It is great to have created a piece of Irish Rallying history” commented Donagh Kelly last weekend when he brought his Focus WRC to a halt at the end of the final West Cork Stage, Rossmore. Donagh, co-driven by Conor Foley had clinched his fourth West Cork victory on the trot. No other driver has won it four times, let alone over four consecutive years. Kevin Flanagan was Donagh’s co-driver for his first two wins, Foley for the latest two. The emphasis this year may have been on the R5s and the Tarmac Championship, but this was no easy trip for Dublin based businessman Donagh, who hails from Donegal. His home place may be alive with Irish Wolfhounds, horses, rabbits and goodness knows what else, but in business and on the stages he is one cool determined man. His victory in West Cork was very talented, very courageous in the slippy conditions, but at the same time, it was another job well done by former National and Tarmac Champion Donagh.
In the turmoil of the 2nd day latter stages, as the roads became muddy and slippy, Josh Moffett/James Fulton in their Fiesta emerged as 2nd o/a and winner of the R5 category, attracting maximum Clonakilty Blackpudding Tarmac Championship points. Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble in their similar Fiesta R5 were 3rd o/a, 2nd in the points to extend their lead in the Tarmac series. Kevin Eves/William Lynch produced a very courageous and talented drive in their Corolla to win the National category.

It was fitting that the rally finish ramp was in Clonakilty’s Emmet Square, just a short distance from Twomey’s butcher’s shop, where the Clonakilty Blackpudding story all started. It was a tough rally this year, run under the direction of Greg McCarthy, along with the team from Cork MC and volunteers from all over the country. The rally ran like clockwork, and thankfully there were no major mishaps – so far as we are aware anyway. There was a glitch with the results, but these things happen.

Despite the at times inclement weather thousands of people turned out to spectate and enjoy the West Cork atmosphere over this St Patrick’s weekend. It really was a massive achievement by Greg McCarthy and his team to make it all happen at all, let alone with the style in which they carried it through. There were dozens of stories of ‘derring-do’ as well as hard luck episodes and exceptional achievement. We have attempted to record some of them @ www.rallynews.net

On the Scottish Borders the Prestone British Rally Championship got under way with the Border Counties. Swedish driver Fredrik Ahlin (Fabia R5) made a great start to the BRC by taking victory, from Tom Cave (Fiesta R5) and with Osian Pryce (Fiesta R5) fifth. Keith Cronin seemed to heading for 3rd in his Fiesta R5, but was just pipped on the post by Welshman Osian Pryce for the final podium place. Keith’s Fiesta did suffer several punctures and then he was left doing stages with no spare. However in the heat of the battle Keith was able to match or beat the best stage times which gives him some heart for the rest of the series. It has to be remembered as well that Keith is really suffering a lack of competitive 4wd seat time through the woods.

Jonny Greer in his Citroen finished a creditable 8th o/a. He reported that they had an excursion on the first darkness stage. It was nothing serious but damaged the lights, which cost more time. He admits that on the Saturday he couldn’t match the times of the top men at the front, their speed akin to WRC2. It became a matter for the Carryduff man to just plug away, enjoy the stages and get the car to the finish.
Young William Creighton/Liam Regan finished a very good 15th o/a and 3rd in the Juniors. William has little forest rally experience and at times was matching or beating the best Juniors, Oscar Solberg and Dean Raftery. Dean has not been rallying for a while so he did well to bring his Peugeot 208 home in 14th and 2nd Junior. Callum Devine managed 17th and Marty Gallagher 18th. Desi Henry retired, as did Marty McCormack. Desi’s Skoda incurred a puncture going into a series of fast downhill right hand corners on the final stage, got onto the soft stuff and slithered down a bank to come to rest against a tree. He could have continued but was unable to get the car out. Marty McCormack’s Skoda suffered an early puncture, but then he too got well on the pace but it all came to naught on the same flat right over crest which caught out David Bogie, Marty’s car suffering broken steering against a rock.

This weekend coming it is the turn of the Midland Moto Rally, round two of the Triton Showers National Championship. There is an interesting and varied entry for this Longford Arms Hotel based event, with nine fast stages, three loops of three, under the direction of CoC Sean Cahill. Sam Moffett, winner of the opening round in his Fiesta WRC, is the No.1 seed here. Monaghan man Moffett, fresh from setting front running R5 times in West Cork last week, is the hot driver at the moment. Certainly strong opposition will surely come from Declan Boyle, but he is flat out with his business at the moment and it is not easy to just switch on to the demands of rallying at this level.
Similarly, top seeds such as Manus Kelly and Mark Donnelly are to a degree lacking ‘seat time’.

Defending National Champion Roy White in his Focus WRC could be on the pipe from the word go, but the extra little bit that differentiates between winning or not is hard to find and Roy, since he got his Focus WRC, has been a regular top 3 finisher but an overall victory has eluded him. Perhaps this will be the weekend. Niall Maguire and Pauric Duffy, Subaru and R5 respectively, are at 7 & 8 in the entry list and then it is the Escorts of Adrian Hetherington and Pat Donegan who round of the top ten. There are lots of interesting drivers and cars outside the top ten seeds, which should make for an interesting rally. As well as being a Triton Showers National round the event is also a counter in the Colton Motors Midlands Midlands East Rally championship.

This weekend also we have the Woodside Group backed Circuit of Ulster Targa Rally. Although the organisers have reportedly not received as many entries as they had hoped for, it is still large by any standards, ensuring a really good return for the Air Ambulance NI. And of course, the competitors should have a good day out!

Looking further forward, on the 1st/2nd April it is the turn of the Circuit of Kerry, and then on the 8th/9th April, Easter weekend, it is the next Valvoline Forestry round, the Moonraker. Richard Talbot is the man in charge of the Tralee based Kerry event, and Richard has pulled out all the stops to ensure the rally, which is ‘non National Championship’ this time around, gets a decent entry. Richard has introduced all sorts of financial incentives with the entry fees, and has also designed some fabulous stage mileage into the event.

Similarly, the Moonraker has an effective cost structure, including concessions on the insurance front, and the forestry stages around the rally’s base at Ballyvourney are excellent.