Darren Swanton Memorial Cork City Rallysprint - 30 May 10
Posted: August 27, 2010 8:55 AM - 17327 Hits
Darren Swanton Memorial Cork City Rallysprint, sponsored by Great Stuff Caterers Sunday, May 30th at the Cork City Civic Amenity Centre on Kinsale Road.
Cork Motor Club presented a cheque for €28,512.59 to Marymount Hospice on Tuesday evening (August 24, 2010) at the Lifetime Lab on the Lee Road, Cork
The money was the proceeds of the Darren Swanton Memorial Cork City Rally Sprint which was held at the Cork City Amenity Centre on May 30 last. Darren's mother and brother attended Tuesday’s presentation which also included a large number of CMC members plus representatives of Cork City Council, Bishopstown Lions Club and Marymount.
Brian O'Keeffe/Donnacha O'Callaghan win Cork Rallysprint
Posted: August 27, 2010 8:43 AM
Brian O'Keeffe/Donnacha O'Callaghan win Cork Rallysprint
Photo: Ger Leahy
Posted: May 31, 2010 7:32 PM
In Car
Posted: May 31, 2010 7:08 PM
Peter & Jerry Desmond
Jason Clifford & Patrick Slattery
Video Clips
Posted: May 31, 2010 7:03 PM
Kevin O'Sullivan / Paul Nagle's Moment!
Report
Posted: May 31, 2010 5:01 PM
Almost 2000 spectators turned out to see Brian O’Keeffe driving his Subaru Impreza take overall victory on the inaugural Darren Swanton Memorial Cork City Rallysprint, sponsored by Great Stuff Caterers. Competitors battled over a total of 12km of mixed gravel and tarmac track in damp and humid conditions in the suburbs of Cork city.
Organised and promoted by Cork Motor Club Ltd., in association with Cork City Council and the Bishopstown and District Lions Club, the event was run to raise money for the Marymount Hospice. Darren Swanton was a 30 year old member of the Cork Motor Club who died of cancer in Marymount in 2009. Both Foreign Affairs minister Micheal Martin, and Simon Coveney, Fine Gael Spokesperson for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, attended on the day and were very impressed by the spectacle that was in progress on the former landfill site.
A capacity entry of 120 cars started the event on Sunday morning lead by Tommy Graham in his Rallycross Fiesta 4WD. Next up was Brian O'Mahony in a Metro 6R4, followed by Darragh O'Riordan who brought the Renault Clio S1600 for a spin. Seeded at 4 was Alan Ring in his Mitsubishi Evo 9, with Thomas Fitzmaurice next in a similar example.
Thomas Fitzmaurice was the early leader in his Mitsubishi Evo 9, stopping the clocks 0.2 seconds ahead of Alan Ring in his similar machine. However it was the performance of Seamus O’Grady in the ex-McKinstry Escort F2 car that caught the attention of the crowd, just 1.2 seconds off the modern 4WD cars. Hot on their heels were Jason Ryan, Darragh O’Riordan and Jack Newman in more front wheel drive machinery.
Brian O’Keeffe topped the timesheets in his Impreza after the second run, and Seamus O’Grady leaped into a fine second place in his F2 car. Alan Ring was demoted to third, with Brian O’Mahony staging a recovery to hold fourth in his Metro 6R4 after a driveshaft problem on the first run. Colm Grant in his Evo 5 was having handbrake issues at the hairpins, but he rounded out the top 5 that was separated by less than 10 seconds.
The final run was reduced to a single lap of the 2.5Km track due to time constraints, and it was Brian O’Mahony who went fastest. Both Brian O’Keeffe and Colm Grant stopped the clocks at the same instant, 2.1 seconds behind the Metro. This was good enough for O’Mahony to snatch second place, however it was Brian O’Keeffe who held on for overall victory. Alan Ring got the better of Seamus O’Grady on the last run to take third. Colm Grant was just 0.5 seconds behind O’Grady’s Escort in 5th, with Owen Murphy with RedFM DJ, Dave McArdle on board finished 6th.
It was a less successful day for the Rallycross competitors that braved the trip to the southern capital. The damp conditions thwarted Tommy Graham’s efforts to convert his Fiesta’s colossal power to usable grip, and mechanical problems prevented Ian and Alan Byrne entertaining the crowds in their Rallycross prepared MR2.
Current IRC champion navigator, Paul Nagle was trying his hand behind the wheel for just the second time in competition, and finished a very credible 19th overall in a Subaru Impreza. He plans to give his regular driver Kris Meeke a few pointers for the next round of the IRC in Sardinia next weekend!
On a more serious note, this event would not have been possible without the generous sponsorship of Great Stuff Caterers, and Cork Motor Club are very grateful to Mr. Brian Allen for his support.
The Darren Swanton Memorial Cork City Rallysprint, sponsored by Great Stuff Caterers, will take place on Sunday next, May 30th at the Cork City Civic Amenity Centre on Kinsale Road. Since the event launch on May 13th, work on-site has been continuing in earnest to ensure that the former landfill venue is ready for what promises to be a spectacular event.
The event promises to have attractions for all the family, with ample green areas to allow spectators enjoy the event safely. Also there will be food stalls and amusements on-site to cater for all ages. Tickets will be on sale at the gate which is located on the Black Ash Road, near the Park & Ride facility.
Organised and promoted by Cork Motor Club Ltd., in association with Cork City Council and the Bishopstown and District Lions Club, the event aims to raise money for the Marymount Hospice. Darren was a 30 year old member of the Cork Motor Club who died of cancer in Marymount in 2009.
Simon Coveney TD will be in attendance on the day to give the event his full support. Mr. Coveney is delighted to have been invited to be associated with this event which will raise funds for Marymount hospice, which is a very worthy cause within the local community.
Over 100 entries have been received from both rallying and rallycross disciplines which will ensure that the crowds are entertained on the day. Leading the field away on Sunday morning will be Tommy Graham in his Rallycross Fiesta 4WD. Next up is Brian O'Mahony in a Metro 6R4, followed by Darragh O'Riordan who is bringing his Renault Clio S1600 for a spin. Seeded at 4 will be Alan Ring in his Mitsubishi Evo 9, with Thomas Fitzmaurice next in a similar example.
The rallycross fraternity will also be represented by Ian Byrne and Alan Byrne in a Toyota MR2, and Barry Johnson in a Subaru Impreza. Other machinery that will be guaranteed to entertain the crowds are the Escort Mk2's of James Coleman, Brian Lawlor and Richard Davis to name but a few.
RedFM DJ Dave Mac will be participating in the event, driven by Pat Ryan from Youghal Kia in a Honda Civic Type R. Dave will giving live updates from the track throughout the day on RedFM, in addition to a ticket promotion which he is running on the station this week between 10am and 2pm.
The first timed run will start no earlier than 10:00 on Sunday, May 30th, with the proceedings scheduled to finish at 18:30 approx.
This event would not be possible without the generous sponsorship of Great Stuff Caterers, and Cork Motor Club are very grateful to Mr. Brian Allen for his support.
Seeded Entry List / Ticket Details / Final Instructions Available
Irish Rally Champion Tommy Graham with his Championship winning 4WD Ford Fiesta,
Brian O’Mahony,
Ger O’Donovan,
Owen Murphy,
Darragh O’Riordan,
Alan Ring,
Tomas Fitzmaurice,
Sean O’Donovan,
Liam Ryan,
Brian Lawlor,
Brendan Dehenny,
Alan Tracey,
Leonard Downey,
Kieth Power,
Todd Falvey
Also hoping to take part is Eugene Donnelly.
Map of Rallysprint Venue and Track available
Posted: May 12, 2010 2:23 PM
Map of rallysprint venue and track now available to view on the Club website:
Cork City Rallysprint is Go - Launch Thursday 13 May
Posted: May 6, 2010 11:52 AM
Preparations are well underway for The Darren Swanton Memorial Cork City Rallysprint, sponsored by Great Stuff Caterers, which will take place on Sunday, May 30th at the Cork City Civic Amenity Centre on Kinsale Road.
The event launch will take place on Thursday next, 13th May at 11:00 at the Kinsale Road site. Lord Mayor of Cork, Dara Murphy will be in attendance to formally launch the event, which is being sponsored by Great Stuff Caterers.
The necessary permit has been secured from Cork City Council, and site works are well underway to ensure that the former landfill site is ready for the event, which is now just over 3 weeks away. Invitations have been posted to competitors, who are encouraged to return completed entry forms to ensure that they secure their place for this unique event.
Organised and promoted by Cork Motor Club Ltd., in association with Cork City Council and the Bishopstown and District Lions Club, the event aims to raise money for the Marymount Hospice. Darren was a 32 year old member of the Cork Motor Club who died of cancer in Marymount in 2009.
This event would not be possible without the partnership between Cork Motor Club and Cork City Council, and the generous sponsorship of Great Stuff Caterers, who are working closely to ensure that the event is a spectacular success.
The first timed run will start no earlier than 10:00 on Sunday, May 30th, with the proceedings scheduled to finish at 18:30 approx.
The Club would encourage you to come along on Sunday, May 30th, and see for yourself the spectacle of motorsport that is planned, for what is a very worthy cause.
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