Posted: November 21, 2019 6:30 AM - 2391 Hits
Counting Round - 2019 Irish Rallycross Championship
Posted: November 7, 2019 3:49 PM
The partsforcars.ie Irish Rallycross Championship and Mondello Park today announced an exciting finale to their 2019 Championship.
On November 24th, the IRX competitors will, for the first time since the inception of the sport in Ireland, “race into the night”, with the all-important finals being run under floodlights! This is the latest in a series of promotions aimed at reviving Rallycross in recent times; others were to share their event with the Irish Drift Championship, an anti-clockwise layout and even live streaming of events.
The day will begin with the finals from the opening round, which had to be cancelled due to heavy snowfall, and once they are done and dusted, the heats will begin. Expect high-speed Supercar action as ever, with Derek Tohill, having just missed out on the British Title after a superb season, being the man to beat. Noel Greene has managed it on occasion previously and, along with his AMF team, will surely be aiming to beat the Fiesta Supercar off the line during the day. They will be joined by some surprise Supercar entries, details of which will be announced closer to the event.
Modified battles are always a crowd favourite as Peter McGarry’s immaculate Cluna Vauxhall VX200 turbo takes on a hoard of fast and spectacularly driven Novas, as well as Pearce Browne’s sideways M3 powered BMW Compact and a few turbocharged Toyota Mr2s to boot.
The Fiesta regulars look to be joined by a few circuit racers, fresh from the Mondello 6 hour race, and if last year’s finale is anything to go by, they may have to pull their socks up too. The Fiesta final at this event last was one of the races of the day as Michael Leonard Jnr and Rob Barrable went at it- expect similar action this time around!
The Junior class is the lifeblood of any motorsport discipline and, despite some recent glitches, the future of Rallycross should be strong. Drafting the Zetec Fiestas in alongside the 1000cc Micras and Starlets was a masterstroke and has doubled grid sizes, with some of the best racing of the day coming from the 12-16-year-old stars of the future- expect the usual hectic battles!
Other action on the day will come from the screaming Buggy class and the popular Retro Rallycross class, which brought former Rallycross stars such as Pa Ryan and Barry McArdle back on track for some high-speed battles last time out in Mondello Park.
Rally Cars will also run on the day, with many Rally drivers using the event for a shakedown. The drivers will have the option of starting on the grid or on a flag start with a 5-second interval between cars. Expect various 205s and Novas and maybe even a couple of sideways Mk2s to chase Patricia Denning’s well driven Evo all day here.
Following consultation with Motorsport Ireland and Mondello Park the Rallycross Commission are delighted to announce a reduced entry fee for this final event of the year, but also for all of next season. Both MI and Mondello Park are fully behind the sport and want to see it grow into the future, starting with a reduced entry fee of €195, they are also keen to welcome new drivers to the thrill of Irish Rallycross!