[AnnieJ1]

sorry to see what happened to stafford yesterday!!! The man can Drive anything and has proven it!!! From winning what can be won in 1400 and 1600 novas, to setting some of the best times in a mark 2 in carlow this year, and finally leading by 48seconds into the last stage yesterday in his first time out in a 4wd EVO!!!! He is some man for one man!!!

 

[jp ruth]

ya he was going well all right it was a pity really but hey thats rallying aint it?

 

[Kenna]

Yeah great drive out off stafford until his unfortunate off. Also some drive out of Paul Purtil in his 1300 escort 4th overall!!!

 

[AnnieJ1]

That was some result!!! Class 9 hadnt a hope against him!!!

 

[James O'Sullivan]

It was hard luck on the Staffords but that's the trouble with group N's , when it gets away from you it's usually not coming back :roll:

I wasn't there but Donal o' Donovan doesn't hang around so the pace must have been quick and a fine drive from Paul Purtill.
Grand to see my slapper of a navigator picking up some crystal as well .. well done Deasy.

 

[rallyfanireland]

Stafford is some pilot.....looking at the times he was head and shoulders above the rest. He would rattle the estab lished drivers in group N if he opted for that route.

 

[AnnieJ1]

Staforrd was well ahead, he didnt need to push the pace on last stage he more or less had it won, we done sweeper 00, and i seen where he went off, it was so so slippy there, hes just not a man for backin off!!! gives 110% at all times!!!

 

[Gary Nolan]

Stage 2, Spinnan's hill, 8.5 miles of mucky, shitty mountain roads, grip was really at a premium. Stafford was 26secs faster than anyone else. Not only was it from Donal O' Donavan, but from Kieran O' Callaghan and Kevin Kelleher, 2 of the quickest Evo men around. Just about sums up the pace the man was on! Hat's off to Paul Purtill aswell, always knew he was rapid but that was amazing yesterday. Annie summed it up, Stafford can hop into a mk2 and match that best, just amazes everyone with his performances in a front wheel drive car and now jumps into a 4wd car and puts in a performance like that. He really is a class above.

 

[gn3dr]

There's no prizes for giving 110%. Perhaps if he had used his head a bit more he would have won the rally?

I'm not trying to be controversial here and I don't know the guy but there's loads of talk on here about guys who are "quick" but who perhaps suffer a bit from the red mist.

A good driver needs to have the complete package to get results - i.e. use his brain as well as his right foot!

48 secs lead going into a final stage should be enough for anyone with a bit of sense to decide to drive safely and take the win. A rally win would have looked much better on this guys CV than just another DNF caused by an accident.

 

[Gary Nolan]

You could count the number of DNF's Stafford has had since he started rallying back in 1999 on one hand I reckon. He don't go off, he don't pull wheels off the car, he don't bend in quarter panels, he's neat and tidy while being on the doorhandles! And it could easily be the case that he did back it off a tad on the last stage, it's easier to crash at 80% that 100%, concentration levels and all that.
And just on the quote that says "there's no prizes for giving 110%", there is one prize for giving 110% you get that can never be made from a piece of crystal, it's the admiration of the thousands who stand on the ditch, who think yer off your rocker, the cheer from the crowd when you come into view cause they know your giving it everything and more, and when you go bye everyone looks at everyone else and there just standing speechless in complete amazment. To get a reaction like that is a big a prize as you can get in my opinion.

 

[AnnieJ1]

Well fuckin said HBX!!! couldnt have said it better myself!!!!! The support, and admiration that man has from his fans is unreal!!! He couldnt ask for better!!! There is always one HBX eh!!!!! How did ye get on??

[Edited on 31/08/2005 by AnnieJ1]

 

[solberg2004]

It was one of the best rallies for entertainment that ive been to in a while. MkII escorts sideways round corners thats what it all about. Junction 5 on Stage 2 and 4 was a cracker of a corner to watch. It was a tight hairpin left up a small hill. Most of the rear wheel drive men were hanging it out on the corner apart from the odd overshoot!

Very unlucky what happened to james on the last stage. He was pushing hard from what i saw on every stage.

And fair play to tommy randles! He had the anti lag turned up to the last id say. The celica was making some amount of noise!

[Edited on 21-11-2005 by solberg2004]

 

[Gary Nolan]

That's what the Tayto add says Annie, der's always one. We had a good run, 31st o/a and 6th in class 11. Der was only 17 secs between 3rd and 6th in class but we were still happy. Apart from suspensions, the car is a standard V-tec civic, no limo, no quickrack, standard box, standard shafts, Ben just drove the wheels off it! We were first Civic home so that was good! Was nice of yourself and O' Toole to give us all a chance! Jesus ye were in bad luck. What was it, driveshaft?

 

[jp ruth]

at a rallycross in mondello a few weeks ago tommy randles had the celica there and he was told to turn the anti lag down cos of the noise of it, the celica is an out dated car but it sounds deadly he is really getting the hang of that car now

 

[solberg2004]

Yeah i was at that rallycross meeting where he was out to test the car! It didnt sound as good when he turned it down though! I recall he turned it back up for his last run though! Was a good pilot of the mkII when he was driving it but as you say jp he is getting to grips with the celica.

Some roar from the car yesterday though. Tis a reminder of the old days before WRC cars were introduced

 

[AnnieJ1]

Ya drivers side!!! Remember after big jump bridge on stage one, down a straight over C, into SqL, breaks and all went on that C!!!! I knew nothin till we stopped ha ha ha. ah sure thats rallyin he was goin well up to that!! had a bit of craic doin 00 tho!!

 

[solberg2004]

Yeah we could see for about a mile from the 1st junction on stage one and all the drivers were lifting down at the bridge, bar one or two. Some view though from the corner!

 

[AnnieJ1]

That was a bad bridge, we came lovely through the first junction and went down hill from there:roll:landed on my side so that didnt do the damage!

 

[realdriversdoitloose]

Well said HBX u really have to expierence the feeling 2 know what ur talking about its some buzz alrite

 

[sean]

How did Ollie Mc Phillips look in his newly purchased Group A Celica?