News Stories
Classifieds
Shop
TV Guide
LinksWest Cork Rally - 17-18 Mar 18
Posted: September 3, 2018 10:26 AM - 42598 Hits
Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally 2018
Round 1 - 2018 Tarmac Rally Championship
Round 1 - 2018 Southern 4 Rally Championship
- Five in a row for Donagh Kelly
- In Car
- Photos
- Video Clips
- Results
- Video: Eugene Donnelly - Hyundai i20 R5 Test
- Press Release 4
- Rally Programmes
- Seeded Entry List
- Press Release 3
- Press Release 2
- Rally Launch - (Fri) 23 Feb 18
- 2018 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship Preview
- Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally 2018
- Regulations / Entry Form
- Preliminary Details
- Club Website
Five in a row for Donagh Kelly
Posted: September 3, 2018 10:26 AM
Donagh Kelly & Conor Foley in a Ford Focus WRC extended their long winning run on the Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally after a dominant performance which saw the Donegal driver win the event for the fifth year in a row. In truth the result was never really in doubt as Kelly led from the start and had almost a minute of a lead after the first four stages. From there he controlled the rally till the end and set many fastest stage times along the way. A brilliant drive from Josh Moffett netted him second place in his Ford Fiesta R5 for the second year in a row, just nine seconds ahead of his brother Sam in third place in a similar car. Amazingly all of the top ten seeds finished the event despite the tremendous pace all weekend.
Gary Kiernan & Ryan Moore had a very successful debut in their Proton Satria to win the National Rally from John Daltons Darrian T90 GTR. Dalton had been in contention until a puncture and suspension problems cost him over two minutes but he still finished in a comfortable second place ahead of Kevin Eves in a Toyota Corolla. Owen Murphy took the Historic category win in his Sunbeam Lotus while Gary McNamee was the Junior winner in his Honda Civic.
In Car
Posted: September 3, 2018 10:01 AM
Donagh Kelly & Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC) SS3
John Dalton & Gwynfor Jones (Darrian T90 GTR+) SS9
Colin Byrne & Gavin Sheehan (Ford Escort MkII)
Daniel Chung & Dylan Doonan (Honda Civic) SS13
Colin O'Donoghue & Donagh Crowley (Ford Escort Mk II) SS12
Kevin Cole & Declan Casey (Ford Escort Mk 2) SS9
Callum Devine & Brian Hoy (Ford Fiesta R2T) SS6
Vincent McSweeney & Michael Kearney (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) SS4
Desi Henry & Liam Moynihan (Skoda Fabia R5) SS12
Robert Barrable & Damien Connolly (Ford Fiesta R5) SS6
Brian O'Keeffe & Sean Hayde (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) SS13
Results
Posted: September 3, 2018 9:49 AM
1 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC) 1h 52m 54s,
2 Josh Moffett/Andy Hayes (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 54m 40s,
3 Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 54m 49s,
4 Declan Boyle/James O’Reilly (Ford Fiesta WRC) 1h 56m 03s,
5 Rob Barrable/Damien Connolly (Ford Fiesta WRC) 1h 56m 13s,
6 Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 56m 29s,
7 Daniel Cronin/Shane Buckley (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 57m 51s,
8 Stephen Wright/Arthur Kierans (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 58m 11s,
9 Eugene Donnelly/Mark Kane (Hyundai i20 R5) 2h 00m 29s,
10 Jonny Greer/Kirsty Riddick (Ford Fiesta R5) 2h 01m 34s.
Class winners:
Callum Devine/Brian Hoy (Ford Fiesta R2T),
William Mavitty/Brian Daniels (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9),
John Coyne/Stephen Joyce (Porsche 997 RGT).
NATIONAL RALLY:
1 Gary Kiernan/Ryan Moore (Proton Satria S2500) 1h 58m 28s,
2 John Dalton/Gwynfor Jones (Darrian T90 GTR) 2h 00m 34s,
3 Kevin Eves/Chris Melly (Toyota Corolla) 2h 02m 06s,
4 Jason McSweeney/Anthony O’Conaill (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 2h 02m 16s,
5 John Bonner/Emmet Sherry (Ford Escort MkII) 2h 02m 24s,
6 Eugene Meegan/Darragh Mullen (BMW 1M) 2h 02m 46s.
HISTORIC RALLY:
1 Owen Murphy/Anthony Nestor (Talbot Sunbeam) 1h 25m 46s,
2 Barry Jones/Iwan Griffiths (Ford Escort) 1h 26m 08s,
3 Duncan Williams/Llion Williams (Ford Escort) 1h 29m 38s.
JUNIOR RALLY:
1 Gary McNamee/Brian Brady (Honda Civic) 50m 35s,
2 Colin O’Donoghue/Donagh Crowley (Ford Escort) 50m 43s,
3 Mick Lonergan/Shane Corcoran (Honda Civic) 53m 05s.
Leaders After
SS1-14 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC)
Stage Winners
SS1 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC)
SS2 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC)
SS3 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC)
SS4 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC)
SS5 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC)
SS6 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC)
SS7 Josh Moffett/Andy Hayes (Ford Fiesta R5)
SS8 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC)
SS9 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC)
SS10 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC)
SS11 Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan (Ford Fiesta R5)
SS12 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC)
SS13 Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Ford Fiesta R5)
SS14 Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Ford Fiesta R5)
Press Release 4
Posted: March 14, 2018 5:59 PM
There are only a couple of days to go to the 2018 Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally and a strong entry both in quality and quantity has been received for the event. Top seed Donagh Kelly is going for an unprecedented five in row in his Focus WRC but is sure to be pressed hard by fellow Donegal man Declan Boyle (Fiesta WRC) who was victorious in Mayo last Sunday. The Irish Tarmac Championship contenders will also have a big say in the destination of the winners trophy. Leading the way is Sam Moffett (Fiesta R5) who is the reigning champion and who finished runner up in Clonakilty in 2015. Josh Moffett, Robert Barrable, Jonny Greer, Stephen Wright, Desi Henry and Daniel Cronin are all in similar Fiestas and such is the Ford dominance at the top end that Eugene Donnelly in his Hyundai i20 R5 is the only non Ford in the top ten.
Kevin Eves, Gary Kiernan, Rob Duggan, John Dalton and Declan Gallagher are just some of the top drivers competing on the National event. The Historic Rally welcomes back Barry Jones who won the category here last year on his way to becoming Tarmac Historic Champion, but he will have strong opposition in Owen Murphy, Neil Williams, Denis Cronin and Martin Doherty to name but a few. The Junior Rally is also looking strong with a capacity entry received.
The action begins with the famous Ring stage at 10.28am on Saturday morning with tests also around Clogagh, Newecestown and Ballinascarthy all to be attempted twice. Sundays six stages consist of two runs over Ardfield, Sams Cross and Rossmore with the first car due at the finish ramp at 4:30pm. The family of the late Donal O’Brien who sadly passed away last year, have kindly put up The Donal O’Brien Cup for the top Class 14 finisher.
Results for the event can be found at http://results.westcorkrally.com while Pattersons Rallynews Bulletins will be available digitally at www.rallynews.net. You can also keep up to date with more information by checking into www.westcorkrally.com and also the Facebook Page West Cork Rally and the Twitter page @westcorkrally. We are delighted to have C103 Radio Station as our Official Media Partners for the rally and for regular updates tune into C103 over the weekend.
Clonakilty Chamber of Commerce will be giving a €50 voucher to each crew in the Main Rally and the Historic Rally and will also be giving an additional €100 voucher to each overseas crew.
Seeded Entry List
Posted: March 8, 2018 11:39 AM
1 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC) [7]
2 Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
3 Declan Boyle/James O Reilly (Ford Fiesta WRC) [7]
4 Josh Moffett/Andy Hayes (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
5 Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
6 Jonathan Greer/Kirsty Riddick (Citroen Ds3 R5) [5]
7 Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
8 Eugene Donnelly/Mark Kane (Hyundai I20 R5) [5]
9 Daniel Cronin/Shane Buckley (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
10 Stephen Wright/Arthur Kierans (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
11 Brendan Cumiskey/Stephen Mcauley (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
12 Kevin Eves/Chris Melly (Toyota Corolla ) [14]
14 Gary Kiernan/Ryan Moore (Proton Satria S2500) [20]
15 Adrian Hetherington/Ronan O Neill (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
16 John Dalton/Gywnfor Jones (Darrian T90GTR) [14]
17 David Guest/Jonathan Mcgrath (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
18 Declan Gallagher/John Mccarthy (Toyota Starlet) [13]
19 Wesley Patterson/Johnny Baird (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
20 Ed O Callaghan/Raymond Scott (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
21 Damien Tourish/Domhnall Mcalaney (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
22 Frank Kelly/Michael Coady (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
23 Phil Collins/Adrian Deasy (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
24 Jason Mcsweeney/Anthony O Connell (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
25 Andy Mahon/Eamon Hayes (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
26 William Mavitty/Brian Daniels (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
27 Vincent Mcsweeney/Michael Kearney (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7) [20]
28 Eugene Meegan/Daragh Mullen (Bmw 1m) [14]
29 Kevin Gallagher/Gerard Callaghan (Darrian T90) [14]
30 John O Donnell/Aidan Friel (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
31 Brian O Keeffe/Sean Hayde (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
32 Tomas Davies/Eurig Davies (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
33 Karl Simmons/Guy Simmons (Subaru Impreza WRC S12) [7]
34 Rob Duggan/Tara Duggan (Ford Escort Mk2) [11r]
35 Callum Devine/Keith Moriarty (Ford Fiesta R2t) [2]
36 John Bonner/Emmet Sherry (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
37 William Creighton/Liam Regan (Peugeot 208) [2]
38 Wayne Evans/John Smithwick (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
39 Colin Byrne/Gavin Sheehan (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
40 Kyle Mcgettigan/Dale Mcgettigan (Ford Escort) [14]
41 Stuart Darcy/Keith Mccarthy (Darrian T90) [14]
42 Jer O Donavan/Derek Tobin (Subaru Impreza N14) [4]
43 Kevin O Donoghue/David Randles (Bmw M3) [14]
44 Adrian Evans/Martin Henry (Ford Escort ) [13]
45 Cal Mccarthy/Derek O Brien (Citroen C2) [2]
46 Colin Quirk/Kaine Treanor (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
47 Jason Ryan/Peter Keohane (Toyota Starlet) [11f]
48 Conor Mccarthy/Jj Cremin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9) [20]
49 Martyn England/Dawn England (Ford Fiesta R5) [20]
50 Ed Murphy/Tba (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
51 Ross Marshall/Denver Rafferty (Ford Escort) [13]
52 Richard Whelan/James Whelan (Bmw 1m) [14]
53 Sean O Donovan/Sinead O Donovan (Subaru Impreza) [20]
54 Tom Flaherty/Martin Flynn (Ford Escort ) [14]
55 Mark Dolphin/Colin Fitzgerald (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
56 Jason O Mahony/Jonathon O Mahony (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
57 Stephen Bawn/Chris O Donnell (Ford Escort) [14]
58 John Coyne/Stephen Joyce (Porsche 997-R Gt) [6]
59 Stephen Carey/Nicole Roycroft (Ford Fiesta R2) [2]
60 Eoghan Calnan/Conor Calnan (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
61 Cormac Phelan/Katja Auhl (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
62 Joe Mcquillan/Ashley Boulton (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
63 Mark Nangle/Tba (Subaru Impreza) [20]
64 Huw Jeffreys/Avarina Connor (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
65 Jason Roche/Noel Coogan (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
66 John Hickey/Tba (Ford Escort 4wd) [20]
67 Damian Campbell/Declan Mcgarrity (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
68 Damien Mccarthy/Ronald Riordan (Ford Puma) [11f]
69 Ciaran Phelan/Aine Phelan (Honda Civic) [13]
70 Eric Calnan/Aileen Kelly (Peugeot 106GTI) [11f]
71 Jerimiah O Flynn/Neil Flynn (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
72 Michael Boyle/Tba (Honda Civic) []
73 Keith Lyons/Sean Hegarty (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
74 Tommy Mason/Conor Walsh (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
75 Tony Rees/Geraint Thomas (Darrian Gtr) [14]
76 Ed Twomey/Sean Hassett (Abarth Punto) [5]
77 Paul Fitzgerald/Pierce Doheny Jr (Ford Escort ) [11r]
78 Richard Harney/Brian Harney (Ford Escort Mk2) [11r]
79 Darren Hamill/Karl Egan (Ford Escort ) [13]
80 Sean Moran/Jonathon Keane (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
81 Jr Mcdaid/Keith Curley (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
82 Llyr Jones/Sion Jones (Ford Escort) [13]
83 Colin Rowe/David Booty (Fiat 131) [13]
84 Paddy Mcdaid/Timmy Lunn (Ford Escort) [11r]
85 Cathal Mccarthy/Bernard Foley (Honda Civic) [11f]
86 Corey Eves/Adrian Reynolds (Toyota Corolla) [11r]
87 Paul Browne/Daniel Hanratty (Honda Civic) [11f]
88 William Kenneally/Finbarr Fogarty (Ford Escort) [13]
89 Paudie Casey/Gene Stack (Toyota Corolla) [13]
90 Pat Ryan/Jack Dalton (Ford Escort) [9]
91 Declan Campbell/Kevin Creighan (Ford Escort ) [12]
92 Paul Bruton/Brian Quinlan (Honda Civic) [13]
93 Michael O Sullivan/Mairead Duane (Ford Escort) [13]
94 Patrick O Connor/Brendan Dowling (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
95 Kevin Cole/Killian O Reilly (Ford Escort) [12]
96 Derry Collins/Stephen Collins (Vauxhall Nova) [9]
97 Sean O Carroll/Niall O Sullivan (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
98 Shane Stanley/Christine O Leary (Honda Civic) [11f]
99 Darragh Kelly/Eamon Doherty (Ford Escort Mk2) [11r]
100 Roland Doherty/Pj O Dowd (Opel Corsa) [9]
101 Bob Moran/Eoin O Donoghue (Ford Escort ) [11r]
102 Victor Beamish/Susan Beamish (Vauxhall Nova) [10]
103 Andrew James/Alec Morris (Ford Escort) [13]
104 David Jennings/David Jennings (Ford Escort) [10]
105 Michael Canny/Sinead Canny (Ford Fiesta) [13]
106 Steve Roberts/Jack Carroll (Ford Escort ) [12]
107 Don Moynihan/Kevin Murphy (Ford Escort) [12]
108 Michael P Kelleher/Iarla Mccarthy (Ford Escort ) [10]
109 Jerry O Mahony/Willie Buchanan (Ford Escort ) [10]
110 Denis O Brien/Ryan O Brien (Opel Corsa) [10]
111 Nicholas Barnett/Ray Fitzpatrick (Mitsubishi Lancer) [4]
112 Derek Flynn/Patrick Murphy (Honda Civic) [22]
113 David Kelly/Dermot Mcgroary (Toyota Starlet) [11r]
114 Mark O Connor/Graham Kelly (Ford Escort) [11r]
115 John O Sullivan/Denny O Riordan (Toyota Corolla) [11r]
116 Vincent Bennett/William Buttimer (Ford Escort) [14]
117 Brian O Mahony/Michelle Gallwey (Honda Civic) [22]
118 Hazel O Callaghan/Ger Ryan (Ford Escort) [13]
119 John Forde/Eamonn Creedon (Citroen C2) [10]
120 Charles O Neill/Tony Mccarthy (Honda Civic) [9]
121 Tiernach Maguire/Nicky Hegarty (Ford Escort) [10]
122 Gerard Seaman/Aaron Browne (Honda Civic) [22]
123 Niall O Sullivan/Sean O Crowley (Citroen C2) [11f]
124 Denis Buckley/Jason Buckley (Ford Escort) [10]
125 Sean Hickey/Noel Fleming (Toyota Starlet) [12]
126 Mark Donovan/David Duggan (Ford Escort) [11r]
127 Stephen O Shea/David O Donoghue (Toyota Starlet) [11f]
128 Noel Mccarthy/John Caverly (Ford Escort) [9]
129 Seamus O Donavan/Christian Dermody (Suzuki Swift) [9]
130 Andrew Sheehan/Kieran Carroll (Honda Civic) [22]
131 Mikey Walsh/Brian Ronan (Ford Escort ) [12]
132 Kevin Hickey/Derry Healy (Ford Escort) [10]
133 Garry Kelly/Mark Hurley (Honda Civic) [22]
134 Darren Cremin/Liam Dennehy (Honda Civic) [11f]
135 Damian O Sullivan/Eoghan Mccarthy (Toyota Starlet) [11r]
136 Maurice Gannon/Ivan Gannon (Ford Escort) [11r]
137 Pat Mcdonagh/Seaghan Hickey (Ford Cortina) [10]
138 Tommy Foley/Aarron Watters (Honda Civic) [11f]
139 Conor Murphy/David Gleeson (Honda Civic) [11f]
140 David Dee/Rita Mary Dee (Austin Mini Cooper) [9]
141 Robert Beamish/Orla Beamish (Opel Corsa) [9]
Historics
1 Barry Jones/Iwan Griffiths (Ford Escort) [K]
2 Owen Murphy/Anthony Nestor (Talbot Sunbeam) [D5]
3 Neil Williams/Anthony O Sullivan (Ford Escort) [D5]
4 Dewi Bowen/David Owen (Ford Escort) [D5]
5 Denis Cronin/Helen Cronin (Ford Escort) [K]
6 Martin Doherty/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Escort) [K]
7 Wyn Spot Huges/David Davies (Ford Escort) [K]
8 James O Mahony/Patrick Mcdonagh (Ford Escort) [E]
9 Andy Johnson/Tba (Vauxhall Chevette) [K]
10 George Cullen/Tba (Ford Escort) [D5]
11 Declan Jackson/J Barry Mccarney (Ford Escortmk2) [D3]
12 Duncan Williams/Llion Williams (Ford Escort) [D3]
14 Todd Falvey/Juha Bos (Porsche 911) [C4]
15 Alan Watkins/Martin Godfrey (Ford Escort) [D3]
16 Ian Davies/Wyn Thomas (Bmw M3) [K]
17 Peader Walsh/Mossie Griffin (Ford Escort Mk1) [C3]
18 Martin Freestone/Misha Freestone (Ford Escort Mk1) [C5]
19 Harry Brown/Joseph M Mcgrath (Hillmans Avenger) [C2]
Juniors
1 Fergus Hurley/Eric Deane (Ford Escort) [J2]
2 Eamonn Mccarthy/Declan Buttimer (Honda Civic) [J2]
3 Killian O Sullivan/Conal O Sullivan (Honda Civic) [J2]
4 Mick Lonergan/Shane Corcoran (Honda Civic) [J2]
5 Shane Norris/Charlie Boland (Honda Civic) [J2]
6 Gareth Deazley/Eathan Mccolgan (Honda Civic) [J2]
7 Chris Brady/Jennifer Warren (Honda Civic) [J2]
8 Gary Carty/Mike Breen (Citroen C2) [J2]
9 Daniel Chung/Dylan Doonan (Honda Civic) [J2]
10 Ger Cullinane/Tba (Toyota Starlet) [J2]
11 Shay Delaney/Alan Maloney (Honda Civic) [J2]
12 Derry Long/John Joe Williams (Honda Civic) [J2]
14 Aaron Mcevoy/Killian O Brien (Honda Civic) [J1]
15 Cathal Keane/David Doyle (Honda Civic) [J2]
16 Padraig Walsh/Diarmuid O Shea (Honda Civic) [J2]
17 Brian Keohane/Donal Keohane (Vauxhall Nova) [J1]
18 Stephen Horgan/Kevin Horgan (Ford Ka) [J1]
19 Anthony O Driscoll/Cian Walsh (Ford Ka) [J1]
20 Diarmuid Hallihan/Mike Hallihan (Honda Civic) [J2]
Press Release 3
Posted: March 3, 2018 3:33 PM
Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally which takes place in just two weeks has now received 140 entries across all categories. This is in spite of the inclement weather conditions which has meant that the entries secretary has not received any postal entries since last Tuesday. Any competitor who has posted an entry in the past week is advised to contact the entries secretary to let her know that the entry has been sent.
For that reason Cork Motor Club are still accepting entries and will be extending the closing date, but anyone who wishes to be on the published seeded list are advised to put an entry in by Tuesday next 6th March. Seeding will begin shortly and will be completed by next Wednesday night, the 7th March.
Credit card facilities are available for any competitor who wishes to pay by this method.
Press Release 2
Posted: February 26, 2018 2:28 PM
There are three weeks to go to the Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally and already over 120 entries have been received for the event with 100 of these in the main field in whats shaping up to be a very competitive rally between some of Ireland top drivers. Donagh Kelly in his Ford Focus WRC will be coming back to attempt to take his fifth successive win. The popular Donegal driver who lists Ardfield as one of his favourite stages in the country will face a challenge from his fellow county man Declan Boyle who has entered his Fiesta WRC as well as current Tarmac Champion Sam Moffett, Robert Barrable and Brendan Cumiskey.
The National rally entry to date is also very strong with Kevin Eves back to defend his win from last year and looking to take the Bones O’Connor Modified Trophy to Donegal again. He will face tough opposition from Wesley Patterson, Adrian Hetherington, Gary Kiernan, Rob Duggan, Kevin Gallagher, Frank Kelly, Cormac Phelan and the returning John Dalton who hasn’t competed in Clonakilty since 2013. As usual there is a lot of interest from the U.K. with regulars such as Wayne & Adrian Evans and Colin Rowe being joined for the first time by Karl Simmons & Martyn England. The Historic Rally has received entries from Owen Murphy, Dewi Bowen, Alan Watkins, Duncan Williams, Neil Williams, Andy Johnson and Martin Freestone to name but a few.
The rally is the opening round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, FIA Celtic Trophy and the PlasticBags.ie Southern 4 Rally Championship which should attract a lot of interest from both championship regulars and clubmen alike. Potential crews wishing to put in an entry are reminded that Cork Motor Club also have the facility to accept payment by credit cards.
Further news will be available in the coming week.
Rally Launch - (Fri) 23 Feb 18
Posted: February 13, 2018 11:20 AM
Rally Launch at the HQ, Quality Hotel Clonakilty from 8pm.
2018 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship Preview
Posted: February 11, 2018 12:14 PM
The 2018 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship gets underway on St. Patricks weekend, the 17th & 18th March with the Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally. With the traditional season opener, the Galway International Rally not running this year it means the lead up to this year’s series is six weeks longer. This doesn’t appear to have dimmed the enthusiasm of the crews looking to participate though, with strong interest from most of the regular contenders.
Last year’s champion Sam Moffett had a remarkable year, winning championships both on tarmac and forestry surfaces. While not planning as hectic a schedule for 2018, he does nonetheless plan to defend his title starting with West Cork in March. With two outright wins on international rallies last year Sam with co-driver Karl Atkinson will be pushing hard to add to that list for this year. Sam’s younger brother Josh is also looking forward to the forthcoming season after a mixed year last year. He will be hoping for a more consistent run in 2018 and had his best result of the championship in Clonakilty last year when he finished second overall and took his only maximum points score of the year. He had a titanic struggle with Sam on the Cork 20 only to go off the road on the final stage when leading and will be hoping for better luck this year.
Robert Barrable only competed on four rounds last year and finished on two of them. He brought the first Hyundai i20 R5 to Ireland and showcased its enormous potential with some strong performances and very quick times. Rob estimates he is 80% certain to contest this year’s championship but hasn’t disclosed which car it will be at this time. Desi Henry is another driver who has yet to announce which car he will have for 2018, but has committed to the championship for the coming year. Jonny Greer also plans to be in West Cork having only done two rounds last year as he concentrated on BRC commitments. Jonny has had some very good results in Clonakilty in the past and a repeat of this in March would get his campaign off to a very good start.
Stephen Wright did very little rallying in the latter half of 2017 and in general it was a frustrating season for the Monaghan driver. He is looking forward to committing to a full championship campaign starting in Clonakilty. Brendan Cumiskey is another who is looking to compete again this year while Keith Lyons from Limerick is moving up to a Fiesta R5 for 2018 and also plans to be in Clonakilty. A lot of attention was focused on Eugene Donnelly’s deal with MRF to drive a Hyundai i20 R5 for the coming year and Eugene is currently working on testing the new car to get it ready for Irish roads and is pleased with progress to date. 2016 champion Keith Cronin and 2017 runner up Alastair Fisher haven’t made any firm commitments for the coming year yet but neither have ruled out competing on the Tarmac series.
The Irish Tarmac Rally Championship is heading into its 40th season having started back in 1978 (the 2001 championship didn’t happen due to Foot & Mouth Disease). Over the years some of the best drivers in Ireland and the UK have taken the title with Eugene Donnelly & Austin McHale leading the roll of honour with five titles each. Donnelly is the last driver to retain his title (in 2007) which gives an idea of the task facing Sam Moffett this year. Other drivers who have taken the title more than once over the years include the likes of Bertie Fisher, Jimmy McRae, Mark Lovell, Kenny McKinstry, Andrew Nesbitt and Derek McGarrity.
Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally 2018
Posted: February 7, 2018 2:56 PM
The 40h running of the Quality Hotel Clonakilty West Cork Rally will take place on 17th & 18th March 2018 with Greg McCarthy as Clerk of the Course for a fourth year. The Headquarters is the Quality Hotel as usual and for the first time the rally will be the opening round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. The event will also be the first round of the FIA Celtic Trophy and the PlasticBags.ie Southern 4 Rally Championship.
The format for the rally will be eight stages on the Saturday and six stages on the Sunday, with all stages to be run in daylight. There has been a lot of interest in the event and Donagh Kelly who has won the rally an unprecedented four times in a row has signalled his intention to go for a fifth consecutive title. A lot of enquiries have been received from overseas competitors also and this brings an atmosphere unique to Clonakilty on St. Patrick’s weekend each year.
Regulations are now available to download:
Preliminary Details
Posted: December 8, 2017 10:40 AM
With just 100 days left until the Quality Hotel & Leisure Club, Clonakilty West Cork Rally 2018, preparations are well underway and it is time to start our countdown to the event!
For 2018, the West Cork Rally will be:
-
•Round 1 of the Dance to Tipperary Irish Tarmac Rally Championship
•Round 2 of the Dance to Tipperary Irish Historic Tarmac Rally Championship
•Round 1 of the Plasticbags Southern 4 Rally Championship
•Round 1 of the FIA European Rally Trophy Celtic Cup.
Stay tuned for further details as they are announced!
Upcoming