|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RALLY NEWS
NO.5 Service..Saturday..2.30
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 5
1st (2) Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Subaru WRC) 48.22
2nd (4) Frank Meagher/Dermot O'Gorman (Focus WRC) 48.42
3rd (1) Ian Greer/Dean Beckett (Corolla WRC) 48.49
4th (3) Austin McHale/Joe Downey (Corolla WRC) 49.41
5th (6) Donal O'Donovan/MJ Morrissey (Celica) 49.49
6th (5) Kenny McKinstry/Sean Mullally (Subaru WRC) 50.12
7th (14) Niall McShea/Michael Orr (Saxo) 51.46
8th (9) Frank O'Mahony/Hugh McPhillips (Subaru) 52.05
9th (18) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Nagle (Escort G3) 52.12
10th (24) Roy White/Des Cooney (Lancer N) 53.02
There has been the tiniest seismic shift in the emphasis at the
top of this Cork 20 Rally through stages 4 and 5. Ian Greer
was just 1s behind Nesbitt after stage 3, but then on stage 4
Andrew really got the hammer down and took 9s off Greer to move
into a 10s lead. Greer then had a 15s road penalty going
into stage 5, and Frank Meagher really gave it a go to set fastest
time and move into 2nd place. Meagher fitted wet weather
tyres to his Frank McCabe Tow Bars supported Focus for that extremely
slippy Marshalstown stage. Frank said "I thought I would
have been quicker although we could have pushed harder".
A later competitor remarked about the road "The last time
I saw that much soil and mud I was planting spuds!"
Andrew Nesbitt said "Very slippy, we went on cut slick tyres
and I'm happy enough". Greer isn't admitting to the
cause of his road penalty, but unconfirmed reports suggest that
the Taranto de Pol Corolla was having a quick tyre change and
one of the new rims wouldn't fit. It has to be remembered that
the whole caboodle is just out of the box. Kenny McKinstry
is obviously struggling just a little to come to terms with left
hand drive. Frank O'Mahony was off the road briefly. Niall McShea
had one of his Saxo rear shockers break and lost some time. Eugene
Donnelly's G3 Escort suffered a broken brake caliper in stage
4 and he had to finish stage 5 with no brakes. Sean McArdle lost
a little time when his Celica went off the road. Greg McCorkack
lost some time behind Johnny O'Sullivan's world rally car which
is suffering a slipping clutch.
Roy White reports no problems and continues to lead gpN. Gerry
McVeigh was well up in the category but has crashed into a churchyard
wall in stage 4. Cross channell visitor Phil Morgan had fastest
gpN time in that 5th stage. Liam Davis is unofficially now 2nd
in gpN on 54.09. Morgan is on 54.25. Hickland on 53.57. Sean
Gallagher is just outside the leaderboard in the ex Gilleece
Escort Cosworth on 53.12 despite catching many slower cars, having
been seeded back at 67. Sean Keenan is speeding up in the little
Corsa Kit Car, just 19s slower than McShea through stage 5. John
Dempsey lost 5mins in stage 5 when his put his Subaru in a ditch.
More to follow..BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON |
|
|
|
|
