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Mayo Restricted Single Stage 2002 - 13 Jan 02Posted: January 14, 2002 12:47 PM - 21958 Hits
Posted: January 14, 2002 12:47 PM But it was the McGoverns that finished runners-up and to add to Roger’s disappointment, up came young Conor Curley and Philip Hone (Derry) with a 9.07 in an Escort to take that third spot.
One of the pre-rally favourites, Mervyn Wedlock, recent winner of the Ardee Rally had a terrible start to the event as the Cavan driver dropped 7 minutes on the first run in his G4 Escort after missing a sharp right turn. Border Series runners-up Paul Gallagher and Karl Reid from Letterkenny had been lying 3rd after the first run but were unfortunately forced to retire on Special Stage 2 when their Corolla’s engine exploded at the end of a long straight. Course Car ‘00’ duties today were undertaken by Rory O’Connor in his Escort WRC. Rory had his 16 year old daughter Jane co-driving on her first rally. 003 was the ex-Rory Galligan Peugeot 106. The UK 106 Cup winning car is now converted to RHD, driven by one of Rory’s mechanics, Dara Hand, and co-driven by Claire Walsh from Westport. Best Club finishers were Westport’s Tom Muldoon and Eoin Cunningham following on from their great run in the recent Ostan Oilean Acla Single Stage held in Achill last October. Killian Duffy was the Club’s top finishing navigator with 23rd overall in Derrick Jobb’s Nissan Sunny. The Tyrone/Crossmolina pairing won Class 7. It may be quite a while since Westport hosted a rally, but it turned out to be a brilliant spectacle. The Mayo Single Stage brought out huge numbers of spectators who all enjoyed a tremendous days action. Clerk of the Course, Sean McHugh, was delighted with the success of the event and thanked everyone involved for their help on the day. The fact that every B&B was booked out in the area was testimony in itself that rallying is back in earnest after a quiet year in 2001 due to Foot and Mouth.1 Eugene Ferry/John Gallagher (Escort 2.0) 27m 27s, 2 Tom McGovern/Kevin McGovern (Escort 2.0) 27m 39s, 3 Conor Curley/Paul Hone (Escort 2.0) 27m 41s, 4 Gordon Rogers/Philip McEntee (Escort 2.0) 27m 41s, 5 Rodney Wilton/Peter Leahy (Escort 1.6 16V) 28m 02s, 6 Pat Higgins/Liam Higgins (Escort 2.0) 28m 19s, 7 Terence McHugh/Brian McMonagle (Escort 2.0) 28m 26s, 8 James Cassidy/Damien Duffin (Escort 1.6) 28m 26s, 9 Gerry Smyth/Charles Adams (Escort 2.0) 28m 38s, 10 Martin Magee/Adrian Brolly (Escort) 28m 39s. Group N winner: Aidan Caddye/Eamonn Ferry (Astra) 29m 10s.
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Donegal native, Eugene Ferry, led 130 cars away from Westport at the start of the Castlecourt Hotel Mayo Single Stage Rally and maintained that position over the three Special Stages held around the Partry Mountains. The Escort MKII driver with John Gallagher alongside recorded the fastest time of the day in 9.06, not once but on two occasions. While Ferry cruised to victory, a tremendous battle ensued for the 2nd and 3rd. Cavan brothers Tom and Kevin McGovern were second after the first run in their Escort but Gordon Rogers and Philip McEntee (Escort) equalled their overall time on the second run after setting a blistering pace of 9.07 over the 10.4 mile tight and twisty route, once used in the Circuit of Ireland.
The victor of the first tarmac rally of 2002, Eugene Ferry, commented at the finish ramp in Ireland’s Tidiest Town - Westport, "I was lucky to get the break on the first stage, although mind you I thought I had relaxed just a little too much on the final stage. I am very pleased to have won, the car ran like clockwork. I thought the rally was very demanding, slippy, but good fun and the lads behind were never too far away."
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