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| Ulster Rally |
| RALLY NEWS No.5 - Ebrington Service - Saturday @ 09:02:29 |
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RALLY NEWS NO.5 Saturday/Ebrington Service
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 7 Slievekirk
1st (1) Elfyn Evans/Craig Parry (Fiesta R5) 57.30.2
2nd (3) Keith Cronin/Mikie Galvin (Citroen DS3R5) 57.38.0
3rd (12) Jonny Greer/Kirsty Riddick (Citroen DS3R5) 58.08.9
4th (2) Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble (Fiesta R5) 58.22.8
5th (5) David Bogie/James O’Reilly (Fabia R5) 58.29.7
6th (4) Fredrik Ahlin/Morten Erik Abrahamsson (Fiesta R5) 58.43.3
7th (10) Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Fiesta R5) 58.48.6
8th (7) Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan (Fabia R5) 59.06.8
9th (6) Josh Moffett/John Rowan (Fiesta R5) 59.18.0
10th (8) Marty McCormack/David Moynihan (Fabia S2000) 59.40.4
11th Rhys Yates 12TH Joe McGonigle 13th Jamie Anderson 14th Matt Edwards
15th Alan Carmichael 16th Brendan Cumiskey 17th Alex Laffey
Over the years the opening Saturday morning Ulster Rally stage has wrought dramatic changes to the overnight leaderboard. That has not happened this time with all the top drivers making it through the Slievekirk stage but almost without exception every driver reported overshoots and hairy moments on the deceptively slippery surface. Rally leader Elfyn Evans was fastest by 3s from Keith Cronin with Jonny Greer and Alastair Fisher equal 3rd fastest. When Evans brought his Fiesta into service he commented. ‘It was damp and slippy and I could not really find decent grip. I had one small overshoot’. Keith Cronin also had a slight deviation from course and he said. ‘I felt comfortable and thought I had braked early for a junction but overshot slightly’. The next problem for the drivers is picking the correct tyre for a long 3 stage loop through varying types of countryside including the moorland bumps and twists of Barnes Gap and Rousky.
Jonny Greer has done a marvellous consistent job since the start of the rally but even he had his moments on the opening stage this morning and told us that his Citroen got out of line on a very narrow left hander and clipped a bank, fortunately with no damage. One of the most dramatic stories of that opening stage came from Scotsman David Bogie when he told us in his lilting brogue –‘The stage started well and we were flying. Then I overshot into a farmyard and I thought, well I will make that up. Then I overshot a junction and I thought – well I will make that up. Then I had another overshoot and I thought – I am making a real mess of this. I think I am a bit naïve about this Irish tarmac!’ David was not alone on this - virtually every driver in the top 10 had an overshoot including Fredrik Ahlin and early rally leader Alastair Fisher. Desi Henry opted for a slick dry weather tyre and he seemed to get on well.
Garry Jennings opted not to re-start the rally this morning following his brake troubles last night so Alan Carmichael now leads the National Rally. Chris Armstrong is 2nd in the National event with Camillus Bradley 3rd and Ashley Field in the Darrian 4th. Ashley was a bit disappointed in his time this morning, he felt he was just not getting grip.
Tom Cave was 23rd o/a overnight and has moved up this morning, replacement shafts and rear differential transforming his Fiesta R5 which was running in 2wd yesterday. Tom is finding running so far back a bit of a disadvantage this morning as he is encountering mud and rocks pulled out by the leading cars. Ollie Mellors rolled his Satria yesterday and has rejoined this morning under Rally 2, the car slightly dented but going OK. Rhys Yeats has done remarkably well from the start and is lying just outside the top 10. He had a few scary moments this morning when his Fiesta R5 bounced off a wall at one point and then went straight past a square left junction towards the end of the stage. Matt Edwards is also doing a good job, this is his first event in an R5 car, and indeed he only sat into the new machine at shake down here on the Ulster. Callum Devine continues to lead class 4 from the similar Adam of Rob Duggan, just 14s between the pair now.
More news to follow: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON & MICHAEL & ZOE PATTERSON www.rallynews.net *Follow RallyNews on Twitter & Facebook @Pacenotes or @Real_RallyNews
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