1^st (5) Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 13.38

2^nd (2) Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Impreza WRC) 13.40

(4) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 13.40

4^th (3) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 13.43

5^th (6) Maurice Gass/Ger McMonagle (Impreza WRC) 13.47

6^th (9) Paul Harris/John McCafferty (Impreza) 13.49

7^th (24) Gareth Jones/Ryland James (Impreza) 13.50

8^th (11) Seamus Leonard/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza N) 14.11

9^th (14) Roy White/Greg Shinnors (Lancer N) 14.12

10^th (8) Daniel & Michael Doherty (Impreza WRC) 14.18

There were dramas not far from the start of stage 2 when number 1 seed Austin MacHale was caught out on cold tyres, plus locking rear brakes which he had mentioned earlier, and his Subaru Impreza WRC spun off the road and up a bank. Austin and co driver Brian Murphy eventually got the car back on to the road and got going with little more than superficial damage. Then there was more time lost when they had to stop and change a puncture. Spectators lifted the car while they changed it. Austin lost over 8 minutes and is undecided whether to continue, although any damage to the car seems minor. A side effect of all the dramas was that some other competitors were slowed in various degrees. There was another major happening in that rally leader Peadar Hurson, completely independent of Austin’s troubles, spun his Impreza WRC and stalled the engine. When Peadar did eventually get the car to fire it wouldn’t go into gear. So the seconds ticked away leaving Peadar well over a minute slower than the fastest car which was Nesbitt on 6.22. Eugene Donnelly had 6.23. Boland 6.28. Maurice Gass 6.31. The latter reported some brake troubles in the first stage, he now has that sorted and his confidence is coming back.

The Group N lead changed hands on that 2^nd stage, going from Roy White to Seamus Leonard. White’s Lanceer careered into a farmyard and the Clonmel man did well to spin the car around and get out again, losing little time.

Garry Jennings had a good clean run that time which will do the young man’s confidence a power of good – set a time just a few seconds slower than Leonard in his Peugeot 106 Maxi.

Some more times include – Austin MacHale’s total 22.11. Peadar Hurson 14.58. JJ Fleming 14.50, as he gets used to the new car. Andrew Stewart 14.22 – Andrew lost a few seconds when he caught MacHale’s car. Dickie Curran 14.21. Glyn Jones 14.26. Ivan Stewart, good time on the first stage, bad on the 2^nd, 15.21. Glenn Allen 14.26, says he is driving "awful". Alan Nesbitt, fast on the first, not great on the 2^nd, 14.15. Seamus Heron 14.17 despite having a gammy ankle. Michael Curran 14.39, Michael slowed on the first one when he caught Paddy White who had overshot a junction.

Some stories from the first stage include – Pat Kearney having to retire his Peugeot, the Tipperary man slipped the 206 into 2^nd at the end of a long straight into a square right, it seems that the cam belt slipped a tooth and there are bent valves. Martin Howley has punched the front left corner of his Lancer. Harold Brown lost a lot of time when he was forced to stop and changed a punctured wheel on his Astra. Pete Greene’s red Mk2 Escort came out of the first stage with a bit of a fire underneath, caused by gear oil leaking on to the exhaust. More news later. BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON (thanks to Michael Patterson & Zoe Todd & Ciara Conlon)