For
immediate release
McGarrity
Masterclass at Bishopscourt!
It
was another Derek McGarrity masterclass today at the McGrady
Insurance Bishopscourt Stages, round two of the Carryduff Forklift
MSA N.I. Rally Championship, as the Glengormley pilot steered
his Subaru Impreza WRC to the top of the podium to secure another
impressive rally victory!
Navigated by Neil Doherty, the crew moved into the rally lead
after stage four and stayed there until the finish of the rain-soaked
event. Their winning margin was 16.2 seconds over the Evo 6
belonging to Jonny Leonard and Jackie Elliott, while Derek McGeehan
and Darragh Mullen claimed third in their Corolla WRC.
Ballynahinch and District Motor Club had pulled out all of the
stops to lay on a challenging event for more than 70 crews.
Brand new stage layouts and a total of 14 stages were challenging
enough, but the weather helped to add more drama to the mix
as rain and wind pelted the County Down venue throughout the
day.
After the opening stage, it was a surprised Kieron Graffin who
found himself leading the rally from Trevor Ferguson, with Mark
Massey completing a trio of Group N crews in third. The short
1.6 mile test certainly sprung a few surprises but Graffin held
on to the lead after stage two, albeit by just seven-tenths
of a second from Massey.
Crews returned to action after service and it was the third
test that claimed its first major retirement of the day. Peadar
Hurson and Damien Connolly had entered the stage hoping to improve
on their position, only for a broken propshaft to call an end
to their rally.
"It just broke as we were accelerating out of the hairpin,"
Hurson rued. "We just had to pull over - that was that."
"It's a shame because we made some adjustments to the car
in service and put more cuts in the tyres. We were hoping for
better things but didn't get the chance."
While Hurson retired from the event, Mark Massey and James McKee
emerged as the new rally leaders in their Group N spec Evo 9.
Early leader Kieron Graffin had dropped out of the top 10 after
an overshoot. His problems were then compounded when he was
awarded a maximum stage time for allegedly cutting the stage,
despite "setting a slower time than my previous run".
Graffin's troubles left Massey at the top of the leaderboard
ahead of a recovering Derek McGarrity and Neil Doherty. McGarrity
was on a mission, and having been as low as ninth in the Garry
Jennings car, he was climbing his way through the ranks.
One stage later, when Massey lost half a minute with a problem,
McGarrity moved into the number one slot...and that was a position
that he was never destined to relinquish.
McGarrity kept the pressure on throughout the event, although
it wasn't as dominant a display as we are accustomed to seeing
from the Glengormley pilot. He managed to secure another six
fastest times over the remaining 10 stages, eventually arriving
home 16.2 seconds ahead of a hard-charging Jonny Leonard and
Jackie Elliott.
Leonard put in a truly stunning drive aboard his Evo 6 Lancer.
After promoting himself into third overall after stage four,
he became embroiled in a battle for the runner-up spot with
Derek McGeehan.
Only a handful of seconds separated the two crews throughout
the day and it was only on the penultimate stage that Leonard
managed to nip in front of his rival. He stayed there until
the finish, claiming second overall on what is only his second
event in the car.
Derek McGeehan and Darragh Mullen had to be content with third
in their Corolla WRC on this occasion, while Kevin Barrett and
Sean Mullally completed the top four in their Impreza WRC.
Kenny McKinstry and John McGaffin had looked set to take fifth
in the Banbridge driver's newly acquired S14 specification Impreza
WRC, only for a problem during stage 13 to put them out of the
running.
"I think the exhaust's back box split and then the rear
bumper started to melt," McKinstry explained. "It
filled the car with smoke so we had to pull over."
"Before that happened, the car felt fantastic," he
added. "On the fast stages we were on the pace but on the
tighter sections, I found it difficult to get to grips with
left-hand drive."
Kenny McKinstry was not alone in his woes during the closing
stages. George Robinson and Tommy Speers, who had held seventh
overall, were forced to pull over during the final test when
their Evo encountered some mechanical troubles.
Coming home in fifth, James Laverty and Francis Regan enjoyed
another solid run to finish ahead of Mark Massey and James McKee,
with early leaders Kieron Graffin and Paddy Robinson taking
seventh in front of Trevor Ferguson and David McElroy.
Two-Wheel-Drive
In the two-wheel-drive category, Alan Smyth and Peter Thompson
took a deserved win in their Citroen C2. The finished ninth
overall in the process, less than four seconds ahead of Carryduff
Forklift's Barry Greer and Damien Duffin, with Andrew Wilson
Christopher McKeown third in their Starlet.
There were some dramas further down the field. On stage 11,
James Kennedy's Escort had a coming together with Allan Mackay's
Anglia, sending both crews into retirement with two very sorry
looking cars.
Junior 1000
The event also hosted round three of the McGrady Insurance Junior
1000 Rally Challenge. Seven crews aged between 14 and 17 contested
a total of 10 stages, with William Creighton and Andrew Bushe
picking up the spoils in their Citroen C1. They finished 14.7
seconds ahead of Adam and Brian Bustard, with James Partridge
and Billy Regan third.
Round 3 - Triton Showers Easter Stages
The attention now turns to round three of the Carryduff Forklift
backed series. The Triton Showers Easter Stages Rally, a replacement
event for the Circuit of Ireland, takes place on Saturday 30
March when competitors will tackle closed roads within County
Down. For more details, log on to www.nirally.com.
ENDS.
Results - Top 10
1 Derek McGarrity/Neil Doherty (Impreza WRC) 43m12.7s
2 Jonny Leonard/Jackie Elliott (Evo 6) 43m28.9s
3 Derek McGeehan/Darragh Mullen (Corolla WRC) 43m40.8s
4 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 43m51.8s
5 James Laverty/Francis Regan (Impreza) 44m02.3s
6 Mark Massey/James McKee (Lancer Evo 9) 44m33.3s
7 Kieron Graffin/Paddy Robinson (Lancer Evo 9) 44m52.2s
8 Trevor Ferguson/David McElroy (Impreza) 45m41.8s
9 Alan Smyth/Peter Thompson (Citroen C2) 45m48.6s
10 Barry Greer/Damien Duffin (Ford Fiesta) 45m52.2s
Photograph: Attached photograph depicts 2013 McGrady
Insurance Bishopscourt Stages winners Derek McGarrity and Neil
Doherty in their Subaru Impreza WRC. Image may be used free
of charge for editorial use with credit to the photographer,
Jonathan MacDonald. Image may not be sold, resold or used for
commercial purposes. Copyright remains with the photographer.
Regards,
Jonathan MacDonald
MediaJAM Communications