MRallying's Rebel Rally Assault

Posted: September 30, 2004 7:36 PM

The crew's outing in Ulster was short lived - the differential breaking three miles into the first stage and, with four stages and a considerable amount of road miles remaining on the loop, there was no chance of nursing the car back to service. A long weekend watching from the ditches beckoned'

This weekend sees the crews head for the rebel county with final championship positions the main focus of the event ' with the overall winner decided, the top 5 placings are there to be fought for, and that fight is one that Colm in the Kumho sponsored Impreza intends to be engulfed in ' 'We've had an up and down season really, when the car's gone well we've been on the pace but we've also been unfortunate at other times with mistakes and mechanical problems. Still, we'll put all that behind us this weekend and push the other lads hard'.

Based in its usual Rochestown Park Hotel HQ, the event sees the crews compete in the Macroom area on Saturday before moving on to the Mallow area for Sunday, completing 170 competitive miles in all. And with points and a half counting towards the tarmac championship standings, it's all to play for down south!

With that in mind, keep an eye out for the MRallying team's blue Impreza on the stages this coming weekend and check out the site www.mrallying.com for more information!

• www.mrallying.com
• Ulster Rally - 3-4 Sep 04

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06/08/04
Colm Murphy's Manx Mission
Limerick Tarmac Championship competitors Colm Murphy and Ger Loughrey had their first taste of the legendary Manx International rally last weekend. Having endured probably the toughest weekend of their campaign to date, the MRallying crew were rewarded with their best points finish so far this season.

Arriving on the island on Tuesday night, an under the weather Colm could only complete a partial recce for the event, meaning that some competitive stage miles were driven 'blind', the Athea man having never competed on the Isle of Man before. This problem was to be compounded by the car's handling ' after the accident in Donegal that had seen the rear suspension rebuilt, an incorrect suspension arm had been fitted causing the car to be unbalanced and unpredictable ' not a good combination at over a 100 miles per hour!

Having been generally off the pace on the Thursday tests, and after the McKinstry crew fixing the problem with the car's handling, the Limerick duo set off on Friday with increased hope, getting back onto the pace with their confidence renewed in the car. According to the former Focus champion 'I was very much under the weather yesterday and car wasn't right which led to a couple of moments but we're still here and you never know what'll happen in rallying'. Friday's ten stages saw the crew get back onto the pace of the other Irish teams and, although time was still being lost to the class leaders, Colm and Ger were content to see out the event in an effort to build experience on the rally.

Saturday saw the final day of competition, eight stages bringing an end to the epic event. The solid drive on Saturday had seen the Impreza hold sixth position in class over night. This position was strengthen to fourth on the final day with the retirements of James Foley and Seb Ling, handing a satisfying third place points finish to the relieved pairing. Colm remained upbeat ' 'That was some event, the stages are challenging but enjoyable, especially that last one down to the grandstand, a great buzz'.

Next event for the team is the Ulster International rally in September. Colm would like to thank his sponsors Kumho Tyres for their support on the Manx International.

• www.mrallying.com
• Manx International Rally - 29-31 Jul 04

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01/06/04
Colm Murphy Rallying - Post Donegal
Letterkenny played host to the Donegal International rally this weekend, the 4th round of the Irish Group N Tarmac Championship. With a fully subscribed entry, the three-day event, based in the Mount Errigal hotel, was to prove the second event in a month for the MRallying team of Colm Murphy and Ger Loughrey in their Subaru Impreza. After a class win on the Circuit of Munster two weeks earlier, the hopes of a good result were high as the crew headed for the hills on the northern coast.

The Kumho shod, McKinstry prepared car set off on Friday in fine fettle, taking second fastest time on opening stage. After the first loop of three stages, the crew laid in 5th place overall in class, northern drivers Heron, Leonard and Rogers bringing their stage knowledge into action to lead the way. With conditions varying between bright sunshine and heavy showers, tyre choice proved a veritable lottery and a cautious approach was the name of the game considering the amount of stage mileage to be covered over the weekend. Even considering the calculated line of attack taken by Colm and Ger, a spin cost the pair half a minute on the penultimate stage. Despite all the dramas, an overnight position of 4th in class was just reward after a good days driving. The competition in the GroupN class was demonstrated by the top five cars finishing the first day’s 6 stages with less than 30 seconds separating them.

Saturday featured 4 classic Irish stages including Carnhill and Knockalla, and with the weather proving every bit as reliable as any typical Irish summer, tyre choice again proved, at best, a matter of luck. The retirement of overnight class leader Seamus Heron was testament to this as was Aaron McHale putting his car off the road for three minutes. The Limerick based crew were not without their own dramas however with Colm and Ger surviving unscathed from a lurid 5th gear spin and a time sapping puncture. Most importantly, no damage was done and the McDaid Brothers Transport, Advance Surveys, Vanity Case Beauticians, CMV Productions sponsored car returned to parc ferme 4th in class overnight with the goal of landing as many Tarmac Championship points as possible.

Sunday morning started well despite heading into Seamus Leonard’s home stages with Colm stopping the clocks in the older spec Impreza just 1 second down on the brand new car of the class leader on the Glen village stage. This speed would’ve given the crew hope of mounting an attack during the rest of the day but the momentum was lost when Andrew Nesbitt’s car blocked the Port Lake stage. Things were about to get worse however as disaster struck on the Atlantic Drive stage.

Early in the test the car brushed a bank on a deceptive right-hander – no damage seemed to be done but half a mile from the end of the classic stage the hub of one of the rear wheels gave way, spinning the car off the road and out of contention. A severe blow considering the position they had been holding and pace the MRallying car had shown over the weekend.

With a lot of drama unfolding on Sunday, Colm and Ger were again left looking for a silver lining – ‘it’s a terrible shame to go out like that, I was really enjoying the stage up to the off as well. Still, it was a good weekend and a good learning experience on some tricky stages. Hopefully we’ll be able to put that to use next year and come back stronger’.

Rallying comes thick and fast in summer and the next event for the MRallying team was to be the Edinburgh based Jim Clark International rally. Due to unforeseen circumstances however, Colm and Ger will not be competing on the event as expected. The next event for the Limerick based crew will instead be the Isle of Man based Manx International rally.

Taking place the last weekend in July, the rally allows the Irish crews test themselves against the best that Britain has to offer on some famous tarmac on the island made famous for its motorsport heritage. A two-day event, the round brings together the British and Irish rally championships for a fabulous spectator spectacle and tough competitor test.

Colm would like to thank all his sponsors for making his assault on the Donegal event possible – Kumho tyres, McDaid Brothers Transport, CMV Productions, Advance Surveys, Vanity Case Beauticians and Garry O’Keeffe Plant and Haulage. Without their support and continued interest, the team’s exploits would not be possible.

For more information about the MRallying team, log onto their website at www.mrallying.com and keep an eye out for the blue Impreza on the stages!

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17/06/04
Limerick’s biggest annual motorsport event, the June bank holiday weekend Circuit of Munster, rewarded competitors Colm Muprhy and Ger Loughrey with their best result so far in the highly competitive production class. With an entry of over 150 cars, Colm and Ger beat the other showroom class competitors home to take a comprehensive victory in GpN with a fantastic 8th overall finish on their home event.

Starting from Adare’s Woodlands hotel, the crews headed for Shanagolden where the action was to be based for the event. Greasy conditions greeted the crews on the first test of the day, Shanid Castle. This wasn’t to put the MRallying crew off however as they set the pace with a time to put themselves into the top ten overall the GpN lead, a position they wouldn’t relinquish all day.

With the McKinstry Motorsport prepared car on full song, Colm and Ger set fastest GpN time on stage two, Tinnakilla, to move into a commanding class lead from Tadhg Linehan. Back at service the crew reported all was running well with nothing major to report, the Kumho rubber working well once up to temperature and the car not missing a beat. The only gripe Colm had was a familiar one; “we’ve no grunt out of the slow junctions, like in Enniskillen. First gear’s too high and second gear’s too low so we’re losing pace to the others there but no matter”.

The second pair of stages through Kilcolman and Glensharrold saw another two fastest GpN times as the pair held their nerve in the drying conditions, the only moment of note coming when cool tyres caught out the former Focus champion at the start of a stage. The ensuing brush with a ditch did no harm and served to concentrate the minds, if nothing else.

Back at service, the McKinstry crew checked over everything in the hope of landing the teams first class victory. As the Advance Surveys, Garry O’Keeffe Plant and Haulage and Kingdom Fastfit sponsored car pulled out for the second run over the stages, the Limerick pairing knew that a solid drive to bring the car home would prove good for confidence before the Donegal International.

With fellow GpN competitor Willie Fannin going off the road on SS5 and Tadhg Linehan retiring, the pressure in the class may have been decreased slightly but MRallying car had to stay on song to keep the strong top ten placing it had held throughout the day. By the time the crews made it back to the final service halt, the roads were bone dry and conditions were summery. With crowds out in force in Shanagolden village enjoying the sunshine, Colm and Ger left their mechanics with the hope of bringing the car home as high up the top ten as possible, an audacious aim considering the quality of machinery on show. This aim wasn’t to prove unrealistic however as, at the end of the final stage, the car had come home 8th overall, first in GpN and within 5 seconds of the ex-World Rally Championship Peugeot 206 of George Tracey. Quite an accomplishment for driver, navigator and team alike.

Back at the hotel, their first victory under the belt, made all the more sweet by taking it on home turf, Colm and Ger were elated. “We’d like to thank everyone who’s helped along the way, all the sponsors and the team, their contribution is what makes it possible for us to achieve this”. A second award picked up was that of highest placed Limerick crew, three places ahead of Shanagolden’s Ollie O’Donovan who’s Impreza WRC had been plagued with a problem causing it to cut out all day.

All this excitement leaves the crew in good stead for the June 18th Shell Donegal International rally. The MRallying team will be hoping to build on the Limerick result to record their best finish in the Pirelli Championship thus far on the Donegal event. With three days of flat out action in prospect, twenty testing stages lie ahead of the competing crews. With classics such as Atlantic Drive, Fanad Head and Dunglow Lake in prospect, Colm and Ger are relishing the chance to get back into action.

Like on the Circuit of Ireland, a number of northern crews will again be expected to have the upper hand with the local knowledge factor but don’t expect the MRallying Impreza should to be too far back!

• www.mrallying.com

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15/04/05
Colm Murphy - Rally of the Lakes Update
The May weekend saw the OSI Rally of the Lakes take place in a Killarney town bathed in glorious sunshine. Not a spare bed was available in the locality as all of Ireland’s (and some from further away!) finest rally crews descended on the Kingdom for a weekend of fierce competition on the famous stages of the Lakes.

Colm Murphy’s MRallying team headed into the event seeking a positive performance – two retirements on the Midland and Circuit events meant the team wanted to finish their local international with a good result

The McKinstry prepared car looked immaculate as it lined up for the superspecial on Friday evening and made it through the flat out runs unscathed to return to parc ferme safe and sound for the night. Molls Gap awaited the following morning…

After a good nights rest, the crews lined up on the classic (but shorter this year due to road works) Molls Gap test at 8am Saturday morning. The GpN battle was going to be immense – the new Subarus of Ring, Fannin and Doyle would surely be on the pace, as would the Evo’s of MacHale, Foley, Keenan and Jennings. Colm and Ger would have to be on the money in the slightly older MRallying Impreza N7 to be on the pace from the off.

And on the pace they were – the Garry O’Keeffe, Advanced Surveys, HA O’Neill sponsored car set a blistering time up the Gap, bettered only by a second by Dessie Keenan in his newer Evo 8. When the crew reached Castletownbere for the first service halt of the day they were lying 4th in class, their Kumho tyres wearing heavily on the now hot tarmac of the Kerry roads.

The second loop of stages through Cods Head, Ardgroom and Healy Pass saw the GpN battle intensify with just 15 seconds between 2nd and 5th places, local man Alan Ring was setting the pace in his Impreza N10. The crews then moved well into Cork for the Lough Allua and Fuhiry tests. The first run through the Lough Allua test saw the MRallying car blitz through stage, setting fastest time to move up to 3rd in class.

On the following test the Kumho shod car picked up its first knock of the weekend, a broken wheel bearing causing the Limerick pairing some concern. This couldn’t be told from the speed the Impreza was showing however as the second run through Lough Allua again saw Colm and Ger set the pace, moving up to second in class.

However with just two stages remaining on the day, the McKinstry car ran into more trouble. The gear linkage broke and with no time available to properly remedy the situation, a quick fix job was the only choice. Fuhiry and Lough Guitane were driven with fingers crossed but in a change of fortune (for once!), the suspect linkage held allowing the crew to set joint fastest time on the last test of the day. Back at the hotel after the 11 Saturday stages and lying in second place in GpN, the pair were thrilled with how things had gone – “the day was very good, slight concern about the tyres wearing heavily, Lough Allua was something else, absolutely fantastic!”

Sunday morning saw the McKinstry crew fix the ailing gear linkage before the first Molls Gap test allowing Colm and Ger attack again at 100%, a necessary approach as the GpN pace was red hot and with Foley, Doyle, Fannin and MacHale eagerly eyeing up the second place. However it was to almost come to an end on the first run through Caragh Lake – the Impreza clipped a wall which burst the front drivers side tyre, broke the front wheel, wishbone, anti-roll bar, steering rack and damaged the radiator. This was a terrible blow considering a maximum points haul had been on the cards. However they were still running so all was not lost – testament to the quality of the McKinstry mechanics - one quick service later and the crew could continue onto the second loop of stages.

The fighting spirit was far from gone however as despite the earlier mishap and a broken anti-roll bar rendering the car a handful to drive, the MRallying Impreza flew though the final run up the Gap to post second fastest time, a testament to their desire and commitment. The final three stages were dispatched with the main aim being to keep it on the road and return with as many points as possible for the Tarmac Championship.

The crew returned to the Gleneagles Sunday evening safe in the knowledge that 4th place in the Championship points had been secured and a 13th overall finish wasn’t too bad a result considering the gear linkage and tyre troubles that had tested the team over the weekend, not to mind the fact it could’ve all ended after Caragh Lake earlier in the day! Colm was happy with his weekends work “It could’ve been different alright but considering we’re down on horses and have been through the wars a little bit, it’s not too bad - but we’ll look forward to Donegal now, that’s next up!”

Colm would like to thank his sponsors for helping out with his efforts in Killarney, O’Shea Electrical, H.A. O’Neill engineering, Garry O’Keeffe Plant and Haulage and Kumho tyres. Without their help none of this would be possible and their contribution is greatly appreciated.

• www.mrallying.com

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10/02/03

Photo: Seamus Counihan

This passed weekend (Feb 7-8) saw Colm Murphy in the Kingdom Fast Fit, Gary O’Keeffe Plant and Haulage Contractor sponsored Subaru Impreza N8 undergo a baptism of fire into the Pirelli Irish Group N Tarmac Championship. The Radisson SAS hotel in Galway played host to the first major event of the season, the Galway International rally.

With a stunning entry list encompassing Irelands finest rallying talent (and a couple from further a field!), showcasing the latest in automotive technology in both World Rally car and standard production class formats, every position was going to be hard fought from departure on Saturday morning from Eyre Square to their return on Sunday evening. Reigning champion Roy White lead the GpN runners away from the city centre shortly after 9am Saturday morning as the crews headed toward Ballinasloe, the base for the Saturday action.

An unfortunate start saw the MRallying crew pick up a 60 second penalty from the word go after confusion over time cards saw the car arrive late at the first checkpoint. This however wasn’t to put a damper on proceedings as Colm and co-driver Ger Loughrey set about getting to grips with the car on the narrow, stone wall lined lanes around Monivea. Getting to grips with the change in machinery was to be the main aim of the day as Colm made the transition from the front wheel drive Focus to the four wheel drive, turbo charged Subaru.

Despite a moment on the first stage, Colm made it back to the first service of the day with growing confidence in the levels of grip offered by the combination of his Kumho tyres and Subaru four wheel drive on the treacherously slippy Galway byways. Gaining speed with each competitive mile, the crew caught Guy Woodcock on the next loop of stages as the times for the McKinstry prepared car started to tumble, setting times competitive with the more experienced group N drivers Roy White, James Foley and Aaron McHale.

Losing stage 7 due to cancellation, Colm and Ger continued where they left off on the third loop posting second and third fastest times on the last two stages of the day to return to parc ferme 5th in group N overnight and 13th overall. Back at the hotel after a day of learning and familiarisation, Colm felt much more confident in his new mount and was relishing the following days eight stages.

Sunday morning started with a service in Oranmore before heading to toward Kinvara for the first test of the day. After expressing his increased level of confidence the night before, his claims were substantiated as the Kumho shod MRallying car blitzed stage ten, a full 13 seconds faster than the next group N car. The cancellation of stage 12 led to the cars returning to service early for the first break of the day. But all was not well with the car – vibrations from the gearbox were causing the service team great concern.

Their worst fears were confirmed on the next loop of stages when, despite putting in a massive effort and being rewarded with another fastest time, moving into 10th on the overall leader board and closing to within 8 seconds of third placed Dessie Keenan, the car lost third and fourth gears effectively removing any chance Colm and Ger had of continuing the great work they had been doing all day. They nursed the car through the last three stages of the rally to return to Galway 4th in class and 13th overall. Car preparation expert James Foley lead the production class home from last seasons runner up Aaron MacHale and Dessie Keenan.

Although disappointing to end the rally with a mechanical failure preventing the progress they were making up the leader board, the fact remained that the Limerick crew of Colm and Ger had put in a very impressive display on the first round of the championship and were already looking forward to the Easter weekend Circuit of Ireland to get back into the hot seat and out on the stages.

• Galway International Rally
• www.mrallying.com