RALLY NEWS NO.3 Service/Friday 3.45

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 4 Ardnaditian

1^st (2) Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Impreza WRC) 27.30

2^nd (4) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 27.36

3^rd (3) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 27.41

4^th (5) Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 27.47

5^th (6) Maurice Gass/Ger McMonagle (Impreza WRC) 27.52

6^th (9) Paul Harris/John McCafferty (Impreza) 27.59

7^th (24) Gareth Jones/Ryland James (Impreza) 28.18

8^th (8) Daniel & Michael Doherty (Impreza WRC) 28.39

9^th (14) Roy White/Greg Shinnors (Lancer N) 28.49

10^th (11) Seamus Leonard/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza N) 28.53

Through stages 3 and 4 it was Andrew Nesbitt fastest on both tests. Peadar Hurson led after stage 1, Eamonn Boland after stage 2, but it was Tarmac Champion Nesbitt who surged to the front on 3. Andrew’s time on stage 3 was 6.53, Donnelly and McGarrity were equal on 6.56 and Boland was on 6.59. Hurson did 7.00 and admitted "The fire’s gone out of my belly a wee bit, I’ll never make that lost time up". Through stage 4 Nesbitt did 6.57, McGarrity 7.00 and Eugene Donnelly 7.02. Surprisingly Boland was back on 7.10 and could give no real reason, saying "Don’t know why it was slow, I just mustn’t have pushed on hard enough". Nesbitt commented "We’re getting there, its taking a bit of time to get used to the paddle change, and I have to keep concentrating to keep my foot off the clutch when I’m changing gear". Derek McGarrity said "I damaged a rim on stage 2, had to put the spare on for stage 3, it was cold and the other 3 tyres were warm, so I was being a bit careful". Eugene Donnelly commented "We’re going a lot better now than we were at the start, but we’ve no answer to these other cars, newer machines, big technology. I’m flat out, but happy to be up there, its an awful quick pace"

Maurice Gass in the Pedro Pet Foods Subaru said "I’ve changed the transmission to fully active, we started with it locked up which is easier to drive. But I’m getting the confidence now". Paul Harris said "Still no confidence, we seem wild slow into the junctions". Austin MacHale expressed the feeling that he just doesn’t know whether to go on or not. He is so far back and he also has some road penalties.

Roy White climbed back on top of the group N ladder with 2 very good stage times on 3 and 4. Andrew Stewart has damaged his Lancer’s gearbox, 3^rd and 4^th have gone, he needs to change it here, but it is a very big job. Second in gpN Seamus Leonard reports no problems. Tarmac Championship leader in gpN, Dickie Curran, is on 29.08, Dickie playing a waiting game. Aaron MacHale lost a little time with a soft brake pedal and slid briefly into a ditch in stage 4.

Gareth Jones felt his Subaru slightly lose power through stage 4, had to use the gears more, engine sounds a bit off. In the rear wheel drive battle, Philip Shaw and Seamus Donnelly are having a massive dice, Shaw 3s ahead and interestingly, saying he had to lift off the throttle a couple of times as spectators were on the outside of bends, and obviously did not realise how fast the rear wheel drive cars were going. Kevin Lynch is creeping up the leaderboard a bit, total now 29.18 after losing a minute earlier on. Sean Devine is going well on his first run in a WRC car on 29.22. Dermot Hanafin in the Fitz Samuel Insurance Impreza has had a couple of overshoots, and was up a hedge in stage 4, but has survived and is trying very hard. Garry Jennings had a brilliant run through 3 and 4, very competitive times in the Peugeot to leave him on a total of 29.18. Some more times include -= Glyn Jones on 29.19. JJ Fleming 29.37. Ivan Stewart 29.14. Glen Allen 29.12. Alan Nesbitt 29.04. Seamus Heron 29.07. Michael Curran 29.36. Aaron MacHale 29.38. No sign of Stephen Harris who had been having turbo problems. More news later. BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.netf