Donnelly leads Galway International Rally

Today’s eights stages of the First Choice Flooring Galway International Rally, the opening round of the Global Group Irish Tarmac Championship featured a terrific duel between World rally ace, Finland’s Marcus Gronholm (Ford Focus WRC) and the Subaru WRC of Derry driver, Eugene Donnelly.

Overnight, Donnelly holds a 5.4 second lead over Gronholm with another Irish driver, Gareth MacHale (Ford Focus WRC) in third place.

Gronholm, on his first ever visit to Ireland and here on a test ahead of next November’s Rally Ireland, was quickly into the groove and led by some 20 seconds after two stages near Loughrea.

But he spun his Ford Focus on stages 3 and 4 and Donnelly closed to within two seconds – he too dropped time when he had a brief excursion to the scenery.

There was little between them until Gronholm punctured on today’s penultimate test and Donnelly went ahead by almost 12 seconds.

Gronholm trimmed the deficit to 5.4 on the day’s final stage.

Meanwhile and despite some transmission woes earlier in the day, Gareth MacHale, debuting his ’06 left hand drive Ford Focus WRC, gained in confidence and a super time through S.S. 7 saw him slot in to third, a position he holds overnight – a minute and 32.4 seconds behind his M-Sport team mate, Gronholm.

Eamonn Boland had a solid run through the stages and ended the day in fourth.

Kevin Lynch admitted he made a few errors on the stages as he held fourth place, Boland and Lynch are under pressure from reigning British rally champion, Mark Higgins, who punctured on

the first stage and had to climb back up the order for the rest of the day.

He is just 5.5 seconds off Boland’s third place.

The overnight top ten also includes Stephen Murphy, Michael Barrable, Ray Breen, Patrick Elliott.

Austin MacHale, who was as high as third, lost several minutes with a puncture while brake difficulties added to his woe, he ended the day in twelfth just behind another driver to endure problems, Gareth Jones, also in a Ford Focus.

The day’s main retirement was that of Tim NcNulty (Subaru WRC) due to engine difficulties.

The showroom category is being led by James Foley, his Mitsubishi is just 4 seconds in front of the similar car of Roy White.

The rally concludes tomorrow with six stages.

1. Eugene Donnelly (Subaru WRC) 1h. 08m. 06.6s.

2. Marcus Gronholm (Ford Focus WRC) 1h. 08m. 12.0s.

3. Gareth MacHale (Ford Focus WRC) 1h. 09m. 44.4s.

4. Eamonn Boland (Ford Focus WRC) 1h. 10m. 01,3s.

5. Kevin Lynch (Ford Focus WRC) 1h. 10m. 15.2s.

6. Mark Higgins (Subaru WRC) 1h. 10m. 16.8s.

7. Stephen Murphy (Subaru WRC) 1h. 10m. 26.4s.

8. M. Barrable (Ford Focus WRC) 1h. 11m. 14.1s.

9. Ray Breen (Ford Focus WRC) 1h. 11m. 33.0s.

10. Patrick Elliott (Subaru WRC) 1h. 11m. 37.0s.