With just 47s separating the top 5 drivers on this OSI Killarney Rally of the Lakes its all to play for on Day 2. The drivers can enjoy the hospitality of Killarney tonight but they know they have a lot to do in the rally tomorrow before they can taste success at the Gleneagle Hotel finish. Overnight leader Gareth MacHale parked his Focus WRC in parc ferme and took time out to say. “I was driving neat not ten tenths on that final stage. There’s a long way to go on this rally, the meat of the rally is really tomorrow today was easy!” Eugene Donnelly said. “We had a good run and I’m very comfortable with the pace I’m not going mad and I really enjoyed the last stage. Pity we lost stage 7.” Tim McNulty said. “We’re only 30s behind the lead and I’m not going to give up. There’s not much left but the car’s perfect despite the accident”. Tarmac Champion Eamonn Boland was a little bit disappointed with his stage 8 time but he did say that his Impreza WRC was going perfectly again after the small anti lag problem in stage 6. There were no times for stage 7 as a OO car crashed.
The times for the top drivers for that stage 8 make interesting reading: Donnelly posted a 9.05.7: Gareth MacHale 9.06.2: Tim McNulty 9.07.7: Eamonn Boland 9.10.9: Aaron MacHale is in 5th place and he had a good run during the day and needs that extra second here and there to mix it in with top times. Denis Cronin slid his Subaru up against a bank in stage 8 and a back wheel filled with mud and he slowed slightly thinking the vibration may have been a puncture. He said he had a grand day apart from a few spins.
Alan Ring in 7th o/a continues to lead Group N, Alan perhaps losing a little bit of momentum towards the end of the day as he developed a headache. Colm Murphy is 8th o/a and 2nd GpN and is really getting his act together following his rally lay off. Alastair Fisher was fastest GpN through that stage 8 and he said. “It doesn’t feel particularly fast not like the Fiesta battles, the car is wild smooth”. Shaun Gallagher’s times were a bit disappointing during the day but the Letterkenny man has discovered that there was a turbo pipe adrift on his Lancer. Sean Flanagan has lowered and stiffened the suspension on his hired Lancer and he’s starting to improve, so again the group N battle should be hot and heavy during the tough Sunday stages.
In the National Rally Wesley Patterson/Martin McGarrity in their Mk2 Escort have a 2m lead over Fergus O’Meara/Liam Brennan. Leonard Downey/Mark Murphy are 3rd and Gary Reidy/Diarmuid Falvey have come into 4th – all in Mk2 Escorts. The National Rally has taken a bit of a hammering over the last few stages with Martin McGee and Adrian Hetherington retiring following accidents.
In the Fiesta Sporting Trophy it looks as if Craig Breen/Gareth Roberts are the clear winners from Mark Donnelly/Paddy Robinson.
More news in the morning: BRIAN & LIZ PATTESON www.rallynews.net
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