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Cork 20 International Rally - 29 Sep - 1 Oct 06

Posted: October 8, 2006 8:57 PM - 60400 Hits

Round 8 - 2006 Tarmac Rally Championship
Round 5 - 2006 Southern 4 Rally Championship

  • THE 023 TILES SOUTHERN 4 RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP REPORT
  • Murphy's Law Finally Revoked
  • Even More Photos!
  • Higgins/Kennedy win Cork 20
  • Marko Martin/David Senior finish 2nd to make it a McKinstry Motorsport 1-2
  • Dayone leaders Guy Wilkes/Phil Pugh hit a chanice and were forced to retire on the first stage Sunday Morning - Photo
  • 2nd outing Successful for John Hickey In Murphy Plant Hire 4x4 Mk 2
  • Links to Hundreds of Photos
  • Video Clips

Photo: www.roydempster.com

Posted: October 8, 2006 8:57 PM


Marko Martin/David Senior finished 2nd to make it a McKinstry Motorsport 1-2
Photo: Eoin O'Sullivan www.photosport1.com


Eugene Donnelly & Paul Kiely finished best of the Irish Crews in 3rd overall
Photo: Eoin O'Sullivan www.photosport1.com


GpN Winners - James Foley/Lisa Roe


National Winners: Phil Collins/Derek Brannigan (Ford Escort MkII)


Overnight leaders Guy Wilkes/Phil Pugh hit a chicane. and were forced to retire on the first stage Sunday Morning.
Photo: Martin Lane
THE 023 TILES SOUTHERN 4 RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP REPORT
The Murphy Construction Cork 20 International Rally hosted round five of the 023 Tiles Southern 4 Rally Championship and after the bone dry tarmac of the Ravens Rock it was back to rain,rain and more rain for the Cork 20.

There were just eight points between the top four going into this round with the battle for the overall lead very much between the Subaru’s of Denis Cronin/Helen O Sullivan and Melvyn Evans/Sean Mullaly.

Sadly disaster struck for Cronin on Stage one when he punctured and dropped over three minutes to Welshman Evans. This seemed to unsettle Cronin and he gave best to Evans on stages two and three by a further 31 seconds.

Cronins’ never say die attitude saw him bounce back though and he was faster than Evans on all but the last of the remaining Saturday Stages.

They shared the spoils on Sunday with each of them taking two fastest times and sharing times on the days other two stages due to a blockage on one stage and timing problems on another.

However,in spite of the battle for stage times with Evans, the time lost on the stage one puncture meant Cronin finished 16th overall with Evans finishing seventh overall and first of the Southern 4 competitors home.

Melvyns 20 point score on the Cork 20 should be enough to secure the championship for him by the tightest margin when dropped scores are taken into account.

The 18 points for 2rd went to P.J.McGrath in his Subaru Impreza with 16 going to Dunmanways Liam McCarthy(Corolla WRC).

An excellent drive by young Keith Cronin(Evo 7) saw him finish second in group N in the International rally in spite of the fact that it was his first time on tarmac in 4 wheel drive.This result gave him 14 points in the Southern 4,with Colm Murphy(Impreza) picking up 13,Kevin Kelleher (Evo 9) 12,Denis Cronin 11 and Kevin O Donoughue scoring 10.

Murphy's Law Finally Revoked
Murphy’s law was finally revoked in Cork at the weekend – the old adage was well and truly blown into the rebel county ditches as Colm Murphy and Ger Loughrey of the MRallying team swept to their first Pirelli Irish Tarmac Championship crown.

The result was not without dramas– in rallying, it rarely is! Heading into the final event needing a result to guarantee putting the championship beyond the reach of Roy White, the Pirelli sponsored pairing set out their stall on the early Saturday morning tests. Heading into the lunch time service halt, Murphy and Loughrey in the Shell backed Impreza held a 13 second lead over their championship rival White, but trailed James Foley for overall class honours.

With two of the crew’s favourite tests, Fuhiry and Lough Allua, to be completed in the afternoon however, they did their best to address the deficit and address it they did! Outpacing all class rivals on all bar one of the afternoon tests, the Trackcare Engineering liveried Subaru headed back for the Rochestown Park with a slender class lead over James Foley with White still in the hunt in third.

Sunday morning dawned brighter and drier than the Saturday but the first stage of the day was to be cancelled following overnight leader Wilk’s coming together with a bale and the ensuing fire. The second running of the stage was also to be lost to cancellation following Andrew Nesbitt’s heavy accident.

Aside from the dramas in the battle for first, Sunday morning brought those all too familiar worries in the Thermia sponsored Impreza. A broken half shaft on the second stage of the morning loop meant the pairing started falling back the order causing immediate concern. Tools and spare parts ready in service, the McKinstry mechanics could only wait and see if the ailing Impreza made it back to Mallow.

But survive it did, nursed through the subsequent test with a mix of mechanical sympathy and determination that had characterised the crews year. With a car to operate on, the damaged parts were repaired easily within time by the McKinstry mechanics. The centre diff now took its turn to start playing up and on the final three tests and to add to the drama, sitting on the start line of the final stage, Colm and Ger could only watch in bemusement as smoke started to emanate from the bonnet vent! If destiny was to reward them with a championship crown, they weren’t going to get it easy!

But, as is now history, destiny did stick with them and rewarded the Mann Construction backed Limerick pairing with a 14th overall finish, but, more importantly, their first Irish Tarmac Championship Group N title.

Colm and Ger would like to sincerely thank all their sponsors without whose support, this year just would not have happened - Shell, Pirelli, Thermia Heat Link, Track Care Engineering, Transplant Trailer Sales, Mann Construction, Speedline Corse, Remax, The Gables Bar Athea, The Connemara Gateway Hotel, Murray Motor Sport, Eddie Garry Car Sales, Advance Surveys, Sign Lynx, Vanity Case Beauticians, Mann Construction LTD, Hella Ireland and McKinstry Motorsport.

2nd outing Successful for John Hickey In Murphy Plant Hire 4x4 Mk 2
It was a rally to remember for John Hickey and crew when he crossed the finish ramp outside the Rotchestown park hotel to finish 3rd overall in the modified section of the Murphy Construction Cork 20 International Rally.
There was huge amount of joy for John and his Girl Friend Carmel and their Young daughter Michelle, also the crew and Main sponsor Brendan Murphy of Murphy Plant Hire when the car was at the finish ramp along with the top ten of the International rally, With a lot of people taking interest in the car all weekend including Austin McHale, Melvin Evans, and Steve Perez.

Steve Perez Commented that the he has never seen anything like this before and was amazed by seeing the Subaru running gear under the bonnet, The car was amazing, the work, weight, design, preparation and has the potential for winning a rally.
When interviewed by Duggie Hughes and RPM, John Commented that it was a great feeling to be hear and thanked every one involved in helping develop, sponsored, finalised, family and crew for their commitment and faith and hard work in himself for and the car for what has become so far.

The Pirelli Tyres worked well in the wet and shiny conditions to John liking .



The Cork 20 proved to be a bit of hard work for John finishing while carrying mechanical problems along the way.

Starting by the drive shaft breaking on the first loop of stages and the loss of 3rd gear during stage 3 to the end of the rally, the clutch slipping on the final 3 stages, and a small overshoot. But these problems couldn’t stop John and his co-driver Alistair Wyllie putting on a great performance and to cope with the problems all the way to finish with a great result. But John and Alistair had to work as well for 3rd spot when they were having a great Battle for the final podium place with brothers Ger a Stephen O’Donovan in their Escort Cosworth to take the podium by 5.5 seconds.

Also another high light was a great stage time being fastest modified and beating a few top group N cars with a time of 9minutes and 7.8 seconds on Mullaghanish 2nd run beating Phil Collins by 18 seconds.

The next rally for the car will be the Fastnet Rally and more development to the car is being processed at this moment in what John has learned from the weekend.

RESULTS

International
1 Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 01m 00s,
2 Markko Martin/David Senior (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 02m 17s,
3 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC) 2h 02m 31s,
4 Gareth Jones/David Moynihan (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 03m 57s,
5 Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene (Ford Focus WRC) 2h 06m 13s,
6 Austin MacHale/Brian Murphy (Ford Focus WRC) 2h 06m 24s,
7 Melvyn Evans/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 06m 56s,
8 P J McGrath/Killian Duffy (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 08m 08s,
9 James Foley/Lisa Roe (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) GpN 2h 08m 24s,
10 Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy (Toyota Corolla WRC) 2h 09m 09s.

Group N:
1 James Foley/Lisa Roe,
2 Keith Cronin/Anthony O’Connell (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7) 2h 09m 36s,
3 Roy White/Stephen McAuley (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 2h 10m 12s.

Class winners:
Tommy Doyle/Jonathan Cunningham (Honda Civic),
Eugene Meegan/Kenneth Sheil (Honda Civic),
Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey (Subaru Impreza),
Andrew Fanning/John Ward (Ford Puma),
Brian O’Mahony/John Higgins (Ford Puma),
Padraig Neville/Amy Ryan (Honda Civic),
Gareth Jones/David Moynihan.
 
NATIONAL EVENT:
1 Phil Collins/Derek Brannigan (Ford Escort) 2h 12m 28s,
2 Paul Purtill/David Lyons (Ford Escort) 2h 15m 17s,
3 John Hickey/Alistair Wyllie (Escort-Subaru 4wd) 2h 18m 11s.
 
HISTORIC/POST-HISTORIC EVENT:
1 Denis Moynihan/Dan Moynihan (Ford Escort) 1h 38m 22s,
2 Martin Ward/Linda Conroy (Opel Manta) 1h 39m 47s,
3 Adrian Kermode/Maurice Beckett (Porsche 911) 1h 39m 51s.
 
JUNIOR RALLY:
1 Patrick Cunningham/Shane O’Brien (Civic) 1h 00m 01s,
2 Paul Fitzgerald/Ger Fahy (Escort) 1h 01m 47s,
3 Stephen McGrath/Kevin Joyce (Corsa) 1h 02m 18s.

Leaders After:
SS1-8 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS9-14 Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza WRC)

Stage Winners:
SS1 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS2 Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS3 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS4 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS5 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS6 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS7 Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS8 Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS9 Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS10 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS11 Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS12 Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS13 Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS14 Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza WRC)
PRE EVENT NEWS
  • Mikkelsen, Martin & Higgins Shakedown their cars - Photos
  • Murphy/Barrett Out, Aaron MacHale to use Corolla
  • John Hickey to have 2nd outing with Subaru Escort 4x4
  • Southern 4 - On a knife-edge after round 4
  • Gareth Jones - Cork 20 Preview
  • Cork 20 Rally Forum - (Wed) 27 Sep 06
  • Entry Lists on Line - 22 World Rally Cars at the Head of the Field
    INTERNATIONAL/NATIONAL
    Historics
    Junior
    Reserves
  • WORLD RALLY SENSATION MARKKO MARTIN TO COMPETE IN CORK
  • Event Details
  • Launch Night - (Fri) 25 Aug 06
  • Regulations available

Photo: Martin Brady
27/09/06

Andreas Mikkelsen's Ford Focus
Photo: Martin Brady


Marko Martin/David Senior will use the Blue car (S400 WRT)
Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy will use the White S9 (S30 WRT)
Photo: Martin Brady


Marko Martin
Photo: Martin Brady


Mark Higgins receiving Instructions from Kenny McKinstry
Photo: Martin Brady


Stephen Murphy & Kevin Barrett have been forced to withdrawn. Aaron MacHale will be using the family Toyota Corolla WRC.


25/09/06
John Hickey to have 2nd outing with Subaru Escort 4x4
Killarney’s John Hickey is to heat things up in the National section of the Cork 20 with improvement of his 4x4 Mk2 Escort.
With a quality entry in the national’s as well as the international seen, John said that we had learned a lot from car in the rally of the lakes by a good adjustment to the set up of the car. And also to know that the pace and competition that we were on in the national section of the lakes was huge very competitive and the Cork 20 will promise us that to. The 4x4 mk2 made its debut in the rally of the lakes this year and with over 2 years of building the car from scratch with a Mk 2 shell and Subaru running gear in his back yard and trailer work shop, and since completion and paper work done, It made engineering history by the only 4 wheel drive Mk 2 Escort on the globe.

Johns run was in the lakes was as good as he expected before he retired but quickly knew what he had to do for improvement for the car for its next event.


Photo: www.roysempster.com


The car has been taken the car to Aidan Corrie of triple 7 engine management last week for mapping the engine and other preparations to the car as well, and results in a quick test down the rolling road after preparation showed the car was better than it was before the lakes.

With other rallies competed this year in group N Subaru’s in the forests and other tarmac rallies with good results, John and his west cork co-driver Alistair Wyllie are just about ready for the rally and taken huge time and effort for the event, John is confident that the car can do much better and will give the spectators something to talk about.
21/09/06
Southern 4 - On a knife-edge after round 4
The Murphy Construction Cork 20 International Rally hosts round five of the 023 Tiles Southern 4 Rally Championship and after round four,Ravens rock,things couldn’t be tighter at the top.

There was just eight points between the top four going into the last round with the battle for the overall lead very much between the Subaru’s of Denis Cronin and Melvyn Evans, and that battle continued throughout the Ravens Rock where the pace on the hot, dry tarmac stages had to be seen to be believed.

Cronin put down an early ma rker taking fastest time on stage one, beating Evans by just one second, but disaster struck for the West Cork driver on stage two when a vibration in the car prompted him to ease off a little, fearing differential problems. A loose bolt on the rear suspension was the diagnosis in service but the loss of 40 seconds to Evans on the stage was enough to cost him the maximum score. Indeed Cronin was fastest overall on 7 of the 8 stages but the time loss was too great on stage two and ended up costing him the overall win on the event.

Evans, once he got his nose in front, did all that was required to stay there for the day and successfully saw off the challenge of Aaron McHale in his Ford Focus WRC, posting faster times than the Dubliner on 5 of the days 8 stages.

This win netted Evans 20 championship points with 18 going to Cronin for third overall and second in the Southern 4 registered competitors.

Michael Barrable was well on the pace as well throughout the day and was faster than Evans on two stages and registered equal times with the Welshman on two more. Barrables reward was fourth overall on the event and 16 points for third place in the championship.

Liam McCarthy took 14 points for fourth in the championship runners and 8th overall on the event.

In Grp N Alan Ring took the win and 13 points in the Southern 4 championship with an excellent drive that saw him finish 9th overall. Second in group N was P.J.McGrath who took 12 points and 3rd was James O Sullivan who scored 11 points.

McGrath and O’Sullivan finished 11th & 12th overall respectively.

In class 13 Wesley Patterson missed Ravens Rock but still leads the class from Liam Davis, both in Mk 2 Escorts.Patterson still holds third overall in the championship although has dropped a bit behind Cronin and Evans by not competing on the Ravens Rock.

So the overall picture going into the Cork 20 has Denis Cronin in the lead on 59 points, Melvin Evans in Second on 58,Wesley Patterson is third on 35 points and Kevin O Donoghue 4th,and leading class 14,on 34 points.

Sean Mullaly leads the Navigators championship on 59 points with Helen O Sullivan second on 55 and Llinos Jones-Edwards third on 36.
20/09/06
Gareth Jones - Cork 20 Preview
The first of three high-speed asphalt rallies in quick succession for Gareth Jones was the Manx International Rally (August 3-5). With Rallye Deutschland the following weekend (August 10-13), he and co-driver David Moynihan were faced with the difficult task of driving fast enough to be competitive, yet careful not to damage the JCB Finance/Kumho/Shell Donegal Oils-backed Subaru Impreza WRC2004.

In the end, that's precisely what they did, and it was only bad luck that prevented Gareth from scoring an excellent result. The 26-year old driver loves the challenge of the bumpy and narrow country lanes on the Isle of Man, but a rock in the middle of the road on the opening stage not only destroyed a wheel, but Gareth's hopes of victory as well as he lost over a minute and finished SS1 in 35th position.

He fought back magnificently, climbing to 6th before he was forced to stop and change a puncture on SS10, which dropped him back to 17th. Despite having a penalty for being late out of service, gearbox problems and a 360 degree spin in slippery conditions, Gareth did incredibly well to finish 7th, just behind former British Champion Jonny Milner.

As soon as the Manx International Rally was over, Gareth flew to Germany to prepare for his next event, while his ex-Petter Solberg Subaru when to Dom Buckley Motorsport's workshop in Kelso, where a new engine and gearbox was fitted.

Rallye Deutschland was the fifth time Gareth had contested a round of the FIA World Rally Championship – but it was his first asphalt World Rally. Leg 1 saw stages in the vineyards of the Mosel Valley, where dry leaves and squashed grapes combine to make an exceptionally greasy surface. Gareth started cautiously, but by the end of the day had moved up to 17th place.

Leg 2 took place on the tank training ranges of the Baumholder military ground, where the wide roads are abrasive and dirty, while a fine dusting of sand makes them very slippery when wet.Unfortunately on the day's opening stage the cars steering rack was broken, this causing the duo to retire and rejoin under super rally rules to gain experience.

The final rally in Gareth's high-octane trilogy was the Ulster International Rally (September 1-2) – where, like on the Manx Rally, the top drivers from the Pirelli Irish Tarmac and MSA British Rally Championships competed against each other. Gareth started well, holding fourth position before a spin at a hairpin on SS4 dropped him to sixth. Although the event started in the dry, Leg 2 was held in torrential rain and Gareth did extremely well in the slippery conditions to bring his Subaru home in fourth place.

Gareth's focus is now on the Cork 20 International Rally on September 29-October 1, where he'll be hoping to end the Pirelli Irish Tarmac Rally Championship on a high.

''Doing three big rallies like the Manx, Germany and the Ulster in five weeks was a great experience,'' said Gareth. ''All three were very good events, but they were very different too and I was the pleased that I was able to adapt to the conditions without a problem. We had a few problems with the car along the way, but breaking a wheel on the Manx and breaking the steering in Germany was just really unlucky. If cars running ahead of you have pulled a rock out into the middle of the road and onto the racing line, there is no way you can avoid it when you're driving flat-out and have committed yourself. You either get away scott free or you break something – it's the luck of the draw, and we were very unlucky both times.

''It was good to finish the Ulster Rally in fourth place. A podium result would have been better, but I've never rallied in such torrential rain before and the stages were so slippery I was pleased with my pace and being able to keep out of the ditches. My next event is the Cork 20, so I'll be looking forward to ending the Irish series with a podium result.''

18/09/06
The Munster car club are holding a rally forum on the Wednesday before the Cork 20 Rally (27th Sept.) in the Rally HQ, The Rochestown Park Hotel at 7.30pm.

More Details:
14/09/06
INTERNATIONAL/NATIONAL
No. NAME/CO-DRIVER (CAR DETAILS) [CLASS]
1 Marko Martin/David Senior (Subaru Impreza WRC) [A8]
2 Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza WRC) [A8]
3 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC) [A8]
4 Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Mitsubishi Lancer WRC) [A8]
5 Guy Wilkes/Phil Pugh (Subaru Impreza WRC) [A8]
6 Derek McGarrity/Diarmud Falvey (Subaru Impreza WRC) [A8]
7 Austin McHale/Brian Murphy (Ford Focus WRC) [A8]
8 Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Ford Focus WRC) [A8]
9 Gareth Jones/David Moynihan (Subaru Impreza WRC) [A8]
10 Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene (Ford Focus WRC) [A8]
11 Stephen Murphy/Michael J Morrissey (Subaru Impreza WRC) [A8]
12 Ray Breen/Andrew Purcell (Ford Focus WRC) [A8]
14 Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (Subaru Impreza WRC) [A8]
15 Gary Jennings/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC) [A8]
16 Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy (Toyota Corolla WRC) [A8]
17 Melvyn Evans/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC) [A8]
18 Aaron MacHale/Eugene O'Donnell (Ford Focus WRC) [A8]
19 Steve Perez/Scott Martin (Ford Focus WRC) [A8]
20 Kevin Barrett/Barry Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC) [A8]
21 George Cullen/Jakes Kelly (Subaru Impreza WRC) [A8]
22 P.J. McGrath/Killian Duffy (Subaru Impreza WRC) [A8]
23 David James/Jim Crowe (Ford Focus WRC) [A8]
24 Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey (Subaru Impreza N12) [N4]
25 Roy White/Stephen McAuley (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [N4]
26 Phil Collins/Derek Brannigan (Ford Escort MkII) [M14]
27 Willie Fannin/Mick Courtney (Subaru Impreza N12) [N4]
28 Alan Ring/Brian Duggan (Subaru Impreza N12) [N4]
29 Glyn Jones/T.B.A (Subaru Impreza) [A8]
30 Kevin Kelleher/Martin Kelleher (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [N4]
31 James Foley/Lisa Roe (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [N4]
32 James O'Sullivan/Adrian Deasy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7) [N4]
33 Ian Barrett/Eoin O'Flaherty (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [N4]
34 Keith Cronin/Anthony Connell (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7) [N4]
35 Johnny O'Sullivan/Pat Cashman (Ford Escort WRC) [M15]
36 Tom Holton/Francis Kenny (Toyota Celica GT-Four) [A15]
37 James Belton/Eurig Evans (Ford Escort RS) [M14]
38 Mark Courtney/Paul Kelly (Toyota Celica GT-Four) [A15]
39 Brian O'Mahony/John Higgins (Ford Puma S1600) [A6]
40 Ger O'Donovan/Stephan O'Donovan (Ford RS Cosworth) [M15]
41 Tadhg Linehan/Mark Kane (Subaru Impreza N11) [N4]
42 Ken O'Neill/Conor O'Neill (Puma S1600) [A6]
43 Seamus Heron/Billy McCullins (BMW M3) [M14]
44 Eamon Daly/John Young (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [N4]
45 John Foley/Jon Waterman (Subaru Impreza ) [N4]
46 Paul Purtill/David Lyons (Ford Escort MkII) [M11]
47 Eugene Meegan/TBA (Honda Civic Type R) [N3]
48 Eddie Power/Jonathan McGrath (Renault clio S1600) [M16]
49 Ollie O'Reilly/Arthus Kierans (Ford Escort G3) [M13]
50 Allen Treacy/Bob Fitzgerald (Toyota Corolla) [M13]
51 Jason Pritchard/Martin Jones (Peugeot 106 maxi) [A6]
52 Paul Dempsey/Des Moran (Subaru Impreza ) [N4]
53 Brian O'Keeffe/Derek Power (Subaru Impreza) [N4]
54 Andrew Bushe/TBA (Peugeot 106 Gti) [A6]
55 David Delaney/Mark Wiley (Fiesta S1600) [A6]
56 Shaun Reid/Damian McAuley (Evo 8) [N4]
57 Conor Curley/Nigel Frazer (Ford Escort) [M13]
58 Paul Manton/John Carroll (Citeroen C2 R2) [A6]
59 Paraic Cummins/Joe Smullen (Ford Escort G4) [M13]
60 Charlie Hickey/Johnny Hickey (Ford Escort RS) [M13]
61 John Cullinane/Kenneth Cullinane (Escort MkII) [M13]
62 John Hickey/Alistair Wyllie (Ford Escort MkII) [M15]
63 Peter Kelly/Peggy Kelly (Ford Escort) [M14]
64 Dave Slattery/Ger Somers (Ford Escort MkII) [M13]
65 Mikey Cummins/Pat Gowan (Mitsubishi Evo 7) [N4]
66 Tim O'Donovan/Sean Hayde (Toyota Corolla) [M11]
67 Jason McSweeney/Michael O'Farrell (Honda Civic) [M11]
68 Philip Cross/Brian Doherty (Ford Escort) [M11]
69 Walter Walsh/Sean Duggan (Subaru Impreza) [N4]
70 Bernard McGinley/Raymond Scott (Toyota Starlet) [M11]
71 Fintan Canty/Denis O'Mahony (Escort MkII) [M10]
72 Liam Davis/Billy Kelleher (Ford Escort MkII) [M13]
73 William Kenneally/Sheamus Hickey (Ford Escort) [M11]
74 John Danaher/Patrick Naughton (Ford Escort MkII) [M14]
75 Roland Doherty/PJ O'Dowd (Opel Corsa) [M9]
76 David Guest/Amanda Giles (Peugeot 205) [M10]
77 Ted O'Riordan/Adrian O'Connell (Proton Sataria) [A6]
78 Conor Cavanagh/James Jordan (Ford Escort) [M14]
79 Ian Chadwick/Kerry Chadwick (Peugeot 106) [A6]
80 John Quin/Alice Quin (Vauxhall Chevette) [M13]
81 Andy Horgan/Shane Horgan (Vauxhall Chevette) [M13]
82 Tommy Doyle/Colin Fitzgerald (Honda Civic) [N2]
83 Ian Roche/Paul Roche (Peugeot S1600) [A6]
84 Niall Guinevan/Leslie Stanley (Peugeot 206) [A6]
85 John Waring/TBA (Ford Escort MkII) [M13]
86 Adrian Randles/Aileen Randles (Ford Escort MkII) [M13]
87 John Riordan/Helan Duggan (Escort) [M11]
88 Martin McGrath/Dorothy McGrath (Toyota Starlet) [M9]
89 Dave Harris/Tim Babbage (Ford Escort MkII) [M13]
90 Mark Kennealy/Martin Godfrey (Ford Escort MkII) [M13]
91 Michael Kelleher/Patricia O'Connell (Ford Escort MkII) [M10]
92 Ger Sullivan/Alan Coleman (Subaru Impreza) [M15]
93 Danny McGinley/Ruth Guest (Escort MkII) [M14]
94 John Newman/Ron Guha (BMW M3) [M14]
95 Darren McCarthy/Steve Davis (opel Corsa) [M10]
96 Owen O'Neill/Ger Connors (Honda Civic) [M11]
97 Casimir McGill/Brian Boyle (Ford Escort MkII) [M14]
98 Steve Roberts/David Carr (Ford Escort) [M12]
99 Pat Aherne/Frank Curtin (Ford Escort) [M10]
100 Ceiros James/Patrick Kiely (Opel Manta) [M13]
101 Patrick Maguire/Joe Fitzgibbon (Subaru Impreza ) [N4]
102 Darragh O'Riordan/Kevin Dolphin (Honda Civic) [M11]
103 Peter Egerton/Dai Roberts (Opel Corsa) [A6]
104 Kevin Dunne/Michael Hegarty (Honda Integra R) [A7]
105 Andrew Fanning/TBA (Ford Puma ) [A5]
106 Kieran Marshall/Derry O'Mahony (Honda Civic Type R) [A7]
107 D.D. Murphy/John Murphy (Ford Escort) [M12]
108 Shane Mangan/Donnacha O'Callaghan (Ford Escort MkII) [M12]
109 Keith McMullan/`Damien Ryan (Fiat Uno) [M9]
110 Raymond Spence/Craig McSweeney (Ford Escort MkII) [M13]
111 Danny Creedon/Tom Foley (Starlet RWD) [M12]
112 Michael Delaney/Jim Murphy (Ford Escort) [M13]
113 Victor Beamish/Susan Beamish (Opel Corsa) [M9]
114 Adrian McBride/Rodney Hicks (Peugeot 206 Xsi) [A6]
115 Ian Hynes/Des Sherlock (Honda Civic) [N2]
116 Tony Calnan/Fearghal O'Donoghue (Subaru Impreza) [M16]
117 Eamon O'Connell/TBA (Honda Civic) [M11]
118 Mark Daly/Joe Daly (Honda Civic) [A15]
119 Shay Byrne/John Delaney (Talbot Sumbeam) [M10]
120 Colm Forde/Jonathan Trill (Ford Ka) [A5]
121 Sharon Power/TBA (Ford Ka) [A5]
122 Andrew Stewart/Tony Gallagher (Suzuki Swift) [A5]
123 Sean Cullinane/Derek Tobin (Mitsubishi Colt) [M11]
124 Gary Reidy/Ger Healy (Ford Escort MkII) [M13]
125 John Murphy/Martin O'Connor (Subaru Impreza) [M16]
126 Aiden Dunlea/TBA (Ford Escort) [A7]
127 Alyn Spiers/Elaine Doherty (Peugeot 106 Gti) [A6]
128 Ciaran Casey/Stephen Clarke (Talbot Sumbeam) [M11]
129 John O'Shea/Pat O'Sullivan (Honda Integra R) [M16]
130 Padraig Neville/Amy Ryan (Honda Civic) [A6]
131 Harry Cathcart/Wendy Blackledge (Suzuki Swift) [A5]
132 Finbarr Creed/Mossie O'Conaill (BMW M3) [M14]
133 Declan Grogan/Paddy King (Honda Civic) [M11]
134 Tom Dunne/Christine O'Leary (Peugeot 106 Gti) [N2]
135 Paul O'Connell/Carol Geoghegan (Honda Civic) [M11]
136 William Walsh/Edmond O'Neill (Vauxhall Corsa) [M9]
137 Eddie Nolan/Ray Benson (Ford Escord MkII) [M10]
138 Paul Casey/Ken Carmody (Peugeot 205 Gti) [M10]
139 Brian Wilson/TBA (Vauxhall Corsa) [M11]
140 Willie Sinnott/Wayne Hayes (Peugeot 205 Gti) [M12]
141 Kieran Hayes/John Doody (Peugeot 205 Gti) [M10]
142 Michael Riordan/John Riordan (Golf MkI) [M10]
143 Anthony Whelton/Joanne Murphy (Ford Escort MkII) [M10]
144 Paul Browne/Margaret Browne (Honda Civic) [M11]
145 Noel Kelleher/Daniel Lucey (Toyota Corolla Gti) [M11]
146 Tommy Whelton/Noel Crowley (T.B.A) [M11]
147 Stephen Sheehan/Paul Sheehan (Talbot Sumbeam) [M10]
148 Dermot O'Riordan/Michael O'Donovan (Toyota Corolla) [M11]
149 Pat Cunningham/Denis Cremin (Vauxhall Nova) [M9]
150 Emmet Cronin/Anthony Cronin (Ford Escort) [M10]
151 James Cunningham/Finbarr Fogarty (Toyota Corolla) [M11]
152 David Fleming/Kieran Doherty (Honda Civic Vti) [M16]

Historics
No. NAME/CO-DRIVER (CAR DETAILS) [CLASS]
H1 Adrian Kermode/Maurice Beckett (Porsche 911) [C2]
H2 Todd Falvey/Dan Barry (Porsche 911) [C2]
H3 Don Moynihan/Tim Moynihan (Ford Escort Mk1 ) [C2]
H4 John Keatley/James McKeefry (Porsche 911) [B5]
H5 Sean Treacy/Billy Regan (BMW ) [C2]
H6 Denis Moynihan/Dan Moynihan (Ford Escort Mk1) [C2]
H7 Mike Doody/Mark Doody (Morris Mini) [C1]
H8 Niall Creightom/TBA (Cortina Mk1) [B3]
H9 Martin Sheahan/Gerard Clancy (Ford Escort Mk11) [C2]
H10 Martin Ward /Linda Conroy (Opel Manta 'A') [C2]
H11 John Hackett/Michael Hackett (Austin Mini) [C1]
H12 John O'Toole/TBA (Ford Escort Mk1) [C1]
H14 Donal Kelleher/Derry Healy (Ford Escort Mk1) [C1]
H15 John Curran/Jason O'Callaghan (Ford Escort) [C2]
H16 Paul Mitchell/Donal Falvey (Austin Mini) [C1]
H17 Edward Hallahan/Barry Murphy (Ford Escort Mk11) [P.His]
H18 Gerry Freeman/Dermott Quigley (Ford Anglia) [B3]

Junior
No. NAME/CO-DRIVER (CAR DETAILS) [CLASS]
J1 Patrick Cunningham/Shane O'Brien (Honda Civic) [J2]
J2 Jason O'Mahony/Aoife McCarthy (Honda Civic) [J2]
J3 Alan Mackey/Orlagh O'Connor (Vauxhall Nova) [J1]
J4 Paul Fitzgerald/Ger Fahy (Ford Escort Mk11) [J2]
J5 David Laddin/Paul Murphy (Mazda 323) [J2]
J6 Damien McElhinney/Debbie Coyle (Peugeot 206) [J2]
J7 James Brett/Patrick Crotty (Honda Civic) [J2]
J8 Patrick Melia/TBA (Honda Civic) [J2]
J9 Thomas Quid/Jonathon Bourke (Toyota Corolla) [J2]
J10 Mark Lane/TBA (Peugeot 106 Gti) [J2]
J11 Philip Giles/Aoife Buttimer (Toyota Corolla ) [J2]
J12 Stephen McGrath/Kevin Joyce (Vauxhall Corsa) [J2]
J14 Daniel O'Leary/Colm Lenihan (Honda Civic) [J2]
J15 Brian Grealish/Sean Hession (Honda Civic) [J2]
J16 Timmy Foley/Conor Collins (Honda Civic) [J2]
J17 Jonathan Lucey/Alan Lucey (Toyota Corolla) [J2]
J18 TomasO'Keeffe/Donal Keane (Ford Escort Mk11) [J2]
J19 Richard Whelan/Pat O'Neill (Honda Civic) [J2]
J20 Eric Deane/Adrian Levis (Suzuki Swift) [J1]
J21 Anthony Cullinane/Michael Murphy (Toyota Starlet) [J2]
J22 David Power/Kevin Power (Honda Civic) [J2]
J23 Vincent Goggin/Johnny Casey (Peugeot 205 Gti) [J2]
J24 Donal Dineen/Stephen Kingston (Peugeot 205 ) [J2]
J25 Liam Dennehy/Finbarr O'Mahony (Toyota Corolla TC) [J2]
J26 Niall O'Rahilly-Drew/Kieran Crowley (Ford Escort Mk11) [J1]
J27 D J Brown/Torlac O'Reilly (Peogeot 205) [J2]
J28 Frank Doherty/Anthony O'Shea (Toyota Corolla) [J2]
J29 Brian Ledwith/Martin Feeney (Toyota Corolla) [J2]
J30 Finbarr Cahillane/James Flynn (Toyota Corolla) [J2]
J31 Gary Dinneen/T. J. Murphy (Talbot Sumbeam) [J2]
J32 John G O'Sullivan/Tommy Doody (Honda Civic) [J2]
J33 George Jagoe/Bryan Giles (Suzuki Swift) [J1]
J34 John O'Sullivan/Denis O'Riordan (Toyota Corolla) [J2]
J35 Niall Donoghue/TBA (Honda Civic) [J2]
J36 Darragh O'Meara/Tommy O'Meara (Ford Ka) [J1]

Reserves
No. NAME/CO-DRIVER (CAR DETAILS) [CLASS]
R153 Hans Matthia/Paul O'Dwyer (Puma S1600) [M11]
R154 Kevin O'Donoghue/Joe O'Leary (Mitsubishi Evo 9) [N4]
R155 Conor McCluskey/Robie Durrant (Mitsubishi Evo 9) [N4]
R156 Gearoid Beamish/Mary O'Donovan (Ford Escort) [M10]
R157 Ger McDonagh/TBA (Honda Civic) [M16]
R158 David McNulty/J.P Kilmurray (Subaru Impreza WRC) [A8]
R159 Shawn Quin/DaveDunne (Toyota Corolla) [M11]
R160 Seamus O'Grady/Oonagh Roche (Proton Sataria) [A6]
R161 Mark Nangle/Nollaig Breen (Subaru Impreza ) [N4]
R162 Jason O'Brien/Denis O'Donovan (Peugeot 206) [M11]
R163 Paul Conlon/TBA (Peugeot 205 GTi) [M10]
R164 Thomas Fitzmaurice/Chris O'Donoghue (Ford Escort Cosworth) [A15]
R165 Peadar Hurson/TBA (Subaru Impreza) [A8]
R166 Donal Lennon/Alan White (Ford Ka) [M16]
R167 Wesley Patterson/Llinos Jones-Edwards (Ford Escort RS) [M13]
R168 Damien/Shiels (Subaru Impreza) [N4]
27/08/06
WORLD RALLY SENSATION MARKKO MARTIN TO COMPETE IN CORK
World rally sensation, Markko Martin will compete in the forthcoming Murphy Construction Cork “20” International Rally. The 30-year-old Estonian will drive a Subaru World Rally Car on the roads of County Cork.

The news is set to thrill thousands of rally fans and was made by Clerk of the Course, Frank O’Mahony at the event press reception earlier this evening at Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork.

The announcement is a great coup for the organisers, the Munster Car Club for this their 91st. running of one of the oldest rallies in Europe. The event is the final round of the Pirelli Irish Tarmac Championship and the penultimate round of the 023 Tiles Southern 4 Championship.

In the past, drivers like Ari Vatanen, Saeed Al Hajri, Toshiro Arai and more recently, Erik Wevers provided exciting action on the County cork stages and Martin is set to continue the tend on the weekend of September 30/October 1.

Martin has already driven for Subaru and also had stints with Ford and Peugeot. He secured his first World Rally victory in 2003 on the Acropolis Rally at the wheel of a Ford Focus WRC. Remarkably, he only took started rallying in 1994 after he bought a Lada Samara from his uncle. He made his WRC debut on Rally of Finland in 1997 in a Toyota Celica ST205. In 2003 he won the specialist Rally Finland event.

Martin’s presence in Cork is a great boost and it will be fascinating to watch how the likes of Eugene Donnelly, Tim McNulty and the other top drivers in the Irish tarmac Championship respond over the 14 stages of the Murphy Construction Cork “20” International Rally.

Event Details
As the nights draw in and the leaves begin to turn, so does the attention of the rally world, this time to Cork and the Murphy Construction Cork ‘20’ International Rally. The event, organised and promoted by the Munster Car Club Limited, will take place on the weekend of 29, 30 September and 1 October 2006 and promises to be a fitting finale to 2006 Pirelli Irish Tarmac Championship, with 50% bonus points on offer to add to the excitement of the final shakedown.

The organising committee is once again headed up by Frank O’Mahony as Clerk of the Course, who is supported by Colman Hegarty, Deputy Clerk of the Course. Murphy Construction of Carrigtwohill has continued their generous support of the rally as main sponsors for another year and we hope to see managing director, Kieran Murphy take to the stages as a competitor on the weekend itself. The Rochestown Park Hotel will once again serve as HQ, with its excellent facilities proving ever popular with competitor, follower and organiser alike.

This year’s stages are a mixture of traditional favourites and new additions, which total 170 miles of smooth but demanding tarmac roads. Saturday stages will focus on the western side of the county, with centralised servicing in the Macroom area, with the rally moving northwards on Sunday and centred around service areas in Mallow. The routes are challenging which will test the skills of even the most seasoned competitor – and this being the 91st year that the rally is being run, there should be plenty of them on the start line!

While the event has always been an extremely popular event on a national level, with previous winners including such legends as Bertie Fisher, Austin McHale and Cork’s own Billy Coleman, the international appeal of the rally has always been in evidence. From Ari Vatanen in the 70’s to Saeed Al Hajri in the 80’s, the rally continues to attract crews from around the world. 2006 will not prove an exception to this with interest already being shown by competitors from throughout the UK and mainland Europe who wish to return and try to conquer the twists and turns of Cork’s countryside.

So, will Tim McNulty repeat his 2005 success, or will Eugene Donnelly’s winning streak last all the way to Cork? The weekend of the 29, 30 September and 1 October will reveal all!

Regulations and entry forms are available from the website below
Closing date for same is 11 September 2006 at 18.00 hrs.
15/08/06
15/08/06 Regulations available on:

Topics: Cork '20 Rally 

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