It is certainly tight at the top of this Donegal International Rally – Declan Boyle was fastest on the first stage and Sam Moffett topped the time sheets on stages 2 and 3, but really there are only split seconds in it. Sam Moffett said here at service. `The Fiesta is handling perfectly. We are pushing hard on the slow places, maybe losing out on the fast stuff`. Declan Boyle commented. `We have kept it nice and clean and tidy. I think Sam must have a second turbo in that Fiesta today!` Garry Jennings is already 12s down on the lead and he remarked. `These boys in front are on some mission! My car is OK but it is a bit slack going up the gears`. Darren Gass in 4th place was a bit downhearted when he told us. `There is a problem with the gear change. There is not much point in going on if we can`t cure this`. Donagh Kelly in 5th said. `It`s time I woke up! Derek McGarrity in 6th place reported a loose back suspension arm on his Impreza that he reckons also accounted for the strange noise that he had remarked on earlier.
In the National Rally Daniel McKenna spun his Escort on stage 3 but still set the fastest National time. Gary McPhillips and Declan Gallagher in 2nd and 3rd are driving as hard as they to try and keep up with the flying McKenna. Manus Kelly in 4th had some wiper troubles. Conor Harvey in 5th has had a clean run so far while Mark Alcorn lost a place when his Corolla clipped a bale in stage 3 and he also had some intercom problems.
Joe McGonigle retired his Clio R3 when it snapped a drive shaft at the start of stage 1. The car sustained a puncture on the way up to the stage. Joe changed the wheel but it meant him starting on one cold tyre and one hot one, and that is possibly what caused the problem. He hopes to re-join under SuperRally rules. PJ McDermott dropped quite a few seconds in stage 3 when his Subaru launch control failed and he stalled the car. Group N leader Pat Kirk lost a few seconds in stage 3 when his Lancer gearbox developed a strange noise, but then came good of it`s own accord. Frank Kelly reports his Escort to be very twitchy, in and out of the hedges. It went better for him on SS3 where there is more room, and he commented. `It is nerve wracking`.
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net (Thanks to Michael & Zoe Patterson) Follow RallyNews on Twitter and Facebook @Pacenotes or @Real_RallyNews
