Donagh Kelly and Rory Kennedy win Killarney Towers Hotel Killarney Historic Rally

Huge crowds attended the event, many to watch last year’s World Rally champions Finland’s Kalle Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen compete in a rear wheel drive Toyota Starlet within the Modified category. 

MOTORS: Donegal’s Donagh Kelly/Rory Kennedy (BMW M3) won the Killarney Towers Hotel Killarney Historic Rally. Picture: James Burke.

Donegal’s Donagh Kelly and his co-driver Rory Kennedy took their BMW M3 to a strong victory in the Killarney Towers Hotel Killarney Historic Rally where they finished 23.7 seconds ahead of the Ford Escort of Welsh ace Tomas Davies and his Killarney co-driver Shane Buckley. Another Donegal crew, that of John O’Donnell and Paddy Robinson (BMW M3), were 20.5s further behind in third. Huge crowds attended the event, many to watch last year’s World Rally champions Finland’s Kalle Rovanpera and co-driver Jonne Halttunen compete in a rear wheel drive Toyota Starlet (belonging to Armagh’s Jason Black) within the Modified category. 

They suffered disappointment on the opening stage when the car stopped as it approached the summit of Moll’s Gap due to an electrical glitch. With the help of some locals, they car fired up but they had lost over five minutes. Locals heroes Rob Duggan and Ger Conway in a Ford Escort led the category all through despite a throttle sensor issue and finished 18.6s ahead of the Toyota Starlet of Donegal’s Declan Gallagher and his Kerry co-driver John McCarthy. Rovanpera, who set a few fastest stage times, went on to finish fifteenth overall.