Diarmaid Falvey became the fourth Kerry-based navigator to win the Rose Hotel Circuit of Kerry Rally.
Alongside his driver, Derek McGarrity, the Kerry/Antrim crew lead from start to finish in their Ford Fiesta World Rally Car.
Beufort man, Falvey joins John Crone (1989), Paul Nagle (2004) and Fionn Foley (2012) on the list of Kerry winning co-drivers while McGarrity became a two-time winner of the event, adding to his 2010 success.
They were fasted on stage one, Knight's Mountain and, thereafter, were never really troubled by the chasing pack.
Kenny McKinstry, another former winner, did challenge the event winners through the latter stages but he lost too much time in the morning when the suspension on his Subaru Impreza was performing as he wanted it.
Kevin Barrett, now based in Maynooth, County Kildare but a driver with strong Kerry connections was this is another Impreza. He and his co-driver Sean Mullally were the top Kerry Motor Club crew after a huge battle with husband and wife team Sean and Katrina Liston. The BMW crew put in the drive of the rally, running as high as third for much of the vent until Barrett reeled them in but it was still their best performance to date.
Kerry Motor Club's Tim Enright finished sixth and second in Class 13 in his Ford Escort M2. Just three seconds separated him and fellow club members Tom Relihan and Maurice McElligott in an Escort Mk1.
Charlie and Johnny Hickey were the top Killarney and District Motor Club crew in another Escort, they finished ninth and second in Class 14, one place ahead of Tommy Mason and Timmy Murphy in another Escort.
Darren Young and Sean Walsh won Class 11 in their Honda Civic. Tralee navigator Sean Hegarty finished second in Class Two alongside his Limerick driver Keith Lyons. Pat Barry and Stephen Buckley were another all Kerry crew to make the finish line in their Sierra Cosworth , as did Mike Kenny and Gene Stack who were competing in their first rally for seven years in their Ford Escort. They also won class 12 and finished one place ahead of Ger O'Brien and John Liston and two places ahead of Sean Enright and Conor Walsh. Tralee-based co-driver Mikie Cleary was another on the finishers list.
PJ O'Dowd and John Young won the historic rally in their Talbot Sunbeam but had to burn the midnight oil in the run up to the rally. A new engine was fitted on Friday night and the gearbox came out on Saturday to replace the clutch disc.
Rallying returns to County Kerry for the first time this year with the annual Circuit of Kerry Rally, based in Tralee on Sunday.
The Rose Hotel-sponsored rally is the first of four major rallies set to take place in The Kingdom this year and organiser, Kerry Motor Club, has set a high standard in terms of entry and stage location.
Although lacking in overall numbers, the entry list has strength in depth with several high-quality World Rally cars, state-of-the-art R5 machines and high-powered modified cars on the list and the fact the it is round two of the locally sponsored Top Part West Coast Rally Championship.
Leading the field away on Sunday morning from the Rose Hotel will be former winner Derek McGarrity who will have Beaufort's Diarmid Falvey on pacenote duty in their Ford Fiesta World Rally Car.
Falvey is aiming to become the fourth Kerry navigator to win the rally, following in the footsteps of John Crone, Paul Nagle and Fionn Foley, in the 40 years of the event.
Maintaining the strong local interest, Kevin Barrett is also on the entry in his Subaru Impreza. Barrett is a longtime resident of Maynooth , County Kildare but his family have strong ties to Ballyduff in the north of the county and both he and his Limerick-based co-driver Sean Mullaly are members of Kerry Motor Club and will be hoping to win the James O'Rourke Memorial Trophy at the finish.
Daniel Cronin, last year's Kerry Winter Rally winner is another sure to be at the top end of time sheets on Sunday, as a late entry is expected from the West Cork man later this week. The Mitsubishi Lancer E9 driver will have his usual co-driver, Shane Buckley, from Faha, alongside.
Welsh visitor Steve Wood, a former Circuit of Munster winner is another regular visitor to Tralee and he has Abbeyfeale's Keith Moriarty in the hot seat. Moriarty always maintains that the Circuit of Kerry is his home rally and will be hoping to displace the other crews in front and add to his previous Circuit of Munster success.
Two contenders in this year's Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. Brendan Cumiskey and Arron MacHale bring their respective Skoda Fabia R5 and Citroen DS3 R5 rally cars to the event ahead of the next round of that series, the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes.
The two Leinster-based drivers will be hoping to make the most of their time in the Kingdom this weekend ahead of the county's second rally at the end of April.
Local hero Mick Quinn is facing a race against time to have his Escort ready in time for the event. The former winner of the Kerry Winter Rally was forced to retire from the recent West Cork Rally after his car suffered a serious engine failure. One of Sunday's stages passes within a whisker of Quinn's home place, so he will be pulling out all the stops over the next few days to ensure he is on the start-line Sunday morning.
Quinn's former navigator Sean Enright is another Escort driver on the entry list the nine-stage rally.
Limerick driver Ed O'Callaghan, a former winner of the Clare Stages and on occasion in the past a leader of the Kerry Winter Rally will be another contender for overall honours.
Ed Murphy and John McCarthy, from Aghadoe are another crew hoping for a top ten result and will field yet another variation of the ever-popular Ford Escort, as does Timmy Enright from Baenmore.and Tommy Mason from Tarbert who are also likely top ten runners.
Tom Relihan and Maurice McElligott are another local crew likely to feature in the top ten in their Ford Escort. Pat Barry and Kerry Motor Club secretary Stephen O'Connell have entered their Ford Sierra Cosworth as part of car's 30th anniversary that will be celebrated on the event.
Ger O'Brien form Abbeydorney returns in his Escort, while the Honda Civic line-up will be headed by Darren Young and Sean Walsh and Pat Slattery.
The rally gets underway at 0920hrs on Sunday morning before the crews face nine demanding stages in the North Kerry area. Centralised service after each loop is in the main car park of the Rose Hotel with the first pit-stop scheduled for 1155hrs. The first car is due back at the finish ramp at 1715hrs Sunday evening.
Late entries are still be accepted and can be directed to clerk of the course on 087 2680732 / +353 87 2680732.
Rally Programme
Posted: March 31, 2017 8:09 AM
Official programme on sale in the following locations.
Nolan's Garage north Circular Road Tralee
Rose Hotel, Tralee
Kellihers Garage, Tralee
Topaz Rathass, Tralee
Topaz Mounthawk, Tralee
Gala Mounthawk, Tralee
Joe O'Connor's Filling Station, Tralee
Foley's Spar, Castlemaine Road, Tralee
Apple Green filling Station, Manor, Tralee
O Shea's Texaco, Blennerville
Anne Mac's Castleisland
Whyte's Centra, Castleisland
Moriarty's Centra Farranfore
The Rock Filling Station Killarney
The Reeks Filling Station, Killarney
Daly's SuperValue Killarney
Fitzgerald's Filling Station Listowel
Dominic Kelly's Six Crosses
Maloney's Maxol Abbeyfeale
Horgan's Ardfert
Sheehy's Londis, Ballyduff
Cronin's Filling Station Castlemaine
Seeded Entry List (Rev 2)
Posted: March 28, 2017 4:33 PM
1 Derek McGarrity/Diarmuid Falvey (Ford Fiesta WRC) [7]
2 Steve Wood/Keith Moriarty (Subaru Impreza WRC S10) [7]
3 Kenny McKinstry/Kenny Hull (Subaru Impreza WRC S14) [7]
4 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC S14) [7]
5 Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan Okane (Skoda Fabia R5) [5]
6 Aaron MacHale/Darragh Kelly (Citroen DS3 R5) [5]
7 Daniel Cronin/Shane Buckley (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
8 Ryan Loughran/Tony Healy (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
9 Edward O'Callaghan/Keith Moriarty (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
10 Paul Barrett/Declan Tumity (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10) [4]
11 ED Murphy/John McCarthy (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
12 Charlie Hickey/Johnny Hickey (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
14 ED Synan/Denis O'Connell (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
15 Tommy Mason/Timmy Murphy (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
16 Tim Enright/Darina Joyce (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
17 Tom Relihan/Maurice McElligott (Ford Escort Mk1) [13]
18 Eamon Daly/Frank Curtin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
19 Cormac Phelan/Katja Auhl (Honda Civic) [13]
20 Anthony Hand/Peter Deery (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
21 Jason McSweeney/Liam Brennan (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
22 Sean Liston/Katrina Walsh Liston (BMW E30) [13]
23 Pat Barry/Stephen Buckley (Ford Sierra RS Cosworth) [14]
24 Alan Callaghan/Cathal McGrath (Subaru Impreza N12B) [20]
25 Aidan Walsh/Tommy O'Connor (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
26 Darren Young/Sean Walsh (Honda Civic) [11F]
27 James McCarville/ Paddy McCrudden (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
28 Kieran O'Donohuge/Timmy Kelly (Honda Civic) [16]
29 Colin Roche/Derry Long (Toyota Starlet RWD) [11R]
30 Ken Lyons/Paddy McDonnell (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
31 Allen Treacy/Bob Fitzgerald (Toyota Corolla GT) [11R]
32 Sean Moran/Jonathan Keane (Ford Escort) [13]
33 Donal McGrath/Finbarr Fogarty (Toyota Corolla Twin Cam) [11R]
34 Paul O'Brien/Robert Nolan (Honda EG6) [11F]
35 Stephen Bawn/Chris O'Donnell (Ford Escort) [13]
36 Keith Lyons/Sean Hegarty (Ford Fiesta R2 T) [2]
37 Ciaran Phelan/Aine Phelan (Honda Civic Type R) [11F]
38 Frank Sweeney/Jane Cogan (Peugeot 205 RWD) [13]
39 Pat Aherne/Mike Cleary (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
40 James Wilson/Gavin Doherty (Peugeot 208 R2) [2]
41 Sean Enright/ TBA (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
42 John Hickey/Patrick Harding (TBA TBA) [20]
43 Daniel Lucey/Charlie McEnery (Ford Escort Mk1) [13]
44 Colum Browne/Paddy King (Honda Civic) [11F]
45 Ger O'Brien/John Liston (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
46 Alan Lane/Alison Levis (Honda Civic) [11F]
47 Kenneth Cullinane/Robert O'Regan (Honda Civic) [11F]
48 Pat Ryan/Jack Dalton (Ford Escort) [9]
49 Sean O'Gorman/Ger Clancy (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
50 Mike Kenny/Gene Stack (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
51 Des Lyons/Ashling McArdle (Honda Civic EK4) [1]
52 Aidan Doyle/Kerrill Dempsey (Honda Civic EK4) [1]
53 Pat O'Sullivan/Eammon Creedon (Honda Civic Type R) [11F]
54 PJ O'Dowd/John Young (Talbot Sunbeam) [17]
55 Tommy Kelly/Barry Foyle (Ford Escort) [9]
56 David Dee/Rita Dee (Morris Mini Cooper S) [9]
57 Garry Carroll/Tony McCarthy (Honda Civic) [11F]
58 Patrick Naughton/ TBA (Honda Civic EK4) [16]
59 DJ Browne/ TBA (Citroen C2 R2) [2]
60 Terry Carmody/Don Bosco Rogers (Ford KA) [9]
61 Maurice Browne/James Browne (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
62 Bryan Carrig/Ruairi Brennan (Mitsubishi Evo 9) [20]
63 James Kissane/Tim Kennelly (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
64 Gerard O'Shea/Mary O'Shea (Peugeot 306) [3]
65 Pat Kelly /Jonathan Kelly (Subaru Impreza N11) [15]
Entries remain open
Marshal Meeting Points
Posted: March 27, 2017 6:51 AM
SS1,4,7 Garveys SuperValu Main St Castleisland 8.15am. Contact (087) 253 9246 or (087) 6451400
SS2,5,8 Moloney's Maxol Service Station Killarney Rd, Abbeyfeale Co Limerick 8.15am. Contact (087) 769 6823
SS 3,6,9 Manor Statoil Station, Rathass, Tralee 8.15am. Stage Commander: Anthony O'Connor (087) 136 0242
Kerry Motor Club will launch its Rose Hotel Circuit of Kerry Rally with a special function the landmark Tralee establishment on Monday night (March20)
A counting round of the locally sponsored Top Part West Coast Rally championship, the April2 second event is expected to attract some of the best drivers in Ireland and further afield to compete on some the best rally roads in Ireland.
Already confirmed is former winner and multiple Northern Irish Rally Champion Derek McGarrity in his state-of-art Ford Fiesta World Rally Car.
Triton Showers boss Kevin Barrett, a driver with strong Kerry connections, will contest the rally in his Subaru Impreza WRC and will be aiming on a top result in what he considers one of his local events.
Last year's Circuit of Munster winner, Steve Wood, is also entered in his Subaru Impreza and will employ Abbeyfeale-based co-driver Keith Moriarty for the weekend. Moriarty is very much looking forward to his local stages.
Additional big names are expected to commit after this weekend's West Cork Rally in Clonakilty.
Monday night's event gets underway at 7pm when clerk of the course, Tralee man Richard Talbot, outlines some of the route details and reveals some of the star names that have entered the nine-stage, 120km rally.
It is the longest possible mileage allowed under current Motorsport Ireland rules for a one day rally, offering a great challenge to the driver and an incredible spectacle for the 1000s of fans expected in Tralee for the weekend.
Richard Talbot said: "The Circuit of Kerry is one of the most important events on the Irish rally calendar. World rally star Paul Nagle cut his teeth on this rally and recorded one of his first national rally wins on this rally when it was based in Dingle."
An extensive route survey has already taken place and residents in the proposed route have offered their all-important support to the rally.
A total of nine stages, in a three-by-three format, using roads not used in The Kingdom for many years, and on stages made famous by the old-style Circuit of Ireland, ensures that competitors and fans can look forward to a long and challenging rally.
Another plus point for the rally is that driver sign-on, the service park, and other event-related activities are all housed within the Rose Hotel's complex, making it a very easy event to manage from both an organiser and competitor point-of-view.
30th Anniversary of Ford Sierra Cosworth to be celebrated on Circuit of Kerry Rally.
Posted: March 1, 2017 5:06 AM
Kerry Motor Club will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the iconic Ford Sierra Cosworth rally car with a special award on its forthcoming Rose Hotel Circuit of Kerry Rally car.
The Ford Sierra Cosworth was a mainstay of the World and European Rally championships in the mid to late 1980s.
This year will mark the 30th anniversary of the popular rally car and Circuit of Kerry organisers want to attract as many entries as possible from drivers of the turbo-charged, whale-finned machine.
The car was officially unveiled at the 1986 Geneva Motor Show ahead of its public launch in July that year.
When rallying's governing body elected to move to the Group A formula at the start of the 1987 season Ford entered the Sierra in the World Rally Championship with French driver Didier Auriol taking its maiden victory on the Tour de Corse in May 1988.
After its WRC tenure the car was passed down to private teams with many of them finding their way to Ireland and Kerry.
One such example is owned by long-time Kerry Motor Club member Pat Barry who came up with the idea. He also wants to extend the invitation to owners of Escort and Sapphire variants of the car in an effort to create the biggest Cosworth-powered entry list for years.
He said: "It would be great to get a batch of Cosworths together, especially since it coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Sierra in the World championships. It has never been tried before."
Run under the stewardship of Richard Talbot, the Circuit of Kerry will offer the maximum allowed stage mileage under Motorsport Ireland regulations.
The Tralee man re-takes the helm of the club's flagship event 30 years after his first appointment as the Circuit of Kerry clerk of the course, marking another 30th anniversary for the club.
An extensive route survey has already taken place and residents in the proposed route have offered their all-important support to the rally.
A total of nine stages, in a three-by-three format, using roads not used in The Kingdom for many years, and on stages made famous by the old-style Circuit of Ireland, ensures that competitors and fans can look forward to a long and challenging rally.
Another plus point for the rally is that driver sign-on, the service park, and other event-related activities are all housed within the Rose Hotel's complex, making it a very easy event to manage from both an organiser and competitor point-of-view.
Rally Launch - 12 Mar 17
Posted: February 22, 2017 10:54 AM
Circuit of Kerry rally launch will take place on Sunday March 12 at the Rose Hotel Tralee at 3pm. All Welcome.
Kerry Motor Club announces details of Rose Hotel Circuit of Kerry.
Posted: February 22, 2017 6:33 AM
A rally for competitors by competitors is the mantra being followed by Kerry Motor Club ahead of its April 2 Rose Hotel Circuit of Kerry Rally.
Run under the stewardship of Richard Talbot, one of the most experienced rally organisers in the country, the event will offer the maximum allowed stage mileage under Motorsport Ireland regulations.
The Tralee man re-takes the helm of the club's flagship event 30 years after his first appointment as the Circuit of Kerry clerk of the course.
An extensive route survey has already taken place and residents in the proposed route have offered their all-important support to the rally.
A total of nine stages, in three-by-three format , using roads not used in The Kingdom for many years, and on stages made famous by the old-style Circuit of Ireland, ensures that competitors and fans can look forward to a long and challenging rally.
Another plus point for the rally is that driver sign-on, the service park, and other event-related activities are all housed within the Rose Hotel's complex, making it a very easy event to manage from both an organiser and competitor point-of-view.
Richard Talbot said: "I am glad and surprised to be back as COC for 2017 and very much looking forward to it. We have three very good stages totalling 120km of excellent tarmac. I would encourage as many competitors as possible to consider the event, either as part of the Top Part Championship or as a warm up for the Circuit Festival 2017 taking place a week later, or indeed the third round of the Triton Series, the Monaghan Stages a few weeks later. One thing is for sure, a warm welcome awaits you on the on April1 and 2 in Tralee for some fantastic stages. I would also like to acknowledge the enormous effort and help from my deputy Eoin Duffin and all the team."
Further details of the event will be released in the coming weeks, ahead of the rally's launch on Sunday March 12 at the Rose Hotel Tralee
Entry forms can now be downloaded from kerrymotorclub.com. Entry fees are set at 799 euro including all insurance levies (529 euros excluding Motorsport Ireland levy), while junior drivers will pay 488 euro (300 euros plus 188 levy) for the first six stages.
The Circuit of Kerry Stages Rally this year will have 120km of stages the maximum allowed for a one day event.
HQ Parce Ferme and the service area will all be based in the Rose Hotel Tralee (as previous years)
Returning to the event as COC is Current Chairman of the MI Rallies Committee Richard Talbot who will take on the roll of COC for 2017 event, with Eoin Duffin as Deputy
Further details and info regarding Regulations will be available over the next few weeks
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