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RALLY
NEWS NO.1
Oldcastle Service - Sunday 1pm
www.rallynews.net
Paul and Shay McCann in their Escort Cosworth are first on the road today on
this Castle Automobile Club Hellfire Rally. Original No.1 seed Tim McNulty
is a non starter, so local men Paul and Shay will lead away the full complement
of 131 cars.
The competitors have just completed their familiarisation run over the stage,
and most report slippy conditions following a light shower of rain. Behind
the McCanns is Tom Holton in his Celica, and then Sean Gallagher. Sean has
his 21-year-old daughter Claire co-driving on her very first rally. At 5
is Sean McArdle, the Armagh man fresh from competing on the Ulster Rally, and
reporting the Celica needing no more than a wash down after the Ulster's 16
tough special stages. At 6 is Pat Donegan in his Mk2 Escort. Pat has
Damien Garvey co driving and although Pat has been getting some results
recently, this will be his first time in the car in wet weather.
At 7 is another crew fresh from the Ulster - Dessie Keenan and Enda Sherry.
However on the Ulster Dessie was driving his left-hand drive Peugeot, here in
Oldcastle it's the right hand drive Escort. So not only is the Monaghan man
sitting on the other side of the car, its rear wheel drive instead of front.
It was to be Paddy White at No.8 but he is a non-starter. Next up then is No.9
Dominic Loughran in his Group N Lancer. Dominic has Elva Roe co driving
and not David Nooney as in the programme. Car 142 Gordon Rogers is next on
the road, and then Michael Curran in his Escort followed by Enda Keenan, co
driven by his daughter Laura.
Some changes to entry include - Cars 23, 25 and 29 non-starting. Car 15,
Jack Slater is now co driven by Michael Courtney. Jack out in a new Evo 8 Lancer
for the first time and running in the Group N category. Maurice Moffett, Car 52,
is running in the top 20, and car 36 Mervyn Wedlock is running just inside the
top 10. Interestingly, Moffett, expected to be a front runner here,
pushed his car into service and reported some starter motor/electrical trouble.
Also in electrical problems after the familiarisation run was Arthur Kierans,
his intercom not working. Adrian Quinn (21) blew the turbo on his GpN Lancer
towards the end of the familiarisation run, and may have trouble getting the car
sorted for the first of the 3 timed special stages.
Finally for now, looking outside Oldcastle for just a minute - on Rally
Australia Petter Solberg won in his Subaru from Sebastian Loeb, Richard Burns
3rd. Colin McRae 4th. Markko Martin was excluded at the finish for wedging
his spare wheel in with a rock. Reportedly his Focus spare wheel carrier was
broken and this was the only way he could think of to keep the wheel in place.
He was excluded for altering the weight of the car?? In Group N Niall
McShea/Chris Patterson finished 4th - 3rd in the WRC registered Production Cup.
McShea had been 2nd and setting fastest Production Cup times, but lost some time
this morning. More news after stage 1. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON
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