Day One of the Assess Ireland Killarney International Rally of the Lakes is complete, and for local favourites, Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin, it has been a story of great highs and an incredible low. They took the lead of the rally in the M O'Brien Group of Companies/Lyons of Limerick/Shane Casey Electrical Services Ford Fiesta Rally 2 on stage two this morning, and built up a comfortable margin of over half a minute as the day went on, until they picked up a puncture on the penultimate test of the day. They chose to drive through without changing the wheel, but the time loss dropped them to sixth on the leaderboard. They were fastest again on the final stage of the day, Kilmakillogue, and gained one place back, but any chances of the overall victory have evaporated. 
Callum Devine and Noel O'Sullivan hold the overnight lead in their Volkswagen Polo GTi, 22 seconds ahead of Matt Edwards and David Moynihan in a Ford Fiesta. Eddie Doherty and Tom Murphy lie third, a further 13.5 seconds in arrears, in their Skoda Fabia Rally 2.
Ivan Hurley reports
"I'm gutted, there's nothing more I can say, it is tough," said Cronin of the day's outcome. "I'll take a bit of motivating tomorrow. The puncture came early in the stage, I thought I heard a click on a left hander, there was no big impact or anything, we drove on it, then I could see it on right handers, it was starting to nose on a little bit, it was just slow puncture," he added.
There are six further stages on the itinerary tomorrow, in the Rathmore and Gneeveguilla areas, east of Killarney.
Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin are supported by M O’Brien Group of Companies, Lyons Motor Group, Shane Casey Electrical Services, Molson Equipment, Pirelli, EARS Motorsport Ireland, Cronin’s Centra (Ballylickey, Union Hall, Leap, Millstreet and Dundrum), Cronin’s HomeValue Hardware, Westlink Service Station and Daybreak Shop, Cremin Coaches, Keohane Seafoods, M-Sport and Wurth Ireland.
(Pictures courtesy of D Harrigan Images)
