Rallycross - Tynagh - 7 Aug 16

Tohill stars with Irish RX victory in Galway

Posted: September 23, 2016 9:41 AM

Two-time FIA European Rallycross TouringCar Champion Derek Tohill and the PFCRX team dominated the fourth round of the Irish Rallycross Championship at Tynagh in Galway (August 7).

Racing on home turf with its 600bhp Ford Fiesta Supercar for the first time in 2016, the team contested the event following a successful test at the brand new FIA World Rallycross Championship circuit at Riga in Latvia a week earlier.

With the IRX event being run over a single day, the timescale was tight but Tohill was able to win all three of the qualifying heats, the Supercar final and the Superfinal, thanks to 100% reliability from the Fiesta RX.

The Irish squad will now turn its attention to the remainder of the international rallycross season, its first with the OlsbergsMSE-built Fiesta. The final two rounds of the FIA European Rallycross Championship, in which Tohill is currently 15th overall, take place in Barcelona, Spain (September 17 – 18) and Riga, Latvia (October 1-2).

Prior to Barcelona event, Tohill and PFCRX may race in the eighth round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship at Loheac in France (September 3 – 4). Details will follow in due course.

Derek Tohill | Driver | Ford Fiesta #111

“I really enjoyed driving the PFCRX Fiesta at Tynagh. I have driven on many rallycross circuits around the World and the Pallas Karting venue marks one of the most enjoyable to drive. It’s fast and flowing with some really sweet gravel sections. This event was all about having fun and we really did that.

It was a massive success for Irish Rallycross, the day ran very smoothly and the organisers didn't miss a beat all day. Thumbs up to all the drivers that made the effort and turned out in Tynagh. I really believe that Irish Rallycross can have a solid future; there are good and willing people involved.

Big thanks to the whole team for the effort in getting the Fiesta to Tynagh after our good test in Latvia last week. It was great to win another round of the championship I have raced in for so many years. We will now prepare for our next event, which will either be World RX in France or Euro RX in Barcelona.

The car needs a lot of work to try and ensure it’s quick and reliable for the remaining rounds of Euro RX. Progress has been good and steady throughout the year as we work for the future, and we’re looking to make a hat-trick of semi-finals for the season in Barcelona. If we compete at Loheac, it will simply be for additional seat time in a competitive environment on a great rallycross circuit. Of course we will also enjoy racing again in front of 70,000 people.

As always, I must say a huge thanks to all our sponsors, partners and fans for their continued support in a very exciting 2016 season as we rebuild our team.”

Results

Posted: September 23, 2016 9:38 AM

SUPER FINAL:
1 Derek Tohill (Ford Fiesta Mk 7) 5m 15.91s,
2 Noel Greene (Mitsubishi Mirage) 5m 37.42s,
3 Thomas O'Rafferty (Ford Fiesta) 5m 37.52s,
4 Willie Coyne (Opel Corsa) 5m 39.35s,
5 Patrick Ryan (Vauxhall Nova) 5m 42.81s,
6 Chris Grimes (Vauxhall Nova) 5m 58.17s.

SUPERCAR A FINAL:
1 Derek Tohill (Ford Fiesta Mk 7) 4m 08.51s,
2 Thomas O'Rafferty (Ford Fiesta) 4m 27.89s,
3 Noel Greene (Mitsubishi Mirage) 4m 29.01s.

MODIFIED A FINAL:
1 Willie Coyne (Opel Corsa) 4m 31.68s,
2 Pearse Browne (BMW Compact) 4m 36.97s,
3 Patrick Ryan (Vauxhall Nova) 4m 37.43s,
4 Lloyd Spendlove (Lotus Exige) 4m 45.60s,
5 Chris Grimes (Vauxhall Nova) 4m 46.46s,
6 Stanley Bovill (Ford Escort G3) 4m 47.21s.

STOCK HATCH 16 VALVE A FINAL:
1 John Ward (Peugeot 106) 4m 44.73s,
2 Paul Nolan (Peugeot 106) 4m 47.98s,
3 Leigh Anne Sedgwick (Citroen Saxo) 4m 57.83s,
4 John Dowling (Citroen Saxo) 5m 00.12s.

STOCK HATCH 8 VALVE A FINAL:
1 Ciaran Murphy (Peugeot 205) 4m 56.14s,
2 Damian Farrell (Peugeot 205) 4m 58.64s,
3 Adrian Farrell (Peugeot 205) 5m 00.06s,
4 James O'Shea (Peugeot 205) 5m 00.59s.

RALLY CAR A FINAL:
1 Patrick Donoghue (Peugeot 205) 4m 41.53s,
2 Peter O'Brien (Peugeot 205) 5m 04.84s,
3 William Cecil (Peugeot 205) 5m 04.84s,
4 Richard Berns (Citroen C2) 5m 15.39s,
5 Kieran Curran (Ford Escort) 6m 00.96s.

FORD FIESTA A FINAL:
1 Dan McDonnell 5m 00.41s,
2 Keith Kerrshaawe 5m 03.25s,
3 Ronan McDonnell 5m 09.81s,
4 Patrick Bateman 5m 13.78s.

JUNIOR A FINAL:
1 Morgan Quinn (Nissan Micra) 5m 17.40s,
2 Shane Duggan (Nissan Micra) 5m 17.74s,
3 Ben Mullins (Nissan Micra) 5m 20.25s,
4 Christopher Grimes Jnr (Toyota Starlet) 5m 49.46s.

Regulations

Posted: July 29, 2016 7:35 AM

Available on the Mondello Website:

Mondello Park Racing Circuit