Rally News No.9 Mallow Service Sunday 4.30pm

Unofficial Leaderboard After Stage 13

1^st (2) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 1.58.40

2^nd (3) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O’Gorman (Impreza WRC) 1.58.49

3^rd (5) Tim McNulty/Eugene O’Donnell (Subaru WRC) 2.03.06

4^th (6) Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy (Impreza WRC) 2.03.11

5^th (8) Denis Cronin/Helen Sullivan (Celica) 2.04.46

6^th (10) Tony Davies/Jakes Kelly (Impreza WRC) 2.05.09

7^th (1) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 2.05.41

8^th (17) Willie Fannin/Mick Courtney (Impreza N) 2.07.11

9^th (21) James O’Sullivan/Brian Duggan ( Lancer N) 2.07.15

10^th (24) Paddy White/Aidan Moran (Impreza WRC) 2.08.57

11^th (31) Tadag Linehan/Tony Linehan (Impreza N) 2.12.32

12^th (11) Johnny O’Sullivan/Pat Cashman (Escort WRC) 2.13.18

The major news here at service after the penultimate stage is that rally leader Tim McNulty was off the road in stage 13. Tim and co driver Eugene O’Donnell have led the rally from the start but Tim explained "there was a square left into a right into a left and she just slid into the dyke, and stuck fast". The Pierse backed Impreza was stuck for nearly five minutes, dropping Tim down to third. But the excitement isn’t over yet. In stage twelve Derek McGarrity pulled one second back from Eugene Donnelly while in SS13 Eugene turned the tables by two seconds, leaving him with a leading advantage of nine seconds going into the final stage. Derek was bullish about his chances, saying "I am still going to try, there is still a little bit of a misfire but you have to have a go". Eugene Donnelly was genuinely upset for Tim McNulty, but although he may be leading the rally, Eugene stressed that he is here to win the tarmac championship.

Eamonn Boland thinks the head gasket may have failed on his Impreza and he is crossing his fingers for the final stage and the road section back to the Rochestown Hotel finish. Tony Davies was slightly baulked by the recovering Tim McNulty in stage 13 and feels that any chance of catching Denis Cronin may have gone.

Johnny O’Sullivan is having a dreadful run today, his Escort WRC blowing a turbo in stage 13 dropping another couple of minutes. In GpN Willie Fannin is now only four seconds ahead after he acknowledged that he got a 30 second flyer in stage 12, he and James O’Sullivan taking the production category down to the wire on the final stage. Phil Collins continues to lead the modified rally from David James and Philip Cross now into third in his sunbeam. More News Later Michael Patterson & Zoe Todd