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RALLY NEWS NO.3
Portumna service - Sunday 1.15
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER SPECIAL STAGE 3
1st (2) Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Impreza WRC) 23.27
2nd (5) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 23.58
3rd (7) Patrick Elliott/Martin Cahill (Impreza WRC) 24.04
4th (3) Adrian McElvaney/Paul Goodman (Impreza WRC) 24.06
5th (11) John Spain/Peter Egan (Celica) 24.14
6th (6) David Armstrong/Herbie Blackburn (Escort WRC) 24.18
7th (8) JJ Fleming/Robbie Ward (Impreza WRC) 24.36
8th (14) Sean Gallagher/Francis Kenny (Esc.Cos) 24.43
9th (9) Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (BMW M3) 24.58
10th (19) Sean Lyons/John Devine (Escort) 25.09
Yet more dramas on this Galway Summer Stages ….early leader Jim Harrison,
devastatingly fast on the first stage, and then 1s faster than Eugene
Donnelly on stage 2, ran into big problems on stage 3 when his Impreza WRC
sustained a left rear puncture. That stage 3, Rahyconor, is over 10 miles
long and the puncture happened about halfway through. Jim was faced with the
decision of whether to stop and change or keep going. With the remnants of
the rubber flapping around the rim, he kept going as hard as he dared but
dropped 2 minutes to Donnelly, and was relegated from first to well outside
the top 10, on a total of 25.25. This promoted Donnelly into 1st, the
Maghera man commenting "I was struggling with the steering which was
slightly out of line after the first stage accident, but we kept it steady,
still trying hard, and all in all I'm happy enough". Second
placed Niall Maguire adopted the softly softly approach early on and he
commented here at service. "All going well but the stages are very
fast". David Armstrong has been going nicely, happier with the
car now, but he lost a bit of time in stage 3 when he caught up with the
struggling Harrison.
Young Adrian McElvaney told us he is still settling into the car, finding
his feet after the accident in Clonmel. Patrick Elliott commented that
the stages were very loose, very gravelly, but he is having a good enough
run. JJ Fleming feels he is still very rusty. Denis Cronin in the BMW M3
said "I was slow to start, but its starting to flow".
Other stories include - Kevin Barrett's Subaru still suffering from a
vibration. Kevin on a total of 25.18. Sean Gallagher's Escort Cosworth
sustained a broken anti roll bar and Sean feels that the anti lag system is
only partially working. John Spain is setting nice times but feels his
Celica is a small bit giddy on the suspension. Stephen Bird, having his
first run in the McKinstry gpA Subaru was slowed slightly in stage 3 with a
soft tyre. Jaye Jordan was on the leaderboard earlier, but he has dropped
back with gearbox troubles, his total now 25.26. Dan Mulcahy was another to
suffer a stage 3 puncture.
In Group N Willie Fannin has rolled his Lancer out on stage 1, slid wide on
a 4 left and hit a tree and the car fell over. That incident caused a stage
interruption and some of the later gpN cars had to take a nominal time, but
even with that it would appear that James Foley has moved into the gpN lead
with a total of 25.14. Mark Courtney has slipped back slightly, his Lancer
tyres went off the boil, and his total is 25.26. Derrick Jobb is on 25.28.
Ray Hilliard is on 25.46.
Some of the Mk2 Escort times include - Aidan Walsh on 25.24. Tom Halliday
25.45 as is Patrick Boyle. Some further times - John Rooney in the BMW
25.30. Anthony O'Halloran in the Manta, still with low oil pressure, on
25.13. Douglas Richardson in the Mk2 is on 25.56. PJ Bonner in the G3 Escort
26.49. Thomas McGovern has 2nd gear trouble but still on 26.06. More
news later.
BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON (www.rallynews.net)
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