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| Sligo Stages Rally 2008 |
| RALLY NEWS No.6 - Sligp Park Finish - Tuesday @ 16:15:50 |
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RALLY NEWS NO.6 Sligo Park Hotel/Finish/Sunday 6.30
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 9 – final stage
1st (1) Adrian McElvaney/Paul Kelly (Impreza WRC) 1.28.16
2nd (3) Sean Gallagher/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 1.29.06
3rd (24) Terence O'Shaughnessy/Eugene McGrath (Corolla) 1.31.46
4th (11) John & Caroline Price (Metro 6R4) 1.31.59
5th (16) Fergal Costello/Shane Gilhooley (Lancer N) 1.32.52
6th (15) Paul Kiely/Pat McSharry (Lancer N) 1.33.14
7th (23) Eugene Ferry/Derek Heena (Escort) 1.33.22
8th (4) David Mann/Alun Cook (Impreza WRC) 1.33.23
9th (45) John Cairns/James Cairns (Impreza) 1.33.36
10th (21) John Gallagher/Tomas Maguire (Lancer N) 1.34.09
Adrian McElvaney and his co driver Paul Kelly in their Subaru Impreza WRC scorched through the final 2 stages of this Sligo Stages Rally to reinforce their win with a 50s margin over Sean Gallagher/Enda Sherry in a similar Subaru. Terence O’Shaughnessy/Eugene McGrath had a dream result by bringing their Corolla into 3rd overall. Last minute dramas included Steve Simpson getting a puncture on his Accent WRC and dropping 5 minutes, moving him back from 3rd overall to outside the top 10. This brought John Price into the position of leading points scorer on the MSA Asphalt Championship. Fergal Costello/Shane Gilhooley kept their heads down in their Lancer to win group N from the similar Mitsubishi of Paul Kiely/Pat McSharry. Eugene Ferry will take the award fro winning class 14, his Escort hampered by a misfire right to the end but still he finished 7th o/a. David Mann dropped a few places on the last stage when there was a recurrence of the turbo pipe problem which slowed his Subaru earlier. David and his co driver Alun Cook could hardly believe that despite all their delays they have managed to salvage 2nd placed points in the Asphalt C/ship.
Adrian McElvaney commented here at the finish. “It was nerve wracking going into the last stage, not wanting to make any mistakes. But we still set a good time. I knew I was slow through stage 7, just couldn’t get it right but we certainly went well at the end. It was a great rally, very enjoyable”. Sean Gallagher had trouble with the gears of his Subaru right to the end, he knew they had little chance of catching McElvaney and “just tootled her through the last stage”. Terence O’Shaughnessy was grinning from ear to ear when he brought his Corolla in here to the finish at the Sligo Park Hotel and said. “I can hardly believe it, I’m delighted”. John Price said at the finish. “I really enjoyed the day. I backed off on the last stage and couldn’t believe Simpson got the puncture”.
Finishing just outside the top 10 – Jack Maguire was 11th in his Escort Cosworth. Pat Kirk with Noreen McShea on the notes was 12th and 4th in Group N in their Lancer. Steve Simpson in the Hyundai WRC was 13th. Danny McBride was 14th having lost the group N after a puncture earlier. Mervyn Deane was 15th, won class 13 in his Escort and has won the McAree Engineering special Border Championship trophy for this performance today.
Finally for now well done to Robert Lyttle and his Connacht Motor Club team for laying on such a slick, well organised rally. Our thanks to all who supported and helped with the RallyNews service.
BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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