EuroCables Rally @ KIRKISTOWN (North Armagh MC) - 19 Feb 05

Posted: February 22, 2005 4:07 PM

John McGlaughlin overcomes difficult Eurocables Stages Rally
Cookstown’s John McGlaughlin made a successful start to his 2005 Pacenotes N.I. Rally Championship campaign when he finished fourth in Group N at Saturday’s Eurocables Stages Rally.

Photo: www.roydempster.com

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7 pilot, who is sponsored by Hilltop Fuels, Shu Stop and Kumho Tyres, endured a day fraught with problems but determination saw McGlaughlin and co-driver, David McElroy (Gilford), emerge with an armful of points.

John said: “During the first stage everything was working really well but when I started the second lap another car pulled out in front of me and cut me off. After nearly a mile and a half, I finally had a chance to pass him. I went up the inside into a square left but the other car came right across me and hit my car! I couldn’t believe it!”

John lost at least 15 seconds as a result and the McGlaughlin’s Bakery crew found themselves languishing in ninth position after the stage. It was a bitter blow for the crew who were hoping for a good result but they kept their spirits high and vowed to attack the remaining five stages. A clean run on stage two saw them move up the leaderboard, only for disaster to strike once again on the third stage.

“At the second corner I braked a second too late - the car locked up and the rear stepped out, caught the grass and spun us around. We got stuck in the tyres at the side of the track and the incident resulted in another 15 second time loss. It put us back to ninth in Group N once again – the day just couldn’t get any worse!”

With three of six stages completed, John did his best to climb back up the Group N rankings over the remaining tests. Consistent top four times allowed the crew to recover to fourth in category and take 17th overall but it was a case of ‘what might have been’ for the crew who had been seeded first in class.

“A day of mixed feelings is how I would describe it,” John said. “I went to Kirkistown hoping to get a top four finish and I’m glad we managed to do that despite the problems. I was told the day before the rally that my active differential has never worked and that’s why the car has been handling so bad. It’s also down on power so hopefully all will be sorted in time for the second round of the championship at Bishopscourt!

John McGlaughlin is sponsored by McGlaughlin’s Bakery, Hilltop Fuels, Shu Stop and Kumho Tyres.

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Greyabbey’s Michael Curran takes to the podium!
Greyabbey’s Michael Curran took an excellent third overall at Saturday’s Eurocables Stages Rally, round one of the Pacenotes N.I. Rally Championship!


Photo: www.roydempster.com

24 year old Curran, driving a 1999 specification Rich Sauces sponsored Subaru Impreza World Rally Car for the first time, surprised many with his speed behind the wheel of the hired £100,000 car. He wasted no time in settling in at the Kirkistown Race Circuit event and was immediately on the pace in the 300bhp machine.

Curran said: “I was very nervous on the start line. I only had a 15 minute test in the car before the rally so we decided to take it steady without any heroics and try to concentrate on learning the gearbox. It was a baptism of fire!”

Curran, who is the current Junior N.I. Champion, was fifth fastest on the opening stage! It was enough to settle his nerves and he continued to impress as the day progressed. He increased his pace and third fastest time on the second stage was swiftly followed by second fastest on stage three, less than one second slower than pace setter Glenn Allen! Curran was moving up the leaderboard and two stages from the finish, he was third overall.

“It was looking good for a podium finish but Glenn Allen was very close to us so we couldn’t relax. We decided to push hard to the finish but not go overboard - one minor overshoot would have sent us tumbling down the order. With this in mind, we set second fastest time on stage five and third fastest on the final stage.”

It was more than enough for Curran and co-driver Fabian McShane (Letterkenny) to secure third overall, finishing just ten seconds behind event winner and current Pacenotes Champion, Kevin Lynch. Curran was ecstatic!

“If someone had told me before the start that Kevin (Lynch) would win and I would be 10 seconds behind him, I wouldn’t have believed them! The car never missed a beat all day and to get on the podium was a dream come true. Fingers crossed sometime in the future we can get a drive in a World Rally Car again. Thanks to DMG for the car and most of all Rich Sauces for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity!”

Sponsors: Michael Curran is sponsored by D. Curran and Sons, Rich Sauces, MSJ Carryduff, Leslie Wright & Son, Lyons European, Charles Gilmore Galleries and T.K. Motors.

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Arthurs' push gets pipped at the post
Hyundai Accent driver Cahal Arthurs had a storming performance on the opening round of the 2005 Pacenotes Newspaper Northern Ireland Rally Championship. Cahal was driving his Euro Cables-backed and Revo Rally team-prepared Hyundai Accent WRC on an event which was also backed by the Euro Cables Company.

The rally was based around the confines of Kirkistown race track and its gravel link roads. It was to be Cahal's first event in the Kumho-shod Hyundai since the penultimate round of the Irish National Championship in October 2004. However the long break from the car was not to deter Cahal in any way. Partnered for the first time by Co Meath co-driver Martin Brady they set a blistering pace on the first slippy wet stage with fastest time to lead the rally by .1 of a second.


Photo: Roy Dempster

The pace was to continue unabated on stage 2 as Cahal scorched to another fastest time by 3 seconds opening up an overall lead of 3.9seconds from M Doherty in the Impreza. Conditions were to dry out for the next stage and a big 5th gear slide onto the grass at the fastest part of the track lost a few precious seconds for Cahal and Martin. When it was all gathered up and the tarmac rejoined, such was the pace of the competition, the minor moment dropped them to 8th fastest. Despite this the crew still held an overall lead of 1.7 seconds going into stage 4.

A second fastest time on stage 4 showed Cahal was still very much on track and the pace was continuing. By now a few drivers behind had started to get to grips with their new cars and conditions, notably Glenn Allen and Damien Connolly in the Corolla and Mike Curran and Fabian McShane in the Impreza WRC. The pace was increasing and the rally was far from over.

The final 2 stages saw a change with the track now being run clockwise and an increased overall length, the wet conditions prevailed and Arthurs & Brady had a 5.4 second lead to hold on to. Then a resurgent Kevin Lynch set an incredulous stage time on SS5 fastest by 9.7 seconds to bring himself right back into the picture; this amazing charge brought him to 2nd place overall and 4.2 seconds behind Cahal.

A final stage showdown was set as Kevin set off into SS6 needing to take 4.7 to take on Cahal, and what a race it was as both drivers pushed exceptionally hard and the commitment and pace was 100%. It was to be Kevin’s day as he took his S9 Impreza WRC to a brilliant time 6.3 seconds faster than Cahal in the Eurocables backed Accent WRC, a brilliant last stage performance meaning Kevin was the rally victor by a scant 2 seconds after almost 30 miles of competition.

Cahal was quite happy as he reflected at the final control on a day’s good pace with a lead for 5 stages that ultimately resulted in a final stage race and a very satisfying second overall amongst the standard of drivers and machinery that were competing on the day.

With such a solid first round result under the belt Cahal and co-driver Martin Brady are planning to head to the second round of the Northern Ireland championship in a few weeks time at Bishopscourt and get right back into the competition.

Cahal and Martin were supported on the day by REVO rally team, Eurocables and Kumho tyres.

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Super Start at Kirkistown for Superdrive Scholarship Winner
Superdrive Scholarship winner James Coulter made his rally debut in the Superdrive Motorsports Centre Mitsubishi Evo IV in the first round of the Northern Ireland Rally Championship at the Eurocables Rally in Kirkistown, Co Down last Saturday, 19th February.

From more than 100 entries, Coulter finished a respectable 32nd overall and 12th in class giving the 22 year old Hillsborough novice a taste of competitive rallying at a national level.

Coulter said,
Kirkistown was a brilliant opportunity for me and I really enjoyed the experience. I was really pleased with the result for my first competitive rally.
I have definitely been bitten by the rally bug and Im in negotiations at the moment for a car to hopefully compete in at Bishopscourt in March.

Superdrive MD Brendan Crealey said,
James really showed his commitment to Superdrive and to rallying on the weekend and everyone at Superdrive is delighted with his great result.
We intend to stay in contact with James as he begins his rally career and we wish him all the best for his future in motorsport.

Coulter gained the fully supported drive in the 2004 Superdrive Rally Scholarship after being selected from eleven finalists by six judges at the November Final.
Judges included Managing Director of Superdrive and 2004 Mitsubishi UK works driver, Brendan Crealey, 2000 Rally Scholarship winner and Superdrive instructor David Graham, experienced competitor and instructor Jim Crozier, motorsport fitness specialist, Alan Lucas, RPMs Alan Tyndall and Editor of Pacenotes Magazine, Simon Mooney.

The Superdrive Rally Scholarship is designed to give novice drivers that participate in any of the Superdrive rally experiences a chance to develop their rally skills and to prove they have what it takes to be a competitive rally driver.

Superdrives experienced instructors nominate drivers to compete in a semi-final held once a month. The winners from the semi-finals then go through to the Final at the end of the year to compete for the ultimate prize of a competitive drive in the Superdrive Motorsports Centre Group N Mitsubishi Evo.

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PL DRIVER/CO-DRIVER (CAR)	TOTAL
1 Kevin Lynch/Francis Regan (Subaru Impreza WRC) 32:51.3
2 Cahal Arthurs/Martin Brady (Hyundai Accent WRC) 32:53.4
3 Mike Curran/Fabian McShane (Subaru Impreza WRC) 33:02.4
4 Glenn Allen/Damien Connolly (Toyota Corolla WRC) 33:13.9
5 Kevin Barrett/Barry Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC) 33:22.7
6 Sean Devine/Peter Ward (Subaru Impreza WRC) 33:29.8
7 Martin Doherty/Eugene O'Donnell (Subaru Impreza 555) 33:33.2
8 Martin Elliott/Brian Crawford (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) Gp N 33:43.6
9 Kieran Shaw/Crawford Henderson (Mitsubishi Lancer WRC) 33:44.3
10 Craig Bennett/Rodger Bennett (Ford Focus WRC) 33:53.3

• Full Results and Stage Times in Word Format

Photos:

www.ngmotorsportimages.com
www.sdrally.uk.tt
Anthony Hunter
EFDIGITAL.COM - Chris Nelson
Eymard Brennan Photography
www.roydempster.com
sjhphotography - Steven Hanna
SD Rally Photographs

• 2005 Northern Ireland Rally Championship

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PRE EVENT NEWS

No. Driver/Co-Driver (Car) Class
1 Kevin Lynch/Francis Regan (Subaru Impreza WRC) 8
2 Kieran Shaw/Crawford Henderson (Mitsubishi Lancer WRC) 8
3 Denis Biggerstaff/TBA (Subaru Impreza WRC) 8
4 Cahal Arthurs/Martin Brady (Hyundai Accent WRC) 8
5 Kevin Barrett/Barry Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC) 8
6 Glenn Allen/Damien Connolly (Ford Escort WRC) 8
7 Ollie O'Donovan/TBA (Subaru Impreza WRC) 8
8 George Robinson/Tommy Speers (Ford Escort WRC) 8
9 Gary White/Richard Curry (Ford Escort WRC) 8
10 Nigel Hicklin/Sam McMullan (Skoda Octavia WRC) 8
11 Jaye Jordan/Graeme Stewart (Ford Escort WRC) 8
12 Mike Curran/Fabian McShane (Subaru Impreza WRC) 8
13 John McGlaughlin/David McElroy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7) 2
14 Raymond Johnston/Richard Bell (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7) 2
15 Dickie Curran/Brian Haddock (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7) 2
16 Shane Braniff/TBA (Hyundai Accent WRC) 8
17 David Armstrong/Kenny McCaul (Subaru Impreza WRC) 8
18 Martin Doherty/Eugene O'Donnell (Subaru Impreza WRC) 8
19 Neil McCance/Sean Ferris (Mitsubishi Evo) 2
20 Stephen Moore/Stephen Griffith (Subaru Impreza N9) 2
21 Craig Bennett/Rodger Bennett (Ford Focus WRC) 8
22 Sean Devine/Peter Ward (Subaru Impreza WRC) 8
23 Alan Connelly/Rodney Wallace (Mitsubishi Evo) 2
24 Sean Haveron/Vincent Fergus (Ford Escort) 8
25 Derrick Jobb/John Henderson (Toyota Celica) 8
26 Keith McIvor/David Burns (Toyota Celica) 8
27 Wesley Patterson/Terence Taggart (Ford Escort) 8
28 Rodney White/Gavin Andrews (Talbot Sunbeam) 7
29 John McGaffin/TBA (Subaru Legacy) 8
30 Martin Elliott/Brain Crawford (Mitsubishi Evo) 2
31 Eoin McErlean/Donard McCann (Mitsubishi Evo) 2
32 Michael Black/TBA (Toyota Celica) 8
33 Seamus O'Connell/TBA (Ford Escort) 7
34 Alastair Cochrane/Pam Norris (Ford Escort) 7
35 Adrian Hetherington/Michael Falloon (Ford Escort) 7
36 Rodney McKnight/TBA (Ford Escort) 7
37 Mark Doyle/TBA (Peugeot 106) 5
38 James Kennedy/James McCullough (Ford Escort) 7
39 Vivian Hamill/Paul Hamill (Ford Escort) 7
40 Bob Riddles/Alan McCrellis (Ford Escort) 7
41 Seamus Devine/Cathal Lagan (Mitsubishi Evo) 2
42 Eddie Quinn/Jim McClelland (Mitsubishi Evo) 2
43 Brian McGillen/David Doherty (Subaru Impreza) 2
44 Samuel Wilson/Andrew Wilson (Renault Maxi) 6
45 Drew Stewart/Steven Park (Ford Escort) 6
46 Chris Byres/Joan Gilmore (Ford Escort) 6
47 Geoffrey Nevin/Paul Nevin (Ford Escort) 6
48 Andrew Mulholland/George Moore (Ford Escort) 5
49 Dominic Carson/William Brown (Subaru Impreza) 2
50 Willie Hunter/Kingsley Hunter (Ford Sierra) 2
51 Emma McKinstry/TBA (Mitsubishi Evo) 2
52 Terry McGonnigle/Steven Casey (Mitsubishi Evo) 2
53 Paddy McVeigh/Aidan Campbell (Subaru Impreza) 2
54 Errol Clarke/Jason Harron (Mitsubishi Evo) 2
55 Dennis Patterson/Marshal Patterson (Darrian) 7
56 Martin Downey/Noel Downey (Ford Escort) 7
57 Gary Cooney/Adrian Doherty (Mitsubishi Evo) 2
58 Mark Hamilton/TBA (Subaru Impreza) 2
59 Gerard McGarvey/Kevin Duggan (Mitsubishi Evo) 2
60 Stephen Kelly/Ann Taggart (Mitsubishi Evo) 2
61 James Coulter/Jim Crozier (Mitsubishi Evo) 2
62 Michael McColgan/TBA (Mitsubishi Evo) 2
63 John Walker/Keith Morrow (Subaru Impreza) 2
64 Gerard McAleer/Tony McHugh (Ford Escort) 7
65 Roy Haslett/Gavin Larmour (Ford Escort) 7
66 Darren McMurran/Brian Todd (Ford Escort) 7
68 Brian Black/Ian Crozier (Toyota Starlet) 3
69 Mervyn Williamson/George Hamilton (Ford Escort) 6
70 Willian McClurkin/TBA (Ford Escort) 6
71 Adrian McElhinney/Martin McMenamin (Peugeot 206) 5
72 Robert Erwin/James Erwin (Chrysler Sunbeam) 5
73 Willie McKee/TBA (Talbot Sunbeam) 6
74 Walter Nevin/Ronnie Stewart (Ford Escort) 4
75 Derek Crossen/TBA (Talbot Sunbeam) 4
76 Paddy McDonald/Paddy Roche (Peugeot 106) 5
77 Martin Taylor/TBA (Proton Satria) 5
78 John Devlin/Gavin Devlin (Chrysler Sunbeam) 4
79 David Kerr/Rodney Hicks (Peugeot 205) 4
80 Jonathan Nevin/Gareth Nevin (Ford Escort) 4
81 Simon Gordon/Neil Walker (Vauxhall Nova) 4
82 Ian Cochrane/Justin Dilworth (Vauxhall Corsa) 4
83 Allan Mackay/TBA (Ford Anglia WRC) 4
84 Stephen Dickson/Craig Borland (Vauxhall Nova) 3
85 Gary Sheridan/Lloyd Cochrane (Vauxhall Nova) 3
86 Michael Carlin/Dennis Durnan (Ford Escort) 4
87 Ciaran O'Hagan/Dermot O'Hagan (Vauxhall Corsa) 5
88 Noel Loughran/Stephen McGurk (Ford Escort) 5
89 Mark Greer/Niall Bell (Ford Escort) 6
90 Stephen Potts/Stephanie Allen (Ford Escort) 6
91 David McMordie/Richard Dodds (Ford Escort) 6
92 Liam Brown/Brain Deehan (Ford Escort) 6
93 Eric Bennett/Alan Shilliday (Ford Escort) 7
94 Andrew Frizell/David Gibson (Peugeot 106 WRC) 5
95 Paul McKinstry/Laura Moffett (Peugeot 106) 5
96 David Vance/TBA (Toyota Corolla) 5
97 Robert Beckett/Trevor Allen (Vauxhall Nova) 4
98 Dermot Hassett/Gordon Brown (Opel Corsa) 4
99 Garrett Loughran/TBA (Vauxhall Nova) 3
100 Jim Wilson/Debroah Wilson (Vauxhall Astra) 1
101 Christopher Boyce /Pascal Dillon (Honda Civic) 1
102 Cyril Doherty/Andrew Gamble (Vauxhall Astra) 1
103 Colin McDowell/Philip Allen (Mini) 3
104 Brian Fitzmaurice/TBA (Vauxhall Nova) 3
105 John Lemon/Alan Lemon (Woolsey Hornet) 3

• Download Entry List in Excel format
• Photos: Kieran Shaw, Glenn Alen, Mike Curran testing
• Craig Bennett tests New Ford Focus WRC02

• 2005 Northern Ireland Rally Championship

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17/01/05

EUROCABLES Stages Rally

Regulations, entry form and information for the 2005 euroCABLES Stages Rally are now available.

Those who were registered for the Championship or were Club members in 2004 will be receiving regs by post.

Regs are available to download from link below, or by e-mailing davyt@tiscali.co.uk

Regs and Entry form can be downloaded from
http://www.worldrallying.info/forum/viewthread.php?tid=1850

• 2005 Northern Ireland Rally Championship