West Cork Rally - 15-16 Mar 14

Posted: May 24, 2014 5:56 PM - 27445 Hits

Counting Round - 2014 Tarmac Rally Championship (Modified)
Round 1 - 2014 Southern 4 Championship

Video: On Tour with Kelly Motorsport

Posted: May 24, 2014 5:56 PM

Event Report

Posted: May 24, 2014 5:52 PM

Introduction
The 2014 Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally ran for the 36th time this past weekend the 15th & 16th March and was a great success. With its inclusion as part of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Modified Championship and the PlasticBags.ie Southern4 Rally Championship the action was bound to be hectic and so it proved. Donagh Kelly from Frosses in Donegal with Derryman Kevin Flanagan co-driving took overall victory on their first ever time doing the event. Their Focus WRC never missed a beat as they held off a strong challenge from Denis Cronin / Coleman Hurley in their Subaru WRC, while another Donegal crew Declan Gallagher and Ryan Moore bought their Toyota Starlet into a magnificent third place overall after a stirring drive. There was disappointment for Daragh O'Riordan / Tony McDaid when their Fiesta broke a driveshaft on the penultimate stage while lying third.

Day 1
A field of 117 cars took to the start on Saturday morning in bright sunshine with the first stage commencing at Ring just after midday. Immediately Donagh Kelly belied his lack of experience of the West Cork stage by punching in the fastest time, some six seconds clear of Daragh O'Riordan with the rapid Darrian of James Stafford in third place. It was to be a short event for several notable crews, particularly Melvyn Evans who retired with transmission failure halfway through Ring, Robert Barrable who suffered a bad misfire at the end of the first test after taking fourth fastest and Owen Murphy who suffered a puncture and then head gasket failure. Local drivers Damien McCarthy (Puma) and Jason McSweeney were also out before the end of the first stage as the pace took its toll. By the first service Kelly still held a seven second lead over O'Riordan with Cronin now back up to third place while James Stafford and Kevin Kelleher were in fourth and fifth. Declan Gallagher was having a great drive in his Starlet while Pat Donegan was pressurising the Donegal driver in seventh. Mick O'Brien, Frank Kelly and Phil Collins rounded off the top ten. The afternoon loop started with another run over Ring, and Daragh O'Riordan lost some time towards the end of the stage when he slid into a soft ditch briefly and some of the following drivers also slid off in the same area from mud pulled out. Declan Gallagher had a big moment here with a half spin but Pat Donegan crashed out and Adrian Hetherington also was forced to retire soon after, when he incurred some damage at the same corner. Another prominent driver to retire here was David Guest as he crashed close to the flying finish of the stage. There was very little change for the rest of the afternoon with Mick O'Brien being the most notable retirement with overheating problems. Overnight Kelly was still in the lead by 25 seconds from Cronin with O'Riordan back in third place. In the Modified Championship James Stafford was top registered driver and lay in fourth place overnight with Declan Gallagher and Frank Kelly second and third of the registered competitors.

Top 5 after Day 1
1 - Donagh Kelly / Kevin Flanagan Ford Focus WRC 0:58:39.5
2 - Denis Cronin / Coleman Hurley Subaru Impreza WRC 0:59:05.3
3 - Daragh O'Riordan / Tony McDaid Ford Fiesta WRC 0:59:18.6
4 - James Stafford / Richie Cleary Darrian T90 GTR 0:59:44.3
5 - Kevin Kelleher / Martin Kelleher Subaru Impreza WRC 1:00:40.1

Day 2
Kelly extended his lead over Cronin to 33 seconds over the first run over Ardfield with O'Riordan still in third. It was the end of the road for Kelleher who retired before the restart with engine problems while transmission failure saw the end of James Stafford's run just after Ardfield village. This promoted Gallagher to fourth with the hard charging Frank Kelly in fifth, just ahead of Collins & Patterson as the modified battle intensified. On Stage 9, Glandore, Martin Donnelly who had been lying an excellent eighth overall crashed his Corolla WRC out of the event as the pace of the rally began to take a major toll. Frank Kelly had an altercation with a bale on Stage 10, Sam's Cross and despite getting back to service, he was forced to retire from the event, a sad end to an entertaining drive.

With just one loop of three stages to go Kelly knew barring any major problems he had enough in hand to keep Cronin at bay, and this point was hammered home as he pushed his lead out to 36 seconds. O'Riordan could do little about the pace of the front two as he felt his Fiesta lacked the grunt of the older WRC cars. Gallagher still had about thirty seconds to spare from Collins but he couldn't afford to relax while Patterson was keeping the pressure on as well. Stephen Carey was having an excellent run in seventh place in his Group N Honda Civic and in sight of his best ever finish on the rally. Over the final three stages Kelly kept his nerve to record a fantastic victory by 33.7 seconds from Cronin. There was late drama as O'Riordan broke a driveshaft on his Fiesta to drop out of third place and promote Gallagher to third place overall. Phil Collins took fourth place with Wesley Patterson in fifth place and Carey in sixth place. Cavan's Gary Kiernan took an excellent seventh place overall and second in Class 13 while Cork crews rounded off the top ten in the shape of Cal McCarthy (Civic), Andy Mahon (Escort) and Jason Ryan (Starlet).

Declan Gallagher has extended his lead in the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Modified Championship after collecting his second batch of maximum points while Wesley Patterson still holding second place while this weekend's good result has seen Phil Collins move into the reckoning in third place. The Historic section of the rally was won in sensational fashion as James O'Mahony & Kerrie Barry in their Volvo clawed back a 13.4 deficit on the final stage to win by just 0.9 seconds from Adrian Kermode / Maurice Beckett in a Porsche 911. Mick Smith & Ferghal Beamish were third in a Hillman Avenger. The Junior Rally was won by Alex Parpottas / Alex Kihurani in a Fiesta R2 by 19.3 seconds from Conor McCarthy & Dylan Coffey (Civic) after a great battle. James Bradley & Maria Kehoe took third place in their Ford Escort.

Gallagher & Moore take maximum points in Clonakilty

Posted: May 24, 2014 5:19 PM

The second round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Modified Championship, the Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally, saw Declan Gallagher & Ryan Moore from Donegal take maximum points for the second event in a row. Despite not having competed on the event before Gallagher put in a storming performance over the tough two day event to finish up in a sensational third place overall and top registered driver. It was an extremely successful championship debut for the West Cork Rally which is promoted by Cork Motor Club. This was stated by Championship Manager Gerard Seaman who said that “Cork Motor Club can hold their heads high for running such a superb event, and the West Cork Rally was an excellent addition to the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Modified Championship”.

The championship got a boost before the start with the registrations of James Stafford, Frank Kelly and Phil Collins to add to an already strong line-up, and in the early stages it was Stafford who led the way, even taking the fight to the World Rally Cars at the head of the competitive entry. Gallagher and Pat Donegan were next up, but it all went wrong for the latter on the 4th stage (Ring 2) and he crashed out of the event. Gallagher survived a scare on this corner and towards the end of the day Frank Kelly closed in as the competition grew even more intense. Phil Collins & Wesley Patterson were also in close attendance with only seconds separating these two as the first day drew to a close.

There was drama on the first stage on Sunday (Ardfield 1) when James Stafford’s Darrian ground to a halt with broken transmission, leaving Gallagher with the modified lead. Kelly was still putting pressure on, but an overshoot and then a more terminal encounter with a chicane on the tenth stage (Sams Cross 1) saw his challenge end in retirement. Martin Donnelly was another retirement on this loop when he crashed out on Glandore having held a top ten position.

There were no mistakes made by Gallagher & Moore though on their way to a superb third overall and top Modified Championship crew in their Starlet, while next up were Phil Collins and Wesley Patterson in their Escorts after a titanic battle all weekend. Gary Kiernan from Cavan took an excellent seventh overall on his first attempt at the West Cork Rally, while local crew Cal McCarthy & Eamon Dullea put almost a year of mechanical heartbreak behind them with an excellent 8th overall in their Civic.

The action now switches to the third round, the Circuit of Ireland Rally at Easter where it’s all to play for as the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Modified Championship goes from strength to strength. Remember you can keep up to date with all the happenings on our website, www.irishtarmac.com, Facebook (Irish Tarmac Championship), Twitter (@irishtarmactroa) and our App for both iOS and Android (Irish Tarmac Championship).

Superb Weekend for Cal and Conor on West Cork Rally!

Posted: May 24, 2014 5:17 PM

For 25 year old Cal McCarthy and Carbery Plastics employee, 21 year old Conor McCarthy, it was an excellent weekend’s rallying on their home event the Quality Hotel West Cork Rally.

Cal and Eamonn Dullea in their newly built class 11 Honda Civic finished a fine 8th overall and first in class, an ideal start to their Irish Tarmac Championship Modified campaign, whilst Conor secured second place in the Junior rally after a late power steering problem cost him the lead.

It was a rewarding weekend for Cal and the team, as the Cork driver had failed to finish an event for almost twelve months, and therefore it was a somewhat nervous debut of this new car built by Donal Healy. As with any new car there were teething problems, but these were rapidly cured by the team.
“On the first stage the handbrake fell forward in the car, and we had to borrow a gearbox before the rally which kept popping out of second” commented Cal. “It cost us some time, and the handling didn’t feel great, but just good to make the first service was an achievement after breaking down on the first stage last year. I had the car too stiff and as we softened it off during the weekend I became extremely happy with it, and that reflected on Sunday’s stages.”

Indeed overnight they were lying 14th and second in class, but on Sunday morning started to make in-roads on the class leader Vincent McSweeney.
“The car felt much better on day two, and we took eight seconds off Vincent on the first test. Sadly he broke down soon afterwards, so we didn’t get the chance to catch up on the time-sheets. We had a moment of our own on my home stage, when the car got out of phase in 5th gear, but we got away with it!” At the finish just eight seconds separated 6th to 8th places, but with a full haul of Tarmac Championship points for the Carbery Plastics team it was a significant result.
“It definitely gives us more confidence, especially in the new car, and it’s great to get a good result on our home event.”

For Conor McCarthy and co-driver Dylan Coffey contesting the Junior Rally in their EK4 Honda, it was nearly a completion of a team double, as they finished second, despite a time consuming power steering problem on the final stages. The 21 year old finished just nineteen seconds behind British Championship regular Alex Parpottas in his R2 Fiesta.
“It was a pity we couldn’t make the team double, but we are very happy with the result” quipped the 21 year old whose father Liam was once an outright winner of the event. “Maybe next time we can go one better!”

Keep up to date with the team’s progress on their Facebook page- Carbery Plastics Rally Team and Twitter @CPRallying. A new website is also in progress, as this exciting new two car rally team takes to the stages in 2014!

In Car

Posted: May 24, 2014 5:02 PM

Melvyn Evans & Patrick Walsh (Subaru Impreza WRC) SS1

James O'Mahony & Kerrie Barry (Volvo144s) SS13

James Stafford & Richard Cleary (Darrian T90 GTR) SS4

Stephen & Susanne Wright (Peugeot 208 R2)

Frank Kelly & Liam Brennan (Ford Escort MkII) SS4

What a Corker! Donagh Kelly Wins West Cork Rally on First Attempt!

Posted: May 24, 2014 4:41 PM

Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan pulled off a sensational victory this weekend on their first visit to the West Cork Rally in their Northgate Vehicle Hire supported Ford Focus WRC. After setting fastest time on special stage one, the pair took a thirty three second victory on an event which had five former winners pitting their skills against the visiting crew.

“It’s been a perfect weekend. The plan was to attack from stage one, and really attack the classic stages such as Ring and Ardfield and that’s what we did. The car ran perfectly all weekend the VSM team did a great job. Kevin really kept the pressure on me, and made sure that I didn’t back off anywhere all weekend!” commented a delighted Donagh. The presence of an M-Sport engineer further helped to fine tune the Pirelli shod Focus over the weekend and before the event a faulty lambda sensor was replaced, which improved the cars response.

The closest threats to Donagh and Kevin were former winners Denis Cronin in his Subaru S11 and Daragh O’Riordan in his Fiesta WRC, with Denis eventually taking second place, and Daragh retiring from third on the final loop after a drive-shaft failure. Other former winners Robert Barrable and Melvyn Evans were early retirements, but nothing was going to stop the Northgate team this weekend as they excelled in these super stages.
“The stages were fantastic, and very fast in places. There were some superb sections, and the dry weather made tyre choice easy for us. To get those fastest times on the classic tests was a big thing and a good boost for the confidence” said Donagh.

No rally win is easy, and it wasn’t without its moments.
“We had a major moment this morning on the approach to a chicane. I left the braking too late, and we were clocked at 129mph at the 100 metre to go board. I don’t know how we got stopped enough to get round but we rubbed a couple of bales on the way through! ”

Next on the team’s agenda is the Circuit of Ireland at Easter and this test session couldn’t have gone any better.
“It’s the first time that I have really driven the car, and it’s definitely been a step up in our game. West Cork was one of the best events I have ever had, and that extra push has brought a good result.For sure the Circuit will be different event, but now I can’t wait to have a good go at it”

Posted: May 24, 2014 4:40 PM

Results

Posted: May 24, 2014 4:20 PM

1 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC) 108m 08s,
2 Denis Cronin/Colman Hurley (Subaru Impreza WRC) 108m 41s,
3 Declan Gallagher/Ryan Moore (Toyota Starlet RWD) 114m 21s,
4 Phil Collins/Derek Brannigan (Ford Escort MkII) 115m 07s,
5 Wesley Patterson/Johnny Baird (Ford Escort MkII) 115m 23s,
6 Stephen Carey/Breda O’Driscoll (Honda Civic Type-R) 118m 30s,
7 Gary Kiernan/Niall Tierney (Ford Escort MkII) 118m 32s,
8 Cal McCarthy/Eamonn Dullea (Honda Civic) 118m 38s,
9 Andrew Mahon/Andrew Donoghue (Ford Escort) 119m 08s,
10 Jason Ryan/Tadhg O’Sullivan (Toyota Starlet) 119m 26s.

Leader After:
SS1-13 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC)

Stage Winners
SS1 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC)
SS2 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC)
SS3 Denis Cronin/Colman Hurley (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS4 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC)
SS5 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC)
SS6 Denis Cronin/Colman Hurley (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS7 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC)
SS8 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC)
SS9 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC)
SS10 Denis Cronin/Colman Hurley (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS11 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC)
SS12 Denis Cronin/Colman Hurley (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS13 Denis Cronin/Colman Hurley (Subaru Impreza WRC)

Results on Line

irallyresults.com

Rallynews (by Brian & Liz Patterson)

Updates to Entry List

Posted: March 12, 2014 6:30 PM

Withdrawn:
19, 22, 38, 43, 61, 92, 98, 101, 106, 120, H3, H5, H7, H12, J1

Late Entries:
129 Kieran O'Regan / Brian Keohane Suzuki Swift
131 Jim McKenna / Thomas Treanor Ford Escort
132 Gary Kiernan / Niall Tierney Ford Escort
133 James Stafford / Richie Cleary Darrian T90 GTR
134 Kevin Kelleher / Martin Kelleher Subaru Impreza WRC S9
135 Mike Costello / Paddy Costello
J23 Thomas Walton / Donal Mooney

Marshal meeting points

Posted: March 12, 2014 5:06 PM

Saturday March 15.

Sunday, March 16.

Chief Marshal: 085 1145433 / +353 85 1145433

Donagh and Kevin Prepare for a Corking Weekend!

Posted: March 12, 2014 11:17 AM

Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan are on their first visit to the West Cork Rally this weekend, with their Northgate Vehicle Hire supported Ford Focus WRC.
The team have begun their Irish Tarmac Rally Championship campaign, with third place on the Galway International Rally in February and the West Cork outing is in preparation for the Circuit of Ireland at Easter.
“We’ve heard so much about the West Cork Rally, and had planned to contest it several times, but it’s never worked out. I heard that the stages such as Ring and Ardfield are absolute classics, so we are really looking forward to getting the Focus wound up on those. It should give us a useful run out before the Circuit of Ireland” commented Donagh.

Indeed looking forward to the “Circuit”, Donagh has an excellent record on this event, having taken the Group N category amongst the ERC runners on its last running in 2012. West Cork will be an ideal warm up, as Donagh assesses the correct compounds of Pirelli’s to use, and makes up for a lack of testing before Galway at the start of the season.

A testing exercise it may be, but it’s still a rally, and like every team this one would like to win. It’s going to a tough job however, as seeded at number four they are behind rapid Cork driver’s Denis Cronin (Subaru WRC) and Daragh O’Riordan (Fiesta WRC), and Melvyn Evans in another Subaru WRC. Behind them too is Robert Barrable in an R5 Fiesta, so it’s going to be an excellent race on the fast, flowing West Cork stages.
“It’s great to have a good entry like this. It will give us an indication of how we are going. They are all former winners, and it’s our first time on these roads, so we will have to bear that in mind, but we will having a good go at it for sure” explained Donagh.

The two day event kicks off from Clonakilty at 11.35am with thirteen stages to be traversed before the late afternoon finish on Sunday.

Carbery Plastics Rally Team Start Big Season at Home!

Posted: March 12, 2014 10:59 AM

For 25 year old Cal McCarthy and Carbery Plastics employee, 21 year old Conor McCarthy, an ambitious season of rallying lies ahead, all starting with their home event, the Quality Hotel West Cork Rally this weekend.

It’s the start of a two tier campaign with their Honda Civic’s. For Cal and co-driver Eamonn Dullea, West Cork is the start of a campaign on the Irish Tarmac Modified Championship with a newly built class 11 Honda Civic.
“We have had a new car built by Donal Healy over the winter, and the plan for this season is a full attack on class 11 in the Irish Tarmac modified series. The programme will take us to four other big International events: the Killarney Rally of the Lakes, Donegal, Ulster and Cork 20. In addition to this we also plan to enter the Manx Rally and Fastnet Rally in October so it’s a big year ahead!”

Cal has an excellent rallying record to date, having started in a Suzuki Swift in 2009. It was the move to a Honda Civic in 2010 that brought success however, as he took the West Coast Junior Championship, and was second in class in the Dunlop National series. In 2011 he starred on the Fastnet Rally pedalled the little Honda to 13th overall, and picked up the Dunlop Drive of the Day. In 2012 he scooped second in class in the Irish Tarmac series and one of the drives of last season was a fine 10th overall and first in class on the Circuit of Kerry. One of the low points however was a drive-shaft failure on the first stage in West Cork.
“That was demoralising!” commented Cal. “We have done everything we can to make sure this new car is right, so fingers crossed for this weekend. There’s nothing like the West Cork Rally for us, and it’s important to obtain good championship points.”

For cousin Conor the focus is on the 2014 Irish Forest Championship, and indeed the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Award. He has already clocked up a Junior victory and 23rd overall on the opening round in Tipperary. There are five more rounds to contest in the series and Conor is also contesting the West Cork and Fastnet events to develop his tarmac skills.
“We had a great start in Tipperary” commented Conor. “Last year we contested some events in the Irish Forest Championship and really enjoyed them. The competition is good and you can learn a lot about car control also. I really like the forests, but I like tarmac as well, especially this weekend on our home rally.”

Conor’s first event was the Fastnet in 2012, but his favourite event is West Cork, an event his father Liam has won outright. Conor will be taking part in the Junior section of the event, and is seeded J2 in his EK4 Civic.

Keep up to date with the team’s progress on their Facebook page- Carbery Plastics Rally Team and Twitter @CPRallying. A new website is also in progress, as this exciting new two car rally team takes to the stages in 2014!

Poster for Finish Ramp Family Event

Posted: March 10, 2014 10:02 PM

Barrable to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a high-speed run on the West Cork Rally

Posted: March 10, 2014 12:15 PM

Robert Barrable will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year by contesting the Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally (March 15-16) in his Tunnock’s World Rally Team Ford Fiesta R5 – in a homeland high-speed Tarmac test run ahead of the Circuit of Ireland Rally (April 17-19).

The 26-year old Dublin driver won the West Cork Rally at his first attempt in 2011, driving a ŠKODA Fabia S2000. With his father Michael also having won the Cork Motor Club organised event in 2007 in a Ford Fiesta WRC, they are the only father and son pairing to have each won the famous Clonakilty-based event.

With his regular co-driver Stuart Loudon unable to contest the West Cork Rally, Damien Connolly, who partnered Robert to his 2011 victory, will make a one-off return appearance next to Robert – with the additional task of co-ordinating the distribution of Tunnock’s Tea Cakes and Caramel Wafers! Stuart will be back on the pace notes in the CA1 Sport-prepared Fiesta R5 for the Circuit of Ireland.

West Cork will be Robert’s second rally of 2014, having finished 3rd in WRC-2 on the opening round of the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship, Rallye Monte Carlo, in January.

Robert:
“West Cork is my all-time favourite rally. I love the stages, I love the atmosphere and the only time I’ve done the rally myself I won it. That was a very special moment, because I was very proud to be following in my father’s footsteps. There aren’t many rallies in the world where a father and son have both won, and it’s very special to have achieved that in Ireland.”

The 36th running of the West Cork Rally uses the classic stages such as Ring, Glandore and Ardfield, with some being run in a format that hasn’t been used for many years. Seven stages will run on Saturday (March 15) and six on the Sunday, with the first car due on the finish ramp at 15.30 on March 16.

Rally Programmes

Posted: March 8, 2014 11:54 AM

John Crowley's Shop, Bypass, Clonakilty
Maxol Service Station, Bypass, Clonakilty
Noel White, Texaco, Clonakilty
Paddy Meade's Newsagent, Clonakilty
Dave McCarthys, Clonakilty
Scallys SV, Clonakilty
Hartes Spar, Clonakilty
Quality Hotel, Clonakilty
Walsh Londis, Clonakilty
Foleys Texaco Service Station, Timoleague
Spar Filling Station, Skibbereen
EMO Denis Cronin Ballylickey
Donovans, Ballinascarthy
Londis - Bandon bypass
Bandon Motors, Bandon
Kevin O Leary's, Clonakilty Road, Bandon
Cahalanes Garage, Cork Road, Bandon
Maxol Station, Bandon Road (beyond Viaduct), Cork City
Coleman's Car Care, Wilton Shopping Centre, Cork City
Glenview Motors, Macroom
Jerry Murphy, R&R Tyres, Ballincollig

Time and Distance Schedule / Final Instructions

Posted: March 8, 2014 11:53 AM

Available at:

West Cork Rally

Marshals

Posted: March 7, 2014 3:43 PM

Marshals Required. Contact the Chief Marshal: 085 1145433 / +353 85 1145433

Press Release 3

Posted: March 7, 2014 3:20 PM

With little over a week to go to the Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally almost 160 entries have been received across all categories. As the rally is the second round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Modified Championship there has been a lot of interest and the quality of the entry reflects this. There are 128 names on the list for the main field, to be led away by the Subaru Impreza WRC of Denis Cronin and Coleman Hurley who were so close to victory in 2013 only to crash out on the final stage. Denis has won this event once before, in 2005, and will be very keen to top the podium again. At 2 are Daragh O’Riordan and Tony McDaid in their Ford Fiesta WRC who will be hoping that the previous years’ experience in the car will stand to them. Daragh did win the Cork 20 in 2013 and was third here last year, and as a former winner of this event in 2012 should be in the hunt for overall honours.

Melvyn Evans and Patrick Walsh are at 3 in their Subaru Impreza WRC and although Melvyn hasn’t been here since 2007, he has won the event twice in the past (2002 & 2006). The West Cork roads will hold no surprises for the Welshman despite lack of time in the car over the past 12 months and he will be one to watch. Making their first visit to Clonakilty, Donagh Kelly from Donegal with Kevin Flanagan co-driving are at number 4 in their Ford Focus WRC. This crew were runners up in the Irish Tarmac Championship in 2013 and were recently third overall in the Galway International as their pace increases so shouldn’t be too far away at the conclusion of the rally. Robert Barrable and Damien Connolly at 5 bring their exciting Ford Fiesta R5 to Clonakilty after experiencing top level competition in Monte Carlo back in January. Robert who is yet another previous winner (2011) of the event will be looking to get some more testing miles on the car over the fast and flowing West Cork stages.

Last year’s runners up Owen Murphy and James O’Brien start at 6 in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 and the former Irish Forestry Champion will be as spectacular as ever to watch. Mick O’Brien and Stephen Quinn are at 7 in a Focus WRC, and although Mick has tended to lean more towards forestry events in Ireland, he has achieved some good results in the Fastnet Rally. One of Ireland’s most exciting talents starts at number 8, in the form of Donegal’s Declan Gallagher with Ryan Moore on the notes. This pairing are currently leading the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Modified Championship in their Toyota Starlet after a tremendous drive in Galway, and although they have not been to Clonakilty before, Declan’s talent will ensure that this won’t be much of an obstacle.

Frank Kelly and Liam Brennan are at 9 in their Ford Escort after finishing sixth overall on the 2013 rally. Frank loves the Ring stage and set some excellent times last year even though it was only his second time doing the event. Rounding off the top ten are Alan Ring and Adrian Deasy in a Gp N Subaru Impreza hoping to match or better their previous best result back in 2012 when they came 4th overall. Outside of the top ten there is no let-up in the quality with Adrian Hetherington, Phil Collins, Wesley Patterson & Pat Donegan (Patterson is currently second in the Modified Championship) all in extremely rapid Escorts.

Rounding off the top 20 places are Damien McCarthy (Puma), Jason Ryan (Starlet), Jason McSweeney, Billy McLelland (both in Lancers), Brian O’Keeffe & Mark Nangle (both in Imprezas). The competition doesn’t end there with a lot of entries in both 11R and 11F classes as well as class 13, while current Irish Tarmac Group N Champion and Billy Coleman award winner Stephen Wright will compete in a Peugeot 208 as he aims to get more tarmac experience in his new car. There is a large overseas entry this year with 31 in total across the three categories coming from the US, England, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man.

In the Historic Category, Adrian Kermode & Maurice Beckett from the Isle of Man in a Porsche 911 is the top entry followed by the 1982 Irish Tarmac Champions John Coyne & Christy Farrell in a Sunbeam Lotus. Darren Moon from York is at three in his Ford Escort RS1800 and should be very quick despite not having been to West Cork before, while current Irish Tarmac Historic Champions James O’Mahony & Kerrie Barry will compete in a Volvo. The Junior Category has 22 entrants and will be led away by Richard Moore from Wexford followed by Conor McCarthy both of whom are in Honda Civics. James Bradley is at 3 in a Ford Escort, while an interesting entry is at 4 in the shape of UK crew Alex Parpottas and Alex Kiruhani in a Fiesta R2.

The first car will leave the start ramp at 11.35 for a short service with the first stage, the classic Ring, getting under way at 12.07pm. The Ring stage promises to be a tough opener as it’s almost 12 miles long and incorporates some of the old Dunworley stage for the first time ever in this format. Clogagh and Ballinascarthy are the next stages up before service in Darrara Agricultural College. All three stages are then repeated before another service then it’s onto the final stage of the day which is a short three mile blast to the west of Clonakilty and the cars will then head to Parc Ferme at around 17.45.

The following day will see proceedings open with another classic stage, Ardfield at 11.25 and this will be followed by Glandore and Sams Cross before service at 1pm in Darrara Agricultural College. The same three stages are then repeated to complete the 13 stages and the first car is due back at the finish ramp at 15:40 after 200kms of rallying. The Historic Rally will begin on Stage 4 (Ring 2) while the Junior Rally will be over all six stages on the Sunday. Anyone who still wishes to compete are reminded that entries are still open at €599 for the main field, €380 for the historic rally and €299 for the junior competitors (€100 refund available here if both crew members marshal on the Saturday).

Scrutiny will take place from 4pm to 10pm on Friday 14th March in Clonakilty Car Centre and Parc Ferme will be in the Model Railway Village on the Inchydoney Road as usual. The event will be recorded for TV by Sports Vision and will be shown on UTV, TG4 and Motors TV in the coming weeks.

Seeded Entry List

Posted: March 6, 2014 6:00 PM

1 Denis Cronin/Coleman Hurley (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
2 Darragh O'Riordan/Tony McDaid (Ford Fiesta WRC) [8]
3 Melvyn Evans/Patrick Walsh (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
4 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC) [8]
5 Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly (Ford Fiesta R5) [8]
6 Owen Murphy/James O'Brien (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
7 Michael O'Brien/Stephen Quinn (Ford Focus WRC) [8]
8 Declan Gallaher/Ryan Moore (Toyota Starlet RWD) [13]
9 Frank Kelly/Liam Brennan (Ford Escort MK2) [14]
10 Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Subaru Impreza N12) [4]
11 Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
12 Phil Collins/Derek Brannigan (Ford Escort MK2) [14]
14 Wesley Patterson/Johnny Baird (Ford Escort RS) [14]
15 Pat Donegan/Alan Keena (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
16 Damien McCarthy/Eamon Hayes (Ford Puma) [11 F]
17 Jason Ryan/Tadgh O'Sullivan (Toyota Starlet) [11 F]
18 Jason McSweeney/Martin Brady (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) [20]
19 Billy McLelland/Alistair Wyllie (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 3) [20]
20 Brian O'Keeffe/Sean Hayde (Subaru Impreza N14) [4]
21 Mark Nangle/Nollaig Breen (Subaru Impreza WRX) [20]
22 Anthony O'Halloran/Charlie McEnery (Opel Manta 400) [14]
23 Eoghan Calnan/Conor Calnan (Ford Escort RS) [13]
24 David Guest/Ruth McSweeney (Subaru Impreza) [8]
25 Stephen Carey/Brenda O'Driscoll (Honda Civic) [3]
26 Mark Straker/Ian Meakin (Darrian T90 GRT) [14]
27 Ian Godney/Anthony O'Sullivan (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
28 John Hickey/John McCarthy (Ford Escort 4X4) [20]
29 Ray O'Sullivan/William Lynch (Ford Escort) [13]
30 Martin Donnelly/Brian Doherty (Toyota Corolla) [15]
31 Philip Cross/JJ Cremin (Subaru Impreza N9) [4]
32 Vivian Hamill/Paul Sheridan (Ford Escort) [14]
33 Gwyn Thomas/Anthony O'Connell (Ford Puma GT) [20]
34 Stephen Wright/Suzanne Wright (Peugeot 208 R2) [6]
35 Vincent McSweeney/Michael Kearney (Honda Civic) [11F]
36 Cal McCarthy/Eamonn Dullea (Honda Civic) [11F]
37 Andrew Mahon/Andrew Donoghue (Ford Escort) [11R]
38 Paul Fitzgerald/Pierce Doheny Jnr (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
39 Diarmuid Keohane/Peter Keohane (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
40 Fintan Canty/Denis O'Mahony (Ford Escort MK2) [13]
41 Wayne Evans/Sion Jones (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
42 Adrian Evans/Martin Henry (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
43 Mark Dolphin/Finbarr Quirke (Ford Escort) [14]
44 Jason O'Mahony/Alan Whyte (Honda Civic) [11F]
45 Johnny Curran/Conor Curran (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
46 Peter Desmond/Sorcha Kelly (Vauxhall Nova) [9]
47 Eddie O'Donnell JNR/Matt Ratcliffe (Ford Escort RS) [14]
48 Colin Byrne/Brian Quinlan (Citroen C2R2 Max) [6]
49 Peter Cummins/Tommy Culloty (Darrian T90 ) [13]
50 Rory Byrne/Mark Bownes (Mitsubishi Evo5) [4]
51 Tomas O'Keeffe/Colin Fitzgerald (Ford Escort) [13]
52 Bernard Foley/Eammon Creedon (Honda Civic) [11F]
53 Paul Browne/Jenna Browne (Honda Civic) [11F]
54 John White/Ella Ryan (Honda Civic) [11F]
55 Ian Davies/Dai Roberts (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
56 Peter O Neill/Niall O Sullivan ( Escort) [11R]
57 Jason Roycroft/Nicole O'Shea (Honda Civic) [2]
58 Kevin Dolphin/Martin O'Brien (Renualt Clio Super 1600) [6]
59 Daniel Lucey/Derry Healy (Ford Escort MK1) [13]
60 Seamus Ronan/Aoife Fitzpatrick (Honda Civic) [11F]
61 Paul Scannell/Mossy Griffin (Ford Escort) [11R]
62 Sean O'Carroll/Ian Stanley (Ford Mark 2) [13]
63 Martin O'Flynn/Column Cronin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
64 Jeremiah O'Flynn/Shane McCarthy (Ford Escort) [13]
65 William Kenneally/Finbarr Fogarty (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
66 Patrick Kearney/Anne Other (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
67 Victor Beamish/Susan Beamish (Vauxhall Nova) [10]
68 Michael O'Sullivan/Eoin O'Leary (Ford Escort) [12]
69 Jonathon O'Mahony/Steven Clarke (Ford Escort) [12]
70 Jerry O'Mahony/Willie Buchannan (Ford Escort) [10]
71 Paul Casey/Vincent Goggin (Peugeot 205) [10]
72 Ed Twomey/Derek Tobin (Ford Fiesta R2) [6]
73 Neil Spain/Ian Taylor (Ford Escort) [13]
74 Brian Hickey/Mark Horgan (Ford Escort Mk 2) [14]
75 Thomas White/Sac O Spuds (Citroen C2R2) [6]
76 Huw Williams/Lloyd Morgan (Peugeot 205 GTI) [11F]
77 Tony Rees/Richard Barnes (Talbot Sunbeam) [13]
78 Dale Clatworthy/Marc Clatworthy (Toyota Corolla) [11R]
79 Patrick Calnan/Trevor McCarthy (Honda Civic) [6]
80 David Cremin/Johnny O'Shea (Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 6) [15]
81 Colin Rowe/David Booty (Fiat 131 Sport) [13]
82 Michael Canny/Andy Hayes (Ford Fiesta ) [3]
83 Peter Egerton/Alun Cook (Ford Escort) [13]
84 John O'Sullivan/Denny O'Riordan (Toyota Corolla RWD) [11R]
85 Conor Nash/David Kearney (Ford Escort) [11R]
86 Alan O'Riordan/James Jordan (Subaru Impreza ) [20]
87 Denis O'Brien/Sean O'Crowley (Opel Corsa) [10]
88 Gavin Rogers/Georgina Clark (Ford Escort) [13]
89 David Duggan/Declan Buttimer (Toyota Corolla) [11F]
90 Tony Calnan/Aidan Calnan (Subaru Impreza) [8]
91 Michael Forde/Jim Cunningham (Talbot Sunbeam) [11R]
92 Gavin Walsh/Sean O'Crowley (Honda Civic) [11F]
93 Joe Nacey/Simon Cummins (Toyota Twim Cam) [11R]
94 Shane Stanley/Liam Fouhy (Honda Civic) [9]
95 Steve Griggs/Jill Austin (Vauxhall Nova) [11F]
96 Edward Hallahan/Barry Murphy (Ford Escort) [12]
97 Brian O'Mahony/Michelle Gallwey (Honda Civic) [2]
98 Aidan Mulcahy/Des Flynn (Honda Civic) [11F]
99 Andrew Leacy/Joe O'Brien (Toyota Corolla) [11R]
100 Noel O'Mahony/Cliff Desmond (Honda Starlet) [9]
101 Colm Browne/Laurance McGrath (Honda Civic) [2]
102 Anthony Whelton/Catriona Whelton (Ford Escort) [11R]
103 Michael Walsh/Michelle Walsh (Honda Civic) [11F]
104 Tiernach Maguire/Anne Other (Ford Escort Mk2) [10]
105 Eamonn Bates/James Sinnor (Honda Civic) [2]
106 John Walsh/Seamus Sheedy (Ford Escort G3) [12]
107 Etienne O'Sullivan/Eoghan Coughlan (Peugeot 106 Cup Car) [6]
108 Dan Kelleher/Aileen Shanahan (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
109 Shay Byrne/John Delaney (Talbot Sunbeam) [10]
110 Steven O'Donovan/Keith Curley (Opel Corsa) [10]
111 Richard Harney/Brian Harney (Ford Escort) [11R]
112 Colm Forde/Jonathan Thrill (Peugeot 206) [6]
113 Pat McDonagh/Marie McDonagh (Ford Cortina Mk11) [10]
114 Chris Manning/Tim Sayer (Ford Escort) [12]
115 Seamus O'Donovan/Barry McCarthy (Suzuki Swift) [9]
116 Brenten Kelly/Billy Irvin (Ford KA) [9]
117 Padraig Deasy/Edel McCarthy (Honda Civic) [2]
118 Noel McCarthy/Michelle Stafford (Ford Escort) [9]
119 Anthony Crowley/Ciaran Crowley (Ford Escort) [9]
120 Conan O'Riordan/Cian O'Riordan (Peugeot 205 GTI) [10]
121 Pat Sheenan/Maul Aprati (Honda Civic) [9]
122 Chris McCarthy/Ray Looney (Toyota Corolla) [11R]
123 John Browne/Tony McCarthy (Honda Civic) [11F]
124 Robert Bemish/Orla Bemish (Opel Corsa) [9]
125 Donal Dineen/Brian Gilles (Peugeot GTI GTI) [10]
126 Tony O'Driscoll/Anthony O'Driscoll (Peugeot 106) [5]
127 Henry Jennings/Iorla McCarthy (Opel Corsa) [9]
128 James Hall/Anthony Roche (Honda Civic) [9]

Historics
H1 Adrian Kermode/Maurice Beckett (Porsche 911 Se) [D4]
H2 John Coyne/Christy Farrell (Talbot Sumbeam Lotus) [K]
H3 Darren Moon/Damien Flemming (Ford Escort RS ) [E3]
H4 Wyn Spot Hughes/Dai Towy Davies (Ford Escort Mk2) [D3]
H5 Berian Richards/Frank Curtin (Ford Escort) [K]
H6 James O'Mahony/Kerrie Barry (Volvo 144S) [B4]
H7 Declan Jackson/Barry McCarthy (Ford Escort Mk2) [D3]
H8 Tim Lenihan/Kieran Crowley (Ford Escort Mk2) [C2]
H9 Mick Smith/Anne Other (Hillman Avenger) [D2]
H10 Ian Fisher/Alan Mulligan (Sunbeam Imp Sport) [B1]
H11 George Swanton/Kevin Barry (Ford Escort ) [C2]
H12 Frank Manweilor/Sac O Spuds (Hillman Californian) [B1]
H14 Adrian Whelton/Ivan Bennett (Austin Mini) [D2]

Juniors
J1 Richard Moore/Sac O Spuds (Honda Civic) [16]
J2 Conor McCarthy/Dylan Coffey (Honda Civic) [16]
J3 James Bradley/Maria Kehoe (Ford Escort MK 2) [16]
J4 Alex Parpottas/Alex Kihurani (Ford Fiesta R2) [16]
J5 Colin Roche/Maul Aprati (Toyota Starlet ) [16]
J6 Andrew Beamish/Lisa O'Dowd (Vauxhall Nova) [16]
J7 Kenneth Quirke/Seamus Skinner (Honda Civic) [16]
J8 Patrick Lawlor/Cian Dineen (Honda Civic) [16]
J9 Eamonn Ted McCarthy/Jonathan Carroll (Honda Civic) [16]
J10 Cathal McCarthy/Sean O'Regan (Honda Civic) [16]
J11 David Beamish/Muireann Hayes (Opel Corsa) [16]
J12 Mark Hurley/Leslie Wolfe (Honda Civic) [16]
J14 Diarmaid O'Crowley/Eimear Hurley (Vauxhall Nova) [16]
J15 Jason Buckley/Declan Casey (Ford Escort MK 2) [16]
J16 Chris Brady/Jenny Warren (TBA ) [16]
J17 Christy McCarthy/Cliodhna Murphy (Peugeot 205) [16]
J18 Eric Calnan/Cillian Crowley (Peugeot 106) [16]
J19 Sean McGrath/Patrick O'Flynn (Honda Civic) [16]
J20 Paul Considine/Anne Other (Honda Civic) [16]
J21 Shane Norris/Charlie Boland (Honda Civic) [16]
J22 Kieran O'Donoghue/Donagh Crowley (Honda Civic) [16]

Entries still open.... just about time to get name on the rally programme!

Posted: March 5, 2014 8:24 PM

130 now in the main field, 21 juniors and 13 historics
West Cork entries still being taken. List of entries for the official rally programme is being done this Thursday March 6, so if you want to be on it get your entry in!

Press Release 2 - Regulations available

Posted: February 2, 2014 12:26 AM

Cork Motor Club is pleased to announce that regulations for the 2014 Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally are now available to download. This popular event which will run for the 36th time on the 15th & 16th of March on its traditional St. Patrick's Weekend slot has already attracted a lot of interest with enquiries coming from all over Ireland as well as the U.K. and even the U.S.

The rally was launched on the 25th of January at the Quality Hotel as Clerk of the Course Martin Godfrey welcomed members of the TROA including Championship Chairman David Gray and Championship Manager Gerard Seaman to Clonakilty. The event is the second round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Modified Championship which is creating a lot of interest and excitement around the town.

As always the event will use classic stages such as Ring, Glandore and Ardfield with some being run in a format that haven't been used for many years. Seven stages will run on the first day and six on the second with the first car due on the finish ramp at 3.30pm on the Sunday.

Regulations & Entry Form available from:

Quality Hotels West Cork Rally 2014 Press Release 1

Posted: January 9, 2014 10:53 AM

The Cork Motor Club organised Quality Hotels West Cork Rally takes place for the 36th time on the 15th & 16th March, St. Patrick’s Weekend. The popular Clonakilty based event always attracts a large entry and interest has increased with the release of The West Cork Rally – A History, a book which chronicles the rally since it began in 1977. For the first time the rally is part of the 2014 Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Modified Championship which gives the event a welcome boost and will be the second round in this series after Galway.

The Quality Hotel is again the rally headquarters and Martin Godfrey is Clerk of the Course for the third year in a row. As always the event will offer great value for money with the entry fee set at €599 for two days rallying over 13 stages and over 120 stage miles. Servicing is centralised in Darrara Agricultural College for both days and road mileage as always is extremely low. The only major change from last year’s event is that the rally will revert back to an earlier start on the first day as the 2pm start in 2013 was considered by some competitors to be very late. The event will still conclude early on the Sunday with the first car due at the finish ramp at approximately 3.15pm. This will allow any competitors who need to travel home a long distance or take a ferry to the UK to be able to achieve this at a reasonable hour.

There will as always be a Historic Rally with the entry fee reduced to €380 and Junior Rally with the entry fee also reduced to €299 both of which represent excellent value for money. The Historic Rally will begin after stage 3 on the first day, while the Junior Rally will run on all of Sunday’s stages which include classic tests such as Ardfield, Glandore and Sam’s Cross. The marshal’s incentive for the Junior Rally will remain in place whereby if both crew members marshal on the first day, they will receive a €100 refund of their entry fee which would give them a full days rallying for only €199.