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| Jim Clark Rally 2008 |
| RALLY NEWS No.8 - After SS15 - Wednesday @ 11:34:02 |
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RALLY NEWS NO.8 Charterhall Service/Sunday 11.45
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTERE STAGE 15 LEITHOLM
1st (2) Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 1.42.39.3
2nd (4) Tim McNulty/Eugene O'Donnell (Impreza WRC) 1.42.42.7
3rd (1) Gareth MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 1.43.41.2
4th (6) Aaron MacHale/Killian Duffy (Focus WRC) 1.45.53.7
5th (14) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza N) 1.46.01.2
6th (11) David Higgins/Ieuan Thomas (Impreza N) 1.47.51.9
7th (15) Stuart Jones/Andy Bull (MG S2000) 1.48.09.3
8th (19) James Wozencroft/Chris Ridge (Impreza N) 1.50.21.4
9th (16) Jonny Greer/Jonny Hart (Lancer N) 1.50.52.5
10th (23) Kevin & Martin Kelleher (Lancer N) 1.51.50.4
11th (37) Adam Gould/Seb Marshall (Clio) 1.54.46.3
Just 2 stages remaining on this Jim Clark Rally and the tension at the front is mounting to fever pitch with Eamonn Boland just edging ahead of Tim McNulty through stages 14 and 15. Eamonn was 9s up on Tim through Eccles and then 11s faster through Leitholm. When Tim came into service he looked pretty down in the dumps and told us “I stalled at a couple of hairpins but still there are 2 stages to go. I think the times would have been OK but for the problems at the hairpins”. Eamonn Boland commented. “We had a good clean run, but there are still 2 stages to go. We never get an easy one”. When quizzed on a suggestion of an overheating problem through the Eccles stage Eamonn confirmed that was correct and said. “The team put in a bit of Radweld stuff and it seems to have worked. I think there may be a crack in something.” Typical of the car man that he is, Eamonn finished with a little laugh and said. “Sure she’s under warranty!”
Gareth MacHale continues to do a good job to hold 3rd place overall. Gareth was 2nd quickest through the Leitholm stage and said that he did lose a few seconds “At a square left into hairpin round bale. I had noticed a sluice valve on the outside when I was making my notes. I was too timid going in and the car stalled. It cost me 5 or 6 seconds. Still, it is some stage, very fast, its rare to be that fast for so long. Its some crack hitting those crests at those speeds”. Aaron MacHale also had a good run over those stages and he moved from 5th to 4th to get ahead of Mark Higgins. Mark’s co driver Rory Kennedy commented. “That was as good as we could go in there. There are 2 rallies going on, and of course we are overlapping the two championships”.
The marks and scores down the sides of David Higgins’ new Impreza were ample evidence of how hard he is trying and how close he is getting to the baled chicanes. Stuart Jones is very gradually narrowing the gap to David so there’s going to be quite a race between these 2 to the finish. James Wozencroft said he did not drive well through stage 14, then went well through 15 describing the jumps and crests as “awesome”. James and young Jonny Greer are having their own battle today for 8th and 9th. Jonny said. “I’m a bit more awake today, the stages seem to suit me better”.
Kevin Kelleher continues to lead the Irish GpN Tarmac Championship category. His Lancer survived a full 360 degree spin in stage 14. Kevin reckoned he had picked too soft a compound tyre. Adam Gould is a very solid 11th o/a although his Clio had some brake fade through stage 15 where the chicanes and the 90 degree corners gave the brakes a lot of hard work. George Thomas continues to lead the Citroen C2R2 category and he is lying 13th o/a. His closes pursuer in the C2R2 race was Marty McCormack but the Maghera man has retired with sheared front wheel studs on his Citroen. Karl Simmons is lying 12th o/a and he had a major moment on stage 15 when his brake pedal went to the floor following Barry Johnston’s jump and then the long fast run down to the square right corner. Karl’s Subaru ended up beached in a field. Somehow he got out without losing more than a few seconds, then the brakes were back to normal!
In the Reivers Rally David Bogie led after their opening stage, his Corolla just under 3s ahead of Andy Fenwick’s Skoda. David’s main aim today is to score points in the Scottish championship and not worry too much about trying to win the rally. Steve Bannister was 3rd in his Escort. Mike Faulkner (Lancer) 4th and Alastair Thorburn 5th in his Subaru.
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON fwww.rallynews.net
*For SMS results text RALLY ITC to 60066 (UK): Or 53030 (Irl.): Text RALLY ITC OFF to stop. Cost 25p/30c. Provided by stagetimes.com
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