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| Mayo Stages Rally |
| RALLY NEWS No.2 - After stage 1 - Sunday @ 10:34:55 |
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RALLY NEWS NO.2 End of stage 1/Sunday
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1 WOODSTOCK
1st (2) Melvyn Evans/Patrick Walsh (Impreza WRC) 9.39
2nd (4) Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 9.44
3rd (1) Aaron MacHale/Diarmuid Falvey (Focus WRC) 9.56
4th (3) Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 9.58
Just 4 of the top cars came to the end of the opening stage and then there was an ominous silence. Derek McGarrity should have been the 5th car out of the stage. Eventually we got a call from Derek to say that he had had a small accident in the Subaru and although there was little damage he was not continuing. He explained. “It was a hairpin left into a square right and the road was covered in gravel which wasn’t there when I made my notes. The car just under-steered up a bank and fell over. Damage is very light.” It was really unfortunate for McGarrity as he was on the crest of a wave having won the Bishopscourt Rally yesterday and was determined to give this Mayo Rally a real good go in his bid for National Championship points.
There were 10 cars blocked that we know of and hopefully the stage would become live once those 10 cars cleared the stage. We did speak to Craig Breen who was first on the accident and he told us that up to that point he had been going well despite a half spin.
As can be seen above Melvyn Evans, winner of the first round of the championship in Nenagh, was fastest through that opening stage. It used to be that Melvyn was a sleepy starter but not any more, he was quick out of the blocks and he did report a little dust hanging in the air as he closed the gap somewhat on Aaron MacHale’s Focus WRC. It is quite a remarkable morning really, frost in the fields, but the roads bone dry and this dust kicking up from the tyres. Aaron MacHale slowed very slightly towards the finish of that 16.15km first stage when he felt the brake pedal of his Focus going soft.
Kevin Barrett had a really good run through that first stage as well and he reported a bit of a moment over gravel but otherwise clear. Niall Maguire was rather subdued at stage finish but reported no problems. Former Norwegian Rally Champion Mads Ostberg came through on schedule in his role as “OO” in the white Escort. Danny McBride had a little fuel problem with his Lancer before the start and he has his fingers crossed that everything will be OK. Anthony Hand was to start at No.25 but he has withdrawn. We have an unconfirmed report that Maurice Moffett’s Starlet has stopped.
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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