Circuit of Ireland winners Eamonn Boland and Damien Morrissey look well placed to increase their lead in the Global Group Irish Tarmac Championship with their NVD Impreza holding a ten second overnight lead in the Ordnance Survey Ireland International Rally of the Lakes based on Killarney.
They took an early lead with best time on the opening stage, Moll's Gap, but were overtaken by the Pierse Impreza of Tim McNulty two stages later. However, the Meath driver went off the road on the second run through the Cod's Head stage and retired, giving the Wexford/Waterford combination the lead again.
Gareth MacHale and Craig Parry, whose Ford Focus was the close runner up at Easter, were ten seconds down, with local man Donie O'Sullivan another twelve seconds behind, so a terrific battle looks to be in prospect over Sunday's nine stages.
Defending Group N Tarmac champions Colm Murphy and Ger Loughrey held a comfortable lead of more than two minutes in the Production class, with their Lancer Evo 9 in sixth overall.
ORDNANCE SURVEY IRELAND INTERNATIONAL RALLY OF THE LAKES AT KILLARNEY (ROUND 3 OF GLOBAL GROUP IRISH TARMAC CHAMPIONSHIP) OVERNIGHT POSITIONS AFTER 8 STAGES:
1 Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 09m 45s,
2 Gareth MacHale/Craig Parry (Ford Focus WRC) 1h 09m 55s,
3 Donie O'Sullivan/Barry Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 10m 07s,
4 Dessie Keenan/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 12m 28s,
5 Aaron MacHale/Killian Duffy (Ford Focus WRC) 1h 13m 08s,
6 Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 1h 13m 12s,
7 Derek McGarrity/Diarmuid Falvey (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 13m 46s,
8 Patrick Elliott/James O'Brien (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 14m 38s,
9 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 14m 57s,
10 Kevin Kelleher/Martin Kelleher (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 1h 15m 39s.