The above leaderboard contains both International and National runners to give the picture of the top 12 fastest cars.
Following his fastest time on Knockalla Gareth MacHale was a few seconds down on stage 8, Garrygort, when his Focus WRC developed gearbox troubles. Kevin Lynch was quickest through stage 8, by just under 2s from Eugene Donnelly with Gareth MacHale 3rd fastest and Eamonn Boland 4th. Global Group Tarmac Championship leader Boland was on his time limit leaving service when the Dom Buckley team discovered that one of his shock absorbers wasn’t right and there was a huge rush to get the unit changed. Eugene Donnelly commented at service. “It was difficult to get the tyre choice right for those first 2 stages. We were on a cut slick which was the wrong tyre for the 2nd stage, but within the rules there is no answer to that. I am still very pleased with the times. We did make a safe choice of tyre and I didn’t mind dropping a few seconds”. Kevin Lynch said. “We are settling down now sir!” His co driver Francis Regan joked. “He’s lit the after burners now!”
Kris Meeke said at the end of Knockalla that he thought the car had lapsed on to 1 wheel drive following the differential work this morning but then he said after Garrygort that it was not too bad. His actual words were: “Getting better all the time. There is a special tool required for lining up friction plates. We didn’t have that tool here but they are settling down themselves.” Glenn Allen almost got caught out in stage 8 where the road surface seems to have deteriorated into chippings in one place. Some drivers did get caught, of which more later. Denis Biggerstaff said his car is like a new one today having discovered that the speed sensor wire had broken and the car had no anti lag through the gears. Denis said it was like a road car, 2 gears down all the time. Daniel Doherty was another to say he was on the right tyres for Knockalla but the wrong ones for Garrygort.
In Group N Garry Jennings was fastest over stage 8 by just a fraction of a second from Niall McShea with Damien Tourish another second back. Roy White is setting decent group N times but is well down the order in the FESP MG S2000 but was held up behind Frank Wray’s accident. Frank put his Lancer off the road on the new chippings and into a bog. Frank and co driver Joe McNulty both OK. Ronan Curley crashed further down the stage on a long right hander, Ronan and co driver John McKinley also OK. Gavin Harris has been lying inside the top 20 in his Lancer and Gavin was also delayed at the Curley accident. Colin Britton lost time yesterday with a puncture, a spin and then no intercom, going well this morning.
In the Fiesta Sporting Trophy “Miler” Evans leads by 1.9s from Alastair Fisher with Adrian McBride 3rd and Paul Quinn 4th. Championship leader Elfyn Evans lost approximately a minute on Garrygort with an off road excursion.
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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