RALLY NEWS NO.12                                Downings Service/Sunday 1.15
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 18 Port Lake
1st (2) Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Impreza WRC)  1.59.35
2nd (3) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 2.00.45
3rd (4) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 2.01.26
4th (5) Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 2.02.19
5th (7) Peadar Hurson/Ian Porter (Impreza WRC) 2.03.11
6th (8) Daniel & Michael Doherty (Impreza WRC) 2.03.44
7th (11) Seamus Leonard/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza N) 2.07.22
8th (14) Roy White/Greg Shinnors (Lancer N) 2.08.01
9th (19) Glenn Allen/John Gallagher (Escort WRC) 2.09.33
10th (37) Kevin Lynch/Martin McNicholl (Impreza WRC) 2.10.07
11th (53) Neil McCance/Richard Hunniford (Lancer N) 2.10.23
12th (16) Glyn Jones/Paul Nagle (Impreza WRC) 2.10.57

Paul Harris, co driven by John Cafferty, has unfortunately crashed his Subaru out of 5th place on the Port Lake stage close to junction 13.  On a fast sweeping section of road the car ended up on its side, more or less blocking the road, and the following cars had to stop.  Happily Paul and John would appear to be OK.  Andrew Nesbitt, Eugene Donnelly, Derek McGarrity and Eamonn Boland were running ahead of the accident so had a clean run. Some cars behind stopped for several minutes to check that everything was OK. 

Eugene Donnelly was fastest through the Port Lake stage, Eugene saying "It felt good, although not overly fast. But I did have a few moments on the previous Glen stage. Maybe we'll settle down".  Andrew Nesbitt reported that 300 yards into the stage he took a line into the corner with 2 wheels on the grass, but there was an ominous bang from the rear left wheel, and the suspension strut then seemed to stop working properly. Derek McGarrity was quite a few seconds slower than his rivals through that 18th stage, Derek reckoning that his Subaru's tracking was knocked out when he was in and out of a ditch earlier.  Daniel Doherty was in a way a bit relieved at the respite in stage 18, as he feels there is a differential problem with his Subaru and the car was getting quite hard to drive.

In Group N Seamus Leonard was very fast through stage 17, 15s up on Roy White, although Roy had no real problems. It was, however, first time over the Glen test, whereas Seamus would know it from many years experience.  Neil McCance continues 3rd in gpN. Michael Curran 4th and Aaron MacHale 5th. 

Please remember that the above leaderboard is unofficial - there is some suggestion that the top cars may have broken the "bogey time" on stage 17 and also on stage 18 the drivers immediately behind the accident will, for the moment, be given a "scratch time".

News of a further retirement this morning is that Garry Jennings' heroic drive ground to a halt with more front suspension/wishbone trouble at Glen Village.  We think Garry got the car through the stage, but decided on safety grounds not to continue. No sign here at service of Sean Devine/Shaun Lafferty - they stopped at the end of the High Glen stage to change a puncture.  Their Subaru then would not res-start, but did eventually and they went on to tackle Port Lake, but have not arrived here.   Just had a text message from Rory Kennedy - he has finished 8th, with Alistair Ginley on the WRC Cyprus and best privateer. Brilliant result!  Cyprus leaderboard on next RallyNews. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON