Hard-won affair in Tralee for Alan Ring and Adrian Deasy combo

Although they led the Tralee-based Fels Point Circuit of Kerry Rally from the start, the Kerry/Cork duo of Alan Ring and Adrian Deasy in the Munster Joinery liveried S12B Subaru WRC had to push hard through the final stage to ensure victory.

With all but one of the fastest stage times, they finished 12.6 seconds ahead of the Antrim/Kerry partnership of Derek McGarrity and Diarmuid Falvey (Subaru). Welsh driver Steve Wood (Subaru WRC) and his Limerick co-driver Keith Moriarty were just a fraction of a second further behind in third.

Ring was quickest on the opening stage where the general consensus was that the stage was quite gravelly, the Castleisland native set a time that was 2.9 seconds better than second-placed Steve Wood, who stalled his Subaru WRC at a hairpin. Antrim’s Derek McGarrity was third — 1.2 seconds further behind and reckoned he was somewhat too cautious. Daniel Cronin occupied fourth and although he was only a fraction of a second behind McGarrity, the Ballylickey driver wasn’t happy with the set-up of his Subaru WRC, he spun and stalled on the stage.