RALLY NEWS NO.5                      Service - Saturday 4.30
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 5 Killen Hill
1st (6) Tim McNulty/Eugene O'Donnell (Impreza WRC) 37.52
2nd (5) Paul Harris/John McCafferty (Impreza) 38.18
3rd (2) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 38.37
4th (16) Sean Devine/John McElhinney (Impreza WRC) 38.58
5th (7) Cahal Arthurs/Jakes Kelly (Accent WRC) 39.01
6TH (12) Sean Gallagher/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 39.11
7TH (8) Hugh M Doherty/Michael McBride (Impreza WRC) 39.13
8TH (20) Willie Fannin/Mick Courtney (Impreza N) 39.15
      (33) Mike Curran/Killian Duffy (Lancer N) 39.15
10th (25) Brendan Kelly/Derek Brannigan (Lancer N) 39.16
11th (18) Andrew Stewart/Fabian McShane (Lancer N) 39.19
12th (15) Ivan Stewart/Joe Friel (Esc.Cos) 39.23
Remarkably Tim McNulty had an accident in stage 5, wedged his Impreza WRC between 2 banks for almost a minute, got going and still leads the rally.  Stage 6 did not run because of a manpower shortage, so Paul Harris had no more opportunity to close the gap.  Patrick Elliott was actually fastest through stage 5, by 1s from Niall Maguire. Patrick felt that he had lost up to 10s in an incident, and also had one of the biggest moments of the year. Cahal Arthurs got held up behind the McNulty accident, lost possibly as much as 30s, and slipped from 3rd to 5th.
McNulty was laughing his head off when he came into service, his Subaru well creased, and said he just got caught out on a downhill section over gravel into a square right.  Niall Maguire said that he felt he had set a fair time, even though the stage was very bumpy and jumpy.  Paul Harris reported a good run.  Sean Devine made a real charge and moved up to 4th position, saying the stage was very gravelly and loose.  Ivan Stewart dropped back to 12th from 6th when his Escort Cosworth sustained a front left puncture just over a mile from the end of the stage.  Sean Gallagher continues to set very tidy times, Sean's Impreza WRC suffering a damaged exhaust manifold and he is keeping a very careful eye on that, and running with the anti lag switched off. Kevin Barrett is just outside the leaderboard, Kevin made a sleepy start to the day, but is setting very respectable times now.
Jim Harrison is making no real impression on the leaderboard and is still way down the order. He didn't have a great stage 5 because the intercom broke again, he couldn't hear Harvey on the pace notes, and went the wrong way at a baled junction, or almost went the wrong way, and also had a fairly big moment at a chicane. Jim really needs Dunlop championship points here to keep his title hopes alive on the Fastnet, but its not really looking good at the moment. Niall Maguire is looking the man to beat on the championship front, although Patrick Elliott could yet make a fight of it. 
In Group N Mike Curran was fastest through stage 5, by 3s from Willie Fannin. Brendan Kelly was 1s further back, equal with Andrew Stewart. Brendan Kelly said. "It's a shame to have cancelled stage 6, right at my back door."  Brendan then laughed and said "It might be for the better!"  Memories of a big accident there before….
For Willie Fannin this big group N race is a bit of a dilemma really, he is leading the category on the National series, wants maximum points of course, but wants to win gpN today, but knows he is pushing so hard now he could throw it all away. James O'Sullivan has become Fannin's closest pursuer in the points, but James is losing a few seconds here and there. A spin at a junction and a whoopsie at a chicane costing him another handful of seconds in stage 5. In the 2 wheel drive race Camillus Bradley was 18s faster than Damian Gallagher through stage 5 to leave Camillus in front by 16s.  But Damian is convinced he has got a wrong time.  Paul Gallagher departed the fray some time ago when his Corolla had a mechanical problem. Maurice Moffett is still going well in the Starlet, but is 11s behind Gallagher. PJ McDermott has just retired his newly acquired BMW M3 with electrical trouble. Enda Keenan dropped a minute when he stopped in stage 5 thinking he had a petrol leak, but it was the top of the tank had come off.  Brendan O'Connor has been spinning his Subaru all day, but still going OK.
Finally for now..Happy Brithday to Charlie McGuckin of Micro-Cam who celebrates his birthday tomorrow. (Pity he hadn't brought enough cups today - we could have had some tea…!)
More news after last stage. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON  www.rallynews.net

 

 

 

 

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