The Ballymena ace has incurred 12 minutes of road penalties - obviously for a late service - putting paid to his chances of a win on the heavy mud of the Wexford-Carlow mountains.

Seamus Burke has made worthwhile his complicated effort of renting a car for this event - he only decided to take part in this rally while visiting his mother on holiday from Atlanta.

Seamus is a regular competitor on the rally scene in the southern US states, particularly Georgia, where he's now based.

The Donegal-born driver has told us that the American scene is very similar to the Irish set-up, even though it doesn't have half the national profile it does in Ireland.

If he hangs on for the final three stages, he's definitely be certain to show off the prize for his long-distance efforts back home in the States.

Eamonn Boland ominiously lies second, just 25 seconds back from the former Enniscorthy-based driver, and is now surely the only person who can catch Burke now.

   
  NO  DRIVER/NAVIGATOR		CAR     ss1  ss2  ss3  ss4  ss5  ss6  PENS   TOTAL
1 16 Seamus Burke/Brian Sharkey	EVO5   6:17 6:15 3:24 4:35 6:07 5:58         32:36
2  6 Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey	Subaru 6:27 6:20 3:30 4:27 6:13 6:04         33:01
3  2 John Donnelly/Greg McCarthy	Escort 6:34 6:44 3:34 4:35 5:46 6:18         33:31
4  4 Niall Driver/Francis Corrigan	EVO6   6:38 6:39 3:26 4:32 6:31 6:24         34:10
5 24 Martin Byrne/Stephen Byrne	Fiesta 6:42 6:45 3:48 4:35 6:37 7:06         35:33	
6 15 David James/Ron Guha		Escort 6:44 6:49 3:45 4:35 6:48 6:50 00:15   35:46
7 17 Michael Nevin/Mark Kane	Escort 6:50 7:04 3:52 4:35 6:48 6:53         36:02
8 20 John Reid/Brendan Greene	Escort 6:40 6:51 3:45 4:35 7:50 6:42         36:23
9 23 Ray Benskin/Peadar Walsh	Escort 7:25 7:06 3:49 4:35 7:01 6:44         36:40