RALLY NEWS NO.5 Service In Control/Saturday 2.15
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 4 Ardnaditian
1st (1) Gareth MacHale/Craig Parry (Focus WRC) 21.05
2nd (2) Tim McNulty/Eugene O'Donnell (Impreza WRC) 21.21
3rd (5) Derek McGarrity/Diarmuid Falvey (Impreza WRC) 21.23
4th (6) PJ McDermott/Sean Harris (Impreza WRC) 21.50
5th (3) Paul Harris/John McElhinney (Corolla WRC) 21.56
(8) Hugh M Doherty/Michael McBride (Impreza WRC) 21.56
7th (7) Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 22.17
8th (11) Garry Jennings/Rory Kennedy (Lancer N) 22.38
9th (9) Michael Curran/Fabian McShane (Lancer N) 23.02
10th (17) Cathal Rogers/Sean Ferris (Lancer N) 23.11
Through the 11.05km fourth stage it was Gareth MacHale’s Focus that was fastest again, stopping the clock on 5.27. Tim McNulty’s Subaru recorded 5.29 and Derek McGarrity 5.33. In Group N Garry Jennings again had a slight edge over Michael Curran. Gareth commented after the stage. “We’re going steady enough, going hard where it is clean backing off where it is dirty”. Tim McNulty said. “There’s nothing left in the car, the Focus seems to have the legs here”. Derek McGarrity’s co driver Diarmuid Falvey (the Nestle chocolate man!) said. “We had a few little moments in there, nothing major, you could feel the tyres were not quite right for that one”.
In the battle of the local drivers PJ McDermott continues to keep his Subaru’s nose in front while Paul Harris commented that there wasn’t much point in going any harder and Hugh Martin Doherty felt he had a good run. Andrew Stewart was reported to be going slowly through stage 4 and there is no sign of his hired Octavia WRC at service so it looks like Andrew & co driver Paddy Robinson may be out. No sign as well of Seamus Heron & Gerry McVeigh. Their Focus seems to have stopped in stage 3. Joe & Dermot McHugh are continuing to go well in their Escort Cosworth and their total is 23.20.
In Group N Garry Jennings was 2s up on Michael Curran, Michael settling in to his new car now. Cathal Rogers was a couple of seconds down on Curran’s time, Cathal saying that it was better for the stages were very fast. There has been a small problem with the clocks which has caused a slightly distortion in the times for the drivers further back, but Howard Clarke, running at 37 seems genuinely to be coming into the group N frame and has got ahead of Danny McBride for 4th in GpN. Gavin Harris & Shaun Lafferty are having a good clean run in their GpN Lancer, and they are lying just inside the top 20 overall, and provisionally 5th in group N.
In the 2 wheel drive category Mark Alcorn in his black Corolla is coming into the picture but Mark was another driver affected by the timing problem in stage 2. Gary McPhillips is now on a total of 23.15. Damien Gallagher 23.16 and Camillus Bradley, now with a large dent on the rear quarter panel of his red Escort, on 23.18. Brian Brogan is on 23.27. Eugene Ferry 23.30. Martin McGee’s Escort has stopped with an engine problem as has Bernard McGinley’s Starlet (a new oil pump reportedly seized). Brian Brogan appeared into service with the co driver hoking in the boot trying to fix a broken battery earth strap. Adrian Hetherington is another coming into the 2 wheel drive picture although he lost a little time when his Escort had an alternator problem.
More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net |
