Motorsport: Keohane endures tough return to motor racing
West Cork racer Michael Keohane pictured in Donington Park in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB series with Century Motorsport in East Midlands yesterday. Pic: Martin Walsh.
West Cork racer Michael Keohane had a difficult return to motor racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB series with Century Motorsport at Donington Park in the East Midlands.
While his participation in both races ended within the opening few laps, the positives were that the pace he showed, even after a 22-year lay-off, augurs well for the remainder of the season.
In Sunday's first race Keohane made a great start and moved up three places before Turn 1 (Redgate) and another two spots before the Old Hairpin, as he approached McLeans he got squeezed out and the left wheels of his Keohane Readymix liveried Porsche went on to the grass and he slid off into a tyre wall and damaged the front left wheel and light pod.
Starting from the back of the grid in the second race and having moved up four places, a competitor clouted the rear of Keohane's Porsche as he went past. Keohane had to return to the pits to change a punctured wheel.
Although he re-joined the race some two laps down, he was forced to retire as a bolt in the damaged arch of his Porsche began to pierce the tyre. The competitor, Jonathan Moore later received an endorsement on his licence for the incident.
Meanwhile, Monaghan's Josh Moffett Hyundai i20 R5) took his first victory in a round of the Irish Forest Rally Championship in some six years on the EARS Motorsport Munster Moonraker Rally, the second round of the Trailer Parts and Spares Irish Forest Rally Championship at Dungarvan.
Co-driven by Wexford's Andy Hayes, they finished 3.1s ahead of Derry's Jordan Hone (Skoda Fabia Rally2), who was co-driven by his father Paul. The Tyrone/Galway duo of Mark Donnelly/Martin Brady (VW Polo GTi R5) were 1.7s further behind in third.
Hone set the pace on the opening stage Coolatoor where he was 2.8s ahead of Moffett, who was quickest on SS2 to cut the deficit to 1.8s as Donnelly, who arrived at the Dungarvan service park minus the rear bumper of his VW Polo GTiR5, was some 5.5s off top spot, the leading trio had worked their way clear of the chasing pack led by Niall McCullagh (VW polo GTi R5) 21.5s off third spot.
At the service park, Moffett sorted a slight misfire and he and the vast majority of the entry were awarded notional times for SS4 when the stage was temporarily blocked.
The Monaghan driver went into a 3.1s lead on the penultimate stage that proved to be the final stage for most of the entry as SS6 also fell victim to a stage interruption.
The Donegal/Mallow crew of Jack Harris/Aaron O'Regan (Ford Fiesta ) took a strong victory in Class 2 sealed by a fine performance on SS5 where they posted a twelfth overall fastest time.
Donegal drivers Oisin McShane and James McShea, both in Peugeot 208 R2 cars, had a great battle in Class 2A, the former holding on to win by 0.9s. Kerry's James Spillane (SEAT Mii) won the J100 category.
Elsewhere, in the opening round of the European Rally Championship at the 43rd Andalusia Rally - Sierra Morena - Córdoba World Heritage Site, reigning British Rally champions William Creighton (Citroen C3 Rally2) were the top Irish finishers in seventh place.
Spaniard José Antonio Suarez (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) with the nickname of Cohete – the Spanish word for rocket – moved into the lead on Saturday's first stage (SS2) and with four stage wins led fellow Spaniard Ivan Ares (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) by 21.6s at the overnight halt and went on to win the event - 20.1s ahead of the Ares.
Creighton stalled on Saturday's opener and finished SS5 with some cosmetic damage, he was ninth overnight and picked up two places on the final leg. Derry's Callum Devine (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) took time to get up to speed and admitted he was too cautious, before making some set-up changes on Saturday.
He eventually finished 15th.
In the ERC3 category Carrick on Suir's Casey J Coleman (Ford Fiesta Rally3) took a fine second and won the M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally Trophy category where Cian Caldwell and Callum completed the top three.
1. J. Moffett/A. Hayes(Hyundai i20 R5) 38m. 45.8s; 2. J. Hone/P. Hone (Skoda Fabia Rally2)+3.1s; 3. M. Donnelly/M. Brady (VW Polo GTi R5)+4.8s; 4. G. Mimnagh/J Barry McCarney (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+40.9s; 5. N. McCullagh/C. Mohan (VW Polo GTi R5)+43.4s; 6. J. Burke/L. Moore (VW Polo GTi R5)+54.6s; 7. S. Dickson/B. Teggart (Ford Fiesta Rally2)+54.7s; 8. P. O'Connell/M. Wiley (Ford Fiesta R5)+1m. 00.4s; 9. C. McCourt/C. McKenna (Skoda Fabia Rally2)+1m. 01.9s; 10. J. Dunphy/S. Mackey (Ford Fiesta R5)+1m. 09.2s.
1. J. Suarez/A. Iglesias (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) 1h. 57m. 02.3s; 2. I. Ares/B. Rozada (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +20.1s; 3. T. Suninen/A. Haapala (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+25.3s; 4. G. Basso/L. Granai (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) +31.9s; 7. W. Creighton/L. Regan (Citroen C3 Rally2)+1m. 05.5s. 15. C. Devine/N. O'Sullivan (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2)+3m. 09.4s.
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