UNOFFICIAL NAT/ L/BOARD AFTER STAGE 11
1st (24) Brian Brogan/Damien McGettigan (Escort) 1.36.31.9
2nd (15) Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Fiesta R5) 1.36.47.4
3rd (22) Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Escort) 1.37.32.9
4th (23) Frank Kelly/Liam Brennan (Escort) 1.38.22.8
5th (34) Andy Mahon/Eamonn Hayes (Escort) 1.38.32.2
6th (33) Vivian Hamill/Paul Sheridan (Escort) 1.38.59.7
There are just 3 stages to go on this West Cork Rally and when rally leader, Donagh Kelly, brought his Focus WRC into service he said. `We backed off on that last stage, it is time to get the car home. No heroics`. Keith Cronin was fastest through stage 11, Ardfield, and Keith said. `I was a bit too conservative in my tyre choice this morning. I will try a harder compound on this last loop`. Garry Jennings said. `I am just driving the stages, middle of the road stuff. The stages are very fast`. Josh and Sam Moffett are having their usual ding dong battle in the race for 4th place. Sam edged ahead with a really fast time through SS11. Roy White in 6th was slightly disappointed on the first 2 stages this morning, but on the very fast Ardfield test he set a very good time, 2nd fastest overall. Daragh O`Riordan continues to languish in 7th position, by Daragh`s high standards, very disappointing. He said `It is not going right for me. We have had trouble with the spark plugs and I think it is a case of `the computer says no`.
In the National Rally Brian Brogan continues to set the pace and despite changing the suspension set up of his new R5+ Alan Ring can make no impression on the flying Mk2 in front. Third placed Adrian Hetherington had a hairy moment in Ardfield when the bright green Escort took a charge down a ditch. Vivian Hamill`s Escort had a damaged rear corner that demonstrated that Vivian was getting sideways and wild as well through the fabulous Ardfield stage. We have a report that Vincent McSweeney/Michael Kearney have crashed their Civic on the Sam`s Cross stage. The news is that both Vincent & Michael are both uninjured. Frank Kelly was running behind and he stopped to make sure everyone was OK.
Further down the classification in the International, Callum Devine has got ahead of William Creighton for 17th & 18th place and the class 2 lead. Jonny Greer is now 11th and is having problems with the throttle body motor on his Citroen DS3 R5. Desi Henry is 12th and still battling back after his Skoda suffered a puncture yesterday. Brendan Cumiskey is 13th, just ahead of Aaron MacHale. David Guest is 15th and leads group N. Brian O`Keefe is 2nd GpN and Pat Kearney 3rd. News on the Historic Rally after Ss10 is that James O`Mahony in his Escort still leads from Wyn Hughes with Phillip Wylie 3rd and Alan Watkins 4th, all in Escorts. John Coyle is 5th in his Talbot Sunbeam. Juniors after 9 stages – Fergus Hurley leads in his Escort from John O`Flaherty (Civic), Colin Roche 3rd (Starlet).
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