Omagh Bushwacker Rally - 26 Sep 09

Kenny McKinstry/Noel Orr seal victory at the McKelvey Bushwhacker Rally!

Posted: October 4, 2009 1:54 PM

Banbridge's Kenny McKinstry desperately needed victory at last Saturday's McKelvey Asbestos Removal Bushwhacker Rally to keep his Hankook MSA N.I. Stage Rally Championship hopes alive. And with Bangor's Noel Orr navigating, the Subaru Impreza WRC crew duly delivered when they sealed the spoils by a slender six seconds from Derek McGarrity and James McKee!

McKinstry led from the start of the Omagh Motor Club event but it quickly transpired that victory was not going to be easy. He lost precious seconds when his Impreza slipped onto three cylinders, and a surprised Damien Tourish nipped into the rally lead after stage three.

Tourish, driving his Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, headed the former champion by a slender one second but it was a short-lived affair. McKinstry's Subaru was back in fighting form after service, and he promptly returned to the number one position.

Over the second loop of stages, the Banbridge pilot concentrated on building his advantage over his rivals. After stage six, he had increased his lead to 12 seconds over Tourish, who was sharing second position with championship leader, Derek McGarrity.

Throughout the day, McGarrity was tweaking the characteristics of his Toyota Corolla WRC to his liking. As improvements were made, his stage times tumbled, and he was on the verge of snatching second from Tourish.

The afternoon stages moved to the Lough Braden Forest complex, and McKinstry's rally was about to take another twist. An overshoot during stage eight saw him drop a substantial 10 seconds to the chasing pack, leaving him with two seconds in hand and only two stages remaining!

The battle for the McKelvey Bushwhacker Rally honours was going to the wire, and it was a thrilling tussle between the two championship elects, Kenny McKinstry and Derek McGarrity. It was all down to the final two stages, and at the last gasp, it was McKinstry who held the advantage. Fastest times over the final two stages saw the Banbridge pilot seal the rally victory by six seconds!

"I kept making life difficult for myself," McKinstry said afterwards. "We did two stages with the car on three cylinders, then built up a lead, only to have an overshoot. We lost about 14 or 15 seconds with that, so with two stages to go, we had a lead of two seconds instead of about 30 seconds!"

McGarrity sealed second on the event, and in championship terms, the title is very much swinging in the Glengormley dealer's favour. A top three finish at either of the final two events would see him lift the Northern Ireland Championship crown for a second time.

In third position, Neil McCance and Sean Ferris also topped the Sunoco Fuels Group N category. The crew lagged behind Damien Tourish for much of the day, but when the stages switched to the Lough Braden complex, McCance found some extra speed. He overhauled Tourish to finish third overall, eight seconds ahead of his rival.

While Tourish and navigator John McElhinney finished fourth overall, James Gillen and Jason Harron claimed fifth ahead of Martin Cairns and Andrew Purcell. John and James Cairns took seventh, while Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan completed the top eight, and finished third in Group N.

In the Superdrive two-wheel-drive category, Vivian and Paul Hamill claimed the spoils aboard their Mark 2 Escort. They also finished just outside the top 10 overall, while Trevor Moore and Ray Fitzpatrick claimed second in the category to maintain their 2WD championship lead. Frank Kelly and Liam Brennan completed the top three.

Finally, the Montgomery Motorsport historic category saw Ryan Barrett and Barry Ferris take the spoils in their Mark 2 Escort. The crew finished comfortably ahead of Philip Hunter and Micky Faloon, with Tommy O'Connell and Sean Magee third.

Battle resumes at round nine of the Hankook MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship. Based in Newcastle, the F&M Contracts Down Rally will take place on Saturday 17 October.

Photos

Posted: October 4, 2009 1:35 PM

rallypics.org
KG Rally Pics

Results

Posted: October 4, 2009 1:28 PM

1 Kenny McKinstry/Noel Orr (Subaru Impreza WRC) 34m16s
2 Derek McGarrity/James McKee (Toyota Corolla WRC) 34m22s
3 Neil McCance/Sean Ferris (Mit. Lancer Evo 9) 34m45s
4 Damien Tourish/John McElhinney (Mit. Lancer Evo 9) 34m53s
5 James Gillen/Jason Harron (Subaru Impreza) 34m54s
6 Martin Cairns/Andrew Purcell (Subaru Impreza WRC) 34m58s
7 John Cairns/James Cairns (Subaru Impreza) 35m07s
8 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Mit Lancer Evo 9) 35m10s
9 Raymond Johnston/Rodney Hicks (Mit Lancer Evo 9) 35m31s
10 John Bustard/Robert McKelvey (Mit Lancer Evo) 35m46s

Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs - www.motorsportni.org

Donagh And Kevin Prepare For A Tough Round Eight

Posted: September 23, 2009 9:18 AM

After the drama Donagh and Kevin had at the Fisher Engineering Lakeland Stages Rally, the crew are now ready to get their championship back on track this weekend at round eight, The Bushwacker Rally.
Donagh and Kevin are looking forward to the rally and the battle with Raymond Johnston, Neil McCance, Damian Tourish and Craig Breen to name but a few.

The Donegal crew recently did some testing to prepare for the event and also to make sure the car was cured of the problems that occurred at the Lakeland Stages Rally a couple of weeks ago. Further inspection at VSM's headquarters after the Lakeland found out that a wire had broken in the wiring loom and the car was unable to run.

The Sunoco Fuels Group N category is now wide open with Donagh Kelly and Raymond Johnston tied on 48 points with three rounds left. Mark Massey and Neil McCance are not far behind on 37 and 35 points.

The event starts at 9am with the crews due to tackle ten stages in the County Tyrone forests. After the final stage the crews will be returning to the finish ramp at the Silverbirch Hotel in Omagh around 6pm.

Thanks again to the 2009 sponsors, KN Network Services, Donnelly Bros. Dungannon, Prime Tyres and Swan Plant Hire and for there continued support, Shell Racing Fuels, Castrol, Pirelli Tyres and Vehicle Services Motorsport. (www.vsmsport.com)

Derek McGarrity heads entry for Omagh Motor Club's Bushwhacker Rally!

Posted: September 23, 2009 9:04 AM

Round eight of the Hankook MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship takes competitors to Omagh for the Bushwhacker Rally this Saturday. Based at the Silverbirch Hotel, the popular event has received almost 100 entries from some of Northern Ireland's leading competitors.

Championship leaders, Derek McGarrity and James McKee, will lead the field away in their newly acquired Toyota Corolla WRC, and they will face stiff competition from Kenny McKinstry and Noel Orr. In championship terms, McKinstry trails his rival by 22 points, and desperately needs a win to keep his Hankook series hopes alive.

Brian McGillin and David Doherty also join the fray in their Corolla WRC, while James Gillen and Jason Harron make a return to action with their Impreza. Martin Cairns and Andrew Purcell complete the top five seeds, and topping the Sunoco Fuels Group N entry, Neil McCance and Sean Ferris will be vying for the top spot.

Donagh Kelly and Enda McNulty also join the fray in Group N, and one to keep an eye on will be Craig Breen. Navigated by Gareth Roberts, Breen has been making a name for himself in the world of rallying this year. Driving a Ford Fiesta, he has numerous victories and giant-killing acts to his name. This weekend he swaps his Fiesta for a Group N Subaru, and could give the N.I. regulars a real run for their money.

Competitors will leave the Silverbirch Hotel shortly after 9am on Saturday, and will tackle 10 stages in the surrounding forests. The morning stages feature Carrickaholten, Slievedoo and Glenderg while the afternoon stages move to Lough Braden. Centralised servicing will be based in Aiken's Caravans, Drumquin Road, Castlederg. More details, including a full entry list, are available on www.nirally.com.

Entry List / Final Instructions

Posted: September 23, 2009 8:48 AM

• Omagh Motor Club

Regulations / Details

Posted: January 1, 2009 12:01 AM

• Omagh Motor Club