McGarrity leads overnight in Killarney

Derek McGarrity and co-driver, Chris Patterson started and finished today’s first day of the Ordnance

Survey/Gleneagle Hotel as rally leaders.

They ended today’s nine stages with a 58 second lead over the similar Subaru WRC of Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey. Liam O’Callaghan/David Hogan, also in a Subaru WRC, are just one second adrift in third.

McGarrity posted the fastest time on Molls Gap and took a 16 second lead over Eamonn Boland with Peadar Hurson, Andrew Nesbitt, Austin McHale and Liam O’Callaghan following closely.

Nesbitt forgot to switch on the turbo bur responded by setting fastest times on the next five stages to take a 21 second lead over McGarrity.

Hurson departed the fray on S.S. 3.

On the seventh stage, Nesbitt lost almost two minutes when his Subaru developed transmission difficulties and he dropped to fifth - a minute and 42 seconds behind leader McGarrity.

On the final stage, McGarrity was slowed when he encountered the Toyota Corolla WRC of Austin McHale who spun. Liam O’Callaghan was another driver to spin and he lost second place to Boland, albeit by one second.

Nesbitt reduced the deficit to McGarrity to a minute and 17 seconds and with nine more stages tomorrow, it could be a frenetic tussle.

Daniel Doherty (Subaru) and Austin McHale are fifth and sixth respectively.

J. J. Fleming (Subaru WRC) is seventh from Group N duo, Trevor Cathers (Mitsubishi) and Donie O’Sullivan (Subaru) and Maurice Gass (Subaru) who completed the top ten.

Denis Cronin/Helen O’Sullivan (BMW M3) lead the national category.

1. D. McGarrity/C. Patterson (Subaru WRC) 1H. 17M. 28S.

2. E. Boland/D. Morrissey (Subaru WRC) 1H. 18M. 26S.

3. L. O'Callaghan/D. Hogan (Subaru WRC) 1H. 18M. 27S.

4. A. Nesbitt/J. O’Brien (Subaru WRC) 1H. 18M. 45S.

5. D. Doherty/M. Doherty (Subaru WRC) 1H. 19M. 11S.

6. A. McHale/B. Murphy (Toyota Corolla WRC) 1H. 19M. 59S.

7. J. J. Fleming/R. Ward (Subaru WRC) 1H. 21M. 54S.

8. T. Cathers/F. Regan (Mitsubishi) 1H. 22M. 07S.

9. D. O’Sullivan/P. Nagle (Subaru) 1H. 22M. 34S.

10. M. Gass/G. Orr (Subaru WRC) 1H. 23M. 11S.