After SS3: Greer Leads, Armstrong Claims First Fastest Time
- Updated: 20 July 2019
SS3: After three stages of the Carryduff Forklift Down Rally, Jonny Greer and Kirsty Riddick continue to lead the event thanks to their stunning time through stage one where they blitzed the opposition!
They were very much on the pace through stages two and three with third and fifth fastest times, leaving them with a lead of 8.5 seconds at first service.
Meirion Evans and Jonathan Jackson are leading the chase in second overall, closely followed by Jon Armstrong and Noel O’Sullivan. It’s Armstrong’s first event in a World Rally Car and after settling in over the tricky opening stage, he went on to claim fastest time on stage two.
After the Eikon Spectator stage, Armstrong trails the leaders by 10.8 seconds but is very much the man on the move.
Daniel Harper and Chris Campbell lost a little bit of ground to the leaders over stages two and three. They had been in the top three after stage one but lost some precious seconds during the Drumaknocken stage two and are fourth overall in front of Stephen Wright and Liam Moynihan.
Wright was the early McGrady Insurance N.I. Championship leader after his round one win but he missed the third round of the series. Today marks his return and although it’s still early in the event, he’s on course for another top result if he can maintain his pace.
Welshman Melvyn Evans and Aled Davies hold sixth in their Fabia R5 while Steve Wood and Keith Moriarty set fastest time on the spectator stage to arrive at service in seventh overall ahead of Derek and Mark McGeehan.
The McGeehan father and son team are the current Northern Ireland Championship leaders and are thoroughly enjoying their day in what is only Mark’s second time reading pace notes.
Stuart Biggerstaff and Anthony Nestor are chomping at their heels in ninth overall. It’s Stuart’s first event with a left-hand drive car and incredibly he has taken to it like a duck to water. The McKinstry Motorsport Fiesta R5 is performing well and Biggerstaff is quietly pleased with his pace.
In the two-wheel drive category, Damian Toner and Barry McParland are starting to increase their pace now that the roads are beginning to dry. They hold 10th overall after a stunning run through stage two which saw them annihilate the 2WD field.
Toner is more than 16 seconds ahead of nearest rivals Wesley Patterson and Johnny Baird, with John Devlin and John McCarthy third in the category.
Unfortunately for championship sponsor Fintan McGrady, his rally has come to a premature end due to a minor gearbox problem. The crew have managed to get it fixed but with no ‘Rally 2’ option, the crew is unable to restart the event.
Wayne Sisson and Michael Kendry hit trouble during stage three when a ball joint failed unexpectedly. Luckily, the stage was relatively short and their service crew were able to fix the problem in service but the team dropped six places, leaving them in 18th overall.
Crews are now on their way out of service for the longer second loop of stages. They will tackle five tests, including another blast through the Eikon’s spectator stage, before returning to service.
Latest results are available from www.rallyscore.net.
Jonathan
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