Declan Gallagher & Ryan Moore (Toyota Starlet RWD) SS3
Colin Roche & Kenneth Quirke (Toyota Starlet) SS10
Jason O Mahony/Breda O Driscoll (Honda Civic) SS5
Video Clips
Posted: June 6, 2015 4:29 AM
Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally 2015 Final Report
Posted: June 6, 2015 4:21 AM
Donagh Kelly & Kevin Flanagan became only the third crew ever to win the Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally two years in a row when they had a start to finish victory over St. Patrick's weekend in their Ford Focus WRC. Second overall were a hard chasing Sam Moffett & Karl Atkinson in a Fiesta WRC who finished just over a minute behind, while a superb performance from Stephen Wright and Mikie Galvin in a Fiesta R5 netted them third overall. 150 cars started the in the main field, which had a high attrition rate particularly on the first day and at the end of the fourteen stages only 90 were classified as finishers. Denis Moynihan and Gerard Conway took the honours in the Historic Rally after a tough battle with Rob Smith and Alun Cook who retired on the final stage. The junior rally was won by Rob Duggan & Keith Moriarty in a Fiesta R2.
Dry and slightly frosty conditions was the scene that greeted crews as they headed to Parc Ferme, but by the 10.30 start, all frost was gone and the sun was shining with good conditions. A lot of rain had fallen on the Thursday before the event and some standing water was to be found on the second stage in Clogagh, but for the most part roads were dry. The inclusion of the rally as a full round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship had meant a high quality entry had assembled. Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan were top seeds having won the previous year, and with wins already this year in Galway and Birr, they were in a confident frame of mind. The reigning Tarmac Champions Declan & Brian Boyle in a Subaru WRC were at two and hoping to end a run of bad luck in recent events. Daragh O?Riordan & Tony McDaid were at three in a Fiesta WRC making his first appearance in several months while Sam Moffett & Karl Atkinson were next up in a similar car.
Melvyn Evans & Mark Glennerster were at five in a Subaru Impreza WRC and Melvyn was hoping for a longer outing than twelve months previously when a gearbox problem put him out on the opening stage. Josh Moffett & John Rowan were at six in yet another Fiesta WRC while Owen Murphy and Anthony Nestor were at seven in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9. Jonny Greer & Kirsty Riddick at eight were out in a Citroen DS3 R5 and looking to get more miles and seat time before the Circuit of Ireland while Stephen Wright and Mikie Galvin at nine were also in an R5 car, this time a Fiesta. Declan Gallagher and Ryan Moore were at ten in a Toyota Starlet and hoping to win the Bones O?Connor Modified Challenge award for the second year in succession.
Day 1
Donagh Kelly set out his stall on the opening stage setting a time of 7.31.6 to go into an immediate lead by 4.7 seconds from Sam Moffett and Daragh O?Riordan a further four seconds behind in third place. Declan Boyle was already in major bother as fuel pressure problems caused his car to stop in Ring village which caused his retirement. He wasn?t the only one in trouble as Joe McGonigle was forced to retire with suspension damage after he hit the rear of his Skoda Fabia midway through the stage. Damien McCarthy and Ray O?Sullivan retired their respective cars after hitting the same corner as McGonigle as twelve cars in total failed to complete the opening stage. The second stage of the loop was Clogagh and Kelly extended his lead out to 14.8 seconds from Moffett. The stage was stopped after Phil Collins and Diarmuid Falvey crashed their Escort, fortunately without injury to the crew.
The next pair of stages was a repeat of the morning stages and Declan Boyle had got his car sorted and was back running under Rally 2 rules. He immediately set a fastest time on Ring to show what might have been as Kelly kept control of the rally from the front. After four stages the gap was out to 25.3 seconds from Sam Moffett with Daragh O?Riordan a further ten seconds behind. Josh Moffett, Owen Murphy and Melvyn Evans were having a great battle for fourth place and were separated by less than eight seconds. Declan Gallagher was giving another two wheel drive master class and was in seventh place overall while Stephen Wright, Mark Straker (Darrian), and John Bonner (Escort) rounded off the top ten. Liam Howlett and Richard Whelan were another pair to retire as the attrition rate continued to rise.
The afternoon stages were Newcestown and Ballinascarthy, both used twice and the former was a stage that hadn't been used on the event for many years. The gap was out to 32 seconds by the end of stage six despite Sam Moffetts best efforts while O?Riordan was falling back into the clutches of Josh Moffett who was on a real charge by this point. Adrian Hetherington became the latest top seed to retire due to a problem with the rear suspension, but was to re-join under Rally 2 on the Sunday. The last pair of stages saw a few more of the top ten drop out as Josh Moffett had spark plug problems and Owen Murphy damaged the radiator when he overshot a junction on stage 7 and had to retire. Sam Moffett had a very lucky escape on this corner but other than a vibration caused by mud in the wheels was still in second place. Kelly led by 48.2 seconds overnight from Sam Moffett with Daragh O?Riordan still holding third place almost a minute further back. Melvyn Evans was in fourth but retired his car overnight due to persistent throttle problems.
Stephen Wright was getting quicker as he got used to his new car and was now up to fifth while Declan Gallagher had put in a sensational performance to hold sixth overall. Jonny Greer was also getting more confident in his DS3 and had climbed to seventh overall as John Bonner seeded at 53 was a magnificent eighth overall. The top ten was rounded off by Vincent McSweeney (Civic) and Mark Straker as just over 120 cars got to the end of the first day. Declan Boyle was another to decide to retire overnight as he was too far down the order to make any further impression on the leaders. The Historic category was very competitive with Rob Smith impressing on his first appearance in West Cork and holding a 7.4 second lead over Denis Moynihan overnight. Gareth Lloyd and Ernie Graham were renewing their Galway rivalry with the Welshman holding a 22 second advantage in third place.
Day 2
Ardfield, Sams Cross and Rossmore to be completed twice were the three stages to be tackled on the second day with a long service after the first loop. Despite running in Rally 2 and in 53rd overall, Josh Moffett set a stunning time over Ardfield 1 as Donagh Kelly lost a little bit of time with a spin and stall on the first junction of the stage which closed the gap at the front to just 44 seconds. Kelly responded with a good time on Sams Cross which pushed his lead back out to 47 seconds. Cal McCarthy had been lying in twelfth place overnight but crashed out on the opening Ardfield test as Gary Kiernan moved up from 11th to 8th overall after an excellent start to the day.
By the end of the first loop of stages barring a disaster Kelly was almost uncatchable with a lead of 51 seconds despite Sam Moffetts best efforts, while a puncture ended Daragh O?Riordans chances of a podium finish as he lost over five minutes. This promoted Stephen Wright into third place while Declan Gallagher was now in fourth but coming under pressure from Jonny Greer who was really getting to grips with Citroen and putting in some very good times. John Bonner and Gary Kiernan were having a ferocious battle for seventh overall with Vincent McSweeney ninth overall and Brian Brogan climbing into the top ten. The Historic category was still on a knife edge as Denis Moynihan edged in front of Rob Smith by just 2.4 seconds with just three stages to go. Rob Duggan was leading the juniors as expected but was being pressed hard by James Bradley who was only 21 seconds behind. Such was the pace of the leading duo that third placed Richard Moore was almost two minutes behind!
Over the final three stages Kelly kept his cool to take victory by almost 70 seconds from Sam Moffett who had decided to back off and preserve second place while Stephen Wright netted an excellent third place overall. Jonny Greer was an excellent fourth overall while Daragh O?Riordan overhauled Declan Gallagher for fifth place. Gallagher however managed to retain his Bones O?Connor Modified Challenge trophy for best 2WD after another stunning drive over difficult stages. Seventh was decided on the final stage when an outstanding drive by John Bonner came to a sad end when he went off the road into retirement midway through the test leaving Gary Kiernan to take his second top ten on the event in two years. Brian Brogan withstood a late charge from Wesley Patterson to take eighth place by just three seconds. The top ten was rounded off by Vincent McSweeney and Michael Kearney in their Civic after an excellent performance. Denis Moynihan took the Historic Rally win when Rob Smith stopped on the final stage while Ernie Graham edged out Gareth Lloyd for second place on the category by just 0.8 seconds. Rob Duggan took the honours in the Junior Rally by just over a minute from James Bradley with John O?Sullivan in third place overall.
It was the first time that the West Cork Rally was included as a full Tarmac Championship round, and Clerk of the Course Greg McCarthy had devised a suitably tough route which was well received by the competitors. Donagh Kelly now leads the Tarmac Championship from Sam Moffett by six points and also hopes to come back to Clonakilty in 2016 as he bids to become only the second driver to win the event three times and the first to do it in consecutive years.
Donagh Kelly & Kevin Flanagan extend tarmac championship lead
Posted: June 6, 2015 4:19 AM
Donagh Kelly & Kevin Flanagan made it back to back wins in the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship when they took victory by almost 70 seconds on the Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally. The event which was the second round of the championship saw Kelly in his Focus WRC lead from start to finish and also repeat his 2014 victory in Clonakilty. Second place went to Sam Moffett & Karl Atkinson who put in a tremendous effort in their Fiesta WRC, but a couple of time consuming spins on the first day made it difficult to regain ground. Stephen Wright and Mikie Galvin took third in their R5 Fiesta after an excellent performance.
2014 Tarmac Champions Declan & Brian Boyle stopped on the first stage with fuel pressure problems in their Subaru Impreza WRC. Although they continued after first service they were too far back to make an impression and retired after the first day. Daragh O?Riordan had been battling for second but a puncture dropped him back to fifth, while Josh Moffett had also retired at the end of the first day. He re-joined under Rally 2 rules on the second day and set some stunning times and eventually finished 18th overall.
Group N was won by Aaron McHale in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 with Brendan Cumiskey in a Subaru Impreza taking runner up. The Historic battle was finally decided on the final stage when mechanical problems side-lined long-time leader Rob Smith and Denis Moynihan took the category win. Ernie Graham pipped Gareth Lloyd by just 0.8 of a second to take second place although Lloyd still leads the historic category. Rob Duggan took junior honours in his new Fiesta while John O?Sullivan who finished third provisionally leads the series.
1 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC) [7]
2 Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Subaru Impreza WRC S12B) [7]
3 Darragh O'Riordan/Tony McDaid (Ford Fiesta WRC) [7]
4 Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Ford Fiesta WRC) [7]
5 Melvyn Evans/Mark Glennerster (Subaru Impreza WRC) [7]
6 Josh Moffett/John Rowan (Ford Fiesta WRC) [7]
7 Owen Murphy/Anthony Nestor (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
8 Jonathon Greer/Kirsty Riddick (Citroen DS3 R5) [5]
9 Stephen Wright/Mikie Galvin (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
10 Declan Gallagher/Ryan Moore (Toyota Starlet RWD) [13]
11 Phil Collins/Diarmuid Falvey (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
12 Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
14 Wesley Patterson/Johnny Baird (Ford Escort RS) [14]
15 Eoin Doyle/Peter Brennan (Ford Focus WRC) [7]
16 Aaron MacHale/Paul Mcgee (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
17 Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan Okane (Subaru Impreza STI R4) [4]
18 Brian O'Keeffe/Sean Hayde (Subaru Impreza N14) [4]
19 Joseph McGonigle/Ciaran Geaney (Skoda Fabia S2000) [5]
20 Fergus O'Meara/Ann Other (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
21 Brian Brogan/Mac Walsh (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
22 Mark Straker/Mike Coady (Darrian T90 9TR) [14]
23 Liam Howlett/John Migratt (Ford Escort RS) [13]
24 Eugene Meegan/Sarah Whelan (BMW 1 Series) [14]
25 Vivian Hamill/Sac O Spuds (Ford Escort) [14]
26 Gary Kiernan/James Sulton (Ford Escort) [13]
27 Leonard Downey/Mark Murphy (Ford Escort) [13]
28 John Hendy/Maul Aprati (BMW M3) [14]
29 Fintan Canty/Denis O'Mahony (Ford Escort) [13]
30 Stephen Carey/Ella Ryan (Honda Civic) [2]
31 Charlie Hickey/Johnny Hickey (Ford Escort RS) [14]
32 Jason Mc Sweeney/Stephen Quinn (Mitsubishi Evo) [20]
33 Mark Nangle/Nollaig Breen (Subaru Impreza) [20]
34 David Guest/Martin Kelleher (Mitsubishi Evo 9) [4]
35 Allen Treacy/Bob Fitzgerald (Toyota Corolla) [13]
36 Eoghan Calnan/Conor Calnan (Ford Escort MK2) [13]
37 Mark Dolphin/Finbarr Quirke (Ford Escort) [14]
38 Colin Byrne/Brian Quinlan (Ford Escort) [14]
39 Cal McCarthy/Eamonn Dullea (Honda Civic) [11F]
40 Vincent Mc Sweeney/Michael Kearney (Honda Civic) [11F]
41 Jason Ryan/Peter Falvey (Toyota Starlet) [11F]
42 John McQuaid/James McCarville (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
43 Damien McCarthy/Eamon Hayes (Ford Puma) [11F]
44 Andrew Mahon/Andrew Donoghue (Ford Escort) [11R]
45 Ian Godney/Anthony O Sullivan (Subaru Impreza WRC) [20]
46 Bernard Foley/Colin Fitzgerald (Honda Civic) [11F]
47 Adrian Evans/Martin Henry (Ford Escort MK2) [13]
48 Jason O'Mahony/Alan Whyte (Honda Civic) [11F]
49 Wayne Evans/Sion Jones (Ford Escort MK2) [13]
50 Jonathon O'Callaghan/Gavin Sheehan (Peugeot 106) [11F]
51 Peter Cummins/Tommy Hayes (Darrian T90 ) [13]
52 Richard Whelan/James Whelan (Honda Civic) [11F]
53 John Bonner/Leon Jordan (Ford Escort) [13]
54 Diarmuid "Super" Keohane/Peter Keohane (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
55 Aled Davies/Gwynfor Jones (Ford Escort) [13]
56 John Hickey/John McCarthy (Ford Escort 4X4) [20]
57 Iwan Mayes/Billy Ryan (Ford Escort) [13]
58 Johnny Curran/Conor Curran (Ford Escort MK2) [13]
59 Noel Kelliher/Ronald Riordan (Honda Civic) [11F]
60 John Buttimer/Declan Buttimer (Subaru Impreza) [20]
61 Jerh O'Flynn/Shane McCarthy (Ford Escort) [13]
62 Paul Browne/Jenna Browne (Honda Civic) [11F]
63 Luke McCarthy/Jonathan Carroll (Honda Civic) [11F]
64 Richard Harney/Brian Harney (Ford Escort ) [11R]
65 Brendan McDaid/Mac Kierans (Ford Escort) [13]
66 Rory Byrne/Maul Aprati (Mitsubishi Evo X) [5]
67 Philp Greenlee/Neill Tierney (Ford Escort) [13]
68 Jason Costello/Jonathan Keane (Ford Escort) [11R]
69 Ross Hunter/Josh Davison (Peugeot 205) [13]
70 Cormac Phelan/Katja Auhl (Citroen C2 R2 Max) [2]
71 Lewis Gallagher/Angus Williams (Subaru Impreza) [20]
72 Geoff Kitney/Ken Gibbard (Mitsubishi Lancer) [20]
73 Kevin Dolphin/Martin O'Brien (Renault Clio Super 1600) [2]
74 Ollie Williams/John Joe Williams (Ford Escort) [14]
75 William Walsh/Carol O'Keeffe (Toyota Corrolla) [11R]
76 Neil Spain/Ian Taylor (Ford Escort) [13]
77 Sean Ryan/Sean Croke (Peugeot 205 RWD) [13]
78 Paul Scannell/Mossy Griffin (Ford Escort) [11R]
79 Patrick Kearney/Alistair Wyllie (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
80 Walter Dick/Frank Curtin (Ford Escort) [13]
81 Jonathon O'Mahony/Steven Clarke (Ford Escort) [12]
82 Pat Barry/Stephen O'Connell (Ford Escort MK2) [14]
83 Rob Jones/Gary Kinghorn (Ford Escort MK2) [13]
84 Sean O'Carroll/Niall O Sullivan (Ford Escort MK2) [14]
85 Peter Desmod/Sac O Spuds (Vauxhall Nova) [9]
86 Richard Tannahill/Aileen Kelly (Peugeot 208) [2]
87 Ed Twomey/Derek Tobin (Ford Fiesta R2) [2]
88 Paudie Casey/Ann Other (Toyota Corrolla) [13]
89 Gerard O'Connell/Mark Mc Carthy (Ford Escort) [12]
90 Patrick Calnan/Trevor McCarthy (Honda Civic) [2]
91 Michael O'Sullivan/Daire Hayes (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
92 William Kenneally/Finbarr Fogarty (Ford Escort) [11R]
93 Victor Beamish/Susan Beamish (Vauxhall Nova) [10]
94 David Jennings/David Jennings (Ford Escort MK2) [10]
95 Denis O'Brien/Ryan O'Brien (Opel Corsa) [10]
96 Jerry O'Mahony/Willie Buchan (Ford Escort) [10]
97 Cathal McCarthy/Alison Levis (Honda Civic) [11F]
98 John O'Sullivan/Denny O'Riordan (Toyota Corolla RWD) [11R]
99 Peter O'Kane/Andy Hayes (Mitsubishi Evo IX) [2]
100 Steven O'Donovan/Donal Falvey (Subaru Impreza) [20]
101 Etinne O'Sullivan/Eoghan Coughlan (Peugeot 106) [2]
102 Alan O'Riordan/James Jordan (Subaru Impreza) [15]
103 William Buttimer/Vincent Bennett (Ford Escort G3) [12]
104 Colum Browne/Laurence McGrath (Honda Civic) [1]
105 Colin Rowe/David Booty (Fiat 131) [13]
106 Tiernach Maguire/Nicky Hegarty (Ford Escort MK2) [10]
107 Gavin Rogers/Carrie Rogers (Ford Escort) [13]
108 Michael Forde/Jim Cunningham (Talbot Sunbeam) [11R]
109 Tony Rees/Geraint Thomas (Talbot Sunbeam) [13]
110 Eamonn Barrett/Ger Ryan (Ford Escort) [9]
111 Michael Murphy/Patsy Cashman (Toyota Corolla) [11R]
112 Brian O' Mahony/Michelle Gallwey (Honda Civic EK4) [1]
113 John Pettit/Niamh Holland (Honda Civic) [2]
114 Paul Dullea/Sean O'Regan (Honda Civic) [11F]
115 Martin Tracey/Pat Cashman (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
116 Jason O'Brien/Cathal Murphy (Peugeot 206) [2]
117 John Corrigan/Maul Aprati (Subaru Impreza ) [20]
118 Geariod Beamish/Fearghal Beamish (Honda Civic) [1]
119 Colm O'Mahony/Ken Carmody (Ford KA) [9]
120 Richard Davis/Meg Brady (Ford Ka) [9]
121 Shay Byrne/Richard Stafford (Talbot Sunbeam) [10]
122 Barry O'Brien/Grace O'Brien ( ) [MF]
123 Colm Forde/Johathon Trill (Honda Civic) [2]
124 Mark Hurley/Bernard Lehane (Honda Civic) [11F]
125 Andrew Leacy/Sac O Spuds (Toyota Corrolla) [11R]
126 Steve Griggs/Marc Clatworthy (Vauxhall Nova) [11F]
127 Anthony Whelton/Catriona Whelton (Ford Escort) [11R]
128 Michael Canny/Gavin Downey (Ford Fiesta) [13]
129 Noel O'Mahony/Timmie O'Callaghan (Tonda Starlet) [9]
130 Chris McCarthy/Ray Looney (Toyota Corrolla) [11R]
131 Michael Walsh/Martin Walsh (Honda Civic) [11F]
132 Donal McGrath/Liam Griffin (Toyota Corrolla) [11R]
133 Jason Coulter/Diarmuid O'Donovan (Ford Escort) [13]
134 Kieran O'Neill/Paul Bruton (Opel Corsa) [9]
135 Gavin Walsh/Sinead Canny (Honda Civic) [11F]
136 Mikey Walsh/Michelle Walsh (Ford Escort G3) [12]
137 Jamie O'Flaherty/Daniel Hanratty (Honda Civic) [11F]
138 Derek Flynn/Patrick Murphy (Honda Civic EK4) [2]
139 Eamonn Bates/James Sinnott (Honda Civic) [1]
140 Conan O'Riordan/Cian O'Riordan (Peugeot 205 GTI) [10]
141 Noel McCarthy/Michelle Stafford (Ford Escort) [9]
142 Pat McDonagh/Marie McDonagh (Ford Cortina) [10]
143 Francis Kelly/Sinead O'Donavan (Ford Fiesta ST) [1]
144 Henry Jennings/Ann Other (Opel Corsa) [9]
145 Stephen O'Shea/Anne Marie (Toyota Starlet) [11F]
146 Seamus O'Donovan/Barry McCarthy (Suzuki Swift) [9]
147 JJ Harrington/Kenneth Fuller (Honda Civic) [11F]
148 Denis Buckley/Declan Casey (Ford Escort) [10]
149 Mark Donovan/David Duggan (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
150 Darren Cremin/Liam Dennehy (Honda Civic) [11F]
151 Robert Beamish/Orla Beamish (Opel Corsa) [9]
152 Owen Crowley/Dave Kelleher (Ford Escort) [10]
R153 Graham Scallan/Tom Scallan (Mitsubishi Evo X R4) [5]
R154 Gavin O'Grady/Alan Moroney (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
R155 Vincent O'Shea/Brian Hickey (Ford Escort) [14]
R156 Michael P Kelliher/Iarla McCarthy (Ford Escort MK2) [10]
R157 Dan Kelleher/Aileen Shanahan (Ford Escort MK2) [13]
R158 John Byrnes/Brian Grant (Renault Clio) [2]
R159 Darren O'Brien/John Mc Cabe (Honda Civic) [11F]
R160 Ray 'cat' O'Sullivan/William Lynch (Ford Escort) [13]
R161 Padraig Deasy/Edel McCarthy (Honda Civic) [1]
R162 Tadgh O'Sullivan/Eoin O'Leary (Ford Escort) [13]
R163 Dean Raferty/Mark Kane (TBA ) [7]
R164 Ger Cullinane/Muirean Hayes (Toyota Starlet) [11]
Historics
H1 James O'Mahony/Patrick Mc Donagh (Volvo 122 S) [18-B5]
H2 Rob Smith/Alun Cook (Ford Escort RS 2000) [19]
H3 Denis Moynihan/Gerard Conway (Ford Escort MK1) [19]
H4 Ernie Graham/Will Graham (Ford Escort RS ) [19]
H5 Gareth Lloyd/Den Golding (Ford Escort) [19]
H6 Washington James/Paul Williams (Ford Escort) [19]
H7 Joe Connolly/Richard Connolly (Ford Escort) [19]
H8 Wyn 'spot' Hughes/David 'Towy' Davies (Ford Escort) [18-D5]
H9 John Coyne/Christy Farrell (Talbot Sunbeam Lotus) [19]
H10 Adrian Kermode/Maurice Beckett (Porshe 911 DC/RS) [18-D4]
H11 Ian Davies/Euring Davies (Ford Escort) [19]
H12 Alan Wakins/Max Freeman (Ford Escort RS 2000) [18-D3]
H14 Duncan Williams/Guy Weaver (Ford Escort MK2) [18-D3]
H15 Peadar Walsh/Grace Walsh (Ford Cortina Mk1) [18-B3]
H16 Alexander Van Schmieder/Christina Van Schmieder (Ford Escort) [18-D5]
H17 Donal O'Connor/Ann Other (Ford Escort Mk1) [18-C3]
H18 Mike Smith/Sac O Spuds (Hillman Avenger) [18-C2]
H19 George Swanton/Kevin Barry (Ford Escort) [18-C2]
H20 Maurice Whelton/Ivan Bennett (Austin Mini) [18-D2]
H21 James Hall/Maul Aprati (Audi Quattro Coupe) [19]
Juniors
J1 Robert Duggan/Keith Moriarty (Ford Fiesta) [16-J2]
J2 James Bradley/Maria Kehoe (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
J3 Conor McCarthy/Dylan Coffey (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
J4 Colin Roche/Kenneth Quirke (Toyota Starlet) [16-J2]
J5 John O'Sullivan/JJ Cremin (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
J6 Fergus Hurley/Eric Deane (Ford Escort Mk2) [16-J2]
J7 Eric Calnan/Cillian Crowley (Peugeot 106GTI) [16-J2]
J8 Denis Nagle/Donogh Crowley (Nissan Micra) [16-J1]
J9 Aaron O'Regan/Derek Butler (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
J10 Anthony Sheehan/James Lucey (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
J11 Jonathon Murphy/Seamus Murphy (Honda Civic) [16-J1]
J12 David Beamish/Fiona Kelly (Opel Corsa) [16-J2]
J14 Christy McCarthy/Kieran Lynch (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
J15 Diarmaid O'Crowley/Sean O'Crowley (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
J16 Martin Crowley/Martin Barry (Suzuki Swift) [16-J1]
J17 Alan Donovan/Stephen Murphy (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
J18 Barry Archer/Paul Archer (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
J19 Denis O'Connell/Eamonn Creedon (Peugeot 106GTI) [16-J2]
J20 Anthony O'Driscoll/Aaron McEvoy (Peugeot 106) [16-J1]
J21 John Thompson/Orla Galvin (Vauxhall Nova) [16-J1]
JR22 Brian Keohane/Kieran O'Regan (Suzuki Swift) [16-J1]
JR23 Chris Brady/Jenny Warren (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
JR24 Darragh Fleming/Billy Shine (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
JR25 Diarmaid Hallahan/Padraig Walsh (Honda Civic) [16-J1]
JR26 Mark O'Leary/Kieran O'Donoghue (Toyota Starlet) [16-J1]
JR27 Steven O'Connor/Jeff Gordon (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
JR28 Richard Moore/Brian Halhgan (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
JR29 Andrew Ryan/Padraig Foran (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
JR30 William Nolan/Maurice Malone (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
JR31 Patrick Lawlor/Kevin Rehan (Honda Civic) [16-J2]
Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally 2015 Press Release 2
Posted: March 3, 2015 7:37 PM
There are now less than two weeks to go to the Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally and each of the categories (Main Field, Historics & Juniors) are at capacity with over 200 entries received in total. The rally is the second round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship (its first time as a full counting round), and this has had a positive impact with competitors coming from all over the island of Ireland as well as the UK and the US. Last year’s winner and current tarmac championship leader Donagh Kelly is back to defend his crown in his Ford Focus and having also won in Birr recently is on a great run of form. Kelly will be challenged strongly by the likes of Declan Boyle the current tarmac champion, Sam & Josh Moffett, Daragh O’Riordan and Melvyn Evans.
Stephen Wright, Jonny Greer & Joe McGonigle are the top R5 contenders while Group N should see a battle between the likes of Aaron McHale, Brendan Cumiskey, Stephen Carey and Brian O’Keeffe among others. As always the modified battle should be intense with Declan Gallagher, Gary Kiernan, Phil Collins, Adrian Hetherington and Wesley Patterson part of a large and competitive list. The Historic Rally has a very high quality field with drivers such as Ernie Graham, Denis Moynihan, Gareth Lloyd and James O’Mahony among the entry while the Junior category is also very well supported. Entries will still be accepted in all categories however.
There will be fourteen stages in this year’s event, four stages repeated on the first day with service after every two stages. Sunday will see three stages repeated, with service after the first loop of three stages. The service park will be in the grounds of Darrara Agricultural College as usual while Parc Ferme will be at the Model Railway village. The action gets underway at 10.45am on Saturday 14th with the first car due back that evening at approximately 5.30pm. The Sunday action gets underway at 10.30am and the first car is due at the finish ramp around 4.15pm.
For those intending to marshal, a list of meeting points is available below.
Programmes for the event should be available from Saturday 7th of March and a list of outlets will be provided on www.westcorkrally.com and www.corkmotorslub.com. This year’s programme will contain an eight page supplement dedicated to last year’s event designed in the style of the book “The West Cork Rally – A History” by Kevin O’Driscoll, which can be detached and added to the book.
Marshal Meeting Points
Posted: March 3, 2015 7:15 PM
Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally 2015 Press Release 1
Posted: February 2, 2015 9:56 PM
Cork Motor Club are delighted to announce that the regulations for the 2015 Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally will be available to download from 31st of January from www.westcorkrally.com and www.corkmotorclub.com. The popular Clonakilty based event which is scheduled to run for the 37th time on 14th & 15th March is heading for a new era as it is the second round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship for 2015. This is a very exciting time for the club and the Clonakilty area in general as interest has increased and accommodation is being booked at a more rapid rate than in previous years.
With its inclusion in the most prestigious rally championship in the country, rallying fans can look forward to seeing some of the top drivers in Ireland and overseas tackling some of the finest stages in Ireland such as Ring, Ardfield and Sams Cross to name but a few. The 2014 winners Donagh Kelly & Kevin Flanagan have indicated they will return to defend their crown in their Ford Focus WRC this year. The event itself will once again have centralised service both days in the grounds of Darrara Agricultural College and there will be a total of 14 stages over the two days. Four stages will be completed twice on the first day and three stages will be completed twice on the second day with the total stage mileage over the weekend being 230km and road mileage at 150km.The entry fee for the event is €725 for the Main Field and €525 for the Historic Rally.
The Official Launch and Press reception of the West Cork Rally will take place in the Quality Hotel Clonakilty (which is once again Rally HQ), on Friday 13th February at 8.00pm and all are welcome. The Clonakilty Chamber of Commerce has introduced a unique initiative by offering a €75 Clonakilty voucher to main field & historic crews, to boost entries. Chairman of the Chamber Noel Lawlor said “it’s very exciting to be part of the Irish Tarmac Championship which will give the town of Clonakilty a great boost in tourism early in the year. We have decided to offer a voucher as an incentive to enter the rally and create trade in local businesses that otherwise would be quite in the off tourist season.”
There is further good news for the first 20 overseas competitors to enter as the West Cork Rally Clonakilty Committee who raise funds for the event each year have decided to offer them a €100 voucher also. The Junior rally entry fee is €350 and will not be part of the chamber of Commerce scheme, but will have their own usual incentive of getting €100 back if both crew members marshal on the Saturday.
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