Galway International Rally - 4-5 Feb 06

Posted: February 12, 2006 10:03 AM

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Back to back victories for Eugene Donnelly and Paul Kiely
The opening round of the 2006 Pirelli Irish Tarmac Championship has proved to be a dream start for Eugene Donnelly and Paul Kiely in their Esker Bus and Coach Sales, backed Toyota Corolla WRC. The First Choice Flooring Galway International Rally is the third Galway win for the pair, with victories in 2002 and 2005 also to their credit. It was a hard battle with Tim McNulty and Anthony Nestor in the Pierse Impreza, who pushed them all the way until disaster struck on stage 14 and the Impreza S10 had to retire from the rally. McNulty had taken an early lead of 12 seconds after stage 1 with the use of slicks but it wasn’t to be his day. Donnelly and Kiely came home in a time of 2:19:36.2, with Eammon Boland and Francis Regan second in 2.21.22.2 in the Trade Sales Focus and Peadar Hurson with Damien Connolly third in 2.21.34.2 in the Hilltek Impreza P2000. An impressive return to rallying for Hurson , who has been absent from the sport for nearly 2 years.

Limerick’s Colm Murphy scored another group N victory in Galway with Ger Loughrey on the notes in 2.28.34.1 and 9th overall. James Foley and Dominic Markey rounded off the top ten.

The Brian Thornton Memorial Trophy is awarded to the first Galway Crew over the finish ramp. This was played out between 3 crews over the weekend, with the gap between JJ Flemming/ Robbie Ward and Mike Bird/ Kevin Keane, being down to 9 seconds at one point. Daragh Raftery and Aidan Friel were never far behind, finishing in 2.37.04.3. JJ Flemming and Robbie Ward took the Brian Thornton Trophy, finishing in 2.36.07.8 with just 18 seconds to spare over Mike Bird and Kevin Keane. This was despite suffering 4 punctures and a time penalty in the Flemming Transport Ford Focus WRC.

Ray Cunningham scored another historic rally victory in 2.14.11.7. Ray was in a Morris Mini Cooper with Richard Hyland on the notes.

The junior rally was won by John McHugh and Brian Boyle in a Toyota Corolla in 1.23.00.8 When you look at the full entry list and realise that over 50 Galway crews were on the stages, its great credit to the club and it’s members. Some might say “ I think we’re turning japanese’ with the amount of Civics in evidence. Gerard Hodgins has built more than one of these machines. Ger finished 20th overall in the national rally in 2.50.11.6 with Alan Shiel on the notes. John Kenny and Jason Shiel in another Civic were happy to finish with a time of 3:02:22.5

Enda Hallinan and Ollie Ward had a time of 2.38.47.5. Jarlath Conneely and Declan Casserly came home in 2.57.53.2. Not bad when you consider they had a new car and had no time to test it prior to the rally.

Galway Motor Club would like to thank all the residents on the stages and the people of Galway City, Ballinasloe and Portumna for their help and cooperation with the running of the rally. It was a huge voluntary effort by everyone concerned and resulted in another successful First Choice Flooring Galway International Rally.

We would also like to thank the Gardai, Galway City Council and Galway County Council for all their help with the rally.

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MRallying Crew Start As They Mean To Continue...
Traditional was upheld last weekend and Irelands tarmac titans returned to battle on the stone walled lanes of Galway. This years Pirelli Irish Tarmac Championship promises to be as hotly contended as ever especially in the GroupN category. With three class victories last year (including one in Galway), Colm Murphy and Ger Loughrey face a tough task this year – land that title that has thus far proved elusive.

The Pirelli and Shell backed MRallying pairing set off on Saturday morning knowing only a top drawer performance would be good enough – any one of ten drivers could’ve justified a gamble for victory. And with newer machinery than the REMAX Properties Subaru competing, backing off would not be an option.

The Limerick pairing set a good pace on the first stage only to catch the ailing Mitsubishi of Seamus Leonard. A few seconds dropped due to this and difficulties in selecting second and fourth gears meant the Trackcare Engineering sponsored crew were happy to get back to service within seconds of early leader James Foley.

A better choice of tyre for the afternoon stages saw the Connemara Gateway Hotel backed Impreza move up the leader board, ideally placed in second, just 4.9 seconds behind overnight leader. The treaty county men retired Saturday night relishing the thoughts of getting back onto the stages.

Sunday morning dawned overcast and dry but slippy conditions were predominant. Clearly at home between the stone walls, the Thermia Heatlink crew moved into the class lead after SS9, the first of the day. And they were to maintain this position throughout the rest of the stages, fighting off challenges from the Mitsubishi Evos of James Foley and Philip Morrow.

Arriving back to Eyre Square victorious, Colm reckoned of their weekend – “I have to say thanks to everyone involved, Colm Grant and his TTEC team who took great care of the car over the weekend, the rally organisers who again put on a top class event again and special a word of thanks to all our sponsors – without them this wouldn’t be happening”.

Colm, Ger and the MRallying team are supported by Pirelli tyres, Shell Racing Fuel, Thermia Heat Link, Transplant Trailers Sales, Trackcare Engineering, Eddie Garry car sales, The Connemara Gateway Hotel, Advance Surveys, REMAX Properties and Vanity Case beauticians.

Colm Murphy Rallying

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Kelleher brothers tackle Galway as a Rally of 2 halves
Clonakilty driver Kevin Kelleher, the current runner up in the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman young driver of the year award, began his 2006 season with the Galway international rally which was the opening round of the Irish Tarmac championship. Navigated as normal by his brother Martin the pair were debuting their new Mitsubishi Evo 9 which was built over the winter break by Dublin preparation experts AMF Motorsport.

New also for 2006 was backing from Kumho tyres, so there was some new elements to adapt to as the Kelleher crew crossed the Eyre Square start ramp to begin their 2006 season.

Stage one was difficult for all crews, the slippy greasy roads had lethal patches of muck and gravel waiting to catch out everyone unawares and as is a permanent feature of the Galway landscape there are vicious stone walls waiting to receive you and punish any minor mistake. Kevin took the cautious approach given the conditions and set about learning his new car in the difficult conditions where grip was almost impossible to find. He guided the EVO 9 back into the Portumna service halt with no damage or moments to report. However such was the pace of the leaders Kevin was in 9 th place 38 seconds down on leader James Foley who had been setting an excellent benchmark all morning.

With new cut slick KUMHO tyres fitted the Kellehers returned to the afternoon stages with the plan to increase the pace some more and continue to adapt to the new car, however the reality was Kevin was to struggle for the remainder of the day with terrible brake fade, he commented " we had been taking it easy in the morning just playing ourselves into the car and tyres and we decided to push after service as everything was working well, but when we did the brakes were just terrible, I couldn't get the car stopped at all, no feel in the brakes and they just wouldn't work, it sapped all our confidence and we just had to back right off, very disappointing"

The Kelleher's returned to the overnight halt 17th overall and 6th in group N one second down on James Cullen, which was not a disheartening position, except the brothers and the AMF team knew it could have been so much better if the braking problems could be solved. Happily Rallying is a sport where great camaraderie and sportsmanship exists and to the rescue came a very generous James Foley and Dominic Markey who were leading group N in a similar Mitsubishi Evo 9, they loaned the Kelleher brothers a full set of brakes which would solve the lack of stopping power that was stopping Kelleher from really pushing.

With a renewed confidence thanks to Foley Rallysport the Kelleher brothers faced into day 2 intent on making this a better day after the struggle of Saturday. A brave tyre choice of KUMHO slicks on the days opening stage worked perfectly as Kevin moved up to 5 th in group N now ahead of Alan Ring and James Cullen. On stage 12 he hammered home even more the intent that Sunday was to be his day in Galway with an excellent fastest time by 4.7 seconds. Stage 15 and the great battle with Seamus Leonard continued with 0.5 of a second covering the first 3 of Murphy, Leonard and Kelleher. Stage 16 the 3drivers continued on a charge with the Kelleher's getting fastest time again but only by 1 second from Seamus Leonard.

Then on the final stage the Kelleher Evo was 3rd fastest 0.2 down on the winner of Group N Colm Murphy. This brought the Clonakilty brothers to 15 th o/a and 5th in group N 12 seconds behind Seamus Leonard after a great day's battle. So Galway proved to be a rally of 2 halves for the Kelleher crew, Saturday was just a day to be forgotten and put down to the experience of a new car and finding what works and works well, but Sunday was a great come back proving the pace and the ability is there for the next rally, with a bit of that luck that all rally drivers need!

Kevin now concentrates on his next rallies which will include his home event the Quality Hotels West Cork rally and then the first round of the national championship in Mayo.

Kevin Kelleher is supported by KUMHO TYRES, THE BIG FELLA Clonakilty, Rally Idol, Monterra Properties, Clona Dairies Clonakilty, SWS Property Services, Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Award and www.XLR8Motorsport.com

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McCLOSKEY OPENS HIS ACCOUNT
Connor McCloskey and Crawford Henderson from Northern Ireland got their double championship campaign off to a solid start with a 22nd place overall on the Galway International Rally this weekend.

The pair made their first outing in 2006 on an unfamiliar event but using the Mitsubishi Evo 8 that they had used in 2005. The Fisher Foundation Young Driver award winner arrived in Galway City with a sensible plan - get the first event of the Irish Tarmac Championship under his belt without any mistakes.

Seventeen tricky stages awaited the team and they were hopeful that their pacenotes would work well. "The recce was really good," said Connor, “but it is only the second time we've made notes from scratch and I'm quite apprehensive." He needn't have worried. Despite not testing the car before the event, the first stages went well although he admitted to taking a little while to get up to speed. "The stages are very slippery in places so we've been quite cautious." explained Connor. "This is the last time we'll be using this car and I'd like to finish with it undamaged."

In such a well supported class in this ultra-competitive championship the crew pronounced themselves reasonably happy with their eventual overnight position. At parc fermé in Galway the results showed them a creditable 26th overall and eleventh in class N4 with another 86 miles ahead.

Sunday dawned grey and cold and the rally's base moved to Ballinasloe, about 40 miles to the east of Galway City. "The tyre choice is easy in these conditions." said Connor at the short service before the first nine mile stage, "We've gone for the Pirelli dry tyre all round and the forecast means we'll probably stick with slicks all day."

Special stage nine was the first of three loops of three stages split by three services and the crew finished it having dropped ten seconds. A downhill square right caught out the young Mitsubishi driver who was lucky to avoid contact with the scenery. By the second service of the day they had found a rhythm and had got to grips with their new pacenotes. "We haven't made any changes to the notes after the first run through," said Crawford, "so presumably we got them right during the recce. Our goal is to make improvements as the season goes on, so getting our communications right in the car is vital."

By stage 13 of 17 the team were set for a cruise to the finish, having moved up the overall leaderboard to 23rd and 10th in class. They found themselves in a position with a large gap to the cars in front and behind, a point where concentration wanes and mistakes can happen. Stage sixteen proved the theory that cruising can be more risky than 100% commitment. Connor locked the brakes approaching a 5th gear right hander throwing the car sideways. "It was a big moment and I only just caught it," he said, "with just one stage to go it was a scare I really didn't need."

11.4 miles lay between the nineteen year-old and his first points in 2006 and at the end he looked like a very relieved lad. "Half way through the stage we came round a left hander and hit a rock in the road," recounted Connor, "it was a big bang and I thought we'd got a puncture. We carried on but when I braked before the next corner there was a massive vibration through the steering. The wheel is fine so I think we've cracked a brake disc."

The crew made their way back to the finish in Galway without further incident, delighted to have finished at all. Despite the scares on the final two stages, they took 22nd overall and retained their 10th place in class. Crawford calculated that they had improved to within 1.5 seconds a mile of the fastest crews over the course of the event, promising more to come with the new Mitsubishi Evo 9 on the Circuit of Ireland. The second round of the series takes place in the middle of April and if their plans work out, they should contest Rally Ireland as a shakedown next month.

Support in 2006 comes from Egger (wood based panels), The Fisher Foundation, KBB Doors, Euro Components, Pirelli and for Galway, Trade Only Kitchens.

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GASS IMPRESSES IN FIESTA DEBUT
Darren Gass and co-driver Conor Foley had an impressive debut in their new Fiesta Super 1600, taking second in class on the Galway International Rally this weekend.

The seventeen year old took time off from his 'A' Levels and helping to run the family business to contest the first round of the Irish Tarmac Championship in County Galway. He was partnered for the first time by Conor Foley and the newly acquainted crew set off with a finish in mind.

"We took delivery of the new Fiesta from M-Sport on Monday and tested with WRC star Roman Kresta on Tuesday. The car felt great straight out of the blocks," said Darren, "and it was good to have the experience of Roman to help with the set up. With just a day’s worth of miles under his belt, the game plan was to get to the finish unscathed and the pair drove over the ramp in Eyre Square in Galway City with as their goal.

The first day comprised eight stages around Portumna in County Galway and the pair got off to a cracking start. Second in class after stage two, the Crozier Motorsport team checked the car over at service and pronounced themselves happy. The second loop of stages totalled 25 miles and with perfect cold and overcast rally conditions, tyre choice was easy; Kumho slicks were bolted on all round and despite the roads being quite greasy, they arrived back at service still smiling.

"We've gone for a low gear ratio," explained Darren, "and she's topping out at about 95 mph. It is fantastic up through the gears but the long straights are losing us time." He continued, "We can still take time off Brian O’Mahoney in the class but we could be further up the overall leaderboard with more top speed."

After a further four stages and one service, the crews headed back to Galway for the overnight halt, having exceeded their expectations with a sizeable class lead and 25th overall from 150 starters. The re-start saw them running much earlier on the road after the traditional re-seeding, so they arrived ready for action at the first stage on day two at ten past ten. The nine-mile stage should have seen them cross the finish line at around eight minutes later but the seconds ticked by and there was no sign of the Castrol backed machine.

Just over three minutes later than expected the pair emerged, obviously frustrated. "We went off on the last square left of the stage." rued Darren, "We just went in a bit quick and spun with the back wheel in the ditch. The bumper has a little crack in it but the front wheel ended up off the ground and we couldn't get any grip." When the stage was re-run later in the day, the timesheets showed a loss of three minutes fourteen seconds, dropping them one minute 23 seconds behind the new class leader, Andrew Bushe.

At service after the first two stages Darren was still upbeat. "There's plenty of mileage to go and we can take the time back if we push." And push they did, beating Bushe by 33 seconds on the first stage after service in Ballinsaloe. Stage twelve was cancelled and the pair took another eight seconds back on stage 13 to leave them just 42 seconds adrift of the Peugeot driver.

The brakes were bled at service and they set off into another loop of three stages. Stage 14 went without hitch but disaster stuck on 15. Darren shook his head while explaining at service "It was the same stage as our first spin, but this time we hit a bank on another square left. It bent the rear axle and we lost another three minutes." He continued, "We had to crawl through the next eight mile stage and the back wheel was all over the place so we changed it after the finish."

Having lost a further two and a half minutes, the team worked flat out to try to keep the Fiesta in the rally. One stage remained before the finish in Galway and it was a nervous time. Crossing the flying finish of the last stage Darren could take solace in the knowledge that he had got straight back on the pace, stopping the clock 52 seconds before his nearest class rival and regaining four places overall.

34th overall and second in class was scant reward for the youngster, who proved again that he has the pace to shine. With nearly two months before the Circuit of Ireland and a month before a possible assault on Rally Ireland, Darren has plenty of time to refine the car’s settings, but the aim for Galway was to finish and learn….mission accomplished.

Darren would like to thank Castrol, Kumho Tyres, Millview Fuels, Dalzells of Markethill, EMC Autopax, PIAA, AC Vehicle Components, Sligo Pallets, Alpha Cam, Crozier Motorsport Engineering and ID Graphics for their continuing support.

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Cookstown’s John McGlaughlin endures difficult Galway International Rally
Cookstown’s John McGlaughlin took his first steps into the International rally scene last weekend at the First Choice Flooring Galway International Rally!

The event marked the opening round of the Pirelli Irish Tarmac Championship and provided John with some valuable tarmac rally experience. Piloting his Greenvale Hotel sponsored Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7, the young driver, who was recently voted as Magherafelt Motor Club’s driver of the year, was ready to blow off the winter cobwebs!

The event started well and John, together with co-driver David Doherty, emerged from the opening stage holding second in the production category. Surrounded by the country’s leading drivers, it was an excellent start but problems lay just around the corner, as the muck splattered County Galway roads bit back.

"We carried too much speed into a tight square left on stage two," John recalled. "The steering wheel just snapped out of my hands and the rear of the car clipped a pole. It damaged the rear panel and knocked the whole alignment out. We lost buckets of time!"

The stricken Lancer, which is also sponsored by Kumho Tyres and Hilltop Fuels, entered service where the McGlaughlin service team descended on the car. The damaged parts were replaced in record time and John exited service ready for another charge.

"We gave it a good go but the handling was terrible," John said. "The mechanics didn’t have time to fix the wheel alignment and taking left hand corners at speed was scary!"

John managed to keep his cool and the crew fixed the alignment during the afternoon service. It was time to keep it neat and tidy through the remaining day one stages, allowing the Cookstown man to enter the overnight halt just outside the top 20.

The second and final day of the rally provided crews with another nine stages in County Galway. John immediately jumped on the pipe in an effort to claw back lost time and set second fastest time on the opening Sunday stage. A ‘big moment’ on stage ten was a huge wake-up call, as the McGlaughlin’s Bakery Lancer scooted up an escape road, but John survived to tell the tale. Then just one stage later, disaster struck the Lancer.

"We were having a good attack but the rear brake started locking up,” John said ruefully. “Then the rear driver’s side calliper seized and we lost all of the brake fluid. That was the end of our rally."

"I’m very disappointed with the result but at the same time I’m pleased with our progress. There was some tough competition out there and we were able to set some top times. It was David’s first time co-driving for me and we got on very well, although he was ill all weekend!"

With the first round of the championship complete, John is looking forward to round two, the Circuit of Ireland Rally. He has a new Evo 9 Lancer ordered and if all goes to plan, the Greenvale Hotels Lancer will be back on top at Easter!

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JENNINGS' ENGINE CRIES ENOUGH
Garry Jennings and Rory Kennedy's defence of the 2005 Irish Tarmac Championship Group N title got off to a disappointing start on the Galway International Rally this weekend.

The opening round of the series, based on the West coast of Ireland, was the first event for the young businessman from Fermanagh in 2006, but the crew did not have a chance to sample the lanes to the east of Galway. The engine expired in their Mitsubishi Evo 8 even though the team had made a monumental effort to rebuild it after a failure in testing late in the week.

"We tested in the week before the event," said a glum Jennings, "and when the engine let go we were short on time to fix it before the start, but we were relieved it had happened when it did and not on the rally."

It was an upbeat team that had started, even finding time to give the car a run on the night before the start from Eyre Square in Galway City. However, by the end of stage one there was no sign of the newly liveried Autocar Logistiics Mitsubishi.

"We were really up for it," explained Garry, "and our plan was to catch everyone by surprise with a fast first stage time. The first few corners were spot on and the car felt really crisp." he continued, "We had picked the right Kumho tyre and the conditions were perfect. So when the engine went onto three (cylinders) after about the fifth corner I couldn't believe it."

The crew realised straight away that the problem was terminal and pulled up at the side of the road. "It felt just like the problem we had before and we realised there was no point going any further and damaging the engine any more." shrugged Garry, "I'm absolutely gutted especially when we thought we had sorted it before the event, but I suppose in the rush we only fixed the result and did not find the cause."

The team's budget will be even further stretched by the engine setback but Garry was in a reflective mood. "It would have been good to start the season off with a win after last year's second place, but we did not finish all the events in 2005 and still won the (Group N) championship. There is a big gap until the Circuit of Ireland so we will have the problems ironed out by then."

The next round is not until mid April and is based in Garry's own back yard in Enniskillen. Another classic Irish event, The Circuit of Ireland will be Garry and Rory's new starting point in their efforts to retain the Group N title.

The Autocar Logistics team would like to thank Kumho Tyres, Walker Contracts, J&M Enterprises, Sligo Pallets Sydare Eggs, Euro Auto Salvage, OMP, Shell Racing Fuels and KG Motorsport for their support in 2006

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OVERALL
1 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC) 2h 19m 36s,
2 Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Ford Focus WRC) 2h 21m 22s,
3 Peadar Hurson/Damien Connolly (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 21m 34s,
4 Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 21m 47s,
5 Ray Breen/Andrew Purcell (Ford Focus WRC) 2h 22m 27s,
6 Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 22m 33s,
7 Austin McHale/Brian Murphy (Ford Focus WRC) 2h 27m 20s,
8 Gareth Jones/David Moynihan (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 27m 41s,
9 Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey (Subaru Impreza N10) Gp N 2h 28m 34s,
10 James Foley/Dominic Markey (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) Gp N 2h 29m 16s.

Group N:
1 Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey,
2 James Foley/Dominic Markey,
3 Willie Fannin/Mick Courtney (Subaru Impreza N9) 2h 30m 04s.

Class winners:
Enda Hallinan/Ollie Ward (Honda Civic),
Eugene Meegan/Paul McGee (Honda Civic),
Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey,
Andrew Gamble/Jonathan Charlesson (Nissan Micra),
Andrew Bushe/Martin McGarrity (Peugeot 106),
Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien.

NATIONAL EVENT:
1 Brendan Donegan/Noel Farrell (Mitsubishi Lancer) 2h 34m 02s,
2 Ollie O'Reilly/Arthur Kierans (Ford Escort) 2h 34m 27s,
3 Wesley Patterson/Bob Kelly (Ford Escort) 2h 34m 31s.

HISTORIC EVENT:
1 Ray Cunningham/Richard Hyland (Mini Cooper S) 1h 45m 12s,
2 Martin Ward/Linda Conroy (Opel Manta) 1h 46m 38s,
3 Todd Falvey/Dan Barry (Porsche 911) 1h 46m 56s.

JUNIOR EVENT:
1 John McHugh/Brian Boyle (Toyota Corolla) 1h 23m 01s,
2 Tony Gibbons/Enda McLoughlin (Honda Civic) 1h 24m 15s,
3 Kevin Gallagher/Gavin Gallagher (Vauxhall Corsa) 1h 25m 56s.

Stage Winners
SS1 Tim McNulty/Anthony Nestor (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS2 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS3 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS4 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS5 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS6 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS7 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS8 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS9 Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS10 Tim McNulty/Anthony Nestor (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS11 Tim McNulty/Anthony Nestor (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS12 Tim McNulty/Anthony Nestor (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS13 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS14 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS15 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS16 Derek McGarrity/Dermot O'Gorman (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS17 Ray Breen/Andrew Purcell (Ford Focus WRC)

Rally Leaders
SS1-3 Tim McNulty/Anthony Nestor (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS4-17 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Toyota Corolla WRC)

• Full Results
  rally.connect.ie (Angus Sealy)
  
  
• Rallynews (by Brian & Liz Patterson)

Rally Website:
Galway International Rally

Galway Motor Club Home Page

Photos:
Peespeed Photography
GER LEAHY PHOTOGRAPHY & PR
Motorsport Photography by Anthony Hunter
Roy Dempster Photos
crspics.com - Counihan Rallysport Pictures

• 2006 Tarmac Championship

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PRE EVENT NEWS

• Entry Lists on line.
• The Genie returns to defend his Tarmac Title
• Rally Overview
• PROGRAMMES
  Special Edition Programme including a DVD Celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the Galway International Rally.
• GALWAY IT & MOTORSPORT - (Thurs) 2 Feb 06
• Galway Marshals Training Nights - (Mon) 23 & 30 Jan 06
• Entries roll in for Galway
• Sunoco fuel will be available
• First Choice Flooring Ltd, return as main sponsor for 2006 Galway International Rally
• Rally to use WRC style "Designated Refuelling Area"
• Regulations and Entry form available

Ger O Connell, MD of First Choice Flooring Ltd, Cllr Pat Hynes, Mayor of County Galway Dennis Murphy, President of Galway Motor Club, Inspector Derek Gannon, Mill Street, John O Connell Clerk of the Course at the Launch of the Galway International Rally
Photo: Joe Lane

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24/01/06

Car Driver/Navigator (Make/Model) [Class]
1 Donnelly, Eugene/Kiely, Paul (Toyota Corolla WRC) [8]
2 Mc Nulty, Tim/Nestor, Anthony (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
3 Mc Garrity, Derek/O'Gorman, Dermot (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
4 Nesbitt, Andrew/O'Brien, James (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
5 MacHale, Austin/Murphy, Brian (Ford Focus WRC) [8]
6 Boland, Eamonn/Regan, Francis Patrick (Ford Focus WRC) [8]
7 Lynch, Kevin/Noble, Gordon (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
8 Breen, Ray/Purcell, Andrew (Ford Focus WRC) [8]
9 Jones, Gareth-Glyn/Moynihan, David (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
10 MacHale, Gareth/TBA, (Ford Focus WRC) [8]
11 Hurson, Peadar/Connolly, Damien (Subaru Impreza P2000) [8]
12 Gass, Maurice/Cullen, Adrew (Skoda Fabia WRC) [8]
14 Fleming, John Joe/Ward, Robbie (Ford Focus WRC) [8]
15 Evans, Melvyn/Mullally, Sean (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
16 White, Paddy/TBA, (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
17 Doherty, Hugh Martin/McBride, Michael (TBA) [8]
18 Jennings, Garry/Kennedy, Rory (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) [4]
19 Leonard, Seamus/Mc Veigh, Gerry (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
20 Mc Glaughlin, John/Moyinhan, David (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7) [4]
21 White, Roy/Mc Auley, Stephen (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
22 Foley, James/Markey, Dominic (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
23 Fannin, Willie/Courtney, Mick (Subaru Impreza N9) [4]
24 Ring, Alan/TBA, (Subaru Impreza N12) [4]
25 Kelleher, Kevin/Kelleher, Martin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
26 Sleator, Jack/England, Timmy (Skoda Fabia WRC) [8]
27 Cullen, James/Graham, Reba (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) [4]
28 Raftery, Daragh/Friel, Adain (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
29 Doherty, Martin/Cullen, Andrew (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
30 Mac Hale, Aaron/Mc Monagle, Gerard (Toyota Corolla WRC) [8]
31 Bird, Mike/Keane, Kevin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) [4]
32 Dempsey, Paul J/Moran, Des (Subaru Impreza N9) [4]
33 O'Donoghue, Kevin/O'Leary, Joe (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
34 Tracey, George/Brennan, Liam (Peugeot 206 WRC) [8]
35 Mc Colgan, Michael/Flanagan, Kevin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) [4]
36 Mc Coskey, Connor/Henderson, Crawford (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo ) [4]
37 Gallagher, Paul/Reid, Karl (Toyota Corolla) [13]
38 O'Reilly, Ollie/Kierans, Arthur (Ford Escort G3) [13]
39 O'Mahony, Brian/Higgins, John (Ford Puma Super 1600) [6]
40 Hallinan, Enda/Ward, Ollie (Honda Civic) [2]
41 O'Neill, Kev Jnr/Hickey, Jonny (Ford Puma Super 1600) [6]
42 Patterson, Wesley/Kelly, Bob (Ford Escort RS) [13]
43 Holton, Tom/Kenny, Francis (Toyota Celica 205) [15]
44 Donegan, Brendan/Farrell, Noel (Mitsubishi Evo) [16]
45 Dolan, Willie John/Doherty, Brian (Subaru Impreza) [4]
46 Bowens, Donal/Wilks, Mike (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5) [4]
47 Price, Pat/TBA, (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) [4]
48 Morris, John/Silver, Declan (Ford Escort Cosworth) [15]
49 McDermot, PJ/Harris, Sean (BMW M3) [14]
50 Purtil, Paul/Lyons, David (Ford Escort) [9]
51 Halliday, Tom/Horan, Paul (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
52 McCusker, Seamus/Fergus, Vincent (Ford Escort M6) [14]
53 Heena, Columba/Heena, Derek (Toyota Corolla) [11]
54 O'Brien, Enda/Butler, John (Ford Escort) [11]
55 Kelly, Pat/Flynn, Martin (Subaru Impreza) [16]
56 Tansey, Declan/Lawlor, Declan (Ford Escort) [13]
57 Thomas, Rory/Furey, Stephen (Toyota Corolla) [11]
58 Caldwell, Dermot/Caldwell, Darren (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) [4]
59 Callanan, Pat/Kenneth, Sheil (Honda Civic) [3]
60 Melia, Brian/Doherty, Michael (Honda Integra) [16]
61 Cumiskey, Brendan/TBA, (Honda Civic Type R) [3]
62 Meegan, Eugene/Mc Gee, Paul (Honda Civic Type R) [3]
63 Gass, Darren/Foley, Conor (Ford Fiesta) [6]
64 Delaney, David/Mc Grath, John (Ford Fiesta) [6]
65 Kelly, Manus/Doherty, Gareth (Toyota Corolla) [11]
66 McKenna, Brian/TBA, (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
67 Ward, John/McEihinney, Kieran (Toyota Corolla) [11]
68 Pierce, Neil/O'Leary, Enda (Honda Civic) [11]
69 Cunningham, Martin/Cunningham, Jonathan (Honda Civic) [11]
70 Fitzsimons, John/Brunton, Sean (Ford Escort) [12]
71 Lee, Eamonn/Howley, Peter (Ford Escort) [13]
72 Allen, Fergal/Brady, Martin (BMW M3) [14]
73 Keely, Adrian/Ward, Michael (Honda Civic) [11]
74 Murphy, Barry/Guiney, Denis (Citroen Saxo) [6]
75 Tourish, Damien/McElanney, Domhnall (Honda Civic) [2]
76 Roarty, Kieran/Mc Gee, Eamonn (Mitsubishi Evo 6) [4]
77 Devine, Seamus/TBA, (Mitsubishi Evo 8) [3]
78 Quinn, Mick/Kelly, Chris (Honda Civic) [2]
79 Doyle, Tommy/O'Donoghue, Andrew (Honda Civic) [2]
80 Roe, David/TBA, (Honda Civic Type R) [3]
81 O'Keeffe, Brian/Power, Derek (Subaru Impreza) [4]
82 McKenna, Jim/Treanor, Thomas (Toyota Starlet) [11]
83 Roche, Ian/Roche, Paul (Peugeot 206) [16]
84 Quinn, Shane/Hogan, Clair (Peugeot 205 RWD) [14]
85 McElhinney, Gary/Gilespie, Jimmy (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
86 OBrien, Tommy/OBrien, JJ (Honda Civic) [11]
87 Cahill, Tom/Sherlock, Des (Honda Integra) [16]
88 Bushe, Andrew/Mc Garrity, Martin (Peugeot 106 GTi) [6]
89 O'Grady, Seamus/OonaghA, Roche (Proton Satria) [6]
90 Randles, David/Duggan, Con (Nissan Almera) [7]
91 Mc Daid, Patrick/Lunn, Timmy (Honda Civic VTi) [6]
92 Ruth, John Paul/Webster, Robbie (Peugeot 306 GTi) [7]
93 Kehoe, Simon/Culleton, Veronica (Peugeot 306) [7]
94 Connolly, Brian/TBA, (Citroen Saxo VTS) [6]
95 Burke, John/Crowley, Michelle (Peugeot 206) [6]
96 Gallagher, John/Brrandan, Mc Elhinney (Honda Civic) [2]
97 McDonagh, Gerard/Lee, Kenneth (Honda Civic) [16]
98 Farrell, Victor/Corcoran, Victor (Honda Civic) [16]
99 Conneely, John/Melville, Alan (Ford Escort Mk2) [11]
100 Flanagan, Tommy/Flanagan, Keith (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
101 Browne, Gerard/Bovaird, Keith (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
102 Smyth, Sean/Moloney, Gerard (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
103 Hodgins, Gerard/Shiel, Alan (Honda Civic) [16]
104 Guest, David/Hayes, Eamonn (Peugeot 206 GT) [10]
105 Deane, Derek/Burke, Trevor (Ford Escort Mk2) [11]
106 Forde, Colm/Trill, Jonathon (Ford Ka) [5]
107 Flynn, Colm/Flynn, Jason (Toyota Corolla) [11]
108 James, Ceiros/Kiely, Patrick (Opel Manta) [13]
109 Bonner, Patrick/Bonner, Anthony (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
110 Murphy, Matthew/O'Donnell, Barry (Toyota Corolla) [11]
111 Carolan, Thomas/OFlynn, Ian (Ford Escort) [9]
112 Curley, Tom/Callanan, Paraic (Honda Civic Type R) [16]
113 Mc Grath, Colm/TBA, (Honda Civic) [11]
114 Callanan, Padraic/Conneely, Philip (Honda Civic) [11]
115 Hogan, Kenneth/Dooley, David (Vauxhall Nova) [10]
116 Murphy, Kieran/Grimes, Aisling (Ford Escort Mk2) [10]
117 Reidy, Gary/Cuihane, Patrick (Ford Escort) [13]
118 Hannigan, Garret/Duffy, Martin (Ford Fiesta) [13]
119 Quigley, David/Feeney, Derek (Suzuki Swift) [9]
120 Ollerenshaw, Jason/Day, Graham (Peugeot 205) [10]
121 Conneely, Jarlath/Casserly, Declan (Honda Civic) [11]
122 Cunningham, Micheal/Sharkey, Eugene (Honda Civic) [16]
123 Mc Hugo, Kevin/Fehily, Gerard (Toyota Corolla) [10]
124 Kinneavy, Ronan/ODonnell, Shane (BMW) [10]
125 Crowe, Christopher/Hession, Gabriel (Ford Sierra) [13]
126 Donohoe, Shane/Donohoe, Noel (Ford Escort Mk2) [11]
127 Murphy, Kevin/Foye, Keith (Ford Escort Mk2) [10]
128 Shiel, Tom Joe/Kelly, Aidan (Ford Escort Mk1) [10]
129 Kenny, John/Sheil, Jason (Honda Civic) [11]
130 Gaine, Micheal/Horgan, Mark (Ford Escort Mk2) [11]
131 Leonard, Thomas/Page, Stan (Honda Civic) [11]
132 Gormally, Tom/TBA, (Honda Civic) [11]
133 Kelly, Adrian/Rodgers, Micheal (Peugeot 205 GTi) [10]
134 Hynes, Ian/TBA, (Honda Civic VTi) [2]
135 Gamble, Andrew/Charlesson, Jonathan (Nissan Micra) [5]
136 Stewart, Andrew/Gallagher, Tony (Suzuki Swift) [5]
137 Cannon, Dermot/Elliott, Patrick (Subaru Impreza) [8]
138 Murphy, Colm/Loughrey, Ger (Subaru Impreza) [4]
139 Morrow, Philip/TBA, (Mitsubishi) [4]
140 Mc Dermott, Christy/Baird, Johnny (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
141 Toye, Hugh Martin/Toye, Breeda (Honda Civic VTi) [16]
142 Magee, Declan/Nugent, Thomas (Peugeot 206) [6]
143 Graham, David/McDaid, Tony (Peugeot 106) [6]
144 Horan, Kieran/Mac Mahon, Shawn (Peugeot 106 GTi) [16]
145 Callaghan, Paul/Callaghan, Barry (Peugeot 205) [13]
146 Brogan, Brian/Friel, Joe (Ford Escort) [13]
147 Murphy, Seamus/Kelly, Graham (Ford Escort) [11]
148 Watters, Conor/Gallagher, Declan (Ford Escort) [12]
149 Reddington, John/Glackin, Berni (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
150 Keys, Thomas/Harvey, Alloy (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]

H1 Kermode, Adrian/Beckett, Maurice (Porsche 911) [C2]
H2 Falvey, Todd/Barry, Dan (Porsche 911) [C2]
H3 Cunningham, Ray/Hyland, Richard (Morris Mini) [B2]
H4 Farrell, John/Shields, Enda (Ford Escort RS) [C2]
H5 Cunningham, Frank/Forde, Arron (Ford Escort) [C2]
H6 Ward, Martin/Conroy, Linda (Opel Manta) [C2]
H7 Creighton, Niall/Roberts, Gregory D (Ford Lotus Cortina) [B3]
H8 Treacy, Sean/Regan, Billy (BMW 2002) [C2]
H9 Flanagan, Kevin/Faul, Rory (Austin Mini Cooper S) [C1]
H10 Sheehan, Liam/Harrington, Alan (Ford Escort Mk1) [C1]
H11 Mc Carthy, Gerard/Horan, Paul (Triumph TR7) [D4]
H12 Stewart, Ernest/TBA, (Hillman Hunter GLS Holbay) [C2]
H14 Devine, Mike/Devine, John (Ford Escort Mk1) [C1]
H15 Todd, William/McKinley, Samuel (Austin Mini Cooper S) [B2]
H16 O'Connor, Donal/Fagan, Vincent (Ford Escort Mk1) [C2]
H17 Keane, Niall/TBA, (Hillman Avenger) [C1]
H18 O'Toole, John/TBA, (Ford Escort) [C2]
H19 Fisher, Ian/Bristow, Martin (Talbot Sunbeam) [B1]
H20 Freeman, Gerry/Quigley, Dermott (Ford Anglia) [B3]
H21 Dalton, Alan/Dalton, Kiernan (Clan Crusader) [C1]
H22 Murphy, Edward/Lucey, Con (Ford Escort Mk1) [C2]

J1 Hickey, Neil/Greene, Ray (Ford Escort Mk2) [J2]
J2 Gallagher, Kevin/Gallagher, Gavin (Vauxhall Corsa) [J1]
J3 Mc Hugh, John/Boyle, Brian (Toyota Corolla) [J2]
J4 Cunningham , Patrick/OBrien, Shane (Honda Civic) [J2]
J5 Gibbons, Tony/Brennan, Gerard (Honda Civic) [J2]
J6 Browne, Martin Oliver/TBA, (Honda Civic) [J2]
J7 Dorrian, Johnny/McMullan, Padraig (Ford Escort Mk2) [J2]
J8 Buckley, Tadhg/Buckley, Shane (Peugeot 106) [J2]
J9 Ryan, Barry/O'Connell, Tadhg (Ford Escort) [J2]
J10 Moran, Sean/Mulcahy, Con (Toyota Corolla) [J2]
J11 Friel, Brendan/Kelly, Patrick (Toyota Corolla) [J2]
J12 Carron, Michael/Graham, Trevor (Austin Mini) [J1]
J14 Convey, Conor/Convey, Mark (Ford Escort Mk2) [J2]
J15 Mc Groary, Dermot/Mc Menamin, Martin (Peugeot 206) [J2]
J16 Doherty, Kieran/Flemming, David (Vauxhall Nova) [J1]
J17 Walsh, David/Walsh, Ciaran (Talbot Sunbeam) [J2]
J18 Quigley, JP/Mc Colgan, Nina (Suzuki Swift GTI) [J1]
J19 Brett, James/TBA, (Honda Civic) [J2]
J20 Feeney, Michael/O'Grady, Stan (Toyota Corolla) [J2]
J21 Price, Richard/Keena, Alan (Ford Escort Mk2) [J2]
J22 Lane, Mark/TBA, (Peugeot 106 GTi) [J2]
J23 Howlett, Liam/Tector, Leo (Talbot Sunbeam) [J2]

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• GALWAY IT & MOTORSPORT - (Thurs) 2 Feb 06

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• Galway Marshals Training Nights - (Mon) 23 & 30 Jan 06

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18/01/06
Entries roll in for Galway
The competiton for places in the top ten will be in intense, with a large entry received. Among those crews you can expect to see in the top thirty are

Eugene Donnelly and Paul Kiely – Toyota Corolla WRC
John Joe Flemming and Robbie Ward - Ford Focus WRC
Austin MacHale and Brian Murphy – Ford Focus WRC
Gareth MacHale and Paul Nagle – Toyota Corolla WRC
Ray Breen and Andrew Purcell – Ford Focus WRC
Andrew Nesbitt and James O Brien – Subaru Impreza WRC
Tim McNulty and Anthony Nestor – Subaru Impreza WRC
Eammon Boland and Francis Regan – Ford Focus WRC
Derek McGarrity and Dermot O Gorman – TBA
Paddy White and TBA - Subaru Impreza WRC
Gary Jennings and Rory Kennedy – Evo 8
Peadar Hurson and Damien Connolly – Subaru Impreza
Jack Sleator and Timmy England – Skoda Fabia WRC

Among the Galway Crews are

Mike Bird and Kevin Keane – Evo 8
Enda Hallinan and Ollie Ward – Honda Civic
Paul Dempsey and Des Moran – Subaru Impreza
Martin Ward and Linda Conroy – Opel Manta
Frank Cunningham and Arron Forde – Ford Escort
Pat Callanan and Kenneth Sheil – Honda Civic
John Burke and Michelle Crowley – Peugeot 206

A full seeded entry list will be available in the near future.

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Sunoco fuel will also be available in Galway.

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02/01/06
First Choice Flooring Ltd, return as main sponsor for 2006 Galway International Rally
Rally to use WRC style "Designated Refuelling Area"

Galway Motor Club are delighted to announce that, First Choice Flooring Ltd, will return as the main sponsor for the 2006 Galway International Rally. Galway Motor Club are indebted to Ger O Connell and his team for backing the event for the third year running. It is a huge commitment by a local Galway company, to sponsor the first major sporting event, in Galway for 2006. The rally brings an influx of in the region of 30,000 visitors to Galway on an annual basis.

The 2006 rally is the opening round, of The Pirelli Irish Tarmac Championship and the first round, of The Irish Historic Championship. The headquarters for the event will once again be, The Radission SAS Hotel, Lough Atalia, Galway City. John O Connell is COC for the Rally, assisted by a large team from Galway Motor Club. The organisers of the rally have taken the decision to appoint an official fuel supplier for the 2006 event. Donegal Oil, who are already well known in the world of motorsport have been appointed as ‘The Official Fuel Supplier’ for the First Choice Flooring Ltd, Galway International Rally. This decision was taken , following a safety audit of rally service areas. One of the main recommendations was, that refuelling should be carried out at a designated refuelling area with all the necessary equipment in place. The service area is always a hive of activity to which the general public has access , a designated refuelling area will reduce the risk of spills, pollution or even worse personal injury and help make the rally safer for competitors and spectators alike.

Donegal Oil began researching the Racing Fuel business in September 2000 and supplied their first customers with Shell Racing Fuel in 2002. Arthur McMahon and his team looked at various refuelling systems over the years, with a visit to Wales Rally GB, providing the inspiration for the system presently in use. Arthur arranged to provide the system for Rally Ireland in October 04 and it proved to be a huge success. Donegal Oil will provide 7 pumps and at least 4 grades of fuel for the First Choice Flooring Galway International ’06. Each refuelling position is equipped with spill catchers, firefighting equipment and staffed by a professional motorsport refuelling team.

This is a major step in on event safety and we hope to have the support of everyone in the motorsport world to ensure it is a success and continues as the way forward for refuelling. The event regs contain full details of the new refuelling procedures. The action starts with scrutiny in Galway on Friday February 3rd, moving to centralised servicing in Portumna Mart on Saturday 4th, with a 3 stage configuration in the Portumna, Gurtymadden and Eyrecourt area. The Rally moves to centralised servicing in Ballinasloe Mart on Sunday, with 140 stage kms running from Caltra to Ballyfa. The Rally finishes in Eyre Square on Sunday evening.

Regulations and Entry form on:
Galway International Rally

Galway Motor Club Home Page

• 2006 Tarmac Championship