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| Lurgan Park Rally |
| RALLY NEWS No.3 - Lurgan Park - Saturday @ 12:13:34 |
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RALLY NEWS NO.3 Lurgan Park/Saturday
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 3
1st (1) Garry Jennings/Michael Moran (Impreza WRC) 6.31.1
2nd (2) Kenny McKinstry/Noel Orr (Impreza WRC) 6.36.7
3rd (3) Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Fiesta WRC) 6.42.6
4th (5) Derek McGeehan/Laurie Smyth (Mini WRC) 6.47.8
5th (4) Derek McGarrity/Diarmuid Falvey (Fiesta WRC) 6.48.1
6th (12) Robert Woodside/Rachel Robinson (Fiesta R5) 6.54.0
7th (8) Stuart Biggerstaff/Fraser Mulholland (Impreza WRC) 6.58.8
8th (7) Pat O’Connell/Adam Coffey (Lancer) 6.58.0
9th (18) Damien Toner/Thomas Treanor (Escort) 7.05.0
10th (9) Ray Brammer/Mo Downey (Impreza WRC) 7.06.0
Kenny McKinstry was sweating hard when he brought his Subaru to the finish of stage 3. He said that was his best run so far and indeed it was faster than his opening 2 stages. However, Garry Jennings was still faster. It is a day of sunshine and showers, more of the latter than the former, but that does not seem to make any difference to the pace of Garry Jennings and his co driver Michael Moran. When we asked Garry about the stage he said. ‘It is definitely more slippy’. As regards his Impreza engine Garry said ‘The engine builder said it should be OK, the short bursts here in Lurgan Park are not giving it time to build up the pressure’. Donegal man Declan Boyle seems to be driving at his very best but still his 1600cc Fiesta can not make any impression on the big 2 litre cars in front. It is very frustrating for the former National and Tarmac Champion. Derek McGeehan tried a cut slick on that 3rd stage but as sods law would have it, the rain got really heavy whenever Derek’s Mini got the countdown, and his stage time was a second slower than his earlier efforts.
Jonny Leonard got caught out in the rain and spun his Lancer into a bale dropping about 20s and right out of the leaderboard. Pat O’Connell was one of several drivers to comment that as soon as he starts a stage the rain gets heavier! Stuart Biggerstaff was skating on thin ice as his Subaru slithered on to the grass over the last 2 corners of the stage, but he managed to avoid all the stage furniture and finished with a decent time. James Kennedy tried a harder tyre on his Escort having complained of no grip earlier and the man from the Seven Mile Straight over-cooked it, had a spin and dropped at least 20s. Stanley Ballantine selected 3rd gear instead of 1st at the start of stage 3 which did not help his stage time. Damien Toner was the fastest of the Escort drivers on 2.21.2, while 3 Escorts were on the 2.22 mark – Frank Kelly, Keith White and Adrian Hetherington. Keith White remarked ‘I am flying by the seat of my pants’. Which just about sums up the progress through the trees here in Lurgan Park.
In the Historic section Stephen Mawhinney in his Lotus Sunbeam now leads class 7 from Drew wylie (Escort Cl3).
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ & MICHAEL & ZOE PATTERSON www.rallynews.net *Follow Rally News on Twitter and Facebook @Pacenotes or @Real_RallyNews With thanks to Megan McCusker.
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