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RALLY
NEWS NO.2
End of stage 1 - Sunday - Noon
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1
1st (4) Jim Harrison/Harvey Bell (Impreza WRC) 8.50
2nd (2) Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Impreza WRC) 9.03
3rd (5) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 9.14
(6) David Armstrong/Herbie Blackburn (Escort
WRC) 9.14
(7) Patrick Elliott/Martin Cahill (Impreza
WRC) 9.14
6th (3) Adrian McElvaney/Paul Goodman (Impreza WRC) 9.18
7th (11) John Spain/Peter Egan (Celica) 9.19
8th (16) Jaye Jordan/Graeme Stewart (Esc.Cos) 9.24
9th (8) JJ Fleming/Robbie Ward (Impreza WRC) 9.27
10th (14) Sean Gallagher/Francis Kenny (Esc.Cos) 9.29
The stunning, but unfortunate news, from the first stage of this Galway
Summer Rally is that No.1 seed, Michael Barrable/Dermot O'Gorman have
crashed their Subaru into a ditch and out of the event. Reportedly the
accident happened after a jump down into a square right corner.
Happily there is no suggestion of any injuries, but although we waited at
the stage finish for quite a while there was no sign of the Barrable Subaru.
No.2 seed Eugene Donnelly is in a spot of bother as well. Although the
Maghera man finished the stage with quite a good time, he had put his Subaru
off the road twice. Once was at a square left corner where he ploughed into
a pile of stones. There was no damage to the bodywork but the steering was
slightly awry when he reached the stage finsih at the vilage of Eyrecourt.
All this leaves Jim Harrison fairly well out on his own. The
Macclesfield man did catch Adrian McElvaney's similar Subaru just before the
stage finish but he reckoned it didn't cost him any time. Adrian
apologised to Jim at stage finish if he did hold him up, the Monaghan driver
couldn't see a thing behind him as he mirrors weren't set.
Other stories include - David Armstrong, out for the first time since his
accident in Limerick, thinking his car was slow on the straights, and he was
quite surprised at his competitive time. JJ Fleming took it handy through
that first stage as he settled into the car. Denis Cronin felt he was slow
to start, but then the West Cork man always seems to be slow to start. Kevin
Barrett reported his Subaru to be suffering from a bad vibration. Sean
Gallagher's Escort Cosworth had no anti lag system, and that was despite a
fair bit of work to the engine on the run up to the rally. Anthony
O'Halloran's Manta was showing zero oil pressure at stage finish. Tom
Halliday reported his Mk2 Escort feeling very heavy at the back and he's
hoping its down to a full fuel load.
More news on Barrable's accident - co driver Dermot O'Gorman reported that
the car landed awkwardly after a jump, got sideways going down the road,
clipped the parapet of a bridge and ended up with the nose in a river and
the tail on the road.
Further times include - Mark Courtney fastest of the gpN runners on 9.38.
Derrick Jobb had 9.48 and Peter Clifford 9.55. Kevin Barrett in the
Subaru WRC had 9.49. Stephen Bird on his first run in a Subaru had 10.03.
Aidan Walsh had a good run with 9.48. Tom Halliday 10.01. Sean Lyons went
well with a 9.47 in his Mk6 Escort. Douglas Richardson 10.01. Mike Quinn
9.56. Anthony O'Halloran wasn't far away on 9.43. John Rooney in the BMW
9.54. Denis Cronin in a similar M3 9.44. More news after stage 3. BRIAN
& LIZ PATTERSON (www.rallynews.net)
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