Commanding Cronin Holds Overnight Lead

Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin hold the overnight lead of the West Cork Rally in the M O'Brien Group of Companies/Lyons of Limerick/Shane Casey Electrical Services Ford Fiesta Rally 2. They have an advantage of one minute, 18.8 seconds over their closest challengers, Matt Edwards and David Moynihan, who are also in a Fiesta, as are the third placed crew of William Creighton and Liam Regan, who lie a further 31.8 seconds off the lead.‍

Callum Devine and Noel O'Sullivan had led after the stages on Friday afternoon and evening, but they were overhauled by Cronin and Galvin on the first of the Saturday stages.  Devine stayed in touch on the next one, but then clipped a rock and punctured a tyre on the day's third test, dropping him down the order.  He inflicted further damage to his Volkswagen Polo on the final stage of the day, and his rally appears to be over.

Cronin and Galvin controlled their lead as the day progressed, and were fastest on six of the eight stages to establish and maintain a comfortable margin to the rest of the field.  Six more tests west of Clonakilty remain to be completed on Sunday, the first of which will get underway just before 11am.

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