RALLY NEWS NO.3 Tralee
Service/Sunday Noon
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 2 Desmonds Grave
1st (2) Patrick Elliott/Paul Goodman (Impreza WRC) 16.57
2nd (3) Aaron MacHale/Derek Brannigan (Focus WRC) 16.59
3rd (5) Glenn Allen/Damien Connolly (Corolla WRC) 17.22
4th (4) Noel Redmond/Ger Healy (Impreza WRC) 17.29
5th (9) Kevin Barrett/Barry Goodman (Impreza WRC) 17.41
6th (14) Michael Curran/Fabian McShane (Lancer N) 17.43
7th (15) Seamus Leonard/John McCafferty (Lancer N) 17.47
8th (24) Jack Sleator/Andrew Purcell (Impreza WRC) 17.52
9th (7) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 17.53
10th (10) Sean Gallagher/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 17.54
11th (12) Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Impreza N) 18.04
12th (16) Kevin & Martin Kelleher (Lancer N) 18.08
Aaron MacHale lost the lead of the rally on stage 2 to Patrick Elliott,
Aaron reporting an overshoot at a tight square left with gravel and his
Focus slid briefly into a ditch. Elliott set a scorching time through
stage 2, although despite that he wasn’t at all happy with the car,
saying “It was mediocre, the car is far too soft”. Noel
Redmond slipped from 3rd to 4th, Noel stalled his new Impreza at a downhill
square left junction from a main road into a narrow road. Glenn
Allen had a good time through stage 2 to move up into 3rd place, Glenn
saying that his first stage brake problems were probably as much down
to himself as anything, that he probably overheated the brakes.
Further stories from that first stage included – Niall Maguire had
an overshoot, lost a few seconds. Sean Gallagher spun his Subaru.
David McNulty was delayed by a spin and couldn’t get gears at one
point in his Impreza WRC.
In Group N Michael Curran is setting a very hot pace although Seamus Leonard
equalled his time through stage 2. Seamus had gear linkage problems
on the first stage and managed to cable tie the offending bits together
for stage 2. Alan Ring had a half spin at the Desmonds Grave junction
but otherwise OK and he holds on to 3rd GpN. Kevin Kelleher is 4th
having made his traditional slow start. Willie Fannin is well down
the list, his total 18.32, same as Gabriel Martin, Willie feeling that
he picked too hard a compound tyre. Gabriel Martin commented “this
pace is nuts”. Eamonn Daly had an overshoot in stage 2, his
total 18.26. Ian Barrett is bedding himself in slowly, his total 18.34.
Fergal Costello in the gpN Lancer is on 18.50. Thomas Fitzmaurice
has put his new Lancer off the road in stage 1. Sean Flanagan is
driving a Prodrive built Impreza N12 and he is also off the road on the
first stage. Ray Hilliard lost a few seconds when his new GpN Lancer
had a turbo pipe come loose.
In the race for 2 wheel drive honours Wesley Patterson would appear to
be 1s up on Anthony O’Halloran. Mike Quinn’s Escort has stopped
with a broken half shaft and John Kearney’s Escort has also gone
with brake troubles. Wesley Patterson commented that he found the stage
slightly more gravelly than he thought it would be. Aidan Walsh has dropped
a few seconds, his Escort rear tyres gone off the boil. Ed Synan
is also a few seconds down, Ed saying that he is still a bit rusty. Brian
O’Mahony had a good run in his Clio despite catching another car
on the first stage, Brian’s time 18.18 which would put him ahead
of Wesley Patterson. Barry Evans has crashed his freshly re-shelled Citroen
C2 on stage 1 and the car is reportedly lying in a river. More news
later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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