Kinirons leads Moonraker rally

Wicklow’s Eddie Kinirons in a Toyota Celica leads the Midleton based Moonraker Forest Rally, round four of the KBB Doors National Forest Championship after six of the event’s ten stages.

John Donnelly (Escort WRC) and Kevin Lynch (Subaru WRC) led initially and after the opening loop of Kevin O’Kane and Lynch dominated the time sheets with equal times.

Favourite for his fourth win in a row, John McCarthy has retired at the Killeagh service halt, his Subaru

Impreza 555 broke an exhaust flange.

Kinirons set a fine time on the fifth stage and was also fastest on stage six to take an eleven second

lead over Kevin O’Kane.

Donnelly, who had a problem on the sixth stage when his Escort WRC wasn’t firing on all cylinders, is

third – 18 seconds behind O’Kane.

James Murphy’s Escort Cosworth slots into fourth place six seconds clear of the Group N Subaru of John Shanahan. John McGaffin, driving a Subaru Legacy, is sixth.

Kevin Lynch, who lost over 20 seconds with an off road excursion shares seventh with top rear wheel drive exponent, John Reid.

1. Eddie Kinirons (Toyota Celica) 17m 52s.

2. Kevin O’Kane (Subaru) 18m. 03s.

3. John Donnelly (Escort WRC) 18m. 21s.

4. James Murphy (Escort Cosworth) 18m. 26s.

5. J. Shanahan (Subaru) 18m. 32s.

6. J. McGaffin (Subaru Legacy) 19m. 01s.

7. K. Lynch (Subaru WRC) & John Reid (Escort Mk. 2) 19m. 14s.