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Irish Notes
by Brian & Liz Patterson |
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Irish Notes 2nd September 2015
There was disappointment for Craig Breen last weekend on the Barum Rally, as his Peugeot suffered punctures and dropped many minutes. This meant that Craig did not improve on his European Championship position. He had to battle hard to get back to 7th place at the finish of the rally, having dropped around 4 minutes and was lying well outside the top ten. Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Fiesta R5) finished 3rd and continues to lead the European Championship. Jan Kopecky in his Skoda R5 won the rally. Kajetanowicz has 159 European points and Craig holds 2nd on 136. Craig commented. “Seventh is not what we came here to do but it is what it is and we must look forward. We take home some Championship points and that might be very important when it comes to the end of the season.” The classic mixed surface Cyprus Rally is the next European Championship counter and takes place on the 25th 26th 27th September.
On the Galway Summer Rally Peadar Hurson/Damian Connolly in their Subaru scored a brilliant victory. For Co. Down man Hurson this start to finish win in Galway meant a continuation of his recent outstanding rally results. Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry in their Subaru had to work hard to stay ahead of Declan Gallagher in the race for 2nd, with Gallagher/Ryan Moore having to settle for the final podium place.
This was the penultimate round of the Triton Showers National series. Donagh Kelly, who wasn’t competing, has clinched the title, and Maguire’s result means he is runner up. Peadar Hurson did win this Championship over 20 years ago, and although he only does the occasional rally nowadays, his recent results would indicate he hasn’t lost the winning flair!
There was an early shock in the rally when No.1 seed Declan Boyle slid his new Fiesta WRC into a first stage ditch. As one of the other top drivers said, it could have happened to anyone, the rain came on unexpectedly and the roads were wet, shiny and very slippy. Declan possibly ‘out-braked himself’. It was a big disappointment for the outgoing National and Tarmac Champion. However, the most important matter was that both he and his co-driver Brian were uninjured.
Peadar Hurson had no such worries, the Co. Down man reporting that the tyres on his Impreza worked well on the wet roads and he pulled out a 38s lead over Niall Maguire by first service in Athenry after three stages. Maguire admitted he lost confidence on the slippery opening stages, especially when he saw Boyle’s Fiesta WRC in a ditch.
Steve Wood held 3rd, Roy White was once again very impressive in his little MG ZR to hold 4th, although Declan Gallagher (Starlet) in 5th, Alan Ring (Subaru) in 6th and Ed O’Callaghan (Escort) in 7th were only a couple of seconds away. White did have a few anxious moments when a brake bleed nipple came loose in stage 2. Triton Showers man Kevin Barrett withdrew his Impreza WRC following some suspension damage on the first loop of stages. Pat Donegan/Alan Keena stopped in stage 2 when their Escort got beached on a square left with not a spectator in sight for a push out!
Through the 2nd loop Peadar Hurson was able to maintain a decent pace to conserve his lead. Hurson was under no real pressure from fellow Subaru men Maguire and Ring. Instead it was Declan Gallagher in his Starlet who leapt into 2nd place with a fastest time in stage 5. Ed O’Callaghan (Escort) was also piling on the pressure with 2nd and 3rd quickest times, having lost a few seconds with a stage 2 overshoot.
At that 2nd service in Athenry Hurson had a 51s lead over Declan Gallagher, with a slightly bemused Niall Maguire 3rd, 2.8s behind the flying Starlet. This left Alan Ring in 4th, Roy White 5th and Ed O’Callaghan 6th. Just a few seconds covered 2nd to 6th places, promising fireworks on the now drying roads of the final three stage loop. Steve Wood had dropped from 3rd to 7th when he spun his Subaru.
Daniel McKenna was 8th in the Fiesta R5 on this, his first competitive run in the car. Outside the top ten, Gary Cairns led GpN, from Niall Tohill, with Trevor Bustard 3rd, all in Lancers and with just a second or two between them starting the final loop. Aidan Wray had led GpN but lost a lot of time when his Lancer developed a mechanical problem.
Hurson was fastest on two of the three stages on the final loop. Roy White set quickest time on the final ‘Power’ stage. This earned Roy a few bonus points and possibly 3rd in the Triton series. Although Ed O’Callaghan was fastest MK2 Escort on the day, it was Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle who clinched the Mk2 Escort Trophy for the Triton Championship.
Trevor Bustard/John McCafferty won GpN in their Lancer. Aidan Wray and Gary Cairns retired their respective Lancers with mechanical maladies. Cormac Phelan/Katju Auhl won the Juniors in their Citroen C2R2, with Gary McNamee/John McCabe 2nd in their Honda Civic.
Galway Summer Stages Top Ten:-
1st Peadar Hurson/Damien Connolly (Impreza WRC S10) 1h04m45.2s
2nd Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC S12b) +1m09.1s
3rd Declan Gallagher/Ryan Moore (Toyota Starlet RWD) +1m10s
4th Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Subaru Impreza WRC S12b) +1m12.2s
5th Roy White/James O’Brien (MG S2000) +1m20.2s
6th Ed O’Callaghan/Ger Clancy (Ford Escort Mk2) +1m36.1s
7th Steve Wood/Keith Moriarity (Subaru Impreza WRC S10) + 1m40.8s
8th Daniel McKenna/Kevin Glynn (Ford Fiesta R5) +1m43.5s
9th Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne (Ford Escort Mk2) +2m03.4s
10th Chris Armstrong/James Fulton (Ford Escort Mk2) +2m15.0s
Classes, 1: Brian Moore/Lorcan Moore (Honda Civic); 2 Shane Forde/Seamus McTigue (Honda Civic); 3 Eoin Neville/Billy Collins (Honda Civic Tyre R); 4 Trevor Bustard/John McCafferty (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9); 5 Daniel McKenna/Kevin Glynn (Ford Fiesta R5); 7 Peadar Hurson/Damien Connolly (Subaru Impreza WRC S10); 9 Ray Cunningham/Adrian Cusack (Mini); 10 Con Mulcahy/John Nugent (Vauxhall Nova); 11F Marty Gallagher/Dean O’Sullivan (Honda Civic); 11R Barry Treanor/Jonathan Treanor (Ford Escort); 12 Marty Toner/Sharon Clarke (Talbot Sunbeam); 13 Declan Gallagher/Ryan Moore (Toyota Starlet RWD); 14 Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne (Ford Escort Mk2); 15 Eddie Power/Mark Wiley (Toyota Corolla); 20 Roy White/James O’Brien (MG S2000); 18 Historics Niall Keane/Conor Keane (Talbot Sunbeam); 16 Juniors Cormac Phelan/Katja Auhl (Citroen C2R2).
On the Mewla Rally in Wales, Steve Simpson/Patrick Watts in their Impreza took victory from Damian Cole/Jack Morton. Cole was driving his new Fiesta WRC and finished 23s behind the flying Simpson Subaru. The Mewla is a round of the REIS asphalt series, which Simon Maugher has already won, so opted out of this event. The Wexford Rally has been a round for many years, but not this time, so the upcoming event is missing some of the top names we have become accustomed to. The always popular event still has a more than healthy entry. Mark Straker and James Stafford in their respective Darrians are amongst the top seeds and the fast flowing Wexford roads generally suit these very fast RWD lightweight cars well. Paddy McVeigh, Steve Wood and Kevin Barrett, will be competing in their Impreza WRCs. Some top Escort men include Adrian Hetherington, Wesley Patterson and Frank Kelly.
The rally has attracted over 140 entries and there are some slots still available. Once again the CoC Pat O’Dowd has done a brilliant job of making the event compact and easy to recce, but has still picked stages which should make for a really enjoyable non car-breaking challenge.
Also coming up fast is the Acesigns backed Cork ‘20’, final round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Tarmac Championship. The Munster Car Club organisers report the event, this year based in the Radisson Blu at Little Island, to be well advanced. Donagh Kelly, driving his Focus WRC, has already won the overall Tarmac Title for this year, but the Donegal man has sportingly decided to see the Championship through. This of course has special significance, as under the new rules for 2016 and into the immediate future this Cork ‘20’ will be the last round of the Tarmac Championship where World Rally Cars can score points towards the overall title. The Donegal MC at first bridled against this new concept but has now accepted the new concept which encourages drivers to move to R5 type machinery. Billy Coleman Award winner Stephen Wright is once such young driver and he has entered the Cork ‘20’ in his Fiesta R5, as has Joe McGonigle (Skoda S2000). Further entries in the pipeline include former National Champion Melvyn Evans in his Subaru Impreza WRC and, most interestingly, his son Merion in a Citroen DS3.
An interesting piece of news from the recent Ulster Rally is that young Callum Devine, who was driving one of the new Opel Adams and who won his class in the Tarmac Championship part of the rally, is the recipient of a free entry to this year’s WRC Wales Rally GB. 21 year old Callum, from Derry, commented, “I’m over the moon to get this entry for Wales Rally GB. It is much appreciated. I haven’t got a gravel kit for the Opel Adam yet, but it’s put a push on to look about one now.”
The Crafted Fitted Furniture & Joinery Jim Walsh Forest Rally produced by On The Limits Sports is scheduled to be broadcast on TG4 Friday 18 Sept at 6.45PM & Sat Sept 19.
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