RALLY NEWS No.12 - After SS14 - Saturday @ 18:30:50
RALLYNEWS NO.12 Letterkenny/Saturday
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 14 End of Day 2
1st (1) Garry Jennings/Neil Doherty (Impreza WRC) 1.20.55.5
2nd (8) Sam Moffett/James O`Reilly (Impreza WRC) 1.21.59.4
3rd (3) Derek McGarrity/James McKee (Focus WRC) 1.22.44.6
4th (6) Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Focus WRC) 1.23.20.2
5th (7) Seamus Leonard/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 1.23.52.0
6th (12) John O`Donnell/Aidan Friel (Impreza WRC) 1.24.15.3
7th (4) Darragh O`Riordan/Tony McDaid (Fiesta WRC) 1.24.27.2
8th (10) Martin Doherty/Damien McAuley (Lancer N) 1.26.02.7
UNOFFICIAL NATIONAL L/BOARD AFTER STAGE 14
1st (17) Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan (Escort) 1.25.01.8
2nd (16) Manus Kelly/Donal Barrett (Escort) 1.25.05.5
3rd (34) Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Escort) 1.26.23.4
4th (11) Craig Breen/Karl Atkinson (Escort) 1.26.24.9
5th (19) Frank Kelly/Stephen Quinn (Escort) 1.26.40.6
6th (21) Damien Gallagher/Mac Walsh (Escort) 1.26.58.0
THE ABOVE TIMES ARE STILL VERY PROVISIONAL
The pressure was off Garry Jennings for the final Saturday stage following the retirement of his closest Darren Gass in stage 13. Perhaps Garry relaxed just a little too much as he fluffed a hairpin and stalled his Subaru. Garry said after the stage. `I am really sorry to see Darren go out. I hope people realise that we were absolutely flat out for 2 days and it is fair testimony to Gass that he was right there. Darren was not messing either, he does not play mind games`. Sam Moffett took the honour of fastest through the last stage of the day and that was despite Sam dispensing with the launch control on his Subaru to try to save further wear and tear on the clutch. Derek McGarrity held on to 3rd even though his Focus was again in clutch difficulties. He also overshot a hairpin left that cost a few seconds. He said when he reached service. `I am amazed that I am still here and in the rally`. Donagh Kelly has been setting some really good times this afternoon but faltered slightly on that last Saturday stage when he stalled his Focus WRC twice on the line. His co driver Kevin Flanagan remarked. `It is probably a combination of us and the engineering in the car`.
Seamus Leonard was still giggling to himself when he arrived into service having been off the road briefly on that 2nd run over the Gartan stage. He said. `The car went right into a sheugh on an uphill hairpin. It was some mess up. It is good to be here`. John O`Donnell had a great run through stage 14 and was 2nd fastest. Darragh O`Riordan also had a good run, one of his best stages of the rally. It was certainly smoother in places than some of the other stages but still high speed with some big jumps. Martin Doherty continues to lead GpN and was 3s up on Stephen Wright through SS14 but said afterwards. `I could go no harder`.
In the National Rally Gary McPhillips was fastest through stage 14 to maintain his very slender lead and he said. `It is a brilliant stage, very fast but good`. Manus Kelly reckoned that he has a bad vibration in his Escort. It could be a problem with the drive shaft or the differential and with just 30m of service Manus was really concerned if he could get it sorted. Adrian Hetherington had another good stage and said. `I love that fast stuff, drifting at 130mph`.
HISTORIC RALLY: Wesley Patterson/Sean Hayde were the dominant force in their Escort 1800 and have end3ed the day 40s ahead of Seamus O`Connell/Sean Magee in a similar Escort. Seamus lost a few seconds when his Escort clutch pedal jammed down. Aidan O`Connor is 4th and leads his class. John Keatley is 5th o/a in his Porsche 911 and leads ClB5.
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net (with thanks to Michael & Zoe Patterson) *Follow RallyNews on Twitter @Pacenotes or @Real_RallyNews
