Daniel Cronin keen to salvage season at local Fastnet Rally in Bantry

Ballylickey's Daniel Cronin (Citroen C3 Rally2) heads the local challenge in the Westlodge Hotel Fastnet Rally, the concluding round of both the Triton Showers National Rally Championship and the Top Part West Coast Rally Championship. Picture: Martin Walsh.

By his own standards, Daniel Cronin hasn't enjoyed the best of seasons. However, as another Triton Showers National Rally Championship campaign concludes on Sunday with the Bantry-based Westlodge Hotel Fastnet Rally, it offers the Ballylickey native some chance of redemption in what is his final rally of the year. 

A regular top-three finisher in the national series over the past few years, Cronin's best result in the current campaign was sixth across the county bounds on the Circuit of Kerry at the end of March. Third overall in last month's non-championship Wexford Rally was a confidence builder but a second stage accident on the more recent Cork '20' Rally was a denial of more seat time rather than a setback. 

He knows it can be a cruel sport, but he's philosophical. "It hasn't been a great season, but these things happen, that's rallying, you can't let the head drop, you just have to get on with it." 

The Fastnet is his local event and he's the only driver in the top ten that has tasted victory in Bantry - back in 2016 behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer E10.

In between, he's steered a Ford Fiesta R5 and a VW Polo GTi R5 to victories in national events. This year, armed with a Citroen C3 Rally2, victory, has (so far) eluded him. But the "Fastnet" is special, as he explains. "It's so close to home, it's a big rally for me." 

On the last Fastnet Rally (2023 - as the national series runs with a biennial calendar), Cronin led both Monaghan's Josh Moffett (eventual winner and national champion) and Callum Devine (Tarmac champion) for all but one of the opening six stages and trailed Moffett by a fraction of a second entering the final stage where a brief off-road excursion saw him finish third.

It's somewhat surprising that he's starting the eight-stage rally from the number six slot. However, that won't be a distraction and despite his geographical location, knowledge of the terrain is not what is seems. "Over the years I have done parts of the stages but for the most part it's (the rally) relatively new."

It's all of 15 years since top seed Declan Boyle (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) competed in the rally - when it was based in Skibbereen when he campaigned a Mk. 2 Ford Escort. His sons Michael (27) and Matthew (21) are now providing strong opposition. Indeed, the Boyle family trio can make Irish motorsport history by taking the top three overall positions in the Top Part West Cost Rally Championship, the popular regional series that's been underpinned by the motor group since it began in 1993.

Michael Boyle (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) is in rich vein of form following wins in the Wexford and Cork '20' rallies and Matthew's pace in the Ford Fiesta Rally2 is very much an upward trajectory. Tyrone's Ryan Loughran, also in Fiesta mode, will have gained much from the seat time on the Cork '20' while fellow Tyrone driver Jason Dickson (Fiesta) last outing national outing was on the ALMC Rally last August.

Aside from Cronin, the local challenge includes Clonakilty's Cal McCarthy (Citroen C3 Rally2) and David Guest along with Dunmanway's Jason McSweeney and Conor McCarthy, all in Ford Fiesta Rally2's - and all seeking strong results. The first stage begins at 8.40am.

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Meanwhile, the destiny of the Probite British Rally Championship will be determined on tomorrow's Cambrian Rally in Wales with Moira's William Creighton and Welsh ace Meirion Evans, both in Toyota GR Yaris Rally2's and Estonian Romet Jurgenson (Ford Fiesta Rally2) vying for the title. 

Creighton, who missed out in agonising circumstances last year, is favourite to become the fourth Irish driver to win the series. The Junior BRC crown rests between Donegal and Peugeot 208 Rally4 duo, Kyle McBride and Joseph Kelly, with the latter needing a win and hoping McBride is outside the points.

The pair are also in a shootout for the Stellantis Motorsport Cup IRE & UK with McBride a single point ahead in what is a winner takes all scenario. The respective top prizes are free entries into the 2026 British Rally Championship (worth almost €7,000) and registration and entry fees to five rounds of the 2026 FIA Junior or ERC4 European Rally Championship and twelve tyres per rounds contested, estimated to be worth €40,000. The first of the seven gravel stages starts at 10.05am.