West Cork Rally - 15-17 Mar 24

Irish Tarmac's best prepare for three-day West Cork Rally

Posted: March 12, 2024 6:04 AM

Samdec Security International ITRC
The 2024 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship heads south to Clonakilty for West Cork Rally’s Saint Patrick’s weekend classic.
The hugely popular event will take place over three days for the first time with crews taking on extra stages on Friday including a loop in darkness.
Two-time West Cork Rally victors Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes line up first on the road as they look to win their third Clonakilty crown in as many years.
Moffett scored a positive podium finish on ITRC’s Galway International Rally opener as he made a solid start to his season on his Citroen C3 Rally2 debut.
The Monaghan-based driver had hoped to get more accustomed to his Citroen on the Mayo Stages Rally but an impact with a round bale on stage one spoiled those plans. With a vast array of rivals heading to West Cork, if Moffett can grab his hat-trick of West Cork wins this weekend, it would be one of his greatest achievements to date.
Galway International Rally winners and championship leaders Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin are seeded third for the West Cork Rally.
Cronin showed his everlasting class in Galway's slippery stages and will be many people's favourite as the seven-round series heads to his home county.
The Ford Fiesta Rally2 crew’s dominant 38.1-second victory on a tough championship opener has thrown the cat amongst the pigeons in the early fight for Irish Tarmac honours. Reigning Irish Tarmac Champions Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan quietly went about their business on round one to secure their best result in Galway. Devine’s runner-up finish was a solid start to his title defence, however, he will be hoping to go one better in West Cork aboard his Volkswagen Polo R5.
Seeded fourth for West Cork, Matt Edwards had a Saturday morning to forget in Galway as he crashed out in his Fiesta. The Welshman returned to action on Sunday with stage times that showed his capability of claiming Irish Tarmac wins in 2024. Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy’s Junior World Rally Champions, William Creighton and Liam Regan are no strangers to West Cork and complete an incredibly talented top five in their WRC2 Ford Fiesta Rally2.
The top twenty is flooded with big Rally2 names including 2014 Irish Tarmac Champion Declan Boyle, regular frontrunner Jonny Greer, and Cork contenders David Guest, Cal McCarthy, and Owen Murphy.

Rally4
Ryan MacHugh and Declan Boyle are top Rally4 seeds in West Cork after sealing a last-minute victory in Galway over Keelan Grogan.
Grogan returns to action in West Cork aboard his Peugeot 208 Rally4 which features in the opening round of the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup.
Ioan Lloyd is another of ten 208 pilots and will look forward to showing his pace in Ireland again after an impressive ITRC campaign in 2023.
Cian Caldwell, Kyle McBride, and Casey Jay Coleman are some of the other leading names driving Peugoet's Rally4 offering.
2023 Billy Coleman Award finalist Craig Rahill is seeded just behind MacHugh in a Ford Fiesta Rally4.

McEvoy Motorsport Modified ITRC
James Stafford tops West Cork’s modified field in his rapid Darrian T90. Stafford narrowly missed out on the modified title two years ago and is as quick as they come along the south coast of Ireland.
John Dalton is another Darrian pilot more than capable of claiming two-wheel-drive honours while Kevin Eves will be hoping to bounce back from a disappointing Galway outing in his Toyota Corolla.
Frank and Lauren Kelly made a dream start to their McEvoy Motorsport Modified ITRC campaign. Locked in a weekend-long battle with Conor Murphy and Rodney Wilton, Kelly kept his foot down to slide Baby Blue to a popular modified victory in Galway.
Kelly and Murphy will renew their rivalry on round two while Jonathan Pringle joins the party after his two-wheel-drive victory on the recent Mayo Stages Rally.
There will be Ford Escorts aplenty in Clonakilty driven by top drivers like Gary McPhillips, 2019 champion Damian Toner, and Cork’s Colin Byrne.

Sherwood Engines Historic ITRC
2022 West Cork Historic Rally winners Neil Williams and Anthony O’Sullivan are seeded first in this year’s star-studded historic section. Williams will lead the way in the category whose rally gets underway on Saturday morning.
Winner in Galway, Meirion Evans will follow Williams up the road in his Ford Escort RS1800 as leading historic navigator Declan Casey partners the Welshman for the first time. Ray Breen completes the top three in his pacey Subaru Legacy.
Tomas Davies’ consistency in the top three this season has given him an early 12.5-point lead over round one winner Thomas Clark. Clark’s mechanical failure in Galway cost him dear but once again impressed up to then. The two rivals are seeded fourth and fifth respectively for West Cork.
Wayne Evans, Tommy McDonagh, Duncan Williams, John O’Donnell, and Adrian Evans extend the theme of top-class historic entries.

Paul Browne Plant Hire & Civil Engineering Junior ITRC
12 junior crews are set to take on West Cork’s six Sunday stages. Evan McEvoy and Ciaran O’Sullivan are seeded first and will be hoping for a better run than last year which ended on the second stage.
Kyle Browne, Barry McIntyre, Ronan Lacey, and Dylan Sheehan will provide plenty of competition in the class filled with Honda Civics.
Sheenan holds a five-point advantage over McIntyre after the championship’s opening round.

Seeded Entry List

Posted: March 12, 2024 6:01 AM

1 Josh Moffett/Andy Hayes (Citroen C3 Rally2) [RC2]
2 Callum Devine/Noel O'Sullivan (VW Polo GTi R5) [RC2]
3 Keith Cronin/Mikie Galvin (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [RC2]
4 Matt Edwards/David Moynihan (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [RC2]
5 William Creighton/Liam Regan (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [RC2]
6 Jonathan Greer/Niall Burns (Citroen C3 Rally2) [RC2]
7 Ryan Loughran/Gareth Doherty (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [RC2]
8 David Kelly/Dean O'Sullivan (VW Polo GTi R5) [RC2]
9 James Ford/Neil Shanks (Citroen C3 Rally2) [RC2]
10 Declan Boyle/Patrick Walsh (Citroen C3 Rally2) [RC2]
11 Gary Kiernan/John McCabe (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [RC2]
12 Eddie Doherty/Tom Murphy (Skoda Fabia R5) [RC2]
14 David Guest/Jonathan McGrath (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [RC2]
15 Cal McCarthy/Eric Calnan (Citroen C3 Rally2) [RC2]
16 Owen Murphy/Anthony Nestor (Citroen C3 Rally2) [RC2]
17 Jason McSweeney/Liam Brennan (Skoda Fabia R5) [24]
18 Michael Boyle/Dermot McCafferty (VW Polo GTi R5) [RC2]
19 Joseph McGonigle/Ciaran Geaney (Citroen C3 Rally2) [RC2]
20 James Stafford/Tomas Scallan (Darrian T90 GTR) [14]
21 John Dalton/Gwynfor Jones (Darrian T90 GTR) [14]
22 Kevin Eves/Chris Melly (Toyota Corolla) [14]
23 Conor Murphy/Sean Collins (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
24 Frank Kelly/Lauren Kelly (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
25 Jonathan Pringle/Pierce O'Callaghan (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
26 Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
27 Damian Toner/Kevin Horgan (Ford Escort MK2) [14]
28 Colin Byrne/Stephen Quin (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
29 John Bonner/Johnny Baird (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
30 Jf Shovelin/Terence Furey (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
31 Anthony James/Jonathan Hawkins (Darrian T90 GTR) [14]
32 Kevin Kelleher/Mick Coady (Ford Fiesta R5) [RC2]
33 Keith Lyons/JJ Cremin (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [RC2]
34 Jack McKenna/Emmet Sherry (Ford Fiesta R5) [24]
35 Brendan Cumiskey/Arthur Kierans (Ford Fiesta R5) [RC2]
36 Jer O'Donovan/Alistair Wyllie (Ford Fiesta R5) [RC2]
37 Eugene Meegan/Declan Campbell (BMW 1M) [14]
38 Cian Walsh/Dylan Doonan (Toyota Corolla) [13]
39 Vincent O'Shea/Eoin O'Donoghue (Darrian T90 GTR) [14]
40 Johnny O Sullivan/Tommy Hayes (Ford Fiesta R5) [RC2]
41 Conor McCarthy/Gavin Sheehan (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [24]
/#CB42# ( ) []
43 Daniel Doherty/Michael Doherty (Ford Fiesta R5) [RC2]
44 Tomas O'Rourke/Michael White (Mitsubishi Evo 10) [20]
45 Brian O'Keeffe/Sean Hayde (Mitsubishi Evo X) [RC2]
46 Huw Jeffreys/Avarina Jeffreys (Skoda Fabia R5) [24]
47 Conor Curley/Nigel Frazer (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
48 Sean Moynihan/Padraig O'Donovan (Ford Escort MK2) [12]
49 Mark Dolphin/Karl Egan (Ford Fiesta) [14]
50 Eoghan Calnan/Seán Calnan (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
51 Kevin O'Dongohue/Evan MacBride (BMW E30) [14]
52 Tadhg O Sullivan/Keith Mccarthy (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
53 James Boland/John McCay (Ford Fiesta Rally3) [RC3]
54 Ryan MacHugh/Declan Boyle (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [RC4]
55 Craig Rahill/Conor Smith (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [RC4]
56 Keelan Grogan/Ayrton Sherlock (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [RC4]
57 Ioan Lloyd/Sion Williams (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [RC4]
58 Cian Caldwell/Liam Egan (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [RC4]
59 Kyle Mcbride/Tbc Tbc (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [RC4]
60 Johnnie Mulholland/Calum Maguire (Ford Fiesta Rally3) [RC3]
61 Casey Jay Coleman/Lorcan Moore (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [RC4]
62 Matthew Boyle/Gary Byrne (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [RC4]
63 Damian Campbell/Declan McGarrity (Ford Escort MK2) [13]
64 Corey Eves/Jack Kelly (Toyota Corolla) [13]
65 Jack Shanahan/Mikey Walsh (Toyota Corolla) [13]
66 Diarmuid Keohane/Peter Keohane (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
67 Joseph Kelly/Killian McArdle (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [RC4]
68 Robert Proudlock/Steven Brown (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [RC4]
69 Patrick O'Connor/Shane Gorman (Mitsubishi Evo X) [20]
70 Kalum Graffin/Richard Morton Crozier (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [RC4]
71 Chris Ford/Neil Colman (Citroen C3 Rally2) [RC2]
72 Niall O'Sullivan/Frank Byrnes (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [RC4]
73 Ian Chadwick/Liam Fouhy (Skoda Fabia R5) [RC4]
74 John O'Rourke/William Nolan (Opel Corsa Rally4) [RC4]
75 Michael Fitzgibbon/Carrie Ryan (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [RC4]
76 Mike Jewell/Jason Sugden (Citroen DS3 R5 EVO) [RC2]
77 Michael Cullen/Sean Hassett (VW Polo GTi R5) [RC2]
78 Michael Canny/Sinead Ruddy-Canny (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [22]
79 Conor Shanahan/Kieran O'Dongohue (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [RC4]
80 Brian Bolger/Andrew Cullen (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [24]
81 Tommy Mason/Paul McGlinchey (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
82 James Bradley/David Byrne (Honda Civic) [11F]
83 Aaron Browne/Derry Long (Honda Civic) [11F]
84 Etienne O’Sullivan/John Spillane (Honda Civic) [11F]
85 Tommy Foley/TBA TBA (Honda Civic) [11F]
86 Jack Kelleher/Kenny Bustard (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
87 Tom White/Shane O’Dowd (Honda Civic) [11F]
88 Alasdair Ingram/Bernard McSweeney (Honda Civic) [11F]
89 Eamonn McCarthy/Lisa Mc Carthy (Honda Civic) [11F]
90 Darren Young/Pa Lawlor (Honda Civic) [11F]
91 Jeremiah O'Flynn/Neil Flynn (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
92 Darragh O'Donovan/Sean Marsh (Honda Civic) [11F]
93 Christy McLaughlin/Garth Neill (Honda Civic) [11F]
94 Declan Campbell/Kevin Creighan (Ford Escort MK2) [12]
95 Cathal McCarthy/Ciara Griffin (Honda Civic) [11F]
96 Paul Robins/Jordan Wilkinson (Ford Escort MK2) [13]
97 Neil Spain/Ian Taylor (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
98 Tom Evans/Fiona Crump (Ford Fiesta R5) [24]
99 Fergal Mc Guigan/Michael Moran (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
100 Raymond O'Neill/Jason O'Connor (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
101 John O’ Sullivan/Denny O’Riordan (Toyota Corolla) [11R]
102 Wyn Spot/David Davies (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
103 Aaron Martley/TBA TBA (Toyota Corolla) [14]
104 Thomas Rogers/Stephen Cooke (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
105 Aidan Hennessy/Aoife Fitzpatrick (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [22]
106 Ian Barclay/Sue Plater (Mitsubishi Evo 9) [20]
107 Philip Cross/Tony Hennessy (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
108 Paul Casey/Vincent Goggin (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
109 Patsy McDonagh/Leigh Cavanagh (Ford Escort Mk2) [10]
110 Tim O Donovan/Vinny Bennett (Toyota Corolla) [11R]
111 Ronan Creagh/Peter O'Sullivan (Honda Civic) [11F]
112 Robbie O'Hanlon/Conor O'Connell (Honda Civic) [11F]
113 Shane Casey/Sean Nolan (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [22]
114 Ruairi McGarrity/Martin McGarrity (Citroen DS3 R3T) [22]
115 Fergus Hurley/TBA TBA (Ford Escort MK2) [11R]
116 Mark Donovan/Ian Stanley (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
117 Seamus O Donovan/Daniel O Donovan (Honda Civic) [22]
118 Barry Mahon/Ultan McGowan (Honda Civic) [11F]
119 Gerard O'Connell/John Murray (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
120 Hazel O Callaghan/Ella Ryan (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
121 Brian Hickey/Noel Murphy (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
122 Steve Roberts/Aoife Roberts (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
123 Mickey P Kelleher/William Buttimer (Ford Escort Mk2) [10]
124 Colin Fitzgerald/Jason Ollerenshaw (Ford Escort Mk2) [10]
125 Victor Beamish/Susan Beamish (Vauxhall Nova) [10]
126 Sean O'Carroll/Niall O'Sullivan (Ford Escort RS Cosworth) [20]
127 Brian O'Mahony/Sean Sutton (Ford Escort Mk2) [10]
128 Patrick Calnan/Amy Gallwey (Honda Civic) [22]
129 Ian Horgan/Gary Lombard (Toyota Corolla) [11R]
130 Jerry O'Mahony/Willie Buchanan (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
131 Noel Brady/Richard Davis (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
132 Evan Maher/Tommy Downes (Honda Civic) [11F]
133 David Jennings/David Jennings (Ford Escort Mk2) [10]
134 Derek Flynn/Killian Cronin (Honda Civic) [22]
135 John Bagge/Ron Mackey (Peugeot 206 XS) [22]
136 Noel McCarthy/Joseph O'Sullivan (Ford Escort MK2) [9]
137 Anthony Fehily/Kyle Fehily (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
138 Michael Forde/James Flannagan (Talbot Sunbeam) [11R]
139 Adrian Cannon/Ivan Hernon (Ford Escort G3) [12]
140 Michael (Ray) Stack/Gene Stack (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
141 Barry O’Brien/Declan Buttimer (Honda Civic) [11F]
142 John O'Reilly/Nick Sparks (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
143 Ryan Wood/Eoin Collins (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
144 Jack Green/Sean Connolly (Honda Civic) [11F]
145 Christopher Hoad/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
146 Frank Hurley/Adrian Phelan (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
147 Conor Lappin/Ryan Graham (Ford Escort MK2) [9]
148 Daniel Owen/Ifan Devine (Ford Escort MK2) [13]
149 Adam Doherty/Michael Ward (Nissan Micra Kit Car) [9]
150 Mark Martley/TBA TBA (Talbot Sunbeam) [11R]
151 Andrew James/Alec Morris (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
152 Anthony Whelton/Colm O'Mahoney (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
153 Paudie McCarthy/Sean O'Crowley (Peugeot 206) [11F]
154 Michael O'Regan/Jamie Collins (Honda Civic) [11F]
155 Alan O Riordan/James Jordan (Subaru Impreza) [15]
156 David Duggan/Mark Hurley (Honda Civic) [11F]
157 John Corrigan/Niall Mulcahy (Opel Corsa) [13]
158 Aidan Long/Rory O'Donoghue (Subaru Impreza) [15]
159 Andy Heekin/Darragh Lynch (Subaru Impreza) [15]
160 Patrick O'Mahony/Shauna O'Mahony (Ford Fiesta R2) [22]
161 Anthony O Driscoll/TBA TBA (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [22]
162 Tom Dunne/Nicky Hegarty (Ford Fiesta R2) [22]
163 Cyril Casey/Brian Martyn (Ford Fiesta R2) [22]
164 James Canny/Mairead Duane (Ford Fiesta R2) [RC4]
165 Donagh Crowley/Denis Nagle (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
166 Gavin Walsh/Natasha Murphy (Renault Clio) [22]
167 Anthony Breen/Jill Breen (Subaru Impreza) [20]
168 Gerard Mcgivney/Donal Crossan (Ford Escort MK2) [13]
169 Barry McCarthy/Jonathan Carroll (Suzuki Swift) [9]
170 John Ronan/James O'Donovan (Honda Civic) [22]
171 Ben Bowler/Pat Bowler (Honda Civic) [11F]
172 Kieran Rafter/Jason Buckley (Toyota Starlet) [11F]
173 Donal Dinneen/TBA TBA (Honda Civic) [22]
174 Kenneth Fuller/Christine O'leary (Ford Escort Mk2) [9]
175 Pat Calnan/Ray Shanahan (Ford Ka) [9]
176 Donal O' Donovan/Thomas O'Donovan (Peugeot 106 Rallye) [9]
177 James Symington/Andrew Beamish (Hillman Avenger) [10]
178 Fearghal O’Donoghue/Alan O'Farrell (Honda Civic) [11F]

Reserves (All reserves are in)
R179 Ollie Kierce/Mike Cleary (Ford Escort Mk2) [10]
R180 Sean Hickey/Noel Fleming (Toyota Starlet) [12]
R181 Max Smart/TBA TBA (Suzuki Swift) [11F]
R182 Sam Leech/Tadhg Delaney (Honda Civic) [22]
R183 Dermot Hassett/Emily Hassett (Honda Civic) [22]
R184 Darren Hayes/Nicholas Mulhall (Ford Fiesta R5) [RC2]
R185 Ben McIntyre/Anthony McDonald (Toyota Starlet) [11R]
R186 Eamonn Power/TBA TBA (TBA TBA) [11F]
R187 Kevin Cole/Matthew Kirwan (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]

Historics
H1 Neil Williams/Anthony O’Sullivan (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [18]
H2 Meirion Evans/Declan Casey (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [18]
H3 Raymond Breen/Damien Morrissey (Subaru Legacy RS) [19]
H4 Tomas Davies/Eurig Davies (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [19]
H5 Tom Clark/Iarla Mc Carthy (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [18]
H6 Wayne Evans/John Smithwick (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [18]
H7 Tommy McDonagh/Paul Murphy (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [18]
H8 Duncan Williams/Tommy Commane (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [18]
H9 John O'Donnell/Oisin Joyce (BMW M3) [19]
H10 Adrian Evans/Martin Henry (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [18]
H11 Gareth James/Steffan Evans (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [18]
H12 Gwyndaf Evans/Jordan Jones (BMW M3) [19]
H14 Paul Mc Devitt/Ray Fitzpatrick (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [18]
H15 Martin Rossiter/Ian Davis (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [18]
H16 Phil Rogers/Sion Jones (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [18]
H17 Peadar Walsh/Grace Walsh (Ford Escort Mk1 RS1600) [18]
H18 Craig MacWilliam/Guy MacWilliam (Ford Escort Mk1 RS1600) [18]
H19 Ronan Campbell/Denny Greaney (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [19]
H20 Declan Jackson/J Barry McCarney (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [18]
H21 Walter Dick/Meabh Griffin (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [19]
H22 Gregory Crozier/Natasha Farnum (Ford Escort Mk1 RS1600) [18]
H23 Alan Watkins/Eoghan McCarthy (Ford Escort MK2 RS1800) [18]
H24 Ian Davies/Mark Crisp (BMW M3) [19]
H25 Aidan Jackson/Maurice Malone (Vauxhall Nova) [17]
H26 Johnni McDaid/Tony McGovern (Talbot Samba Gp B) [17]

Juniors
J1 Evan McEvoy/Ciaran O'Sullivan (Honda Civic) [16]
J2 Kyle Browne/Mark O’Leary (Honda Civic) [16]
J3 Barry Mc Intyre/Brian Keohane (Honda Civic) [16]
J4 Ronan Lacey/John Michael Kennelly (Honda Civic) [16]
J5 Dylan Sheehan/Aaron O'Connor (Honda Civic) [16]
J6 Graham Roche/Trevor Roche (Honda Civic) [16]
J7 Keith O'Connor/Nial Myres (Honda Civic) [16]
J8 Cian Hynes/Cathal Fallon (Honda Civic) [16]
J9 Jack Hallahan/David Rea (Honda Civic) [16]
J10 Catherine Walsh/Angiee Michniewicz (Honda Civic) [16]
J11 James O'Riordan/Josh Radford (Honda Civic) [16]
J12 Daniel O'Connor/Michael O'Shea (Honda Civic) [16]

Sportity

Posted: March 12, 2024 5:54 AM

2024 Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally Press Release 3

Posted: March 12, 2024 5:37 AM

In little under ten days, the 44th Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally gets underway with the novelty of Friday evening stages for the first time. For the first time, the event will run as a three-day rally with four stages scheduled for the Friday afternoon. A large entry has been received, and Motorsport Ireland has increased the allowed starters in the main field to a potential 176. Top seeds Josh Moffett & Andy Hayes are looking to make it three in a row, although having made the switch to a Citroen C3 this season it may take a little time to get the car suitably set up. Callum Devine & Noel O’Sullivan, the current tarmac champions, follows them back out in their trusty VW Polo Gti R5. Third seeds Keith Cronin & Mikie Galvin are Fiesta mounted once again following their Galway win and will be looking to go one better than the runner-up spot achieved in 2016. Matt Edwards & David Moynihan at four in another Fiesta should be well on the pace, with Edwards finishing fourth on the event back in 2019.

Number five seeds William Creighton & Liam Regan are dark horses for the event in their Fiesta, with the 2023 JWRC champions making the jump into faster machinery after a couple of years in a Rally 3 car. Creighton has more familiarity than most with the West Cork stages and if he is on form will give the more experienced crews ahead of him a run for their money. Sixth seeds Jonny Greer & Niall Burns will be Citroen mounted as usual, with Jonny another regular visitor to Clonakilty. Ryan Loughran & Gareth Doherty follow at seven and making their first ever appearance on the event in a Fiesta. David Kelly & Dean O’Sullivan are at eight in a VW Polo after a steady Galway run, while UK visitors James Ford & Neil Shanks in a Citroen C3 are getting quicker with every outing, and they are seeded at nine. Declan Boyle & Patrick Walsh in a Citroen C3 rounds off the top ten with the Donegal driver hoping for better luck than last year. Outside of the top ten there is more quality as Gary Kiernan, Eddie Doherty, David Guest, Cal McCarthy, Jason McSweeney, Owen Murphy, Michael Boyle & Joe McGonigle are all capable of top results.

The national entry should see a titanic battle between the Darrian’s of John Dalton and James Stafford while Kevin Eves can never be discounted in his rapid Toyota Corolla. Escorts are also to the fore in the modifieds as expected with Conor Murphy, Frank Kelly, Gary McPhillips, Damien Toner, and Jonathan Pringle among the drivers expected to feature at the sharp end. Further down the field the Rally 4 class is likely to be hotly contested as always. The Historic field has twenty-five entrants led by Welsh driver Neil Williams in an Escort, co-driven by local man Anthony O’Sullivan. The Historic Rally will start on Saturday morning, and the twelve junior competitors will compete on the six Sunday stages.

The impressive and diverse entry comes from Ireland, the UK, the US, Barbados, Australia, Singapore, and South Africa. The action gets underway on Friday 15th with two stages, Ballinascarthy & Rossmore being tackled twice, the second run over each of these stages will be in darkness. There will not be a ceremonial start this year but following the first days action (after stage 4), there will be a fan zone in Clonakilty town. Killian Duffy & Andy Walsh from onthepacenote.net will be providing coverage over the weekend. Saturday action takes in eight stages, Clogagh & Castletown attempted twice in the morning, with Ring & Dunworley attempted twice in the afternoon. Sunday’s six stages are Ardfield, Glandore and Sam’s Cross all to be tackled twice. Scrutiny will take place in Clonakilty Car Centre and Parc Ferme for the event will be at Clonakilty Showgrounds close to the Rally Headquarters, the Clonakilty Park Hotel. The Service Park returns to the West Cork Business & Technology Park on the outskirts of Clonakilty for the first time since 2006.

Rally Launch - Sun 25 Feb @ 3pm

Posted: February 23, 2024 7:54 AM

Official Launch of the 2024 Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally. Sunday Feb 25th at 3pm.
Taking place at the Clonakilty Park Hotel, this family friendly day is set to be an exciting opportunity to get up close with rally stars and their cars, as well as get all the latest news on the 2024 West Cork Rally.

On Line Entry Open

Posted: February 13, 2024 3:24 AM

Cork Motor Club
West Cork Rally

2024 Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally Press Release 1 - Three Day Format

Posted: January 4, 2024 5:43 AM

Cork Motor Club are delighted to announce some exciting ideas for the 2024 Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally due to take place on St. Patrick’s weekend next. The 44th running of this iconic event is looking to expand to a three-day format for the first time with eighteen special stages to be tackled over the weekend of 15th – 17th March on some of the best rally roads in the country. The club plans to run four stages in a 2x2 format on the Friday afternoon, with the second pair of stages running in darkness. There will be eight stages on the Saturday and six stages on the Sunday run in the same format as previous years. The route itself will see a return to some roads not used in a while but the rally will still retain its compact layout. Steve Davis will again be Clerk of the Course for the 2024 rally and the event headquarters will be the Clonakilty Park Hotel who are also title sponsors for the event, a partnership that stretches over two decades. The rally will be the second round of the 2024 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship (3rd Round for Historics) and the opening round of the Southern 4 Rally Championship.

Clerk of the Course Steve Davis said,
“The 2024 running of the West Cork Rally is set to be an incredibly exciting event as for the first time in its history the rally will form part of a three day festival of motorsport based in Clonakilty. Since its inception the local West Cork Rally Committee has played a pivotal role in its development and while their initial focus was based on providing financial support, their new role now intertwines so many other strands. As rally organizers, we are delighted to have their full support, and indeed their endorsement continues that synergy.” He added, “While the West Cork Rally is highly regarded, not just on the island of Ireland, but also overseas, this new development will ensure continued collaboration. The decision (to make it a three-day event) has been endorsed both by the directors and members of the Cork Motor Club and has also received the overwhelming support of the competitors. The four stages on the Friday, that include two stages in darkness, will be close to Clonakilty.”

Chairperson of the Clonakilty West Cork Rally Committee Ed Twomey remarked
“Following discussions with Cork Motor Club and as a committee, we are very excited to take on the challenge of a three day Clonakilty Park West Cork Rally. We have a long history here in West Cork of being innovative and we are not afraid to try something new. Ever since the rally began, we have enjoyed the unstinting support of the local businesses and residents of Clonakilty and the wider West Cork area”. He concluded, “Traditionally, the West Cork Rally kick starts our tourist season, and we are famous for our warm welcome to competitors, crews, and spectators from all over Ireland and overseas. We look forward to meeting old friends and new on St. Patrick’s weekend in 2024 where the journey will now start a day earlier”.

Event / Club Website

Posted: January 4, 2024 5:40 AM

West Cork Rally
Cork Motor Club