The second-placed car, the number 9 of Jon Mercer, will need a major miracle to even see the back end of Boland's Subaru.

Coincidentally, Mercer's navigator is Lynn Jenkins - who was Pete Doughty's navigator for the Englishman's win of 1996.

David Armstrong, the Armagh man in a Escort RS, will push Mercer with only a 17-second gap dividing them.

Meanwhile, Steve Hendy's Escort Cosworth seems to have fifth place secured with 31 seconds between him and Johnny O'Sullivan in sixth.

Lyndon Barton, who had been flying high after the earlier stages, disappeared from the top ten leaderboard, going the same way as other casualties John Price and Melvyn Evans, with other unfortunates such as Ray Breen and Michael Barrable not even making it to the start.

Phil Henderson, in his Metro 6R4, couldn't be any closer to O'Sullivan Escort WRC, with the minimum gap of one second between them.

Trevor Colbert's eighth in an Escort, ten seconds ahead of an impending dice between fellow Wicklowman Derek Smith and Wicklow's Derek Carroll, who are both battling for ninth.

Not even the width of a new £20 note could split those two.

Overnight leaders after Stage 8 - PROVISIONAL
 1 (001) Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey   Subaru WRC      51:46
 2 (009) Jon Mercer/Lyn Jenkins           Metro 6R4       54:15
 3 (008) David Armstrong/Herbie Blackburn Escort RS       54:32
 4 (016) Steve Fleck/Tim Neal             Subaru          54:36
 5 (155) Steve Hendy/Vanessa Cann         Escort Cosworth 55:17
 6 (011) Johnny O'Sullivan/Pat Cashman    Escort WRC      55:48
 7 (012) Phil Henderson/Aled Davies       Metro 6R4       55:49
 8 (102) Trevor Culbert/James Glynn       Escort          56:21
 9 (010) Derek Smith/Darragh Cafferty     Escort          56:31 
10 (024) Willie Carroll/Jason Mernagh     Escort          56:32