UNOFFICICAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE ONE

1^st (4) Jim Harrison/Harvey Bell (WRC) 8.39

2^nd (3) Michael Barrable/Dermot O’Gorman (WRC) 8.41

3^rd (2) Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Celica) 8.45

4^th (1) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (WRC) 8.53

5^th (5) David Armstrong/Herbie Blackburn (Escort WRC) 8.54

6^th (7) Patrick Elliott/Martin Cahill (WRC) 8.58

7^th (8) Adrian McElvaney/Paul Goodman (WRC) 9.05

8^th (10) Kieran Shaw/Crawford Henderson (WRC) 9.12

9^th (17) Alan Nesbitt/Enda Sherry (Celica) 9.19

10^th (9) Glen Allen/John Gallagher (Escort WRC) 9.20

11^th (12) Mac McKenna/John Loughran (Peugeot) 9.26

12^th (11) Sean Gallagher/Liam Costello (Escort) 9.29

All the leading drivers arrived at the end of the first stage happy but all with the same complaint, it was very very slippy. First on the road Niall Maguire described his stage as "a nice steady run" in his Impreza, while Eugene Donnelly was a bit more excited. The first round winner could not believe how slippy the stage was and thought he had lost a lot of time but infact was only six seconds down on Jim Harrison, Eugene saying "we picked a wet tyre and it seemed to be the wrong choice". Michael Barrable described the stage as "slippy like glass" but he to set a good time to lie second overall. Rally leader is English visitor Jim Harrison in the McKinstry Subaru, the car that Andrew Nesbitt drove to second overall of last weekends Circuit of Ireland, had no dramas on the opening stage and hinted that he had chosen an intermediate tyre.

Adrian McElvaney set a reasonable time despite being another driver who picked the wrong tyre, the local lad saying "We have a deep cut intermediate – wrong tyre". Sean Gallagher and Liam Costello set a good time in their older Escort Cosworth despite having no intercom for the stage. Fellow Escort Cosworth driver Ivan Stewart lost at least half a minute when they clouted the Chicane while James McCann had a big spin in his car and could not get the engine to restart loosing almost a minute on the stage, his time 10.31.

The 2wd boys are already at it hammer and tong and as predicted Mac McKenna leads Philip Shaw, Philip just off the leaderboard on 9.32. Also just off the leaderboard George Robinson on 9.31, David McNulty on 9.34, Norman Armstrong on 9.47 and George Cullen in recently acquired Impreza WRC 9.49.

More News Later …….. Michael Patterson & Zoe Todd