RALLY NEWS NO.1
Ettelbruck..Saturday 09.00

Concensus of opinion from the Irish drivers on this Tour of Luxembourg is that the special stages are fabulous. The roads are just like home, fast and swooping up and down hills, but without the bumps and jumps. One consequence of this is that the drivers have set their suspensions a little bit lower and stiffer than they normally would. Indications are that the 10 Irish crews from 90 starters won't be far off pace.
Rocco Theunsissen in a Corolla WRC leads the cars away for the 18 special stages spread over two days. Dutchman Rocco is the Belgian Champion and has fought for the lead here in the past. Next up is Luxemourg GpN Champion Roger Heck, his high start position in deference to his 'B' seeding. Netherlands driver Hans Stacey, more normally seen in a GpN Lancer, is at 3 in a GpA Subaru.
Ian Greer at 4 is the first of the Irish crews. Ian has worked hard all week on his pace notes and reported no problems with his Taranto De Pol backed Corolla last night at scrutineering in Ettelbruck. Ian was unofficially clocked fastest on the 'shake-down' stage on Thursday night, not a total indicator by any means, but some measure of his determination. At 5 is Derek McGarrity in a Prodrive assisted Subaru WRC. Prodrive was behind last year's winner Toshi Arai, so have a feel for the settings required for the Luxembourg roads. Derek did feel there was a slight misfire in his car on the test stage. An engineer was flown over from Prodrive to replace some of the electronics, so its fingers crossed for Glengormley man Derek that the car will be OK when he faces the first stage this morning.

Belgian Chris Van Woensel is at 6 in a GpA Lancer. Van Woensel is a fast driver, won GpN on the Boucles de Spa recently for example, but he does not do too many rallies, his Lancer for this weekend is not 'full' specification, so he may not challenge for the lead initially. Francois Duval is at 7 in one of the many GpN Lancers. Francois is a very quick young man indeed, very talented, should be right on the pace from the word go. He is followed by another rapid young man, David Croes. He has graduated from the Peugeots to a GpN Mitsubishi here.
Wexford's Eamonn Boland is next up in his Dom Buckley run Subaru WRC. Eamonn reports 'not a bother', and will almost certainly play himself in gradually, not having done a tarmac rally for quite a while. Tim McNulty makes up the top ten, Tim on a learning curve on his first outing in a Subaru. Tim has switched from his Celica, and finds the active differentials in the Impreza a revelation. He can't beleive how quick this car will go through the corners.

Irish drivers outside the top ten include GpN National Champion Patrick Elliott, also on his first outing in a Subaru, and of a mind to take this one step at a time. Roy White is at 21 in the FESP GpN Lancer, and looking forward to a good rally. Sean Keenan is at 27 in a CSE run Celica, Pat Price is at 34, Robert Woodside at 40 in a works Ford Puma run by Chris Birkbeck, while Dick Curran is at 60 in a Lancer, but was having some difficulty getting the car through scrutineering last night. Non starters include Kevin Barrett, his Triton Showers Subaru not repaired after its Belgian accident. Also no sign of JJ Fleming.

More news from service...BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON