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RALLY NEWS NO.2 Service/Fossa/Saturday 3.15
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1 SHANARA
1st (7) Ed Murphy/Shane Devane (Escort Mk1) 10.00
2nd (5) Steve Smith/Phil Spurge (Porsche 911) 10.04
3rd (6) Denis Moynihan/Dan Moynihan (Escort Mk1) 10.10
4th (9) Russell Brookes/Sean Mullally (Sunbeam) 10.13
5th (8) Tom Randles/Sean Duggan (Escort Mk2) 10.14
6th (63) Sean Lockyear/Chris Wood (Porsche 911) 10.17
7th (56) Tommy Mason/Joe Dunne (Escort) 10.20
8th (1) Ray Cunningham/Richard Hyland (Cooper S) 10.21
9th (3) Gareth Lloyd/Ian Oakey (Escort RS2000) 10.24
10th (10) Joe & Gareth Connolly (Escort Mk1) 10.27
The above times are from the first few cars only and of course there are plenty of quick drivers still to come. Conditions were horrible out at Beaufort with high winds and driving rain and even thunder and lightning shaking the grounds.
There didn’t seem to be any serious incidents and the competitors did well to get through that Shanara stage. John Keatley’s Porsche ground to a halt somewhere in the stage and Alan Ring who was in a hired Escort didn’t appear at stage finish while we were there.
Ray Cunningham was first car on the road and he said he had a pretty disastrous run, his Mini Cooper lapsing on to 3 cylinders when it was hit by a wall of water from a massive hail storm. Second on the road Gareth Lloyd in the West Wales Rally Spares Escort said he couldn’t see a thing “in the big rain”. He admitted to being very cautious.
Steve Smith lost a few seconds when he squeezed his Porsche past the similar 911 of John Keatley in a wee nadgery piece of the stage, Steve said that Keatley moved over just as soon as it was possible to find some space. Denis Moynihan in the Mk1 Escort reckons there was oil from one of the Porsches from the start. Ed Murphy was on his local stage and set a stunning time to be fastest and lead the rally. Tom Randles had 2nd gear and wiper troubles with his Escort but still set a very decent time. Frank Cunningham was down the time sheets on 10.45, Frank said that he backed off in the hail storm, was getting no grip. Sean Treacy was also down the sheets on 10.55, Sean running in a new engine on his BMW 2002. Mike Doody finished the stage OK but as soon as he got to the main road junction he stopped and took the bonnet off his green Mini Cooper just to have a good lock, as the car seemed to be overheating.
Martin Ward in the Manta had a decent time of 10.37 despite sliding off the road on a straight. Derek Boyd, with his daughter Roisin co driving, in the Martine Porsche had a time of 10.30. Derek is still settling in to his new car. Dessie McCartney did 10.42.
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net |
