pat Maguire/James Lucey were lying an overnight 41st in their Subaru. Pat and James are on a campaign to raise funds for 40 year old Paul Curran who is going to England this week for a life saving liver operation which is costing a lot of money. Any help with the Paul Curran Trust Fund would be much appreciated.
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net Follow RallyNews on Twitter @pacenotes (Our thanks to Angus & Jane Sealy: Dougie Hughes: Alan Verso & Damien Crawford and Noreen Marshall)
