RALLY NEWS NO.11  Grandstand - Service - Saturday 11.30am

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 22 Jurby East
1st (10) Jonny Milner/Nicky Beech (Corolla WRC) 2.22.32.8
2nd (12) Kenny McKinstry/Noel Orr (Impreza WRC) 2.27.33.0
3rd (11) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 2.28.34.5
4th (8) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Impreza WRC) 2.29.58.4
5th (19) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 2.30.00.9
6th (21) Seamus Leonard/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza N) 2.34.48.0
7th (1) Garry Jennings/Gordon Noble (Peugeot) 2.36.59.1
8th (27) John Cope/Donna Harper (Esc.Cos) 2.38.47.3
9th (28) Paddy White/James McKee (Impreza WRC) 2.38.52.1
10th (25) Aaron MacHale/Damien Connolly (Lancer N) 2.42.15.5

Following the overnight sensation of Tapio Laukkanen's retirement, Ryan Champion has also now departed this Manx International Rally.  Ryan had an over 2 minute lead in the Super 1600 category, but in the Cornaa stage, at the wee narrow downhill place following the jump over the railway, it looks as if the Puma has caught the bank and tumbled.  Could be of course that Ryan lost his concentration, such was his lead in the category.  Anyway, this leaves Garry Jennings leading the Super 1600s in the Peugeot with Leon Pesticcio in the Punto now 2nd.  Steve Hill has retired his Alfa with reported engine troubles.

At the front of the rally Jonny Milner is leading by over 5 minutes from Kenny McKinstry with Derek McGarrity in 3rd, also in a handy time buffer zone in front of Austin MacHale. MacHale slipped to 5th overnight when he punctured in stage 19, but the Dubliner has speeded up this morning to get back ahead of Boland, and into a 2nd place Tarmac Championship points winning position.

Jonny Milner can obviously afford now to take it relatively steady. The Yorkshireman commented "Not pushing too hard, still enjoying it, a safe pace, not backing off too much. Need to keep the concentration".  McKinstry roughly echoed those sentiments when he said "I've backed off a fair bit, but then speeded up a little, I got lazy and was asking Noel (Orr) to repeat notes which I never do. Wasn't paying enough attention".  Third placed Derek McGarrity said "We're going handy now, where I can see its OK I go hard, anything dodgy slow right off". 

In Group N Seamus Leonard has a massive buffer over Aaron MacHale, but at least there is a fight going on for 3rd in gpN between Dermot Hanafin and George Tracey. George did have a puncture this morning, allowing Hanafin in front, but George has now got back ahead of Dermot. Eddie Garry has unfortunately retired his new Subaru, we hear unconfirmed reports that a brush with the scenery has damaged a front suspension wishbone.

Top 10 stories include - Paddy White dropping a few seconds when he banged the front left corner of his Subaru on a downhill hairpin right. John Cope is driving brilliantly to bring his Escort Cosworth into 8th and reports no problems. Keady man Glenn Wilson has pushed his Peugeot 106 up to 14th overall and leads class A6 by quite a long way from Pat Kearney. Stanley Ballantine survived an earlier minor fire in the Lancer to hold 16th overall, 6th in gpN behind the similar Lancer of Noel Kelly.

In the Trophy Rally Shaun Fox continued to lead after stage 20 from Lee Batty with George Collister 3rd, Steven Quine 4th, Paul Gallagher 5th and Peter Christian 6th.
In the Ford Ka Championship (part of the Trophy Rally) Andrew Leece with Richard Skinner on the notes, continues to lead from David Crossen with Jonathan Wigmore 3rd. In theVW Polo Challenge Jari Laahso was the early leader, but he has crashed his Polo into a wall in stage 20 to leave Kenny Brown leading from Adrian Kermode. Adrian of course won the Historic Rally yesterday in his Porsche, so he's having quite a weekend! More news later. BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON            www.rallynews.net