RALLY NEWS NO.3                           Clonakilty service/Saturday  2pm

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 4 Shanaway
1ST (3) Ken McKinstry/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 28.03.6
2nd (7) Michael Barrable/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 28.04.7
3rd (1) Melvyn Evans/Marc Jones (Impreza WRC) 28.18.9
4th (2) Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Impreza WRC) 28.22.9
5th (8) Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy (Corolla WRC) 28.24.0
6th (16) David Armstrong/Herbie Blackburn (Escort WRC) 28.42.1
7th (15) Maurice Gass/Geoffrey Orr (Impreza WRC) 28.49.9
8th (4) Donal O'Donovan/Pat Lordan (Celica) 29.06.1
9th (11) Phil Collins/Howard Davies (Escort) 29.06.3
10th (10) Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (BMW M3) 29.23.3

It is certainly a close run thing at the front of this West Cork Rally, with Kenny McKinstry and Michael Barrable swopping seconds on every stage, and after a slow start Melvyn Evans has powered through stages 3 and 4 to move into 3rd place, ahead of Eamonn Boland.  Neither McKinstry or Barrable report any problems, Kenny feeling that the step up from a 99 Impreza WRC to a 2000 car is a real quantum leap.  The car goes over the bumps and jumps like he can't believe.  Melvyn Evans finished the first stage with his intercom not working, and on the 2nd stages the tyres were not quite right, but he certainly made up for lost time on stage 3 where he was fastest. Then on stage 4 he was just 1s behind McKinstry, but 3 down on Barrable who was fastest overall. Eamonn Boland reports no problems with his World Rally Car. Liam McCarthy is going well in his Corolla in 5th and David Armstrong rounds off the top 6 despite some minor intercom troubles. Donal O'Donovan dropped from an earlier 5th to 8th place after a big high speed moment, lost quite a few seconds. 
Other stories include…..Mark Morgan crashing his gpN Lancer out of the rally in stage 3, quite a few people stopping momentarily to make sure he was OK.  Eoin Doyle's Surir Engineering gpN Subaru stopped on the Ring stage with a broken clutch. Gareth Lloyd stopped in stage 2 with mechanical trouble to his WWRS Escort.  Donie O'Sullivan's Bio-Clear BMW crept into service, a driveshaft missing and a broken caliper testimony to a lot of work for his mechanics.   

Bob Fowden is on a total 29.25.2, just outside the leaderboard and leading gpN.  The 3 times winner reckoned he was very rusty to start with and also his tyre pressures were too hard, but going well now. Phil Collins continues to have a fantastic run in his Cl.14 Mk2 Escort, leaving people like Derek Smith, also in a cl14 Escort, and on a total of 30.35.9, totally open-mouthed!  JJ Fleming is getting spasms in his hands as he tries to get to grips with the left hand drive car. Richie Curran's Escort Cosworth is suffering very high oil consumption. Damoen Cole clipped a bank with the rear left corner of his Darrian, a wheel full of mud causing big vibrations.  Cathal Arthus in the Celica is catching slower cars and getting caught up in their dust. Amazing - dust in March!  Tommy Graham clipped a rock and punctured a front right tyre, lost little time. Gabriel Martin in the Focus reported going very slowly through stage 3 with the hazard lights going.. More news later…BRIAN AND LIZ PATTERSON