Skibbereen: Stage six leaderboard and summery

UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 6 Mealagh Valley
1st (5) Kenny McKinstry/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 43.32
2nd (3) Melvyn Evans/Alun Davies (Escort WRC) 44.01
3rd (7) Patrick Elliott/Sean Moriarty (Impreza) 44.51
4th (6) Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy (Corolla WRc) 45.17
5th (11) Ollie O'Donovan/David Moynihan (Impreza) 45.22
6th (10) Bob Fowden/Jerry Hynes (Lancer N) 45.30
7th (4) John & Caroline Price (Metro 6R4) 45.40
8th (14) Cathal Arthurs/Bob Kelly (Celica) 45.51
9th (17) Phil Collins/Howard Davies (Escort) 45.53
10th (9) Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (BMW M3) 46.02

Our last RallyNews was written as the cars arrived into service after stage 4, and Michael Barrable was then leading the rally.  Following that Barrable's engineers discovered an oil pump problem with the car in service, and the Dubliner did not re-start the 2nd leg.  This leaves Kenny McKinstry very much out on his own at the head of the rally, Kenny going hard now but not taking any chances, and thoroughly enjoying himself. Melvyn Evans is still very much concentrating on sewing up the Get Connected series.  One of his main rivals, John Price, has had problems with tyre choice as the stages vary from wet to dry, but then all the drivers have the same problem.

Patrick Elliott has now moved into 3rd place - Patrick was unhappy earlier with tyre pressures not being right, but he is setting a nice pace now.  Liam McCarthy has had some misfiring problems, that seems to have settled down, and the West Cork man was 3rd fastest through stage 6. 

News of a further retirement is that Jer O'Donovan has put his new Escort WRC off the road in stage 6. 

Phil Collins has moved into the lead of the 2 wheel drive category, and that is despite no 4th gear on his Escort.  Denis Cronin slipped back after a wrong tyre choice. Kieran O'Neill is 3rd 2 wheel drive on 46.19, Tom Randles on 49.27 having been slowed because of a cracked exhaust.  A few times just outside the leaderboard include Tommy Graham on 46.15. Anthony O'Halloran 46.42. Sean Gallagher 46.17. Hal Lewis in his newly acquired Escort Cosworth 46.40. Nigel Hicklin 47.31.

Bob Fowden continues to lead gpN and reports no problems. Stuart Darcy was faster on stage 6 than Fowden but overall his gpN Lancer is over a minute behind the Welshman.

Big news from across the water is that Ballinamallard's Garry Jennings and his Killarney co driver Paul Nagle have won the Peugeot 206 Super Cup. They drove very conservatively to finish 3rd in category on the Tempest Rally - more than enough to take the title. Shaun Gallagher drove his brains out to win the category but there was nothing he could do about Jennings taking the title. More news later.

-www.rallynews.net