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| Galway Summer Rally |
| RALLY NEWS No.3 - Service Headford SS3 - Monday @ 14:35:39 |
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RALLY NEWS NO.3 Service/Near Headford/Sunday 12.30
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 3 Kilcoona
1st (1) Patrick Elliott/Damien Connolly (Impreza WRC) 14.36
2nd (2) Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin (Impreza WRC) 14.45
3rd (3) Melvyn Evans/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 14.57
4th (6) Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Lancer N) 15.56
5th (148) Daragh Rafferty/Dean Rafferty (Impreza WRC) 15.56
6th (11) Martin McGee/Damien Crawford (Escort) 16.00
7th (9) Maurice Moffett/Jason McKenna (Starlet rwd) 16.03
8th (17) Trevor & Kenny Bustard (Lancer N) 16.03
9th (22) Fergal Costello/Shane Gilhooley (Lancer N) 16.06
10th (14) Danny & Rory McBride (Lancer N) 16.07
(27) Jack Maguire/Paul McGuire (Esc.Cos) 16.07
Through the Kilcoona stage once again it was Patrick Elliott fastest this time by 6s from Niall Maguire with Melvyn Evans a further 4s back. Stage 2 had to be abandoned because of a technical problem at the stage finish so the drivers have just done 2 stages out of the first three and it is Patrick Elliott setting the pace through both of them. Alan Ring looked pretty relaxed when he cam into service, leading group N, but Donegal brothers Trevor & Kenny Bustard were just a fraction slower than Ring through that stage 3 so Alan may start keeping an eye on his rear view mirror!
Patrick Elliott commented when he came into service. “That stage felt pretty good, we’re pushing hard, maybe over driving the car a bit but overall it’s good. We were able to drive through that stage 2 at ordinary speeds and it was useful because I was able to see some slippy places.” This will stand Patrick in good stead on his 2nd run through that stage. Niall Maguire said. “Patrick has the punch out of the junctions, otherwise we are going well”. Melvyn Evans and Sean Mullally in 3rd place observed when their Subaru came in that they were still on the wrong tyres and Melvyn is lacking a little bit of confidence, not having done a rally for a couple of months.
Alan Ring and Adrian Deasy, as we said above, continue to lead group N and Alan reported all well with the Lancer. Donegal man Martin McGee has been fastest of the 2 wheel drive contenders and that was despite a couple of overshoots in stage 3. Co driver Damien Crawford joked. “All the co-driver’s fault!” Maurice Moffett is just a smidgeon behind McGee in his rwd Starlet. Monaghan man Maurice said that they tyres on his car went off before stage finish, that he is using as hard a compound rubber as is available. Although in fairness that Kilcoona test is very twisty and certainly puts a lot of stress and work on the tyres. Daragh Rafferty in 5th place reported that he lost a few seconds when he stalled his Subaru at start of stage 3. Danny McBride is getting a feeling of shuddering at high speeds from his Lancer, he reckons it is signalling the return of a misfire which has been plaguing the car on recent rallies. Fergal Costello dropped a few seconds at the start of stage 3 but made up good time during the stage.
Trevor Bustard gambled on dry weather slick tyres without cuts and it certainly seemed to pay off in stage 3. Eugene Ferry lost time when his Escort at a hairpin left. Jack Maguire had a top 10 in stage 1, dropped a few seconds in 2 with a spin. Donegal man Daniel Conaghan was another to lose a little time on the opening stage when his Escort suffered a puncture. Tom Curley had a decent run through the opening stages and is just outside the leaderboard in his lancer. Tommy Doyle leads the Super 1600 category by 13s from Ian Roche in a similar Clio, Doyle was lying 13th o/a after stage 3. New York’s Liam Egan, originally from Loughrea, had a good run on the opening stage and was 35th o/a in his ex Conor McCloskey Lancer. Mike Bird is slightly off the l/board on a total of 16.32.8. He reported a slight misfire in his Impreza WRC but more than that he is feeling a bit rusty and lacking on confidence.
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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