UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 3 Taiquin
1st (1) Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 27.35.6
2nd (2) Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 28.57.9
3rd (4) Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Lancer N) 29.17.4
4th (11) Tommy Doyle/Liam Moynihan (Clio) 29.46.1
5th (10) Ross Forde/Robbie Ward (Lancer N) 30.00.9
6th (9) Sam Moffett/James O'Reilly (Lancer N) 30.01.5
NATIONAL
1st (8) Tom Flatherty/Patrick Curley (Escort 29.24.3
2nd (19) Richard Whelan/Sarah Whelan (Civic) 30.20.8
3rd (12) Pat Kelly/Dean Raferty (Impreza) 30.24.9
4th (21) Geoffrey Dolan/Conor Murphy (Sunbeam) 31.00.8
5th (20) Neil Pierce/Enda O'Leary (Civic) 32.01.6
Over the opening 3 stages of this Safety Direct Galway Rally Subaru crew Tim McNulty & Paul Kiely have built up a substantial lead over the similar Impreza pairing of Kevin Barrett & Sean Mullally. Derek McGarrity & Diarmuid Falvey were 3rd in their Lancer Evo 10 but their car has stopped out on the course. The cause is reported to be a combination of puncture and gearbox maladies. When Tim McNulty arrived in to service he told us. “We set a nice steady pace. I might up it a bit on the 2nd loop. There is a lot of flooding. You have got to be on your wits”. Kevin Barrett told us. “I have been taking it steady, the conditions are very tricky there is so much water”. Alan Ring in 3rd place is also being pretty conservative but has had a good run so far.
Tommy Doyle has been setting good times in his little Clio although when he came into service his windscreen was misted up. He told us. “The screen is no big problem, it only happens when you hit a flood”. He went on to say that what was a problem was the car skidding about on the fast straights as he had picked an intermediate front tyre and the Clio was sitting up on top of the standing water. Ross Forde is having a torrid time with his Lancer and described it as “almost impossible to drive” as the accelerator mechanism seems to have a mind of its own. He also said. “I’m having to hang on tight!” Sam Moffett is very close to Forde’s times and he has changed the differential setting on his lancer to gravel specification and reckons the car is easier to drive that way. William Mavitty is struggling with understeer in his Lancer and the car also hit a chicane bale in SS3.
Tom Flatherty continued to lead the National section in impressive style, the Mk2 Escort man said. “Just tipping along”. Jason McSweeney was blocked for a while in stage 2 by Peter Howley’s crashed Starlet and then Jason’s Civic hit a bale in stage 3.
Richard Whelan skidded sideways into some posts which stopped the car going into a field and he continues to lie 2nd in the Nationals. Eddie McCormack crashed his Mk2 Escort out of the rally in SS2. Liam Egan was another driver blocked in stage 2 by a crashed car and then his Impreza hit a bale in stage 3.
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net
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