RALLY NEWS  NO.3                Service, near Killala.  Sunday 1.45

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 3
1st  (2) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 20.14
2nd (1) Niall Maguire/Paul McLoughlin (Impreza WRC) 20.33
      (4) Michael Barrable/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 20.33
4th (7) Charlie Donnelly/John Conway (Celica) 21.06
5th (10) Adrian McElvaney/Paul Goodman (Impreza WRC) 21.07
6th (15) Seamus Leonard/Gerry McVeigh (Impreza N) 21.10
7th (9) James Gillen/Victor Carruthers (Escort Cos) 21.13
8th (6) Patrick Elliott/Martin Cahill (Impreza WRC) 21.18
9th (12) Sean Gallagher/Liam Costello (Escort Cos) 21.23
10th (22) Philip Shaw/Derek Brannigan (Escort) 21.36

There is a big race at the front of this Mayo Stages Rally, but Eugene Donnelly just has the edge through every stage, while Niall Maguire was 2nd fastest through stage 3 to pull level with Michael Barrable.  Top runners in trouble include - Jim Harrison whose Subaru hit a wall on stage 3, lost a little time but still going, now on a total of 21.49. David Armstrong was in the top 5 after stage 1, but his car has stopped in stage 3.  Ivan Stewart has not appeared here at service.

Eugene Donnelly commented here at service " We had a fair decent run although for a couple of miles in stage 2 I seemed to lose my momentum a bit, I thought the brakes maybe were starting to fade, but they weren't, it was just myself".  Niall Maguire said "I feel under pressure for grip, I should have had cuts in the tyres to counteract the mud and the slippy".  Michael Barrable said "I'm still blowing out the cobwebs, there's no point in me sticking my neck out this early in the season and I want to be in West Cork next week. Really I feel the conditions are brutal slippy". 

Patrick Elliott has damaged the rear of his new Impreza, he reports the car aquaplaned into a corner and hit the bank, and was lucky to keep going.  Jim Harrison lost his concentration, or rather more his co driver Harvey Bell, who admitted that when he passed the stationary David Armstrong's Escort WRC he was far too late with the next pace note call, a 90 left long over gravel, and the lovely new Impreza smacked into a stone wall.  They then had overshoots on following junctions, so did well only to lose about 30s.  Kieran Shaw admits to being well off the pace, it's just not clicking. He even switched off the anti lag going through the 321 board at the chicane on stage 1, thinking it was the stage finish!  Philip Shaw has whacked both sides of his Mk2 Escort but is still going well. Michael Shaw's gpN Lancer is down on power, engine management system maybe up the left. Seamus Gallagher has rolled his new Saxo but is still going. Charlie Donnelly is struggling in the Celica with no power steering, which makes his performance all the more creditable. James Gillen is going very well in his Escort Cosworth. Adrian McElvaney continues to impress in the Impreza WRC.  Dominic McLoughlin had a bit of a misfire creeping in especially when he gets into top gear.  Enda Keenan reports that the power in his Escort is an embarrassment over these slippy roads.  More news later. BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON                   www.rallynews.net