Cathan McCourt & Barry McNulty (Ford Fiesta R5) SS11
David Crossen & Aileen Kelly (Ford Escort MkII) SS4
Donall Sweeney & Stephen O'Hanlon (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) SS9
Ruari McCaffrey & Lauren Kelly (Ford Escort Mk II) SS8
Derek Mackarel & Muireann Hayes (VAUXHALL NOVA) SS11
Ruairi Maguire & Grace O'Brien (VAUXHALL CORSA)
McKenna preserves championship lead after Cork
Posted: January 27, 2019 11:37 AM
With the dust having settled on the CFF Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally which constituted rounds four and five of the Valvoline Motorsport Ireland National Forest Rally Championship, the series is still very much up for grabs with two rounds remaining. Barry McKenna may have won the two day event outright, but took runner up points on both days to consolidate his lead at the top of the championship and is now on 97 points. Remarkably the points gained on the five rounds to date have been either first or second placed points, which shows McKenna has the consistency as well as the speed, and he will prove tough to beat in the remaining rounds. Stephen McCann spent the weekend in Cork getting used to his fabulous new Fiesta R5, but is showing a good turn of pace despite a lack of forestry experience before this season. He has scored well on all five rounds to date to lie fourteen points off the lead on 83. Josh Moffett lost a lot of time on round 4, but on the second day in Cork he was in good form to take maximum points to lie just two points behind McCann. The only blot on the Monaghan driver’s copybook this season was in Carrick on Suir where he went off the road and was forced into Rally 2. When dropped scores come into play he will be right in the reckoning to the title.
Andrew Purcell was the star of round four, but the second day in Cork saw him lose time with a wrong tyre choice early on, and with little prospect of catching McKenna or Moffett, settled for championship points. He is only two points further back from Moffett and will have a huge say in where the title goes this year. Donal Sweeney (Mitsubishi) and Cathan McCourt (Fiesta R5) are fifth and sixth in the championship but a long way back from the leaders. McCourt on his first weekend out in a Fiesta R5 took fourth placed points on Round 5 after an excellent drive.
Shane McGirr in seventh place in the championship had a good trip to Cork, picking up full points on both rounds as several of his rivals hit problems, most notably David Crossen. Crossen year has been full of hard luck stories and Cork was no different with a late retirement on day one leading to a non-start on the second day. Tommy O’Connell & John Gordon were also retirements as the pace of the event took its toll. Mickey Conlon was as consistent as ever and lies eighth in the championship having picked up points on both days. The Junior Championship is really starting to hot up with eight points separating the top four places. Marty Gallagher is in a tie for the lead 40 points in his Peugeot 208 R2, despite some mechanical issues along with James Wilson who had a very good run in Cork. Derek Mackarel lost a lot of time on round four when the car cut out, but was quicker on the second day to keep his championship hopes alive in third place with 37 points. Jordan Hone was the star of the weekend though in his Opel Adam, taking maximum points on Rounds 4 and 5 to move into fourth place and just eight points behind the leading pair.
The M.O’Brien Junior 1000 championship has concluded for the season and has gone the way of Jason Murphy for the second successive year in his Peugeot 107, although he did make things difficult for himself on Round 4. The Mayo driver slid off the road and into retirement. However there was no damage and he was able to get out for Rally 2 on the fourth round and took full points on the fifth round to take his second successive title. Scottish driver Peter Beaton was top scorer on Round 4 and finished an impressive 51st overall in the event when times for the two days were combined. Aoife Gahan also had one of her best performances of the season trading times with Rory Byrne who led Round 4 early on only to bend a wishbone and lose some time. Aaron Whelan was out for his first appearance of the season and had a great time in his Nissan Micra. This championship is very popular with the competitors and hopefully 2019 will see an increase in numbers for the category.
The penultimate round of the series sees the crews head north to the Enniskillen Motor Clubs Lakeland Stages on the 1st of September and the championship picture should become much clearer at the conclusion of that event.
Cracking Cork Re-fires Jordan Hone Rallying!
Posted: January 27, 2019 11:36 AM
Last weekend was an important one for twenty-two-year-old Jordan Hone, from Claudy, Co. Derry, as he guided his Opel Adam R2 to a superb Junior category victory on the two-day Jim Walsh Cork Forestry Rally. “It was a magnificent event, excellent stages so flowing and a superb battle on both days, and that’s why we enjoy this sport so much! It was also extremely important to clock up those two maximum championship points scores to put our title chase back on track again” said the young Development Engineer. The Cork event was double-points scoring round in the prestigious Valvoline Motorsport Ireland Irish National Forest Championship, a series in which Jordan took the Group N title last year, and is aiming for the coveted Junior title this year. “We knew before the Cork event that we had to produce two top scores after our troubled start to the season, and we will need two top scores on the final two Lakeland and Bushwhacker rounds also. A win in the category would also mean an automatic nomination to the Billy Coleman Award, and that is a goal for us, as that award would help us next season to attack the British Rally Championship and maybe some foreign events.”
Indeed, the Cork event saw quite a race for Junior honours with Derek Mackeral taking the initial lead in his Nova, before Jordan got in front on stage three. When Mackeral had his issues on stage five Jordan had a clear run to the finish ahead of James Wilson in his Peugeot 208 R2 by over twenty five seconds. It was Wilson however who was fastest out of the blocks on Sunday morning, and so intense was the battle that 0.9 of a second separated the drivers on a fifteen-kilometre stage. On stage ten Jordan took back time, and on the next test Jordan took the fastest two-wheel drive time and eleven vital seconds of Wilson, ending the day just six seconds in front. “We changed to a new Kumho tyre at first service on Sunday morning and that helped. In addition to our sponsors there’s been excellent product support from Dave Moynihan at Ears Motorsport which has been useful, and we got the act together in the afternoon.”
“It’s been a substantial change this year to the front wheel drive Opel Adam R2 from the Evo 9, and additional support from TOC Utilities this year was welcome as the team have had to do a lot of sorting out with the car, particularly to get it to work well on the gravel.” With his father Paul in the co-driver’s seat the pair started the year in the Premier Car Parts Opel with high hopes, but a broken suspension arm resulted in retirement on the first round in Carrick-on-Suir. That was followed by fourth in class on the next Limerick round, with several fastest class times already illustrating the teams progress. On the third Moonraker round they led after stage one, but a puncture on stage two and broken drive-shaft soon after resulted in another retirement. “The start of the year wasn’t the easiest, but we were making progress with the pace, and Raymond and Matthew at Rallyhire were making great strides with the car. We switched to tarmac for the Carlow Mini Stages and took first in class. It was also the first time I had made my own pace-notes for an event. That was a real turning point in the year for us”
For the Cavan Stages a new co-driver Aileen Kelly stepped in and the pair had a tough start with a puncture on stage one but got back on the pace for the rest of the day. “We were happy then as we were on the pace of William Creighton, Jason Black and James Wilson so we felt good going into the Donegal Junior event. We had a titanic battle with Jason Black in the Starlet all day and entered the last stage five seconds in front, only for Jason to pip us by two seconds in the end. It was a great day’s rallying and we were setting times within the top ten of the two-wheel drive boys in the main field so that was a good buzz!”
Now the team are focused on the Ulster International Rally, where the best of the British and Irish Tarmac Championship R2 competitors will cross the Antrim start-line on 17th August for two days on classic closed roads. “We are just looking forward to see what we can do and it’s shaping up to be a superb rally. Hopefully we can continue the run of good form and continue to develop in the sport.”
Results
Posted: January 27, 2019 11:30 AM
1 Barry McKenna/Leon Jordan (Ford Fiesta R5+) 62m 57s,
2 Josh Moffett/Stephen Thornton (Ford Fiesta R5+) 63m 09s,
3 Andrew Purcell/Mark Wiley (Ford Fiesta R5) 63m 58s,
4 Cathan McCourt/Barry McNulty (Ford Fiesta R5) 66m 20s,
5 Vivian Hamill/Andrew Grennan (Ford Fiesta R5+) 66m 49s,
6 Stephen McCann/Kaine Treanor (Ford Fiesta R5) 66m 53s,
7 Philip Allen/Mark Kane (Hyundai i20 R5) 68m 21s,
8 Niall Devine/Kieran McGrath (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo Gp N) 68m 50s,
9 Eoghain Rogers/Paddy McCrudden (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 68m 53s,
10 Shane McGirr/Liam McIntyre (Ford Escort MkII) 69m 45s.
Junior Class: 1 Jordan Hone/Paul Hone (Opel Adam R2) 71m 15s,
2 James Wilson/Gavin Doherty (Peugeot 208 R2) 71m 47s,
3 Marty Gallagher/Dean O’Sullivan (Peugeot 208 R2) 72m 40s.
Rally H/Q The Hibernian Hotel, Mallow
N20 Plaza, Limerick Road, Mallow
Amber Station, Ballydaheen, Mallow
EARS Motorsport Muddy Hill Mallow
Murphy's Gala Service Station, Killarney Road, Drumcummer, Kanturk
O'Riordan's Amber Station, Bluepool, Kanturk
Centra Kilworth
Myer's Maxol Mitchestown
O' Sullivan's Topaz Kildorrery
R+R Tyres Ballincollig
Cooney's Filling Station Coachford
Seeded Entry List
Posted: July 24, 2018 4:32 AM
1 BARRY MCKENNA/LEON JORDAN (FORD FIESTA R5) [5]
2 JOSH MOFFETT/STEPHEN THORNTON (FORD FIESTA) [20]
3 ANDREW PURCELL/MARK WILEY (FORD FIESTA R5) [5]
4 STEPHEN MCCANN/KAINE TREANOR (FORD FIESTA R5) [5]
5 GERARD LUCEY/JJ CREAMIN (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 8) [20]
6 ADRIAN HETHERINGTON/GARY NOLAN (TOYOTA COROLLA WRC) [15]
7 ENDA MCCORMACK/COLIN FITZGERALD (FORD FIESTA R5) [5]
8 VIVIAN HAMILL/ANDREW GRENNAN (FORD FIESTA R5) [5]
9 CATHAN MCCOURT/BARRY MCNULTY (FORD FIESTA R5) [5]
10 PHILIP ALLEN/MARK KANE (HYUNDAI I20 R5) [5]
11 ALAN CARMICHAEL/IVOR HAMMOND (MINI WRC) [15]
12 NIALL MCCULLAGH/RYAN McCLOSKEY (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [4]
14 DONAL SWEENEY/STEPHEN O'HANLON (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 6) [20]
15 EOIGHAN RODGERS/PADDY MCCRUDDEN (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [4]
16 PJ O'CONNOR/ANTHONY NESTOR (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [20]
17 CONOR MCCOURT/CAOLAN MCKENNA (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [4]
18 JOHN REID/ENDA SHIELDS (TOYOTA COROLLA) [15]
19 GARY DONOGHUE/ANDREW BROWNE (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [20]
20 NIALL DEVINE/KIERAN MCGRATH (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO) [4]
21 PETER MCCULLAGH/ALAN DOLAN (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [4]
22 JOE HEGARTY/DAVID TURINGTON (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 6) [20]
23 MARK MURPHY/ANTHONY O'SULLIVAN (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 8) [20]
24 STEPHEN MCKENNA/MARK DONNELLY (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 6) [20]
25 PAURIC SHERIDAN/SEAN BRUTON (FORD FIESTA PROTO) [20]
26 ALAN SHINNORS/GEORGE SHINNORS (SUBARU IMPREZA N14 R4) [20]
27 ASHLEY DICKSON/GRAHAM HENDERSON (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [20]
28 PATSY KEENAN/MARTIN BRADY (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [4]
29 STEPHEN DICKSON/TOMMY HAYES (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [4]
30 DANNY CREEDON/DERRY HEALY (SUBARU IMPREZA) [29]
31 FRASER MULLHOLLAND/GEOFF PATTERSON (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 6) [20]
32 ED COLTON/TBA (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO) [20]
33 LUKASZ CZAPNIK/PITOR SZADKOWSKI (SUBARU IMPREZA) [20]
34 NIALL TURLEY/THOMAS WEDLOCK (SUBARU IMPREZA) [15]
35 PAUL MCCANN/DENNY GREANEY (FORD COSWORTH) [15]
36 SEAMUS GOODFELLOW/CHRISTOPHER MCLAUGHLIN (SUBARU IMPREZA) [20]
37 PATRICIA DENNING/JOE DOWNEY (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [20]
38 GEMMA KERLEY/ANDY CURRAN (SUBARU IMPREZA) [20]
39 DAVY FORDE/TJ O'BRIEN (SUBARU IMPREZA) [15]
40 JOE STANLEY/PAUL DOWLING (VW POLO PROTO) [20]
201 DAVID CROSSEN/AILEEN KELLY (FORD ESCORT MK2) [13]
202 SHANE MCGIRR/LIAM MCINTRYRE (TOYOTA STARLET) [13]
203 JOHN GORDON/THOMAS WEDLOCK (FORD ESCORT MK2) [13]
204 MICKEY CONLON/CIARAN MCPHILLIPS (FORD ESCORT MK2) [14]
205 DAVID CONDELL/PAUL KELLY (FORD ESCORT MK2) [14]
206 THOMAS O'CONNELL/BARNEY MITCHELL (FORD ESCORT MK2) [14]
207 DEREK MACKAREL/MUIREANN HAYES (VAUXHALL NOVA) [16]
208 MARTY GALLAGHER/DEAN O'SULLIVAN (PEUGEOT 208) [16]
209 JOHN O'SULLIVAN/PADRAIG O'DONOVAN (FORD FIESTA R2) [16]
210 PAUL FITZGERALD/PIERCE DOHENY (FORD ESCORT MK2) [11R]
211 CAL MCCARTHY/GAVIN SHEEHAN (CITREON C2R2) [2]
212 RUAIRI MAGUIRE/GRACE O BRIEN (VAUXHALL CORSA) [11F]
214 STEWART MCCLEAN/JONNY HOLDSWORTH (VAUXHALL NOVA) [11F]
215 JORDAN HONE/PAUL HONE (OPEL ADAM R2) [16]
216 JAMES WILSON/GAVIN DOHERTY (PEUGEOT 208) [16]
217 DAMIEN MCGAURAN/DARREN CURRAN (BMW 320) [13]
218 RUARI MCCAFFREY/LAUREN KELLY (FORD ESCORT MK2) [12]
219 KIERAN LYNCH/ADAM POWER (HONDA CIVIC) [11F]
220 RAY BENSKIN JNR/NICKY HEGARTY (ESCORT MK2) [12]
221 JAMES LUCEY/MUIRIS SCANNELL (MAZDA RX8) [13]
222 TOM MURPHY/LIAM DENNEHY (FORD ESCORT MK2) [10]
223 MIKE GARAHY/IARLA MCCARTHY (FORD ESCORT MK2) [10]
224 PAUL MCMAHON/PADRAIG DEASEY (HONDA CIVIC) [11F]
225 JASON DICKSON/ALISTAIR WYLLIE (FORD FIESTA R2) [16]
226 ADRIAN BEATTIE/DECLAN RYAN (HONDA CIVIC) [11F]
227 MICHEL HOCHE-MONG/STEPHEN JOYCE (HONDA CIVIC) [2]
228 PAUL O'CONNELL/BRIAN QUINLAN (HONDA CIVIC) [11F]
229 RAY BENSKIN SNR/PEADAR WALSH (FORD ESCORT MK2) [12]
230 JAMES DUNPHY/SHANE GAZELY (TOYOTA COROLLA) [11R]
231 MIKEY WALSH/BRIAN ROWAN (FORD ESCORT MK2) [12]
232 SEAN W BENSKIN/JOE FITZGIBBON (FORD ESCORT MK2) [12]
233 BRIAN LITTLE/PAUL SEXTON (FORD ESCORT MK2) [12]
234 IAN DICKSON/DARRAGH MULLEN (FORD FIESTA) [16]
235 KARL FALLIS/BEN FALLIS (FORD FIESTA R2) [16]
236 JENNA MCCANN/TOMMY CUDDIHY (FORD FIESTA R2) [16]
237 IAN CHADWICK/DEREK O'BRIEN (SKODA FABIA) [2]
238 DEAN HUMPHREY/NIGEL BRENNAN (VAUXHALL CORSA) [9]
239 JONATHAN MCALEER/MACK MCALEER (VAUXHALL CORSA) [9]
240 IAN HORGAN/PATRICK BRISLANE (SUZUKI SWIFT) [9]
241 CIARAN MCCULLAGH/DARREN BARRETT (VAUXHALL NOVA) [9]
242 PIERCE DOHENY/EILISH DUNNE (OPEL CORSA) [10]
243 COLIN NELLIGAN/TIMMY O'SULLIVAN (SUZUKI SWIFT) [9]
244 RUAIRI MACARTAIN/DAVID CRILLY (HONDA CIVIC) [16]
245 ED MULDOON/MARK BYRNE (HONDA CIVIC) [1]
246 GRAHAM KELLY/DEAN KELLY (CITREON C2R2) [2]
301 JASON MURPHY/MATHEW MURPHY (PEUGEOT 107) [J1000]
302 PETER BEATON/CONOR BOYLAN (PEUGEOT 107) [J1000]
303 AOIFE GAHAN/MICHELLE WALSH (CHEVROLET SPARK) [J1000]
304 AARON WHELAN/DES SHERLOCK (NISSAN MICRA) [J1000]
Days to Go.....
Posted: July 24, 2018 4:19 AM
With only a handful of days to go now, it’s all systems go for what is sure to be an absolute highlight of the Irish Rally calendar, the Two-Day Crafted Fitted Furniture Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally! Roaring into Mallow this weekend, nearly 90 high powered cars of all shapes and sizes will cross the start line faced with two days of some of the finest Gravel stages this country has to offer. Leading the field away will be New York based Barry McKenna, the current Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship leader behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta R5, in a field chock full of big names and top machinery. The ever spectacular 2WD field will be led away by a familiar visitor to some of these stages, David Crossen in his Ford Escort MK2.
The buzz around Mallow will be noticeable from early on Friday as crews begin to arrive. For those travelling, please be aware of the various locations: Trailer parks for the event is being housed both at Mallow RFC just on the edge of town and at the Cork County Council Annabella Complex, with Scrutiny taking place in Ears Motorsport 1.8KM away in the heart of Mallow. For spectators, this is a great opportunity to get up close to the cars as they undergo pre-event safety checks. From there, much of the other necessary steps are conveniently located together, with Documentation scrutiny taking place in the Cork County Council offices alongside Pairc Ferme on the Annabella site, adjacent to which is the Mallow Fire Station where Drivers Briefing will take Place on Saturday morning.
The first cars will leave Mallow at 11.31 destined for a challenging loop of 6 stages to the East of Mallow, with service after every two stages in the Mitchelstown Business Park, giving crews much needed time to catch their breath. Overnight Pairc Ferme will see the cars return once more to the Cork County Council complex in Annabella, Mallow. Sunday’s 6 stages, again in a similar format, are much closer to the town, and service will take place within the Dairygold complex in Mallow.
Speaking today, Event COC Paul Casey is delighted with the strength of the entry received, with no less than seven cutting edge R5 cars, and nearly as many WRC cars as well, all fighting to take the rally victory. Paul believes that it’s a testament to the huge effort of all his team within Cork Motor Club that some really exciting drivers have been tempted to travel and experience the jewel of the Irish loose surface season. While the seeded entry list is now published, any late entries are always welcome, and all the details can be found online.
An event programme will be available locally from Wednesday, jam packed full of content including the stage maps for the two days. The Outlets where you’ll find these for sale will be announced, as with all the latest info and updates on the event, on the Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally page on Facebook as well as at www.corkmotorclub.ie
Entries Received - 20 Jul 18
Posted: July 23, 2018 7:26 AM
PAUL FITZGERALD/PIERCE DOHENY (FORD ESCORT MK2) [11R]
NIALL DEVINE/KIERAN MCGRATH (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO) [4]
LUKASZ CZAPNIK/PITOR SZADKOWSKI (SUBARU IMPREZA) [20]
JOHN GORDON/THOMAS WEDLOCK (FORD ESCORT MK2) [13]
DEAN HUMPHREY/NIGEL BRENNAN (VAUXHALL CORSA) [9]
KARL FALLIS/BEN FALLIS (FORD FIESTA R2) [16]
ALAN CARMICHAEL/IVOR HAMMOND (MINI WRC) [15]
RUARI MCCAFFREY/LAUREN KELLY (FORD ESCORT MK2) [12]
STEPHEN MCCANN/KAINE TREANOR (FORD FIESTA R5) [5]
ENDA MCCORMACK/COLIN FITZGERALD (FORD FIESTA R5) [5]
MIKE GARAHY/IARLA MCCARTHY (FORD ESCORT MK2) [10]
DEREK MACKERAL/GARY HAYES (VAUXHALL NOVA) [16]
RUAIRI MAGUIRE/GRACE OBRIEN (VAUXHALL CORSA) [11F]
RAY BENSKIN/NICKY HEGARTY (ESCORT MK2) [12]
ED MULDOON/MARK BYRNE (HONDA CIVIC) [1]
IAN HORGAN/PATRICK BRISLANE (SUZUKI SWIFT) [9]
BARRY MCKENNA/LEON JORDAN (FORD FIESTA R5) [5]
PATSY KEENAN/MARTIN BRADY (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO) [4]
JASON DICKSON/ALISTAIR WYLLIE (FORD FIESTA R2) [16]
STEPHEN DICKSON/TOMMY HAYES (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [4]
ASHLEY DICKSON/GRAHAM HENDERSON (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [20]
IAN DICKSON/DARRAGH MULLEN (FORD FIESTA) [16]
CATHAN MCCOURT/BRIAN HOY (FORD FIESTA R5) [5]
CONOR MCCOURT/CAOLAN MCKENNA (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [4]
PAURIC SHERIDAN/SEAN BRUTON (FORD FIESTA PROTO) [20]
PETER MCCULLAGH/ALAN DOLAN (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [4]
JOHN O'SULLIVAN/PADRAIG O'DONOVAN (FORD FIESTA) [16]
GEMMA KERLEY/ANDY CURRAN (SUBARU IMPREZA) [20]
PIERCE DOHENY/EILISH DUNNE (OPEL CORSA) [10]
MICHEL HOCHE-MONG/STEPHEN JOYCE (HONDA CIVIC) [2]
EOIGHAN RODGERS/PADDY MCCRUDDEN (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [4]
DAVID CROSSEN/AILEEN KELLY (FORD ESCORT MK2) [13]
ADRIAN HETHERINGTON/GARY NOLAN (TOYOTA COROLLA) [15]
NIALL MCCULLAGH/RYAN McCLOSKEY (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [4]
FRASER ULLHOLLAN/GEOFF PATTERSON (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 6) [20]
JORDAN HONE/PAUL HONE (OPEL ADAM R2) [16]
NIALL TURLEY/ANDREW WEDLOCK (SUBARU IMPREZA) [15]
CIARAN MCCULLAGH/DARREN BARRETT (VAUXHALL NOVA) [9]
MARK MURPHY/ANTHONY O'SULLIVAN (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 8) [20]
PAUL MCCANN/DAVID GREANEY (FORD ESCORT RS COSWORTH) [15]
ANDREW PURCELL/MARK WILEY (FORD FIESTA R5) [5]
JAMES WILSON/GAVIN DOHERTY (PEUGEOT 208) [16]
DAVID CONDELL/PAUL KELLY (FORD ESCORT MK2) [14]
JENNA MCCANN/TOMMY CUDDIHY (FORD FIESTA R2) [16]
JAMES DUNPHY/SHANE GAZELY (TOYOTA COROLLA) [11R]
PETER BEATON/CONNOR BOYLAN (PEUGEOT 107) [Junior 1000]
SHANE MCGIRR/LIAM MCINTRYRE (TOYOTA STARLET) [13]
SEAMUS GOODFELLOW/CHRISTOPHER MCLAUGHLIN (SUBARU IMPREZA) [20]
VIVIAN HAMILL/ANDREW GRENNAN (FORD FIESTA R5) [5]
JASON MURPHY/MATHEW MURPHY (PEUGEOT 107) [Junior 1000]
THOMAS O'CONNELL/BARNEY MITCHELL (FORD ESCORT MK2) [14]
MARTY GALLAGHER/DEAN O'SULLIVAN (PEUGEOT 208) [16]
PAUL MCMAHON/PADRAIG DEASEY (HONDA CIVIC) [11F]
JOSH MOFFETT/STEPHEN THORNTON (FORD FIESTA) [20]
JAMES LUCEY/MUIRIS SCANNELL (MAZDA RX8) [13]
RAY BENSKIN/PEADAR WALSH (FORD ESCORT MK2) [12]
KIERAN LYNCH/ADAM POWER (HONDA CIVIC) [11F]
BRIAN LITTLE/PAUL SEXTON (FORD ESCORT MK2) [12]
AOIFE GAHAN/MICHEEL WALSH (CHEVROLET SPARK) [Junior 1000]
ADRIAN BEATTIE/DECLAN RYAN (HONDA CIVIC) [11F]
JOE HEGARTY/DAVID TURINGTON (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 6) [20]
TOM MURPHY/LIAN DENNEHY (FORD ESCORT MK2) [10]
STEWART MCCLEAN/JONNY HOLDSWORTH (VAUXHALL NOVA) [11F]
DONAL SWEENEY/STEPHEN O'HANLON (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 6) [20]
GERARD LUCEY/JJ CREMIN (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 8) [20]
AARON WHELAN/DES SHERLOCK (NISSAN MICRA) [Junior 1000]
PATRICIA DENNING/JOE DOWNEY (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [20]
DANNY CREEDON/DERRY HEALY (SUBARU IMPREZA) [15]
COLIN NELLIGAN/TIMMY O'SULLIVAN (SUZUKI SWIFT) [9]
MIKEY WALSH/BRIAN ROWAN (FORD ESCORT MK2) [12]
STEPHEN MCKENNA/MARK DONNELLY (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 6) [20]
PJ O'CONOR/ANDREW NESTOR (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [20]
PAUL O'CONNELL/BRIAN QUINLAN (HONDA CIVIC) [11F]
SEANW BENSKIN/JOE FITZGIBBON (FORD ESCORT MK2) [12]
JONATHAN MCALEER/MACK MCALEER (VAUXHALL CORSA) [?9]
RUAIRI MACARTAIN/DAVID CRILLY (HONDA CIVIC) [16]
JOE STANLEY/PAUL DOWLING (PROTO VW POLO) [20]
GARY DONOGHUE/ANDREW BROWNE (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO 9) [20]
IAN CHADWICK/DEREK O'BRIEN (SKODA FABIA) []
MICKEY CONLON/CIARAN MCPHILLIPS (FORD ESCORT MK2) [14]
ED COLTON/TBA (MITSUBISHI LANCER EVO) [20]
CAL MCCARTHY/GAVIN SHEEHAN (CITREON C2R2) [2]
PHILIP ALLEN/MARK KANE (HYUNDAI i20 R5) [5]
DAMIEN MCGUARAN/DARREN CURRAN (BMW 320) [13]
DAVY FORDE/TJ O'BRIEN (SUBARU IMPREZA) [20]
JOHN REID/ENDA SHEILDS (TOYOTA COROLLA WRC) [TBA]
Rally Launch - (Thu) 12 Jul 18
Posted: July 10, 2018 4:30 AM
The official launch of the 2018 Crafted Fitted Furniture Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally will take place this Thursday, July 12th, at 7.30pm with a photo shoot involving a number of rally cars and drivers in the grounds of Mallow Castle, followed by a formal press launch with refreshments in the Rally HQ, the Hibernian Hotel Mallow.
After a break of over three months the Valvoline Motorsport Ireland National Forest Rally Championship roars back into life with the two day CFF Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally in just over three weeks. Clerk of the Course Paul Casey has devised a two day event that will count as a double round of the championship (Rounds 4 & 5) with points being awarded for each day. The event will consist of six stages on each day, with the first day’s action to the east of Mallow and the second day to the west of Mallow. Five of the stages are classics of the Cork Forest Rally, while one, a 13km test never used by Cork Motor Club before, but well known in Forestry Rallying will be used on the first day.
Speaking of the event which takes place on 28th & 29th July, Paul Casey said “the club have invested a lot of money into getting the grading of the roads right and we want the stages to be in the same condition for the last competitor as the first car on the road. Entries are coming in very strongly at present, with 25% of the entries to date coming from competitors who are either not championship registered or who have not competed on the event before”. Paul advises registered competitors to get their entries in as soon as possible to avoid any potential disappointment such is the interest to date.
The championship is currently being led by Barry McKenna in his Ford Fiesta R5 who took top points on the last round, the Moonraker Forest Rally. He has shown good turn of speed to concern his rivals Josh Moffett & Andrew Purcell in similar cars who are currently in fourth and fifth overall. Both of these drivers have hit problems over the opening three rounds with Moffett losing a wheel on the opening event while Purcell retiring due to mechanical issues on the Moonraker. Stephen McCann who is a relative forestry novice by comparison is second overall in the championship and is making the change from a Fiesta S2000 to a more potent R5 for the second half of the season. Gerard Lucey in third place is Mr. Consistency in forest terms having led the championship for much of last season before coming third overall. The Cork Forest stages will be in home territory for him and will be an opportunity to keep up the title challenge. Rounding off the top six overall is Mickey Conlon who is having an excellent year in his Ford Escort Mk2 and is also leading his class. As always the 2WD category is very competitive with Shane McGirr, John Gordon, Davis Crossen and Adrian Hetherington battling it out, although the latter duo have had very little luck in terms of results so far this season.
The Junior Championship is hard fought with John O’Sullivan currently in the lead and the stages for the Cork Forest Rally will be close to home for him. A series of very quick drivers will be looking to cut the six point gap, and these include Marty Gallagher, Derek Mackarel and James Wilson all of whom have dropped points on one round to date. The pace in this category has been incredible throughout the year with Marty Gallagher, Derek Mackarel and James Wilson all coming close to top ten finishes at different times throughout the season. With the double round in Cork followed by the Lakeland and Bushwacker events in Northern Ireland there is still a lot of driving to be done before this category will be decided.
The M. O’Brien Plant Hire Junior 1000 Championship is being led by Jason Murphy who has won all rounds to date, and looks well on his way to successfully defending the title he won last season. However his rivals are closing the gap somewhat with Peter Beaton from Scotland showing flashes of speed but needing to do it more consistently. Aoife Gahan, like Beaton lost ground on the opening round with a non-finish, but has built up more confidence and speed with each passing round. Rory Byrne didn’t compete on the opening round, so was easing himself in on the second round, but the last round he really put it up to Murphy finishing only 11.6 seconds behind the Mayo driver. With the J1000 championship finishing in Cork the double round means that all four drivers still have a chance of taking the title. However Murphy’s fourteen point advantage should be enough to see him take the title by just getting a finish on the opening day of the Cork event.
Regs now available for Cork Forest Spectacular
Posted: June 20, 2018 4:29 PM
Following the recent announcement of the return of the popular Two-Day Format, the organisers of the Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally are delighted to announce further details for what is certain to once again be Ireland’s premier Gravel rally. The hugely popular event roars in Mallow, Co. Cork on July 28th & 29th, with everything from Scrutiny, Pairc Ferme and Rally HQ, the Hibernian Hotel, within a 2km radius.
First and foremost, on behalf of the organisers we are delighted to continue our fantastic partnership with CFF Group who remain Title Sponsors for a Fourth year. Paul and Diane O’Connor have grown a once local North Cork firm into one of the largest Bespoke Furniture providers in the country, and their premier position within their sector is a perfect match for the event quality to be expected on the Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally.
The team from Cork Motor Club have been working hard over the past few weeks to ensure that the stages are in pristine condition, with re-grading completed now on all the route ensuring that conditions are perfect for every crew, from our young J1000 competitors through to front running WRC Cars. The Stage Preparation efforts are a huge investment from Cork Motor Club to ensure that the Jim Walsh Cork Forestry will be Irelands showpiece gravel event yet again!
The stages themselves are split into a 3x2x2 format over both days, with centralised service after each pair of tests. The Twelve stages are a mixture of old and new forest classics, complete with a real blend of traditional, technical but flowing forest roads through to wide open, full on, Wind Farm roads. These stages have each been specially selected by a core of experienced competitors that CMC are delighted to have as a part of the organising team.
The entry fee for what is sure to be a spectacular event has been set at €875 (including all levies) in yet another competitor friendly move from the organisers, with many single day events costing more than six-hundred euro. Scrutiny will take place on Friday evening, but is also available Saturday morning by arrangement with the COC. The first car will leave Pairc Ferme at 11.30am on Saturday, with a 09.00 start on Sunday. Both days will count as scoring rounds of the 2018 Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship.
Speaking to event COC Paul Casey, he has been strong to encourage competitors to get their entry in as soon as possible. “My phone has been buzzing since we made the announcement of the return to the Two-Day Format for the Jim Walsh. I have been receiving a lot of calls from both New and Old Competitors, all very excited to be a part of this great event. I encourage anyone wishing to compete to get an entry in before the closing date as interest is understandably huge and we are expecting a large demand to get on the entry list.”
The Event Regs and Entry Form are now available on www.corkmotorclub.ie, and make sure to keep up to date with all the latest event info on the Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally page on Facebook.
Cork Motor Club's Jim Walsh Forest Rally returns to a two day format for 2018
Posted: May 17, 2018 4:03 PM
It's all systems go as the countdown begins to the Jim Walsh Cork Forestry rally, the country’s premier Gravel rally which roars into to Mallow, Co. Cork on July 28th and 29th. After a break of eleven years, the event returns to its two-day format of old, with both days counting as separate rounds of the 2018 Valvoline Forest Rally Championship.
Cork Motor Club are delighted to announce a number of exciting new details of the 2018 event, as besides the return It's of the two-day format, an all-new Rally HQ will be based in the Hibernian Hotel in the heart of Mallow. The event is expected to be a massive boost to both the town and the region, with a large economic benefit brought by competitors and spectators alike. It is highly recommended to get your accommodation booked quickly as many local hotels are reporting that reservation numbers are growing daily. A Rally Special is available, while stocks last, in the Rally HQ, so please make sure to contact the Hibernian Hotel and mention the Jim Walsh Forest Rally!
The action kicks off late Saturday morning in one of a raft of competitor friendly measures taken by the organisers. Both days consist of six Forest stages chosen by the incredibly experienced team in CMC to provide an exciting challenge to the crews. Competitive distance over the two days is approximately 120km, all within short distance of the centralised Service for both legs. Scrutiny will be available to crews on Saturday morning in a further effort to minimise the cost and time commitment for competitors.
The stages themselves are a real treat, featuring a mix of both tests used in recent years as well as the return of several classics that have not been used in the Jim Walsh Forrest Rally for quite a while. The route has been carefully chosen to provide the best rallying challenge, and the club are delighted to announce that the stages are in superb condition and all set to welcome the competing crews come the end of July.
Speaking today, event COC and Cork Motor Club Chairman Paul Casey was excited with the prospect of two-day Forest Rallying returning, as some of the greatest events he had competed on were ‘The 2-Days’ in the mid 00’s. Paul has a strong team behind him that have already been working hard to get the groundwork done for the event, and preparations truly begin in earnest today to provide competitors with truly the best event possible. The emphasis on making the event more competitor friendly was of vital importance to the organisers, with initiatives like the Saturday Scrutiny, Late Start, Centralised Service and Low Road Mileage all at the forefront of the planning stage of the Event. As the cost of Rallying continues to increase, it’s hoped that measures like these will help encourage competitors to come out for a blast in the Woods.
As a double counting round of the Valvoline Forest Rally Championship, the Jim Walsh is a fantastic opportunity for crews to pick up large amounts of Championship Points. The support of Forestry Chairman Ray Fitzpatrick was invaluable in the return of the two-day format this year. The Forestry Championship is one of the most popular Motorsport series in the country with dedicated TV coverage & a large and successful Social Media presence which is incredibly attractive for competitors and sponsors alike. The addition of a Two-Day Jim Walsh Forest Rally is great boost to the profile of the Championship.
Regulations and Entry Forms will be available shortly
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