Circuit of Ireland - 15-16 Apr 22

ITRC contenders continue challenge on Circuit of Ireland

Posted: April 12, 2022 5:10 AM

The Acesigns Irish Tarmac Rally Championship’s leading challengers look set to maintain their intense 2022 rivalries on Easter’s Circuit of Ireland Rally.

Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes have been the duo to beat so far this year but will face stiff opposition from fellow title contenders Alastair Fisher, Callum Devine, and Meirion Evans. Moffett holds a six-point ITRC advantage over Wales’ Evans and co-driver Jonathan Jackson after winning the opening two rounds. Fisher holds third in the Acesigns Irish Tarmac standings, ten points further back, but is seeded first thanks to his previous form on the Northern Irish event.

Devine looked set to make the perfect start to his new partnership with Shane Byrne on the West Cork Rally. The pair held an overnight lead on their debut event together but a gearbox failure left them stranded on Sunday, having to leave Clonakilty with a no-score. The 27-year-old has rarely competed on the famous Glens of Antrim stages but with plenty of European and World Rally Championship experience to his name, Devine will be keen to reaffirm his title credentials.

One man with abundant local knowledge is Jonny Greer. The Citroen C3 Rally2 driver impressed on the West Cork Rally, a seemingly innocuous spin on the final stage ruined his hopes of a podium finish.

Greer is seeded seventh for the Circuit and should be right on the front-end pace given his experience of the Glendun and Cairncastle stages from previous Circuit of Ireland, Ulster, and Glens of Antrim Rallies.

Declan Boyle will return to the R5 fold for the first time in three years. The 2014 Irish Tarmac Rally Champion featured in Galway behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta WRC. Now, he’s ready to fight in the main series in his recently acquired Volkswagen Polo R5.

Modified
April’s busy rally schedule leaves the Circuit of Ireland’s modified section looking a little more subdued than it was in West Cork.

Still, there are plenty of two-wheel-drive crews ready to treat spectators visiting the beautiful surroundings of Ulster’s north-coast.

With title rivals James Stafford and Gary Kiernan skipping the Circuit, Daniel McKenna has the perfect opportunity to regain ground after his retirement in Galway.

McKenna looked to be finding his Ford Escort Mk2’s sweet spot as he secured a runner-up finish in West Cork.

M2 class leaders Gareth Black and Connor Dunlop will be hoping to maintain their strong start to the year. The Toyota Starlet crew lead the 2.0-litre class by nine points after a runner-up and first-place finish on ITRC’s first two rounds.

ITRC 3
Jason Dickson, Ryan Caldwell, and Joseph Kelly will continue their front-wheel-drive battle in Ford and Peugeot Rally4 variants.
Caldwell has been the category’s surprise sensation this year, picking up a win in Galway and a runner-up finish to Eamonn Kelly in West Cork.
Dickson and Kelly will be hoping to regain some ground this time around.

Historic
16 historic rally cars will tackle this year’s Circuit of Ireland Rally. With three different winners in ITRC’s three Historic rounds so far, the battles have been worth watching so far in 2022. Berian Richards and Luke McCarthy are among the championship challengers heading to the Circuit of Ireland this year.

11 stages make up the 2022 Circuit of Ireland Rally and with each one topping the 15-kilometre mark, the two-day event provides a total of 193 competitive kilometres for expectant crews.

Mid and East Antrim gears up for return of the Circuit of Ireland International Rally

Posted: April 12, 2022 4:50 AM

The UAC Easter Stages are delighted to announce the support of Mid & East Antrim Borough Council for the Wastewater Solutions Circuit of Ireland International Rally this weekend.

The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor William McCaughey, has spoken of his delight ahead of the return of the Circuit of Ireland International Rally to the Borough.

In recent years, the UAC Easter Stages Rally has attracted more than 20,000 people, from spectators and visitors, to officials and competitors - generating approximately £800,000 for the local economy, according to the organisers.
The Mayor said: "It's no secret I have a love of cars, so I'm personally delighted to see the prestigious Circuit of Ireland International Rally return to Mid and East Antrim.
"We pride ourselves on attracting and delivering world-class events in our Borough, and this is set to be another resounding success.

"Events such as this are wonderful for showcasing Mid and East Antrim to audiences around the world via live streaming on Facebook and Youtube, as well as the benefits they bring to our hospitality, tourism and retail sectors.

"A warm welcome awaits all the competitors, their teams, families and the spectators, and here's to an action-packed, safe weekend of motorsport, why not come and see for yourself." Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is a proud supporter of the event, with Wastewater Solutions the title sponsors.

The Circuit of Ireland International Rally will be the first round of the FIA Celtic Rally Trophy and the third round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

A spectator guide will be available online for the event on the Circuit of Ireland website (www.circuitofireland.co.uk) and you can follow the action on Facebook and Instagram.

Seeded Entry List

Posted: April 6, 2022 4:10 PM

1 Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble (VW Polo GTi R5) [RC2]
2 Josh Moffett/Andy Hayes (Hyundai i20 R5) [RC2]
3 Callum Devine/Shane Byrne (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [RC2]
4 Meirion Evans/Jonathan Jackson (VW Polo GTi R5) [RC2]
5 Cathan McCourt/Liam Moynihan (Skoda Fabia R5) [RC2]
6 Derek McGarrity/Graham Henderson (VW Polo GTi R5) [RC2]
7 Jonathan Greer/Darragh Mullen (Citroen C3 Rally 2) [RC2]
8 Desi Henry/Paddy Robinson (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [RC2]
9 Brendan Cumiskey/Martin Connolly (VW Polo GTi R5) [RC2]
10 Declan Boyle/James O’Reilly (VW Polo GTi R5) [RC2]
11 Niall Henry/Barney Mitchell (Ford Fiesta R5) [N10]
12 Stuart Biggerstaff/Anthony Nestor (Ford Fiesta R5) [RC2]
15 William Creighton/Liam Regan (Ford Fiesta Rally3) [RC3]
16 Alan Carmichael/Arthur Kerins (Hyundai i20 R5) [N10]
17 Michael McGarrity/Damien Garvey (Ford Fiesta R5) [RC4]
18 Sean Devine/John McElhinney (Ford Fiesta R5) [N10]
19 Joe Hegarty/David Turkington (Ford Fiesta R5) [N10]
20 Camillus Bradley/Crawford Henderson26 (Ford Escort Mk2) [N7]
21 Gareth Black/Connor Dunlop (Toyota Starlet) [N6]
22 Alastair Cochrane/Ian Kidd (Ford Escort Mk2) [N6]
23 Vivian Hamill/Denver Rafferty (Ford Escort Mk2) [N7]
24 Eugene Meegan/Mark O'Connor (BMW CSi) [N7]
26 Alexander Cochrane/Chris Johnston (Ford Escort Mk2) [N6]
27 Jason Mitchell/Paddy McCrudden (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [RC2]
28 Philip Greenlee/Oisin Sherlock (Ford Escort Mk2) [N7]
29 John Devlin/John McCarthy (Ford Escort Mk2) [N6]
30 Kyle White/Sean Topping (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [RC4]
31 Johnnie Mulholland/Calum Maguire (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [RC4]
32 Chris McGurk/Dylan Doonan (Ford Fiesta R5) [N10]
33 James Kennedy/Heather Kennedy (Ford Escort Mk2) [N6]
34 Jason Dickson/Tbc Tbc (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [RC4]
35 Paul Britton/Peter Ward (Subaru Impreza) [N2]
36 Seamus Branniff/Barry Savage (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [N8]
37 Daniel McKenna/Andrew Grennan (Ford Escort Mk2) [N7]
38 Shane Murray/Gary Hade (Ford Fiesta) [N10]
39 Fintan McGrady/Stephen Jess (Ford Escort Mk2 RS1800) [H3]
40 Richard Hall/Declan Campbell (Ford Escort Mk2 RS1800) [H5]
41 Drew Wylie/Stephen McAuley (Ford Escort Mk2 RS1800) [H5]
43 Chris Ford/Matthew Daniels (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [RC2]
44 Luke McCarthy/Brian Duggan (Ford Escort Mk2 RS1800) [H5]
45 Philip Wylie/Lewis Dunlop (Ford Escort Mk2 RS1800) [H5]
46 Andrew Bushe/Ivor Lamont (Vauxhall Chevette HSR) [H3]
47 Jimmy Mills/Ashley Trimble (Ford Escort) [H5]
48 Jonny Cargo/Mo Downey (Ford Escort Mk2) [N6]
49 Jack Newman/Andrew Browne (Ford Escort Mk2) [N7]
51 Philip Johnston/Graeme Stewart (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) [N9]
52 Berian Richards/Sean Hayde (Ford Escort Mk2 RS1800) [H3]
53 William Carey/Jimmy Graham (Ford Escort Mk2) [N6]
54 Kevin Quinn/Chris Corr (Ford Escort) [N6]
55 Paddy McToal/Connor O'Loan (Ford Escort) [N6]
56 Eamon Doherty/Damian McAuley (Ford Escort) [N7]
57 Sam Adams/Michael Johnston (Ford Escort) [N5]
58 John McQuaid/Thomas Treanor (Ford Escort) [N7]
59 Ryan Caldwell/Grace O'Brien (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [RC4]
60 Fergal McGuigan/Mark McGeehan (Ford Escort) [N6]
61 Craig Macwilliam/Guy MacWilliam (Ford Escort Mk1 RS1600) [H2]
62 Oliver Benton/Tbc Tbc (Ford Escort Mk2) [N6]
63 Peter McCullagh/Flint McCullagh (Ford Escort Mk2 RS1800) [H3]
64 Ryan McHugh/Declan Boyle (Honda Civic) [N4]
65 James Ford/Neil Shanks (Ford Escort Mk2 RS1800) [H3]
66 Joseph Kelly/Stephen Reynolds (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [RC4]
67 Jonni McDaid/Chrisy Corry (Talbot Samba GpB) [H4a]
68 John Keatley/James McKeefry (Porsche 911) [H1]
69 Andy Heekin/Sara McFadden (Subaru Impreza) [N8]
70 Colin Price/Ben Teggart (Toyota Starlet RWD) [N6]
71 Simon Gordon/John Henderson (Vauxhall Astra) [N6]
72 Mark Stewart/Chris Hobson (Mazda MX5) [N4]
73 Harry Johnston/Ashley Boulton (BMW E30 325i) [N7]
74 Richard Somerville/John Nicholl (Ford Escort) [N6]
75 Marshall Kennedy/Davy Young (Peugeot 306 GTi) [N1]
76 Roger Kennedy/Wendy Blackledge (Peugeot 306 S16) [N6]
77 Ben Walsh/Danny Cannon (Ford Escort Mk2) [N4]
78 Alex McNaughton/Kevin Duggan (Ford Escort Mk2) [N5]
79 John Adams/Margo Christie (Ford Escort Mk2) [H3]
80 John McCullough/Rachael McCullough (Ford Escort Mk2) [H3]
81 Eamon McLaughlin/Steven Boyle (Vauxhall Nova) [N3]
82 Malcolm Pedlow/Billy Regan (BMW 2002 tii) [H2]
83 Malcolm Johnston/Sam Magill (Skoda Felicia) [N3]

Press Release 1 - The 'Circuit' is Back!

Posted: March 8, 2022 3:49 AM

The UAC Easter Stages Ltd is thrilled to announce that following a two-year break, due to the global pandemic, the Circuit of Ireland International Rally is set to return on Easter weekend, Friday 15th and Saturday 16th April 2022.

We are also delighted to announce that Wastewater Solutions are continuing to support the event as title sponsors. Wastewater Solutions Managing Director, Philip Johnston, commented
"I am extremely pleased to see the Circuit back and look forward to working with the team to provide another Easter Classic; who knows I might even compete this time!!"
Clerk of the Course, Nigel Hughes, stated
"We are very grateful to Philip for his continued support. We have been working hard during our enforced respite to come up with a plan for the rally that will appeal to competitors, spectators and fans. We are also very conscious that Covid remains as a threat to our population and hopefully the route for 2022 reflects our thinking whilst endeavouring to keep the public safe".

The Wastewater Solutions Circuit of Ireland International Rally will be the First round of the FIA Celtic Rally Trophy and the third round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. The action focuses on the North West corner of Northern Ireland and the 12 stages will provide competitors with fast flowing and technical challenges on both days.

Event Headquarters in Carey Cleaning Machines will be beside the service area in the Livestock Market in Ballymena helping to reduce the road mileage for competitors and facilitating easy access for spectators.

Entries are open via rallyscore at www.rallyscore.net and regulations available from the event website www.circuitofireland.co.uk

We look forward to seeing you out there and welcome the 'Circuit' back in style!!

Entries Open

Posted: March 7, 2022 8:05 AM

On Line Entry System by RallyScore

Circuit of Ireland

Ulster Automobile Club
Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs - www.motorsportni.org