Ulster Rally Latest . . .

[Graham]

well such a days driving and it's so tight at the top !

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 8 (last Friday stage)
1st Mark Higgins/Mike Gibson (Focus WRC) 48.37.1
2nd (5) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 49.17.1
3RD (8] Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 50.26.5
4th (7) Kevin Lynch/Rory Kennedy (Impreza WRC) 50.30.2
5th (11) Tim McNulty/Eugene O'Donnell (Impreza WRC) 50.54.4
6th (4) Jonny Milner/Nicky Beech (Impreza WRC) 51.08.5
7th (9) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 51.16.2
8th (12) Maurice Gass/James McKee (Impreza WRC) 51.31.7
9th (10) Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin (Focus WRC) 52.20.3
10th (30) Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Ignis) 52.40.1
** (1) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 50.14.9 (Car 1 running under appeal)

cheers to www.rallynews.net for updates !

 

[Graham]

few samples of whats to come in a few days when i sort pix

 

[Clinty]

Just in from it the night stages were ok, never seen anything like that before!!!

Wee Max got some pics maybe he will post them if hes reading this post!!!

 

[Max]

yea my pic's were so so though, flash & rain just dont go

GRAHAM WERE U PLAYING LIGHT SABOURS (sp) WITH ANOTHER GUY WITH A TORCH @ THE NIGHT STAGE???

 

[jonny106]

Was a really good day.Stage 8 in the dark was great to watch.Saw Gs Megane at stage 4 and stage 8 but didnt see him-also i think i saw Max get out of a green Ibiza at stage 8?

 

[Graham]

that was indeed my car and no i wasn't playing light sabours with a torch ! on stage 8 i was standing on the massive gate post at the aul farm house at the square left as they came into the spectator area !

 

[sideways365]

Just back there watched a couple of stages up around gortin, great action guy wilks in the suzuki was really on it, moddifed section was good to hang about for too

 

[Graham]

the nationals where definately the best to watch though !

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 19 (final stage)

1st Mark Higgins/Mike Gibson (Focus WRC) 1.58.22.9

2nd (5) Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Corolla WRC) 2.01.01.8

3rd (8] Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 2.03.07.9

4th (11) Tim McNulty/Eugene O'Donnell (Impreza WRC) 2.03.19.7

5th (9) Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 2.03.20.1

6th (10) Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin (Focus WRC) 2.06.24.0

7th (3) David Higgins/Daniel Barritt (Accent WRC) 2.07.28.4

8th (14) Gwyndaf Evans/Huw Lewis (Puma) 2.07.42.2

9th (30) Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Ignis) 2.07.43.6

10th (22) Sean Devine/Brendan Connor (Impreza WRC) 2.08.22.1

11th (17) Dessie Keenan/Enda Sherry (Lancer N) 2.08.26.2

12th (25) Dickie Curran/Gary Lyons (Lancer N) 2.08.50.2

** (1) Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Impreza WRC) 2.01.14.4 (No.1 running under appeal).

Mark Higgins, co-driven by Mike Gibson, scored a memorable win on this very tough Ulster Rally. 52 cars started, just over 25 look like making the finish. Mark climbed out of his Focus WRC after the Armagh spectator stage, and with a beam from ear to ear, as he went round each of his mechanics in turn shaking their hands, he commented. "Its good to have a bit of luck on my side for a change, it s a great team and good to have a proper car!" Eugene Donnelly, with co-driver Paul Kiely, always on the pace from the word go in their Corolla WRC, which in theory shouldn’t have been as quick as the modern world rally cars, said of his 2nd place. "Very very pleased, but I know I wasn’t on Mark’s pace, especially after a slow start on the first afternoon, but it was nice to take some time of him on stages today. Pity about the puncture today, but I still believe the rocks weren’t there by accident."

Austin MacHale survived all sorts of clutch dramas towards the end, and also his Focus WRC oil leak caused a lot of concern, but Austin in typical fashion never stopped trying, and 3rd place was his reward. Also in the never stop trying category was David Higgins. He was just about last in the rally after his first stage trouble, but he has battled back to 7th place overall, and it looks like he may have held on to his Pirelli British Championship lead, by just a point or two from Austin MacHale, with Matthew Wilson into 3rd. The latter’s Focus suffered a puncture on stage 17, but Matthew kept it all together, admitted it was a good rally, but also a finishers rally, and it was very good experience for him.

Tim McNulty and Eamonn Boland had a massive battle for 4th and 5th places towards the end, with McNulty taking 4th spot by just under half a second from Boland. Similarly Gwyndaf Evans had the closest of battles towards the end with Guy Wilks for Super 1600 supremacy. Gwyndaf clinching it by the narrowest of margins.

In Group N Billy Coleman Award winner Dessie Keenan drove a superb event to take the category today. Dessie and his co driver Enda Sherry have also done enough to win gpN on the Pirelli Tarmac Championship even with 1 round remaining. Dickie Curran was fastest gpN on something like 7 stages today. Dessie Keenan had done more than enough to hold his advantage. Provisionally Aaron MacHale would appear to have come into 3rd gpN, Lorna Smith 4th and best lady driver. Lorna nearly blotted her copy book when she overshot a square right on the final stage, but she got away with it. Jenni-Lee Hermansson in the 22 Motorsport gpN Subaru looked to be heading for 6th in the category and a finish well inside the top 20 on the Swedish lady’s first visit to the Ulster.

Some class leaders with just a couple of stages to go included Gerard Sharkey in cl.1 in his Civic. Raymond McLaughlin cl.3 also in a Civic. Harry Cathcart cl.5 (Suzuki). James Gloster cl.6 from Barry Horan, with Emma McKinstry 3rd, all in Peugeots. Ellya Gold looked like he was going to win cl.7. It looks like Camillus Bradley has won the National part of the rally in his Escort.

results and words taken from www.rallynews.net !

 

[Barry]

Had a great days craic yesterday with Seanbob, we were marshalling about 4 miles into Rousky. Had quite a few crashes down the stage a bit including a Focus landing on its roof in a stream over a 10 ft drop.

Was a very long day though and I'm exhausted now !

 

[Max]

also i think i saw Max get out of a green Ibiza at stage 8?

indeed u would of :lol:

and no i wasn't playing light sabours with a torch ! !

oh, well i was, fun fun fun

 

[RComms]

Had a great days craic yesterday with Seanbob, we were marshalling about 4 miles into Rousky. Had quite a few crashes down the stage a bit including a Focus landing on its roof in a stream over a 10 ft drop.

Was a very long day though and I'm exhausted now !

you's wheren't in a big renault by any chance parked up in the car park at roushy over night?? I think we parked opposite you about 5am or so!!?

 

[Graham]

renault 25, silver with fox alloys - that was him and seanbob alright andy

 

[Barry]

That was us rallycomms, i was half asleep in the back seat, was gonna head over to you for a chat but was too lazy and the big 25 was just too comfortable :lol:

 

[RComms]

That was us rallycomms, i was half asleep in the back seat, was gonna head over to you for a chat but was too lazy and the big 25 was just too comfortable :lol:

its ok, i doubt you would have got anything co-hearant out of me at that time! We had just left Portadown at 4.30am and driven up! Just made it in time to get the last of the burgers off the barbecue lol.

 

[seanbob]

LOL, Ill know your car for again RComms, was starting to die off at the early stage in the morning, could have done with another couple of those burgers to keep us all in tow

Rally was very good craic (though long up in Rousky) and a couple of major fatalities in the stage including a Focus WRC and Subaru that split a telegraph pole as Barry had mentioned!!

 

[RComms]

my brother was doing radio at the end of the stage and said some boy in an Evo totaled it in there as well, near the end of the stage.

the 16mile took its tole alright!

 

[seanbob]

Aye forgotten about that, it slid into the trees thou never got to survey the damage to that one...

It was a very long stage, would have been nice to rally it!!

 

[Barry]

Rally was very good craic (though long up in Rousky) and a couple of major fatalities in the stage including a Focus WRC and Subaru that split a telegraph pole as Barry had mentioned!!

Found these on my phone, was so tired at the time that I had forgotten all about them ;

This was the lovely Subara N10 driven by Dermot Hanafin/Claire Mole.

 

[Bronk]

was lovely :lol:

 

[Max]

ouch

 

[Recovery]

Glad I was just out doing rescue then, I saw the car when it was upside down and even watched a video of the accident taken by a spectator, just hope he puts it on the web somewhere cos it's a corker.

Loadsa respect for the recovery teams out on the Ulster, they had plenty of work to do.