GSMC Mini Stages Rally - 8 Nov 26

CHAMPIONS LINE UP FOR BALTINGLASS RALLY

Posted: October 18, 2026 1:22 PM

With just under four weeks to go until the Garda Síochána Motor Club Germaine's Hotel Mini Stages Rally takes place on November 8th, the organisers have already received entries from over 120 crews for the Baltinglass-based event. The line-up will include a number of former winners, while two past champions of Irish rallying have also put their names down to tackle the Wicklow stages. Donagh Kelly, who won both the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and the Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship in 2015, will take part in a BMW M3, while Welshman Melvyn Evans, National Champion in 2010, will debut a Subaru Impreza 555.

Kelly began his rallying career in the UK while working in Scotland in the mid 1990s. He started out in a Vauxhall Nova, before progressing through a variety of more powerful machinery, including a Ford Puma Super 1600, a variety of Mitsubishi Lancers and a Subaru Impreza World Rally Car. It was his his time in a Ford Focus WRC which brought him his greatest successes throughout Ireland, including four wins on the West Cork Rally, two on the Killarney Rally of the Lakes, and one each on the Galway, Ulster, and Cork '20' Internationals, as well as numerous victories on National events. Nowadays, he concentrates primarily on historic rallying in the BMW, including rounds of the FIA Historic Rally Championship across Spain, Belgium, Czechia and Italy. Kelly has won the prestigious Killarney Historic Stages Rally for the past two years, and is one of quite a number of drivers who will be using Baltinglass as a shakedown for the 2026 Killarney rally, which will take place at the end of November. He will be guided by fellow Donegal man, the vastly experienced Rory Kennedy, who has himself won four Tarmac Championships as a co-driver.

Melvyn Evans is also among those who will be using the Baltinglass Rally as a 'dress rehearsal' for Killarney. He has restored a Subaru Impreza 555, and the Wicklow outing will be his first in the car, which was originally built by the Prodrive outfit in Oxfordshire. Prodrive operated Subaru's World Rally Championship team, and the 555 iteration of the Impreza was the first version to hit the stages towards the end of 1993, later bringing Colin McRae to the World Rally Championship title in '95.

Evans has been a longtime supporter of rallying in this country, often travelling from his base in Dyfed to compete on this side of the Irish Sea. He has tasted victory in all four provinces in Ireland, in England, Scotland and Wales, and on the Isle of Man. His rally preparation company has had considerable recent success in the British Rally Championship, providing the cars that have brought drivers Matt Edwards, Osian Pryce, Chris Ingram and William Creighton to the title in four of the past five years. Melvyn's son Meirion, and Pryce, currently occupy second and third positions in the 2026 BRC standings going into the final round in their Melvyn Evans Motorsport Toyota Yaris GRs. Kris Meeke took victory last month on Rali Ceredigion, a European Championship round, in a Melvyn Evans Motorsport Yaris.

Speaking at the recent launch of the rally at Germaine's Hotel, Clerk of the Course, the event’s Clerk of the Course, David McCormack, expressed his delight at the positive response from competitors. “I’m happy with the entry this event has already attracted,” he told those assembled. “For this type of Mini Stages Rally, that is, two stages repeated three times, we are allowed to run a maximum of 140 cars, so we’re well on our way to filling that." He urged all crews hoping to take part to get their entries as soon as possible, to guarantee a start rather than a place on the reserve list.

DUNLOP ADDS SPICE TO BALTINGLASS RALLY

Posted: October 18, 2026 1:21 PM

Entries opened for the Garda Síochána Motor Club Germaine's Hotel Mini Stages Rally earlier this week, and already over sixty crews have committed to taking part in the Baltinglass-based event, which will be held on Sunday, November 8th . Among those getting their names in early is professional motorcycle road racer Michael Dunlop, who will drive a Ford Escort RS over the Wicklow stages. The Ballymoney man has enjoyed a long and distinguished career on two wheels, having taken over 120 wins in Ireland, including multiple triumphs at the North West 200, Skerries 100, Cookstown 100, Southern 100, Tandragee 100 and the Armoy Race of Legends. He has also famously clocked up a record 33 victories at the Isle of Man TT. In between his motorcycling exploits, Dunlop has also found the time to rally, and has competed on selected events for over ten years. He has taken a few class wins along the way, and can be expected to challenge strongly on the GSMC Rally. His presence will add another level of interest to the event, and is certain to draw increased spectator numbers to the Baltinglass area.

"We are delighted to see that Michael has chosen to take part in the GSMC Rally," said Clerk of the Course, David McCormack. "While rallying may be a hobby for him, he is a superstar in the world of motorcycling, and his competitive edge is sure to shine through. I look forward to welcoming him and all of the other competitors to Baltinglass in November. It's more or less the end of the rally season, and it can be a concern that entry numbers may be reduced as a result of running so late in the calendar, but the early indications are that there is plenty of interest, so hopefully we will get a full field. We are grateful for the ongoing backing of our long-term sponsors, Germaine's Hotel, and the many other local businesses that support us."

A further intriguing entry has been lodged by Killarney-based Corkman, Donie O'Sullivan, who will be making his first rally outing in seventeen years. O'Sullivan was a regular contender for outright victories in the noughties. He took two wins on the West Cork Rally, and another on the Circuit of Kerry, and finished second on the Rally of the Lakes and the Wexford Rally. For his return, he will drive a BMW M3 supplied by the Netherlands-based MATS outfit, which has established itself as the leading motorsport preparation house in Europe for classic machines from the Bavarian marque.

Some of those already on the Entry List who are likely to challenge for overall honours include Donegal's Martin McGee and Monaghan' s Johno Doogan, both in Ford Escorts, and Meathman, Jack Newman, who will pilot a Darrian T90 GTR.

The GSMC Rally was last run in 2024, when Donegal driver Declan Gallagher, and his Kerry co-driver, John McCarthy ran out as victors in a Toyota Starlet, by 42.4 seconds over Jason Black and Karl Egan, who were also in a Starlet.

Entries for the 2026 Germaine's Hotel GSMC Mini Stages Rally will remain open until the 3rd of November.

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