| RALLY NEWS NO.3 A Service/Fossa/Saturday 4.15
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 2 Rockfield
1st (7) Ed Murphy/Shane Devane (Escort Mk1) 15.42
2nd (5) Steve Smith/Phil Spurge (Porsche 911) 15.46
3rd (6) Denis Moynihan/Dan Moynihan (Escort Mk1) 16.01
(9) Russell Brookes/Sean Mullally (Sunbeam) 16.01
5th (63) Sean Lockyear/Chris Wood (Porsche 911) 16.03
6th (56) Tommy Mason/Joe Dunne (Escort) 16.08
7th (1) Ray Cunningham/Richard Hyland (Cooper S) 16.12
8th (3) Gareth Lloyd/Ian Oakey (Escort RS2000) 16.17
9th (8) Tom Randles/Sean Duggan (Escort Mk2) 16.19
10th (90) Elir Morris/Sion Jones (Escort) 16.22
11th (18) Derek & Roisin Boyd (Porsche 911) 16.23
Conditions were not a whole lot different on stage 2 from stage 1, driving rain and slippy roads making the going hazardous. Fastest through the stage was shared between local man Ed Murphy in his Escort and English visitor Steve Smith. Smith said. “That wasn’t bad at all, especially considering I don’t have a well known co driver with me, its my old chum from years ago who was my best man”. Ed Murphy found the going slippy like everyone else but still set a fabulous time in his Escort. First on the road Ray Cunningham was very dispirited when he brought his Mini Cooper in reporting a repeat of his first stage troubles when the car lapsed on to 3 cylinders in the heavy rain. Gareth Lloyd in the West Wales Rally Spares Escort running 2nd on the road was having trouble with the Escort’s windscreen misting up. Denis Moynihan found the stage like glass and had a half spin in his Escort. While Tom Randles had 2 spins in his Escort.
Martin Sheahan who is running at No.24 in his Escort reckons he did 3 stages compared to everybody else’s two he was over shooting up the escape roads and doing extra mileage. Joe Connolly in the Red Mills Escort started to get a bit more on the pace on the 2nd stage as he settles back in following his accident earlier in the season. Frank Cunningham reported a wicked vibration at high speed in his Escort. Dessie McCartney had 2 semi spins and 1 big spin and would love a twin speed wiper motor in his Porsche as the single speed one is not up to the job in the heavy rain. Philip Wylie had a rather slow run through the opening stage in his MGB and in his own words “Got the ladies pants off on the second one!”
Martin Ward’s Manta is suffering from lots of back axle tramping but he is still going fairly well and his total is 16.32. James O’Mahony in the Volvo had a fairly conservative first stage, found the tyres were not working very well. Kevin Flanagan in the Mini remarked. “There’s no room for heroics out there”.
In the Modified category Phil Collins led after the opening stages, still waiting for a time for Barry Meade who was 2nd after the first stage with Wesley Patterson 3rd and Kris Meeke 4th. Collins had a half spin on stage 2 at a junction when he got his lefts and rights mixed up, the Herefordshire man joking that he got distracted by the seaweed under his wipers!!! Kris Meeke said. “That was a baptism of fire, I was really slow on the first stage learning the techniques of the Escort, locking wheels under braking. The 2nd stage was better but I backed off on the shiny tar”. Wesley Patterson’s Escort has a sticking throttle. Kevin O’Donoghue has had a big accident on a right hander on stage 2. Kevin and co driver Joe reported to be OK.
On Wales Rally GB after stage 8. Hirvonen still leads. Mikkelsen has rolled out. Gronholm is 2nd and Loeb is still on course for another world title in 3rd. Gabriel Pozzo has crashed out which means that Toshi Arai is the new Production World Champion. Outgoing Production World Champions Nasser Al-Attiyah and Chris Patterson have just won the Dubai International Rally which means that they retain their FIA Middle East Rally Champions title for the 4th time. More news to later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net |
