Nip and tuck at the top
In a game of swings and roundabouts, the lead had opened out to just over 11″ again with Andrew Purcell increasing the lead by 7.5″ on SS8. Given that Stafford has been quicker on the Balcarrag on the two previous passes, by 8″ on the previous pass, the lead could well be down to just a small few seconds by the end of the first day. we have waited quite a few years to get such a small overnight gap, it will be definitely one of the best second day battles we have had in the history of the rally. Gary Kiernan is making 3rd place his own at the minute with Richard Moffett and Stephen McCann the same for 4th and 5th. The battle for 6th, 7th and 8th is covered by a mere 3″ with Leon Galvin, Richie Moore and Wesley Patterson swapping places on a regular basis. The battle for any of the places in the top 10 will be well worth watching tomorrow.
What we have so far
Results for the Main Field category
| O/A | Car | Driver/Codriver | Make | Class | Pos | SS8 | Road | Total | Diff 1st | Diff Prev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (=) | 6 | Andrew Purcell/Liam Brennan | Ford Fiesta | 5 | O/A | 6:25.0 | 0:00 | 47:43.1 | ||
| 2 (=) | 1 | James M Stafford/Jeff Case | Darrian T90 GTR | 14 | O/A | 6:32.5 | 0:00 | 47:54.3 | 0:11.2 | 0:11.2 |
| 3 (=) | 2 | Gary Kiernan/Ryan Moore | Ford Escort | 14 | O/A | 6:38.2 | 0:00 | 48:34.3 | 0:51.2 | 0:40.0 |
| 4 (=) | 9 | Richard Moffett/Martin Connolly | Toyota Starlet RWD | 14 | 1 | 6:47.9 | 0:00 | 48:57.3 | 1:14.2 | 0:23.0 |
| 5 (=) | 5 | Stephen McCann/Damien Fleming | Ford Fiesta R5 | 5 | 1 | 6:45.0 | 0:00 | 49:17.8 | 1:34.7 | 0:20.5 |
| 6 (+1) | 4 | Richard Moore/John McGrath | Ford Escort Mk2 | 14 | 2 | 6:46.7 | 0:00 | 49:57.9 | 2:14.8 | 0:40.1 |
| 7 (+2) | 8 | Wesley Patterson/Johnny Baird | Ford Escort RS Mk2 | 14 | 3 | 6:45.0 | 0:00 | 49:59.0 | 2:15.9 | 0:01.1 |
| 8 (-2) | 16 | Leon Galvin/Ger Foley | Ford Escort Mk2 | 13 | 1 | 6:52.3 | 0:00 | 50:01.0 | 2:17.9 | 0:02.0 |
| 9 (-1) | 101 | Mickey Conlon/Ciaran McPhilips | Ford Escort Mk2 | 14 | 4 | 6:48.7 | 0:00 | 50:01.8 | 2:18.7 | 0:00.8 |
| 10 (+1) | 3 | Mike Quinn/Tony Healy | Subaru Impreza S11 | 7 | 1 | 6:47.3 | 0:00 | 50:12.6 | 2:29.5 | 0:10.8 |
| 11 (+1) | 7 | Tomas O’Rourke/Tomas Scallan | Hyundai I20 R5 | 5 | 2 | 6:47.2 | 0:00 | 50:15.1 | 2:32.0 | 0:02.5 |
| 12 (-2) | 17 | Darren O’Brien/Eamonn Creedon | Honda Civic | 13 | 2 | 6:53.9 | 0:00 | 50:17.4 | 2:34.3 | 0:02.3 |
| 13 (=) | 11 | Paul Rowley/Darragh Mullen | Ford Fiesta | 5 | 3 | 6:58.2 | 0:00 | 51:06.2 | 3:23.1 | 0:48.8 |
| 14 (=) | 26 | Justin Smyth/James McEneaney | Ford Escort Mk2 | 12 | 1 | 7:03.2 | 0:00 | 51:15.1 | 3:32.0 | 0:08.9 |
| 15 (=) | 23 | Adrian Evans/Martin Henry | Ford Escort Mk2 | 14 | 5 | 7:03.3 | 0:00 | 51:42.3 | 3:59.2 | 0:27.2 |
| 16 (=) | 21 | John Reddington/Kenny Bustard | Ford Fiesta | 20 | 1 | 7:01.4 | 0:00 | 51:45.0 | 4:01.9 | 0:02.7 |
| 17 (=) | 22 | James Bradley/David Byrne | Ford Escort | 12 | 2 | 7:05.2 | 0:00 | 52:04.5 | 4:21.4 | 0:19.5 |
| 18 (+4) | 30 | Conor Moore/Leo Tector | Ford Escort Mk2 | 14 | 6 | 7:21.8 | 0:00 | 53:22.7 | 5:39.6 | 1:18.2 |
| 19 (+2) | 27 | Aled Davies/Jason Davies | Ford Escort Mk2 | 13 | 3 | 7:24.3 | 0:00 | 53:24.6 | 5:41.5 | 0:01.9 |
| 20 (+3) | 20 | Andrew Fanning/Derek Gibbs | Proton Millington | 20 | 2 | 7:27.7 | 0:00 | 53:36.1 | 5:53.0 | 0:11.5 |
Results for the Historic category
| O/A | Car | Driver/Codriver | Make | Class | Pos | SS8 | Road | Total | Diff 1st | Diff Prev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (=) | 19 | Neil Williams/Anthony O’Sullivan | Ford Escort | 18 | 1 | 7:12.5 | 0:00 | 51:18.2 |
