RALLY NEWS NO.3                     Duns - Service - Saturday - Noon

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 5 Chirnside
1st (15) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 25.44.5
2nd (26) James Thompson/Plug Pulleyn (Evo) 25.53.1
3rd (25) Peadar Hurson/Ian Porter (Impreza WRC) 25.53.2
4th (18) Tapio Laukkanen/Mikka Anttila (Impreza WRC) 25.54.0
5th (17) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 26.00.1
6th (19) Jari-Matti Latvala/Carl Williamson (Focus WRC) 26.04.0
7th (12) Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Impreza WRC) 26.07.9
8th (14) Austin McHale/Brian Murphy (Impreza WRC) 26.09.6
9th (22) Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 26.13.9
10th (23) Tim McNulty/Anthony Nestor (Impreza WRC) 26.38.6

LATE NEWS: GWYNDAF EVANS OFF ROAD STAGE 6 - UNCONFIRMED REPORTS SUGGEST MAYBE RETIRED.

Nearly all the top drivers were caught out through stages 3 and 4 on dry weather tyres, and with the rain ever increasing in its intensity.  The Super 1600 cars are running first on the road, and both Garry Jennings and Gwyndaf Evans put their respective machines off the road. Jennings lost a lot of time, slammed into a telegraph pole in the process, made it here to service but has since retired.  When he re-started the car to leave service the cam belt broke.  Gwyndaf Evans was only off for 10 or 15s and described the incident thus: "It was a 70 yards over crest into a bad left, I was a passenger for the last 30 or 40 meters, straight off the road, incredibly slippy. Luckily spectators were able to push us back on".  Young Kris Meeke said "I thought we were going too slow but it seems it was a wise move."  Leon Pesticcio commented "Our pace was pedestrian".  Ryan Champion said "We backed right off, took it cautious, had really no moments, I hadn't even tested the Puma in the wet". Steve Hill in the Super 1600 Alfa has pulled in on stage 5. 

In the battle for overall honours amongst the WRC machinery, Eugene Donnelly once again demonstrated his uncanny ability on the wet roads by clocking a time of 9.29.5, closest to it was Latvala on 9.34.8.  Then James Thompson on 9.35.9 and Jonny Milner had a good go with a 9.37.1. Last year's winner Andrew Nesbitt wasn't a mile away either on a time of 9.39.7. Andrew saying "We were in full lock everywhere, I've never seen anything like it, it was like sheet ice. At one crest it was raining so hard I didn't even see it". 

Other stories included - Derek McGarrity going straight through the tapes at the farmyard.  Latvala stalled the Focus WRC at the start line of stage 4, lost a few seconds.  Barry Johnson was off the road in a high speed wall of death in stage 5, the Subaru survived but lost a little time.  Maurice Gass in the Pedro Pet Foods car reckons there is something wrong with his differential, the car just won't turn into the corners, and he described it as "not enjoyable".  Dougie Hall's Lancer was off the road in stage 3, damaged the front left corner, and then had a major spin in stage 5. 

In Group N it would appear that Seamus Leonard is setting the pace in his new Impreza series 9, although he is only a handful of seconds ahead of Roy White, Roy surviving 2 over-shoots in stage 5, his Lancer undamaged but lots of mud around the front spoiler. 

Jonny Milner is fighting back from his earlier puncture and is just outside the leaderboard on 26.48.5. We have Eamonn Boland in 9th although the official results are showing him with an extra 27s, but this is over a disputed time at the spectator stage last night. No news as yet on the Peugeot 206 Super Cup - stage 3 was blocked when car 40 (Damien Shields) had an accident. The overnight positions were - Chris Moore was leading by just over 2s from Philip Morrow with Paul Jones 3rd. Roca 4th, Sykes 5th, Stuart Jones 6th. Shaun Gallagher was back in 9th having messed up a hairpin on the opening spectator test. More news later. BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON                       www.rallynews.net