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| Stonethrowers |
| RALLY NEWS No.5 - Finish After SS8 - Monday @ 15:24:20 |
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RALLY NEWS NO.5 Clonmel/Finish/Sunday/6pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 8 – FINAL STAGE
1st (1) Patrick Elliott/Paul Goodman (Impreza WRC) 1.02.53.4
2nd (2) Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 1.03.02.7
3rd (4) Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 1.04.45.4
4th (5) PJ McGrath/Billy Collins (Impreza WRC) 1.05.35.1
5th (12) Terence O'Shaughnessy/Eugene McGrath (Corolla) 1.06.35.8
6th (11) Maurice Moffett/Jason McKenna (Starlet) 1.06.40.8
7th (3) Aaron MacHale/Killian Duffy (Focus WRC) 1.06.48.4
8th (8) Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Lancer N) 1.07.12.1
9th (17) Russell Woods/Martin Byrne (Escort) 1.08.00.7
10th (24) Jack & Paul Maguire (Esc.Cos) 1.08.04.0
Cavan’s Patrick Elliott snatched victory on the very last stage of this Stonethrowers Rally to win by just under 9s from Niall Maguire with Kevin Barrett a solid 3rd. PJ McGrath was 4th. The top 4 cars were all Subaru Impreza WRCs but the spotlight was mostly on the top two. Niall Maguire led by just under 1s going into the final stage but then at a bus stop chicane his Subaru sustained a front left puncture. The tyre was going down very slowly but it caught Niall out on almost the last junction where he spun. Patrick Elliott, with Paul Goodman on the notes, had been going like the wind and victory was his. At the finish Elliott commented. “It was a tough day. On stage 7 I drove one of my best ever stages. Stage 8 was difficult with a mixed grip surface and at one point I nearly binned it, so moderated my pace slightly. It was an excellent rally and this could be one step closer to the Dunlop National title. The stages were very challenging, lots of driving in them, very good”. Indeed, that stage 8 could be a watershed for this long tough championship, but of course there are still rounds to go. Niall Maguire was obviously very disappointed to have lost the rally after putting up such a brilliant performance all day. It was tough on the Monaghan man.
Kevin Barrett started the rally in subdued form, Kevin suffering slightly from some major dental work, but he went really well over the afternoon stages to regain some of his old form. PJ McGrath had all sorts of spins during the day but still finished 4th. Terence O’Shaughnessy was 5th following some great stage times in his Corolla with Maurice Moffett in 6th also right on the pace throughout the day in his Starlet. These 2 were first and second in the race for 2 wheel drive honours with Russell Woods 3rd. Trevor Mulligan had been right in the thick of the 2 wheel drive battle but crashed his Escort in stage 7, got going but then stopped in stage 8 with gearbox trouble. Donegal man Daniel Conaghan would appear to have won class 12 in his Escort following a good clean run.
Alan Ring had a really good run and took over the lead of group N when Keith Cronin crashed out. Danny Barry was 2nd in group N and 3rd is a toss up between Sean Flanagan/Brian Duggan and Trevor & Kenny Bustard. Mark Sheahan has won cl.6 in his S1600 Clio and has done enough to win his class in the Dunlop series. Marty McCormack/Liam Moynihan have brought their C2R2 through to a win in the Citroen C2R2 Cup from Adrian McElhinney with Martin Tynan 3rd and Paul Manton 4th.
Finally for now, well done to Willie Walsh and all his Tipperary MC team for a great day’s rallying. Our thanks to everyone who supported and helped with the Rally News service and thanks also to Dougie Hughes for distributing the Rally News bulletins.
BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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