To the Winner the Spoils (Gallagher Wins Peugeot 206 Cup)

Posted: September 8, 2003 8:58 PM

Only eight seconds behind at first service were Shaun Gallagher/Richard Pashley. Shaun was one of many complaining of the muddy and slippery conditions, not helped by a very nervous state of mind. In third place Chris Moore said he was just pleased to be alive, they were the scariest three stages he had ever done, and all in yet another borrowed car. Stuart Jones was caught out by mud, spun round into the hedge and bent the track rod, but was still in fourth place. Brothers Philip and Simon Morrow were happy in fifth place, despite a scare on Stage 2 when they went straight on at a square right hander, but fortunately they only hit a very soft hedge. Jack Ingleby was finding it hard to get into a rhythm and Sebastian Ling was lucky to still be in seventh place, almost rolling after climbing a hedge. In the process he bent the rear suspension, lost the front bumper and rear brake pads which he said made things very interesting. George Philippedes and Dessie Keenan were both very wary of the muddy conditions which were also causing Joan Roca some anxious moments. He explained the recce was dry, but the rally is rain, so roads are changing. However, as the roads dried out, Andy Pawley found that his wet tyres were going off. Paul McKenna was not only struggling with the changing conditions, but with his first time out in front wheel drive, saying thats the first time Ive ever wanted to jump out of a car at 90mph - honest truth! Brendan Cuminskey said he was generally slow as the car is not yet paid for, but it did not prevent him having an overshoot on S2.

First casualty of the event was Rodney Wilton who hit a telegraph pole on Stage 1, but unfortunately was left in a vulnerable position and more damage was caused by following competitors clipping the stricken Peugeot. Richard Sykes also went off on Stage 1 damaging the radiator and power steering, and pulling the sumpguard off at the back. He and co-driver Mark Andrews plugged the radiator with a bonnet pin and a cloth, and limped to Stage 2, where the sumpguard came off completely. Still going at 90% in an effort not to impede the chasing Morrow brothers, they went off at the end of a straight, into the wall of a house. However his efforts to repair the car with the bonnet pin and later lending Meegan his lamp pod have earned him the TOTAL Spirit of the Rally Award.

The first loop of stages was then repeated before returning to Armagh for the overnight halt. With the stages still very slippy, darkness was now falling and at the end of the day, Shaun Gallagher had taken the lead from Gareth MacHale by 13 seconds after Gareth had gone off on Stage 4, and then caught another car on Stage 5. Joan Roca was obviously coming to grips with the conditions setting fastest time on Stage 5 and pulling up to third place, despite a little crash on Stage 6. Sebastian Ling was happy now that his car had brakes, and had consequently pulled up to fourth in front of Stuart Jones who had set fastest time on Stage 4, but then had an overshoot on the next stage and a fuel problem on the last. Jack and Grania Ingleby had a problem with their notes causing them to hit a bank and get stuck for a while. However, they had retained sixth place and Jack was full of confidence for the next day. George Philippedes had pulled back into seventh place although he said brake, and the car accelerates, Ive been off twice and really backed off after that. Dessie Keenan reported no grip at all, but was happy enough in eighth place in front of the Morrow brothers. They dropped four places when they slid off on Stage 4 and wedged the car between the hedges, needing a 15 point turn. Andy Pawley was taking it steady, and Eugene Meegan was delighted with his borrowed lamp pod but was still driving like an old woman in the wet and slippy conditions. Ian Warren was just glad to get to the end after spinning at a hairpin on Stage 6, then going straight on into a field at a left 6, avoiding any damage to the car when the spectators opened the gate to let him out.

Paul McKennas first time out in the dark was also saved by the same spectators, Paul describing the stages as being on ice. Olly Marshall was still taking it easy, and Brendan Cuminskey was scaring spectators, flicking out on a square left and running into a bank, but escaping undamaged. Mike Faulkner described his rally as terrible to abysmal. Mount Pleasant was far from pleasant. He had picked up two and a half minutes of penalties in service changing the suspension arm, but had not had time to check the tracking and the steering was all over the place. Trevor Martin had also found the infamous gateway, but unfortunately didnt quite make it through, hitting the gatepost and pushing both front wheels back into the arches.

Chris Moore/Mike Panes had already picked up late penalties leaving first service after trying to fix the brakes, but they went off on Stage 6 due to lack of brakes and broke both steering arms, retiring on the spot.

End of Leg 1:
1 Shaun Gallagher/Richard Pashley 0:57:50.0 
2 Gareth MacHale/Elva Roe 0:58:02.8 
3 Joan Roca/Jordi Barrabes 0:58:37.7 
4 Sebastian Ling/James Philips 0:58:40.0 
5 Stuart Jones/Richard Edwards 0:58:48.6 
6 Jack Ingleby/Grania Ingleby 0:59:05.7 
7 George Philippedes/Marshall Clarke 0:59:18.4 
8 Dessie Keenan/Enda Sherry 0:59:39.0 
9 Philip Morrow/Simon Morrow 0:59:55.6 
10 Andrew Pawley/Jakes Kelly 1:00:14.3 
11 Eugene Meegan/Ronan O'Kane 1:02:13.7 
12 Ian Warren/Robert Warren 1:02:21.8 
13 Paul McKenna/Damien McAuley 1:02:44.8 
14 Olly Marshall/Craig Parry 1:02:48.6 
15 Brendan Cuminskey/Martin McGarrity 1:03:03.6 
16 Mike Faulkner/Peter Foy 1:03:59.0 
17 Trevor Martin/Ray Cleghorn 1:07:51.9 

Leg Two
As the cars headed up into the Sperrin Mountains early on Saturday morning, the weather was misty but the stages were relatively dry and most competitors opted for slick tyres. As some discovered, the intermittently slippery patches would catch them out. MacHale set fastest time closely followed by Stuart Jones and Joan Roca. Gallagher dropped eight seconds to MacHale, saying he was not taking any chances.

Only five Peugeot crews had a clear run on Stage 8, the stage having to be cancelled following an accident, the remainder having notional times awarded. The lead, however, changed hands with MacHale taking a further seven seconds out of Gallagher to lead by two seconds, Ling and Jones occupying third and fourth places with only a tenth of a second between them

Gallagher pulled out all the stops on Stage 9, taking 33 seconds out of MacHale who had a spin, and was eleven seconds faster than the next Peugeot, Jack Ingleby admitted to a huge moment up on two wheels. Morrow punctured a rear tyre on this stage, but it did not appear to cost him much time. Most crews reported a very fast stage, but with tricky bits, Jones complaining of gearbox problems and Philippedes of brake fade.

At service taking place in and around the main street in Gortin, the crews faced a difficult choice with the weather closing in again. Those who were to opt for wet tyres would be proved right when the heavens opened. Eugene Meegan was to go no further, retiring at this service point.

Stage 10, Mary Gray, had had a lot of cattle movement on it making it treacherous and many crews reported big moments. The stage saw the end of Stuart Jones challenge when he parked his Peugeot on top of a hedge. Faulkner also went off at the same spot, losing eleven minutes and seriously damaging the steering. Morrow and Philippedes also reported going off but fortunately both were able to regain the stage although it cost Philippedes ten minutes dropping him from 7th to 13th overall. Ling found the grip that the others were lacking and was comfortably quickest over the nine mile stage. Cuminskey hit a wall on a hairpin and when asked to comment on the bodywork damage, said thats not damage; its just the bodywork reacting with the Turtle Wax.

Ling continued his good run on Stage 11, Drumnahoe, setting second fastest time despite admitting to attacking a hedge. MacHale was still taking the fight to Gallagher, setting fastest time and pulling back eleven seconds. Most crews reported heart-stopping moments on a very slippery section in mid stage with Pawley in particular entertaining the spectators but still managing to keep it on the road. Warren dropped ten minutes playing with sheep in a field, but did not do any appreciable damage to the car. Paul McKenna, on his first event in a Peugeot and front wheel drive, asked his fellow competitors for advice on how to drive them. When told to use left foot braking techniques, he replied I cant, Ive already got both feet on the brake!

The first run through the short 4.7 mile Butterlope stage was to prove interesting when the threatened downpour arrived. MacHale was quickest once again, taking another five seconds out of Gallagher narrowing the gap to just eight seconds at the third service of the day.

Stage 13 was a repeat of Stage 8, Doraville, and saw all of the remaining crews getting a chance to tackle the stage this time. Heavy rain affected some of the crews, with Roca fastest followed by MacHale and Gallagher. With the steering fixed, but running well down the order, Faulkner caught another car after two miles but otherwise was comfortable with the stage. Lying seventh when he left service, the Morrow brothers event came to an end, sliding onto their side in a ditch. Simon admitted to a late call, and had said on Stage 10 we were nowhere overall but still went off, now they had done it again. Jack Ingleby had been reporting all day that things were not quite right, but he had not been able to put his finger on the problem is it me, or the car? He did confess that he had to go to the dentist during the recce and had consequently lost his concentration. He declared his own notes inconsistent and had changed to Patterson notes at the beginning of the day. However, he continued to set competitive times and was lying fifth overall.

The rerun through Barnes Gap saw Roca set fastest time for the second consecutive stage, nine seconds quicker than Gallagher, commenting that he had the perfect tyre choice for the wet conditions. Conversely, Ingleby, who was desperately trying to catch Roca, was on completely the wrong choice and dropped 17 seconds. Despite catching a car after 3 miles, Faulkner was still able to set third fastest time, saying that for the last couple of stages he was on straighter suspension for the first time, enough to trust the car. Trevor Martin was also suffering from running so far at the back.

The second run through the short Butterlope stage was again disrupted when Andy Pawley rolled out of contention, causing the stage to be stopped and notional times issued to the following eight Peugeots. MacHale got through before the stoppage, taking a further eight seconds from Gallagher.

At the queue for service and with one stage remaining, most crews reported they were now going for a finish. However, this was certainly not the situation at the top of the field, and with Gallagher leading MacHale by eight seconds, there was going to be a battle royal on the final stage.

The final stage was a rerun of the 7.5 miles of Bogheragh, the first stage of the day. Despite MacHale setting fastest time once again and improving on his morning time by three seconds, it was not enough and Gallagher took the event win and with it the 206 Super Cup Championship by 3.3 seconds after over 100 miles of very demanding competitive mileage. Despite his disappointment, MacHale was delighted to have set eight fastest times. Grinning, he said his feet were dancing because hed been listening to Gerry McGarritty and it was all hunky-dory. It was only the spin on Stage 9 which had cost him the event. A delighted Sebastian Ling took third, his highest overall placing in the Cup and was particularly pleased to have set two fastest times

George Philippedes was entertaining to the end, admitting that he had spent at least 100m on the grass, heading straight for a TV cameraman, kept his foot in throughout and was looking forward to viewing the coverage. Ian Warren was probably the most pleased driver of the lot, Gallagher aside, delighted that his co-driver brother Robert will take some good memories home with him to Barbados.

But the 23 year old Shaun Gallagher with codriver Richard Pashley take the Championship, the first time in five years it has been settled before the final round. The Billy Coleman award winner has earned a lot of respect for his driving in three contrasting championships this year, but the UK Peugeot 206 Super Cup was his main aim and he is absolutely delighted with the result. His prize is a works supported drive in the Peugeot 206 Super 1600 car on Rally GB in November.

Final Results Ulster Rally

1 Shaun Gallagher/Richard Pashley 2:22:02.8 
2 Gareth MacHale/Elva Roe 2:22:06.1 
3 Sebastian Ling/James Philips 2:22:51.2 
4 Joan Roca/Jordi Barrabes 2:23:19.4 
5 Jack Ingleby/Grania Ingleby 2:23:56.6 
6 Dessie Keenan/Enda Sherry 2:24:55.6 
7 Olly Marshall/Craig Parry 2:31:10.8 
8 Paul McKenna/Damien McAuley 2:31:32.6 
9 Brendan Cuminskey/Martin McGarrity 2:32:54.6 
10 George Philippedes/Marshall Clarke 2:35:10.2 
11 Trevor Martin/Ray Cleghorn 2:39:36.2 
12 Ian Warren/Robert Warren 2:41:51.9 
13 Mike Faulkner/Peter Foy 2:44:37.7 

• Peugeot Motorsport
• Ulster Rally

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Gallagher Wins Peugeot 206 Cup
Shaun Gallagher, 23, made history today (Saturday 6th Sept.) by winning the fiercely competitive Peugeot 206 Super Cup with one rally still in hand.

Gallagher, from Letterkenny secured the title by finishing first Peugeot on the AnswerCall Direct Ulster Rally that finished in Armagh today.

The Ulster Rally was Shaun's third victory in the seven round championship. "I'm still committed to seeing the championship through and the plan is to go all out for victory on final round now that the pressure is off" commented Shaun.

Shaun's prize for winning the championship is a works drive in a Peugeot 206 with the Conventry-based Peugeot Team on Britains round of the World Rally Championship, Wales Rally GB.

Run in ever changing weather and road conditions Gallagher controlled his drive to take victory by 3.3 seconds from Gareth McHale.

The Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Award Winner will continue his assault on the French Peugeot 206 Cup in South of France in two weeks time.

• www.shaungallagher.com
• Peugeot Motorsport
• Ulster Rally