RALLY NEWS NO.10                 Castlelyons/Service/Sunday 3.30

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 12 INCH
1st (3) Eamonn Boland/Damian Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 1.39.17
2nd (1) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 1.39.30
3rd (2) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Impreza WRC) 1.39.50
4th (11) Tim McNulty/Anthony Nestor (Impreza WRC) 1.41.09
5th (7) Donie O'Sullivan/Paul Nagle (Impreza WRC) 1.41.11
6th (8) Melvyn Evans/Marc Jones (Impreza WRC) 1.41.49
7th (10) Maurice Gass/Andrew Cullen (Impreza WRC) 1.43.01
8th (6) Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy (Corolla WRC) 1.43.06
9th (15) Tommy Graham/Bob Kelly (Impreza WRC) 1.44.07
10th (12) Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (BMW M3) 1.44.14
11th (17) Seamus Leonard/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza N) 1.44.31
12th (22) JJ Fleming/Jakes Kelly (Impreza WRC) 1.44.39

Derek McGarrity has really pulled the stops out through stages 11 and 12 to slice into Eamonn Boland's lead, through stage 11, Templeboden, McGarrity was 12s faster than Boland and in stage 12 he was 9s faster.  This leaves the gap at 13s with 2 stages to go. 

Interestingly, overall fastest through stage 11 was Donie O'Sullivan with a time of 7.48, 4s faster even than McGarrity.  This pulled O'Sullivan in the Bio-Clear Impreza up level with McNulty for 4th.  Then on stage 12 O'Sullivan's car cut out at the end of the stage. He managed to get it on to the road section but it has cut out again, and as we type is stuck between the 2 stages.  He could still make it into stage 12, Inch, but it is not looking good.

Austin MacHale in the meantime was expected to make a charge for the lead. Five times Tarmac Champion Austin set a good time through stage 11, just 2s down on McGarrity, but 10 up on Boland, and that was despite rear differential worries. However, in stage 12 Austin was 12s slower than McGarrity, 3 down on Boland. His Impreza was showing signs of smoke from under the bonnet at stage finish. 

In Group N Roy White was 9s slower than Seamus Leonard through stage 12, Roy intent on just keeping the car going to the finish, knowing that he will clinch the gpN category in the Tarmac championship if he just holds station.  This is rather frustrating of course for gpN leader Seamus Leonard, who would love to draw White into a battle.

In the Ford Ireland Focus part of the rally latest news we have is of little change at the top with John Foley leading from Colm Murphy with David Delaney 3rd and points leader Oliver Stanley 4th. In the Ford Ka championship Kenneth Mulvaney leads from Vivian Noone.  Martin Laverty was 2nd but he has pulled out with a broken gearbox. Emily O'Mahony withdrew this morning. Ian Chadwick was leading the Ka championship, but he crashed out yesterday, although he is doing the Sunday Run, but that doesn't count. The Ka championship could go down to a tie decider tonight between Chadwick and Mulvaney with the number of fastest stage times throughout the season between the critical factor.      More news to follow. BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON             www.rallynews.net