Robert Barrable & Damien Connelly (Subaru Impreza WRC S14) SS9
Donagh Kelly & Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC) SS6
Mark O'Leary & Ciaran Graal (Toyota Starlet) SS9
Rob Duggan & Keith Moriarty (Ford Fiesta R2)
Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes report
Posted: June 6, 2015 5:15 AM
Donegal driver Donagh Kelly and his Monaghan co-driver Conor Foley scored a start to finish victory on last weeekend's Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes.
The Ford Focus World Rally crew coped best in the trying conditions and extremely wet roads to score Kelly's third victory in the 2015Clonakilty Black Puddings Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. It also marked Foley's maiden international rally win.
At the Killarney finish ramp on Sunday evening Kelly said: 'It was a tough rally, very hard, but I am delighted.'
Kelly now leads the series after four of the seven rounds.
Robert Barrable finished runner-up after a fantastic debut drive in a McKinstry Motorsport Subaru WRC S14. He also won the Bertie Fisher Cup for setting the fastest stage time over Moll's Gap, stopping the clocks with an impressive 8mins 37.9sec on the third over the famous pass despite the road being covered in standing water.
Co-driven by Monaghan's Damien Connolly, Barrable challenged for the lead throughout the two-day wet and slippery Killarney-based event ' despite a gearbox problem on Saturday's final stage, which cost him a minute. After the gearbox was replaced in service the next morning, the Dublin driver was fastest over Sunday's stages. Barrable eventually finished just 50 seconds behind the winners.
'I loved every minute of this year's Rally of the Lakes,' said Robert. 'The stages were quite tricky, especially in the wet conditions, but we settled into the Subaru WRC and the pace notes well and enjoyed a really good run.
Local ace Alan Ring and his West Cork co-driver Adrian Deasy were third in another Subaru Impreza. Like Barrable they too overcame gearbox problems on Saturday evening and held off an early Sunday morning challenge from former double-event winners Darragh O'Riordan and Tony McDaid.
This is the second time Ring has finished on the podium of his home rally following his second place last year. 'There is only one place left, he joked at the finish line.
O'Riordan dropped a load of time half way through Saturday's loop of stages on the Beara Peninsula, the front differential broke on his Ford Fiesta on the first run over Cod's Head and he dropped from second to sixth. He began a massive recovery drive over the latter Saturday and early Sunday stages and had closed to just five seconds of Ring's third place when he crashed out of the rally on the third and final run over Moll's Gap.
Joe McGonigle and Ciaran Geaney rounded off the top four in their Skoda Fabia S2000.
HISTORIC RALLY
For the third year in a row the rally was a counting round of the FIA European Historic Rally Championship but for the second year in a row honours were claimed by the local crew of Denis Moynihan and Ger Conway. The Millstreet/Killarney team led the historic section from start to finish and were never really challenged by any of the international visitors. London-based Irish man, Ernie Graham was second in another Escort.
There was an additional class for Irish Tarmac Championship registered historic rally crews and local father and daughter crew Pat and Tara Looney won their class in Pat's newly built Ford Escort Mk1.
NATIONAL RALLY
Tipperary's Roy White , co-driven by Kanturk's James O' Brien reported a trouble free run on their the National Rally win in their MGZR.
Behind there was an epic scrap between two local crews for runner-up spot. Fergus O'Meara and Brian Doherty edged out Ed Murphy and Shane Buckley, after two days of time-swapping action.
O'Meara eventually settled the contest on the second run over Shanera, the penultimate stage of the rally, after he went nine second faster than his fellow Ford Escort rival. O' Meara and Dohery also took home the Sean Mullane Cup, presented annually to the highest placed Kerry crew in the rally.
Charlie Hickey, navigated by his son Johnny, and on his 30th Rally of the Lakes, finished sixth in the national rally and won class 14.
Miltown's Kenny O'Neil and Ronal Riordan were another to turn in a national rally top ten result and won their class in a Ford Puma. Killarney;s Tadgh O'Sullivan and Owen O'Leary won class 13 in their Ford Escort while Glenflesk's Denis Hickey and Sean Nolan were the class 12 victors in another Escort.
JUNIOR RALLY
Rob Duggan from Killarney was the runaway winner of the Junior section. The Ford Fiesta drivers finished over three minutes clear of his nearest challenger.
Kelly & Foley win Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes
Posted: June 6, 2015 5:03 AM
Donagh Kelly & Conor Foley in a Focus WRC took victory in the Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes when they had 50 seconds to spare over the Impreza WRC of Robert Barrable & Damien Connolly after two days and sixteen stages around Killarney and the Beara Peninsula. Kelly led from start to finish in very difficult conditions and this victory sees him move back to the top of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. Barrable was impressive on his first run in an Impreza WRC and set several fastest stage times over the weekend while Alan Ring, Stephen Wright and Joe McGonigle completed the top five overall in the International category. Roy White won the Modified Category in his MG ZR while second place was enough to give Fergus O?Meara maximum points in the Modified Championship. The Historic section was won by Denis Moynihan in his MK1 Escort while Rob Duggan had a commanding victory in the Junior section in his Fiesta.
Friday:
1730 approx News from start ramp in Killarney
Saturday:
10 am News from Stage One
11 am News from Castletown Bere Service Park
12 noon News from Stage Three
2 pm news from Castletown Bere Service Park
3 pm News after Stage Six
430 pm News after Stage Seven
5 pm News after Stage Eight
545 pm Day's wrap
Sunday
10 am News after Stage Nine
11 am News after stage 11
12 pm News from Killarney Service Park
1 pm News after Stage 13
2 pm News from Killareney Service Park
3 pm News from Stage 14
4 pm News from Killareney Service
5pm News form Stage 16
5 50pm Day and event wrap
Preview
Posted: April 29, 2015 2:24 PM
Killarney will play host to the the 36th running of Rally of the Lakes which is also the fourth round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship this weekend. The event, one of the most iconic in European rallying, will also feature the FIA European Historic Rally Championship.
The three-day event will begin with a ceremonial start in Killarney town centre on Friday May 1st before the crews tackle some of the most spectacular roads Ireland has to offer. Declan Boyle and Donagh Kelly head an impressive an entry list in their respective Subaru and Ford and both drivers will be looking to put a disastrous 2014 Rally of the Lakes behind them. Both Boyle and Kelly led the rally last year until crashing out on the final day. Last year?s Killarney winner and current Tarmac Championship leader Sam Moffett has elected to miss Killarney this year as he is preparing for a number of European Championship events. Sam?s brother Josh will also miss Killarney for similar reasons. One driver who isn?t missing the rally though, is Dubliner Robert Barrable. After a sensational drive on the recent Circuit of Ireland Rally many feel the former Billy Coleman Award winner has a real chance of victory this weekend. Daragh O?Riordan and Garry Jennings are both previous winners of the event and are seeded at 4 and 7 respectively with the top 10 also including recent Circuit of Kerry winner Alan Ring and talented Monaghan driver, Stephen Wright.
Former National Rally Champion Aaron McHale is the top Group N seed at number 16 and will resume his season long battle with fellow Group N driver, Brendan Cumiskey. Declan Gallagher heads the modified entry in his Toyota Starlet and he will have to fend off local drivers Fergus O?Meara, Vincent O?Shea and Charlie Hickey if he is to take a second consecutive national win in Killarney. Denis Moynihan will lead away the historic section of the rally in his Mark 1 Escort while there will be particular interest on the third historic car on the road. Frank Cunningham will debut his Sierra Cosworth and it is a very special car having won the 1991 Rally of the Lakes in the hands of legendary driver, Bertie Fisher. Local driver Rob Duggan is the top seed in the junior section which has attracted almost 30 entries.
Saturday will see the competitors tackle some of Ireland?s most famous stages with Moll?s Gal, Tim Healy Pass, Ardgroom, Cods Head and Kilmakilloge all included. After the overnight halt the crews will once again attack Moll?s Gap before moving on to Beallaghbeama, Shanera and Rockfield with the winning crew arriving back at the Gleneagle Hotel at around 4pm.
The event comprises of several championships in one:
Round 4 Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship
PlasticBags.ie Southern 4 Rally Championship
FIA European Historic Rally Championship.
Winning Bertie Fisher Sierra Returns to the Killarney Stages!
Posted: April 10, 2015 4:13 PM
A famous part of rallying history will be re-created on 1st-3rd of May as Frank Cunningham will drive the ex Bertie Fisher 1991 Killarney Rally of the Lakes winning car on this year's rally. Twenty-four years ago Bertie recorded his second of six Killarney victories with Rory Kennedy co-driving in the very same Cosworth 4x4- E28 JWK. The car also took Bertie to wins on the 1991 Ulster and Cork 20 rallies, second place on the Circuit of Ireland and second again on his final Sierra outing on the 1992 Galway International, in its emotive Toughmac colours.
For Frank Cunningham, who recorded a fine eighth place finish on last year's Rallye Du Maroc Historique in a BDA MK2 Escort, the four wheel drive Sierra presents a new challenge, in an all new FIA class. "When the FIA made the amendment to allow a car like this into the FIA Historic Championship I made a short-list list of cars. A Ford Sierra Cosworth was on the top of the list and to get one that was used by the late, great Bertie Fisher was just the icing on the cake! I plan to contest in a few selected FIA European rounds this year like Ypres also. We have a lot of experience on the events but we are learning a new car. I plan to compete a full FIA European championship in 2016 with the C-Sport team behind me. To be using the car for my first time in Killarney is very special for me and my family as we love the rally, and the car of course won it back in 1991" said Frank.
C-sport's Mairt Cunningham has meticulously re-prepared the car and he is at the helm of a family motorsport preparation business that is growing at the speed of a WRC car going up Molls Gap! After four very busy years taking the team all over the world to places like, New Zealand, Morocco, France, Finland, L.A, Barbados, Estonia, Japan, Italy, Belgium and Ireland to name just a few, there has been an expansion of the business, with bookings for Portugal WRC, Ypres Belgium ERC and European FIA Historic, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Rally GB WRC and home events.
The Sierra project represents a new area for the Historic side of C-Sport at their Galway base. "I'm very proud to be working on this car, and to be debuting it in Killarney. When we got the car it was in Russell Brookes colours from the 1990 Manx where it ironically won with Bertie second in his M3. It had been restored by Graham Butler in England, then we have repatriated the car now into the Toughmac colours and have given it a full check over before the rally. For definite there will be things to learn with it, for both us and Frank, but it's just brilliant to be entrusted with this project."
It's very much a family affair for Frank Cunningham who travels back and forward from the USA, as his professional motorsport team are also family members. Nephews Mairt Cunningham, Jonathan Cunningham, Patrick Cunningham and Ross Forde are all dedicated team members, whilst brother Ray is a Mini master having won the 2014 RAC Historic Championship. The Galway Mini Centre guru has also proven himself handy with the spanners on any rally car.
To catch a first glimpse of the restored Toughmac Ford Sierra Cosworth 4x4, it will present at the press launch for the Killarney Rally of Lakes this Sunday evening-6.30pm at Scott's Hotel. It will also present later in the year at the launch of the new book entitled "King Fisher" being written by Fergus McAnallen on the late Bertie Fisher.
Cartell.ie Killarney Rally of the Lakes 1st - 3rd May 2015
Posted: April 7, 2015 5:08 AM
Killarney and District Motor Club has announced details of the 36th Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes.
The rally, a counting round of the The Clonakilty Black Pudding Irish Tarmac Rally, The PlasticBags.ie Southern 4 Rally and the FIA European Historic Rally championships will feature some of Ireland?s most iconic stages.
The three-day event will begin with a ceremonial start in Killarney?s town centre on Friday May 1.
Plans are at an advanced stage to create a motorsport festival on the streets of the Kerry town and more details of this sideshow will be announced at the rally?s official launch on April 12 at the Gleneagle Hotel, the rally?s headquarters since its inception in 1979.
Dermot Healy, clerk of the course explained the route.
He said: ?Saturday morning kicks off with with the iconic Molls Gap, followed by the Tim Healy Pass and centralised service on Castletownbere Pier. Then it?s time to head out on the famous stages of Cods Head and Ardgroom with a repeat run over the Healy Pass and into service for a well deserved break. Cods Head and Ardgroom are repeated and a blast through the Kilmakilloge harbour stage to finish off the day.
?Sunday morning starts with Molls Gap once again, followed by the mountainous Beallaghbeama Pass and the fast flowing Shanera stage, Then into service at Liebherr Container cranes Killarney. This Loop is of Molls Gap and Beallaghbeama Pass is repeated and into service again, before heading out to the spectator friendly loop of Rockfield, Shanera and Rockfield stages.?
The rally will be backed by Cartell.ie for the sixth consecutive year.
Mr Healy added: ?We are delighted to announce that for their sixth successive year Ireland?s leading vehicle history record company Cartell.ie is the main sponsor of the Rally of the Lakes 2015. KC Print Killarney, Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Gleneagle Hotel, who have been the main supporters of the Rally of the Lakes for many years, continue as Associate Sponsors.
News Stories
Classifieds
Shop
TV Guide
Links
Upcoming 
Most