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| Ulster Rally |
| RALLY NEWS No.6 - Ebrington Service - Saturday @ 11:00:21 |
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RALLY NEWS NO.6 Saturday/Ebrington Service
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 8 Drumahoe
1st (1) Elfyn Evans/Craig Parry (Fiesta R5) 1.06.33.3
2nd (3) Keith Cronin/Mikie Galvin (Citroen DS3R5) 1.06.49.3
3rd (12) Jonny Greer/Kirsty Riddick (Citroen DS3R5) 1.07.19.7
4th (2) Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble (Fiesta R5) 1.07.32.6
5th (5) David Bogie/James O’Reilly (Fabia R5) 1.07.50.3
6th (4) Fredrik Ahlin/Morten Erik Abrahamsson (Fiesta R5) 1.07.59.6
7th (7) Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan (Fabia R5) 1.08.27.0
8th (6) Josh Moffett/John Rowan (Fiesta R5) 1.8.44.0
9th (8) Marty McCormack/David Moynihan (Fabia S2000) 1.09.10.9
10th (25) Rhys Yates/Tom Woodburn (Fiesta) 1.09.59.9
11th Joe McGonigle 12th Matt Edwards 13th Jamie Anderson 14th Brendan Cumiskey
15th Alan Carmichael
First few times from stage 9 Barnes Gap show Keith Cronin fastest by 2s from Elfyn Evans with Alastair Fisher 3rd quickest 4s down on the Welshman.
It was more of the same through stage 8, deceptively slippy roads. Most of the drivers recounted difficult moments while the worst affected was probably one of the top Clonakilty Blackpudding Tarmac championship contenders, Sam Moffett. He lost over 5m when his Fiesta went off the road on a square right and the front left rim was smashed and the suspension damaged. Sam managed to get a new wheel on the hub and drove the Fiesta out of the stage, but there was smoke coming from a fluid leak and whether he will be able to carry on in the rally is questionable.
Even rally leader Elfyn Evans commented that he found the stage really tricky and it is impossible to know what tyre is best. Keith Cronin is very much concentrating on Tarmac C/ship points and catching Evans is not his priority, so Keith and his Citroen team mate Jonny Greer picked a compromise Pirelli N3. Alastair Fisher joked at the end of the stage. ‘There was a lot of sliding going on in there!’ Swedish driver Fredrik Ahlin commented. ‘With every stage we are learning more about the slippy places and making less mistakes’. Even Josh Moffett admitted at stage finish ‘One of those stages where we did not push’. Marty McCormack clipped the front left wheel of his Skoda S2000 in the stage and then clipped the other wheel further on in the stage, fortunately avoiding calamities. Welsh driver Rhys Yates said. ‘The stage was so difficult I am not sure I enjoyed it’. Donegal man Joe McGonigle joked ‘We had cones marked in our notes for the inside on a corner, and when we got to the place, there were cones everywhere, all over the road’
Alan Carmichael continues to lead the National part of the rally in his Mini WRC and is now driving more conservatively but keeping a watchful eye on Chris Armstrong who is 2nd in the National. Chris in turn is keeping a weather eye on 3rd placed Camillus Bradley. Stephen Wright retired his Fiesta yesterday because of a turbo problem which was having an effect on the throttle. He has rejoined this morning under Rally 2 rules but is finding the car almost impossible to drive as it keeps switching on to full throttle again, possibly because of the electronics linked to the turbo.
Niall Devine had been leading group N but a white Subaru is reportedly stuck in a field in the Slievekirk stage, so we can only presume it is him as he has disappeared from the results. It was not a good morning for white rally cars – Eugene Meegan’s BMW was off the road for a while in stage 7 and he has since driven back to service having pulled out of the rally. Young Armagh man James Wilson and his co driver Kyle Diffin were in very subdued form when they reached service after S7, their white Peugeot 106 having been stuck in a hedge for 10m and it has cost him 4th in class. Although the car is damaged they are still going. Pat Kearney in one of the Sepam Lancers has had an electrical problem and dropped some time. His brother Gus is going well this morning having lost some time yesterday when his Lancer went into a hedge.
More news to follow: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON & MICHAEL & ZOE PATTERSON www.rallynews.net *Follow RallyNews on Twitter & Facebook @Pacenotes or @Real_RallyNews
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