Jennings Proves his Pace

Posted: May 15, 2004 5:30 PM

Once again, Jennings, from Ballinamallard and Garry, from Letterkenny, proved that they were as quick as anyone else in the Production category, by setting a string of front running Group N Class times.

However, their event got off to a frustrating start, the first of Saturday¹s 11 stages seeing the car develop what they thought was distortion of the front brake disks, a familiar problem with a car which is bound by the regulations to use production specification components.

With the team also having to deal with a loose turbo pipe during the morning¹s tests, the problem at the front of the car was traced to a loose wheel bearing and, once repaired, Jennings set-off to make up for lost time.

Being some four minutes behind the Class leader, it was a tough task, but with the car now performing at 100%, bit-by-bit Jennings chipped away at his rivals advantage, to enter the second day within striking distance of good Group N position.

Sunday consisted of a further eight stages and, having climbed back up to 18th overall, Jennings opted to get the car home and score some production class points. But it was not to be: On the penultimate stage, when negotiating a fast right hander over a crest, the car lost traction with the asphalt and spun into the unforgiving trees at the side of the road.

"With two non-finishes so far this year,our hopes for the Irish Tarmac Championship are not as good as they could be", commented Jennings. "After the initial problems we had on this event the car went very well, so we¹re are not going to give up and intend to be out for the next round."

The fourth round of the Pirelli Irish Tarmac Championship is the Donegal Rally on 19th & 20th June. Jennings will again be driving the Chesterfield based VRS Motorsport team¹s built and prepared Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII and hoping to finally secure the Group N honours that have eluded him so far this season.

Jennings is supported by his long time main sponsors, Fisher Engineering, together with: Country Fried Chicken of Downpatrick, Sydare Eggs, Pirelli Tyres and new sponsors for this season, the Necarne Arms and Arthurs Restaurant.

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14/04/04
Jennings Stars in the Circuit Of Ireland
Making his 2004 rally debut driving a VRS Motorsport Mitsubishi Evolution VII, Garry Jennings proved he had lost none of his speed and ability when he led the Group N class and held an overall position position of sixth, in this weekend's Buy and Sell Circuit of Ireland Rally, before retiring after an accident on the final day
Photo: John Bayly The three day event began in Eniskillen on Saturday (10th April) and finished in the same place on Monday (12th April), crews facing a total of 179 competitive miles, split into 23 special stages on closed public roads in Northern and Southern Ireland.

Jennings, from Ballinamallard, and his co-driver, Paul Garry from Letterkenny, began their event intent on getting used to the new car. After what they thought was a steady start, they were delighted to find that by SS3 they were leading Group N - the category for standard specification cars.

Gradually increasing the pace, Jennings/Garry found they were catching other competitors in the stages - an impressive performance, but not good news, as they were inevitably delayed when gettiing past the slower cars.

During the day they were able to pull out a 15 second lead, until the penultimate stage, when they got stuck behind a car with a puncture. With no way of passing, they lost 25 seconds and dropped to second in Group N, 12 seconds behind the class leader, before the overnight halt.

Jennings/Garry were determined to regain their advantage on Sunday, which is exactly what they did and, by the end of the day were 25 seconds ahead of their closest production category rival.

Jennings was confident that he could easily maintain the pace and position for the final loop of stages on Easter Monday. But rallying isn't as predictable as that and on the first of the day's tests, whilst negotiating a fast left hand bend, the front nearside wheel clipped a hidden rock at the side of the road which immediately flipped the Mitsubishi onto its roof.

Although there was little damage inflicted to the car, Jennings and Garry could not get it back on its wheels and their rally was over.

"I'm disappointed we didn't get to the finish, but I was really pleased to find we can go quick enough to win Group N and swap times with crews in WRC machinery", said a philosophical Jennings. "It was all going according to plan up until the accident. I think we were unlucky, as I didn't see the rock at all. The car and the team worked very well though, I enjoyed the event and learnt a lot about the car, so it was a good weekend really."

Jennings hopes to contest the remaining six rounds of the Pirelli Irish Tarmac Championship driving the Chesterfield based VRS Motorsport team's built and prepared Mitsubishi, the next event being the Ordnance Survey International Rally of the Lakes on 30th April - 2nd May.

Jennings' Circuit of Ireland campaign was supported by his long time main sponsors, Fisher Engineering, together with: Country Fried Chicken of Downpatrick, Sydare Eggs, Pirelli Tyres and new sponsors for this season, the Necarne Arms and Arthurs Restaurant.

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08/04/04
Latest News from VRS Motorsport - Jennings Makes his Rallying Return

Former Peugeot 206 Cup Champion, Garry Jennings, makes his 2004 rally debut at this weekend's Buy & Sell Circuit of Ireland Rally driving a VRS Motorsport prepared Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII.

Jennings, from Ballinamallard, will be co-driven by Paul Garry from Letterkenny. Although not readily associated with Production category four-wheel-drive machinery, Jennings has already shown that he can be competitive in a Group N Mitsubishi, having won the class first time out at Lurgan Park in 2002 and contested the Manx International Rally that same year.

Having tested the VRS Motorsport Evolution earlier this week, Jennings was impressed with the car¹s performance:

"Although this was my first drive in an Evo VII, the car felt very good right from the start. The engine responded well and the handling was excellent, which made it quite deceptive to drive and I found I was going quicker than I thought."

However, Jennings is no stranger to the Circuit of Ireland Rally. Having competed on the three day, closed road marathon twice before, both occasions in a Peugeot 206 and on both occasions, whilst lying in the top 10, was sidelined with mechanical problems.

Jennings is therefore relishing the prospect of returning to this event and will be aiming for Group N glory:

"I¹m looking forward to the rally, especially as some of the stages are only 20 miles away from where I live, but with limited amount of time for testing, it¹s going to mean I have a steep learning curve in order to get the best out of the car."

As far as the rest of the season is concerned, Jennings is going to await the outcome of this weekend:

"If it all goes well I will look at the possibility of entering other rounds of the Irish Tarmac Championship, but I won¹t be making any decisions until we get to the finish on Monday."

Starting on Saturday (10th April) from St Angelo Airport, Enniskillen, the Buy & Sell Circuit of Ireland Rally comprises 23 special stages and a total of 179 competitive miles.

The rally finishes back in Enniskillen on Easter Monday (12th April), the route being unique, as it takes competitors from Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland and then back, having travelled through counties: Fermanagh, Tyrone, Donegal and Monaghan.

Jennings' Circuit of Ireland campaign is supported by long time main sponsors Fisher Engineering, together with Country Fried Chicken of Downpatrick, Sydare Eggs, Pirelli Tyres and new sponsors for this season: The Necarne Arms and Arthers Restuaraunt.