Gass/Sherry wins dramatic Galway International Rally
Posted: February 21, 2012 11:06 AM
Darren Gass took the honours today at the Safety Direct Galway International Rally after a dramatic day on the roads in the West. The 23-year-old won the event in his Subaru Impreza by 1.3 seconds from Eugene Donnelly with last year’s champion Tim McNulty finishing 6.4 seconds behind the winner.
It was McNulty who set the early pace in his Subaru winning the first spectator stage at Dyke Road in Galway city. From there McNulty increased his lead over the first three stages to lead by 22.3 seconds from Eugene Donnelly in his Mini WRC with Gass in third.
With Stage 4 cancelled McNulty continued to set the pace on Stage 5 extending his lead to 30 seconds from Donnelly and 49 seconds from Gass. However is was Stage 6 that changed the event as McNulty hit two bales damaging his suspension and it was from here that the Meath man began to lose pace.
Gass and Donnelly continued to cut McNulty’s lead over stages 7 and 8 before Gass took the lead outright on Stage 9 to lead by 9.2 seconds from McNulty and Donnelly in third, 17 seconds back. The Armagh native held out on the final stage to win by just over a second from Donnelly and McNulty in third.
This win puts Gass on top of the Irish Tarmac Leaderboard after this first round of championship with the next event being the Circuit of Ireland rally in across the Easter weekend April.
JENNINGS SHOWS HIS CLASS IN GALWAY
Posted: February 21, 2012 10:33 AM
Fermanagh’s Garry Jennings has continued his amazing run of good results to score an emphatic Group N victory on the opening round of the Irish Tarmac Championship in Galway on Sunday. Garry, co-driven by Donegal’s Rory Kennedy set a scorching pace that saw them not only dominate the Group N (production Car) category but they also consistently outpace some of the regular top line Irish WRC driver’s through the Galway stages.
The action began with the return of the classic ‘Dyke Road’ spectator stage that was reinstated for the 2012 event after a long sabbatical. It was an outstanding success with the crowd lined stage setting the scene for the nine closed road stages to follow. Garry unlike his opponents who mostly opted for wet weather tyres, made an attacking tyre choice for the opening 4 stages, choosing to run with the Kumho soft compound slick with some slight cuts to help cope with the wet conditions. “I have used the Kumho range for a number of years now and I know the ability the tyre has on the slippy conditions, it simply cannot be matched by any other brand so I was ready to exploit this advantage from the outset” said Garry. 4th fastest time through the opening stage was true testament to Garry’s approach beating 5 time tarmac champion Eugene Donnelly in his new WRC Mini through the test.
The action then moved to the Headford area and the first proper closed road test. For the Donegal Bay Fuel’s Mitsubishi it was only getting better, 3rd fastest time through the stage saw Garry move into 3rd overall and a commanding 15 second lead over their closest Group N challenger. Stage 3 was going really well until Garry clipped a rock thrown out by a previous car, this forced him to run wide clipping a wall, little time was lost but Garry finished the stage carefully in order to access any possible damage. Stage four was cancelled so as the cars made their way back into the Headford Service the team in 5th position overall and 17seconds clear of Monaghan’s Sam Moffett who was the closest GpN challenger.
With the reassurance of the Keith Rainey preparation team that everything was in order, Garry & Rory set about the re-run of the 3 stages and once again surpassed everyone’s expectations to arrive back into service in an astonishing 4th overall, sandwiched between the latest WRC Mini and a pair of Subaru WRC S14’s. The Evo 9 was certainly punching well above it’s weight!
The final three stages and there could be no let up. Not only did Garry and Rory want to secure the Group N victory but they wanted to hold onto their hard fought 4th place overall. A fantastic 3rd fastest time through stage 8 and the hard work was done, a conservative approach through the final two was enough for the team to record a fantastic result of 4th Overall and 1st Group N. The 12 points for his 4th Overall along with the 3 bonus points for overall position in a production class car resulted Garry leaving Galway tied for 3rd overall with 2011 Overall Champion Tim McNulty.
Garry commented at the finish in Eyre Square “This event has gone like clockwork, We hit the ground running this morning and maintained that level of pace all day. Keith Rainey and Colm Grant both did an excellent job over the winter, not only to rebuild the car but also adapt the engine mapping and handling characteristics more to suit my driving style, these changes along with the continued reliability have been key to our success. I have to mention the Kumho Tyres, , they have played an influential part, the product has gotten better and better every season and it is now at a level where I think established brands like Michelin and Pirelli are struggling to keep up. With regard to the event, this one-day format which the Galway Motor Club have adopted has been a huge success in my eyes, I don’t know when I last saw crowds like it. The organization, PR and branding in the local towns, throughout the press and through the social networks has raised the level of awareness and that’s exactly what the team’s need in order to attract sponsors. I’m really looking forward to the next round of the championship, The Circuit of Ireland, with the event being a counting round toward the IRC series this year, I’m sure Bobby Willis, Gordon Noble and the organising team will put on yet another exceptional event. At the moment that is my next planned outing but I don’t know if I will be able to resist the temptation of taking the 555 Subaru to the gravel between now and then!!”.
Garry would like to thank his 2012 sponsors & partners:
Jennings Fuels & Lubricants Donegal Bay Fuels
Kumho Tyres Shell Racing Fuels
Stockhouse Furniture Sligo Pallets
Millers Oils OMP
KUMHO KICKS OFF 2012 WITH TOP PLACINGS ON GALWAY RALLY
Posted: February 21, 2012 10:21 AM
Following a memorable year on rally stage and race track in 2011, Kumho has started the new motorsport season with a pair of strong placings on the Safety Direct Galway International Rally (February 5). Kumho stalwart and five-times Irish Tarmac Champion Eugene Donnelly brought his new Mini WRC home in a fighting second place, while another regular Kumho runner, Garry Jennings, won the Group N category and finished an excellent fourth overall in his Mitsubishi Evo 9.
This was the first outing for Donnelly’s Kumho-shod, Colm Quinn-backed Mini and the first time anybody has campaigned the model in Ireland. Expectations were therefore running high and Donnelly didn’t disappoint, finishing a scant 1.3 seconds behind the winning Subaru Impreza WRC of Darren Gass, following a late charge that produced a string of stunning stage times. All being well, Donnelly will contest all rounds of the 2012 Irish Tarmac Championship, and few would bet against him being in serious contention for a record sixth title.
Said Kumho’s European Motorsport Manager Steve Thompson: “It is great to renew our acquaintanceship with Eugene and no surprise to find he was immediately competitive with his new mount. New models can be just as much of a challenge for tyre manufacturers as the drivers, and it was rewarding to see our tarmac tyres providing the Mini with the performance it required. We look forward to an exciting season.”
The next round of the Irish Tarmac Championship is The Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland rally on April 7/8.
Jennings also victorious on Donegal Forest Stages Rally
Prior to his Galway Rally success, current Group N Irish Tarmac Champion Garry Jennings had achieved outright victory on the Donegal Forest Stages event (January 28), in a Kumho-shod Group A Subaru Impreza. He led the event from start to finish and was fastest over nine of the 10 stages. The next round of the Valvoline 2012 Irish Forest Rally Championship is the Carrick-on-Suir event on March 3.
Results
1 Darren Gass/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 08m 19s,
2 Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Mini John Cooper Works WRC) 1h 08m 20s,
3 Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 08m 25s,
4 Garry Jennings/Rory Kennedy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 1h 09m 44s,
5 Derek McGarrity/James McKee (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 10m 07s,
6 Daragh O’Riordan/Tony McDaid (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 10m 17s,
7 Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 1h 11m 19s,
8 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 1h 11m 31s,
9 Thomas Fitzmaurice/Fionn Foley (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 12m 51s,
10 Josh Moffett/Domhnall Lennon (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N), 1h 13m 02s.
Class winners:
Eugene O’Donnell/Sean Harris (Honda Civic),
David Quigley/Des Sherlock (Honda Civic),
Anthony Masterson/Tommy Clinton (Honda Integra),
NATIONAL EVENT:
1 Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Ford Escort MKII) 1h 12m 16s,
2 Tom Flaherty/Patrick Curley (Ford Escort MkII) 1h 12m 18s,
3 John Hendy/Alan White (Toyota Corolla 2.0 RWD) 1h 13m 10s,
4 Daniel McKenna/Andrew Grennan (Ford Escort MkII) 1h 13m 38s,
5 Arthur Kierans/Mac Kierans (Ford Escort MkII) 1h 14m 31s,
6 Tom Cahill/Philip Conneely (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) 1h 14m 39s.
HISTORIC/POST-HISTORIC RALLY:
1 John Keatley/James McKeefry (Porsche 911) 1h 24m 31s,
2 Mervyn Johnston/Wendy Blackledge (Mini Cooper S) 1h 29m 06s,
3 Ray Cunningham/Adrian Cusack (Mini Cooper S) 1h 30m 20s.
Class winners: Ernie Graham/Will Graham (Ford Escort), Brendan McAree/J P McAree (Porsche),
Martin Creaven/Chris Crowe (Ford Escort), Andy Hennessy/Peter Murphy (Hillman Imp).
Leaders:
SS1-8 Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS9-10 Darren Gass/Enda Sherry (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 James Power/Declan Kelly (Ford Escort Mk1) - Stage Cancelled for Main Field
SS5 Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS6 Darren Gass/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS7 Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Mini John Cooper Works WRC)
SS8 Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Mini John Cooper Works WRC)
SS9 Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Mini John Cooper Works WRC)
SS10 Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Mini John Cooper Works WRC)
Irish Champions to clash at Galway International Rally
Posted: February 3, 2012 7:37 PM
Four former Irish Tarmac Rally Champions will take to the roads of Galway this weekend to contest the first major event of the 2012 motorsport calendar, the Safety Direct Galway International Rally. This year’s event, which takes place over one day as opposed to the traditional two day format, will see a record entry of over 150 cars.
Tim McNulty, Gareth McHale, Derek McGarrity and Eugene Donnelly will all be on the starting line on Sunday for the first round of the Irish Tarmac Championship. McNulty made history in 2012 by becoming the first Irish driver to win both the Irish Rally Championship and the Tarmac Rally Championship in the same year, which included a four minute victory margin in this event last year.
The Meath man took advantage of the absence of a couple of Ireland’s top drivers last year in Eugene Donnelly and Gareth McHale, who both return to the action on Sunday. McHale, who was the Irish Tarmac Champion in 2010, took a year out from rallying last year because of work commitments. Donnelly is a five-time Irish Champion and he will be debuting the Mini Cooper works WRC car on the Galway roads this weekend.
Derek McGarrity will also be looking to make his mark in the City of the Tribes. The two-time Irish champion will be driving a Ford Focus WRC and will be keen to renew his rivalry with McNulty from last year.
The Galway International Rally will begin with a spectator stage in Galway City at the Dyke Road at 9.30am on Sunday with the finish at Ayre Square at 5pm that evening. For more information on the event you can log on to www.galwayinternationalrally.com or you can also download the Galway Rally 2012 App from the App Store for iPhone.
Irish Champions to clash at Galway International Rally
Posted: February 3, 2012 7:12 PM
Four former Irish Tarmac Rally Champions will take to the roads of Galway this weekend to contest the first major event of the 2012 motorsport calendar, the Safety Direct Galway International Rally. This year’s event, which takes place over one day as opposed to the traditional two day format, will see a record entry of over 150 cars.
Tim McNulty, Gareth McHale, Derek McGarrity and Eugene Donnelly will all be on the starting line on Sunday for the first round of the Irish Tarmac Championship. McNulty made history in 2012 by becoming the first Irish driver to win both the Irish Rally Championship and the Tarmac Rally Championship in the same year, which included a four minute victory margin in this event last year.
The Meath man took advantage of the absence of a couple of Ireland’s top drivers last year in Eugene Donnelly and Gareth McHale, who both return to the action on Sunday. McHale, who was the Irish Tarmac Champion in 2010, took a year out from rallying last year because of work commitments. Donnelly is a five-time Irish Champion and he will be debuting the Mini Cooper works WRC car on the Galway roads this weekend.
Derek McGarrity will also be looking to make his mark in the City of the Tribes. The two-time Irish champion will be driving a Ford Focus WRC and will be keen to renew his rivalry with McNulty from last year.
The Galway International Rally will begin with a spectator stage in Galway City at the Dyke Road at 9.30am on Sunday with the finish at Ayre Square at 5pm that evening.
Barry Motorsport
Posted: February 3, 2012 6:04 PM
This Sunday, Daniel Barry and Gordon Noble will start their 2012 Rally Season at the Safety Direct Galway International Rally G8 Products will be selling Barry Motorsport Team Clothing at this event, in an attempt to help support Daniel Barry and his EvoX.
The clothing, black with Daniel's skull design, was popular in Europe while Daniel was contesting rounds of the 2010 IRC, and hopefully will help to support his 2012 Irish Tarmac Championship campaign.
Audio: Interview with Mark Parsons (Press Officer Safety Direct Galway International Rally 2012)
Posted: February 1, 2012 6:49 PM
Additional Class Prizes
Posted: February 1, 2012 4:11 PM
The Event Organising Committee of the Safety Direct Galway International Rally 2012 are pleased to announce that Team Calbro in association with STP are sponsoring bonus prizes of a voucher to the value of ?250, for all class winners in the Historic, National & Junior rallies. To be eligible for these prizes, in addition to the Class Winner's Trophies, competitors' cars must be carrying the STP decal. Team Calbro are proud to be involved in this major event on the Motoring Calendar and are keen to promote continued safe rallying for all competitors.
Simply complete the Entry Form with Vicky Reilly at scrutiny and carry the STP decal on your car to qualify.
Audio: Interviews with Eugene Donnelly and Tim McNulty
Posted: January 30, 2012 8:48 PM
GALWAY MOTOR CLUB LAUNCHS APP FOR 2012 INTERNATIONAL RALLY
Posted: January 28, 2012 12:09 AM
Galway Motor Club, organisers of the Safety Direct Galway International Rally, is delighted to announce the launch of an App for the 2012 event in conjunction with our media partner Amnesia Media
This will be the first time any rally in Ireland will have this technology available.
For this event the app will be only be available for the i phone but will be available on all mobile devices for future events. THE APP IS FREE and can be downloaded from the App store or by logging into
Included will be live results, entry list, event images and rally merchandise. It will also include the option to upload users own images from the stages to be included in the Live Image Tab.
Gareth McHale is the latest driver to enter in a WRC car. Gareth is to use his Championship winning Ford Focus.
Launch Night - (Fri) 20 Jan 12
Posted: January 17, 2012 10:54 AM
Launch night this Friday in the Clayton Hotel Galway @ 7.30pm. All are welcome
Entries Reach 160
Posted: January 15, 2012 11:46 PM
Gary McPhilips joins MKll battle
Entries at 156
Posted: January 13, 2012 10:57 PM
156 Entries have now been received, with Tarmac Champion Tim McNulty among the latest entries.
WRC MINI to enter The Safety Direct Galway International Rally 2012
Posted: January 13, 2012 10:56 PM
Galway Motor Club, organisers of the Safety Direct Galway International Rally are delighted with the announcement that Colm Quinn MINI will sponsor the McGeehan Motorsport WRC MINI in the 2012 event. Colm Quinn BMW will also sponsor 3 stages of the event.
Eugene Donnelly will be coming out of retirement for the 2012 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship starting in Galway, where he will drive the WRC MINI.
The event itself will be run over a new one day format with 10 stages, including the city centre Dyke Road stage, which was last run in 1998. There will then be 9 challenging stages in County Galway. Due to the new format and reduced entry fee, entries have flooded in and currently stand at over 140, which will make this event a fabulous start to the 2012 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.
Alan Fair, Operations Director with Safety Direct commented, “We are thrilled that McGeehan Motorsport and Colm Quinn MINI have chosen the 2012 Safety Direct Galway International Rally to launch this fantastic car into the Championship”.
Eugene Donnelly MINI WRC Colour Scheme
Posted: January 13, 2012 10:46 PM
Donnelly Motorsport Official Press Release
Posted: January 13, 2012 10:42 PM
Colm Quinn MINI based in Athlone, Co. Westmeath are delighted to be associated with MINI’s comeback to the Irish Rally Circuit with the Prodrive built MINI World Rally Car. The Mc Geehan Motorsport hired car, that will be driven by Irish Rally Legend, Eugene Donnelly will arrive in Ireland shortly for a series of testing and familiarisation before the competitive action begins for real at the Safety Direct Galway International Rally.
Colm Quinn MINI are privileged to be associated with Eugene Donnelly’s long overdue return to competitive action. Undoubtedly the most successful and recognised driver in Ireland, with 5 Tarmac Championships to his name as well as 19 Championship wins, this comeback is sure to be a spectacle for Irish Motorsport. Eugene himself is aiming to rewrite the history books in 2012 and very much looks forward to the opening round of the Championship, the Safety Direct Galway International Rally. “I am delighted to make a comeback this season. Bringing the 1st MINI WRC into competitive action in Ireland is something else and I am relishing the opportunity”. “It is our plan to compete in the entire Championship campaign in 2012 and we will see how things work out”. He went on to say “Colm Quinn Athlone have come on board with us and it is a privilege to be associated with such a young and pro-active company”. Colm Quinn will also sponsor 3 stages of the Safety Direct Galway International Rally. Eugene will again be accompanied in the co-driver seat by Paddy Toner, a well recognised figure in Irish Motorsport.
The proud motorsport heritage of MINI means its return to the sport will be very welcome news to true rally enthusiasts. Extensive rallying success throughout the decades means MINI is still one of the most emotive brands in the business and its return to the 2012 Irish Tarmac Championship is greeted with much expectation.
Colm Quinn MINI are the only authorised MINI Dealership in the midlands and mid west of Ireland, situated on the N55 just outside Athlone, and carry a full range of new and cherished MINI models with a host of financing options.
As the countdown continues to the Rally Launch, fans can see the MINI WRC in reality before the event. Colm Quinn MINI will be displaying the car at their Athlone Dealership between 10.00am and 12.00 Midday on Saturday, 4thFebruary. The Donnelly Motorsport Team will also be in attendance and Eugene will be available for Photographs and Autographs.
Colm Quinn along with Donnelly Motorsport and Mc Geehan Motorsport wish everyone associated with the Galway Rally a very successful, safe and exciting campaign, kicking off in Galway on Sunday 5th February.
Entries now at 130
Posted: January 10, 2012 11:53 PM
Entries now at 130, with Darren Glass (Subaru) and Derek McGarrity (Ford Focus) among the WRC battle.
Over 100 Entries Received
Posted: January 9, 2012 11:57 AM
Entries for The Safety Direct Galway International rally are now pouring in and are now well in excess of 100
Early entries include Kevin Barrett, Daragh O’Riordan and Thomas Fitzmaurice in his newly acquired Suburu WRC S11.
Daniel McKenna is the leading 2 wheel entrant at this stage.
With entries coming in so quickly the club need to remind competitors that the closing date is Monday January 16th
Safety Direct Galway International Rally Promotional Video 2012
Posted: January 5, 2012 12:21 AM
ACT for Meningitis - Charity partner for The 2012 Safety Direct Galway International Rally
Posted: January 1, 2012 6:01 PM
Galway Motor Club are pleased to announce that ACT for Meningitis will be our charity partner for The 2012 Safety Direct Galway International Rally.
Safety Direct, Ireland’s leading supplier of health and safety products, are delighted to once-again be the primary sponsor of the “Safety Direct Galway International Rally 2012”. The Galway International Rally has a proud, successful history; including being the first ever round of the Irish Tarmac Championship in 1978. Today the rally is still the traditional season opener, drawing top competitors and huge crowds of spectators to Galway every year for the February festivities. It has also been a favourite of works World Rally teams, who have used the event in the past couple of years as a shakedown for Rally Ireland. Commenting on this years event, Safety Direct spokesperson Alan Fair stated, “This is a very exciting event for Safety Direct to be involved with. An occasion of this scale is wonderful for Galway city and county and we are only too happy to be a part of it bringing so much revenue to the area and local business”.
This year’s Safety Direct Galway International Rally will take place on the weekend of the 4th & 5th February, and rally headquarters will once again be situated at the Clayton Hotel in Ballybrit, Galway.
The Galway Motor Club, organisers of the rally, are pleased to have Safety Direct on board again as their main sponsor. Victor Farrell, Clerk of the course for the Galway International stated, “Safety Direct are an ideal sponsor for the Galway International Rally. They are a well-established local company with a great interest in the sport and carry a huge range of quality products and equipment. They even have a large range of Road Safety products which is entirely complementary for this event.” As well as being the main sponsor of the event, Safety Direct have a personal interest in the rally as they are sponsoring two cars taking part in the event.
Rally Guide / Details
Posted: November 23, 2011 8:08 PM
The big news for 2012 is that the event will run in a format that will help to significantly minimise costs for all competitors. All of the stages, including a city based “super special” will be contained in a compact one day format on Sunday 5th February next.
The other big news is that the entry fee has been reduced to €545
For 2012 the event will have additional TV coverage. In addition to UTV, the event programme will be broadcast on TG4, Setanta, Motors TV and North One TV. The Motors TV coverage of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship appeared on over 240 occasions in 2011
Safety Direct, the Galway based company will be sponsoring the event for the fifth time.
The competitive element of the event will be run over 10 competitive special stages on Sunday 5th February 2012. The route will contain a Spectator Stage at a Galway City location and will have a centralised Service Area. There will be a Ceremonial Start in Galway City Centre on Saturday 4th February. There are four stages to recce and there will not be any night stages.
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