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RALLY NEWS NO.11
Killarney service - Sunday 1.45
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 15 SHANERA
1st (5) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 1.59.31.1
2nd (2) Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Impreza WRC) 1.59.47.2
3rd (7) Donie O'Sullivan/Paul Nagle (Impreza WRC) 2.01.38.1
4th (3) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 2.02.31.9
5th (8) Maurice Gass/Geoffrey Orr (Impreza WRC) 2.04.51.5
6th (4) Eamonn Boland/ Damien Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 2.05.40.1
7th (24) Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (BMW M3) 2.06.52.2
8th (22) Dickie Curran/Billy McCullins (Lancer N) 2.07.53.4
9th (21) Aaron MacHale/Damien Connolly (Lancer N) 2.09.14.6
10th (15) Johnny O'Sullivan/Jakes Kelly (Escort WRC) 2.09.44.7
11th (17) Paddy White/Frank Sweeney (Impreza WRC) 2.10.22.2
12th (29) Michael Curran/Dessie Wilson (Lancer N) 2.10.25.9
Austin MacHale closed the gap to Eugene Donnelly to just 3s after the
Ballaghbeama stage, but through Caragh Lake and Shanera Donnelly really got the
finger out and was 7s faster than Austin on each stage, to leave the gap at 16s
going into the last loop of 4 stages. Donnelly commented "We had some
cut in those stages". MacHale said "Wrong tyres, too much greasy
stuff". Donie O'Sullivan in 3rd survived a puncture in Caragh Lake
and lost remarkably little time despite driving for over 3 miles on a flat
wheel. Derek McGarrity is just holding on in 4th place, saying "I'm going
as well as I can, there's not a wheel pointing in the right direction, we will
be able to sort it out a bit more at service. The car would scare you over the
jumps". Co driver Dermot O'Gorman interjected "It's like a
Harrier jump jet, vertical take off on the jumps!" Maurice Gass just wants
to get his car to the finish now, but also keeping a weather eye out for Boland
who was 11s faster than Gass through Shanera, and 17 faster through Caragh Lake.
Trevor Cathers/David Moynihan have retired the Willie John Dolan Impreza in
Caragh Lake, handing the gpN lead to Dickie Curran. Apparently Trevor got
a tightening right hander over a crest wrong, and the car rolled. Curran
for his part had a massive overshoot in stage 15, dropped 18s to young Aaron
MacHale who is now 2nd in gpN. Michael Curran dropped 5s at the start of
15 but still holds on to 3rd in gpN and 12th overall. This is a fairly
remarkable performance for this young man who has done a couple of rallies.
Tim McNulty was joint 3rd fastest through 15 and when asked where the sudden
improvement came from, replied "Finally got the finger out". Tom
Halliday and Padraig Price are still having a great battle for the Escort class,
Price taking 10s off Halliday on stage 15. Paddy White found his tyres
going off the boil through stage 15. Willie Power entertained the crowds,
spinning his Chevette backwards through a junction at Shanera. Willie is
13th. Mavitty 14th, was off the road in Caragh Lake briefly. Johnny
O'Sullivan is now setting nice times in his Escort WRC although the car is still
not handling brilliantly. John Hickey is slipping back down the leaderboard, now
20th, his Celica suffering a slipping clutch, John fitting worn tyres to
encourage wheel spin and take the pressure of the clutch.
In the Ford Ireland Focus challenge after stage 14 Colm Murphy still leads from
John Foley, the gap now just over a second. Oliver Stanley is 3rd, Brendan Kelly
4th. More later. BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON (with thanks to Padraig Reddington)
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