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MURPHY WINS GpN second overall !!!!!!!!!!
Murphy and Hicks Master GpN and take 2nd Overall.
Owen Murphy and Rodney Hicks in the Hankook/OFlynn Mitsubishi Evo 9 were on a mission in Cork for the Cork forestry Rally, after a cautious start Owen who had not been in the woods in 2 years upped his pace slotted into second overall and won GpN.
The Cork Forestry Rally loomed and the plan was hatched to hire a car from SP Motorsport, with the event getting closer Owen was looking for a co driver the call was made to co-driver Rodney Hicks and he said yes I would love to sit in.So that was it things were coming together with a small test the day before the rally Owen was confident of a good result,Friday morning came and the phone rang Andrew from SP Motorsport said lads I drove the car there is a problem we must fit a new clutch this ment that there would be no test in the car so it would be new car new co driver and into the stages.
A very wet Saturday morning greeted the crews as they made their way to the first stage Owens plan was to take it cautious over the first two then we might attack on the long stage the most important thing to happen in the first two stages was that Owen and Rodney who had never met before gelled they were getting on great in the car.Owen was cautious over the first two 9th on the time sheets seemed a bit far back but after 4 the lads were up to 7th overall.
Now was the time to attack and team manager Jerry Murphy came into his own picking the tyres with Owen agreeing on a hard compound Hankook tyre Owen was beaming at the stage end saying everything was just clicking real well, new car new co driver and the hard compound Hankook tyres were working well, Owen and Rodney were later to find out how well they took a massive 25 seconds out of second placed John Reid in his Corolla WRC and were now in 2nd overall and leading GpN after taking 13seconds out of the nearest GpN competitor. Fired up now it was the turn of John Reid to set fastest time by over 2 seconds from Owen and Breen who were separated by just 0.1 of a second in favour of Owen.
Owen went back into the long stage and improved his time by just under 6 seconds all he had to do now was keep it calm keep it under control which he did to finish a fine second overall and the GpN winner.
At the finish an ecstatic Owen said wow what a day I can do it when it all comes together ,so many people to thank Andrew and all the lads at SP Motorsport for a fantastic car,dad for an inspired tyre choice,Rodney a guy I just met and already we are like old friends he was right on it all day, Darren McCarthy the Clerk of the Course and all at Cork Motor Club for a great event and of course my sponsors without then we would not be here today,
Owen is supported by the following
OFlynn Construction, Pitlane/Hankook tyres, O Brien Crowley Accountants,Walsh Printers, www.rally.pro.ie, carnet.ie.
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