RALLY NEWS NO.9                   Castlelyons/Service/Sunday 1.30
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 10 Ballynoe
1st (3) Eamonn Boland/Damian Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 1.22.37
2nd (1) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 1.23.10
3rd (2) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Impreza WRC) 1.23.16
4th (11) Tim McNulty/Anthony Nestor (Impreza WRC) 1.24.39
5th (7) Donie O'Sullivan/Paul Nagle (Impreza WRC) 1.24.48
6th (8) Melvyn Evans/Marc Jones (Impreza WRC) 1.25.04
7th (6) Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy (Corolla WRC) 1.25.47
8th (10) Maurice Gass/Andrew Cullen (Impreza WRC) 1.26.12
9th (15) Tommy Graham/Bob Kelly (Impreza WRC) 1.26.43
10th (12) Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (BMW M3) 1.27.04
11th (17) Seamus Leonard/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza N) 1.27.10
       (22) JJ Fleming/Jakes Kelly (Impreza WRC) 1.27.10

Despite an overshoot at the first junction Eamonn Boland was fastest through stage 10 to reinforce his lead at the front of this Cork 20 Rally. Wexford man Eamonn got distracted coming up to the first junction when he felt there was an arrow pointing the wrong way. His concentration flickered and suddenly he was overshooting the junction.  However there was no damage done, Eamonn was still fastest as most of the other drivers also reported spins, and Eamonn looks to have the rally very much under his control at the moment.  Derek McGarrity had 2 overshoots, and on the subject of the gearbox change this morning he confirmed that the smoke fumes that were leaking into the cabin, have now stopped, but unfortunately the replacement gearbox is giving him a top speed of approximately 10 - 15 miles less, not ideal for today's fast stages. 

Austin MacHale was only equal 3rd fastest with McGarrity through stage 10. Donie O'Sullivan was 2nd fastest. Austin reporting a problem with his Impreza rear differential which is going to prove somewhat of a handicap over the remaining 4 stages. Austin doesn't think he has a spare rear diff. In Donie O'Sullivan's charge through stage 10 he caught and passed Tim McNulty. Tim's tyres had over heated, gone off the boil, and in fact he had 3 spins, one of them involving a bit of reverse gear work to get back on track. That stage 10 seems to have been a problem for many of the drivers. Melvyn Evans had overshoots at 2 junctions, Maurice Gass a spin and stalled the engine. Liam McCarthy hasn't improved on his overnight position, and he reporTs his Corolla WRC to be well down on power.

Group N leader Seamus Leonard reported some small problem with his intercom.  While 2nd placed gpN runner Roy White says he is taking things very steady in his efforts to finish the event, but reckons its even harder to go steady than it is to go flat out. Aaron MacHale is now 3rd gpN.  We reported earlier that Suir Engineering man Eoin Doyle was missing.  We have since heard that Eoin, along with Waterford Subaru dealer Eddie Garry, has decided to withdraw from the rally today.   Like Ray Breen, their hearts were not in the rally today because of their concern for Jamie Kent.

Just outside the above leaderboard we have Guy Woodcock in 13th. Barry Coleman 14th. Aaron MacHale 15th. John Moynihan 16th. Peter Lloyd 17th and james O'Sullivan slipped to 18th after 2 spins in stage 10.

In the Ford Ireland Focus Championship John Foley still leads, Colm Murphy is up to 2nd but over a minute behind. David Delaney is 3rd and championship leader Oliver Stanley 4th.

More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON               www.rallynews.net