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| Circuit of Ireland |
| RALLY NEWS No.1 - Satellite Service Ballymoney - Friday @ 11:55:18 |
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RALLY NEWS NO.1 Joey Dunlop Centre/Ballymoney/Friday
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1 Cairncastle
1st (2) Elfyn Evans/Craig Parry (Fiesta R5) 10.10.4
2nd (1) Craig Breen/Scott Martin (Citroen DS3R5) 10.16.8
3rd (6) Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble (Fiesta R5) 10.18.3
4th (42) Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan (Fabia R5) 10.21.3
5th (3) Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Jaroslaw Baran (Fiesta R5) 10.21.4
6th (39) Josh Moffett/John Rowan (Fiesta R5) 10.26.6
7th (11) Jaromir Tarabus/Daniel Trunkat (Fabia R5) 10.29.2
8th (10) David Bogie/Kevin Rae (Fabia R5) 10.29.7
9th (41) Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Fiesta R5) 10.30.9
10th (16) Marty McCormack/David Moynihan (Fabia S2000) 10.31.6
It was Elfyn Evans (Fiesta) who set the pace over the opening 21km Cairncastle special stage, over 6s up on Craig Breen (Citroen). The drivers reported the stage to be dry but still slippy in places, and indeed one of the leading contenders, Keith Cronin, was caught out on a very tricky, tightening right hand corner when his Citroen slithered into a bank. Keith managed to keep going but a few miles further on he had to pull the car in as the engine temperature shot off the clock. It transpired that the radiator was damaged. As we type this Keith is making every effort to get water into the radiator and keep going, but really he has lost so much time it is a futile exercise.
When Elfyn Evens finished the Cairncastle stage he reported all was well. Early news from stage 2 indicates that Elfyn was fastest again but has a worry over the Fiesta’s power steering. Craig Breen finished stage 1 and he said that the road was starting to get dirty and he had a few small slides. Polish driver Kajetanowicz reported that his Fiesta is running a short gear box that meant he was on maximum revs for part of the stage. Also that his suspension was set a little soft for stage 1 but should be okay for the next 2 stages. Fredrik Ahlin was 11th after SS1 and said he was too cautious for the first 10km. Jaromir Tarabus said the conditions were difficult with the mud being pulled out that made tyre choice a concern.
Antonin Tlustak reported his Skoda temperature gauge to be very high at stage finish. Sam Moffett has a slipping clutch on his Fiesta, there was oil smoke coming up the tunnel and he reckons he may not be able to keep going. Desi Henry is more or less on his home patch today and he is revelling in the stages.
Polish driver Chuchala reported a small fire inside his Impreza, but it extinguished itself before stage finish and he did not seem too upset. Stephen Wright is worried about a soft brake pedal on his Fiesta. Hugh Hunter clipped a wall at a hairpin with his Fiesta but the damage seems to be superficial. Adam Bustard finished the stage with the hazard lights of his Fiesta R2 on and the car producing virtually no power, which does not bode well.
Provisionally Chuchala is leading RC2 in his Impreza from Pieniazek in his Opel Adam with Chris Ingram next up.
Looking back to yesterday’s Qualifying Stage, several drivers including David Bogie and Robert Consani had accidents. They managed to get their cars repaired and started the rally, but they are running down the field. David Bogie is going well but worried about his brakes. Robert Consani is in more trouble, his Citroen DS3R5 spraying oil on the back wheels and reduced to 2-wheel drive.
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON & MICHAEL & ZOE PATTERSON www.rallynews.net *Follow RallyNews on Twitter & Facebook @Pacenotes or @Real_RallyNews
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