Wexford Stages Rally - 6-7 Sep 08

Posted: September 10, 2008 9:05 AM - 27087 Hits

Round 7 - 2008 Southeast Rally Championship
Round 5 - 2008 Irish Evolution Challenge
Rounds 7 & 8 - 2008 Citroen C2 R2 Irish Cup
Round 5 - 2008 Irish 205 Challenge

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PJ McGrath & Billy Collins take start to finish victory

Photo: sidewayshot.com

Video Clips

Posted: September 10, 2008 9:05 AM

205 Challenge - MCGOWANS MAGIC, MAHONS MISFORTUNE, BROWNES BEWILDERMENT.

Posted: September 9, 2008 8:27 PM

The final round of the Irish 205 challenge took place on the Dick Bailey/ Riverbank hotel stages rally based in Wexford town. This two day event would decide the outcome of the closest challenge in its five year history with three drivers in with a chance of lifting the title of Ireland‚s biggest one make championship.

After five tightly fought rallies Ultan McGowan, Barry Mahon and dDJ Browne started the first stage of this one hundred and sixty kilometer event with just one objective, to beat each of the others, as nothing but a win would be good enough. A dry morning greeted the eight crews that made the start but damp patches with mud lay around many of the corners on the first two stages. The pressure mounted as the drivers set off into the first stage, the top six drivers running one behind the other so no chance of taking it gently to settle in. McGowan co driven by Niall Burn was first through setting second fastest time. Mahon with Mark Feeley alongside arrived next just one second down on his main rival. DJ Browne however would not make it out of the stage, sliding into a ditch and bursting the radiator. A hugely disappointing end to his year after recording back to back wins on the last two rallies. Kenny and David English went fastest to lead by 5 seconds, their first fastest stage time in the challenge on this their first year competing. Also at the sharp end early on were Sean Sharkey/ Donal Lynch and Aidan Cooney/ Paddy McDonagh. Sharkey stormed through stage two setting a cracking pace to move into a 13 second lead over Mahon who was 7 seconds ahead of McGowan with Cooney right on his tail. Sharkey continued to extend his lead over the next two stages arriving at second service with 28 seconds in hand over McGowan who was having a mighty tussle with Cooney and Mahon until the latter spun due to a damaged axle. After service the repeated stages caused Sharkey problems as he lost the lead and dropped to fourth place. McGowan now took to the front with Cooney posting some great times to keep Mahon in third. Over the next three stages these three set a blistering pace only matched by a recovering Sharkey. Norman Dunne/ Bernard mc Sweeney were back in action after their huge accident on round two and settled in quickly but retired with an oil leak midway through the day.

Also retiring was Kenny English with brake problems. The final stage of the day saw Cooney drop out of second place after sliding off the road and into a ditch. McGowan ended the day with a 29 second advantage over his main rival Mahon with Sharkey just half a minute behind and well capable of retaking second place making life very uncomfortable for the leaders on day two.

Another sunny day and eight more fast stages lay ahead of the remaining drivers in the main field. English and Dunne would restart but would not be eligible to score points. The first stage saw McGowan fastest but all the times would not count due to timing difficulties for the organizers. The following stage would see disaster strike McGowan when a burst brake pipe caused him to lose 34 seconds. Mahon now led for the first time by 5 seconds with Sharkey again setting the best times and moving closer to the front. Service allowed McGowan to sort his problems but whether he was rattled by his troubles or not he had no answer to Mahon on the next three stages who opened up a 21 second lead by stage thirteen. Sharkey was still setting quicker times to close to within 20 seconds of second place, but braking hard for a tight junction something let go in the transmission and his rally was over. If that wasn‚t enough drama so close to the finish then stage fourteen will be etched in the memories of many for a long time. With only thirty kilometers of stage miles in total left and a comfortable lead Mahon just needed to stay out of trouble but a short distance into the stage he slid into a ditch losing two and a half minutes waiting to be extracted. McGowan was ahead on the road and unaware of the events unfolding behind so continued to push. Mahon arrived at service devastated by what had happened. Repairs were carried out and all he could hope for now was bad luck to befall McGowan if he was to clinch the title he so longed for. Cooney set some impressive times during the day but would blot his copybook with a roll on the very last stage. Somehow he recovered to net third place just 1 second ahead of Joe Ward and Paul Guerin. McGowan sailed through the last two stages without mishap and arrived back at the Riverbank hotel to be crowned champion of 2008 in exactly the same place where twelve months earlier he had been crowned champion co driver in the same car that carried him to victory this season. First to congratulate him was Barry Mahon who must be very disappointed but should take great heart in that he thrilled Irish rally followers with the closest rallying of any class in any championship this year.

Ultan McGowan has made a little piece of history and will once again carry the title of Irish 205 Challenge champion back to Sligo for another year. Niall Burn also clinched the co drivers title so a clean sweep all round. They take away almost two thousand euros worth of prizes thanks to EARS Motorsport, Kumho Tyres, RGR, Martisport and ABR Signs. Mahon for his part wins the award for setting the most fastest times during the year and a cheque for 300 euro.

Irish Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge - Tourish wins in Wexford

Posted: September 9, 2008 8:15 PM

Damien Tourish and his co-driver Domhall McAllaney scored their second Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Ireland victory of the season in last weekend’s Riverbank House Hotel Dick Bailey Stages – their performance good enough to see them finish third overall. They led from the start, holding off the advances of Owen Murphy/Rodney Hicks who finished a clear second, the young Cork driver claiming the runner-up spot for the third time this season.

The event, better known as the Wexford Rally, featured 207 competitive kms split into eight stages on Saturday and a further eight stages on Sunday, with a service halt after every two. Of the ten crews registered for the Irish Evolution Challenge, six had initially entered, but even before the start, Galway driver Tom Curley had to withdraw due to a recurring back injury – leaving five crews to contest the series’ fifth and penultimate round. Saturday started wet. However, that didn’t stop Tourish/McAllaney making their intentions clear from the word go and they exited the first stage 15 seconds ahead of Murphy/Hicks, who were frustrated to have been slowed after catching other cars.

As the weather improved and the roads started to dry out, the pace increased - but Tourish kept his cool and continued to extend his lead. However, luck was certainly running with him, as he managed to survive a disintegrating brake disk, which was discovered by his team at the lunch-time service halt.
On the final stage of the day Murphy was at last able to set a faster time than Tourish, but was now one-minute and nine seconds behind. Next was winner of rounds one and three Brendan Cumiskey, who had rebuilt his car following a series of incidents last time out. With this in mind, he and co-driver Conor Foley admitted not to be driving flat-out in order to keep their championship hopes intact.

They were followed by current series leaders Alan Carmichael/Ivor Lamont, who were also not completely happy with the way things were going - especially after most of their car’s major mechanical components had been overhauled in the past few weeks.

Stanley Ballentine/Richard Hyland held fifth place and, although setting respectable times, were keen on keeping out of trouble in light of their accident on round four. In fact, such was the damage to his familiar blue Evo, Ballentine was forced to use his ‘spare’ white car in which he had started the season.

With the rain clouds disappearing overnight, all of Sunday’s stages were run in the dry, the first of which was cancelled due to a problem with the time clocks. With more grip on offer and finding himself in third place overall, Tourish tested the conditions to see if he could perhaps claim second place, but a spin on SS11 quickly changed his mind. From then on he focussed on the task he had set himself in Wexford - and that was to score maximum points in the Evolution Challenge.

Although they got quicker as the day progressed, Murphy/Hicks found they could do little to make an impact on the leader’s advantage. However, they were now comfortably ahead of Cumiskey/Foley who were aiming to ensure they finished in front of Carmichael/Lamont, which would put them in a better position for the final round. Although still fifth, Ballentine/Hyland’s pace had steadily increased during Sunday, to such an extent they were beginning to make an impression on fourth place, but they had left their charge too late and, at the end of the event positions in the Evo Challenge remained the same.

“I really enjoyed this rally – especially as I’ve won my second round of the Evolution Challenge and finished third overall”, said Tourish. “I really must thank the team from Ballybofey for preparing the car so well and now I’m looking forward to the last round where it’s going to be a really tough battle for the title.”

With the end of season points totals being calculated from competitor’s best five scores from the six events, although currently leading the series, Carmichael has to drop his lowest score of seven points. Therefore, with all other drivers having dropped a score and 12 points on tap for the winner, Cumiskey, Tourish and Murphy also have a chance of becoming the very first Irish Evolution Challenge Champion.

The sixth and final round of the takes place on 27th & 28th September, with another classic event, the West Cork Rally – the climax to what has been an exciting inaugural season for the Irish Mitsubishi series.

The 2008 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Ireland is supported by:
Sunoco Racing Fuels, Pirelli tyres, Mitsubishi Motors Ireland, Performance Friction Brakes, Speedline Corse wheels, PIAA lights, Murray Motorsport, Sparco racewear, Pacenotes and James Foley Rallysport, who are providing a Group N Lancer Evolution for the 2008 Champion to use in next year’s Rally Ireland.

Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Ireland – Round 5 Results
1 Damien Tourish (Donegal)/Domhall McAllaney (Donegal) 1:54:09
2 Owen Murphy (Cork)/Rodney Hicks (Fermanagh) 1:55:26
3 Brendan Cumiskey (Dundalk)/Conor Foley (Ballinode) 1:58:27
4 Alan Carmichael (Ballymena)/Ivor Lamont (Ballymena) 1:59:26
5 Stanley Ballentine (Strabane)/Richard Hyland (Omagh) 1:59:53

Adrian Mc Elhinney and Shane Buckley Report

Posted: September 9, 2008 6:16 PM

On last weekends Dick Bailey stages rally C2R2 cup contenders Adrian Mc Elhinney and Shane Buckley had a very mixed weekend. We made our custom slow start with Marty McCormack 29s from us on the opening stage, this slotted us into an early 3rd position behind Barry Evans. Throughout the day we constantly upped our performance to let us 9s behind Evans going into the last 2stages. Then 2 mile from the finish of ss7 disaster struck when the gear lever broke off at its base leaving us with no gears. However on that stage we still managed to reduce the gap to Evans to only 3s this was all in vain however as we lost 46s to Barry in the last stage with only a vice grips to change gear. This left us 5th in round 7 of the C2 Cup 30th over all and 5th in class 6.

Day 2(round 8) gave us better fortune. A battle commenced between Marty McCormack, and us with us having matching times on 2 of the days 8 stages. This brilliant battle went on all day letting a gap of just 3seconds going into the last stage. We punched in a time of 6:17 with Marty having a time of 6:21 this left us with a victory of just 1 second.

At the Wexford finish Adrian Commented “that was some craic all day, to win by just one second is just unbelievable” “ Fair play to Shane he was spot on with everything, the championship would have been a lot harder on me with out him, all I had to do was show up and drive!”

This finished Adrian with 4th place in the C2 cup and netted Shane 2nd place.

Once again Both Adrian And Shane would like to thank all their sponsors, service crew and anybody else who helped us during the year because without them we would not have been able to complete the championship.

Ballybofey Autofactors
KS windscreen replacements, Donegal.
E&J oil services
A.M Motors Donegal

McCORMACK WINS THE 2008 CITROEN C2 R2 IRISH CUP IN WONDEFUL WEXFORD DECIDER!

Posted: September 8, 2008 4:50 PM

The Wexford Stages Rally played host to the final deciding two rounds of the Citroen C2 R2 Irish Cup, a double header event, where this epic new Total supported championship reached its conclusion. Six of the little 1600cc Citroen Sport derived C2 R2’s lined up for the Saturday start, and round five of the Cup, and it was to prove once again an outstanding event for the Citroen’s reliability, with five of the six cars finishing the two days, taking 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th in class, and the only retirement due to driver error. This round was critical, with Barry Evans holding a narrow point’s lead, but it was to be winner takes all between Barry, Marty McCormack and Martin Tynan.

Stage one, and with a time that put him inside the top ten in the C2 Marty McCormack took the advantage, but only by three seconds from a hard trying Barry Evans, with Martin Tynan a further ten seconds back. On the next stage however Marty took fifteen seconds off Barry who got stuck behind a slower rally car on the stage, with Adrian McElhinney now slotting into third. Championship contender Martin Tynan just wasn’t getting into his usual stride, reporting no problems but he would end round seven fourth C2 R2, making a title chance a difficult possibility. For championship leader Barry Evans, the Monaghan driver was trying his utmost, but after four stages he was over fifty seconds behind the leader, having had a disastrous stage four. Barry was giving it everything, and a big overshoot had the grey C2 clambering a bank, the impact damaging the steering tie rod, giving Barry’s mechanics some work at service to keep him in second. Paul Manton was having a superb drive and had moved into third ahead of Adrian McElhinney at this stage, and Adrian was having some worrying moments, a new brake bias adjuster fitted seizing on the brakes at times. Adrian was later to move ahead of Paul, but was relegated to fifth behind Tynan as well when he broke the gear lever on the C2 on the last test! All six C2’s finished round seven, with Comber’s David Johnston moving closer and closer to the top times, as he adapts to rallying this season.

At the front however it was a dominant day for Marty McCormack and Liam Moynihan, who finished the day 1 minute 24 seconds in front of Barry Evans. Indeed after day one Marty was lying 13th overall in the main rally. “I was delighted with the day, we had absolutely no problems with the car, and this morning we pushed on in the wet conditions, and I enjoyed that”, quipped a delighted Marty McCormack. The round seven positions left Barry Evans needing Marty to retire on round eight, and for Barry to finish in the top four to take the C2 R2 Irish Cup. So the pressure was on, and it was all down to the final day of the Wexford Rally, and the final round of the 2008 C2 R2 Irish Cup.

Round 7
1 Martin McCormack/ Liam Moynihan 1hr 3 min 57s
2 Barry Evans/ David Lyons +1min 24s
3 Paul Manton/ John Carroll +1min 44s
4 Martin Tynan/ Ciaran Tynan +1min 46s
5 Adrian McElhinney/ Shane Buckley +2min 26s

The final round of this year’s Citroen C2 R2 Irish Cup, and the first stage provided drama, as the C2’s completed the stage, but no time was issued due to a technical problem. But the big drama was the exit of one of the championship hopefuls, as Martin Tynan ditched his hopes on the second corner, the C2 stuck and out of the event, the consolation being a third place championship finish for the young Clones driver. It was to be a day of battles and David Johnston would battle his way into fifth, with his stage times closer to those in the leading battles

And the battles raged with the lead battle an all season epic. It was Donegal’s Adrian McElhinney who opened the account taking three seconds off McCormack, but the young Maghera driver replied on the next test, taking six seconds back to lead by three seconds. Then amazingly the two drivers tied on time on both stages four and five, with Marty snatching just one scant second on stage six, but Adrian swiftly replying, taking that second back on stage seven. It left it a cliff hanger finish to the final round with just three seconds separating the pair going into the final stage. For Marty McCormack the championship was beckoning. “We had to concentrate really on getting the championship, but we were pushing hard all the way, Adrian was going well, and it was very enjoyable to be involved in such a battle. We had a big scare going out of the last service however with a fuel pump failure, but it’s proof of the friendship in this Cup, that the other team’s mechanics were all over my C2 to help me.”

But that wasn’t the only tussle as Barry Evans and Paul Manton had a raging battle all day. Barry too, had to be careful not to throw away any hope of the series, especially if the leader struck trouble, but that didn’t stop a ding dong battle between Barry and Paul, with Tipperary’s Paul Manton coming out the victor to take third place by just ten seconds after eight flowing special stages. Both drivers had a trouble free day, and Barry who led the series for so long this year was sporting in his defeat.”

The fastest driver won at the end of the day, and on rallies I was picking up the pieces when Marty had problems. I have thoroughly enjoyed the series however, it’s been great, and the camaraderie has been superb.” Back at the front going into the eighth and final test, Adrian McElhinney drove a stormer, setting a time of 6.17. “There was nothing left in there, we had a few moments, and we just went for it” commented Adrian who hadn’t yet realised that he had just clocked up his second win of the series, by the closest margin! With Marty recording 6.21, Adrian took the round win by just one scant second, but the big spoils were for the young British Rally Elite driver, Marty McCormack and his Cork co driver Liam Moynihan.

They wisely brought the C2 home to the finish to become the 2008 Citroen C2 R2 Irish Cup winners, and Marty will be off soon to Versailles and the Citroen Sport headquarters to test with the world’s best rally team. “I am absolutely over the moon. I’ve had so many phone calls it’s unbelievable. There have been guys who helped prepare the car at nights, sponsors who have helped all year and my team. It was such a tough start to the season with a lot of problems, but the whole thing turned around for us and it’s just wonderful. It’s been a great series, with great people and a great wee car to drive also. It gives us a good grounding to try and progress more next year.”

Round 8
1 Adrian McElhinney/ Shane Buckley 1hr 15min 17.1
2 Martin McCormack/ Liam Moynihan +1s
3 Paul Manton/ John Carroll +1m 53s
4 Barry Evans/ David Lyons +2m 12s
5 David Johnston/ Gary Torosyan +5m 43s

Championship co ordinator Raymond Moore who has given up so much of his free time to organise the series is delighted with the season. “It has been very rewarding to be involved in. What has amazed me is the support of the drivers and teams, and for each other too, in times of trouble. Thanks to Total and Charles Hurst we have been able to run the series, and we hope for support for 2009, where the C2 R2 Max will be the main vehicle. The media have bee superb this year to us too, with plenty of coverage in the magazines and RPM TV coverage which has been greatly viewed. The real credit however goes to all the teams, and I hope to see them back.”

Photos:

Posted: September 8, 2008 4:44 PM

LINK REMOVED - Sideway Shot Motor Sport Photography

Roy Dempster Photos

rallyprint.com - Trevor McGrath

Posted: September 8, 2008 4:43 PM

2WD Winners - Wesley Patterson/Martin McGarrity (Ford Escort Mk II)
Photo: Roy Dempster

Results

Posted: September 8, 2008 4:39 PM

1 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC) 110m 25s,
2 David James/Jim Crowe (Ford Focus WRC) 113m 38s,
3 Damien Tourish/Domhnall McAlaney (Mit. Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 114m 09s,
4 Owen Murphy/Rodney Hicks (Mit. Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 115m 26s,
5 Wesley Patterson/Martin McGarrity (Ford Escort Mk II) 115m 44s,
6 Neil Williams/Eurig Davies (Ford Escort Mk II) 116m 32s,
7 Washington James/Geoff Forster (Darrian T90) 117m 39s,
8 Mark Kennedy/Ian O’Leary (Vaxhuall Nova) 118m 21s,
9 Brendan Cumiskey/Conor Foley (Mit. Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 118m 27s,
10 Tommy Doyle/Colin Fitzgerald (Renault Clio R3) 118m 43s.

Leaders After
SS1-16 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC)

Stage Winners
SS1 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS2 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS3 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS4 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC)
& Gareth MacHale/Bryan Murphy (Ford Focus WRC)
SS5 Gareth MacHale/Bryan Murphy (Ford Focus WRC)
SS6 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS7 Gareth MacHale/Bryan Murphy (Ford Focus WRC)
SS8 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS9 Cancelled
SS10 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS11 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS12 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS13 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS14 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS15 Wesley Patterson/Martin McGarrity (Ford Escort Mk II)
SS16 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC)
& Washington James/Geoff Forster (Darrian T90)

Results - Main Rally

Results - Junior Rally

Results - Sunday Run

Full Results North East Rally Services

Wexford Motor Club

Posted: September 5, 2008 2:38 PM

Photo: sidewayshot.com

Late Entries being taken

Posted: September 3, 2008 6:34 PM

All reserves are now in the main field of the rally and late entries are being accepted for inclusion on the reserve list.
Inclusion on the reserve does not guarantee an entry in the main field.

Tel 086 8504244 / +353 86 8504244
or enter on line:

Wexford Motor Club

Marshal Meeting Points

Posted: September 3, 2008 5:53 PM

Details on

Wexford Motor Club

Time and Distace Schedule

Posted: September 1, 2008 2:39 PM

Wexford Motor Club

Irish 205 challenge Preview

Posted: September 1, 2008 2:25 PM

The final round of the Irish 205 challenge sees 12 crews enter the Wexford two day rally. It’s as close a battle as every other year which sees three challenge guys going into the final round with all to play for.

WHERE THE CHALLENGE DRIVERS MUST FINISH TO WIN THE TITLE
Ulton McGowan
Currently on 78 points with no 0 score on any event. 14 points is his lowest score so if he finishes third or lower his score will stay the same. A second place result will give him a score of 79 which would see him joint on points with Mahon should he win in Wexford but Ulton would lose on the tie break as Mahon would have more overall wins. Should he win than his score would be 94 less his worst score of 14 leaving him on 84 points.
Even if Browne finished second his score would only increase to 82 points.

DJ Browne
Currently on 67 points with one dropped score. A win would give him the title comfortably. He can afford to finish second if Mahon wins but not McGowan.
If McGowan finishes lower than second and Mahon wins then a fifth place would see him tie on points with Mahon but win on the tie break. The challenge rules state that the driver with the most highest scores wins but both have two wins so the next rule is the most second highest scores. Browne has one and Mahon none so Browne wins.

Barry Mahon
Currently on 58 points with one dropped score, nothing but a win is good enough for this driver. Should McGowan finish second then the tie break would go in favour of Mahon. If Browne finishes fifth then the tie would go against Mahon.

Basically its winner takes all in Wexford………….

Thanks to challenge sponsors,
RGR ENGINEERING MARTISPORT EARS MOTORSPORT KUMHO TYRES ABR SIGNS

Evo Challenge heads to Wexford

Posted: September 1, 2008 1:20 PM

The battle for the 2008 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Ireland reconvenes following a two-month Summer break, when crews tackle another of the country’s classic asphalt events, the Riverbank House Hotel Dick Bailey Stages – better know as the Wexford Rally – on 6th & 7th September.

All of the top-six Evo Challenge crews in the series standings will be competing in the event, each still with a mathematical chance of lifting the title and becoming the inaugural Irish Evo Challenge Champion.

First to lead the Mitsubishi field away are Owen Murphy/James O’Brien, who are yet to score an Evo Challenge win, but if recent form is anything to go by this might well be the rally in which thy achieve it.

Second across the ramp are round two winners and series leaders since then, Alan Carmichael/Ivor Lamont. However, they are mindful that their advantage has been gained by some good results and an accumulation of points from each round. Therefore, they are still yet to drop a score, the Evo Challenge regulations stating that crews must count their best five results from the season’s six rounds.

Next to start is the only crew to have taken two wins so far this year: Brendan Cumiskey, who is co-driven by Conor Foley. Just two points behind Carmichael in the drivers standings, Cumiskey has already dropped a score, so is well placed to snatch the lead this time round.

However, the crew most likely to stop them are winners last time out, Damien Tourish/Domhall McAllaney. Having missed the first two rounds, they are fast making up for lost ground and certainly cannot be ruled out of the title equation.

Fifth away from the start and fourth in the Evo Challenge standings is Tom Curley, with co-driver Brian Miller. Curley has recorded a series of solid performances so far and is always in the right place to take advantage of a good result if others falter.

Having had to rebuild their car following a high-speed off when the rain fell mid-way through round four, Stanley Ballentine and Richard Hyland are back to se if they can improve on their perhaps undeserved championship position of sixth. However, whatever the outcome, there is no doubt that their attitude towards the sport will see them both enjoy the weekend.

Notable by his absence is reigning Group N Irish Tarmac Champion Colm Murphy, who’s bad luck in the first four rounds of the series sees him stand aside for this weekend’s event.

Starting and finishing in Wexford, the rally features eight stages and 110 kilometres on Saturday, followed by a further eight stages and 97 kilometres on Sunday.

The 2008 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Ireland is supported by: Sunoco Racing Fuels, Pirelli tyres, Mitsubishi Motors Ireland, Performance Friction Brakes, Speedline Corse wheels, PIAA lights, Murray Motorsport, Sparco racewear, Pacenotes and James Foley Rallysport, who are providing a Group N Lancer Evolution for the 2008 Champion to use in next year’s Rally Ireland.

Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Ireland – Round 5
List of entries in start number order
17 Owen Murphy (Cork)/ James O’Brien (Cork) (J)
23 Alan Carmichael (Ballymena)/Ivor Lamont (Ballymena)
31 Brendan Cumiskey (Dundalk)/Conor Foley (Ballinode)
32 Damien Tourish (Donegal)/Domhall McAllaney (Donegal) (J)
33 Tom Curley (Oranmore)/Brian Miller (Leixlip)
42 Stanley Ballentine (Strabane)/Richard Hyland (Omagh)
(J) = Junior driver

Entry List updated Daily:

Posted: August 29, 2008 2:12 PM

Wexford Motor Club

Final Instructions

Posted: August 29, 2008 2:12 PM

Final Instructions on the Cub website:

Wexford Motor Club

Shaun Gallagher to perform course car duties in Wexford

Posted: August 27, 2008 8:11 PM

It has been confirmed that current World Rally Rookie of the Year champion, Shaun Gallagher from Donegal, along with navigator Charlie McGinty will perform course car duties on the upcoming Riverbank House Hotel Dick Bailey Stages Rally.

The event will be used as a shakedown in a Citroen C2R2 to give Shaun and Charlie valuable time in a rally car prior to their next outing on the Rally Catalunya in Spain in October. Shaun is currently lying second overall in the Junior World Rally Championship in his Citroen C2 Super 1600.