Killarney International Rally of Lakes - 29-30 Apr 17

Onthepacenote.com Facebook Live Schedule

Posted: April 28, 2017 7:43 PM

Friday Ceremonial Start 7pm

Saturday
After SS1 Molls Gap 9am
After SS2/from Service 10.35am
After SS3 Cods head 11.55am
After SS4 Ardgroom 12.35pm
After SS5/from service 13.35pm
After SS6 cods head 14.50pm
After SS7 Ardgroom 15.35pm
After SS8 Kilmackillogue 16.15pm

Sunday
After SS9 Molls Gap 9am
From Service 10.25am
After SS10 Kilgobnet 11.30am
After SS11 Carragh Lake 12.15pm
After SS12 Rockfield 13.00pm
From Service 13.20pm
After SS13 Kilgobnet 15.00pm
After SS14 Caragh Lake 15.45pm
After SS15 Rockfield 16.30pm

Live Streaming of Special Stages 2 and 5 - The Healy Pass

Posted: April 28, 2017 7:28 PM

Killarney and District Motor Club are delighted to announce official live streaming of The Cartell.ie Killarney Rally Of The Lakes International Rally 2017.

The live streaming of Special Stages 2 and 5, The Healy Pass stage will be broadcast on The this our Rally of the Lakes Facebook page on Saturday April 29th.
Full details of broadcast times will be announced during the event.

Rally of the Lakes on Facebook
Twitter: @RallyoftheLakes

Cartell.ie Rally of Lakes broadcast times on Radio Kerry Sports

Posted: April 28, 2017 7:26 PM

Saturday
10, 11, 12, 1, 2.05, 3.05, 4.05, 5.05 5.50

Sunday,
10, 11, 12, 1, 2.05, 3.35, 5.05, 5.50

Ernie Graham to debut BMW M3 in Killarney

Posted: April 28, 2017 5:52 AM

England based Northern Irishman Ernie Graham will debut his recently built BMW M3 on this weekend’s Killarney Rally of the Lakes. The car, a replica of the late great Bertie Fisher’s has been eagerly awaited by all rally fans on the island of Ireland. The sight and sound will surely be a delight for all in Killarney. Can Ernie take maximum points this weekend? We know that both driver and car are capable and if the reliability is there, then he will be there or thereabouts. Ernie goes to Killarney leading the Clonakilty Black Pudding Historic Championship by two points from Welsh driver Barry Jones.

Having had a fourth place finish in the Killarney Historic Rally, Barry had a decent start to the Championship but mechanical problems in Galway resulted in a finish under rally 2 regulations and a mere 3.5 points. Jones then stormed to a brilliant win in West Cork with Ernie second and Owen Murphy third. Judging by his times in West Cork Barry will certainly be one of the favourites in Killarney.

Current App K leader Keith McIvor has entered in his iconic Porsche 911RS. Another beautiful sounding car and another real treat for the fans, Keith, after a non-finish in West Cork will be looking to consolidate his App K class lead. James Hall also heads for Killarney in his App K Audi Quattro.

Three competitors will travel across the Irish Sea to fight it out for D3 honours and of course for overall placings. IOM based Declan Jackson, Shropshire’s Duncan Williams and Alan Watkins all make the boat trip.

Also making the trip across the Irish Sea is David Goose. David currently lies sixth overall in the Championship with only two counting scores. David suffered mechanical problems in both the Killarney Historic and Galway and actually drove a full stage in Killarney with both front wheels pointing in different directions. He will be hoping for some reliability this weekend.

Overall the Historic rally should be a real battle and a massive treat for the fans. Who will be on the top step of the podium on Sunday evening? It’s a long tough rally and reliability will be a big factor, but whoever sprays the winners champagne will know they have done a rally!

Entry List Updates

Posted: April 28, 2017 4:49 AM

Withdrawls

5 Josh Moffett/James Fulton (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
18 Barry Meade/Jonathan McGrath (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
25 John Bonner/Leon Jordan (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
34 Eamon Daly/Frank Curtin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
36 Colin Moynihan/Sean Collins (Honda Civic) [11F]
65 Kevin Dolphin/Martin O'Brien (Renault Clio Super 1600) [3]
76 Johnny O'Connor/TBA (Ford Escort RS Mk2) [D3]
84 Kieran O'Kane/John Frew (Opel Ascona) [14]
J26 Brian Lavelle/Darren Curran (Honda Civic) [J2]

Late Entries
23 Robert Duggan/Ger Clancy (Ford Escort) [11R]
33 Andrew Fanning/Andy Hayes (Ford Fiesta) [20]
43 Darren Hamill/ TBA (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
53 Stephen Bawn/Chris O'Donnell (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
93 Robert Leech/Denny Greaney (Proton Satria) [22]
J3 Michael Hamilton/Liam McIntyre (Honda Civic) [J2]
J23 Dylan Donoghue/Cathal Mullins (Ford Escort Mk2) [J2]
J33 James McCarville/Paul Kelly (Ford Escort Mk2) [J2]
J34 Jason Black/Jack McKenna (Toyota Starlet RWD) [J2]

Plastic Bags.ie Southern 4 Rally Championship 2017 Round 2 Preview

Posted: April 28, 2017 4:39 AM

Maximum scores of both days of the Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally has given Brendan Cumiskey the lead of the PlasticBags.ie Southern 4 Rally Championship. Dundalk based Cumiskey who is campaigning a Skoda Fabia R5 for 2017 has opened a seven point lead heading into the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes from Clonakilty driver David Guest in his Mitsubishi Lancer. Another West Cork driver, Vincent McSweeney in a Honda Civic, lies in third place and is a former winner of the championship and is only one point behind Guest. Gary Kiernan and Barry McKenna scored will on the opening day of West Cork but both failed to pick up significant points on the second day when they retired from the Rally.

In the Classes, Art McCarrick leads Brian O’Mahony both in Honda Civics while Pat Sheehan leads Class 2 in his Renault Clio. Kevin Dolphins immaculate Renault Clio is the forerunner in Class 3, while David Guest and Brian O’Keeffe renew their perennial Group N rivalry as they hold first and second respectively in Class 4. Class 5 is tight with four registered drivers separated by only eight points with Brendan Cumiskey leading the way. Jer O’Donovan is in second place in his Subaru followed closely by John Mulholland and Joe Connolly.

The first of the Modified Classes which are always strong in the Southern 4 series is Class 9 and Roland Doherty leads Robert Beamish, both in Vauxhall Nova’s with Tommy Kelly (Escort) in third place. Class 10 is as competitive as ever and five drivers are separated by only seven points. Michael Kelleher leads the way having taken maximum points in West Cork with veteran Jerry O’Mahony only two points behind. Denis Buckley, Daniel O’Donovan and Victor Beamish who had a very trying West Cork Rally complete the top five.

Class 11F sees Adrian Levis lead with a maximum score and is three points ahead of Shane Stanley, who is turn is followed by Etienne O’Sullivan. Paul Browne scored well on the opening day but failed to finish while Jason Ryan who is normally at the sharp end of this class was an early retirement in West Cork. Mark Donovan leads Class 11R from Andrew Leacy while Sean Moynihan is top of the standings for Class 12. He is followed by Michael Walsh & Steve Roberts who also scored well in Clonakilty, but Paul Casey and Sean Hickey have some ground to make up having failed to finish the first round.

Class 13 sees Vincent McSweeney lead with maximum points with John Devlin and Jason O’Mahony second and third which should see a cracking battle on the Rally of the Lakes. Tadhg O’Sullivan failed to finish in West Cork but will be on home territory for the next round which could enable him to close the gap. Colin Byrne leads Class 14 from championship sponsor Sean O’Carroll, both in Escorts. Gary Kiernan, Barry McKenna and Tony Maybury all scored well on the opening day but failed to finish the event, however all will be capable of scoring well in Killarney. In Class 15 John Murphy leads from John Hickey and Mark Nangle heading into the second round.

The Historic section of the championship sees Duncan Williams & Philip McKibbin share the lead on 78 points while George Swanton and James Hall are tied on 71 points in third place so it’s all to play for. The Junior Championship is being led by Kieran Reen following his excellent performance in West Cork and he holds a two point advantage over Eamonn McCarthy. Justin Ryan, Patrick Walsh and Diarmuid Hallahan complete the top five places overall in the Junior Championship.

Killarney Challenge Awaits ITRC Competitors

Posted: April 28, 2017 4:36 AM

The ITRC action resumes this weekend with Killarney hosting the third round of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. Legendary stages such as Molls Gap, Ardgroom and Cods Head await the competitors in what promises to be another close fought battle at the front of the field.

Alastair Fisher leads the Championship after two rounds but suffered a little with his pace in West Cork and only scored second place points after Robert Barrable and Sam Moffett suffered punctures on the third last stage. This was probably only a slight blip and we can expect Alastair to be fighting for overall points come Sunday.

Sam Moffett on the other hand was the star of the show in West Cork until he punctured on the third last stage. With his win on the recent Monaghan stages rally, against stiff opposition he will be going to Killarney full of confidence. If his luck holds Sam will be very difficult to beat.

Robert Barrable gave the Hyundai i20 its Irish debut in West Cork and was really in the mix from the start. He was really pleased with how competitive the car was on its first Irish outing and with his own pace. For Killarney he will again have the i20 and after his unfortunate puncture in West Cork he will be out to make amends. Expect Robert to keep the others on their toes.

Joe McGonigle has had a steady year so far and currently lies fourth in the Championship with two solid finishes all be it with some niggling problems on both events. Coming of a second place to Donagh Kelly’s WRC at the Lark in the Park, Joe will be confident of a decent result and could still yet prove to be a dark horse.

Stephen Wright is another whose confidence will be sky high after his terrific result in Monaghan. Stephen really showed what he is capable of with a second fastest time on the first stage in Monaghan among a plethora of WRC cars. He will certainly want to get a good haul of points after his unfortunate non-finish in West Cork.

All in all this weekend will again be a titanic battle for the top step of the podium. Whoever sprays the winners Champagne on Sunday evening will deserve it.

Tremendous Junior battle expected in Killarney

Posted: April 28, 2017 4:32 AM

The junior tarmac championship is shaping up to be the most competitive yet with all of the championship contenders present for the Rally of the Lakes shootout. With the large number of Juniors entered, Clerk of the Course Anthony O’Connor has decided to run all of those who entered on the opening day as opposed to the normal Sunday stages. This means the top young drivers in the country will get to sample some of the classic stages around the Beara peninsula. Jenna McCann leads the way after two rounds so far and she holds a single point advantage over Justin Ryan who was runner up in the Junior series last year. John McCabe was very impressive winning in Galway but retired early in West Cork. Brian Moore, Eric Calnan and Diarmuid Hallahan are also registered for the series and entered in Killarney in what should be a great battle.

Eves looking to consolidate Modified lead in Killarney

Posted: April 28, 2017 4:31 AM

Donegal’s Kevin Eves with Cork co-driver William Lynch on the notes will look to continue their excellent start to the championship when they head for the classic Killarney stages this weekend. Their Toyota Corolla has performed faultlessly this season so far with third place in Galway and an extremely impressive win in West Cork. They currently hold a seven point lead in the Modified Championship from Eugene Meegan & Sarah Whelan in a BMW 1M. The BMW hasn’t performed consistently this season to date, but Meegan has managed to garner an impressive haul of points to date to be in a position to challenge Eves.

Gary Kiernan took top points in Galway but suffered a heart breaking late engine failure in West Cork when on course to extend his championship lead. Gary and co-driver Ryan Moore will be looking to rectify this on the Killarney stages where they have shown impressive pace in the past. John Devlin also had an excellent drive in West Cork and will be looking to continue this run while Mark Nangle and Art McCarrick have also scored consistently on both rounds so far this season and will be looking to move up the leader board.

Rally Of The Lakes Programme Outlets

Posted: April 26, 2017 1:46 PM

Killarney:
Sheahans Maxol
Daly Supervalue
Gleneagle Hotel
Hegarty’s Muckross Road
Centra Rock Filling Station
Centra Reeks Filling Station
O’Connors News Agents Beech Road
Healy’s New Street
Foley’s Fossa
Dungeon

Castleisland:
Garvey’s Supervalue
Phil Horan Fillingu

Farranfore:
Moriarty Centra

Abbey Feale:
Moloney Filling Station

Templeglantine:
Sheahan’s Filling

Newcastlewest:
Garvey’s 
Dee’s Filling

Barraduff:
Tadgh O’Donoghue

Rathmore:
Donagh Hickey
O’Keeffe Oil

Milstreet:
Coleman’s

Newmarket:
Topaz Filling

Kanturk:
Aspello’s Spar
Angland’s Filling
Murphy’s Filling

Mallow:
Topaz
Cost Cutter

Lissarda:
O’Leary’s

Macroom:
Glenview Motors

Cork City:
Coleman’s Wilton
Amber Bandon Road

Kilgarvan:
Healy Rae

Kenmare:
Mac’s Shelbourne Street
Whytes Filling

Clonakility:
Whytes Filling
Top Part Motor Factors

Bandon:
Billy Cahilane Topaz
Kevin O’Leary’s

Ballylickey:
Cronin’s

Castletownbere:
Donegan’s Spar
Murphys Supervalue

Beaufort:
O’Sullivan’s Bridge Filling

Killorglin:
Jack O’Foley’s
Peter Keane’s Supervalue
Londis Filling Station

Castlemaine:
Colm Cronin’s Filling

Seeded Entry List

Posted: April 19, 2017 7:09 AM

1 Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
2 Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
3
4 Roy White/James O'Brien (Ford Fiesta WRC) [7]
5 Josh Moffett/James Fulton (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
6 Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly (Hyundai I20 R5) [5]
7 Stephen Wright/Arthur Kierans (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
8 Joseph McGonigle/Ciaran Geaney (Skoda Fabia R5) [5]
9 Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan O'Kane (Skoda Fabia R5) [5]
10 Aaron Machale/Darragh Kelly (Citroen DS3 R5) [5]
11 Tomas Davies/Eurig Davies (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
12 Pauric Duffy/Kevin Glynn (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
13
14 Kevin Eves/William Lynch (Toyota Corolla GT) [14]
15 Gary Kiernan/Ryan Moore (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
16 Eugene Meegan/Sarah Whelan (BMW 1M) [14]
17 Declan Gallagher/John McCarthy (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
18 Barry Meade/Jonathan McGrath (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
19 Enda O'Brien/John Butler (Ford Escort RS Mk2) [14]
20 Phil Collins/TBA (Ford Escort RS Mk2) [14]
21 Fergus O'Meara/Brian Doherty (Ford Fiesta S2400) [20]
22 Vincent McSweeney/Michael Kearney (Honda Civic) [13]
23
24 Kevin O'Donoghue/David Randles (BMW E30) [14]
25 John Bonner/Leon Jordan (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
26 Charlie Hickey/Johnny Hickey (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
27 Vincent O'Shea/Eoin O'Donoghue (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
28 Sean Liston/Katrina Walsh Liston (BMW E30) [13]
29 Tadhg O'Sullivan/Eoin O'Leary (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
30 Jer O'Donovan/Derek Tobin (Subaru Impreza N16 R4) [4]
31 Brian O'Keeffe/Sean Hayde (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
32 Joe Connolly/Richard Connolly (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
33
34 Eamon Daly/Frank Curtin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
35 John Hickey/PA Harding (Ford Escort) [20]
36 Colin Moynihan/Sean Collins (Honda Civic) [11F]
37 Kenny O'Neill/Ronald Riordan (Ford Puma S1600) [11F]
38 Denis Hickey/Sean Nolan (Ford Escort Mk1) [12]
39 Sean Moynihan/Liam Brennan (Ford Escort RS Mk2) [12]
40 William Mavitty/Andrew Browne (Mitsubishi Evo 9) [4]
41 Gavin Kelly/Eamonn Gillespie (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
42 John Devlin/John McCarthy (Talbot Sunbeam) [13]
43
44 Andrew Duggan/Tara Duggan (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
45 Jason O'Mahony/Breda O'Driscoll (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
46 Ken Lyons/Paddy McDonnell (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
47 Barry Jones/Iwan Griffiths (Ford Escort Mk2) [D5]
48 Ernie Graham/Tim Sayer (BMW M3) [K]
49 Declan Jackson/J Barry McCarney (Ford Escort Mk2) [D3]
50 Ed Twomey/Sean Hassett (Fiat Abarth Punto S2000) [5]
51 Mark Nangle/Pat Cashman (Subaru Impreza WRX) [20]
52 Cyril Wharton/Helen Duggan (Ford Escort RS Mk2) [12]
53
54 Paudie Callaghan/Danny Murphy (Toyota Starlet) [9]
55
56 Seanie Hickey/Noel Fleming (Toyota Starlet) [12]
57 Kevin O'Sullivan/Martin O'Riordan (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
58 Jason Costello/Jonathan Keane (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
59 Pat Kearney/Alistair Wyllie (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
60 Gus Kearney/Tommy Hayes (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
61 James Wilson/Gavin Doherty (Peugeot 208 R2) [2]
62 John Mulholland/Jeff Case (Ford Fiesta R2) [2]
63
64 Keith Lyons/Sean Hegarty (Ford Fiesta R2 T) [2]
65 Kevin Dolphin/Martin O'Brien (Renault Clio Super 1600) [3]
66 Derek Butler/Aaron O'Regan (Honda Civic SIR Vtec) [11F]
67 Sean Kerins/Colm Lenihan (Honda Civic Type R) [11F]
68 Shane Stanley/Adam Power (Honda Civic) [11F]
69 Noel O'Sullivan/Nicholas Burke (Ford Escort Mk2) [9]
70 Gavin O'Grady/Alan Moroney (Ford Escort Mk2) [9]
71 Art McCarrick/John McCay (Honda Civic) [22]
72 Paul Manton/Adam Coffey (Citroen DS3 R3) [22]
73
74 Duncan Williams/Llion Tractor Williams (Ford Escort RS Mk2) [D3]
75 Alan Watkins/Iarla McCarthy (Ford Escort RS2000) [D3]
76 Johnny O'Connor/TBA (Ford Escort RS Mk2) [D3]
77 David Goose/Chrystal Culkeen (Ford Escort) [D5]
78 Keith McIvor/David Burns (Porsche 911 RS) [K]
79 Philip McKibbin/Lynn McKibbin (Ford Escort Mk1) [C3]
80 Steve Roberts/Jack Carroll (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
81 Chris Manning/Johnny O'Shea (Ford Escort) [12]
82 Raymond Spence/John Falvey (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
83
84 Kieran O'Kane/John Frew (Opel Ascona) [14]
85 Charles O'Neill/Tony McCarthy (Honda Civic) [9]
86 Donagh Hurley/Jamie McCarthy (Ford Escort Mk2) [9]
87 Steven O'Connor/Adrian O'Connor (Honda Civic) [11F]
88 Ger Lyons/Steve O'Brien (Honda Civic) [11F]
89 Stephen Cummins/Darragh Smith (Honda Civic Type R) [11F]
90 Pat Sheehan/Keith McCarthy (Renault Clio) [22]
91 Eamonn Bates/Aaron Kavanagh (Honda Civic) [22]
92 Donal O'Connor/Shay Delaney (Ford Escort Mk1) [C3]
93
94 Donal Flynn/Niall Myers (Toyota Corolla Twin Cam) [11R]
95 Michael Murphy/Pat Cashman (Toyota Ae86) [11R]
96 Keith Naughton/Brendan Behan (Subaru Impreza WRX) [22]
97 Anthony Breen/Jill White (Subaru Impreza WRX) [15]
98 Brendan Furlong/Majella Wickham (Peugeot 205 GTi) [10]
99 Denis O'Brien/Ryan O'Brien (Opel Corsa) [10]
100 Nick Barnett/Martin Brady (Honda Civic Type R) [22]
101 Ian Hynes/TBA (Honda Civic Type R) [3]
102 James Hall/John Nugent (Audi Coupe) [K]

J1 Kieran O'Donoghue/Timmy Kelly (Honda Civic) [J2]
J2 Eric Calnan/Aileen Kelly (Peugeot 106) [J2]
J3
J4 John McCabe/Stephen Doogan (Honda Civic) [J2]
J5 Brian Brady/Leonard Tuite (Honda Civic) [J2]
J6 Kieran Reen/Andrew Cronin (Honda Civic) [J2]
J7 Shane McCarthy/Trisha Greavy (Honda EG6) [J2]
J8 Brian Moore/Lorcan Moore (Honda Civic) [J2]
J9 Mark O'Leary/Ciaran Graal (Toyota Starlet) [J1]
J10 Eamonn McCarthy/Declan Buttimer (Honda Civic) [J2]
J11 Denis Nagle/Donagh Crowley (Nissan Micra) [J1]
J12 Justin Ryan/TBA (Honda Civic) [J2]
J13
J14 Pa Naughton/John Cahill (Honda Civic) [J2]
J15 Chris Brady/Jenny Warren (Honda Civic) [J2]
J16 Patrick Murphy/Mikey Walsh (Honda Civic) [J2]
J17 Padraig Cronin/Peter Falvey (Honda Civic) [J2]
J18 Jenna McCann/TBA (Ford Fiesta) [J2]
J19 Aaron Healy/John Fleming (Honda Civic) [J2]
J20 Conor Murphy/Damien Fleming (Honda Civic) [J2]
J21 Jason Farrell/Tiimy O'Sullivan (Honda Civic) [J2]
J22 Aaron McEvoy/John Joe Williams (Honda Civic) [J1]
J23
J24 Derry Long/Timmy Angland (Ford Escort Mk2) [J2]
J25 Killian O'Brien/Eugene Cronin (Honda Civic) [J2]
J26 Brian Lavelle/Darren Curran (Honda Civic) [J2]
J27 Padraig Devane/David Devane (Honda Civic) [J2]
J28 Daniel Riordan/Jeff Gordon (Honda Civic) [J2]
J29 Diarmuid Hallahan/Mike Hallahan (Honda Civic) [J2]
J30 Barry Archer/Brendan Lewis (Honda Civic) [J2]
J31 Colette Rooney/John Burke (Honda Civic) [J2]
J32 Padraig Walsh/Kieran Baverstock (Toyota Corolla) [J2]

RALLY OF THE LAKES JUNIORS TO COMPETE ON SATURDAY STAGES

Posted: April 18, 2017 8:58 AM

"Thank you for entering the 2017 Cartell Rally of the Lakes, due to the huge number of junior entries I as the Clerk of the Course have decided that all juniors will run on the Saturday loop of stages. This has not been an easy decision to make but due to the fact that we have in excess of 30 entries and to allow all entrants compete this is the only solution available. The current year book states that if I ran the juniors on Sunday I could only allow 20 compete. I have been in constant contact with the rallies committee trying to find a solution to this issue but there was no movement in this rule, last year I got an extension to this rule but this year I have been unsuccessful in obtaining permission to run extra juniors on the Sunday stages. The entry fee will remain the same at Eur 362 plus Eur188 insurance levy.

Juniors will now compete over 8 stages Saturday instead of the previous 7 on the Sunday loop, these stages include Molls Gap, Healy Pass, Cods Head, Ardgroom and Kilmackillogue. The road mileage is actually less than Sunday and ye get to do the most iconic and classic stages in Europe.

This decision has been taken to be fair to every competitor both TROA registered and Southern Four registered competitors along with local crews and crews who are competing for the very first time.

I would like to thank you for your understanding in this matter and I look forward to meeting ye on the weekend of the rally."

Anthony O'Connor
Clerk of the Course
Rally of the Lakes

Kelly's eye on the three-in-a-row

Posted: April 18, 2017 8:56 AM

THE excellent Donagh Kelly will be seeking to make it three Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes successes in a row when he returns to Killarney on the May Bank Holiday weekend but he won’t have it all his own way with no shortage of contenders lining up to snatch the title from him.

Kelly was unbeatable in 2015, winning the national series, the premier Irish Tarmac Championship and the iconic Killarney event in his WRC Ford Focus, and while he took a break for much of last year, he ensured he returned to Killarney to retain his crown.

The current Irish Tarmac Championship leader Alastair Fisher – nephew of the legendary Bertie – will be very much in contention in Killarney as will the Moffet brothers, Sam and Josh, who will be fighting for championship points as they currently stand in second and third position respectively.

2015 runner-up Robert Barrable will hit town in his unique Hyundai R5 – the only one of its kind in the country – and the Dublin car dealer is expected to show very well on this occasion.

Roy White, a previous winner of the National category in Killarney, steps up to the International stage in his Ford Fiesta WRC and he is on record as saying he just loves the Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes stages.

Joseph McGonigle, Brendan Cumiskey and Stephen Wright will also be pushing for glory as will rally royalty Aaron McHale in his Citroen DS3 R5

A battle royale of modified cars is in prospect in the National section with Kevin Eves from Donegal turning out fresh from his National victory in the West Cork Rally and he leads the Irish Tarmac Championship coming to Killarney.

He will face stiff opposition from Eugene Meegan from Co Meath, last year’s National winner and one of the favourites for the title, while Galway National winner Gary Kiernan is also to be watched. The Cavan man is a previous two-time National winner and he has had a new engine fitted.

A real treat for rally fans will be the flamboyant driving style of Barry ‘The Titan’ Meade from Kanturk, a member of the Killarney and District Motor Club, who previously won the National title on two occasions while talented UK driver Phil Collins returns to Killarney and is always at the business end of the competitive National category.

Over 30 local drivers will be in the field including Fergus O’Meara who will be giving his new Ford Fiesta its competitive debut, Charlie and Johnny Hickey fresh from their Southern 4 Championship win, Kevin O’Donoghue in his unique BMW M3 and crash repair specialist Tadhg O’Sullivan.

Noel O’Sullivan will compete in his hometown rally for the 35th year – his 32nd year in his Ford Escort Mk2 – with his navigator Nicholas Burke taking part in his 25th International Rally of the Lakes.

In the Historics section, Killarney regular Eugene Graham from London, who currently leads the championship in that category, will debut his all-new BMW M3 but he won’t have it all his own way with Barry Jones, currently second in the championship, Alan Watkins, Duncan Williams, David Goose and Keith McIvor all fancying their chances.

The Junior rally in Killarney is regarded as the best event of its kind in the country with several previous winners going on to achieve major success. They include top drivers Keith Cronin, Owen Murphy, Rob Duggan and Ross Forde who have all won the prestigious Billy Coleman Award.

Exciting Juniors this year will include Glenflesk’s Kieran O’Donoghue – last year’s winner – and Kenmare’s Shane McCarthy fresh from his Junior win in the Circuit of Kerry.

The top three in the Junior Championship, the dynamic Jenna McCann, Justin Ryan and John McCabe will all be battling it out in Killarney.

Engines ready to roar in Killarney

Posted: April 18, 2017 8:54 AM

The most spectacular rally stages in Europe will provide the ultimate test for competitors in this year’s Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes which will ensure a real bonanza for Killarney, Co Kerry on the May Bank Holiday weekend.

Now in its 38th year and growing in stature and reputation, Killarney and District Motor Club is currently adding the finishing touches to the exciting programme of events which will see thousands of enthusiasts flock to the town to watch many of the big stars of rallying in action. The Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes is firmly established as one of Ireland’s premier events and it is estimated to be worth in excess of €10 million to the local economy. TV coverage alone is beamed to 38 countries with an estimated 30 million household subscribers.

Clerk of the course for the second year running, Anthony O’Connor, remarked:
“This exposure is fantastic for Killarney and fantastic for the Rally of the Lakes. It hugely increases our attraction as an international event for competitors and spectators”.

He added that the most famous classic stages will await participants and the demanding, technical and challenging route will require every competitor to perform to their full ability. In excess of 120 entries have already been received in the various categories – with quality matching quantity – and entries are still being accepted online.

The 2017 Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes will get underway with a ceremonial start in Killarney town centre at 7.00pm on Friday, April 28.

The real action will commence early on the Saturday morning with the iconic Moll’s Gap stage, followed by the Tim Healy Pass and centralised service on Castletownbere Pier.

Then the rally will head out on the famous stages of Cods Head and Ardgroom with a repeat run over the Healy Pass and into service for a well-deserved break. Cods Head and Ardgroom are repeated and there will be a blast through the Kilmackillogue Harbour stage to finish off the day.

Sunday morning’s action starts with Moll’s Gap once again, followed by service at the Liebherr Container Cranes base in Killarney. The crews will then complete a loop of three stages, Kilgobnet, Caragh Lake and Rockfield, before heading into service again at Liebherr. This loop is again repeated with plenty of spectator-friendly access points in Kilgobnet and Rockfield. The crews will arrive back to the finishing ramp at the Rally Headquarters in the Gleneagle Hotel at approximately 5.30pm for celebrations and champagne.
The Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes will be counting rounds for the Clonakilty Black Pudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship 2017 and the PlasticBags.ie Southern 4 Rally Championship

Killarney and District Motor Club is delighted that Ireland’s leading vehicle history record company Cartell.ie will again be the main sponsor of the Rally of the Lakes for the eighth year. Other very loyal and generous sponsors include Cormac Casey of KC Print and Killarney Advertiser, Ordnance Survey Ireland and, of course, the Gleneagle Hotel, under the leadership of Patrick O’Donoghue, who have backed the Rally of the Lakes since 1979.

Rally Launch - (Sat) 15 Apr 17

Posted: April 11, 2017 4:31 PM

Promotional Video

Posted: March 28, 2017 10:47 AM

Entries Open

Posted: March 21, 2017 5:46 AM

Shannon Sports IT (EVO On line Entry)

Cartell.ie to Continue Sponsorship until 2019

Posted: March 1, 2017 10:52 AM

Derek Lee, Gleneagle Hotel, Anthony O'Connor, Clerk of the Course, and Richie Lahiff (Cartell.ie) seated
with Adrian Cronin, Mags Milner, Johnny Hickey and Diarmuid Cronin (Killarney and District Motor Club Chairman)
at the signing of a sponsorship contract extension for the Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes.
Photo: Eamonn Keogh

Cartell.ie announced today that they will continue their sponsorship of the International Rally of the Lakes for the next three years.

Cartell.ie have been the title sponsors of the International Rally of the Lakes since 2010, and will continue as title sponsors in 2017, 2018 and 2019. This event is run annually in Killarney across the May Bank Holiday weekend and is one of the highlights of the Irish motor sport calendar with rally headquarters based at The Gleneagle Hotel.

Killarney and District Motor Club, organisers of the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes, have welcomed the news. Clerk of the Course, Anthony O'Connor said,
"We are delighted to be working with Cartell.ie for the next three years, their support and input is invaluable and their continued sponsorship is testament to their commitment to Irish motorsport.

Director Engineer of Cartell.ie, Jeff Ahern said,
"We are delighted to extend our title sponsor of the International Rally of the Lakes until 2019. We are proud to be a part of rallying heritage and to be involved in this tremendously successful and well-organised event. We appreciate the rally is of vital importance to the continued vibrancy of the tourist economy in Kerry and West Cork."

The annual Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes is renowned for having some of the finest tarmac stages in Western Europe. It has been headquartered at The Gleneagle Hotel since 1980. While Cartell.ie are the title sponsors, the event is also supported by The Gleneagle Group, Ordnance Survey Ireland, KC Print and the hoteliers and traders of Killarney.

Cartell.ie was set up in 2006 to help buyers make an informed choice when buying a used vehicle, - including imported vehicles, by providing a user-friendly and cost-effective vehicle data checking service. Cartell.ie is a totally independent company and fully Irish owned.

Rally & Club Websites

Posted: March 1, 2017 10:51 AM

Rally of the Lakes (Killarney)

Killarney and District Motor Club