RALLY NEWS NO.1 West Cork Hotel Skibbereen/Sunday morning

There’s a certain degree of ‘end of term’ feeling about this Fastnet Rally. The event is the final round of both the Dunlop National Championship and the 023 Tiles Southern 4. Charlie Donnelly has won the Dunlop series and Melvyn Evans the 023, so, certainly at the top of the entry, the drivers have no Championship constraints. They can just go and enjoy these fabulous Skibbereen stages. The rally has a new Clerk of the Course this year in the shape of Michael O’Riordan, and a new base as well here at the West Cork Hotel.

Ray Breen in his Focus WRC heads the full 151 strong entry, Ray the outgoing Dunlop National Champion. Ray won this rally last year, but has had a mixed time this season. He hopes to get back on the winning course here in preparation for another serious crack at the Championship next year. Patrick Elliott at 2 finished runner up in this year’s Championship, the pressure is now off, so he’s just here to enjoy himself. Cavan man Patrick has had his Subaru Impreza WRC engine rebuilt, and he must be rated as one of the favourites this weekend. Gareth Jones was to be at 3, but his Subaru is reportedly sold, so next up will No.4 Denis Cronin.

Denis is the outgoing 023 Tiles Champion and he seems to be have been going backwards recently. He was starting to think that there was something wrong with himself. However he has now discovered that the front differential of his Subaru has been locked some way, so he’s been driving his socks off and getting nowhere. There is still an intermittent power problem with the car, but hopefully the Ballylickey man, with the Subaru’s front diff sorted, will be able to show his full potential this weekend.

Aaron MacHale is at 5 in his Focus WRC and now has Paul Nagle co-driving. Aaron had a good test in the Focus on Friday, and some of his stage times recently have suggested that he is ‘nearly there’ in terms of winning. Could this be that weekend? Michael Barrable is at 6 in his Focus. He is another with a change of co-driver, Dermot O’Gorman reading the notes this weekend. Michael has a soft spot for the Fastnet stages and could go well.

Martin Doherty was to be at 7, but he can’t make it, so next up is Welshman Melvyn Evans in his Subaru. Melvyn won the West Cork early in the year and that laid the foundation for him winning the 023 Tiles series. Melvyn has some special EXTC suspension in the car, as used by the works Citroens until recently. He has also had the suspension overhauled since the Cork ‘20’. David James is at 9 in his Focus WRC and has Frank Curtin co-driving this time.

Alan Ring rounds off the top ten and is also the first of the GpN competitors. Munster Joinery man Ring is favourite to win GpN on the Dunlop Championship, the only driver capable of denying him being Willie Fannin. They both drive Impreza N12’s, and there is little between the cars, so there’s fireworks promised between these two. There are several more drivers capable of winning GpN here, Kevin Kelleher for example in his ‘Big Fella’ backed Lancer, or Tadgh Linehan in his refurbished Impreza, young Keith Cronin and a whole lot more.

An extra special dimension to the rally will be the battle for 2 wheel drive honours. Visiting drivers Phil Collins in his Escort and John Dalton in his Darrian will be the benchmark for some of the top home drivers such as Willie Whitty, Kevin O’Donoghue, Peter Kelly and Dave Slattery, the latter’s Escort fitted with a new engine.

Just some of the changes to entry not already mentioned include James O’Sullivan and his co-driver Brian Duggan swapping their usual Lancer to a McKinstry Impreza WRC. It’s in at the deep end for James to get used to the World Rally Car, but on a short test session he really loved it. James will keep the number 18 on the car, but will start behind Melvyn Evans. John Young is co-driving for Eamonn Daly, Conor Curley (29) is non-starting, nor is Pat Price, Willie McCarthy, Pat Corcoran and Eamonn Murphy. Most of the reserves are getting a start, although Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy are too busy at work and have opted not to do the rally.
More news later. BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net