Through stages 16 and 17, Atlantic Drive and Fanad, Manus Kelly set some fabulous times despite the very slippery conditions. Several of the top crews retired on Fanad, with cars sliding off the road into ditches and fields! Keith Cronin still leads the rally in his Citroen but Keith admitted that he has no answer to the World Rally Car on stages like Fanad with it’s myriad chicanes. The Subaru is just charging away from the Citroen in those cocnditions. Keith has more or less resigned himself to concentrating on Tarmac C/ship points. For Manus Kelly of course winning this Donegal Rally is a lifelong dream and he is within 3 stages of that becoming a reality. Manus said here at service. ‘I will go hard where it is safe this afternoon and back off where it is not. That is all I can do’ Sam Moffett is still very much in the hunt and was just 7s slower than Keith Cronin over the treacherous Fanad stage. Josh Moffett has his fingers crossed that his engine problem is solved, and he was a fraction of a second faster than Sam through Fanad.
Eugene Donnelly was very cautious on the High Glen stage as he tried to explore the limits of the Mini WRC in the rain. Then through stages 16 and 17 he got reasonably well on the pace and is looking solid in 5th with Stephen Wright 6th. Stephen was going well through 15 and 16 but was as bit shaken when he saw Jonny Greer’s accident after the playing fields on the Fanad stage. Also off the road in Fanad was Seamus Leonard who had been leading after High Glen. Joe McGonigle’s Skoda is also stuck in a Fanad ditch.
In the National Rally Frank Kelly has lost a mountain of time to David Bogie over this morning’s 3 stages. It transpired that the differential on Frank’s Escort had broken on High Glen and he thought it was just because of the wet conditions that the car was all over the road. In fact the car was on one wheel drive. Then, it started cracking and banging through Atlantic Drive and Frank said. ‘It is a miracle we got here at all’.
The cars are now heading to High Glen for the 2nd run over the stage. Normally there is a vast crowd in the village, informed by the dulcet tones of commentator Dougie Hughes. Unfortunately Dougie has been taken back into hospital this morning and we all send our very best wishes.
More News later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON & MICHAEL & ZOE PATTERSON www.rallynews.net *Follow Rally News on Twitter and Facebook @Pacenotes or @Real_RallyNews Our thanks again to Patricia & team from Clonakilty Blackpudding for the great sausages!
