Killarney Rally of Lakes - 1-2 May 10

More In Car

Posted: May 22, 2010 10:55 PM

Limerick crew win junior rally of the lakes - O’Connor lifts the Gerard Healy memorial trophy.

Posted: May 7, 2010 12:54 PM

The May bank holiday weekend saw the young Limerick crew of Kevin O’Connor (19) and Donal Balfe (18) taking overall victory in the Rally Of The Lakes 2010. The late decision was made to enter this rally for Kevin to gain more experience in his newly acquired C2R2 car and to compare his pace against his higher spec C2R2 max competitors that where taking part in the international section of the rally. The rally was to start off with the tough test of Shanera, the stage was very wet and this did not weigh in favour for young O’Connor as he opted for a slick tyre, but none the less he stop the clocks at 8:14 joint fastest with cork man Cal McCarty, at the end of the stage O’Connor stated that he had only 50% grip and with the car under steering in the wet conditions, he could not commit to the flat-out sections of the stage, again on the following stage, the famous Caragh Lake test, the grip was just not there and this reflected in Kevin’s time as he dropped 7seconds to leader McCarty.

The junior competitors then moved to the service park before heading out to the Currow Cross stage, Kevin chose to stay on the slicks as the weather was starting to look promising, this paid off, at the end of the stage O’Connor set fastest time moving into the lead with an 12second advantage over his nearest rival. On the following stage, Rockfield, Kevin dropped 2 seconds to David Guest and now headed into service with a nine second lead. After a full check over and two new tyres fitted to the front of the car, they were then set out for the repeat of Shanera and Caragh Lake. The second run over the Shanera test was to put a twist in this already exciting rally. The stage dried up a considerable amount from the morning and Kevin decided to push very hard, but being over ambitious approaching a tight square left he missed his braking point and over shot the corner down a forest escape road, Kevin stated:
” I just miss judged my braking point for the corner and when the car hit the forest escape road it just got faster, I travelled a good distance before the car came to a stop, I reckon I dropped at least 15 seconds”.
This saw Kevin dropping 9 seconds to Guest and with it his lead diminished to a slim 1 second. With Caragh Lake cancelled it was back to service with just one stage remaining. Before the final stage Kevin commented that he was confident he had the pace to hold off the hard charging David Guest but that it would not be easy. At the end of the stage O’Connor made it look easy setting fastest time again 12 seconds quicker than Guest to win the rally by 13 seconds, and with it setting second fastest time in the national section, recording 11 fastest overall in the international and more importantly to the young limerick man he placed himself 3rd quickest amongst the more powerful C2R2 MAX machinery just 7seconds off the winner Robert Barrable and 5seconds off Marty McCormack.

At the finish ramp Kevin was delighted with the win:
“We had an amazing weekend, finishing 1st overall in the junior Rally Of The Lakes, and mixing it with much faster machinery. We took the mornings stages to settle into the car and find our pace. We are now on the pace of the top two wheel drive guys, which was my aim for maybe two rally’s down the line but to be on that pace so soon in the new car I am over the moon. Indeed we were second fastest overall in the national section on the last stage, taking time out of Barry Meade and Ed O Callaghan, which I never expected to do in the new car and to be getting within 5 seconds a stage of the top C2R2 max competitors, when my car is a normal C2R2, is a big achievement for me and the team. I am over the moon at how well the weekend went, and special thanks to my dad, Henry Nash, Martin Sheahan of Opposite Lock Rally Prep, Daly tyres, The Windscreen Company, Farrell Bus and Limo Hire, and Mike Flynn Carpentry” .

In Car

Posted: May 5, 2010 5:47 PM

Craig Breen & Gareth Roberts - SS7 Molls Gap


Padraig McCarthy & Andrew Beamish - SS14

Fisher Tops the Tables After Killarney!

Posted: May 5, 2010 5:42 PM

Alastair Fisher and co-driver Rory Kennedy’s fourth place finish on round three of the Citroen Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, the Killarney Rally of the Lakes, puts Alastair on top overall in the driver’s championship, and this driving a Group N Production based Mitsubishi Evo 9! After the disappointment of a retirement on the previous weekend’s Pirelli International Rally in England, Alastair put it all behind him, as he switched back to tarmac for the two day Killarney International. This event used some all time classic stages such as Molls Gap, and Caragh Lake.

Indeed Alastair’s late Uncle Bertie won this classic event six times, with Rory Kennedy in the hot seat, and Alastair was doing the family name proud with some impressive early stage times. By stage two, he was fifth overall only behind four World Rally Cars (WRC), and after stage three Gortnagane 1, he had moved into third place overall, behind the WRC cars of Tim McNulty and Daragh O’Riordan. Conditions were changing with localised rain showers making the stages greasy, and tyre choice was not easy. “The conditions were very mixed, but one thing I have to say about is that I was very happy with our tyre choices all weekend. We were on a nice pace on day one. We had a fastest overall time on stage 6, Gortnagane 2, and couple of second fastest times, which I was happy with.”

Indeed the young Co.Tyrone based Team UK driver ended day one in third place overall, just 6.3 seconds behind Denis Cronin’s WRC Subaru, with Aaron MacHale’s WRC Focus 12 seconds in arrears. Day two started with the fast Shanera and sweeping Caragh Lake tests, and with conditions drying out, the more powerful cars were to have an advantage.
“We were very content with our position, and not trying to catch Denis in front, as we were in a good position for championship points. We were swopping times all day with Aaron MacHale. Going into the second last stage he was two seconds behind us, but he got ahead of us by two seconds going into the last test. We decided to just keep at the same pace, when I damaged the left rear wheel. It was coming into a square right and the car stepped out of line under braking on gravel, and I had to flick it sideways to try and avoid going off. We still clipped the bank however and the damage was done.”

It was a delay that cost third place, dropping to fourth at the finish behind Craig Breen in the Super 2000 Fiesta.
“We lost 1 minute 20 seconds and really gifted Craig six points, but that’s the way it goes.”

Nevertheless it’s another excellent result, fourth overall, first Group N car home, and leading Ireland’s premier rally series. “We had a good set up for the fast stages, the car ran faultlessly, we had no real moments except for the final stage, and now I’m looking forward to the next round of the British Championship the Jim Clark. I’m hoping that with the next three British rounds on tarmac that our Irish Tarmac campaign so far will help us.”

A three week gap gives the team time to prepare for the trip to Scotland, and once again Alastair is sure to raise a few eyebrows as he continues his fast 2010 rallying season.

AlastairFisher.com

Alastair Fisher takes overall Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally Championship lead!

Posted: May 5, 2010 4:33 PM

The tussle for the 2010 Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally Championship crown could not be any closer after last weekend's third round, the Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes.

Alastair Fisher now tops the standings after finishing fourth overall on the event with his production category Mitsubishi Lancer. He holds a slender one point advantage over Aaron MacHale, while Craig Breen is third, four points adrift of MacHale.

It was Gareth MacHale who topped the tables going into the Killarney based third round but an engine problem after the opening stage quickly sidelined the Ford Focus WRC pilot. As a result, he has dropped to fourth in the championship tables, two points behind Breen.

The two-day County Kerry event saw Meath's Tim McNulty grab the lead from the start. Navigated by Paul Kiely, the crew quickly built a substantial advantage of more than one minute over Daragh O'Riordan and Tony McDaid.

Then O'Riordan hit trouble on stage six, forcing him to retire his Subaru Impreza WRC after an accident. That allowed Alastair Fisher and Rory Kennedy into second position, although they were displaced to third by Denis Cronin and Helen O'Sullivan on the day's final stage.

Day two saw Tim McNulty and Paul Kiely continue to rally towards what seemed like almost certain victory. Then, only three stages from home, McNulty's dreams of a third Killarney victory were shattered when gearbox problems sidelined his Subaru.

All of a sudden, a surprised Denis Cronin and Helen O'Sullivan were leading the event by 24 seconds. A solid drive through the final miles not only secured the crew's maiden Rally of the Lakes victory, but also fulfilled a life-long ambition for both Cronin and O'Sullivan.

Aaron MacHale and Eugene O'Donnell secured second overall and maximum Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally Championship points (event winner Cronin is not registered for points).

A late charge by MacHale saw him move ahead of Alastair Fisher and Rory Kennedy. Then Fisher clipped a bank on the final stage, allowing Craig Breen and Gareth Roberts into third position.

Fisher finished fourth in his production category Mitsubishi Lancer while superbike team boss, Paul Bird, who had Kirsty Riddick calling the pace notes, sealed fifth in his Ford Focus WRC. Brian O'Mahony and John Higgins completed the top six and were the leading two-wheel-drive competitors in their Renault Clio S1600.

In the Citroën Racing Trophy, Robert Barrable and Damien Connolly sealed another victory from Martin McCormack and Dai Roberts. Shane Buckley and Thomas Maguire were third.

In the Modified Challenge, Barry Meade secured maximum points after winning the National Rally. The result moves him into second position in the championship standings, 10 points behind Mervyn Wedlock, who finished second among the registered crews on the event. Jason McSweeney completed the top three, and holds third in the series standings.

The battle for the Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally Championship title resumes on 18 June with the Topaz Donegal International Rally. Based in Letterkenny, the three-day event will play host to what will be another titanic battle for the rally spoils.

Wright Nets FST Ireland Hat Trick in Killarney

Posted: May 5, 2010 4:27 PM

The lively town of Killarney, County Kerry, played host to Round 3 of the 2010 Kick Energy Fiesta SportTrophy (FST) Ireland Championship over the weekend, 1-2 May 2010.  A somewhat depleted Fiesta field made the trip south with two championship regulars opting to skip the event and therefore count it as their dropped score.   

Championship leader Stephen Wright, 20, from Monaghan and co-driver Paul McGee led the small Fiesta contingent into the SS1, the 18mile Barnard stage.  Having spent the build up to the event studying for his Civil Engineering exams, Wright was keen to get back into his Fiesta ST and enjoy himself after a week spent with his head in the books.  Wright was soon up to speed and finished the stage 21st overall, leading Class 3.  Less than a minute behind Wright into Barnard was Stephen Baxter, 28 from County Fermanagh and Karl Atkinson, in their Fiesta R2.  Having repaired the damage inflicted on the Circuit of Ireland the pair were looking to turn the pace they had shown in the opening two rounds, both of which they had ended in retirement, into a good result.  It was not be however, as just over nine miles into SS1 they slid off the road and into retirement for the third FST event in succession.

  Baxter’s misfortune meant that Wright only had to finish the event to score maximum points and take home the €750 prize.  That wasn’t going to be easy however as six of Irelands most demanding stages lay between him and victory including the legendary Molls Gap, or “The Gap” as it is best known..  Wright maintained his pace through SS2, Shamrock Bridge, to return to first service leading Class 3 and a creditable 21st overall in his Span Wright backed Group N Fiesta ST.  With a one-hour 20minute service Wright and McGee could afford to relax and contemplate their afternoon’s attack.  Despite the lengthy halt, Wright’s David Greer Motorsport crew were still kept busy right to the end, the changeable conditions making tyre choice extremely critical and left right until the last minute.  

Wright drove with just the right mixture of commitment and caution through stages three, four and five to further extend his lead in Class 3, and guide his way towards maximum FST points.  Apart from a minor spin in SS5 on the slippery conditions the Wright and McGee were happy with their performance and had enjoyed the challenging stages.   

With SS6, Gortnange stopped due to an accident ahead only one final stage, “The Gap” remained between Wright and his third FST victory of the year.  The event organisers did an impressive job getting the thousands of spectators heading to watch Molls Gap safely off the road, which was gridlocked less than 20minutes before the first car was due.  Despite the risk of going off on the final stage and throwing away certain victory, Wright and McGee pushed through “The Gap” to improve on their time from 2009 by ten seconds, a feat both of them were very happy with.  The pair also ended the day leading Class 3 and 21st overall.  

Despite the lack of competition their third FST win had been by no means easy for the pair with the conditions changing up to three times a stage.  Wright chose only to contest the FST event in Killarney due to the event clashing with his exams but will be hoping to secure an entry for the Donegal International rally, the next round of the championship.   

The Donegal International Rally hosts Round 4 of the Kick Energy Fiesta SportTrophy Ireland, an event that will hopefully mark the return of regulars Dara Leonard and Barry Greer to the championship.

Final Classification – OSi Killarney Rally of the Lakes  
Pos Driver/Co-Driver Time 1 Stephen Wright/Paul McGee 1hr 12min 24sec
DNF Stephen Baxter/Karl Atkinson -  

Breen back in to Groove

Posted: May 5, 2010 4:24 PM

Craig Breen returned to form over the weekend with a confidence building third place overall at the Rally of the Lakes. His second podium of the year in the championship and the smile returned to the face of the Waterford driver as he got back in the groove in Killarney.

The ambition of the Ford Fiesta S2000 crew was to rebuild confidence after their accident at the Circuit of Ireland and after a controlled drive they were rewarded with third overall and a fifteen point’s haul, lifting them to third place in the Citroen Irish Tarmac standings. At the finish ramp outside the Gleneagle Hotel headquarters Craig stated
“I know I must sound like a broken record but we were very disheartened after our Circuit accident and we set out here this weekend to rebuild our confidence. The conditions yesterday were very testing and tyre choice was unbelievably hard, so a cautious approach was the order of the day. The highlight of the weekend definitely came today by setting the fastest time on the second run over Caragh Lake. This result puts us back on track in the championship and it’s great to get the self-belief back and we can now look ahead to the next event”.

The fourteen stage event started on Saturday morning with the day’s stages based between Killarney and Millstreet. As Craig entered service after stage two he was in seventh place overall and reported “The car was going well but both stages were very wet and I was on a cautious pace”. By the end of stage five the crew were up to sixth and Craig said “I’m happy enough but I certainly don’t want to bend the car”.

Molls Gap completed the opening day’s action and Craig set the pace of the Group N field setting 8:54.0 over the famous stage. With the crews returning to Killarney for the over night halt Craig and Gareth were in fifth overall 2:21.9 down on rally leader Tim McNulty.

Shanera and Caragh Lake got proceedings under way on Sunday morning and the weather was the hot topic again, Shanera remained dry but Caragh Lake was wet so patience was called for. In service after stage nine Craig was still in fifth and only needed adjustments to his brakes. The next drama was to unfold on stage twelve when rally leader Tim McNulty retired with gearbox failure, this elevated Craig to fourth with only two stages remaining. Stage thirteen was the second time over Caragh Lake and was a lucky thirteen for Craig as he set fastest time. On to the last stage and Craig was now in fourth and trailing Alastair Fisher by forty three second but on that final run over the Rockfield stage Fisher damaged a rear wheel and dropped over a minute. A consequence of this was Craig leapfrogged Fisher and claimed third place on the podium.

The reward for his third place finish was twelve points and three bonus points for the first non World Rally Car to finish. Craig now stands third in the championship on thirty points.

After three weeks of intense competition Craig now has a break of four weeks until his next outing in the BRC at the Jim Clark International Rally in Edinburgh in Scotland.

Martin McCormack/Dai Roberts Moment on the Last Stage

Posted: May 5, 2010 4:02 PM

More Video Clips

Posted: May 2, 2010 10:06 PM

National Winners

Posted: May 2, 2010 10:00 PM

National Winners: Barry Meade/Johnny Hickey (Ford Escort Mk2)

Cronin/Sullivan win 2010 Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes

Posted: May 2, 2010 9:42 PM

At the finish of the Cartell.ie Killarney International Rally of the Lakes a jubilant Denis Cronin and Helen O' Sullivan celebrated this famous win "It was a great rally and we are delighted to win the Cartell.ie Killarney International Rally of the Lakes, tyre choice was very difficult all weekend due to the weather changing sometimes when we were at the start of a stage, but the stages were fabulous". "I am gutted for Tim who led the rally and we had a great battle all weekend but to win this rally with all the great names who have won it before me such as Bertie fisher, Frank Meagher and Billy Coleman to name but a few it is a privilege to get my name on the trophy'.

Aaron Machale/Eugene O' Donnell who finished in 2nd position were also over the moon with his weekends rallying "Fabulous absolutely fabulous, great stages it was a great weekend, I grew up around these stages as my dad won this event three times the "Killarney International Rally" has a special place in the Machale's hearts".

Young Craig Breen/Gareth Roberts finished in 3rd place after overhauling Alastair Fisher on the final stage." After the Circuit of Ireland crash I came to Killarney with the strict instructions to take it nice and easy and bring the car home and get some points and mileage under our belts. Saturday was tough with all the rain and mixed conditions but we got through the stages. Today was a lot better and we are so happy to finish 3rd in this great event" 

In 4th place  with mixed emotions, not finishing in the top three but leaving Killarney as the leader of the Citroen Irish Tarmac Championship Alastair Fisher  said "Job done came here to get as many  points for the championship as possible and we did just that, the car never missed a beat and apart from the one or two incorrect tyre choices it was a great weekend for myself and Rory Kennedy".

Cork's Barry Meade won the National section of the Cartell.ie Killarney International Rally of the Lakes  from Edward O'Callaghan and Damien McCarthy in the wee Honda Civic who had a joint killing event by finishing 3rd. Barry said at the finish ramp "Swapping stage times with a rally legend such as Phil Collins was awesome and we were looking forward to a ding dong battle over the final two stages, I never thought I would win this rally just brilliant".

In the Dash for the cash Dubliner Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly came out winners of this heavy weight dual with Marty McCormack/Dai Roberts. Robert and Marty were trading times all weekend like two prize boxers trading punches at  a world title fight but it was Robert who came out as winner by 11 seconds and takes home the lions share of the €20,000 prize fund on offer from Citroen.

MORE Photos...............

Posted: May 2, 2010 9:40 PM

crspics.com - Counihan Rallysport Pictures
Eoin O'Sullivan
myrally.ie Sport Photography
M. Schayer Rally Photography (rallyphoto.biz)
Mark Breen Photography
Joe Lane Photos
Tight Angle Photography
RallyFocus Motorsport Photography
TPM Photosport
Linda Benson Motorsport Photography
Rally Mad Motorsport Photography
JohnWilliams.ie

Results

Posted: May 2, 2010 9:31 PM

O/A Driver/Codriver(Make) Total
1 Denis Cronin/Helen Sullivan (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1:51:49.8
2 Aaron Machale/Eugene O'Donnell (Ford Focus WRC) 1:52:26.3
3 Craig Breen/Gareth Roberts (Ford Fiesta S2000) 1:53:12.8
4 Alastair Fisher/Rory Kennedy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 GpN) 1:53:59.3
5 Paul Bird/Kirsty Riddick (Ford Focus WRC) 1:55:30.7
6 Brian O'Mahony/John Higgins (Renault Clio S1600) 1:57:20.6
7 Colm Murphy/Don Montgomery (Subaru Impreza N12 GpN) 1:57:27.3
8 Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly (Citroen C2 R2 MAX) 1:58:31.9
9 Thomas Fitzmaurice/Fionn Foley (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 GpN) 1:58:32.7
10 Martin McCormack/Dai Roberts (Citroen C2 R2 MAX) 1:58:42.2

National
1 Barry Meade/Johnny Hickey (Ford Escort Mk2) 1:57:16.5
2 Edward O'Callaghan/Ger Clancy (Ford Escort Mk2) 1:59:56.5
3 Damien McCarthy/Eamonn Hayes (Honda Civic) 2:01:49.4
4 Vincent O'Shea/Brian Hickey (Ford Escort RS Cosworth) 2:02:29.8
5 Mervyn Wedlock/Damien McCabe (Ford Escort Mk2) 2:04:36.5

Historics
1 Todd Falvey/Colin Moynihan (Porsche 911) 1:37:01.2 (Classic)
2 Ray Cunningham/Adrian Cusack (Morris Cooper S) 1:38:50.7 (Historic)
3 Niall O'Connell/Gerard Ryan (Morris Cooper S) 1:40:52.3 (Post Historic)
4 Denis Hickey/Timothy Brosnan (Ford Escort) 1:41:01.3
5 Tim Lenihan/Kieran Crowley (Ford Escort Mk1) 1:44:18.9

Juniors Total
1 Kevin O'Connor/Donal Balfe (Citroen C2 R2) 52:45.3
2 David Guest/Liam Moynihan (Honda Civic EK4) 52:58.8
3 Mike McKennedy/Pakie McCarthy (Toyota Corolla RWD) 53:33.3
4 Gary Gazza Dineen/Damien Fleming (Ford Escort) 54:32.2
5 Billy McCarthy/John Falvey (Nissan Micra) 54:56.0

Sunday Run
1 Brian O'Keeffe/Carol O'Keeffe (Subaru Impreza N11) 53:23.2
2 David Fleming/Kieran Doherty (Honda Civic) 54:25.7
3 Jason Clifford/Tony Healy (Peugeot 205 RWD) 56:14.0

Leaders After
SS1-11 Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS12-14 Denis Cronin/Helen Sullivan (Subaru Impreza WRC) Stage Winners
SS1 Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS2 Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS3 Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS4 Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS5 Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS6 Alastair Fisher/Rory Kennedy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 GpN)
SS7 Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS8 Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS9 Paul Bird/Kirsty Riddick (Ford Focus WRC)
SS10 Denis Cronin/Helen Sullivan (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS11 Denis Cronin/Helen Sullivan (Subaru Impreza WRC)
& Aaron Machale/Eugene O'Donnell (Ford Focus WRC)
SS12 Denis Cronin/Helen Sullivan (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS13 Craig Breen/Gareth Roberts (Ford Fiesta S2000)
SS14 Denis Cronin/Helen Sullivan (Subaru Impreza WRC)

Full Results: results.shannonsportsit.ie (Angus Sealy)
Rallynews (by Brian & Liz Patterson)
Rally of the Lakes (Killarney)

Cartell.ie Killarney International Rally - Press Release 3

Posted: April 29, 2010 4:23 PM

Just days to go to the start of the Cartell.ie Killarney International Rally all the drivers will have their recce done but what is going to make Cartell.ie Killarney International Rally very interesting will be the weather. The forecast for Saturday is rain from 10 o’clock in the morning to 5 o’clock Saturday evening, with 8mm of rain forecasted and 22km/h NNW winds, this will make tyre choice very difficult for the drivers as they will find some stages around Millstreet wet and slippy and others dry. When the drivers move to the Milltown stages on Sunday the forecast is for a dry cloudy day with a north wind at 24km/h and no rain. This will keep the mechanics and technicans busy as they will have to keep changing the rally car set up to suit the conditions.

Some late entries to the Cartell.ie Killarney International Rally are in Group N Eamon Daly/Brian Doherty who are front runners in the National Championship, Martin & Kenneth Quirke, Eamonn Hanley/PJ O'Dowd in the Peugeot 106.

In the Historic section Stephen Coffey/Micheal O'Mahony and Owen Crowley/John Caverly both in historic escorts will make the long trip to Killarney, and the very quick young Kevin O'Connor/Donal Balfe in their Citroen C2 R2 will be the man to beat in the junior section of the Rally. Gareth Machale/Brian Murphy will have a big battle to stay on top of the Citroen Irish Tarmac Championship as they are going to be pushed hard by Alistair Fisher, Craig Breen and Aaron Machale and last years winners Tim McNulty will be hoping to win his third Cartell.ie Killarney International Rally.

Updates

Posted: April 29, 2010 12:36 PM

Withdrawn:
11 Jonathan Greer/ TBA (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [5]

Don Montgomery to co-drive for Colm Murphy

Updated Entry List at:

results.shannonsportsit.ie

Wright aiming to make it three from three

Posted: April 28, 2010 8:04 PM

Fiesta Sport Trophy Leader Stephen Wright is looking to make it a hat trick of wins at the start of the season when he tackles the Cartell.ie Killarney Rally of the Lakes this weekend. The event has been cruel to Stephen in the past. The young Monaghan native was leading the event after 5 stages last year before mechanical gremlins handed the win to Craig Breen. Wright and co-driver Paul McGee will face stiff competition this weekend as Harry Hunt, the winner of the opening round of the International Fiesta Sport Trophy in Turkey; will take to the famed Kerry stages. However Wright is relishing the challenge.

Unfortunately, Wright’s main rivals from the opening two rounds, Desi Henry and Dara Leonard are not competing in Killarney. Stephen commented on their absence:

"It's a pity Desi and Dara aren't making the trip down but hopefully we can uphold the st honours and give the r2 cars a run for their money. The circuit seems like quite a while ago now but hopefully we'll be able to get back in the groove pretty quickly and have a cleaner run. I'm really looking forward to doing Molls Gap again, I really enjoyed it last year and it's one of Ireland's most famous and demanding stages."

The event gets underway this Friday April 30th.

FST regulars duel it out in Killarney

Posted: April 28, 2010 6:35 PM

The third round of the 2010 Kick Energy Fiesta SportTrophy (FST) Ireland Championship takes place this weekend, 1-2 May 2010 on the cartel.ie Rally of the Lakes.  As with the previous rounds of this year’s championship the event takes place on the first day of the full International event offering an economical way to compete on the classic Irish events..   

The Killarney based event will see competitors battle it out over seven stages totalling 115 stage kilometres. In an effort to control competitor’s expenditure the event organisers have opted for a more centralised rally with the stages all based around the town of Killarney, as are the service area and Rally HQ.   

Championship leader Stephen Wright (20) from Galway, and co-driver Paul McGee are the pre-event favourites having won both rounds of the 2010 championship so far.  Having failed to finish on their visit to the Killarney based event in 2009, the pairing will be hoping for better luck this year as they look to carry on their championship charge in 2010.  

Enniskillen based Stephen Baxter(28) and co-driver Karl Atkinson are in their debut year in the FST Ireland championship but have already shown some serious pace in their Ford Fiesta R2.  Baxter has led both events so far this year, but has yet to make it to the finish.  Baxter will be hoping to end his run of bad luck and make it to the finish to cement the potential that he has shown so far this year..  

With five of six scores to count and competitors eligible to win a share of the €2,500 prize fund, with €750 for a win, €600 for second and €450 for third, there is plenty of incentive to push for the end of season prize – an M-Sport supported drive in the 2010 Condroz Rally, the final round of the Belgian Rally Championship in an M-Sport supplied and maintained Ford Fiesta R2.  

M-Sport will attend the event to provide parts sales and technical support to the competitors.

Hans and Helmet Hire will be Located at HQ

Posted: April 28, 2010 6:34 PM

Hans and Helmet Hire will be located at the HQ (Not at Scrutiny) on Friday evening.

CITROEN RACING TROPHY IRELAND READY FOR KILLARNEY CLASSIC

Posted: April 28, 2010 6:08 PM

This weekend round three of the 2010 Citroen Racing Trophy (CRT) Ireland heads to the South West for the Killarney for the Rally of the Lakes. Once again there is an impressive line-up of Citroen C2’s for what is also the third round of the Citroen Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. Twelve registered CRT crews have entered with ten C2 R2 Max specification cars, one C2 R2, and one Super 1600 making up the Citroen entry.

First seed at number 34 is championship leader Martin McCormack, who has scored two second, places on the opening Galway and Circuit of Ireland rounds. The Draperstown driver led both events before succumbing to punctures on the first round, and running wide and losing a rear wheel on the Circuit of Ireland, so he is keen to make the top spot in Killarney and lift the awesome 5000€ prize for top in Group R. Marty has recently returned from the Lyon Rally in France where he finished fifth in that CRT France round, and the practice on the French tarmac should help him on Killarney’s flowing roads. Second on the road, and currently third in the Trophy is Donegal’s Adrian McElhinney. His Killarney co-driver Shane Buckley will be looking forward to his home event. Adrian put in a few fastest times on the second day of the Circuit, so will be one to watch.

Next C2 R2 Max at number 37 is Dubliner Robert Barrable. Robert is fresh from a victory on last weekend’s CRT UK Pirelli International event, and his Citroen is being re-prepared into tarmac specification for this weekend. The former Formula Ford racing ace led the Max’s on the early stages of the Circuit of Ireland, and his efficient driving style could suit the Killarney roads. Hot on his heels will be 19 year old Mark Donnelly. The young student was again very fast on the Pirelli Rally but a couple of small problems caused delays, and has a slight delay in starting his Killarney recce on Thursday!
“I have a wee exam on Thursday morning, but I’ll be straight down the road then to Killarney to start my recce! It’s not ideal but hopefully we can get our notes done correctly and I’m looking forward to the stages in Killarney, as they are usually very good flowing roads.”

At number 50, Donegal’s Joe McGonigle is fresh from a third place CRT finish on last weekend’s Pirelli Rally, and the former kart-racer is very much looking forward to Killarney in his distinctive green C2 R2 Max. At 51, Shane Buckley who lies fourth in the championship, has shown a fast pace on both the Galway and Circuit of Ireland events, and having contested Killarney in an ST Fiesta could be one to watch on these stages.

At number 61 Cork’s Kieran Daly was new to the series on the Circuit of Ireland, and having cured the small brake trouble he had on that event, is aiming to be further up the C2 times this weekend. Limerick’s Mark Sheehan is an newcomer this weekend to the CRT Ireland, having taken delivery of a new Citroen Racing built C2 R2 Max last week. Mark is a former Border Rally Champion, having driven a Super 1600 Clio in the past.

Another newcomer to Irish tarmac with the C2 is Molly Taylor. This rapid 21 year old Australian lady will drive her Citroen C2 R2 Max on Irish tarmac for the first time, having only contested four tarmac rallies in total in her impressive rallying career. Molly was twice Australian Formula 1600 Champion using a Mitsubishi Mirage, before moving to England last year to contest the Suzuki Swift Cup, where she won three out of the six rounds. This year the change to the C2 R2 Max has been welcome.
“It’s fantastic! It’s the most enjoyable car I have ever driven, and for the driver far more exciting than the Group N type cars I had driven before. The Citroen Racing Trophy also is the only series with such great incentives, and that gives you something more to go for on each rally.”
The tarmac stages of Killarney will indeed provide a very different challenge to the Australian forests, and Molly has already illustrated her speed in the C2 on gravel, by recording a fastest and several top three C2 times on last weekend’s Pirelli International Rally. Now she is building up her speed on the tarmac surfaces.
” The Pirelli was good. It was a bit disappointing to have to Super Rally, but our target was to be on the pace of the boys and I was happy with that, but now we need to work harder on the tarmac. Back in Australia the rallies are all on gravel, so it’s the tarmac that I need more experience on. It was a bit of a last minute thing to do Killarney. I suppose we are jumping in at the deep end a bit! Our main focus this year is on the British Rally Championship and Killarney will be the ideal test for the forthcoming Jim Clark Rally. Ideally by the time we reach the Ulster Rally I would like to have my tarmac pace up to a similar level than the gravel pace.” The young Australian lass will be a welcome addition to the CRT crews in Killarney.

Another welcome new C2 owner is Graham Colfer who has bought Paul Manton’s C2 R2. Graham put in some respectable stage times on the opening Galway round in a hired C2 R2, whilst Mayo’s David Carney is rapidly progressing up the leader-board’s with his C2 R2 Max.

Lisburn’s Andrew Bushe who lead the two-wheel drive race on the Circuit of Ireland, until a costly puncture, has re-prepared his C2 Super 1600 for the event, and although he had no time to test the machine, is hoping the roads will suit the wider track C2 better. Andrew really needs to finish inside the prize money this time for a top 15 overall finish to keep his season running, and in the class he will face very stiff opposition from another former 1600 Irish Tarmac Champion, Brian O’Mahony in his Clio Super 1600.

The Killarney Rally of the Lakes takes place over two days, starting Saturday morning and finishing on Sunday afternoon taking in classic stages such as Molls Gap and Caragh Lake.

Tim McNulty tops entry for round three of the Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally Championship!

Posted: April 28, 2010 5:57 PM

The Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally Championship returns to County Kerry this weekend with round three of the 2010 series, the Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes!

The Killarney based event will see current championship leader, Gareth MacHale, attempt to extend his advantage at the top of the tables.

The last time the MacHale name topped the Rally of the Lakes leaderboard was back in 1997 when Gareth's father, Austin, claimed victory.

Gareth will be hoping to follow in his father's footsteps in 2010, and secure his maiden Rally of the Lakes win, but will face stiff opposition from number one seed, Tim McNulty.

It is McNulty who heads the first-class field of more than 100 crews in his Subaru Impreza WRC. He has won the event on two occasions (2006 and 2009), and after failing to score points at the opening rounds of the 2010 Citroën sponsored series, a third Killarney win would be the perfect consolation.

With Gareth MacHale starting at number two, Craig Breen is next in line with his Ford Fiesta S2000, ahead of Circuit of Ireland Rally sensation, Alastair Fisher, who is second in the Championship standings.

Local driver Denis Cronin is seed at number five ahead of English visitor, Paul Bird, who brings his Ford Focus WRC to the Emerald Isle.

The Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes is also round three of the Citroën Racing Trophy. Martin McCormack is the current championship leader, and he heads the standings by four points from both Mark Donnelly and Adrian McElhinney, who are tied for second position. No less than 13 crews will tackle the Killarney stages.

The tussle will also be fierce among the Fiesta Sport Trophy crews, as well as the Modified Trophy and Historic competitors.

The event starts at 9am on Saturday 01 May, with competitors tackling seven stages during leg one and seven stages during leg two. The winner will be crowned at Killarney's Gleneagle Hotel finish ramp at 5pm on Sunday 02 May. More details can be found online at www.irishtarmac.com

Breen: Philosophical about Pirelli Result and He looks ahead to the Rally of the Lakes

Posted: April 28, 2010 5:52 PM

Rest and relaxation were the order of the day as Craig returned home on Sunday from a two week excursion that took in both World Rally Turkey and the Pirelli International. Craig will only have time to get his clothes washed and repack as he has a tarmac test on Wednesday and the Rally of the Lakes starts on Thursday with a two day recce.

Craig and Gareth got their British Rally Championship assault back on track last weekend with a third place finish in Carlisle at the Pirelli International. The crew were under pressure going into the event after a non finish on the opening round, the Bulldog International in North Wales.

The Kick Energy Fiesta S2000 was well in contention and fighting for victory going into the final stage but suffered its first puncture of the event 4 killometres in and lost over two minutes, finally finishing third behind new championship leader Johnny Greer. Craig was very disappointed but philosophical about the result. "I felt gutted, second place was the target going into that final test, Gwyndaf was only five seconds ahead and my confidence was high. My car hadn't been as hard on tyre ware as the others all day and after setting a string of fastest times I felt very good, but that old adage of "you never know in rallying" came true. All things considered I must be happy with the result and my performance. We required a good result with our retirement on the Bulldog. I didn't get the chance to really find out how my pace was in relation to Keith, Gwyndaf, Alastair and the rest of the lads. To set six fastest stage times was great as our recce was rushed on account of getting to Carlisle so late. On Friday evening over the loop of three stages I must admit I was a little nervous, I know we had competed in Turkey but it was my first time in the Fiesta since our accident on the Circuit. It took those three stages to bed in but by Saturday morning I was up for a push, with my confidence restored. With Keith's misfortune on the last stage it opens up the championship again, Gwyndaf was a deserved winner. He too suffered on the bulldog but he is a seasoned campaigner with a wealth of experience. Gwyndaf will be a major rival for the remainder of the season on both the gravel and tarmac rounds".

So a day or two of rest. A quick recharge of the batteries and off to Killarney? "That's it in a nutshell. I travel to Killarney on Wednesday where we have a tarmac test planned, then we do our recce over Thursday/Friday and the rally starts on Saturday morning”.

"What will be your strategy at the Lakes?" "We're basically in the same position as we were going into the Pirelli, fight back mood. The year got off the perfect start in Galway but my third stage accident in the Circuit dented the confidence and the car. I was very down after that rally, our hopes were high and to go out so early was devastating. So we must approach this event with the respect the rally deserves, bed ourselves in and take it from there. The rally itself will be a little different from last year as it's more compact. Saturday's stages are again based on the Mallow side of the town with service in Millstreet. The sting in the tail on day one will come on the final stage with the run up "Molls Gap". I can't wait to see what The Fiesta is like over the famous stage. Then on Sunday we move out to the other side of the town, with service in Milltown. This will be my first competitive time to drive those stages so there will be a learning curve”.

"Were you surprised to be seeded number three?” “Well it's an honor to be in the top three but there's some very stiff opposition all around me. Tim seeded number one and the winner last year will want to make it two in a row, Gareth at number two is in pole position in regards to the championship and after his problems at the Circuit will want to get back to winning ways. Just behind me we have Alastair, he suffered transmission problems last weekend but at the Circuit he was bloody unreal, so I'll have my hands full there. Next we have Denis (Cronin) and the Lakes to Denis is a home event and he is bound to be quick. Paul Bird follows Denis and it will be interesting to see what kind of pace the Focus will be on, he is partnered by Kirsty Riddick. Kirsty sat with me last year in Donegal and Paul will be in good hands.
Behind Aaron MacHale in 8th we have Daragh O'Riordan and I think Daragh could be the dark horse. He has taken like a duck to water in the Impreza and this will be like a home rally for him. We then have three more Group N crews, Alan Ring is another man on home ground, Colm Murphy is always fast in Killarney and rounding things off Johnny Greer will be flying high after last weekends result. If that's not enough the weather will also have a huge part to play. The forecast is not promising so tyre choice could be a lottery”.

Updated Entry List - 26/04/10

Posted: April 27, 2010 6:19 PM

New Entries
43 Brian O'Mahony/John Higgins (Renault Clio S1600) 6
130 Mike O'Shaughnessy/Gerard Conway (Ford Escort) 10
H17 Tommy Mason/Padraig Doody (Ford Escort Mk1) C2

Withdrawn
86 John Daly/John Joe Daly (Toyota Corolla Twincam) 11
109 Fergal Heney/Paul Murphy (Toyota Corolla RWD) 11

Full Updated entry available on:

• Rally of the Lakes (Killarney)

Updated Entry List - 23/04/10

Posted: April 23, 2010 11:08 AM

New Entries
33 Eamon Daly/Brian Doherty (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 5
73 John O'Donnell/Mac Walsh (Ford Escort Mk2) 13
80 Martin Quirke/Kenneth Quirke (Talbot Sunbeam) 11
83 Mike Neligan/John Hurley (Toyota Corolla RWD) 11
92 Edward Gibbons/Adrian Randles (Hillman Avenger) 10
93 John Gill/Brian Kirwan Mitsubishi Evo 9 16
103 Anthony Kiely/Helen Duggan (Opel Corsa) 9
123 Paul Scannell/Mossy Griffin (Ford Escort) 11
129 Eamonn Hanley/PJ O'Dowd (Peugeot 106) 16
H15 Stephen Coffey/Micheal O'Mahony (Ford Escort Mk1) B1
H16 Owen Crowley/John Caverly (Ford Escort Mk2) D2
J28 Kevin O'Connor/Donal Balfe (Citroen C2 R2) J2

Withdrawls
26 Billy McLelland/Wyllie Alistair (Mitsubishi Lancer) 15
48 Padraig Neville/Adain Kent (Subaru Impreza N12B) 5
78 Peter Howley/Martin Leonard (Toyota Starlet RWD) 14

Full Entry Lists

Posted: April 19, 2010 12:23 PM

No Driver/Co - Driver (Car) [Class]
1 Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Subaru Impreza WRC) [6]
2 Gareth Machale/Brian Murphy (Ford Focus WRC) [6]
3 Craig Breen/Gareth Roberts (Ford Fiesta S2000) [5]
4 Alastair Fisher/Rory Kennedy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [5]
5 Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (Subaru Impreza WRC) [6]
6 Paul Bird/Kirsty Riddick (Ford Focus WRC) [6]
7 Aaron Machale/Eugene O'Donnell (Ford Focus WRC) [6]
8 Daragh O'Riordan/Tony McDaid (Subaru Impreza WRC) [6]
9 Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [5]
10 Colm Murphy/TBA (Subaru Impreza N12) [5]
11 Jonathan Greer/ TBA (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [5]
12 Ger O'Donavan/Sean Hayde (Subaru Impreza N12B) [5]
13
14 Eugene Meegan/Sorcha Kelly (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10) [5]
15 Eoin Doyle/Peter Brennan (Subaru Impreza WRC) [6]
16 Thomas Fitzmaurice/Fionn Foley (Mitsubishi lancer Evo 9) [5]
17 Mark Nangle/Nollaig Breen (Subaru Impreza N12) [5]
18 Danny Macbride/James McNulty (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) [5]
19 Philip Collins/Stephen McAuley (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
20 Barry Meade/Johnny Hickey (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
21 Fergus O'Meara/Liam Brennan (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
22 Edward O'Callaghan/Ger Clancy (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
23
24 Kevin O'Donoghue/Joe O'Leary (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
25 Charlie Hickey/Cathal Hickey (Ford Escort RS) [13]
26 Billy McLelland/Wyllie Alistair (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III) [15]
27 Washington James/Llinos Jones Davies (Darrian T90 GTR) [14]
28 John Hickey/Colm Dromey (Fubaru Escort RS 4x4) [15]
29 Joe Connolly/John J Connolly (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
30 Gavin Kelly/Eamonn Gillespie (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
31 David Randles/John Young (Nissan Almera) [4]
32 Damien McCarthy/Eamon Hayes (Honda Civic) [11]
33
34 Martin McCormack/Dai Roberts (Citroen C2 R2 MAX) [3]
35 Adrian McElhinney/Shane Buckley (Citroen C2 R2 MAX) [3]
36 Andrew Bushe/Emmet Sherry (Citroen C2 S1600) [3A]
37 Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly (Citroen C2 R2 MAX) [3]
38 Mark Donnelly/Paddy Robinson (Citroen C2 R2 MAX) [3]
39 Hunt Harry/Seb Marshall (Ford Fiesta ST) [2]
40 Aidan Bourke/John Kinahan (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [5]
41 Brian O'Keeffe/Carol O'Keeffe (Subaru Impreza N11) [5]
42 Vincent O'Shea/Brian Hickey (Ford Escort RS Cosworth) [15]
43 John Gill/Brian Kirwan (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [16]
44 Paul Ahern/Kieran Murphy (Subaru Impreza N10) [16]
45 Kevin O'Sullivan/Martin O'Riordan (Subaru Impreza N) [16]
46 Mervyn Wedlock/Damien McCabe (Ford Escort) [13]
47 Raymond Conlon/James O'Reilly (Toyota Corolla Twincam) [13]
48 Padraig Neville/Adain Kent (Subaru Impreza N12B) [5]
49 Paul Manton/Mark Wiley (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [5]
50 Joseph McGonigle/Niall Burns (Citroen C2 R2 MAX) [3]
51 Shane Buckley/Thomas Magure (Citroen C2 R2 MAX) [3]
52 Stephen Linehan/ TBA (Citroen C2 R2) [16]
53 Brendan Dennehy/Willie Buchanan (BMW M3 Compact) [13]
54 David Fleming/Kieran Doherty (Honda Civic) [11]
56 Jason McSweeny/Denis O'Mahony (Honda EG6) [11]
57 Stephen Wright/Paul McGee (Ford Fiesta ST) [2]
58 Stephen Baxter/karl atkinson (Ford Fiesta) [2]
59 John Riordan/Donal Flatley (Ford Escort Mk2) [11]
60 Robert Moran/Derek Tobin (Ford Escort Mk2) [11]
61 Kieran Daly/Frank Curtin (Citroen C2 R2) [3]
62 Mark Sheahan/Anthony O'Conaill (Citroen C2 R2 MAX) [3]
63 Ken Lyons/Mcdonnell Paddy (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
64 Molly Taylor/ TBA (Citroen C2 R2 MAX) [3]
65 Graeme Colfer/ TBA (Citroen C2 R2) [16]
66 David Carney/Ray Fitzpatrick (Citroen C2 R2 MAX) [16]
67 Tony Murphy/Brid Murphy (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
68 Stephen Carey/Mark Lee (Honda Civic EK4) [1]
69 Liam Egan/Peter Ward (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [5]
70 Andrew Fanning/Paddy King (Ford Puma Kit Car) [3]
71 Pat Price/Stephen Price (Subaru N12 B) [5]
72 Anthony Neville/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza GpN) [5]
73
74 Thomas White/ TBA (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [5]
75 John Corrigan/Alan Hartigan (Ford Focus) [4]
76 Kieran Marshall/Derry Mahony (Honda Civic Type R) [2]
77 Noel O'Sullivan/Nick Burke (Ford Escort) [9]
78
79 Colm Cronin/Diarmuid Cronin (Peugeot 206 Cup Car) [16]
80 Peter Howley/Martin Leonard (Toyota Starlet RWD) [14]
81 Enda McStravog/Alan Keena (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
82 Geoffrey Dolan/Connor Murphy (Talbot Sunbeam) [13]
83
84 Stephen Murphy/Pat Duggan (Ford Escort Mk2) [11]
85 Ger Buckley/Ger Myers (Peugeot 106 Cup Car) [16]
86 John Daly/John Joe Daly (Toyota Corolla Twincam) [11]
87 Pat Neville/Seamus O'Grady (Subaru Impreza N12) [16]
88 Fergal Allen/Brian Sharkey (BMW M3) [14]
89 Jason Clifford/Tony Healy (Peugeot 205 RWD) [13]
90 Kevin Donnelly/Andrew Lehane (Toyota Starlet) [9]
91 Keith Power/Keith Moriarty (Opel Corsa) [16]
92
93
94 Kevin Rumens/Kay Taylor (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
95 Steve Roberts/Jonathan Jennings (Ford Escort) [12]
96 Charlie Nilan/Ruth O'Kane (Honda Civic EK4) [1]
97 David Woodcock/Robert Woodcock (Peugeot 106 Cup Car) [16]
98 Keith Naughton/Jane Cogan (Subaru Impreza) [16]
99 Liam Howlett/Leo Tector (Ford Escort RS) [13]
100 Alan Bardon/Sean Kiernan (Honda Civic VTi) [11]
101 Christopher Dineen/ TBA (Honda Civic) [11]
102 Padraig Dineen/Stephen Ferriter (Vauxhall Nova) [9]
103
104 Paudie Callaghan/Danny Murphy (Toyota Starlet) [9]
105 Tom O'Sullivan/ TBA (Peugeot 205 GTi) [10]
106 Billy O'Keeffe/Scott Wheeler (Ford Escort Mk2) [10]
107 Raymond Heney/William Lynch (Toyota Corolla GT) [11]
108 Eamon O'Connell/Mark Linehan (Honda Civic) [11]
109 Fergal Heney/Paul Murphy (Toyota Corolla RWD) [11]
110 Joey Carroll/Mark Kirwan (Peugeot 106 S16) [11]
111 Martin Horgan/Paul McGlinchey (Honda Civic) [11]
112 Noel O'Mahony/Cliff Desmond (Toyota Starlet) [9]
113 Colm Forde/Jonathon Trill (Peugeot 206 Cup Car) [3]
114
115 Colum Browne/Lawrence McGrath (Honda Civic EK4) [1]
116 Connie Tarrant/Timmie O'Callaghan (Skoda Fabia VRS TDI) [16]
117 Niamh Neville/Andrew Hayes (Ford Fiesta ST) [16]
118 Conor Mulholland/Desmond McGlade (Fiat Stilo) [10]
119 Ian Hynes/Martin Collins (Honda Civic Type R) [2]
120 Finbarr Hegarty/John Murphy (Honda Civic) [9]
121 Gearoid Beamish/Ivan Buchanan (Ford Escort) [10]
122 John Mulholland/Eamon Gorman (Ford KA) [9]
123
124 Kenny O'Brien/Barry Foyle (Vauxhall Nova) [9]
125 Michael (ray) Stack/Curran Alan (Ford Escort) [10]
126 Michael Ryan/Kieran Carroll (Peugeot 206 Cup Car) [11]
127 Noel McCarthy/Aileen Kenny (Toyota Starlet) [9]
128 Seamus Flynn/Ian Munnelly (Ford Focus) [11]

HISTORIC
No Driver/Co - Driver (Car) [Class]
H1 Ray Cunningham/Adrian Cusack (Morris Cooper S) [B2]
H2 Keith McIvor/David Burns (Porsche 911) [C2]
H3 Ray Hilliard/Senan Raggett (Ford Escort) [C2]
H4 Niall O'Connell/ TBA (Morris Cooper S) [C1]
H5 Aidan O'Connor/Ian Regan (Ford Escort RS2000) [D3]
H6 Con Lucey/John Newman (BMW ) [B3]
H7 Denis Hickey/Timothy Brosnan (Ford Escort) [D3]
H8 Aidan Kennedy/Tara Duggan (Austin Mini Cooper S) [B2]
H9 Donie McCarthy/Henry Reidy (Opel Manta) [D3]
H10 William Todd/Noel Anderson (Morris Mini Cooper S) [B2]
H11 Tim Lenihan/Kieran Crowley (Ford Escort Mk1) [C1]
H12 Eddie Cronin/Karol O'Mahony (Morris Mini) [B1]
H14 Philip McKibbin/Andrew McKibbin (Ford Cortina) [B1]

JUNIOR
NO Driver/Co - Driver (Car) [Class]
J1 David Guest/Liam Moynihan (Honda Civic EK4) [J2]
J2 Mike McKennedy/Pakie McCarthy (Toyota Corolla RWD) [J2]
J3 Jack Newman/ TBA (Honda Civic) [J2]
J4 Billy McCarthy/John Falvey (Nissan Micra) [J1]
J5 Cal McCarthy/Eamonn Dullea (Honda Civic Type R) [16]
J6 Gary Gazza Dineen/Damien Fleming (Ford Escort) [J2]
J7 Jonathan O'Callaghan/ TBA (Peugeot 106 Cup Car) [J2]
J8 Mark Horgan/Diarmuid Lynch (Vauxhall Nova) [J1]
J9 David Duggan/Darren O'Mahony (Toyota Corolla GT) [J2]
J10 Martin Casey/Katie Quinn (Honda Civic) [J2]
J11 David Brosnan/Donal Horgan (Honda Civic Vtec) [J2]
J12 Patrick Slattery/ TBA (Honda Civic) [J2]
J14 Bernard Foley/Paul Twomey (Honda Civic) [J2]
J15 Jonathan O'Mahony/Brian O'Mahony (Honda Civic EK4) [J2]
J16 Shane Lenihan/Colm Lenihan (Honda Civic) [J1]
J17 Shane Dillane/ TBA (Honda Civic) [J2]
J18 Shane Murphy/TBA (Ford Escort Mk2) [J2]
J19 Darren Noonan/Eoin Toomey (Honda Civic) [J2]
J20 Mark O'Shaughnessy/Eoin O'Donoghue (Peugeot 106 Xsi) [J1]
J21 James Bradley/Maria Kehoe (Vauxhall Nova) [J2]
J22 Neil Quinn/Micheal Hayes (Toyota Corolla Twin Cam) [J2]
J23 Noel Regan/Brian Goggin (Suzuki Swift GTI) [J1]
J24 Padraig McCarthy/Andrew Beamish (Honda Civic 1.6VTI) [J2]
J25 Derek Butler/TBA (Honda SIR Vtec) [J2]
J26 Ciaran O'Driscoll/Ella Ryan (Toyota Corolla GTi) [J2]
J27 Vincent McSweeney/Michael Kearney (Suzuki Swift GTI) [J1]

Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes announces Entry List

Posted: April 19, 2010 9:16 AM

Last years winner Tim McNulty will lead the 130 strong field away from the town centre start for the 2010 Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes on Saturday May 1st.

The Meath man, with Paul Kiely on the notes, will be seeking his third Killarney win to add to his victories in 2006 & 2009.

Behind him at No.2 is Citroen Tarmac Championship leader Gareth McHale in his Ford Focus WRC with Craig Breen at number 3 in the Ford Fiesta S2000.

Both Craig and Alistair Fisher, who starts at number 4 have already shaken up the Irish rallying world this year with spectacular performances on the Galway International and the Circuit of Ireland.

Craig Breen took a very impressive 2nd overall in Galway and Fisher led the Circuit of Ireland for several stages before he had to give way to the great power of the WRCs of Derek McGarrity and McHale.

Fisher comes to Killarney just a few points behind McHale in the Citroen Tarmac Championship and with bonus points for the top non WRC finishers, a good result here could put him right on the pace with McHale in the Championship points.

Denis Cronin has probably done this event more times than any of the top ten but he will be under pressure from Paul Bird who starts behind him in the Ford Focus WRC. Though not well know in Ireland, Brid is spectacularly quick and with a state-of -the -art car from the Dom Buckley stable he could well be the dark horse in the race.

While it is difficult for any newcomer to master the Killarney stages at his first visit it has been done in the past by drivers such as Russel Brookes, Mark Lovell, and James Leckey, who all won the event on their first trip to Killarney.

The remainder of the top ten is made up of Aaron McHale, Darragh ODiordan, Alan Ring and Colm Murphy, who is making his return to rallying not having been out since the 2009 Lakes.

Current Tarmac Group N Champion Jer ODonovan starts at No.12 followed by five other very competitive class 5 crews.

Phil Collins at number 19 heads the modified cars with Barry Meade from Mallow at number 20 in his 2.4 litre Escort.

Barry should benefit from having local co driver Johnny Hickey on the notes and another local crew who are expected to do well is Fergus OMeara and Liam Brennan who finished runners up in last years National Section, just a few seconds behind the eventual winner Wesley Patterson.

The first of 13 Citroen C2R2s is seeded at number 34, driven by Martin McCormick followed by Adrian McElhinney. Andrew Bushe, Robert Barrable and Mark Donnelly.

Harry Hunt at number 39 is the highest seeded Ford Fiesta ST

The Historic cars will join the rally at the start of stage 4 on Saturday while the 25 strong Junior field will start on Stage 8 on Sunday morning and will compete on all stages of the Sunday Run.

New Clerk of the Course Liam Cronin has laid out an event which keeps in mind the expressed wishes of competitors to reduce stage mileage and make the route as compact as possible in light of the present economic climate.

Service on both days will be centralized, in the Green Glins Arena Millstreet on Saturday and in the Mid Kerry Mart Miltown on Sunday.

One of the novel attractions of this years event will be the running of Molls Gap as the last stage on Saturday evening, where the organizers expect a huge crowd, as this will be the only chance drivers will have this year to take the Bertie Fisher Cup for the fastest time on the Gap!

The road at Molls Gap will close at 5pm but spectators are advised to be in place as early as possible so that the stage can be ready to run as planned at 6.30pm.

Speaking at the Rally Launch in the Brehon Hotel Killarney on Sunday evening, Liam welcomed new Title Sponsors Cartell.ie and also thanked the long term sponsors Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Gleneagle Hotel who continue to support the event as Associate Sponsors.

It was encouraging he said to find that, in these difficult times, there are still companies who realize the spectator appeal and advertising value of rallying.

He announced that Tourism Ireland had provided substantial funding to ensure that footage from all rounds of the Citroen Tarmac Championship is available to Tv Networks throughout the world.

Tourism Ireland have in fact specified that coverage of the events should concentrate on the scenic beauty and tourist attractions of the areas in which the rallies take place and in this regard Killarney is very well placed to benefit from the world wide exposure.

He also thanked Citroen, who not only organize and sponsor the Citroen Racing Trophy but who come in as Title Sponsors of the Tarmac Rally Championship, at a time when it appeared that the series might have to run without a sponsor for at least 2010.

Hopefully both new sponsors, Cartell.ie and Citroen, will benefit from their involvement and we look forward to having them on board for many years to come.

Rally Launch - Sun Apr 18th

Posted: April 13, 2010 2:53 PM

The Official Launch of the Rally will take place at 7.30pm in the Brehon Hotel Killarney on Sunday April 18th

Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes.

Posted: April 13, 2010 2:52 PM

Killarney and District Motor Club and Cartell.ie are delighted to announce a deal which will see the 2010 International Rally of the Lakes re-branded as the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes.

The event which will take place over the May Bank Holiday weekend is the 3rd round of the Citroen Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and the 2nd round of the Thomond Crystal Southern 4 Rally Championship.

It is also a counting round of the Fiesta Sporting Trophy Ireland and the Citroen Racing Trophy.

Jeff Aherne Co-Founder and Director of Cartell comments “We are proud to sponsor an event as exciting as this. Not only is it a great opportunity for Cartell, but if previous years are anything to go by, the Rally of the Lakes will be a great event and will give a massive tourism boost to Killarney and the South West Region.

Rallying makes a great spectacle and a thrilling sport for all those involved”

Cartell.ie has provided vehicle history checks to the motoring community since May 2006 and brought the concept of history checking to these shores, so it’s a good fit. While Cartell.ie already sponsors the Diesel Rally Team of Brian Dennis, this is a major sponsorship for Irelands most trusted car history check company.

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.

This will be the 31st Rally of the Lakes, which in the past has been won by virtually every top driver in Ireland including the late Bertie Fisher, Billy Coleman, Austin McHale, Tim McNulty, Eamon Boland, Derek McGarrity and many more.

Entries remain open until Friday 16th of April @www.rallyofthelakes.com

The first car leaves the start ramp in Killarney Town Centre @8.30am on Saturday May 1st and covers 7 stages between Killarney and Millstreet.

A further seven stages to the North and West of Killarney make up the Sunday section with the leading cars due back at the Finish Ramp at the Gleneagle Hotel @5pm on Sunday.

Regulations and On-Line Entry:

Posted: April 1, 2010 4:37 PM

• Rally of the Lakes (Killarney)

The Killarney International Rally of the Lakes 2010 Press Release 1

Posted: March 26, 2010 1:29 PM

With only 2 weeks left before entries for the 2010 Killarney International Rally of the Lakes opens, the Killarney Motor club have kept the stages for the rally very local in an effort to keep the cost to the competitors down to a mininum, and will be based in and around the town of Killarney for the convenience of spectators and service crews.

This years event is round three of the Citroen Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and with a full entry expected a great weekend of rallying is guaranteed. Headquarters is once again in the Gleneagle Hotel with 14 Stages at 8 Locations.

The Saturday Stages will be 3 special stages ran twice and 1 evening special stage ran once with centralized service in Millstreet.

Day 2 Sunday, the stages are 3 special stages ran twice service on Sunday is in Milltown and the rally will finish with one final stage, before the winners are announced at the finish ramp at the Gleneagle Hotel.

Preliminary Details

Posted: March 23, 2010 1:17 PM

HQ: Glenagle Hotel

COC: Liam Cronin
14 Stages
8 Locations:

Saturday
3 stages 2 times + 1 evening stage ran once
Service: Millstreet

Sunday
3 stages 2 times + 1 stage ran once
Service: Milltown

Regulations to follow in early April.

Event Website / Details

Posted: January 1, 2010 12:01 AM

• Rally of the Lakes (Killarney)
• Killarney and District Motor Club