There has been drama on the penultimate stage of the Circuit of Ireland. Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin had to attend to a brake issue in their Citroën C3 before starting, and then picked up a puncture in the stage. They have lost over four minutes, and with it, any chance of victory. Having led the event from the start on Friday afternoon, they held a comfortable lead of 36 seconds, but have now dropped well down the leaderboard. Matt Edwards and David Moynihan, who had been challenging Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan for second place, have also stopped in the stage, as have Eddie Doherty and Tom Murphy, who had been in fourth place. Devine and O’Sullivan now appear to be destined to take the rally win, with just 9.3 competitive miles remaining.
The final stage, Sweathouse, will start at 16:19pm.
Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin are supported by M O’Brien Group of Companies, Shane Casey Electrical Services, Michelin Tyres, Cronin’s Centra (Ballylickey, Union Hall, Leap, Millstreet and Dundrum), Cronin’s HomeValue Hardware, Daybreak Westlink, Cremin Coaches, Keohane Seafoods, Citroën Racing, and Race and Rally Motorsport. Their Citroën C3 Rally 2 is prepared and run by Tom Gahan Motorsport.
