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| Sligo Stages Rally 2008 |
| RALLY NEWS No.4 - Service After SS6 - Tuesday @ 16:14:22 |
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RALLY NEWS NO.4 Service/Sunday 3.20
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 6 Keelogyboy Mountain
1st (1) Adrian McElvaney/Paul Kelly (Impreza WRC) 59.11
2nd (3) Sean Gallagher/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 59.42
3rd (35) Daniel McKenna/Andrew Grennan (Escort) 1.01.30
4th (11) John & Caroline Price (Metro 6R4) 1.01.40
5th (24) Terence O'Shaughnessy/Eugene McGrath (Corolla) 1.01.41
6th (26) Steve Simpson/Andrew Roughead (Accent WRC) 1.01.52
7th (23) Eugene Ferry/Derek Heena (Escort) 1.02.21
8th (16) Fergal Costello/Shane Gilhooley (Lancer N) 1.02.23
9th (4) David Mann/Alun Cook (Impreza WRC) 1.02.44
10th (15) Paul Kiely/Pat McSharry (Lancer N) 1.02.47
Adrian McElvaney continues to lead this Sligo Stages Rally very convincingly despite his Subaru losing some power because the water injection is not working. Sean Gallagher has set some cracking times through the last loop to maintain his 2nd place. One of the huge talking points of the rally is that young Daniel McKenna has blasted through to 3rd place in his 2 litre Escort. Admittedly there have been several high profile retirements on that loop of stages but young McKenna is still driving extremely well to hold his place on the leaderboard. Amongst those retirements has been Gary McPhillips who had been leading the rally initially and then was lying 2nd at first service. However, Monaghan man Gary put his Escort into a field in stage 4. Also listed as retirements on that loop are Joe McHugh in his Escort Cosworth, Manus Kelly, Damien Gallagher and Trevor Mulligan, all in Mk2 Escorts, all stopped following problems.
Adrian McElvaney commented when he came into service. “It is well down on power, the switch for the water injection keeps tripping, maybe a problem with the pump. Still, I’m driving the door handles off it. I also made a mistake with the tyres, went for too soft a compound”. Sean Gallagher’s co driver Enda Sherry said. “Sean has woke up at last, but the gears are still messing about”. Daniel McKenna reported no problems this time but he is now keeping a wary eye out for Terence O’Shaughnessy in the Corolla who was quicker over the last 2 stages. John Price is now the highest placed MSA Asphalt contender and when his Metro 6R4 came into service his wife Caroline who is co-driving said. “We’re pushing hard now”. Their closest Asphalt rival is Manchester’s Steve Simpson in the Accent WRC and he was pretty annoyed when he arrived at service having been held up behind slower cars.
In Group N Fergal Costello has had a good run to move to the front. Danny McBride in a similar Lancer had been leading but he got a front right puncture in stage 5, stopped to change the wheel and then drove casually through stage 6, the heart knocked out of him. Paul Kiely could then have been expected to lead but he lost time in stage 5 also when he tried to pass the struggling Raymond Johnston Impreza WRC and Raymond pulled in and then half pulled out again catching the front wheel of Kiely’s Lancer. This damaged the suspension and Paul had a real struggle to get the car back here to service. The Tarmac Champion co driver is not happy! David Mann has made a great comeback from his earlier turbo pipe problems to move into the top 10 and 3rd in the Asphalt series. The special McAree Border championship prize is to be awarded to the best registered class 13 crew through stage 6 and Mervyn Deane could be in the running but this has to be confirmed. Alastair Fisher crashed his Fiesta out on stage 1. Shaun Gallagher lost a lot of time in stage 2 when he damaged the suspension. Niall McShea has won the New England forest rally and his wife Noreen who is co-driving for Pat Kirk here in Sligo is still going strong, 15 o/a and 4th GpN. John Gallagher is now 3rd GpN.
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON
(with thanks to Barry Meeke of stagetimes.com)
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