Cork 20 Rally - 28-30 Sep 07

Posted: October 4, 2007 4:17 PM

Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely - 2007 Tarmac Champions
Photo: Roy Dempster

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IRISH TARMAC CHAMPIONSHIP WIN FOR LETTERKENNY DUO
Letterkenny Teenager, Toni Kelly and co-driver Joe Hunter returned from the Cork 20' Rally at the weekend as the Class 7 Champions in the Global Group Irish Tarmac Championship despite being unable to finish the event due to mechanical failure. The event which was based in Cork city with the Saturday stages based around Macroom and the Sunday stages around Mallow was set to test the Letterkenny team-mates. They started of well and maintained 2nd in class from the outset and carried this through to the 8th stage when, unfortunately about 3 miles into the 17 Mile stage a driveshaft broke and ended the event for the pair.

"The car, us and even the weather was going perfectly until stage 8 when after a jump I lost drive to the wheels and I knew straight away we had broken a drive shaft. All that went through my head was had we done enough to secure the championship and after Joe made a quick call to the championship co-ordinator it was confirmed, we had taken the title. We are over the moon. It's both Joe and myself's first championship win, hopefully one of many" commented Toni.

For Toni & Joe the Global Group Irish Tarmac Championship consisted of the following results to get them the title:

Galway International Rally - Did not start
Easter Stages Rally - Did not Finish
Killarney Rally of the Lakes - Did not Start
Jim Clark Rally - Did not Start
Donegal International Rally - 2nd in Class & 28th Overall
Rally Isle of Man - 1st in Class & 28th Overall
Ulster Rally - 2nd in Class & 38th Overall
Cork 20 Rally - Did Not Finish

"None of this would have been possible without my navigator and "left-hand man" Joe Hunter, my family, my sponsors and of course my dedicated engineers at WRC Engineering..Thank you guys!!"

Next on the Toni Kelly Rallying calander is the Harvest Stages Rally then hopefully on to Irelands inaugral WRC event, Rally Ireland.

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Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena
He came, he saw, he conquered – Sebastien Loeb dominated the Murphy Construction Cork ‘20’ International Rally 2007 from the outset and led home Citroen team mate, Dani Sordo with almost two and a half minutes to spare over his Spanish colleague. Loeb used his trip to Cork to test the changes which the Citroen team made to the C4 world rally car following the crew’s Irish debut in Donegal earlier this year in advance of the Irish leg of the World Rally Championship which takes place in November. Loeb enjoyed his time in Cork, noting that the stages were ‘very fast, good’ following the first loop of the Sunday stages. The stages might be fast, but Loeb was quicker still, beating the bogey time on stage 10 and stage 13, John’s Bridge. Sordo, who returned to his karting roots with a few laps around a local circuit during Friday’s shakedown stage, also enjoyed the event, noting that while large numbers of spectators attended both days, their behaviour was impeccable. Fellow works driver, Mikko Hirvonen, a member of the BP Ford team, was unfortunate to come a cropper with a puncture on stage 2, which saw him drop to 13th place overall. He recovered well though, and finished the rally in fifth place overall.

The event was also the final round of the Global Group Irish Rally Championship and provided the backdrop to an epic battle between the reigning champion, Eugene Donnelly and nearest rival and 2006 Cork ‘20’ winner, Mark Higgins. While both men traded times on Saturday, Higgins established a slight lead by the end of day one, which he extended throughout the Sunday stages. However, as Donnelly only needed to finish three registered places behind Mark to take the title, his reticence was understandable and has resulted in a fourth consecutive Irish Tarmac Championship title. Eamonn Boland, who finished sixth overall on the event, takes third place in the Championship.

The Group N title tussle was also one to watch over the weekend, with a number of contenders, including Owen Murphy and Kevin Kelleher, on home turf. While Owen crashed out on the final stage, fate was kinder to his namesake Colm Murphy who took first place in Group N, twelfth position overall and in doing so, sealed the Group N section of the Irish Tarmac Championship for the second year running.

The national rally was won by Phil Collins, who finished with a comprehensive margin of 2 minutes, 43 seconds over nearest rival, Terence O’Shaughnessy. Tom Holton was third. Martin McCormack had an equally impressive winning margin in the historics section, with Todd Falvey and Denis Moynihan in second and third place, respectively. The junior rally was won by Damien McCarthy in a Honda Civic. Tipp native Barry Ryan was second, with Richard Whelan in third place.

The rally was also the final round of the Fiesta Sporting Trophy, which was clinched by Alastair Fisher on a tie break.

REID MOTORSPORT- TARMAC CHAMPIONS!
In their first full season the Reid Motorsport team have secured the ultimate accolade in Irish rallying, the Global Group Irish Tarmac title, as Eugene Donnelly and Paul Kiely celebrated that victory in Cork at the weekend.
ìIts great for me to get a fourth tarmac title, but itís also fabulous for the team, as Liam and Shaun Reid really have put a lot on the line when they came in to back this programme.

The Cork 20 Rally was the final encounter in the eight round series and Eugene needed to finish within three places of championship rival Mark Higgins, a feat which he more than achieved by finishing in fourth place, just one place behind Mark.
ìWe had a great battle with Mark on the first day, he was ahead, then I got ahead, and at the overnight halt he led me by just 4.5 seconds. We made an incorrect tyre choice on the first loop on Sunday however, and Mark got well away, so there was no point in trying to catch him. I felt happier though with the car this weekend, as we got a proper test on the shakedown stage and were able to try a few things. Itís been a tough year for me, with some chopping and changing earlier in the year, and many people have played such a big part in the season, from Esker who helped me to get the S12 at the start of the year Derek McGeehan who looked after the car on the first seven events. At the weekend also DMG Sport, and in particular Eddie Corr and Charlie from Prodrive did a great job and this reflected in a trouble free rally. For me itís been a great season in the tarmac series, a challenging one at times to make the car and package work, but I will be back next season and now the focus is on Rally Ireland.î

Indeed the works Citroenís of Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Sordo showed considerable pace, finishing first and second on the Cork 20, with Fordís Mikko Hirvonen also setting some good stage times, as the big teams prepare.
ìI think people forget at times that we are amateurs. I am an amateur driver and for me as an amateur it was fantastic for Reid Motorsport to step in to help, as maybe what people donít realize is that I would have had to sell the car after Killarney the way the financial situation was looking.î

With Rally Ireland approaching next month, the Reid Subaru will be wheeled out once more, and Eugene realizes that there will be no chance of an outright win, but maybe a top ten wouldnít be unrealistic.
ìI know that the pace at the weekend showed what the works teams are capable of. I was talking to Sebastien at the start of the stages and he reckoned that his car would be about 1.5 seconds per kilometer faster than on an S12 which is about what we were dropping on our good stages, so on Rally Ireland we just have to wait and see.î

For now the Reid Motorsport team can celebrate their first championship victory, in a season which also saw them with outright wins on the Jim Clark, and Isle of Man events. Indeed Liam Reid is already working on plans for the 2008 season which kicks off in Galway in February.

For more information www.reidmotorsport.com

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Southern 4 Championship
Kevin O Donoghue leads the 023 Tiles Southern 4 Rally Championship after Round 4, The Murphy Construction Cork Forest Rally.
Kevin holds a slim 1 point margin in the overall drivers table from Mark Nangle with Kevin Kelleher a further 6 points back.
In the overall navigators championship Mike Clyne has the lead on 52 points with Joe O Leary second on 51 and Dermot O Gormanthird on 40. Todd Falvey/Dan Barry lead the Historic championship intheir Porsche 911 with Martin Sheahan/Gerard Clancy second in a Mk 1Escort and Liam Sheehan/Mark Doody in third,also in a Mk 1 Escort.
The next round of the championship is the Fastnet Rally on the 28th of October with the final round for Historics being the Killarney Historic Stages Rally on the 1st/2nd of December.
Full Results,including all class positions, are available to download on www.southern4rallychampionship.com.

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MRallying - 2007 ITC GpN Champions!!!
In modern rallying, it takes supreme effort and commitment to stay at the top of the field. In 2006, Colm Murphy and Ger Loughrey clinched the Irish Tarmac Championship Group N title following an intense battle which came down to the final round in Cork.

Starting the 2007 season on their usual shoe string budget, the Hankook backed Limerick duo started with a fourth place on the Galway International rally following a three minute loss sustained following a Saturday puncture. Two first places in Group N followed on the Easter International rally and the Trackcare Engineering sponsored team’s home event, the Killarney International Rally of the Lakes.

At this stage the major title competitors were clear for the ATM Construction pairing: former champions Leonard, Cullen and White and new challengers O’Donoghue and Kelleher – retaining their title would not come easy. Regardless, a positive start to the season was consolidated with a second to ‘works’ entry Mark Higgins on the Jim Clark International rally.

Disaster was to follow on the next round in Donegal however. Shortly after the infamous jump on the legendary Knockalla stage, the REMAX Kenmare and Killarney car mounted the ditch and rolled, sliding down the road before finally returning to it’s wheels off another ditch. The retirement provided a glimmer of hope to their championship rivals but a repeat of the Jim Clark result on the September Ulster International rally put Advanced Surveys Limerick men in a commanding points lead heading into the final round – this weekends Cork 20.

Usually a relatively happy event for the MRallying team, Murphy’s experience and skill were showcased as seven fastest times on the first day put the Woodtown Plant Hire Impreza in a commanding lead at parc ferme on Saturday night. An errant in- car camera proving the only fly in the ointment.

Sunday morning, with the championship firmly in mind, Loughrey was tasked with reigning in his driver – a hard task at the best of times and the Treaty county men still recorded two fastest class times. A spin on the final stage the only blot on a copy book performance.

At the finish ramp, a delighted Murphy and Loughrey were welcomed by family, friends, and fans. According to the man of the moment, “two championships in two years is a fantastic achievement – and it’s only been possible due to the efforts and contributions of many – the McKinstry team, everyone who has helped with the running of the car throughout the year, everyone who has cheered us on from the ditches and most of all, our fantastic sponsors. Without their help throughout the last two years, neither of the championships would have happened.”

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Results
1 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC) 2h 02m 10s,
2 Dani Sordo/Mark Marti (Citroen Xsara WRC) 2h 04m 31s,
3 Mark Higgins/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 07m 09s,
4 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 07m 53s,
5 Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen (Ford Focus WRC) 2h 09m 39s,
6 Eamonn Boland/Francis Regan (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 10m 44s,
7 Tim McNulty/Eugene O’Donnell (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 11m 41s,
8 Aaron MacHale/Killian Duffy (Ford Focus WRC) 2h 13m 35s,
9 Michael Barrable/Dermot O’Gorman (Ford Focus WRC) 2h 15m 08s,
10 Gareth MacHale/Craig Parry (Ford Focus WRC) 2h 16m 13s.

Group N Production class:
1 Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey (Subaru Impreza N12) 2h 17m 10s,
2 Kevin Kelleher/Martin Kelleher (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 2h 18m 25s,
3 Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Subaru Impreza N12B) 2h 20m 28s.

Class winners:
James Wozencroft/Chris Ridge (Suzuki Swift),
Billy Hayes/Pierce Doheny (Honda Civic),
Ted O’Riordan/John Hurley (Proton Satria),
Aidan Dunlea/Mike Cleary (Ford Escort),
Eugene Donnelly/Paul Kiely.

NATIONAL EVENT:
1 Phil Collins/Derek Brannigan (Ford Escort MkII) 2h 19m 56s,
2 Terence O’Shaughnessy/Eugene McGrath (Toyota Corolla RWD) 2h 22m 40s,
3 Tom Holton/Francis Kenny (Toyota Celica GT-Four) 2h 24m 00s.

HISTORIC/POST-HISTORIC RALLY:
1 Martin McCormack/Liam Moynihan (Ford Escort Mk II) 1h 47m 24s,
2 Todd Falvey/Dan Barry (Porsche 911) 1h 50m 48s,
3 Denis Moynihan/Dan Moynihan (Ford Escort) 1h 52m 27s.

JUNIOR RALLY:
1 Damien McCarthy/Eamonn Hayes (Honda Civic) 56m 14s,
2 Barry Ryan/Donal Falvey (Ford Escort) 57m 10s,
3 Richard Whelan/James Whelan (Honda Civic) 57m 59s.
Class winners:
Barry Ryan/Donal Falvey,
George Jagoe/Alan Mulligan (Suzuki Swift).

FIESTA SPORTING TROPHY:
1 Jonathan Greer/Jonny Hart 55m 55s,
2 Alastair Fisher/Barry McNulty 56m 18s,
3 Tadhg Buckley/Shane Buckley 56m 51s.

Leaders After:
SS1-14 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC)

Stage Winners
SS1 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC)
SS2 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC)
SS3 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC)
SS4 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC)
SS5 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC)
SS6 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC)
SS7 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC)
SS8 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC)
SS9 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC)
SS10 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC) (Bogey Beaten)
SS11 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC)
SS12 Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroen C4 WRC)
SS13 Bogey Beaten
SS14 Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen (Ford Focus WRC)

Full Results:
rally.connect.ie (Angus Sealy)

Rallynews (by Brian & Liz Patterson)

Photos:
autopix.ie - Ray Gavin
TPM Photosport
Joe Lane - Action Photos.ie
Roy Dempster Photos
Eoin O'Sullivan
crspics.com - Counihan Rallysport Pictures
Rally Mad Motorsport Photography
Sideway Shot Motor Sport Photography
odonovanphotos.com
scmphoto.com

Video Clips
Waylander Video Clips
Totally Sideways
Ryan Rally Videos

Club/Rally Website:
Munster Car Club

• 2007 Tarmac Rally Championship
• 2007 Southern 4 Rally Championship
• 2007 Irish Fiesta Sporting Trophy

2007 ITC GpN Champions - Colm Murphy/Ger Loughrey
Photo: Joe Lane

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PRE EVENT NEWS

• FULL STEAM AHEAD FOR REID MOTORSPORT
• TONI KELLY - FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP, FINAL ROUND
• Fiesta SportingTrophy IE - It’s going to be a Corker!
• Tarmac Titans Rev Up for Cork ‘20’
  Ceremonial Start - Cork City Centre on Friday Night
  Rally Programmes
• Time and Distance Schedule
• 023 TILES SOUTHERN 4 RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW ROUND 4
• Helicopter Registration Details
• Final Instructions, HQ/Scrunity Map available.
• Entry Lists
• Programmes Available by Mail Order
• WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVERS HEADING FOR CORK.
  Loeb, Sordo & Hirvonen to compete in Cork!
  Loeb expected in C4, Sordo in Xsara
• FORD RETURNING TO CORK ROOTS
• BP-Ford will enter a Focus RS WRC on the Cork '20' International Rally
• Press Release 1
• RALLY LAUNCH (Fri) 24 Aug 07
• Regulations available
• New HQ.
• Date Confirmed.

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27/09/07
FULL STEAM AHEAD FOR REID MOTORSPORT
This weekends Cork 20 International Rally, the final round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, sees the Reid Motorsport team gunning for the overall title, an extraordinary achievement in the teams first full season in motorsport. For Eugene Donnelly and Paul Kiely in the Reid S12 Subaru it’s a very important weekend, as they go for their record fourth consecutive Irish Tarmac title. “We are in good form for this event, and will have a little shakedown in the car on Friday, but already I have put more effort into the set up of the car, and my input on tyre choice” quipped Eugene.

A significant talking point at the moment is the switching of the running of Eugene’s car to DMG Sport who also look after his big championship rival Mark Higgins, in his S11 Subaru. Team Director Liam Reid states the reasoning behind the move. “To be honest it was never Reid Motorsport’s intention to own a World Rally Car, and Derek bought the car with the option to lease it back off him, which is better suited to us.” But for Eugene is it an upset in his surroundings before this deciding round of the series? “To be honest the structure of the team hasn’t changed except for those who are running the car. Eddie Corr will still be a chief engineer, Ian Howard will still be co-coordinating the team, Padraig and Richard Price will be gravel noting as they have done all year, and we will have a few people from Prodrive as well. I’m sure DMG Sport will do a good job, but it’s up to me to do a good job as well. I haven’t been happy with my performances on some events this year, Donegal and the Ulster in particular, and I would like to finish Cork on a high, and to give Mark a real race.” Eugene will also have World Rally aces Sebastien Loeb, and Daniel Sordo in works Citroen’s, and Mikko Hirvonen in the works Ford to compare times with, in what promises to be the most exciting Cork 20 Rally of all time.

In the Group N section of the Reid Motorsport team, James Cullen is virtually assured of a superb third in the championship in the most heavily subscribed class in the series, but James will not be competing in Cork. “To be honest I could only win the series if Colm Murphy was to retire, and it’s not the way to do it. I do have an interest in contesting Rally Ireland however and am working on things for that” commented James, whilst Shaun Reid is also taking a break from competing, content to watch what will be an epic Cork 20 Rally, and assess his plans for 2008.

Indeed Reid Motorsport has exciting plans in place for the future, contrary to the many rumours circulating the Irish motorsport scene at the moment, as team director Liam Reid points out. “We are still committed to our five year programme, and next year already committed to the Irish Tarmac series in a World Rally Car. We have also just sent our entry into Rally Ireland for Eugene to drive the S12, which may be uprated to 12B specification, and we may have other things for Rally Ireland.” Indeed the RPM crew will be filming a documentary to be televised on the team on Rally Ireland, and the Reid Transport business is in a very healthy state. “We don’t want to be here today and gone tomorrow, and that accounts for the business as well. We have recently opened a new depot in London and the business has never been healthier. With the rallying we may do things different next year, and in future we also have young John Reid to think about.”

Indeed 13 year old John Reid has been a teenage sensation, having been using a Corsa at Aghadowey for the past two seasons and recently benefited from a little coaching from Eugene Donnelly. “He is a superb little driver, especially for his age, and he picked things up really quickly, slashing seconds off his lap times with a few hints. John is definitely a star of the future.”

With the 2007 season nearing it’s conclusion, it’s been a successful year so far for Reid Motorsport, in what has been a daring venture for the Cloughmills based Reid Transport company, a venture that has provided entertainment at the top level of Irish Motorsport. And with the full Rally Ireland and 2008 plans to be announced soon, Reid Motorsport looks to establish itself further in the future.

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21/09/07
TONI KELLY - FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP, FINAL ROUND
Letterkenny Teenager, Toni Kelly(19) & co-driver Joe Hunter are heading to the most important event of the year this weekend as they are set to compete in the Murphy Construction Cork 20' International Rally. Toni and Joe who are currently Joint 1st in Class 7 in the Global Group Irish Tarmac Championship are hoping to secure class honours in the event and also to win the championship.

Having only competed in 4 of the past 7 rounds of the championship due to Toni's leaving certificate commitments it has been a successful campaign to date with only a few mishaps along the way. Toni commented
"We would have been leading the championship going into Cork if we didn't spend 5 minutes on a ditch in the Ulster countryside but thats rallying. I am finally off the crutches that I needed following an injury I sustained before the Ulster so I am hoping to be back on form! This is my first championship and win or lose in Cork I have seriously enjoyed myself this year and I have learned alot from my exploits. But my sights are firmly set on the championship. so roll on Cork!"

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It’s going to be a Corker!
The final round of the Fiesta SportingTrophy IE will bear witness to one of the most intense battles in one make championship history when the series moves to Cork City for the Cork ‘20’ Rally next weekend. No less than three drivers can walk away with the overall championship with the possibility of a tie for first and second place, depending on the outcome next Sunday.

Alastair Fisher, Jonathan Greer and Conor Harvey are all in with a chance of lifting the crown as they battle it out over 95 kilometres of stages in the north of the county. The intensity of the competition on asphalt reached fever pitch on the last tarmac round, the Donegal Rally, when the lead changed seven times over the course of the ten stages; with the top two, Fisher and Harvey, separated by just over a second going into the final stage.

Harvey, 22 from Letterkenny, will lead the Fiesta field over the start line of the first stage next Sunday morning as he makes a welcome return to his preferred sealed surface. He has won two of the tarmac rounds so far this season, the UAC Easter Rally and Killarney Rally of the Lakes, and will be determined to increase that tally to three and claim overall victory in the series. A win next weekend will see him crowned the 2007 Fiesta SportingTrophy IE champion.

Current points leader Fisher, and co