Jim Walsh Cork Forestry Rally - 18-19 Aug 07

Posted: August 27, 2007 4:18 PM

Gp N Winners, and long time overall leaders - Keith Cronin/Anthony O’Conaill (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7) GpN

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Irish 205 Challenge - WATERS FLOW THROUGH THE WOODS
Kerrill Waters co driven by Ulton Mc Gowan from Ballintogher in Sligo drove faultless through the forests of Cork last weekend to score top points and put themselves right back in chase for the 2007 Irish 205 Challenge. They started day 1 of the event in a newly built car following a shell destroying crash on the Donegal international finished off their highly successfully RGR built 205 gti. Fastest over the seven challenge opponents on the first stage and dispite only seting one other fastest time during the day, they came home at the end of the day with a 3 minute margin over championship leader Kenneth Keyes/ Arleigh Skully and with 10 valuable challenge points. The winning margin hides the real story of the first day when fractions of seconds separated Waters from Keyes and Norman Dunne/∑∑∑Keyes dropped 11 seconds on the first stage, which was also his very first on gravel, but there after set four fastest times in a row before a problem with an air flow meter coming adrift on stage five cost him the 3 minutes. Fastest again on the final two stages of the day gave him second place points. Dunne was also starting his first gravel event in his first season of rallying, and having taken a couple of stages to get going, he set second fastest time through stage three. Stage four was a nightmare for them as the throttle cable jammed open and they lost 4 minutes fixing the problem. They bounced back on stage five with fastest time, their first in the challenge and brought their gti home in third place. For the rest of the field, it was a frustrating day. Barry Mahon/ Ollie O Grady who put so much effort in to their preparations were again let down by mechanical trouble this time when the coil pack burned out. They would restart day two but again a whole host of trouble saw them retire early to have the car repaired for the next round. The most fortunate of the first stage retirements was Paul Conlon/ Dermot Mc Dermot who sheared a bottom wishbone at the very last corner of the stage, and dropped in the ditch on the outside of the road. Had it happened earlier in the stage on a fast section, it would have been nasty accident. Damien and ThomasMc Guaran started well but a huge stone dragged out by another car broke their gear linkage ending their day. Craig O Rourke/ Diarmund Murphy set some good times on their first event on gravel and were determined to avoid trouble but to no avail. Stage five saw them coast to a halt with a terminal driveshaft breakage.

DAY ONE RESULTS:
Waters 10 points, Keyes 8 points, Dunne 7 points.

Day two would see the action move up to stages on the Limerick border with Cork, stages which some of the drivers from last year would have tackled before. One of these was Conlon who charged through the opening two stages to arrive at service with an 11 second lead over Waters who was caught with his pants down so to speak. Dunne never seemed to wake up at all on the Sunday stages and dropped time on all the stages. Keyes was with the chase at start but a huge bit of over exuberance on a tarmac section on stage two saw him spent 6 minutes stuck in a ditch. The Mc Guaran brothers started well setting second fastest time on stage two and again on stage four.

Fastest on stage five and good times on the rest of the days stage saw them come home in third place. Conlon continued where he left off after service with Waters keeping him a little more honest on this loop. As the rally moved into the final four stages, Conlons lead stood at 18 seconds. Two more times faster than Waters would leave him with a comfortable 28 seconds with two stage left. Waters though knows anything could happen and went fastest on those final two stages but Conlon stayed out of trouble and had done enough to take top points for the day. So after a great days forest racing the winning margin was down to 12 seconds. Mc Guaran finished third from Dunne and Keyes in fifth who will be cursing himself after his mistake on stage two. Had he managed to score third placed points he could have put the championship out of the reach of Waters and Conlon.

DAY TWO RESULTS:
Conlon 10 points, Waters 8 points, Mc Guaran 7 points, Dunne 6 points, Keyes 6 points.

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EMMA MIXES IT WITH THE BIG BOYS IN CORK
The fantastic stages of the Cork two day forestry rally were to be the scene of another fine addition to Emma Mckinstry’s rallying CV.

Once again Emma and co-driver Kenny Hull secured the use of the Mckinstry Motorsport Subaru Impreza S8 WRC. After finishing 9th overall in Limerick in the same car, the pair were hopeful of another top ten finish.

So it was with great delight that the pair found themselves 6th fastest on the opening stage. Right amongst the WRC competitors and top group N crews. This was to set the tone for the rest of the weekend as Emma and Kenny consistently set top 10 times to finish leg 1 in 8th overall.

Day two would see Emma set her stall out early with fourth fastest time on the morning’s first test. Promoting them to fifth overall by first service. However Emma and Kenny would come under considerable pressure from a hard charging Cathal Rodgers. A small problem with the gear selector on one of the day’s longer stages cost the pair too much time to be able to fend off Rodgers leaving them sixth overall and first in class at the finish.

Emma and Kenny are delighted with this result and would like to commend Cork Motor Club on a fantastic event. Special thanks must also go to Hankook tyres for their continued help and support as well as Mckinstry Motorsport for providing such a reliable car.

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Cronin the Hometown Hankook Hero as Moore & McHugh Crowned Champions
Round 6 of the Hankook Tyres National forestry championship was the Jim Walsh Cork Forestry. It was firmly billed as a rally that was to provide exciting battles through some of Ireland’s premier forest stages over 2 days of the best entertainment the Cork Motor Club could provide. The event was once more sponsored by Tadhg O’Connell Heating and Plumbing and this year was named the Jim Walsh rally as a tribute to the late member of the club who was in previous years such a cornerstone to this rally and club.

The start ramp was a place of great buzz as it had a top ten that included the man with an almost final grip on the championship in Mr Stephen Moore, followed by an able challenger in Brian McGillin, a local ace Keith Cronin, previous round winner Andrew Purcell and a rally winner from UK stages with Mick O Brien, and that was only the first few cars.

The event began with a fine quality stage in Bweeng, light rain made the stage a touch slippy and it was Brain McGillin who stopped the clocks just 5sec fastest ahead of Keith Cronin, Moore was a cautious 2.9 seconds further back just ahead of Mick O Brien in his 2002 Ford Focus. O Brien, a Cork man originally was smiling at the end of the stage commenting how enjoyable he found the roads. Andrew Purcell did not make it past the first mile of the stage as something in the cars transmission failed on a long tight corner just after the start.

Stage 2 was the classic Mount Hilary stage. McGillin was to loose his slight lead here and drop to 3rd as a front puncture slowed him. Moore was readily poised to take full advantage and move into a half second lead over Cronin who was flying over the fast Mount Hillary mountain sections and moved into second. O Brien continued his familiarisation with Irish forests and held 4th just ahead of Kevin O Kane. Top 2wd was Adrian Hetherington who was revelling with a new improved engine in his MK2 and keeping just ahead of a subdued Frank Kelly who was suffering from illness. Cathal Rodgers was the nearest Group N man to Cronin as he held 6th overall just in front of Emma McKinstry who was making a return to WRC power in her Hankook shod S8 Subaru.

After service the crews tackled two brand new stages on the Kerry border in Derreenaling and Mullaghanish, both stages proved equally challenging with the big ditches of Mullaghanish waiting to catch the unwary. However wary he was being it was Keith Cronin and co driver Anthony O Connell who were the rulers of the two new stages. On SS3 Keith set a blistering 3:51 to Moore’s 4:02 and this saw the Mitsubishi driver move into the lead of the rally for the first time. Moore was blighted by his wipers failing at the crucial moment as he was in a water splash but was quick to point out the Keith was driving well to be able to gain such times in difficult conditions. Colin Britton moved closer to Cathal Rodgers in the race for 2nd Grp N. Britton getting into a faster rhythm as Rodgers struggled with a car that wouldn’t fire properly from the water splash to the end of ss6. A damaged rad was later fixed in service and curing the problem. Pete McCullagh retired from the Grp N chase when his diff seized up on that test, also Eammon McElvanney retired with an electrical problem and James Murphy came back into the frame in 6th after fixing an earlier brake problem. Mick O Brien sadly bowed out from his promising run after damaging steering on Derreenaling and with the long Mullaghanish stage to go before service he elected to go no further.

Cronin continued at his unabated pace on stages 5 & 6 to take fastest on both and stretch his lead to 19 seconds over Brian Mc Gillin, some of this was of course due to McGillin becoming the latest victim of the water splash as his fans took in water and misted up the screen completely. The resulting foggy vision slowed him for more than a few seconds. Moore held 3rd and was quite satisfied to sit there for the moment, he was driving with the championship in mind and knowing that there were ten more stages to be tackled yet. In 2wd Frank Kelly brightened up literally and moved ahead of Adrian Hetherington with Seamus O Connell right behind them in third. Damien Tourish came right into the GrpN picture as he stormed into 4th overall and second Grp N and just ahead of Britton. In the Fiesta ST race it was a nip and tuck battle between Ali Fisher and Johnny Greer with Greer just holding it.

Stage 7 and 8 were a return to the morning stages. These faster more open stages allowed both Moore and McGillin to stretch their WRC legs a bit more and close in some time on Cronin, but not much time as Cronin still held a 14 second advantage over second placed McGillin & Doherty as the cars returned to Parc Fermé. Stephen Moore was a further 6.2 back from the Hyundai and Moore had lost some time with a faulty handbrake switch but regardless he was still very much on course to take the championship spoils if he were to continue at the same pace.

Overnight Colin Britton held fourth after moving in front of Tourish by just 3 seconds and James Murphy was now in sixth. Next Group N was Enda McNulty & Mark Bowens in ninth. In the Superdrive sponsored 2wd race it was Frank Kelly who was the leading light as Adrian Hetherington had spun and let Seamus O Connell back into second. A serious dog fight was expected amongst these 3 musketeers on Sunday as just ten seconds separated them all after 8 hard stages.

Day 2 dawned much brighter and despite some standing water remaining on the first two tests it was going to be perfect conditions for forest rallying. It was a cliché to say that the rally was only halfway there but it was very true as by the first service halt after 2 stages there were many who had fallen by the wayside for various reasons. First James Murphy suffered cruel fate when his Escort WRC’s clutch failed and stranded him in Parc Fermé. Then Brian McGillin jammed in gear at the end of SS9 and this meant he was gone from 2nd o/a. Enda McNulty lost his top ten place when he slid off the road also in ss9 and could get no further. Then both Damien Tourish and Frank Kelly both slipped off the road on the very slippy junction 9 in ss10, Frank was able to regain the road much later after help from another competitor but Tourish was deep in the ditch to stay. This moved Britton more securely into 2nd GrpN and 4th overall just behind of Kevin O Kane who by virtue of a second fastest time on ss9. Cronin continued on his charge at the head of the field and capitalised on intercom trouble that Stephen Moore suffered on ss10. The young Cork driver now held a lead of 14 seconds over the champion elect. Kevin O Kane suffered a spin and damage to front suspension which saw Colin Britton move up to 3rd o/a with a 10 second advantage. Emma McKinstry had been setting fast times all morning but a damaged sump guard caught a gear selector and she limped into service stuck in gear but her service crew were fit to repair it and see her back out on the stages and into a strong 5th o/a. Another climbing back up the time sheets was Cathal Rodgers, he had his Evo 9 up to 7th o/a after yesterdays time delay with the damaged radiator. Alwyn Jobb was about to drop out from a strong 8th o/a when a spark plug problem damaged a piston and put an end to his event.

After service with a new intercom fitted Moore began to pile on the pressure on Keith Cronin, in SS12 Keith had an overshoot right at the last junction and Moore closed the gap to just under 5 seconds. The race was really on now. In the 2wd race Seamus O Connell & Brian Duggan moved to the top and with the loss of Frank Kelly/Liam Brennan, Adrian Hetherington & Gary Nolan slotted into 2nd 2WD. However O Connell was just 2 stages away from disaster as his engine was about to blow, leaving Adrian & Gary to finish the top 2wd crew 7th o/a and win the Superdrive prize and with it comes a voucher from www.superdriveni.com for part payment of entry fees for another round of the Championship.

On ss13 Cronin suffered a small stall off the start line and Moore who was next into the stage was now all the more eager to pounce, and he did taking the lead from Keith by going 12seconds faster. Keith responded in ss14 with another fastest time and gaining 5 back from Moore. Kevin O Kane & Martin Brady took back 3rd o/a from Colin Britton & Arthur Kiearns on ss13 by going 9 faster and Britton replied on ss14 by taking 5 back to leave the gap at 4 seconds. Cathal Rodgers & Paul McLaughlin were on a lightening pace now and overtook Emma McKinstry for 5th as the crews headed for the last 2 stages. Over those two tests in the Streamhill Forests it was Stephen Moore who was fastest to extend his lead to 23 seconds as Keith Cronin drove sensibly and without mistake to cement what had been an excellent performance by him and Anthony O Connell all weekend, they took 5 fastest times and lead the rally for 9 stages. A truly brilliant performance in their Hankook backed Evo 7.

Moore too had an excellent weekend, he drove in the middle of the road when he needed to but had the pace when required and concentrated on his goal of getting through the rally unscathed for him and Tony McHugh to secure the 2007 Hankook National Forest Championship with one round remaining.

Kevin O Kane & Martin Brady took 3rd overall after car preserving pace on day 1 they increased the speed on day 2 and finished just ahead of the hard charging Colin Britton & Arthur Kiearns. In 5th was Cathal Rodgers & Paul McLaughlin, this crew really increased their pace on day2 and without the problems of day 1 they would have ran the other group N contenders much closer in the final reckoning. Emma McKinstry & Kenny Hull took 6th overall, another solid result for Emma as she gets ever used to the step up to WRC machinery. Jonny Greer & Johnny Hart took the Fiesta Sporting Trophy victory ahead of Alistair Fisher & Barry McNulty.

Class victors included John Hickey & Sorcha Kelly in Class 6 Subaru, Paul Mulcahy & Karl Bauman in class 3 Toyota Starlet RWD. Class 1 went to Mike O Connor Jnr & Sinnead O Keefe in their RWD Peugeot. John Byrnes & Kenneth Shiel from Limerick won Class 9 in a Honda Civic. Cork’s Michael O Sullivan & Brian O Connor took their 2 litre Escort to Class 4 victory, and as ever it was Mick Nevin & Alan Higgins who were the crew to beat in class 2 as they took their 1600 Escort to another class victory.

Yet again Cork forestry and Cork Motor Club delivered an excellent rally with the best and most challenging stages in the country and the battle seen on this year’s event will go down in future years as a classic with local hotshot Cronin holding such a brilliant lead for so long and holding off the more advanced machinery. Stephen Moore proved once again that he is a worthy champion with yet another maximum score to put the championship beyond doubt. However that does not mean that the show is over for this year yet, Killarney forestry is almost upon us and on this great event the Hankook National Forestry championship will meet with our counterparts of the Hankook MSA National Gravel Rally Championship, be sure to be there as sparks are sure to fly!

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Greer conquers Cork Forests
Jonathan Greer, the 18yearold student from Carryduff, Northern Ireland, took victory on the fifth round of the Fiesta SportingTrophy Ireland, the Jim Walsh Cork Forestry Rally. Greer with codriver, Jonny Hart won by a margin of just 15 seconds after 147 kilometres of gravel stages organised by the Cork Motor Club. The event was unique in the Fiesta SportingTrophy Ireland, being held over two days. With eight stages north of Cork around Ballyvourney on Saturday and another eight stages around Mallow on Sunday, the crews faced a very tough challenge.

The championship leader before the event was Conor Harvey, 22 from Letterkenny. With two wins, a second and a third in the series to date, Harvey started the event unsure of how he would be able to perform as the series moved from tarmac to gravel for the first of two rounds, of the seven round series, on the loose surface.

Leg One – Saturday 18 August 2007 – 8 stages, 62km.
Day one saw crews wake up to face overnight rain and generally wet conditions creating slippery stages. Alastair Fisher, 19 from Enniskillen, with codriver Barry McNulty were quickest through the opening stage by just 1.5 seconds from Greer.

On stage 2 Greer struck back taking 10 seconds from Fisher while his older brother, Barry Greer, 20 from Carryduff, with his codriver John Lemon, was having problems. He damaged second gear and had to drive stages three and four without it before their DGM team could replace the unit at service. Also in trouble on stage 2 was Tadhg Buckley, 25 from Ballyhaunis. Buckley with codriver with brother Shane Buckley on the notes, overshot a junction and lost time. Stage 3 saw Greer again fastest, taking 2.4 seconds from Fisher.

On stage 4, Greer was fastest again, but this time by only 0.6 seconds from Fisher. In trouble was William Mavitty, 23 from Ennisklillen, with a new codriver for this event – Keefe Kilcoyne. The new team were settling into the event nicely but hit trouble when they took a river crossing too fast and water was forced into the cockpit, instantly causing the windows to steam up meaning hugely reduced visibility.

After the midday service in Ballyvourney, crews went out to do a repeat of the mornings four stages. With the wet weather continuing, the stage conditions had deteriorated considerably meaning extra hazardous conditions for the teams.

Stage 5 saw Fisher fastest, just 1.1 seconds quicker than Greer. On stage 6, Fisher was fastest again by 3 seconds from Greer who suffered a rear puncture towards the end of the stage with minimal time loss.

Stage 7 saw Greer take the fastest time, 9.5 seconds faster than Fisher who reported a couple of spins, claiming that he was perhaps attacking the corners too hard. Also in trouble on this stage was Buckley.

He had been third of the FST runners after stage 6 but went off on stage 7 and got the car beached off the road. Spectators where able to help the crew get the car back on the road but a lot of time had been lost and Buckley plummeted to last overall in the rally.

The final stage of the first leg saw Greer take his fifth fastest time of the day, taking 7.1 seconds from Fisher to carry an overnight lead of 23 seconds. In third place overnight was Harvey with his new codriver for this event, Jonny Baird. Harvey suffered brake problems on the final stage of the leg, reporting that the brakepeddle was going to the floor and as a result he slipped to 1minute, 14 seconds behind Fisher.

In fourth was Kyle Orr, 18 from Dromore and codriver Peter O’Toole. Fifth after a gearbox change was Barry Greer. Sixth after loosing time on the final stage, as they suffered brake knockoff as a result of a loose ball joint, was Mavitty and rounding off the FST runners after their time consuming off was Buckley.

Leg Two – Sunday 19 August 2007 – 8 stages, 85km
Day two dawned overcast but dry. Overnight rain ensured that the eight stages around the town of Mallow would still be wet but the conditions were easier for the hard working service crews.

Stage 9 saw Fisher start as he had done the day before, 6.8 seconds faster than Greer. Barry Greer broke a driveshaft but was able to drive out of the stage where his team were able to change the part to allow him to continue.

On Stage 10, Greer fought back to take 0.8 seconds from Fisher after he lost time with a spin. Meanwhile third placed crew, Harvey and codriver Baird, were in trouble when they left the road and got stuck in a bog. After trying to get the car free they burnt the clutch out and had to retire from the event – Harvey’s first non finish of the season. With the car partially across the road, Orr, Mavitty and Buckley all lost time negotiating their way around the stranded car.

Stage 11 saw Greer again fastest by 2 seconds from Fisher. This pattern was repeated on stage 12 where Greer again was fastest, by 6 seconds.

With midday service in the town of Mallow, the crews set off to do a repeat of the morning’s stages with the road conditions correspondingly more cut up, offering up potential problems. On stage 13 Fisher was fastest, 4 seconds quicker than Greer, but it was Brother Barry who suffered most. In a mirror image of Harvey’s accident, Barry went of the road and damaged the gearbox trying to get back onto the road, leading to retirement. Also in trouble on stage 13 was Mavitty. He hit a large bump in the road at high speed and retired after the stage with a suspected crack in the gearbox housing.

Stage 14 saw Greer retake the advantage and set the fastest time by just 2.5 seconds from Fisher.

The penultimate test, stage 15, saw Fisher make a big effort to fight back but could only take 1 second from Greer to go into the final stage 23 seconds adrift of the leading spot.

With another big push Fisher managed to take 8 seconds but it wasn’t enough to deny Greer and Hart of their first win in the Fiesta SportingTrophy Ireland series. Together with Greer’s two second places and two third placed finishes this makes the series very close at the top.

Overall in the FST class, Orr finished third after two full days of gravel rally experience, a crucial factor for the former rallycross junior champion in his first year of stage rallying. The final finisher was Buckley, despite the problems of the previous day, he and Brother Shane on the pacenotes persevered and managed to finish fourth, keeping them in contention for the overall championship and netting them €375 EUR of prize money.

In the overall championship, the new leader is Fisher with Greer just two points behind. Former series leader Harvey slips to third, Buckley climbs to fourth and Orr now rounds out the top five. With two dropped scores to be taken into consideration, the championship is now finely poised to become a straight fight to the finish.

As this was the first time that the Fiesta SportingTrophy Ireland series has not been in their own classification, the pace of the Fiesta drivers was a talking point of the event. Greer took the lead of the FST section from stage 2 and maintained his lead throughout the 2 days, finishing a fantastic 13th overall in the rally, third in class 5 and third twowheeldrive car, with Fisher just one place behind.

Greer also won the Castrol Hard Charger Award for the highest number of quickest FST stage times – 9 quickest times versus 7 for Fisher emphasising just how close the competition had been.

Jonathan Greer said:
“I have really enjoyed the rally. It has been tough but very competitive. Alastair has really pushed me all weekend. I am delighted with the result and it brings everything a lot closer in the championship. The event was well run with no delays or cancellations. The Lakeland Stages (next round of the FST IE series) will be interesting, I’ve never done that event before, but we’ll see how it goes.”

The next round of the series is the Fisher Engineering Lakeland Forestry Stages, based just outside Enniskillen on 8 September 2007.

Overall Results
Position Driver/CoDriver Total Time
1st Jonathan Greer / Jonny Hart 1:43:09.9
2nd Alastair Fisher / Barry McNulty 1:43:25.8
3rd Kyle Orr / Peter O’Toole 1:47:15.9
4th Tadhg Buckley / Shane Buckley 2:30:56.3

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Results
1 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC) 92m 45s
2 Keith Cronin/Anthony O’Conaill (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7) GpN 93m 08s
3 Kevin O’Kane/Martin Brady (Subaru Impreza WRC) 96m 43s
4 Colin Britton/Arthur Kierans (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) GpN 96m 56s
5 Cahal Rogers/Paul McLaughlin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) GpN 97m 21s
6 Emma McKinstry/Kenny Hull (Subaru Impreza WRC) 98m 07s
7 Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Escort Mk II) 99m 02s
8 John McGaffin/Alan Russell (Subaru Impreza WRC) 99m 31s
9 Colum McBride/Rodney Hicks (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) GpN 100m 16s
10 John Reid/Ray Fitzpatrick (Toyota Corolla WRC) 100m 21s

Leaders After
SS1 Brian McGillin/David Doherty (Hyundai Accent WRC)
SS2 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC)
SS3-12 Keith Cronin/Anthony O'Conaill (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9) GpN
SS13-16 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC)

Stage Winners
SS1 Brian McGillin/David Doherty (Hyundai Accent WRC)
SS2 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC)
SS3 Keith Cronin/Anthony O'Conaill (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9) GpN
SS4 Brian McGillin/David Doherty (Hyundai Accent WRC)
SS5 Keith Cronin/Anthony O'Conaill (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9) GpN
SS6 Keith Cronin/Anthony O'Conaill (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9) GpN
SS7 Brian McGillin/David Doherty (Hyundai Accent WRC)
SS8 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC)
SS9 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC)
SS10 Keith Cronin/Anthony O'Conaill (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9) GpN
SS11 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC)
SS12 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC)
SS13 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC)
SS14 Keith Cronin/Anthony O'Conaill (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9) GpN
SS15 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC)
SS16 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC)

Full Results and Stage Times

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Rallynews (by Brian & Liz Patterson)

Photos
ontherack.net
Rally Mad Motorsport Photography
autopix.ie - Ray Gavin
TPM Photosport

Video Clips
Totally Sideways

• 2007 National Forestry Championship
• 2007 Irish Fiesta Sporting Trophy

2WD Winners - Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan
Photo: Denis Nagle - www.rallymad.co.nr

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PRE EVENT NEWS

• Withdrawls
• Cork 2 day challenge ready to go - Event Preview
• Full Entry List available
• Time and Distance Schedule
• Fiesta’s ready to play dirty
• All Systems are go for the Jim Walsh Cork Forestry Rally
• Over 80 Entries received.
• Event Details
• Regulations available

Anthony O Conaill (Sponsor rep) Pat Nolan(Deputy C.O.C.)
Darren (C.O.C.)
Greg McCarthy(Assistant C.O.C)
Photo: Ger Leahy

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17/08/07
Withdrawls
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12
36
37
64
106

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Cork 2 day challenge ready to go . Event Preview
Round 6 of the Hankook Tyres National forestry championship once again returns to the epic 2 day Cork Forestry. Tadhg O'Conaill Heating and Plumbing" have joined up for a third year as title sponsors. The rally returns to the outskirts of Cork City for a welcome return to last years HQ - The Commons Inn, with scrutiny and Parc Fermé within striking distance at O Connell Crash repairs Mayfield Business Park. This is Ireland's only 2- Day Forest Rally offering 170 stage kms (16 stages) and is a favourite among the Hankook Championship regulars but also attracts many others including Fiesta Sporting Trophy and Irish 205 Challenge contenders.

Experienced COC Darren McCarthy and his dedicated team have yet again set out another challenging event following on the success of recent years. The format has been slightly reworked from 2006 with added stages and extra improved competitive miles. There are 8 stages on Saturday (4 done twice) with Service in Ballyvourney Industrial Estate. Sunday has 8 stages (4 done twice) based around Mallow with service in Quartertown Industrial Estate. Service all weekend is after every 2 stages so there will be every opportunity for service crews to play their important part in the event..

Number 1 seed is the man with a firm grip on the championship, Stephen Moore navigated by Tony McHugh in their Ford Focus WRC, any reasonable points finish this weekend could see the pairing tie up this years championship with one round to go so it could be said that there is no pressure, and Stephen is sure to approach the event with confidence. Second on the road is Brian McGillin & David Dohery, this pairing in their Hyundai WRC have been knocking on the door of a win for a number of rounds now, and Cork just may be the place where they will make the breakthrough. Third is Dominic McNeil & Francis Kenny in their ex works Escort WRC, Dominic has made sporadic appearances this year only to be troubled with minor mechanical woes, Cork may be where it all comes together for him. Fourth is former champion, Omaghs Kevin O Kane & Martin Brady in a Subaru P2000.

Fifth seed is Keith Cronin, one of Corks finest young chargers and also an award winner in the 2006 Motorsport Ireland Coleman award scheme. Keith is co driven by Anthony O Conaill in their Hankook backed Mitsubishi. They have been on a blistering pace all year, even leading events at some point. Last years event was his maiden one in his evo 7 so a year later his speed is sure to have increased, watch for Cronin to be the home town hero this weekend. Mick O Brien at number 6 is on a homecoming of sorts as the London based plant hire contractor is a Cork man at heart, yet this year is his debut in the Cork forests. However he is coming home fresh from victory on the recent Neath Valley stages, so undoubtedly he is one to watch. Further down the order are no 7 are Andrew Purcell & Mick Courtney the winners of Monaghan the previous championship round. Purcell may drive a slightly older Group A car but he has proved that he can place it on the leading pace. James Murphy & John Brennan are next in their Escort WRC, followed by Seamus Devine in his S9 Subaru.

The Group N challengers appear again from no 10 with Cathal Rodgers just ahead of other Mitsubishi crews Pete McCullagh & Alan Dolan, then Stuart Darcy & Steve Furey.

As with every round of the championship this year the top 2wd crew win the Superdrive prize and with it comes a voucher from www.superdriveni.com for part payment of entry fees for another round of the Championship to the value of €150.00 for first 2WD and €75.00 for 2nd place 2WD.

Just some of the top 2wd men are Escort men Frank Kelly, Seamus O Connell, Adrian Hetherington and Mr Stonemad Brian Lawlor. All these Escort men will be sure to be in the thick of a fierce battle that will surely see them into the top ten times.

So a quality rally awaits, the entry is at a record level for any round of the Hankook championship to date and this entry is full of quality and serious potential and another fantastic national forestry event awaits us at the sixth round of the 2007 Hankook Tyres National Forest Rally Championship it is sure to provide great excitement

Top 20
1 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC )
2 Brian McGillin/David Doherty (Hyundai Accent Evo 3.5)
3 Domnic McNeill/Francis Kenny (Ford Escort WRC)
4 Kevin O'Kane/Martin Brady (Subaru Impreza WRC)
5 Keith Cronin/Anthony O'Conaill (Mit. Lancer EVO 7 )
6 Michael O'Brien/Mathew Pearce (Ford Focus WRC)
7 Andrew Purcell/Mick Courtney (Subaru Impreza 555)
8 James Murphy/John Brennan (Ford Escort WRC)
9 Seamus Devine/TBA (Subaru Impreza WRC)
10 Cathal Rogers/John McCafferty (Mit. Lancer Evo 9)
11 Peter McCullagh/Alan Dolan (Mit. Lancer EVO 7)
12 Stuart Darcy/Steve Furey (Mit. Lancer EVO 9)
14 Colin Britton/Arthur Kierans (Mit, Lancer EVO 8)
15 Pat O'Connell/Mark Wiley (Mit. Lancer EV0 7)
16 Frank Kelly/Liam Brennan (Escort Mk II)
17 Seamus O'Connell/Brian Duggan (Escort Mk II)
18 Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Escort Mk II)
19 Brian Lawlor/Peter Kavanagh (Escort Mk II)
20 John McGaffin/Alan Russell (Subaru Impreza WRC)
21 Emma McKinistry/Kenny Hull (Subaru Impreza WRC)

Full Entry list and Time & Distance Schedule on club website:

Cork Motor Club

• 2007 National Forestry Championship
• 2007 Irish Fiesta Sporting Trophy

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Fiesta’s ready to play dirty
Round five of the Fiesta SportingTrophy IE takes championship contenders to the Jim Walsh Cork Forestry Rally next weekend, the 18th and 19th August, to compete over 170 kilometres of gravel tracks in the north of the county. The event will cover 16 stages with eight stages each day.

This is the first time the Fiesta SportingTrophy IE will venture away from the tarmac and onto gravel stages. This will mean the current form book will be torn up and the championship tables could be substantially changed by the end of the weekend.
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