Ulster Rally - 17-18 Aug 18

2018 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship Round 5 Preview

Posted: August 16, 2018 4:56 PM

The 2018 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship resumes this coming weekend with the John Mulholland Motors Ulster Rally which is also the penultimate round of the series. 2017 champion Sam Moffett is currently leads the championship, but is forced to miss this round due to work commitments. His lead of a single point over his brother Josh who was the early championship pace setter, is unlikely to last the weekend as Josh will be looking to take advantage of his brothers dropped round. This would leave him in a very strong position going into the final round in Cork. A troubled Killarney where constant brake problems dropped him back was the only black spot for Josh in an excellent season so far.

Robert Barrable in third place is sixteen points off the lead following his unfortunate Donegal accident and is also forced to miss the Ulster having suffered a leg injury in Donegal, but he plans to be back in action in Cork. His chances of winning the championship are very much diminished, but he could still have a big say in the ultimate destination of the title. Jonny Greer in fourth place has used a Ford Fiesta R5 this season and is still getting used to it, but has shown flashes of speed at times. The John Mulholland Motors Ulster Rally could be classed as a home event for Jonny so he will be hoping to use this to his advantage, having taken full championship points on this event last year.

Desi Henry who will be on home territory on the Ulster has shown how quick he is in the Skoda Fabia R5. A good performance in West Cork was followed by an early retirement on the Easter stages after setting the pace over the opening tests. Killarney saw another high with a fine third place overall after a brilliant drive, but fuel problems forced him out of contention in Donegal. Despite this roller coaster of fortunes, Desi will certainly be one to watch on the Antrim stages and will fancy his chances of being in the frame for overall victory.

The Treaty Plant Hire Modified Championship is proving to be much closer than people thought with the current champion Kevin Eves leading by just three points. After maximum scores on the opening two rounds it looked like business as usual for Eves, but a non-finish in Killarney where John Bonner took full points saw the gap close. It got even closed after Donegal when Bonner finished ahead of Eves and now with two rounds to go it’s all to play for. JR McDaid is only ten points behind making it an all Donegal top three and nicely placed if either of the front two hit trouble. Jason Roche, Stephen Bawn and Wesley Patterson complete the top six overall in the Modified Championship.

Owen Murphy & Anthony Nestor still lead the way in the Historic Championship despite not competing in Donegal. Three maximum scores from the opening three rounds have given them a thirteen point’s advantage over English driver Duncan Williams. Martin Freestone moved into third place after Donegal while Andy Johnson in fourth place will be buoyed by taking full points on the last round. Denis Cronin & David Goose, both in Ford Escort Mk2’s complete the top six championship places.

Despite not competing since round two on the Easter Stages, Oldcastle’s Gary McNamee still leads the Murray Motorsport Junior Championship in his Honda Civic. The two maximum scores on the opening rounds stood him in good stead, although his lead is now only six points from Cork driver Derry Long who has closed the gap following good results in Killarney and Donegal. Shay Delaney and Jordan Hone share third place despite only starting one round each so far, but in both cases they scored full points which still gives them a chance of challenging for the title. Gareth Deazley & Eamon McCarthy completes the top six championship places.

The action begins with the opening stage at Glendun at 14:03 on Friday 17th August and there are five stages in all on the opening day before a final service and Parc Ferme just after 21.00. The six Saturday stages begin at 07:52 with the first test at Langford Lodge and the finish ramp is scheduled for Antrim at 18:00 by which time the destination of this year’s championships should be a lot clearer.

British Rally Championship speeds into Northern Ireland

Posted: August 15, 2018 12:29 PM

The pulsating Prestone MSA British Rally Championship travels across the Irish Sea to Northern Ireland for the John Mulholland Motors Ulster Rally (17-18 August). The intrepid British championship crews will face two demanding days on the fast and bumpy lanes as the BRC’s 60th anniversary season reaches its halfway point. New for 2018 is the location for the Ulster Rally as the town of Antrim plays host to the 120-mile event.

Current series leaders, Matt Edwards and Darren Garrod are on an unbeaten run after clinching the opening two rounds of the series to lead the standings coming into the Ulster Rally. The Welsh M-Sport crew keep rewriting the record books in their Pirelli-backed Ford Fiesta R5 as they broke their BRC duck on the Pirelli Rally and backed that up with their first Tarmac win together in Ypres. Now the trailblazers will be looking for their maiden victory in Northern Ireland – but chasing them will be a whole host of homegrown stars.

Defending champions Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin mastered the mixed conditions to dominate the Ulster last year. For 2018, the Cork-based driver will be pushing hard hard to give the Michelin-shod Hyundai i20 R5 its first win in the BRC. The Irish pairing came close to topping the results last time out in Belgium, but a final stage puncture denied the 2016 Irish Tarmac champions the spoils. With the bit between their teeth, Cronin will be on the charge to close the 20-point gap to Edwards in the standings.

Marty McCormack and David Moynihan finished third on the Ulster last season in their Kumho-shod Skoda Fabia R5. McCormack from Draperstown lacks no commitment on the challenging, bumpy roads and will be eager to bag another podium in 2018. Indeed, he would desperately love to capture his first BRC win in front of his home fans.

Fellow Ulsterman Jonny Greer won the recent Down Rally – a perfect warm-up for this weekend. Greer from Belfast is a real asphalt specialist and thrives on the Northern Irelands roads with two podiums in the last two years. Along with Scottish co-driver Kirsty Riddick, Greer will hope to add another podium to that impressive record.

Scotsman Alex Laffey and navigator Patrick Walsh have enjoyed a strong start to the season, as fifth on the Pirelli and fourth in Ypres catapulted them to third in the standings. The M-Sport pairing are gathering momentum and would dearly love to claim a breakthrough podium to cement their progress – while fellow Ford Fiesta R5 driver Lawrence Whyte continues his BRC education as he strives for his first top five result in Britain’s premier rallying series.

CA1 Sport will once again field a two-car effort, with Scottish star David Bogie and Englishman Rhys Yates leading the charge. With Irishman John Rowan on the notes, Bogie loves competing on the Irish roads and in their Fabia R5, they will look to repeat or go one better on their fine second in Belgium last time out. Yates endured a tough Ypres Rally in his Skoda with a few uncharacteristic offs and an unwell Elliott Edmondson in the co-drivers seat – ultimately causing the English pair to retire early. With front-running pace expected, Yates will endeavour to bring himself back into title contention.

Junior BRC crews hope for luck of the Irish for championship aspirations

The battle for two-wheel-drive honours will be every bit as competitive as at the front of the field, as the under 26-year-olds aim to stamp their authority at the midway point in the season.

Series leader James Williams produced a textbook drive on the Ypres Rally in his Vauxhall ADAM R2 and comes to Northern Ireland full of confidence as he bids to extend his championship lead. Out to stop Williams will be round one winner, Norway’s Steve Rokland in a Peugeot 208 R2.

The Emerald Isle is well-known for producing rallying superstars, and the Junior BRC in 2018 is a real hotbed for emerging talent.

James Wilson from Armagh has been one of the revelations of the season as he took his first BRC podium in only his second start in his 208 R2 to put him on the right foot for his home event. Josh McErlean (Kilrea) will also be a dark horse for success on local roads as the Ford Fiesta R2T driver similarly claimed his first podium in Ypres.

William Creighton (Moira) and Marty Gallagher (Letterkenny) – both in Peugeot 208s – are previous JBRC round winners and will be pushing hard to stand on the top step once again and get their season back on-track after Ypres disappointment, while Kevin Horgan from Cork will be keen to use the fifth place achieved last time out to springboard up the order in his Skoda Fabia R2.

Cadets poised for mid-season showdown

With Ypres winner and series leader Bart Lang absent from Northern Ireland, the door has been left wide open for another driver to step into the limelight. Johnnie Mulholland (Randalstown) will look to impress on home soil after finishing a fine third in Belgium as he hopes to take the challenge to the overseas contingent of Jordan Reynolds and Finlay Retson.

From Antrim to Zlin: Yates to contest back-to-back BRC and ERC rounds

Posted: August 15, 2018 12:21 PM

Chesterfield rally driver Rhys Yates is aiming to keep his British and European Championship hopes alive by contesting both the Ulster Rally (17/18 August) and the Barum Czech Rally Zlin (24-26 August) in the same week.

The 26-year-old Brettex backed ace will ensure his hopes to claim Prestone MSA British Rally Championship title are still alive by heading to Northern Ireland in his own Skoda Fabia R5 which he has used to great success during the 2018 season.

But Yates also has one eye on the Under 28 Junior honours in the FIA European Championship and has worked hard to ensure he can tackle the Czech Republic based event which takes place immediately after the Ulster Rally by signing with the Kresta Racing outfit to drive one of their own Skoda Fabia R5’s for the event.

Run by World Rally Championship legend and ex-Skoda factory driver Roman Kresta, the team will look after Yates for the three-day, all-asphalt event which offers over 215km of special stage action in the unique and bumpy closed roads south of Prague.

Yates has enjoyed success in both championships so far this season and remains optimistic on his chances both at home and further afield. But with the British and European rounds running on successive weekends, he would need to find a solution to the logistic issues between the two rallies.

“I've have been looking at this clash for a little while now and once I knew we still have a mathematical chance in both championships I had to find a way of doing both events,” said Yates.

“It was going to be pretty impossible to get the car from Antrim to Zlin in time for a decent shakedown and we have been lucky enough to work out a great deal with Roman (Kresta) and his team to drive one of his Skoda’s. I`ll be using my own car in Ulster run by CA1 Sport and jumping on a plane pretty much as soon as the rally is over”.

With Elliott Edmondson unavailable due to other commitments, Yates will be joined by James Morgan for the British Championship qualifier. Morgan has previously sat with Yates on the Plains Rally in Wales and will stand in for Edmondson who returns for the Barum Rally the following week.

Yates is in a buoyant mood ahead of the trip to Northern Ireland having contested several high-profile asphalt events in Europe during the past few months. His experience proved fruitful, taking his first overseas outright win at Rally Van Wervik in June. He believes that his development in driving style and confidence will have a bearing on both events in the coming weeks.

“I'm certainly in a much better place now with my driving than I have ever been and the last few overseas events have certainly contributed to that,” he says.

“I'm hopeful of a good result in Ulster and I need that to keep my championship hopes alive, but I’m most certainly aiming for a top three. Its always going to be tough against the local drivers but having the right attitude from the outset will help. It’s a tricky rally and unpredictable really but I have the focus I need to get the right result.”

Barum will see Yates’ first outing in a Kresta Racing Skoda and is upbeat about the partnership for the event.

“Its certainly the right package for the rally and it will be interesting to see how we go out there. Its another rally I haven’t competed on, so it will be difficult to be on the pace from the word go’. But I`ll certainly be dialling into the experience of the team to make up for that so it should offer us a good chance to have a go at the Under 28 Junior honours”.

Yates is sponsored by Brettex, Michelin Motorsport, Jordan Road Surfacing, Draper Tools, Rallynuts, Rainworth Skoda, Nicky Grist Motorsport, H&F Furniture, NGK Spark Plugs and Protyre.

Keith Cronin Withdraws

Posted: August 15, 2018 12:18 PM

Unfortunately due to last minute unexpected budgetary issues we won’t be contesting The Ulster Rally .We wish to thank Hyundai Customer Racing ,Michelin,PCRS and all our longtime sponsors ,we hope to work with them again . Also special thanks to all our supporters far and wide .

— Keith Cronin (@KeithCDrivefor5) August 14, 2018

Seeded Entry List

Posted: August 15, 2018 12:17 PM

1 Keith Cronin/Mikie Galvin (Hyundai i20 R5-N) [A1]
2 Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Ford Fiesta R5) [A1]
3 Josh Moffett/Andy Hayes (Ford Fiesta R5) [A1]
4 Matt Edwards/Darren Garrod (Ford Fiesta R5) [A1]
5 Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan (Skoda Fabia R5) [A1]
6 Jonathan Greer/Kirsty Riddick (Ford Fiesta R5) [A1]
7 David Bogie/John Rowan (Skoda Fabia R5) [A1]
8 Martin McCormack/David Moynihan (Skoda Fabia R5) [A1]
9 Rhys Yates/James Morgan (Skoda Fabia R5) [A1]
10 Alex Laffey/Patrick Walsh (Ford Fiesta R5) [A1]
11 Philip Allen/Mark Kane (Hyundai i20 R5) [A1]
12 Alan Carmichael/Ivor Lamont (Mini WRC) [B9]
14 Kevin Eves/Chris Melly (Toyota Corolla) [B7]
15 Camillus Bradley/Crawford Henderson (Ford Escort Mk2) [B7]
16 Frank Kelly/Sean Ferris (Ford Escort Mk2) [B7]
17 John Bonner/Denver Rafferty (Ford Escort Mk2) [B7]
19 Alan Smyth/MacKierans (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10) [B8]
20 Paul Britton/George Tinsley (Subaru Impreza N12) [B2]
21 Brian Watson/Sean Donnelly (Subaru Impreza WRC S11 ) [B9]
22 William Creighton/Liam Regan (Peugeot 208 R2) [A4]
23 James Williams/Ross Whittock (Vauxhall Adam R2) [A4]
24 Josh McErlean/Aaron Johnston (Ford Fiesta R2T) [A4]
25 Steve Røkland/Dai Roberts (Peugeot 208 R2) [A4]
26 James Wilson/Gavin Doherty (Peugeot 208 R2) [A4]
27 Marty Gallagher/Dean O' Sullivan (Peugeot 208 R2) [A4]
28 Willie Mavitty/Martin Connolly (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [A1]
29 Amy Cox/Caron McCormack (Skoda Fabia S2000) [B8]
30 Donnie MacDonald/Michael Hendry (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) [B8]
31 Conor McCrossan/Connor Murphy (Skoda Fabia S2000) [B8]
32 Kyle White/Sean Topping (Peugeot 208 R2) [A4]
33 Jordan Hone/Paul Hone (Opel Adam R2) [A4]
34 Alastair Cochrane/Paddy McCrudden (Ford Escort) [B6]
35 Kyle McGettigan/Dale McGettigan (Ford Escort) [B7]
36 John Devlin/John McCarthy (Ford Escort) [B6]
37 Stanley McKeown/Nigel Gourley (Ford Escort Mk2) [B6]
38 Stanley Orr/Graham Henderson (Ford Escort) [H1]
39 James Kennedy/Heather Kennedy (Ford Escort Mk2) [B6]
40 John Bradley/Ryan Crozier (Ford Escort Mk2) [B6]
41 Fintan McGrady/Gavin Campbell (Ford Escort) [B7]
42 John McGaffin/Aaron Faulkner (Subaru Impreza N14) [S8]
43 Andy Johnson/Jim McSherry (Vauxhall Chevette) [H2]
44 Ernie Graham/Will Graham (BMW M3) [H2]
45 John Morrison/Peter Carstairs (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [B8]
46 Andrew Bustard/TBA (Ford Escort Mk2) [B5]
47 Gary McNamee/Bree McNamee (Honda Civic) [J2]
48 Robert McKelvey/Declan Campbell (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) [B2]
49 Niall Magee/Sean Devlin (Subaru Impreza Grp A) [B8]
50 Stephen Bawn/Donal Balfe (Ford Escort Mk2) [B7]
51 Johnnie Mulholland/Jeff Case (Ford Fiesta R2) [A4]
52 Jordan Reynolds/Peredur Davies (Ford Fiesta R2) [A4]
53 William Hill/Richard Crozier (Ford Fiesta R2T) [A4]
54 James McDiarmid/Gareth Clarke (Ford Fiesta R2T) [A4]
55 Alex Waterman/Harry Thomas (Ford Fiesta R2T) [A4]
56 Niall Donnelly/Dave Birt (Ford Escort Mk2) [B4]
57 J R McDaid/Liam McIntyre (Ford Escort) [B6]
58 Bob Riddles/Ian Kidd (Ford Escort Mk2) [B6]
59 Stephen McFerran/Martin McBrearty (Ford Escort) [B5]
60 James Wylie/Tommy Speers (Ford Escort) [B5]
61 Jason Roche/TBA (Ford Escort) [B6]
62 Eamon Doherty/Damian McAuley (Ford Escort) [B5]
63 Jamie Grant/Eathan McColgan (Toyota Starlet) [B5]
64 Joe McQuillan/Ashley Boulton (Subaru Impreza) [B8]
65 Gabriel Delargy/Philip McLaughlin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) [B8]
66 Ronan Lynn/Niall McKeegan (Honda Civic Type R) [B3]
67 Eamon McLaughlin/Hannah Johnston (Vauxhall Nova GTE) [B3]
69 Robert Erwin/Jimmy Graham (Toyota Corolla) [B4]
70 Kieran O'Kane/Niall McKenna (Opel Ascona) [B7]
71 Quentin Park/Alan Stewart (Ford Escort Mk2) [B5]
72 Nick Barnett/Martin Brady (Mitsubishi Lancer) [A1]
73 Richard Somerville/John Nicholl (Ford Escort) [B6]
74 William Morgan/John Henderson (Ford Escort) [B7]
75 Kevin Horgan/Liam Fouhy (Skoda Fabia R2) [A4]
76 Finlay Retson/Tom Hynd (Ford Fiesta R2) [A4]
77 Nabila Tejpar/Richard Bliss (Peugeot 208 R2) [A4]
78 Roger Kennedy/Wendy Blackledge (Peugeot 306 GTI) [B6]
79 Michael Nutt/Dessie Nutt (Honda Civic) [S1]
80 Martin Freestone/Misha Freestone (Ford Escort RS 1600) [H1]
81 Malcolm Pedlow/Billy Regan (BMW 2002 TII) [H1]
82 Martin Taylor/Peter Gallagher (Proton Satria) [B4]
83 Maurice Meskell/Steve Meskell (Ford Escort Mk1) [H1]
84 John Adams/Noel Watt (Ford Escort) [H1]
85 Norman Hall/William Hall (Ford Escort Mk2) [H1]

A first for Ulster Rally with FREE online Programme

Posted: August 15, 2018 12:03 PM

This year's Ulster Rally will have a FREE online Programme which is available to download from the Spectator section of the website.

This is a first for the Ulster Rally this year after much deliberation over the last 12 months looking at how we could make the event much more accessible to everyone.

Robert Harkness, Event Director explains the decision
“Everything is becoming more and more digital, the organising team now look at the stages and paperwork on iPads. So why not provide the spectators a programme in a digital format too.”

The Programme will have all the information you need for this year’s event including; Stage Maps, best Spectator viewing areas at every stage, event timings including stage times and full entry list.

The event returns to the Antrim and Newtownabbey area on the 17th and 18th August and is once again the only rally to host both the major international championships - the British Rally Championship and the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, in addition to the FIA Celtic Cup, a round of the European Rally Trophy. This allows the best British and Irish rally drivers to compete head to head on renown Ulster Rally stages.

The Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council supported two-day rally is centred in Antrim and the drivers will speed off from the Antrim Castle Gardens and will stop at major controls in Ballyclare on Friday and Randalstown on Saturday.

The Friday competition kicks off at 1 pm and takes in three classic County Antrim stages; coincidentally these same stages will be used as part of the Deja Vu Ulster tour later in August. The two most northerly stages are repeated in the evening. On the Saturday, there will be one stage close to Antrim town combined with two popular Sperrin mountain stages - all repeated again in the afternoon. In summary, 100 competitive miles on stages that have been previously acclaimed as the best closed road special stages in the British Isles.

A FREE to download Event Programme is available from the Spectator section of the event website -
Direct Link: www.ulsterrally.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/JMMUR_Programme.pdf

Ulster Rally

Entries Received / On Line Entry

Posted: July 2, 2018 6:33 AM

On Line Entry System by RallyScore

Ulster Rally returns to Antrim for 2018

Posted: November 7, 2017 3:48 AM

The John Mulholland Motors Ulster Rally returns to County Antrim for 2018 with the support of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.

The 2018 Rally takes place on 17 and 18 August and will be based in the Antrim and Newtownabbey area including a new start/finish venue and two regroups. The event stages will feature some old favourites as well as some new stages that challenge the best of drivers throughout the Borough and across County Antrim.

Following the Council meeting last Monday night (30 October), Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council confirmed their support in relocating the event to the area for the upcoming year.

“ We are extremely pleased with the support we have received from both Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and our headline sponsor, John Mulholland Motors, in returning this event to the Borough;” said Event Director, Robert Harkness.

“The event was previously held in Antrim from 2009 to 2012 and attracted approximately 17,000 spectators each year as well as generating high levels of economic benefit. Details of the event have yet to be finalised but we are looking forward to our new partnership with Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.”

The Ulster Rally was voted the best rally in the British Championship five times in the last 7 years and is the only event in the UK and Ireland to be a stage of all three premier Championships; the British Rally Championship, the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and the FIA European Rally Trophy.

Event Website

Posted: November 7, 2017 3:46 AM

Ulster Rally