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| Monaghan Stages Rally |
| RALLY NEWS No.2 - After SS1 - Sunday @ 11:24:51 |
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Rally News No.2 End of Stage One – Sunday 11.00am
Unofficial Leaderboard After Stage One
1st (2) Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 11.07
2nd (1)Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 11.11
3rd (6) Daniel McKenna/Andrew Greenan (Escort Mk2) 11.13
4th (4) Melvyn Evans/Patrick Walsh (Impreza WRC) 11.14
5th (5) Gary McPhillips/Mark Tierney (Escort Mk2) 11.19
6th (3) Derek McGarrity/James McKee (Impreza WRC) 11.20
7th (8) Manus Kelly/Donal Barrett (Escort Mk2) 11.40
8th (9) Rodney Wilton /Conor McMahon (Escort) 11.41
9th (7) Maurice Moffett/Jason McKenna (Starlet) 11.44
10th (11) John Cairns/James Cairns (Impreza) 11.55
= (21) Russell Woods / Martin Byrne (Escort Mk2) 11.55
Niall Maguire was first car through the opening 19.83 KMS Ballagh Stage and was equally the first to find out just how slippy the Monaghan roads are this morning after heavy overnight rain. There is still a slight drizzle in the air but non the less Maguire reported no problems in his Subaru and was second fastest. Rally leader Kevin Barrett was a full four seconds faster than Maguire and he described the stage as hard work but also very slippy. Derek McGarrity was also trouble free unlike Melvyn Evans who despite going third fastest stalled his Impreza WRC at the stage start and explained “the count down caught me out and I just did not have all the switches on like anti-lag and launch and the car just stalled – don’t know how much time I lost”.
Daniel McKenna set a fantastic time to leave him third overall but he reckons he picked too soft a tyre and also felt that the stage was starting to dry ever so slightly and the other two stages might hurt his tyres even more. Gary McPhillips explained that his Escort was misfiring very badly particularly out of slow speed corners and junctions and felt that he had lost a bundle of time. Maurice Moffett was another who felt that he was on the wrong type of tyre while Rodney Wilton had a good run despite an overshoot in the middle of the stage. Adrian Hetherington spun at the first square left junction and got his distinctive green Escort wedged between the banks. Des Moore did record a time but was having major engine problems in his Mk2 while Declan Boyle was also stopped in the stage but got going again.
In GpN both Danny McBride and Sam Moffatt are tied for the category lead on a time off 11,59 which would put them just outside the top ten. Sam Moffett was a bit frustrated at the stage finish as he had caught Trevor Bustard after the Donegal driver suffered a spin in his Lancer. Enda McNulty was happy enough with his time off 12.10 in his usual Lancer and not in an Escort as stated in the programme.
Other significant times include John O’Connell who had a great run and is on 11.56 while a reseeded Eugene Ferry is similarly just behind on 11.59. Damien Gallagher 12.01, Brian Brogan 12.04 and Seamus O’Connell 12.10 all in their respective Escorts lye just outside the top ten. More News Later … Michael & Zoë Patterson
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