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| Clare Stages Rally |
| RALLY NEWS No.6 - Finish Ennis - Monday @ 13:54:41 |
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RALLY NEWS NO.6 Finish/Ennis/Sunday 7pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 8 – FINAL STAGE
1st (2) Patrick Elliott/Paul Goodman (Impreza WRC) 59.11
2nd (3) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 59.53
3rd (4) Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 1.01.21
4th (5) Anthony O'Halloran/Charlie McEnery (Lancer N) 1.02.25
5th (19) Danny McBride/James McNulty (Lancer N) 1.03.46
6th (6) Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Lancer N) 1.03.47
7th (20) Sean Flanagan/Brian Duggan (Impreza N) 1.04.15
8th (17) Ian Barrett/Eoin O'Flaherty (Impreza N) 1.05.05
9th (9) Maurice Moffett/Enda Sherry (Starlet) 1.05.07
10th (12) Mike Moloney/Marie Casey (Escort) 1.05.35
Please remember that the above times are unofficial and will need to be ratified later.
Provisionally Patrick Elliott and his co driver Paul Goodman have scored victory on today’s Clare Stages Rally which should be enough to make Paul Goodman the Dunlop Champion co-driver to add to Patrick Elliott winning the driver’s title in Galway 2 weeks ago. Patrick said at the finish. “I took a conservative approach to the final stage, we had better tyres on than the first time through so the car was not aquaplaning but I was not putting my neck out. We didn’t do stage 7. We were asked to sign a form saying that we acknowledged there was oil on the stage roads. We felt that it wasn’t safe.” In the end the stage did not run anyway.
Russell Brookes was driving his great Andrews Heat for Hire Sunbeam today as a course car and in many ways Russell, who was last here at the West County Hotel for a Circuit of Ireland breakfast halt in 1982. Russell summed up the day as “very technical, difficult stages, we had to drive very precisely”. Indeed it was difficult and many cars ended up in the ditches fortunately with no serious injuries reported.
Niall Maguire and his co driver Paul McLaughlin brought their Subaru into 2nd place with Kevin Barrett & Sean Mullally 3rd, also in an Impreza. The feeling amongst these top drivers was one of relief to get the rally over and done with. Even local man Anthony O’Halloran who finished 4th o/a and won group N agreed that it was a very difficult day’s rallying. Anthony did say as well “My heart sank when the gearbox gave up in Ruan (Anthony’s home village) but I managed to find 2nd gear and got the car through the stage and into service. James Foley’s men helped to fix it and we got a part out of Garry Jennings’ car, the one that Eamonn Daly crashed, and managed to get everything fixed on time, So for once the cards fell right!” Second in Group N was Danny McBride with Alan Ring 3rd in the category ahead of Sean Flanagan and then Ian Barrett.
Maurice Moffett had a great run to finish best of the 2 wheel drive category ahead of Mike Moloney.
Finally for now our thanks to Jim Casey and all his Clare MC team who had a huge battle to keep the rally going through very difficult conditions. Our thanks also to all who supported and helped with the Rally News service.
BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net |
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