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RALLY
NEWS NO.5
Service-Saturday-5pm
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 6 Ballyreagh 2
1st (2) Derek McGarrity/Chris Patterson (Impreza WRC) 31.08.5
2nd (1) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Impreza WRC) 31.26.7
3rd (3) Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 31.35.4
4th (4) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 31.31.9
5th (7) Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Impreza WRC) 31.42.3
6th (9) Maurice Gass/Geoffrey Orr (Impreza WRC) 31.51.2
7th (5) Peadar Hurson/Ian Porter (Impreza WRC) 32.25.2
8th (8) Tim McNulty/Anthony Nestor (Impreza WRC) 32.47.3
9th (20) Gareth Jones/Ryland James (Impreza) 32.50.5
10th (11) Roy White/Greg Shinnors (Lancer N) 33.04.9
Andrew Nesbitt turned in stunning fastest times through stages 5 and 6, Daisy
Hill and Ballyreagh. On Daisy Hill Andrew was 12s faster than McGarrity who
was 2nd fastest. Then on stage 6 Andrew was 10s faster than Eugene
Donnelly, who was 2nd fastest. McGarrity was a further 11s back following a
spin. Nesbitt's co driver James O'Brien told us here at service "In
that stage 6, first time through, we went into a compression dip very fast and
I hurt the back of my head, so Andrew slowed slightly for it this time,
otherwise we were going hard". Andrew said "Honestly, we are
taking a steady pace, no big chances." On the subject of the
alleged stage 4 St Angelo jump start, Andrew said "I went when I was told
to go at the start". However, the officials have applied a 1 minute
penalty which moves Andrew from 1st to 5th.
Derek McGarrity commented about his stage 6 time "We had a spin at a
medium left into medium right into hairpin left over gravel junction, I was
carrying a bit too much speed, the car got sideways and got wedged a bit.
It happens, there's 3 days to go. The stages seem slightly slower second
time through, more gravelly. The car is good although the back is hopping
about a bit and we'll have to tighten it up a bit". Eugene Donnelly
was bubbling when he arrived here at service. When asked about stage 6, he
said "It all came together, a brilliant stage, everything clicked, I had
a new helmet and different tyres".
Other stories include - Garry Jennings has retired with reported gearbox
trouble. Peadar Hurson reckons he is going backwards, not committed. Tim
McNulty has stalled the car 3 times, when he puts his foot on the brake and
pulls the handbrake, the engine stops. In his own words "Stupid errors,
it has cost me a minute".
Group N leadfer Roy White commented "Excellent run this afternoon, the
car is superb". 2nd in gpN Seamus Leonard said "Glad to get
out of stage 6, my group N Subaru runs out of top speed in there".
Dickie Curran, 3rd in gpN in his Lancer, reported "Bent a rim in there,
big jump, flat in 6th, landed in the grass after the car turned in the air,
lucky to get away with it". Raymond Johnston, well in the gpN hunt
on a total of 33.44.7, said "We've settled ourselves a bit, nipped in a
wee bit of caution". Pat"White is having all sorts of problems
with his Impreza WRC, the engine is cutting out on corners. Tony Kearns is
disappointed with his run today, is going to try different tyres on the Lancer
tomorrow. BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON
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