Down Rally - 17 Oct 09

Entry List

Posted: October 14, 2009 4:19 PM

Entry List

Stage Maps on line:

Posted: October 12, 2009 2:24 PM

• Down Rally

Title battle descends on Down Rally

Posted: October 12, 2009 2:23 PM

Final preparations are well underway for the 2009 F&M Contracts Down Rally on Saturday 17th October. The Rathfriland Motor Club organised event will host the penultimate round of the MSA Hankook Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship and one of the expected highlights of the event will be the battle between series leader Derek McGarrity and local Rally ace Kenny McKinstry.

McGarrity swaps from the ex Glenn Allen Toyota Corolla he used on the Lakeland and Bushwhacker stages to his more usual Subaru Impreza and he brings with him a 19 point advantage over his Banbridge rival, but with 30 points still up for grabs over the final 2 rounds the title is far from safe.

Away from the overall title battle, the tussle for third place in the Championship centres on the Mitsubishi’s of Neil McCance and Donegal’s Donagh Kelly, with the recently crowned Irish Mitsubishi Evo Challenge Champion McCance holding a slender 1 point advantage. The rival crews have a good track record on the Down Rally, both having finished 2nd overall in previous years and if recent pace is anything to go by these guys could again challenge for an outright victory.

Also adding to the production class battle is Enniskillen’s Raymond Johnston, currently 2 points behind class leader Donagh Kelly and 6 ahead of McCance. Although this is Johnston’s first visit to the Down Rally it would be foolish to rule him out from challenging for the class honours.

This year’s event will also see some interest from south of the border as the event will be observed for inclusion in next year’s Irish Forestry Championship. If successful, the event could well be a truly all Ireland affair in 2010 and would be the only gravel event to host a round in both Championships.’

Current local crews entered include:
John & Gavin Devlin Chrysler Sunbeam – Banbridge
Micheal McMullan / Barry Savage – Escort – Castlewellan
Damien Hynds / John Magilton – Mitsubishi – Downpatrick
John McGaffin – Subaru – Gilford
William Armstrong / Chris Simms – Escort – Poyntzpass
Emma McKinstry / Kenny Hull – Subaru – Banbridge
Sean Warnock / Paul Tumilty – Escort – Ballykinlar
Kenny McKinstry / Noel Orr – Subaru – Banbridge
Ian Duff / Ian Hull – Proton - Katesbridge

The action kicks off at 9am on Saturday morning from the Kings Inn, Lower Square Castlewellan, with the crews heading out to tackle the Rostrevor and the McKinstry Motorsport Tollymore Stages. The cars will return to Castlewellan Forest Park for a 20 minute service before repeating the same 2 stages again.

After the second service halt, the event will move on to 2 runs through the Belfast Land Rover Centre Drumkeeragh Stage and the HMC Communications Castlewellan tests before the leading crews arrive back at the Kings Inn finish to spray the champagne around 5pm.

Spectator information is available to download from the event website www.downrally.com and free spectator guides will be available from:

Rally Headquarters in the Kings Inn,
Eurospar, Dublin Road, Castlewellan
Scrutiny at Walter Watson Ltd on Friday night
Lennon’s Garage, Castlewellan
Jr's Discount Store, Main St Castlewellan
The Service area, Castlewellan Forest Park

An updated entry list will be published online on Wednesday evening

Castlewellan Stage mileage extended for 2009 F&M Contracts Down Rally

Posted: October 6, 2009 3:50 PM

In a last minute amendment to the route for the 2009 Down Rally the organisers, Rathfriland Motor Club, have been able to negotiate an extension to Stages 6 & 8 in Castlewellan Forest Park. The additional miles became available when it was noted that the protected Red Kite population within the Forest complex had decided to move away which allowed the Forest Service to make available a section of Forest which was previously 'out of bounds'.

"Its great to be able to extend the stage from the original 2.2 miles to just under 4.5 miles. It all happened very late in the planning process and it has meant a rewrite of the Event Safety Plan, the Road Book and an amendment to the schedule, but it will be worth the extra effort" commented Andy Gilmore, the Clerk of the Course.

"Having been through all the stages over the weekend to finalise the setup plans and to allow the Patterson Safety Notes to be made we know that the roads are in perfect condition and we are confident that anyone who enters the event will enjoy the challenge of the tests here in South Down"

Supplementary Regulations and Entry Forms are still available to download for the event which is the penultimate round of the MSA Hankook Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship and a candidate event for the 2010 Petro Systems Southern Forestry Championship.

To assist competitors with any queries, the event organisers have again published a Rally Guide 1 which includes all the information prospective competitors need to successfully enter and compete on the event.

The F&M Contracts Down Rally 2009 will follow the revised schedule with 4 stages tackled twice. The event will be divided into four loops, punctuated by a service after every 2 stages.

Saturday morning sees the running of the Rostrevor and Tollymore loop of stages, both tests repeated and after lunchtime crews will attack the Drumkeeragh and the newly extended Castlewellan Stage, just a short distance from the centralised Service Park within Castlewellan Forest Park. Again these stages will be repeated with the winning crews scheduled to spray the champagne at the finish in the Lower Square in Castlewellan around 5pm.

 Competitors entering from the Republic of Ireland

Posted: September 26, 2009 11:17 PM

The Organisers can provide a special package for Southern Forestry Championship contenders wishing to sample the 2009 Down Rally. For crews who are contesting the Birr Forest Event the week before the Down Rally and would like to sample our event in preparation for 2010 they can send a note with their entry and the secretary will not deposit their entry cheque until confirmation of their attendance on the Monday after Birr.

We can also provide 20 places for Saturday morning Scrutiny at no extra cost for crews travelling from the ROI which can be applied for when you are posting in your entry form. 

These little extras, along with the  330 Euro entry fee and free RTA Insurance should make the event extremely attractive to those making the journey North.

Entry opens for F&M Contracts Down Rally

Posted: September 26, 2009 11:16 PM

The Supplementary Regulations and Entry Forms are now available to download for the 2009 F&M Contracts Down Rally, the penultimate round of the MSA Hankook Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship.

To assist competitors with any queries, the event organisers, Rathfriland Motor Club Ltd, have again published a Rally Guide 1 which includes all the information prospective competitors need to successfully enter and compete on the event.

The F&M Contracts Down Rally 2009 will follow a revised schedule with 4 stages tackled twice. The event will be divided into four loops, punctuated by a service after every 2 stages.

Saturday morning sees the running of the Rostrevor and Tollymore loop of stages, both tests repeated and after lunchtime crews will attack the Drumkeeragh and new for '09 Castlewellan Stage, just a short distance from the centralised Service Park within Castlewellan Forest Park. Again these stages will be repeated with the winning crews scheduled to spray the champagne at the finish in the Lower Square in Castlewellan around 5pm.

Rally Guide / Regulations / Details

Posted: January 1, 2009 12:01 AM

• Down Rally
• Rathfriland Motor Club