Kirkistown Hosts McGrady Insurance N.I. Rally Championship Opener This Weekend with the Eurocables Belfast Stages Rally!
Posted: February 15, 2023 6:32 AM
High-octane motorsport action returns to Northern Ireland this Saturday with the opening round of the hotly contested McGrady Insurance Motorsport UK Northern Ireland Rally Championship!
Based within the confines of County Down’s Kirkistown Race Circuit and organised by North Armagh Motor Club, the Eurocables Belfast backed Kirkistown Stages Rally has attracted almost 80 entries.
The return of Eurocables as the event sponsor resumes a long tradition that dates back more than 20 years, while McGrady Insurance confirmed its continued sponsorship of the overall championship at a recent prizegiving event – a relationship that has thrived since 2014.
Leading Entries
If the entry list for this weekend’s event gives an indication of the season ahead, the tussle for the 2023 crown could be one of the closest battles in recent years. More than 20 top-spec R5 rally car powered crews litter the entry list, with reigning champion, Jonny Greer, ready to defend his title.
Three-times champion Greer will be navigated by Brian Crawford in their Citroen C3 and they head a quality field that includes 2019 champion and former event winner, Stephen Wright, who starts at number two in his Ford Fiesta with Ger Conway.
Derek McGarrity is another multiple champion with a record eight titles to his credit. He and Graham Henderson add more variety to the mix with their VW Polo GTi R5 at number three, while former Irish Tarmac Champion, Darren Gass, is sure to be among the front-runners with Sam Hutchinson calling the notes in their Citroen C3.
Joe McGonigle and Aaron McLaughlin finished on equal points last year, with McGonigle getting the nod on the tie-break to claim third overall in the title chase. Both men are back for more in their Fiestas, while Stuart Biggerstaff is another former champion who will be looking to get in the mix too with his Fiesta.
Gareth Sayers could be a dark horse in his latest spec Fiesta while regulars Kieron Graffin (VW Polo), Niall Henry (Fiesta) and Emma McKinstry (Fiesta) could spring a surprise or two.
Further down the order, James Leckey is set to dust off some 25-year-old cobwebs. He was among the fastest competitors in the Irish Tarmac Championship during the ‘90s, trading times with some Irish rallying greats such as Austin MacHale and the late Bertie Fisher.
After hanging up his helmet at the end of 1998 – a season during which he won the Killarney Rally of the Lakes – the Lisburn man is set to return to action on Saturday with a Fiesta R5 hired from McKinstry Motorsport. It will be a far cry from his days behind the wheel of a Group A Subaru Impreza but given his past performances, he will be one to keep an eye on.
"Saturday is really a test session for me," Leckey said. "I want to get back into a car and see if it's something I want to do again. I haven't driven competitively since the end of the 1998 season and Kenny (McKinstry) has told me to be ready to find out how slow I am! So I'm just going to test the car and see if I enjoy it."
Two-Wheel-Drive
A strong entry has been received for the two-wheel-drive category too. Jason and Gareth Black are among the front-runners in their Toyota Starlet and will face stiff opposition from the likes of Kyle White (Peugeot 208), Barry Morris (Darrian) and James Kennedy (Escort MkII).
The event also hosts the opening round of the Micra Challenge; a category that aims to provide low-cost competition for those in Micra rally cars. 10 crews have entered the rally, promising another hotly contested category for 2023.
The Event
The Eurocables Belfast Kirkistown Stages will feature six stages, all held within the confines of Kirkistown Race Circuit. The opening stage starts at 9.15am and the finish is expected to be around 4.30pm. Admission to the event is £10 per person.
For more information, including regular updates as Saturday’s rally progresses, follow the championship on Facebook at fb.com/nirallying and nirallychampionship.com. Live results will be available from rallyscore.net.
Seeded Entry List
Posted: February 14, 2023 3:21 PM
1 Jonathan Greer/Brian Crawford (Citroen C3 Rally 2) [10]
2 Stephen Wright/Ger Conway (Ford Fiesta R5) [11]
3 Derek McGarrity/Graham Henderson (VW Polo GTI R5) [10]
4 Darren Gass/Sam Hutchinson (Citroen C3 Rally 2) [10]
5 Aaron McLaughlin/Darren Curran (Ford Fiesta R5) [11]
6 Joseph McGonigle/Ciaran Geaney (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [10]
7 Stuart Biggerstaff/Anthony Nestor (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [10]
8 Gareth Sayers/Gareth Gilchrist (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [11]
9 Niall Henry/Barney Mitchell (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [10]
10 Kieron Graffin/Amy Graffin (VW Polo GTI R5) [10]
11 Emma McKinstry/Kenny Hull (Ford Fiesta R5) [11]
12 Michael McGarrity/Damian Garvey (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [10]
14 James Leckey/Stephen McAuley (Ford Fiesta) [11]
15 Chris McGurk/Mark McGeehan (Ford Fiesta R5) [10]
16 Ian Dickson/Kenny Bustard (Ford Fiesta) [10]
17 Cal McCarthy/Eric Calnan (Citroen C3 Rally 2) [10]
18 Jason Black/Gareth Black (Toyota Starlet) [7]
19 Kyle White/Sean Topping (Peugeot 308) [2A]
20 Barry Morris/Dylan Doonan (Darrian T90 GTR+) [7]
21 James Kennedy/Heather Kennedy (Ford Escort Mk2) [6]
22 Paul McKenna/Tbc Tbc (Mitsubushi Lancer Evo) [9]
23 Drew Stewart/David White (Ford Escort Mk2) [6]
24 Jamie Grant/Jonny Chambers (Toyota Starlet) [6]
25 Terry Donnelly/Gareth Donnelly (Ford Fiesta R5) [11]
26 Adrian Grant/Olivia Chambers (Ford Escort Mk2) [7]
27 Kevin Wilson/Martin Farren (Hyundai i20 R5) [10]
28 Nicky Caughey/Graeme Stewart (Mitsubushi Lancer Evo 9) [8]
29 Scott Singleton/Kyle Diffin (Ford Escort) [7]
30 Brian McFall/Ivor Lamont (Ford Fiesta) [11]
31 Derek Gurney/Alan Conor (Ford Sierra RS Cosworth) [6]
32 Darren McKelvey/Dean O'Sullivan (Ford Fiesta R5) [10]
33 Conor McCrossan/David Burns (Ford Fiesta) [10]
34 Conor Lavery/Leslie Millar (Ford Escort Mk2) [6]
35 Philip White/Brian Rowan (Nissan Micra) [3]
36 Stephen Whitford/Jonny Hart (Nissan Micra Kit Car) [3]
37 Jason Dickson/Shane Byrne (Ford Fiesta) [10]
38 Jaye Nevin/Eoghan Moore (Peugeot 205 RWD) [7]
39 James Wylie/Linda Wylie (Ford Escort Mk2) [5]
40 Seamus Morris/Aidan Campbell (Darrian T90 GTR) [7]
41 Niall Carey/Ciaran Carey (BMW Compact) [7]
42 Chris Byers/Joan Gilmore (Ford Escort Mk2) [5]
43 Brian Bolger/Andrew Cullen (Ford Fiesta R5) [10]
44 Chris George/Philip McLaughlin (BMW 325i) [7]
45 Ruari McCaffrey/Ben Thompson (Ford Escort) [5]
46 Drew Wylie/Dean Beckett (Ford Escort RS1800 Mk2) [1]
47 Robert Erwin/Neil Ervine (Toyota MR2) [6]
48 Roger Kennedy/Wendy Blackledge (Peugeot 306) [6]
49 Jonny Cargo/David McElroy (Ford Escort Mk2) [6]
50 Colm Browne/Michael Browne (Ford Escort G3) [5]
51 Paul Flanagan/Glen Donnelly (Ford Escort) [5]
52 James Convery/Joey Walls (Subaru Impreza) [8]
53 David Christie/Alastair McComb (Ford Escort) [5]
54 Andy Johnson/Jim McSherry (Vauxhall Chevette HSR) [1]
55 Karl Fallis/Tony McGovern (Honda Civic) [4]
56 Jimmy Mills/Ashley Trimble (Ford Escort RS1800 Mk2) [1]
57 Gareth Dick/Calum Dick (Honda Civic) [2A]
58 Roy Haslett/Gavin Larmour (Ford Escort G3) [6]
59 Raymond Mason/Chris McSherry (Nissan Micra) [3]
60 Peter Dowds/Steven Dowds (Nissan Micra Kit Car) [3]
61 Michelle Morelli/Declan Campbell (Honda Civic) [4]
62 Mark Moore/Peter Ward (Nissan Micra) [3]
63 Jonathan Strain/Scott Strain (Peugeot 205 GTI) [5]
64 Derek Crossen/Karen Kinney (Nissan Micra) [3]
65 Sean Foy/Clodagh McMorrow (Nissan Micra) [3]
66 Paul Hone/Jordan Hone (Nissan Micra) [3]
67 Neil Somerville/Jay Somerville (Vauxhall Chevette) [3]
68 Jack Shields/Ashley Boulton (Nissan Micra) [3]
69 Michael Nutt/Dion Coyle (Ford Fiesta) [2A]
70 Sean Scanlon/Glen Cinnamon (Honda Civic EP3) [2A]
71 Stephen McFerran/James McKeefry (Ford Escort) [1]
72 Lee Breslin/Liam Kenny (Peugeot 205) [6]
73 Joshua Baird/Arnie Lutton (Vauxhall Corsa) [3]
74 Angus Johnson/George McMillen (Vauxhall Corsa) [3]
75 Guy Carlisle/Tadhg Delaney (Opel Adam Cup) [4]
76 Marshall Kennedy/Davy Young (Honda Civic EP3) [2A]
77 Alan Moffett/Adrian Park (Mini Cooper) [4]
78 Liam Regan/Aidan O'Connor (Skoda Estelle) [1]
79 Lemuel Black/Lauren Crozier (Nissan Micra) [3]
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