Cork 20 International Rally - 2-4 Oct '98

The drama on this event started on Friday evening, when after discovering a problem with the steering in his Castrol Toyota Austin McHale was forced to withdraw from the rally.
When the rally did get under way it was Ian Greer who set the opening pace on the 8.5 mile opening test, his time of 7:33 was 9 seconds faster than the Eamonn Boland's Hertz WRC with Stephen Murphy in third. At service all the talk was of how slippery the stage was. Frank Meagher on a come back to rallying was having a hard time trying to find a rhythm but the come back wouldn't last long as he came out of SS2 on a tow rope. Liam O'Callaghan was fastest 2 wheel drive car, 6 seconds up on the BMW M3 of Denis Cornin. Cornin however crashed out on SS2 forcing the stage to be cancelled for those running behind him. Barrable who was up the 7th after the second stage in his updated Celica ground to a halt on SS3 with transmission failure. After service it was expected that Greer's position would be challenged, but the Hillsborough driver rattled off 3 fastest times to move into a 33 seconds lead by second service. At first it was Eamonn Boland/Damien Morrissey who was closest but bad tyre choices on SS3 and 4 cost the Wexford man a few seconds although he still just held second from Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien. Nesbitt had a slow start, 6th after the first stage, he was the closest to Greer on SS3 and 4 to overtake Bertie Fisher for third. Liam O'Callaghan after earlier intercom problems was up into the top 10, his closest rival in F2 begin his teammate the Swede Petter Akerstrom.

In the battle in class 11 (Modified 2.0 litre) local man John Shanahan had been expected to make early running, his home begin on one of the stages. However Kieran O'Neill/Paul Nagle in the Group Motors Kadett were leading the class by SS4 and also the top RWD, despite giving the back axle a knock on one of the slippery stages. Shanahan broke a strut after hitting a bank and dropped down the order.
Joe McGurk in the ex-Connie Smith black Escort 2.4 was having a desperate rally. After running a little too wide on a corner on SS1 he broke a suspension mounting. Then the exhaust manifold cracked and he also lost the bonnet of the Escort. In Group N Japanese Group N Champion Toshihiro Arai with Roger Freeman on the notes was leading Group N in the Subaru STI but Dan McCartan wasn't far behind in his EVO V.

If anyone was going to challenge Greer it had to be after the done after the 2nd service. With Stephen Murphy/Michael Morrissey being forced to retire their Statoil Escort at service due to power steering failure it was left to Boland, Nesbitt and Fisher to fight it out with Greer. Greer/Beckett responded with a time that rocked the chasing crews. All the top crews lined up on Slicks for SS5 but a heavy mist was already down on the stage. Greer/Beckett made the most of it, taking 18 seconds off Fisher with a time of 10:25. Nesbitt ended the stage with a flat wheel but Liam O'Callaghan recorded 4th fastest on the stage to open up a huge lead in F2. JJ Felming/Robbie Ward on their first outing in the beautiful ex-Latti Impreza was finding the Impreza completely different to the old Escort WRC.
The fact that the car was left hand drive didn't help matters either, and a misted up windscreen on SS5 also delayed the Galway crew. Ollie O'Donavan in his last outing in his Gp A Astra suffered a puncture but was still battling for 3rd in F2 with the similar Astra of Sean Keenan. Uel Williamson set a blistering time, 8th fastest in the Mark 1 Escort brought them just behind the Kadett of Kieran O'Neill/Paul Nagle. O'Neill dropped more time on SS6 and 7, equalled the Escort on SS8, and but took 11 back on the final Saturday stage to end the day in 11th overall, just 5 seconds ahead of the Escort. Although John Shanahan was settings some amazing times, the early time loss proved costly and the Cork man would start the 2nd day down in 13th place.

At the front of the field however it was still all Greer. In fact the only time he would be beaten all day was on the last stage, when Andrew Nesbitt pulled off a giant killing performance to over halt Eamonn Boland for second. Nesbitt clocked 9:02 for the slippery stage, with Greer next on 9:17 after a spin and Boland on 9:18. Boland suffered another set back that night when the times for SS2 very scrubbed. This dropped the Wexford man to fourth just behind Fisher.

End Leg one
 1 I. Greer/D. Beckett (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)....1.10.56
 2 A. Nesbitt/ J. O'Brien (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD).1.12.07
 2 B. Fisher/R. Kennedy (Subaru Impreza 555)........1.12.25
 4 E. Bolland/D Morrissey (Ford Escort WRC).........1.12.26
 5 B. Fowden/G. Hynes (Ford Escort WRC).............1.14.32
 6 L. O'Callaghan/H. McPhillips (Escort Kit Car).F2.1.14.37
 7 L. McCarthy/T. O'Donovan (Escort RS Cosworth)....1.15.15
 8 F. O'Mahony/B. Curtin (Subaru Impreza 555).......1.17.09
 9 T. Arai/R. Freeman (Subaru Impreza Sti)...GpN....1.18.25
10 D. McCartan/M. McElwee (Mit. Lancer Evo V)..GpN..1.18.33
11 K. O'Neill/P. Nagle (Opel Kadett C 2.0)..........1.19.06
12 U. Williamson/G. Wilson (Escort Mk I 2.0)........1.19.11
13 P. Akerstrom/H. Jacobsson (Escort Maxi Kit Car)..1.19.30
14 J. Dempsey/P. Dempsey (Subaru Impreza 555).......1.19.44
15 J. Shanahan/J. Brennan (Escort 2.0)..............1.20.05

This now gave Greer a lead of 87 seconds over Fisher, and Fisher had over 2 mins on Bob Fowden in third.. Fowden with Gerry Hynes on the notes was under pressure from Liam O'Callaghan, and by first service O'Callaghan had moved up to third with some brilliant driving in conditions that was better suited to the 4WD drive cars. Fowden had put a wheel off the road on SS12 that slowed him a little. Local drivers Liam McCarthy and Frank O'Mahony were holding 5th and 6th. Kieran O'Neill had a very good morning adding 13 seconds to his lead over Uel Williamson with 2 top 6 times. In F2, Petter Akerstrom who was just outside the top 10 came into service on a tow rope when a broken driveshaft burst the sump of the Dunlop backed Escort.
Group N was also decided on the morning stages when Dan McCartan crashed out of 2nd in Group N on SS12.

For Greer and Fisher it was just a drive to the finish, but behind then it was all to play for. Liam McCarthy/Tim O'Donovan took third fastest time to move to within 4 seconds of Bob Fowden in fourth, who was only 34 seconds behind Liam O'Callaghan. Fowden wasn't happy with the handling at the rear of his Escort WRC.
Uel Williamson/Glen Wilson shocked Kieran O'Neill/Paul Nagle when they pulled back 17 seconds in one stage. O'Neill cause wasn't helped by a brush with a telegraph pole.
On they next stage they tied, but then on SS15 2 miles from the end of the stage O'Neill broke a wishbone on one of the many crests. Little time was lost, but the 2 cars would be on equal time in eight place and only one 11 mile stage remaining. John and Paul Dempsey who were having a great afternoons rallying were moving up the leader board and closing on that eighth spot.

In the end it was Williamson who won class 11 and the championship. O'Neill/Nagle had 3 huge spins and in fact Williamson was almost on their bumper at the end. The Dempseys did enough to take ninth, but Liam McCarthy charge in fourth was blunted when he hit the front of his MLP Escort and damaged a steering arm. Despite a small fire, Joe McGurk finished to take the modified championship although he had to give best to Dominic Loughran/ Lisa Mangan in the sole remaining M3 and Tom Randles/ Diarmuid Lynch in the Dyno Rod Escort in the class on this rally

The day belonged to Ian Greer and Dean Beckett, Bertie Fisher begin one of the first people to congratulate them on their first International win.
They hadn't put a wheel wrong all weekend, in fact such was their domination that if they weren't fastest on a stage they were second fastest. The six rounds of the 1998 Toshiba Equium Tarmac Championship had seen 5 different drivers take maximum points, McHale in Galway and The Circuit, Lecky in Killarney, Nesbitt in Donegal, Liam O'Callaghan on the Manx and now Ian Greer on the Cork '20. Roll on '99!

Results:
 1 I. Greer/D. Beckett (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)..2.08.52
 2 B. Fisher/R. Kennedy (Subaru Impreza 555)......2.10.05
 3 L. O'Callaghan/H. McPhillips (Escort Kit Car)..2.14.52
 4 B. Fowden/G. Hynes (Ford Escort WRC)...........2.16.04
 5 L. McCarthy/T. O'Donovan (Escort RS Cosworth)..2.16.17
 6 F. O'Mahony/B. Curtin (Subaru Impreza 555).....2.19.33
 7 T. Arai/R. Freeman (Subaru Impreza Sti)...GpN..2.21.47
 8 U. Williamson/G. Wilson (Escort Mk I 2.0)......2.21.52
 9 J. Dempsey/P. Dempsey (Subaru Impreza 555).....2.22.01
10 K. O'Neill/P. Nagle (Opel Kadett C 2.0)........2.22.17

F2
 3 L. O'Callaghan/H. McPhillips (Escort Kit Car)..2.14.52
16 S. Keenan/S O'Riordan (Opel Astra GSI).........2.27.34
19 O. O'Donovan/C Murphy (Opel Astra GSI).........2.29.46

Group N
 7 T. Arai/R. Freeman (Subaru Impreza Sti)........2.21.47
17 D. Wilmot/J Casey/ (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IV)..2.28.16
18 G. Meegan/D O'Gorman (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO V).2.28.35

Rear Wheel Drives
 8 U. Williamson/G. Wilson (Escort Mk I 2.0).......2.21.52
10 K. O'Neill/P. Nagle (Opel Kadett C 2.0).........2.22.17
11 D. Loughran/L. Mangan (BMW M3)..................2:23:56
12 T. Randles/D. Lynch (Escort 2.4)................2:24:59
13 G. McCormack/S. Magee (Escort 2.0)..............2:26:03

Retirments:
SS15 J. Shanahan/J. Brennan (Escort 2.0)..............Head Gasket
SS12 D. McCartan/M. McElwee (Mit. Lancer Evo V)..........Accident
SS12 P. Akerstrom/H. Jacobsson (Escort Maxi Kit Car)...Driveshaft
SS10 A. Nesbitt/ J. O'Brien (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)....Accident
SS10 E. Bolland/D Morrissey (Ford Escort WRC)............Accident
SS4 S. Murphy/M. Mossissey (Ford Escort WRC).......Power Steering
SS3 M. Barrable/J. Downey (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)....Mechanical
SS2 D. Cornin/C Kelleher (BMW M3)........................Accident
SS2 F. Meagher/P Moloughney (Escort RS Cosworth).......Electrical

Leaders

SS1-16 I. Greer/D. Beckett (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)

Stage winners

SS1 I. Greer/D. Beckett (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)
SS2 I. Greer/D. Beckett (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD) 
                              - (Stage Cancelled)
SS3 I. Greer/D. Beckett (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)
SS4 I. Greer/D. Beckett (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)
SS5 I. Greer/D. Beckett (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)
SS6 I. Greer/D. Beckett (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)
SS7 I. Greer/D. Beckett (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)
SS8 I. Greer/D. Beckett (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)
SS9 A. Nesbitt/ J. O'Brien (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)
 
SS10 I. Greer/D. Beckett (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD) 
                                -(Stage Cancelled)
SS11 B. Fisher/R. Kennedy (Subaru Impreza 555)
SS12 B. Fisher/R. Kennedy (Subaru Impreza 555)
SS13 I. Greer/D. Beckett (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)
SS14 B. Fisher/R. Kennedy (Subaru Impreza 555)
SS15 B. Fisher/R. Kennedy (Subaru Impreza 555)
SS16 I. Greer/D. Beckett (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD)


Historics
 1 Philip Wylie/James Howe (MGB)........................02:03:54
 2 Mervyn Johnson/Elkin Robinson (Austin Mini Cooper S).02:04:27
 3 Joe Connolly/Peter Connolly (Porsche 911)............02:05:38


Overall Historics/Classics
 1 Martin Ward/Linda Conroy (Opel Manta A)..............02:03:07
 2 Lee Freestone/Chris Keyes (Escort RS 1600)...........02:03:38
 3 Philip Wylie/James Howe (MGB)........................02:03:54
 4 Mervyn Johnson/Elkin Robinson (Austin Mini Cooper S).02:04:27
 5 Joe Connolly/Peter Connolly (Porsche 911)............02:05:38
 6 Martin Boyle/Mark Rowan (Ford Anglia)................02:05:48
 7 Niall Creighton/Gregory Roberts (Ford Lotus Cortina).02:09:11
 8 Con Ward/Tim Horan (Austin Mini Cooper S)............02:11:45
 9 Liam Sheehan/Martin Cronin (Ford Escort Mk1).........02:13:17
10 Roger Du Croq-Slip/Marie Du Croq-Slip (Lotus Cortina)02:14:24