RALLY NEWS NO.5                   Rose Green Service - Sunday 2.30
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UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 5 Lavally
1st (2) Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Impreza WRC) 41.08
2nd (4) Michael Barrable/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 41.21
3rd (7) Jim Harrison/Harvey Bell (Impreza WRC) 42.11
4th (11) Maurice Gass/Andrew Cullen (Impreza WRC) 42.27
5th (8) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 42.28
6th (15) Ray Breen/John Purceell (6R4) 43.28
7th (12) Patrick Elliott/Martin Cahill (Impreza WRC) 43.33
8th (6) Sean Gallagher/Sean Moriarty (Esc.Cos) 43.50
9th (32) Trevor Harding/Charlie Boland (Esc.Cos) 44.49
10th (24) Tommy Kiely/Michael Cuddihy (Escort) 44.56
11th (16) Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 45.04
12th (22) Noel Redmond/David Doyle (Impreza WRC) 45.15

Eugene Donnelly was thumping the steering wheel with frustration when he arrived here at service after stage 5, the Maghera man having beaten the bogey through stage 5 by 5s.  Instead of leading the rally by a scant 13s Eugene should really be over 20s in front.  It is still a great race between the 2 Dunlop National Championship front runners, Barrable and Eugene.  On stage 4, they set an equal time with Jim Harrison 1s in front.  On stage 5 Harrison's Impreza WRC slowed dramatically because of  chronic fuel shortage/misfire trouble.  Barrable overshot a junction and had to reverse which obviously cost a few seconds.   Maurice Gass in 4th place is now within shouting distance of Harrison, Maurice commenting "We're getting on the pipe now, getting used to the car".  Ray Breen rounds off the top 6 in his Metro 6R4, the Waterford man reporting no major dramas.

In Group N we still have Eoin Doyle fastest on a total of 45.58, although Eoin wasn't happy with his stage 4 time and felt that he had gone a lot faster. Willie Fannin is on 46.11, Mark Courtney 46.15, Mark tried to go right at a square left, made a mess of the tape but not the car. James O'Sullivan has crashed his gpN lancer out on stage 5, rescue services have  been called.  Derrick Jobb is on 46.55.

Some other times include - Gwyndaf Evans on 45.26 and that was despite a stage 4 puncture, which cost just a few seconds. Mac McKenna is a lot happier with his Peugeot RWD now and his total is now 45.24. David James reports that he is driving on the door handles, his Escort on 45.25. Further snippets include - Trevor Harding still going well in the Escort Cosworth despite having no 6th gear which is a big handicap on these fast stages. Sean Gallagher finds he is losing time on the very fast sections as his Escort Cosworth is running out of puff. No sign this time of David McNulty (No.10).

In the Ford Ireland Ka Championship after stage 4 Kenneth Mulvaney still leads from Keith Lyons with Kieran Daly 3rd. The 3 were separated by just a second through stage 4.  Points leader Ian Chadwick is now up to 4th.  More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON     www.rallynews.net