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| Mourne Stages Rally |
| RALLY NEWS No.1 - Pre Start - Modern Tyres - Saturday @ 08:15:13 |
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RallyNews No.1 Carnbane Ind. Estate Sat 8.30am
Darren Gass and Co-Driver Sean Mullaly will head the field away this morning for the start of the 2010 Modern Tyres Mourne Rally. The atmosphere is buzzing here at the Modern Tyres start venue and part of the chat is just how much of a pre-event favourite local driver Darren Gass is. It may have been some time since Gass had some competitive running but the Markethill driver has shown superb speed in the past and coupled with a McKinstry Impreza WRC S11 he really should be the pace setter today.
For 2010 the rally has obtained a full road closing order for the first time and has chosen two very challenging stages just outside Newtownhamilton and an extended stage on Slieve Gullion incorporating both the well known Big and Wee Gullion stages.
The Mourne Rally is the fourth round the Hankook NI Stage Championship and for the championship front runners it could pose a good opportunity to take some points from championship leader Derek McGarrity. With a commitment to the Irish National Championship, McGarritty is contesting the Circuit of Munster this weekend and in effect leaves the door open for anyone else. The driver most likely to take advantage has to be George Robinson in his older Impreza WRC who currently holds third place in the points while second placed man Stuart Biggerstaff may well spring a surprise here. Biggerstaff is still very new to the sport but his speed on closed roads is constantly improving under the guidance of experienced co-driver Anthony Nestor.
John McGlaughlin runs at number two in his Lancer and the Cookstown baker must be hoping for an improvement in his luck today and if all goes well, not only will he be looking at the GpN picture but also top overall place could be possible. Raymond Johnston is the next highest GpN car at 5 and the Fermanagh driver must not be discounted while the Sunoco Fuels GpN Championship leader Mark Donnelly starts at 18. Donnelly really did impress on the previous round (Sperrins) where he won the category as did Cyril Doherty who has become a serious GpN contender in his Impreza and he starts today at 19.
The Mourne Rally is also a round of the HAAS Border championship and as a result some of the regions top 2wd drivers and cars are here today. Camillus Bradley, Declan Boyle, Damien Toner are just some of the best Mk2 drivers about while Maurice Moffett brings his 2.4 Rwd Starlet to the show and any one of these drivers could well spring a surprise and will all most certainly be challenging for a top placing.
Some late changes include the shorting of stage three at the finish due to a bereavement. Changes to the entry list include Rodney Hicks to co-drive for Raymond Johnston (car 5), Paul Hamill will co-drive car 15 while Domhnall Lennon sits with Colm McFall today (car 16).
More News From the end of Stage 1. Michael and Zoë Patterson.
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