RALLY NEWS NO.2
End of stage 1 - Sunday ..noon
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1 (Ramhorn Line)
1st (1) Tim McNulty/Anthony Nestor (Impreza WRC) 8.46
2nd (7) Maurice Gass/Ger McMonagle (Impreza WRC) 8.50
3rd (2) Michael Barrable/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 8.52
4th (4) Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Impreza WRC) 8.56
5th (11) David Armstrong/Herbie Blackburn (Esc.WRC) 9.02
6th (17) Sean Gallagher/Paul Nagle (Esc.Cos) 9.07
7th (16) Nigel Hicklin/Sam McMullan (Impreza) 9.10
8th (9) Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (BMW M3) 9.18
(10) Adrian McElvaney/Paul Goodman (Impreza WRC) 9.18
"One hundred per cent" was Tim McNulty's comment when asked how he had
got on through the first special stage. Tim's Impreza WRC shimmering in the heat
when it finished the stage, and as it transpired setting fastest time.
Behind Tim, Michael Barrable commented "Very slippy in spots".
Eugene Donnelly told us "We had a half spin at the 2nd junction and I just
couldn't get committed in the stage at all". Fourth on the road,
Ollie O'Donovan, told us "The back end is slipping about".
When Maurice Gass finsihed the stage and saw that he was 2nd fastest he just
punched the steering wheel and yelled with delight. Liam McCarthy is 6th on the
road, running with 156 on his Corolla WRC, the West Cork man recording a time of
9.22 and making no comment, but did not look very happy.
Next up was another West Cork man, Denis Cronin, and he said "The brakes
are locking on, the door of the car was open at all night parc ferme, and its
possible that someone turned the brake balance knob which is just inside the
door".
Other stories included - Adrian McElvaney telling us that he had no tyre
pressure gauge and he couldn't adjust the pressures at stage start, and his
Impreza was all over the road. "Brutal" was how the young
Monaghan man described it. David Armstrong said at stage finish "It felt
slow". So was quite pleased with his 5th fastest time.
Hal Lewis' Escort Cosworth was emitting lots of smoke and fumes which upset Hal,
his time 9.27. Garry Jennings was on 9.30 in his little Peugeot and still
getting used to the sequential change, his time 9.30. James O'Sullivan was on
9.55 in his hired gpN Lancer and reckoned he was on the wrong tyres.
More news later..
BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON
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