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| Townparks Glens of Antrim |
| RALLY NEWS No.1 - Loughguile - Tuesday @ 12:57:40 |
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Today’s Townparks Glens of Antrim Rally, encompassing as it does some of the traditional classic Co Antrim asphalt stages, promises to be a fitting finale to this season’s NI Rally Championship. At the Townparks Vauxhall garage in Antrim last night the standard of cars being scrutineered for event was really very high.
Following all the ups, downs and hardships of a long tough season, overall Championship honours now centre on just two crews – Sean Devine/Damien Duffin and Connor McCloskey/Francis Regan. Both crews are in Subaru World Rally Cars this time, McCloskey having switched again from his Focus WRC to an Impreza S12. Although Connor was very happy in the Focus, he reckons the Subaru could just have the better suspension for the ‘jumps’.
Perhaps one factor in McCloskey’s favour could be that his co-driver Francis Regan is a Glens of Antrim man, and may be able to give that little bit of extra knowledge and confidence to Connor.
Missing from the fray is outgoing NI Rally Champion Glenn Allen. The Cookstown man’s Corolla WRC is sitting ready to go, but Glenn has become just a tad disillusioned, reckoning that no matter how hard he drives it, the Corolla is just getting too old now, and doesn’t have the legs of the newer WRC cars. Glenn’s regular co-driver, Damien Connolly, is sitting in with Des Moore in his fabulous Mk2 Escort, running at 17.
This Townparks rally is about a lot more than the first two seeds of course. Well over 100 crews are lining up to compete. At No3 is former Tarmac Championship winner Derek McGarrity, with James McKee on the notes this time, Derek driving a sister Subaru to McCloskeys’ example. These classic Co. Antrim stages are old stamping grounds for McGarrity, and he is relishing the prospect of a blast over these roads on this clear crisp autumn day.
At 4 is husband and wife team John and Mandy McKeown, and they also are looking forward to a high speed run over their local roads. John had a last minute mechanical hiccup with his Escort Cosworth last night, but all now seems well. James Gillen was to be at 5 in his Subaru, but apparently can’t make the start so Kieran Graffin is next on the road, and has Charlie Beatty co-driving in his Lancer, and runs at 6. Kieran was to drive a Subaru today but has switched to the GpA Mitsubishi although it seems there is a last minute panic in the service area as the starter ring has come off the fly wheel. Former NI Champion Sean Haveron is at 7 in his refurbished Escort Cosworth, and then it’s Cathal Rogers, with his son Eoighan co-driving, at 8. Cathal drives his GpN Lancer, and indeed is first on the road of the very strong GpN contingent.
The prestigious GpN title is up for grabs today, and Cathal is just one of a handful of drivers who can take the title. Neil McCance, Alan Carmichael, John Walker and Brian McFall all run behind Cathal and are in with a shout at the title. Behind the group N Lancers are the first of the Mk2 Escorts; there should be fireworks on a par with Halloween between the best of the ‘Mk2 men!’
Just some of the changes to entry include Richard Hyland co-driving for Andrew Bushe, and Paddy Quinn/Martin Toner are slotted in at 117. More details of entry changes and re-seeds will no doubt become available as the rally office gets set up here in Loughguile where the event is based for the day.
More news later: BRIAN & LIZ PATTERSON www.rallynews.net |
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