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Killarney Historic Stages Rally - 2-3 Dec 06

Posted: December 17, 2006 12:07 PM - 20678 Hits

Final Round - 2006 Southern 4 Historic Championship

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  • FINAL FLOURISH BRINGS VICTORY TO NUTT
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Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride - Winners
Photo: Eoin O'Sullivan

Posted: December 17, 2006 12:07 PM


Todd Falvey/Dan Barry - Post-Historic Winners
Photo: Eoin O'Sullivan


Martin McCormack/Joe Agnew - Classic Winners
Photo: Eoin O'Sullivan


Dessie Keenan/Enda Sherry - Modified Classic Winners
Photo: Eoin O'Sullivan


FINAL FLOURISH BRINGS VICTORY TO NUTT

The Great Stuff Caterers 2006 Killarney Historic Stages Rally came to a dramatic conclusion when Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride snatched victory from Ray Cunningham and Richard Hyland on the twelfth and final stage. Cunningham, the winner of this event in 2005, had led the rally from the off, in his Mini Cooper S, but Nutt, driving a Porsche 911, whittled the gap down to ten seconds going into the final test near Beaufort. Nutt was then eleven seconds quicker on that final stage, which gave him victory by just one second. He has won the rally on six previous occasions.

The battle for third place was also decided on the final stage, James Stait and Gill Gotton (MG Midget) overhauling Adrian Kermode and Liz Jordan (Porsche 911) for the position over the closing miles.

The local Killarney & District Motor Club crew of Todd Falvey and Dan Barry won the Post-Historic section comfortably, their second such triumph in a row. Their path to victory was eased earlier when their closest challengers, Nick Whale and Sally Woods, who had been lying eight seconds behind, slid off the road into a dyke on stage nine, Beallaghbeama.

Millstreet native, Denis Moynihan, navigated by his cousin, Dan Moynihan, took the runner-up spot in the Post-Historics, ahead of the Kilkenny father and son pairing of Joe and Gareth Connolly.

Martin McCormack and Joe Agnew from Derry won the Classic section in their Ford Escort RS, ahead of the local crew of Tom Randles and Sean Duggan, also in an Escort RS. Manxman, Martin Freestone, and co-driver, Joanne Oakey, claimed third.

In the section for Modified Classics, the Monaghan crew of Dessie Keenan and Enda Sherry took their third victory in a row. Welsh visitor, Phil Collins, navigated by Corkman, Adrian Deasy, claimed second when Pat Donegan and Andy Donoghue, who had been holding the place, crashed out the final stage. Donegal driver, Martin McGee took third, navigated by Arthur Kierans.

The Donegal pairing of John O'Donnell and Sean McBride won the Junior Killarney Historic Stages Rally (for drivers under 27 and new to rallying); they had almost a minute in hand over runners-up Gareth O'Mahony and Gerard McCarthy.

This year's Killarney Historic Stages Rally saw the format of the event further expanded over that of previous years, with an early afternoon start on Saturday followed by two stages before nightfall; the same two stages were then repeated after dark. Sunday's planned route was scheduled to consist of another eight stages, but torrential rain on Saturday night saw parts of the stage bordering Caragh Lake disappear under water, and this test had to be cancelled. The Molls Gap, Beallaghbeama and Shanera stages went ahead as planned, each run twice.

Ray Cunningham, the 2005 Killarney Historics winner, navigated on this occasion by Richard Hyland, opened his account with fastest time on the first stage, Rockfield, his Mini Cooper S stopping the clocks on six minutes, nineteen seconds. Next fastest were Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride in the Porsche 911, sixteen seconds down. Nutt, a six times winner of the event, was back at the Killarney Historic Rally having missed the 2005 edition, and admitted to a cautious start. Stage two, Coolick, saw Nutt take fastest time, but Cunningham was just one second slower, as weather conditions worsened considerably with heavy rain and strong winds making conditions extremely difficult for everyone involved.

Philip Wylie and John Lemon, in an MG B, were third fastest after stage one, 28 seconds off the lead, with Adrian Kermode and Liz Jordan a further three seconds down in fourth. Kermode, the winner of the Post-Historic section of the 2006 Irish Tarmac Championship, had swapped his later Post-Historic, 3-litre Porsche 911 (being driven by Marc Duez on this event) for a 2-litre version, and had to adapt to the drop in horsepower with the older car. He took back the three seconds on stage two, to tie with Wylie for third.

The two initial stages were re-run after nightfall, Nutt taking three seconds back on Rockfield, and another seven on Coolick, as the effects of water took their toll on Cunningham's electrics. Adrian Kermode made third place his own, while James Stait and Gill Cotton moved into fourth in the diminutive MG Midget ahead of Wylie and Lemon.

Sunday morning dawned somewhat calmer than the evening before, but still very wet. Cunningham was fastest over the revered Molls Gap stage, despite a spin, five seconds quicker than Nutt. Cunningham went a further eight seconds ahead on the following stage, Beallaghbeama. Stait and Cotton tied for third with Kermode and Jordan after Beallaghbeama.

With the Caragh Lake stage cancelled due to the elements, the crews returned to Molls Gap and Bealaghbeama. Nutt took eight seconds back from Cunningham on Molls Gap, but Cunningham recovered seven seconds on Beallaghbeama, leaving the gap at seventeen seconds with two stages remaining. In the battle for third, Kermode pulled 18 seconds clear of Stait over Molls Gap, but Stait was eleven seconds faster on Beallaghbeama, leaving the difference at seven seconds.

Two runs of the Shanera stage remained. On the first, Nutt was seven seconds faster, and he cut Cunningham's advantage to ten seconds. The final stage saw Nutt pull out all the stops, not to mention the spare wheel, jack and any other unnecessary weights out of the 911, to record his seventh victory by the slightest of margins. Stait closed in on Kermode, reducing the margin to one second going into the last stage, and Stait then went twelve seconds on the final test to take the final 'podium' place. Aaron and Alan Tracey took fifth in their Mini Cooper S, while Philip Wylie and John Lemon eventually came home in sixth.

Post-Historic
Mike and Jonathan Doody were the early leaders of the Post-Historic category in their Mini after the opening run through Rockfield. Their closest challengers were Nick Whale and Sally Woods, three seconds back in their Porsche 911. The defending Post-Historic title holders, Todd Falvey and Dan Barry, were another two seconds down in third. Denis and Dan Moynihan were fourth fastest on the opening stage, fifteen seconds off the lead.

Some of the other expected Post-Historic front-runners encountered difficulties early in the event. Marc Duez, and his co-driver, John Muth, took time to adapt to the atrocious conditions, and Marc also had to accliamatise to the right-hand drive format of the Porsche Centre Chester/Corkills Motor Group-supported Porsche 911 he was driving in Killarney. The Belgian crew held a place inside the top ten. Joe and Gareth Connolly lost time on the first stage when the gearlever broke on their Escort. Frank Cunningham and Aaron Forde had to contend with a misfire in their Escort.

On stage two, Whale and Woods went fastest to take over the lead, fifteen seconds ahead of Falvey and Barry. Mike and Jonathan Doody's Mini overheated, and its exhaust came loose - they dropped to third.

Whale and Woods were fastest again on stage three, and extended their lead over Falvey and Barry to 22 seconds. The Doody's clipped a pillar and knocked a spot lamp off the Mini, and Denis and Dan Moynihan moved ahead of them into third.

On the final Saturday stage, the wipers on Whale's Porsche worked only intermittently, and Falvey set fastest time, narrowing the gap to eight seconds. The Moynihans remained in third overnight, while James Sutherland and Howard Pridmore moved into fourth in their Porsche 911, after the Doodys spun their Mini.

On Sunday morning, Falvey and Barry were fastest over Molls Gap by an astonishing 26 seconds, and took a clear lead of the Post-Historics. Whale and Woods took ten seconds out of Falvey and Barry on Beallaghbeama, and the difference between the two leading crews stood at eight seconds, with four stages remaining. On the same stage, Sutherland and Pridmore set fastest time and overhauled the Moynihans for third.

The second run through Molls Gap saw Falvey/Barry and Whale/Woods set identical times, therefore the gap remained eight seconds. The Doody's completed the stage but retired (from fifth place) on the road section afterwards, the overheating Mini having blown its head gasket.

Beallaghbeama second time saw two of the top Post-Historic crews crash out. The 911 of Nick Whale and Sally Woods slipped off the road into a dyke, and they were unable to extricate the Porsche. James Sutherland and Howard Pridmore also left the road further along the stage, landing in a bog. Marc Duez and John Muth retired on the same stage with a broken gearbox.

Now holding a comfortable lead at the front, Todd Falvey and Dan Barry negotiated the two runs of the Shanara stage without incident, to record their second Post-Historic victory in a row. Denis and Dan Moynihan gained second place following the demise of the two Porsche crews on Beallaghabeama. Joe and Gareth Connolly recovered from their Saturday gearlever drama to claim thrid. Frank Cunningham/Aaron Forde took fourth, just three seconds ahead of Chris Browne/Ali Cornwell.

Classic
In the Classic section, for cars produced between 1975 and 1981 conforming to their original specification, Martin McCormack and Joe Agnew took the fastest time on the opening stage in their Escort RS, just one second quicker than Tom Randles and Sean Duggan. Randles and Duggan moved ahead on the next stage, and the Killarney & District Motor Club crew remained in front after stage three. Randles, a longtime Escort exponent, has driven a Group A Toyota Celica for the past couple of years, and his return to the Escort ranks for this event (in an example hired from the Rally X-treme concern) attracted great interest among the local followers.

McCormack and Agnew were fastest on the fourth and final stage of Day 1, and shared the lead with Randles and Duggan overnight. On Sunday morning, McCormack and Agnew pulled clear, as Randles expressed dissatisfaction with some his tyre choices. McCormack, (whose brother Greg was the Modified winner in the inaugural Killarney Historic Stages Rally in 1996), remained in front thereafter, eventually taking the win by over a minute, while Randles retained second place.

Martin Freestone (a former winner of the Post-Historic category) and Joanne Oakey held third place throughout the event, while the father and daughter crew of John and Sharon Boyle also held station in fourth for the duration.

Modified Classic
The Modified Classic category, it was the defending title holders, Dessie Keenan and Enda Sherry, who set the initial pace on the first run through the Rockfield stage. Their Escort was seven seconds up on the similar car of Pat Donegan and Andy Donoghue, with Killarney men, Kevin O'Donoghue and Joe O'Leary, a further five seconds back. Phil Collins and Adrian Deasy were fourth fastest, fourteen seconds off the lead.

The local husband and wife pairing of Peter and Peggy Lucey, who were expected to feature strongly, had their rally come to an early conclusion when they crashed out on a fast uphill section of the opening test, thankfully without injury to either crew member. Another local, Charlie Hickey, navigated by his son, Johnny, had a heart-stopping moment as he avoided the stricken Kelly Escort.

Keenan and Sherry maintained their advantage through stages two and three, but on the fourth test, the second run through Coolick, Donegan and Donoghue went fastest, and moved into a four second overnight lead. Kevin O'Donoghue and Joe O'Leary remained in third, 21 seconds off the lead. Phil Collins and Adrian Deasy were off the pace of the leading trio on stage four, their efforts hampered by a misted up windscreen, but they remained in fourth. Indeed, the lack of vision in the dark and extremely wet conditions, combined with strong winds, made conditions extremely difficult for competitors, service crews and marshals.

The overnight top six was completed by Martin McGee/Arthur Kierans and Mike Quinn/Sean Enright, but the latter crew was destined not to restart on Sunday morning due to gearbox problems afflicting their Escort. The first stage on Sunday morning, Molls Gap, saw the local challenge further blunted, when Kevin O'Donoghue and Joe O'Leary retired with a broken half shaft.

Pat Donegan and Andy Donoghue picked up a left rear puncture approximately halfway through the stage. They pushed on to the finish before changing the wheel, but forty seconds, and the lead, had been lost. Keenan and Sherry returned to the head of the leaderboard, where they were to stay for the remainder of the event. Donegan and Donoghue dropped to second, while Collins and Deasy moved up to third following the demise of O'Donoghue and O'Leary. Martin McGee and Arthur Kierans now occupied fourth, one place ahead of Frank Kelly and Liam Brennan, while local men, Fergus O'Meara and Dermot Brennan, occupied sixth.

The second run over Molls Gap saw Donegan and Donoghue in further difficulty, as their Escort's gearbox was unable to select first or second gear. They continued on through the Beallaghbeama and Shanara tests, but then crashed out on the final stage, the second run through Shanara, at the same point where Martin Freestone had a huge accident a couple of years ago (Freestone's jump).

Keenan and Sherry held on to record a hat-trick of Modified victories. Collins and Deasy inherited second following the late elimination of Donegan and Donoghue. Martin McGee/Arthur Kierans took third, followed by Liam Kelly/Liam Brennan and Fergus O'Meara/Dermot Brennan, upholding local honour in fifth.

The Great Stuff Caterers 2006 Killarney Historic Stages Rally is organised and promoted by Killarney & District Motor Club, and is also supported by Randles Hotels, Killarney & West Cork; EPS Bison Environmental Products Division; McAuliffe Developments; Centrepoint Tralee; Louis Mulcahy Pottery and The Christmas in Killarney Festival.

Great Stuff Caterers 2006 Killarney Historic Stages Rally
Final Results

Historics
1: Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride (Porsche 911) 1.32:09
2: Ray Cunningham/Richard Hyland (Austin Mini Cooper S) 1.32:10
3: James Stait/Gill Cotton (MG Midget) 1.40:38

Post-Historic
1: Todd Falvey/Dan Barry (Porsche 911) 1.30:18
2: Denis Moynihan/Dan Moynihan (Ford Escort Mk1) 1.32:06
3: Joe Connolly/Gareth Connolly (Ford Escort Mk1) 1.33:44

Classic
1: Martin McCormack/Joe Agnew (Ford Escort) 1.29:56
2: Tommy Randles/Sean Duggan (Ford Escort) 1.31:03
3. Martin Freestone/Joanne Oakey (Ford Escort) 1.34:57

Modified Classic
1: Dessie Keenan/Enda Sherry (Ford Escort RS) 1.23:57
2: Phil Collins/Adrian Deasy (Ford Escort RS) 1.25:10
3: Martin McGee/Arthur Kierans (Ford Escort RS) 1.26:21
PRE EVENT NEWS
  • CUNNNINGHAM OUT TO DEFEND KILLARNEY HISTORIC RALLY CROWN - Preview
  • 023 Tiles Southern 4 Championship preview.
  • DUEZ ADDS CONTINENTAL FLAVOUR TO KILLARNEY HISTORIC RALLY
  • Entry Lists available.
  • Killarney & District Motor Club announce further details of the 2006 Killarney Historic Stages Rally
  • KILLARNEY HISTORIC RALLY ANNOUNCES NEW TITLE SPONSORSHIP DEAL
  • Regulations available to download
28/11/06
CUNNNINGHAM OUT TO DEFEND KILLARNEY HISTORIC RALLY CROWN - Preview
Galway driver, Ray Cunningham, is the number one seed for the Great Stuff Caterers 2006 Killarney Historic Stages Rally, which takes place this weekend. He won the Historic category on the event last year, and returns with the same Mini Cooper S which brought him to victory twelve months ago. He will be navigated on this occasion by Richard Hyland. Cunningham's Mini will be followed over the Start Ramp in Killarney's town centre on Saturday afternoon by the Porsche 911 of Dessie Nutt. The Derry man has recorded six victories on the Killarney Historic Stages Rally, and he will be bidding to further add to his tally of wins. His co-driver will be Geraldine McBride.

The local crew of Todd Falvey and Dan Barry, last year's victors in the Post-Historic category, are seeded at three in another version of the Porsche 911. Falvey will have to deal with the formidable challenges expected from Belgian visitor, Marc Duez, and England's Nick Whale, a former category winner (both also in 911s).

Two of the expected front runners in the Classic section, Steve Perez and Gareth Lloyd, have had to withdraw their entries for the Killarney Historic Stages following their outings on the Roger Clark Rally in the UK last week.

Local driver, Tom Randles, comes in from the reserves to fill one of the vacant slots. He will drive a Rally X-Treme prepared Ford Escort RS, and will be co-driven by Sean Duggan. Randles finished second in the Modifed category a number of years ago in another Escort, but has since swapped to a modern Toyota Celica. His one-off return to the Escort ranks will be watched by the local fans with great interest. Manx visitor, Martin Freestone, can also be expected to be one of the leading Classic contenders.

The ever-popular Modified section sees Monaghan's Dessie Keenan return to attempt a hat-trick of wins. He will face strong opposition from numerous sources, including Welshman Phil Collins, locals Kevin O'Donoghue, Peter Kelly, Charlie Hickey and Dave Slattery, and Clonakilty's Kevin Kelleher. Killarney man, Donie O'Sullivan has withdrawn his entry as his Escort's engine could not be readied in time.

The Great Stuff Caterers 2006 Killarney Historic Stages Rally is the final round of the 023 Tiles Southern Four Historic Rally Championship, and two crews remain in contention for the title. Martin Sheahan/Gerard Clancy head the championship standings in their Mark 1 Escort, with the similarily-equipped Denis Moynihan/Dan Moynihan currently holding second place. When dropped scores come into play, the points situation between the two crews is very close, and it is not inconceivable that the outcome of the championship may have to be resolved by means of a tie-break.

The Great Stuff Caterers 2006 Killarney Historic Stages Rally, which is organised and promoted by Killarney & District Motor Club, will be based at the Dromhall Hotel and will also be supported by Randles Hotels, Killarney & West Cork; EPS Bison Environmental Products Division; McAuliffe Developments; Centrepoint Tralee; Louis Mulcahy Pottery and The Christmas in Killarney Festival.

The rally will commence with a town-centre start on the afternoon of Saturday, December 2nd. Two afternoon stages followed by two night-time stages will be run on Saturday, with a further eight stages following on Sunday, December 3rd. The event will also feature a centralised service area at the Liebherr Factory car park at Fossa, near Killarney.

*2FM radio DJ, Nikki Hayes, is making her competition debut on the 2006 Killarney Historic Rally. She will navigate Wicklow driver, Pat Lee, in a Ford Escort Mk2 in the Modified section. They are seeded at 129. The duo are using the rally to publicise their fundraising efforts to drill wells for African communities.

Top Ten Seeds - Historic/Post-Historic/Classic
No. Driver/Co-Driver (Address) Make & Model Category
1 Ray Cunningham/Richard Hyland (Co. Galway) Austin Mini Cooper S Historic
2 Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride (Co. Derry) Porsche 911 Historic
3 Todd Falvey/Dan Barry (Co. Kerry) Porsche 911 Post-Historicv 5 Marc Duez/John Muth (Belgium) Porsche 911 Post-Historic
6 Nick Whale/Sally Woods (England) Porsche 911 Post-Historic
7 Joe Connolly/Gareth Connolly (Co. Kilkenny) Ford Escort RS Mk1 Post-Historic
8 Denis Moynihan/Dan Moynihan (Co. Cork) Ford Escort Mk1 Post-Historic
9 Frank Cunningham/Aaron Forde (Co. Galway) Ford Escort RS Mk1 Post-Historic
91 Tom Randles/Sean Duggan (Co. Kerry) Ford Escort RS Mk2 Classic
11 Martin Freestone/Joanne Oakey (Isle of Man) Ford Escort RS Mk2 Classic

Top Ten Seeds - Modified Classic
No. Driver/Co-Driver (Address) Make & Model
95 Dessie Keenan/Enda Sherry (Co. Monaghan) Ford Escort RS Mk2
96 Phil Collins/Adrian Deasy (Wales/Co. Cork) Ford Escort RS Mk2
97 Kevin O'Donoghue/Joe O'Leary (Co. Kerry) Ford Escort RS Mk2
99 Peter Kelly/Peggy Kelly (Co. Kerry) Ford Escort RS Mk2
100 Kevin Kelleher/Martin Kelleher (Co. Cork) Ford Escort RS Mk2
101Charlie Hickey/Johnny Hickey (Co. Kerry) Ford Escort RS Mk2
102 Martin McGee/TBA (Co. Donegal) Ford Escort
103 Camillus Bradley/Danny O'Neill (Co. Derry) Ford Escort RS Mk2
104 Pat Donegan/TBA (Co. Meath) Ford Escort
105 Dave Slattery/Ger Somers (Co. Kerry) Ford Escort RS Mk2



ROUTE
Saturday December 2nd
Start Ramp Market Cross, Killarney (12:50)
Stage 1 Rockfield
Stage 2 Coolick
Service Liebherr
Stage 3 Rockfield
Stage 4 Coolick
Service Liebherr
Parc Fermé Killarney Racecourse (19:19)


Sunday December 3rd
Parc Fermé - Out Killarney Racecourse (07:45)
Stage 5 Molls Gap
Stage 6 Beallaghbeama
Stage 7 Caragh Lake
Service Liebherr
Stage 8 Molls Gap
Stage 9 Beallaghbeama
Stage 10 Shanara
Service Liebherr
Stage 11 Caragh Lake
Stage 12 Shanara
Finish Ramp: Randles Bros. Garage, Muckross Road (16:07)


A full timetable and maps of the stages are included in the official rally programme, which is on sale around the Killarney area.
26/11/06
023 Tiles Southern 4 Championship preview.
The Killarney Historic Stages Rally, which takes place on the 2nd & 3rd of December, hosts round 6 of the 023 Tiles Southern 4 Rally Championship for Historics,the championship for main field competitors having finished with the Fastnet Rally in October

023 Tiles of Cork and Bandon sponsored the series for 2006; their fifth year acting as title sponsors, and the continued backing from them has ensured that the Championship grows in stature with each passing year.

14 historic crews signed up at round 1,the Quality Hotels West Cork Rally,where maximum points were taken by Don & Tim Moynihan in their Mk 1 Escort.

Indeed Mk 1 Escorts took all the top scores on this event with second place in the championship registered crews going to Liam Sheehan/Alan Harrington, and third place to Martin Sheahan/Gerard Clancy. John & Michael Hackett managed to break the MK 1 chain by taking fourth place in their Mini.

Next round of the Historic Championship was The Killarney Rally of The Lakes and although it was again a Mk 1 Escort that took the spoils this time it was in the hands of Denis and Dan Moynihan,indeed this was the first of three maximum scores in a row for this crew and their Escort.
Martin Sheahan/Gerard Clancy improved on their third place in West Cork and took the 18 points in Killarney.

David Cremin/Johnny O Shea were third home, again in a Mk 1 Escort with the mini of John & Michael Hackett showing an element of consistency by taking the fourth spot,and 14 points again.

The Ravens Rock was next on the itinerary and Denis & Dan Moynihan took the second of their maximum scores here and if the Hacketts were being consistent then so too were Martin Sheahan/Gerard Clancy who managed the 18 points and second place again.
David Cremin/Johnny O Shea were third here again and,as mentioned above, John & Michael Hackett again took the 14 points in their mini.
Denis and Dan Moynihan took their last maximum score to date on the Cork 20 with Martin Sheahan/Gerard Clancy taking their third score of 18 points in a row. Martin & Gerard took full advantage of the fact that Denis & Dan Moynihan didn’t take part in the Fastnet Rally and recorded their first maximum score of the championship.John & Michael Hackett went two better than their last three outings and took 18 points here for second place and,but for a DNF on the Cork 20 would be fighting for the top position going into this event.
The 16 points for third place went to David Cremin/Johnny O Shea with the 14oints for 4th place being secured by John Curran/Jason O Callaghan,again in an Escort.

So,as we head into the final round the championship looks like this. Martin Sheahan/Gerard Clancy are heading the table with 90 points in total (74 when dropped scores are taken into account)
Denis and Dan Moynihan are second on 60 (Three Maximum scores) John & Michael Hackett are third with 61(60 counting dropped scores)
John Curran/Jason O Callaghan are fourth on 56 (55),Edward Hallahan Barry Murphy 50 (50),David Cremin/Johnny O Shea 49 (49),Liam Sheehan/Alan Harrington 43 (43),Don & Tim Moynihan 22 (22),Noel Hurley/David Andrews 15 (15),Trevor Cusack/Shane Crowley 12 (12) and Donal O Connor/Vincent Fagan 3 .
With 20 points for the win,18 for second,16 for third,14 for fourth and then in single numbers from 13 down it’s all to play for on the Killarney Historic stages rally. And may the best crew win!

21/11/06
DUEZ ADDS CONTINENTAL FLAVOUR TO KILLARNEY HISTORIC RALLY
Three time Belgian Rally Champion, Marc Duez, is to contest the Great Stuff Caterers 2006 Killarney Historic Stages Rally, which will take place on December 2nd and 3rd.  He will pilot a Porsche 911 entered in the category for Post-Historic cars.  Welcoming the news of Duez's entry, the Clerk of the Course of the Killarney Historic Stages Rally, Tim Clifford, said:  "We are delighted that Marc Duez, a professional driver, has chosen to take part in our event.  It will be very interesting to see how his pace compares with the Irish competitors and visitors from the UK."

Duez, 49, has driven for various works teams in the World Rally Championship during his thirty year career in professional motorsports, including Austin Rover, Ford, Toyota and Seat.  He has also achieved equal distinction in circuit racing, having recorded eight victories in the 24 Hour races at Nurburgring, Spa-Francorchamps and Zolder, and class victories in the famous Daytona and Le Mans 24 hour events.  His only previous competitive outing in this country came in 1987, when he was part of the Prodrive BMW line-up on the Circuit of Ireland Rally. 

The Porsche Centre Chester-backed 911 which Duez will drive on the Killarney Historic Stages Rally is the same car which brought Adrian Kermode and Maurice Beckett to victory in the Post-Historic category of the 2006 Pirelli Irish Tarmac Championship.  It will be prepared by Elkin Robinson Motorsport in Northern Ireland.  Marc will be co-driven in Killarney by John Muth, with whom he shared an N-GT class victory on the 2005 Ardenne Bleue Rally in a modern Porsche 911 GT3. 

Adrian Kermode will himself take part in the Killarney event in an earlier example of the 911, entered in the Historic category. 

The Great Stuff Caterers 2006 Killarney Historic Stages Rally, which is organised and promoted by Killarney & District Motor Club, will be based at the Dromhall Hotel and will also be supported by Randles Hotels, Killarney & West Cork; EPS Bison Environmental Products Division; McAuliffe Developments; Centrepoint Tralee; Louis Mulcahy Pottery and The Christmas in Killarney Festival. 

The rally will commence with a town-centre start on the afternoon of Saturday, December 2nd.  Two afternoon stages followed by two night-time stages will be run on Saturday, with a further eight stages following on Sunday, December 3rd.  The event will also feature a centralised service area at Liebherr Car Park, Fossa, just outside Killarney.  

20/11/06
Entry Lists on:
15/11/06Killarney & District Motor Club announce further details of the 2006 Killarney Historic Stages Rally
Killarney & District Motor Club announce further details of the 2006 Killarney Historic Stages Rally at the rally launch in the Dromhall Hotel, Killarney.

Further to the recent announcement that GREAT STUFF CATERERS, the Cork based mobile catering company have signed a title sponsorship deal to support the popular December Rally, it was confirmed by the Managing Director of Great Stuff Caterers, Mr Bryan Allen & Clerk of the Course Tim Clifford that the sponsorship deal is for an initial 3 year period.

Mr Bryan Allen is delighted with the link to Ireland's only event aimed primarily at historic rally cars. "We are currently re-branding our company and the Killarney Historic Rally is the ideal event to promote our business." "This is a great boost to the event”, added COC Tim Clifford. "The organising committee can now concentrate on developing the rally still further, thanks to the generous input of Bryan Allen and Great Stuff Caterers.”

The Great Stuff Caterers 2006 Killarney Historic Stages Rally will be based at the Dromhall Hotel and will also be supported by Randles Hotels, EPS Bison, McAuliffe Developments, Centrepoint Tralee, Louis Mulcahy Pottery & The Christmas in Killarney Festival.

The rally, which will mark the start of the "Christmas in Killarney" Festival, will commence with a town-centre start on the afternoon of Saturday, December 2nd. Two afternoon stages followed by two night-time stages will be run on Saturday, with a further eight stages following on Sunday, December 3rd. The event will also feature a centralised service area at Liebherr Car Park, Fossa, just outside Killarney for the entire rally.

With the entry filling fast for the popular December rally, it was also confirmed at the rally launch that 7 times Killarney Historic Rally winner Dessie Nutt has entered the event in his Porsche 911. Steve Perez, another former winner has also entered the rally in the immaculate Lancia Stratos he debuted on last year’s event.

Last year’s Classic section winners Gareth Lloyd & Ryland James from Wales along with the runner up Martin Freestone were also among the early entries received by Killarney & District Motor Club. The popular Modified section includes entries from last year’s

19/10/06
Killarney and District Motor Club is delighted to announce a new title sponsorship deal for the Killarney Historic Stages Rally. GREAT STUFF CATERERS, the Cork based mobile catering company have signed a title sponsorship deal to support the popular December Rally.

"This is a great boost to the event and I will be able to reveal more about this exciting deal at the forthcoming rally launch”, said Clerk of the Course Tim Clifford. "The organising committee can now concentrate on developing the rally still further, thanks to the generous input of Bryan Allen and Great Stuff Caterers.

The Managing Director of Great Stuff Caterers, Mr Bryan Allen, is delighted with the link to Ireland's only event aimed primarily at historic rally cars. "We are currently re-branding our company and the Killarney Historic Rally is the ideal event to promote our business."

The Great Stuff Caterers 2006 Killarney Historic Stages Rally will be based at the Dromhall Hotel and will also be supported by EPS Bison, McAuliffe Developments, Louis Mulcahy Pottery & The Christmas in Killarney Festival.

The rally, which will mark the start of the "Christmas in Killarney" Festival, will commence with a town-centre start on the afternoon of Saturday, December 2nd. Two afternoon stages followed by two night-time stages will be run on Saturday, with a further eight stages following on Sunday, December 3rd.

The rally will feature categories for four types of cars:
- Historic Cars, which have a cut off date of 31/12/67
- The Post Historic section will cater for cars up to 31/12/74
- Introduced last year, the Classic category will cater for Homologated Cars dating from 1st January 1975 to 31st December 1981
- The popular Modified Classic section will cater for cars up to 31/12/79.

The 2006 Killarney Historic Stages Rally will also include a Junior Rally for Drivers under 27.

The official launch of the Great Stuff Caterers 2006 Killarney Historic Rally will take place on Sunday the 5th of November at the Dromhall Hotel, Muckross Road, Killarney, commencing at 8pm in The Shelbourne Suite. Guests will include, Bryan Allen, Great Stuff Caterers, Bernadette Randles of the Randles Dromhall Hotel, Pat Buckley of EPS Bison and many more.

18/10/06 Regulations and entry form are now available for the 2006 Killarney Historic Stages Rally from:

Topics: Killarney Historic Stages Rally 

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