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| Galway Summer Rally |
| RALLY NEWS No.2 - After SS1 - Sunday @ 10:44:57 |
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RALLY NEWS NO.2 Sunday/End of SS1/10.45
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1 Kilbeg
1st (4) Garry Jennings/David Moynihan (Lancer N) 7.20
2N (2) Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 7.29
(5) Kevin Kelleher/Paddy Robinson (Lancer N) 7.29
4TH (3) Kevin Barrett/Damien Connolly/ (Impreza WRC) 7.35
5th (10) Trevor Bustard/Kenny Bustard (Lancer N) 7.47
6th (7) Thomas Fitzmaurice/Fionn Foley (Lancer N) 7.51
7th (17) Patrick Cunningham/John Fitzpatrick (Civic) 7.52
8th (8) Mike Quinn/Grainne McEnery (Escort) 7.55
9th (18) Neil Pierce/Enda O'Leary (Civic) 7.57
(19) Pat Kelly/Noel Lambert (Impreza A) 7.57
The top drivers said the opening stage, Kilbeg, was like driving on ice, such were the road conditions in the heavy soaking rain. No.1 seed Patrick Elliott certainly found that out to his cost when his Impreza WRC slid into the scenery close to location 9 at a 1 left into 4 right. Patrick and his co driver Paul Goodman are reportedly OK but this puts on hold Patrick’s defence of his Dunlop National title.
Elliott’s accident left Niall Maguire first into the finish of the stage and as he brought his Subaru to a halt the Monaghan man told us. “Very slippy in there”. Hard on Niall’s heels was Kevin Barrett’s Subaru but the Triton Showers sign writing across the bonnet was badly awry. Kevin explained. “We got caught on shiny tar into a square left, we had no chance of getting round”. Fortunately all the temperature gauges in the Subaru were reading normal so it looks as if Kevin has got away lightly, no damage to radiators or oil coolers.
Garry Jennings in his GpN Lancer was next up and the clock showed that the Kesh man had set fastest time. Garry admitted that he had to work really hard in the conditions to set that top time. Kevin Kelleher is battling with Jennings for GpN honours both today and in the championship and Clonakilty man Kevin reported. “We went OK but that was tough going for the first stage. We are having some hesitation in the throttle but otherwise OK”.
Thomas Fitzmaurice dropped a few seconds, the Tralee man reckoned he made a wrong tyre choice, picking dry weather tyres, not realising just how heavy the rain was becoming. He said. “Fierce slippy, bad s…e”. Mike Bird has crunched the front of his Subaru, his Impreza wouldn’t slow down at the end of a long straight and he piled into the straw bales at a chicane.
Donegal brothers Trevor & Kenny Bustard had a good time in their Lancer, the boys rejuvenated at the performance of their car which has now been fitted with a differential controller. Tom Curley had a spin at a junction and lost a few seconds but still had a good time of 7.58. Stuart Darcy in his Class 11 Corolla is running different size tyres on one side of the car from the other, all he could get. His time was 8.13, normal cl.11 front runner Jim McKenna was on 8.09, 12s down on class leader Neil Pierce. Some other times include: Noel O’Donnell in the Peugeot 205 an impressive 8.01. Ken Hogan in his Cl.2 Civic 8.12. Dave Quigley in his Cl.2 Civic did 8.13. Richard Burke in the Oran Precast Subaru was down the order a bit on 8.41. Tom Flaherty had a good run to record 8.00. Tom Curley 7.58.
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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