UNOFFICIAL INT L/BOARD AFTER STAGE 4 BUCKS HEAD 2
1st (1) Craig Breen/Scott Martin (Peugeot 208T16) 30.53.4
2nd (6) Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly (Fiesta R5) 30.54.6
3rd (12) Josh Moffett/John Rowan (Fiesta RRC) 31.17.0
4th (7) Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Fiesta R5) 31.18.9
5th (2) Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Jaroslaw Baran (Fiesta R5) 31.21.0
6th (3) Robert Consani/Maxime Vilmot (Citroen DS3 R5) 31.25.5
7th (10) Euan Thorburn/Paul Beaton (Fiesta R5) 31.35.6
8th (14) Stephen Wright/Mikey Galvin (Fiesta R5) 31.41.5
9th (8) Charles Martin/Thierry Salva (Peugeot 208T16) 31.56.8
10th (9) Jaromir Tarabus/Daniel Trunkat (Skoda S2000) 31.57.1
Fastest through stage 4 was Robert Barrable and he commented. `The roads are still very greasy, worse than ice. They are very deceptive and it is great to be having a good battle`. Kajetan Kajetanowicz echoed Barrable`s comments when he said. `It was a strange stage, road dry but very slippy`. Craig Breen had more than the road conditions on his mind and he said. `The problem with the pop off valve has returned. It is very disappointing. I can change myself on the road section but would mean slightly less power`.
French driver Robert Consani had an even bigger problem. He was lying 3rd o/a at service but his Citroen DS3R5 blew a hole in the side of the gearbox casing in that 4th stage, and the car is jammed in 1st gear. Robert did not stay depressed for long. He took the microphone at stage finish and did a couple of interviews with the drivers! Josh Moffett produced the 5th fastest stage time on SS4 to move up into 3rd place and he said. `I am pushing hard but there is a lot left`. His brother Sam picked a Pirelli RK9 for the stage and he said. `It is a compromise tyre which should be better on Hamilton`s Folly`. Euan Thorburn stayed in 7th and that was despite a big moment when he cut a square right corner that threw the car across the road and clipped a wall. Happily there was little damage and he continued unabated. Ukranian model Inessa Tushkanova in her Lancer set a time 20s faster than her first pass through the stage. Leading GpN in the International is Krisztian Hideg in his Lancer. He is 15th o/a. Tushkanova is 33rd o/a. Jon Armstrong continues to lead R2 and was 3s faster than Emil Bergkvist in his Opel Adam. Chris Ingram was 6s down on Armstrong.
UNOFFICIAL NAT. L/BOARD AFTER STAGE 3 LOUGH HENNEY
`1st (101) Declan & Brian Boyle (Impreza WRC) 23.29.3
2nd (102) Derek McGarrity/James McKee (Impreza WRC) 24.11.6
3rd (103) Kenny McKinstry/Noel Orr (Impreza WRC) 25.06.5
4th (139) Rob Duggan/Ger Conway (Fiesta R2) 25.08.9
5th (124) Stanley Orr/Stephen McAuley (Escort Mk1) 25.19.6
6th (111) Keith White/Damien McCann (Escort) 25.21.1
7th Clive Kilpatrick 8th Wesley Patterson 9th Paul Killen 10th Christian Cochrane 11th Alistair Cochrane 12th Rodney White
Through stages 2 and 3 Declan Boyle was setting times slightly faster than Craig Breen in the International Rally. There was only a second or two in it however as the National contenders battled with very muddy conditions, made worse by the passage of all the cars in the International section. Boyle had trouble with his Subaru on the first stage when the launch control proved faulty. Declan decided not to use it on stages 2 and 3 and the car ran much better. Derek McGarrity in 2nd place admitted that he did make a wrong tyre choice for the opening loop, but at the same time he was shocked at how much mud had been pulled out on to the road. Kenny McKinstry had a clean run in 3rd. Kerry man Rob Duggan opened a few eyes with his performance in holding 4th place. Rob reckons his Fiesta is down on power compared to Jon Armstrong`s Peugeot so it makes it all the more remarkable that Rob is on that pace.
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