Big guns crash out
Rally Report 5
Sunday, December 10th, 2000 - 3:45pm
Reporting team: John Dier, Dougie Hughes, Will Downing - Kilbride/Kildavin

This Wexford Forestry Rally has proved to be immensly testing so far - so much so that three of the top four crashed out after covering terrain that they'd aleady tackled earlier on.

No sooner had John McCarthy, Dermot Kelly and Noel Driver returned to the rough terrain of Askamore and Gibbet Hill, they promptly were turfed out, having survived first time round.

After the fourth stage, Dominic McNeill, partnered by Francis Regan, still held a 13 second advantage over John McCarthy, with Dermot Kelly a further 14 seconds back.

Kelly led Seamus Burke's Evo5 by 17 seconds, while Eamonn Boland lagged even further behind in fifth - 13 seconds behind Burke, a full minute in deficit to McNeill.

Stage 3 - Kiltrannish Hill
 1  5 Dominic McNeill/Francis Regan        Ballymena      Escort Cosworth      3:20
 2  3 Kevin O'Kane/Stephen Griffin         Tyrone         Escort Cosworth      3:23  
 2  1 Dermot Kelly/John Brennan            Kilmallock     Escort Cosworth      3:24
 2 16 Seamus Burke/Brian Sharpe            California     Mitsubishi Evo5      3:24
 4 10 John McCarthy/Dan McGuire            Cork           Escort Cosworth      3:25
 5  4 Niall Driver/Francis Corrigan        Wicklow        Mitsubishi Evo 6     3:26

Stage 4 - Mount Leinster
 1  5 Dominic McNeill/Francis Regan        Ballymena      Escort Cosworth      4:16
 1 10 John McCarthy/Dan McGuire            Cork           Escort Cosworth      4:16
 3  1 Dermot Kelly/John Brennan            Kilmallock     Escort Cosworth      4:22
 4  6 Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey       Wexford        Subaru WRC           4:27
 5  4 Niall Driver/Francis Corrigan        Wicklow        Mitsubishi Evo 6     4:32

OVERALL PROVISIONAL after Stage 4/9
 1  5 Dominic McNeill/Francis Regan        Ballymena      Escort Cosworth     19:45
 2 10 John McCarthy/Dan McGuire            Cork           Escort Cosworth     19:58
 3  1 Dermot Kelly/John Brennan            Kilmallock     Escort Cosworth     20:14
 4 16 Seamus Burke/Brian Sharpe            California     Mitsubishi Evo5     20:31
 5  6 Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey       Wexford        Subaru WRC          20:44
 6  4 Niall Driver/Francis Corrigan        Wicklow        Mitsubishi Evo 6    21:15
 7  2 John Donnelly/Greg McCarthy          Ballymena/Cork Escort Cosworth     21:27
 8 24 Martin Byrne/Stephen Byrne           Wicklow        Ford Fiesta         21:50
 9 20 John Reid/Brendan Greene             Dublin         MkII Escort         21:51
10 15 David James/Ron Guha                 Wexford/Dublin MkII Escort         21:53
11 17 Michael Nevin/Mark Kane              Offaly         Escort              22:21
12 23 Ray Benskin/Peadar Walsh             Cork           Escort              22:24