Gareth MacHale made a very courageous and brave tyre choice this morning, but it was just too ambitious and instead of gaining time he lost time to Eamonn Boland through stages 10 and 11 to leave the gap between the two at 30s with 3 stages remaining. Gareth did bring that elusive gap down to 18s following the Badgers Hill test this morning but the roads were just too wet and cold for him to get any heat into his tyres through the Chimney Field and Mullentaura stages. Eamonn Boland commented here at service. “It was slippy in places but went well”. Gareth MacHale’s final comment was. “It was a gamble that didn’t pay off”. Aaron MacHale is having a small problem with his Focus stalling at some of the stage starts, not all of them, but in overall terms Aaron is enjoying his run today in his Focus WRC despite the wet roads.
Niall McShea continues to be the pace setter in group N and said of his new Impreza N14. “It was a different car in the wet this morning but we have been making a few adjustments ourselves and its going very well”. Damien Tourish hold a solid 5th place and 2nd in group N. Damien’s times a lot better than Kevin Kelleher’s who is 3rd in group N. For Clonakilty brothers Kevin and Martin the name of the game today is to just get their Lancer to the finish and bag a bundle of Tarmac c/ship points which will give the category for the championship. Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy were slow on the opening stage today when their Corolla WRC stalled and they also lost time because Liam forgot to switch on the centre differential. He thought perhaps the car was just wayward because of the wet roads until he realised about the diff.
Tommy Doyle has managed to get his Clio here to service but he is in all sorts of troubles with the clutch/gearbox. Guy Woodcock has dropped a bit of time this morning, Guy getting rear wheel steer with his Escort Maxi, the car not liking the wet roads at all. John McGlaughlin is going great guns and really enjoying it today. John is the one driver who can deprive Kevin Kelleher of his gpN Tarmac c/ship win, but really it is looking a bit of a lost cause for John, although of course anything can happen.
Manus Kelly was fastest of the Nationals through stage 10 and then Washington James was quickest through stage 11. John O’Donnell/Jonathan Bard were lying well up in the Nationals but they have lost a bit of time when their Escort clouted a bale in stage 11 and broke a compression strut. Fintan Canty/Denis O’Mahony in the Rothmans coloured Escort are losing a bit of time because of first gear troubles. Brendan Cumiskey/Conor Foley said they are driving like two “auld ones” this morning, but for the Co.Louth crew it is a matter of getting their Lancer to the finish and they will win the prestigious Irish Evo Challenge. This is despite losing a lot of time yesterday but Brendan has stuck with it, his task made easier now following Alan Carmichael’s retirement. If anything was to happen to Brendan, such as retirement today, then Damien Tourish would come into the Evo picture. In the Fiesta Sporting Trophy Alastair Fisher is setting the roads alight this morning and is 33s up on Elfyn Evans after 3 stages. Alastair insists he is driving within himself and is taking no chances. Elfyn is being cautious over the slippy patches and of course all the young Welshman has to do is get his Fiesta to the finish and he will win the Irish Fiestas to add to his UK title which he clinched yesterday on the McRae Stages in Scotland.
