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RALLY NEWS NO.7 The Mall/Armagh/Saturday 10am
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 8 Parkanaur
1st (3) Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Impreza WRC) 56.35.0
2nd (1) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 58.10.4
3rd (5) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 59.47.5
4th (9) Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Impreza N) 1.00.00.5
5th (10) Gwyndaf Evans/Huw Lewis (Lancer N) 1.00.31.9
6th (17) Phillip & Simon Morrow (Lancer N) 1.01.37.9
7th (14) Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey (Impreza N) 1.01.40.3
8th (12) Seamus Leonard/Gerry McVeigh (Lancer N) 1.02.11.9
9th (26) James Cullen/Reba Graham (Lancer N) 1.03.39.7
10th (34) John McGlaughlin/Crawford Henderson (Lancer N) 1.03.46.3
Dominance hardly even covers Kris Meeke’s performance over this
morning’s two stages. The young man from the Bush crossroads is
really turning on a world class act here with Eugene Donnelly behind having
a miserable morning through wrong tyre choice. Eamonn Boland is pretty
solid in 3rd place but making no real inroads as against the two in front.
Mark Higgins has moved into the group N lead and of course the top of
the Tesco 99 British championship runners as Gwyndaf Evans dropped some
time through stage 8.
When Kris Meeke arrived in here to a sun drenched Mall in Armagh City
he took time to relate. “Would you believe it was quite damp and
mizzly out at that last stage near Dungannon but the tyres are working
incredibly well. In fact I’m very impressed with the whole package,
the tyres, the engineer, the car, the weather crew. A big thing for me
is that we had done some of the stages last year. In Killarney it was
our first time and it was difficult. Ireland is so unique, but with having
done these stages before I can get a picture of the stage in my head.
The Pirelli car is so nice to drive I can feel every bit of movement.
That was a typical Ulster stage, wet, dry, shiny tar, muck, glare off
the sun and I loved it!”
Eugene Donnelly’s chin on the other hand was nearly on the tarmac
of the Mall. As he heaved himself out of the Reid Motorsport backed Subaru
the Tarmac Champion shook his head and said. “I’m so disappointed.
The tyre choice was completely wrong and then we got a puncture, a tyre
started to go down half way through the stage. Really I couldn’t
have gone on a worse tyre, this is just not working. It’s a disaster,
very demoralising. As well as the tyre choice which is very wrong, the
car isn’t charging which is distracting. There’s a big warning
light flashing at me and I knew if I had stalled it it wouldn’t
re-start and now I can’t switch the engine off”.
We mentioned on the last RallyNews that Andrew Nesbitt’s Subaru
had a stage 7 puncture and then he was late through stage 8. It would
appear that the former Tarmac Champion didn’t start stage 8, that
he stopped the car on a road section and indeed there was a small fire
and Colm Murphy took time out to give Andrew his fire extinguisher. David
Higgins’ Toyota is reportedly stopped with an engine problem and
of course we also mentioned earlier that Guy Wilks’ Lancer had stopped
with a mechanical problem and Tim McNulty had crashed his Subaru out at
a very slippy 3 right with a pole outside.
Eamonn Boland reported no problems and was looking steady in 3rd. Mark
Higgins is having a great run this morning to hold 4th. Mark’s co
driver Rory Kennedy gave one of his characteristic little chuckly laughs
here at the regroup and as he looked at his time sheet book said. “All
that s..t on the Isle of Man, it has all changed now. Its like the big
wheel it all goes round. But then its not over yet!” Gwyndaf Evans’
Lancer had the front right drive shaft break and although he has lost
a little time he should be back on course following service. Colm Murphy
had a soft brake pedal through stages 7 and 8. Seamus Leonard had an overshoot
at a square right junction. Owen Murphy has front diff problems. Hugh
Martin Doherty, in Super Rally, still in trouble with his new S12, with
vibrations and smoking. James Cullen said “Not a good morning, the
car won’t turn in, takes the confidence out of you”. John
McGlaughlin reckoned he was on too hard a tyre. Connor McCloskey was off
the road for over a minute at a square right junction in stage 8.
More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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