Vanquished once more was Gorey's David James, 14 seconds down, thus losing another title on the final stage - and a side-bet with Lambert following last month's Wexford roadshow.

Lambert had trailed James by eight seconds following the opening stage, but had plugged the gap and was level on time with the Wexfordian going into the third and decisive stage - in the dark - and it's there where the Tipperary man worked the oracle, claiming the stage and the rally by 14 seconds.

Fermanagh's Philip Shaw finished third, six seconds back on James, with Carlow's John Nolan fourth and Kerryman Tom Randles fifth.

The entire top five were driving Escorts.

Group N went to Wexford's Thomas O'Rourke, partnered in his Astra by brother John, who pipped Ranelagh man Willie Fannin - on the day neighbour Ken Doherty got walloped in the UK Championship snooker final.

Seed
6
2
17
5
7
14
39
35
135
38
16
33
57
80
21
59
22
52
11
32
40
152
133
15
60
10
12
48
23

Crew
JIMMY LAMBERT / JAMES COLEMAN 
DAVID JAMES / RON GUHA 
PHILIP SHAW / DEREK BRENNIGAN 
JOHN NOLAN / JOHN SMITHWICK 
THOMAS RANDLES / DIARMUID LYNCH 
JAMES FOLEY / ANN FOLEY 
THOMAS O' ROURKE / JOHN O' ROURKE 
THOMAS LAWLESS / BRAIN SHARKEY 
GARY JENNINGS / JAMES O' BRIEN 
JAMES TRAVERS / NIALL KEOGH 
WILLIE FANNIN / BRIAN DUGGEN 
OLLIE O'REILLY / GERRY GUMLEY 
EUGENE FITZPATRICK / MARY FITZPATRICK 
DOUGLAS RICHARDSON / JOHN RICHARDSON 
PAT BOLGER / PAUL GRIFFIN 
LAR MURPHY / IAN O'LEARY 
PADRAIG PRICE / DAVID NOONEY 
JOHN REDMOND / JAMES SIDNEY 
DAVID PERCY / BOB KELLY 
MARK NANGLE / GREG MCCARTHY 
AARON MACHALE / DAMIEN CONNOLLY 
DEREK BRENNAN / ROBBY WEBSTER 
DANNY McEVOY / BILL COLLINS 
PADDY O' REILLY / PAUL KELLY 
TOMMY RYAN / GARY NOLAN 
TREVOR CULBERT / JAMES GLYNN 
JOHN HENNESSY / CHRIS FINNEGAN 
TOMAS SCALLAN / JOE KENNY 
JOE CURRAN / OLLIE GARRY 

Car
ESCORT 2000 
ESCORT BDX 2000 
ESCORT 2000 
ESCORT 2000 
ESCORT MKII 2400 
CIVIC 1800 
ASTRA GSI 1998 
CIVIC 1600 
PEUGEOT 106 1600 
PEUGEOT 106 GTI 1600 
LANCER EVO 6 2000 
ESCORT G3 2000 
ESCORT G5 2000 
ESCORT 2500 
CHEVETTE 2200 
ESCORT MKII 1600 
SIERRA 2000 
ESCORT 2000 
ESCORT 1998 
COROLLA 1600 
CIVIC 1598 
ESCORT MKI 1600 
ESCORT 2000 
ESCORT PR5 2000 
ESCORT MKII 1600 
ESCORT 2000 
ESCORT MKII 2000 
ASTRA GSI 1988 
ASTRA 1998 

Class
13
13
13
13
14
13
3
6
6
6
4
12
13
14
14
10
8
12
12
11
6
11
12
13
10
13
12
3
7

SS1
10:44
10:36
10:39
10:45
11:07
11:15
10:52
11:18
10:59
11:12
11:00
11:17
11:23
11:35
11:30
11:37
11:23
11:41
11:20
11:53
11:54
12:05
11:54
11:48
12:22
14:18
11:31
11:29
16:40M 

SS2
10:29
10:37
10:37
10:50
10:49
10:48
11:01
11:09
11:09
11:10
10:51
11:22
11:34
11:24
11:23
11:38
11:27
11:39
11:31
11:33
11:41
11:46
11:43
11:54
11:29
11:15
11:20
14:59
11:39

SS3
10:31
10:45
10:48
10:59
10:50
10:56
11:15
10:45
11:40
11:29
12:14
11:44
11:37
11:42
12:11
11:50
12:19
11:50
12:20
11:55
11:55
11:43
12:02
12:08
13:05
11:29
14:40
12:12
12:05

Total
00:31:44
00:31:58
00:32:04
00:32:34
00:32:46
00:32:59
00:33:08
00:33:12
00:33:48
00:33:51
00:34:05
00:34:23
00:34:34
00:34:41
00:35:04
00:35:05
00:35:09
00:35:10
00:35:11
00:35:21
00:35:30
00:35:34
00:35:39
00:35:50
00:36:56
00:37:02
00:37:31
00:38:40
00:42:24