Rally to unite Irish and British events
Elsewhere, the Dunlop National Championship continues in Sligo on Sunday and the Safari Rally is the latest encounter in the World Rally Championship.
The clash of the Tarmac and National rounds on the same weekend is unfortunate, it’s the second time in less than a month where two high-profile events are on the same weekend, begging the question, who is planning Irish Motorsport?
The Super 1600s occupy most of the top 10 at the Jim Clark with Welsh ace Gwyndaf Evans and his Northern Ireland co-driver, Chris Patterson as top seeds in MG ZR. Irish drivers, Rory Galligan (Peugeot 206), Chris Meeke and Stuart Darcy in Ford Pumas, should impress on the first tarmac event in the British series.
David Higgins in his Group N Subaru heads the Open class that has the Irish Tarmac contenders as the main thrust of the two-day tarmac rally, the only such rally in mainland Britain.
Regulars like Austin McHale, Andrew Nesbitt, Derek McGarrity, Eamonn Boland, Peadar Hurson and Daniel Doherty are all competing. One of the most intriguing contests should be how well Jonny Milner (Toyota Corolla WRC) and others like Marcus Dodd (Subaru WRC) and Japanese driver, Katsushiko Taguchi (Mitsubishi) will perform.
It is expected Andrew Nesbitt will be the driver to beat, his Cuisine de France Subaru Ireland WRC has been the yardstick of Irish rallying recently.
In terms of the Irish Tarmac Group N, Seamus Leonard, Roy White and James Foley, both in Mitsubishi’s, are the ones to watch. The Peugeot 206 Cup boosts the Irish presence with rising star, Garry Jennings the top hope. Gareth McHale and Alan Ring are also part of the contingent. There are seven stages this evening with a further 14 tomorrow.
Niall Maguire (Subaru WRC) can take another step to the Dunlop National Championship crown in Sligo with the Tom Hunt Motors Sligo Rally. The Monaghan haulage contractor has been virtually unstoppable all season. It’s a question of where, rather than when, he will collect his second title. Patrick Elliott is 40 points behind and cannot afford to drop points to Maguire.
On an event basis, the in-form Eugene Donnelly (Toyota Celica ST205) should give Maguire a stern test while Michael Barrable (Subaru WRC) is now more of a threat than earlier in the season.
Sean Gallagher and David Armstrong, in Escort Cosworths, are vying for third overall in the national series. Sunday’s entry also includes Galway’s, JJ Fleming (Subaru WRC) and another member of the McHale family, Aaron, who will be trying to consolidate his lead in the Dunlop Group N category. Killarney’s, Tom Randles (Escort Mk 2) has a similar mission in Class 14.
In addition to the national and border championships, it is also a Fork Ka Championship round. Limerick’s, Gerry Keyes seems to have the advantage, but David Lyons and Kenneth Mulvaney remain in the chase for glory.
Starting at 11.00am there are eight stages with servicing after stages three and six just south of Manorhamilton.
The tough terrain of the Safari Rally will be welcomed by Colin McRae as he endeavours to close on World Rally Championship leader, Marcus Gronholm (Peugeot).
After delivering wins in Argentina and Greece, Ford enter the toughest rally in the calendar in bullish mood. It was the scene of the Focus’ first WRC win in 1999 and another will keep the Malcolm Wilson outfit on course for the championship. Richard Burns continues to improve in the Peugeot and, like McRae, will push hard for a second title.
Croft is the venue for Sunday’s seventh round of the British Formula Renault series.
Next year’s centenary of the Gordon Bennett Race will be marked by a three-day festival featuring sprint events run on sections of the original 1903 route. Each sprint will run to a different theme. On May 31, the theme is a century of Motorsport. The second day’s theme is Success of the Irish Abroad while the festival ends with a sprint honouring the sporting icons of Irish Motorsport.
Colin McRae will headline the World Rally Experience in Punchestown on Sunday week. With no other manufacturer from the WRC on the entry, the Scot is likely to compete rather than give a demonstration. Patrick Snijers is seeking a Group A or WRC car for the event that has nearly all Irish tarmac regulars and some national rally champions.
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