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RALLY
NEWS NO.2
Buncrana-Sunday - 2.30pm
www.rallynews.net
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER
STAGE 1 - Mouldy Hill
1st (3) Daniel & Michael
Doherty (Impreza WRC) 10.19
2nd (2) Niall Maguire/Paul
McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 10.29
3rd (5) James Gillen/Victor
Carruthers (Esc.Cos) 10.49
4th (7) Philip Shaw/Danny
O'Neill (Escort) 10.51
5th (6) Ivan Stewart/Timothy
Duggan (Esc.Cos) 10.52
6th (10) Seamus Donnelly/Paul
Garry (Escort) 10.54
7th (8) Andrew Stewart/Fabian
McShane (Lancer N) 10.55
8th (29) Stuart Darcy/Barry
Goodman (Lancer N) 11.08
9th (16) Paul Gallagher/Karl
Reid (Corolla) 11.11
10th (21) Damien Gallagher/Mac
Walsh (Escort) 11.12
11th (163) Angus Hunter/Joe
Friel (Lancer N) 11.14
12th (9) Norman
Armstrong/Geoffrey Orr (Escort)
11.23
(14) Stephen Harris/Damien
Crawford (Lancer N) 11.23
(26) Pat McDaid/Paul Gallagher
(Lancer N) 11.23
Niall Maguire looked cool, calm
and collected when he reached
the end of the first stage.
while Daniel Doherty looked
ever so slightly hot under the
collar of his Nomex racing
suit, the Carndonagh man
telling us "We were going
hard, I think I picked too safe
a compound tyre and they're
tore to pieces. We certainly
gave them a lot of abuse, the
brakes had gone by stage finish
as well". National
Champion, Maguire, was much
more laid back, and commented
"It was a hard stage, we
went nicely, no problem".
The thing is, the drivers have
2 more stages before service,
and if Doherty is taking too
much out of his brakes and
tyres it could be a different
story after stage 3.
James Gillen in 3rd place
reported no real problems.
While Ivan Stewart said
"We had a couple of skids
in the middle of the stage, it
seemed pretty slippy".
As ever, Philip Shaw was
sensational in his Mk2 Escort,
4th overall and highest placed
2 wheel drive car after that
opening test. The
Cookstown man did report
however that his engine seemed
to have a slight misfire
towards stage finish.
Ivan Stewart leads the gpN
category, Ivan saying "We
were maybe a bit overly
cautious. We picked slick tyres
and it will probably pay off
more towards the end of the
loop of 3 stages".
Stephen Harris switched from
his gpN Subaru to a Richard
Hogg gpN Lancer on Friday, and
he felt his front brakes were
going off towards stage finish.
Paul Gallagher had a great run
in his Corolla, although he
admitted that he maybe went off
the boil a bit in the middle of
the stage. Sean McArdle took it
cautiously enough in his newly
acquired ex Kankkunen Celica
205, but still had a
respectable enough time, 11.50.
Other stories include - Rogers
Fencing man, Cathal Rogers,
stopped in mid stage with a
mechanical problem to his new
Escort G3. Ironically his
friend, Terence McLaughlin, has
also stopped with a mechanical
problem. Martin Doherty
has put his Escort in the ditch
and is semi blocking the stage.
Enda Keenan damaged his Escort
getting past, and several other
cars have lost time.
Shaun Gallagher set a
reasonable enough time in the
stage, 11.42, but is thinking
of pulling out as there is
something wrong with the car.
Pat Bonar recorded 11.28
despite no intercom. Gary
Cairns has front differential
trouble in his Lancer and may
pull out. Looking outside this
Donegal Harvest - George
Elliott won yesterday's
Fermanagh rally from Conor
Kelly. In Killarney Forestry,
Eugene Donnelly is leading
after stage 3 from Dermot
Kelly, John McCarthy 3rd, Niall
Driver 4th, John Donnelly 5th,
Paul Staunton 6th. On the Lake
Superior Rally in the USA,
Tapio Laukkanen/Rory Kennedy
have retired with mechanical
problems. Jonny Milner has been
excluded for speeding on a
transit section. Mark Higgins
leads. David Higgins 4th.
Seamus Burke 5th. BRIAN &
LIZ PATTERSON |
