Issue 62 | Nov 08 | £3.60/€5.25
rally magazine
www.pacenotes.net
the best irish and uk rally action every month!
Never
Breen Better!
Ray Collects Hankook Forestry Title! 9 771473 725073
ISSN 1473-7256
62
SUPER SLEUTH
DOUBLE TOPS
McCloskey’s Down & Bushwhacker Bullseyes
Jonny Mac Considers ITC Future
OPEL FRUITS Mouthwatering Manta 400
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PROFESSIONAL MOTORSPORT EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES Race Suits
Race Boots Sparco Pro Driver ..................£90.00 Sparco Top 3 ..........................£79.00 Sparco Speed Way ................£69.09 Sparco Slalom ........................£63.00
Omp trend FIA..................... £185.00 Sparco Sprint FIA ................ £195.00 Sparco FIA........................... £350.00
Underwear Sparco Nomex Top ..................£39.00 Sparco Nomex Pants...............£32.00 FIA Balaclava ...........................£18.00 Nomex socks............................£10.00
Helmets Corsa Parts Transmission Quaife F13/F15 Synchromesh 5-speed Gear Kit with Final Drive Ratio 4.5-4.8£1350.00 Quaife GM Gearlever................... £340.00 Quaife GM Turret Housing .......... £475.00 Helix Padle Clutch Plate ................ £82.00 Helix Clutch Cover ....................... £105.00 F15 L.S.D. Unit Plate Type .......... £450.00 Brake Components Alcon Front Tarmac Brake Kit – 4 Piston Caliper 300 x 26 Disc and Caliper Mounting Bracket ......... £1,200.00 Balance Bar Pedal Box (Grp A) .. £175.00 Dash Adjuster Click type................ £30.00 Girling Reservoir............................. £14.00 Alloy Handbrake kit ........................ £93.62 Suspension Components Adjustible Strut casing (Grp A) ...... £75.00 Bilstein Insert 270/120 ................... £97.87 21/4 x 12 Spring All Rates ............. £17.00 Alloy Spring Seat............................ £14.00 Alloy Lock Ring................................. £6.50 Steel Top Cap ................................. £14.00 Alloy Top Mount (Spherical Bearing) £65.00 Bilstein Front Strut & Insert.......... £195.00 Bilstein Rear Damper..................... £95.32 Roll Bars Sparco 16-Point Roll Cage .......... £350.00 Safety Devices CDS Weld-in Cage£499.00
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Tripmeters Terratrip 202 + with probe..£153.00 Brantz Laser with probe..£200.00 Brantz Int 2 with probe...£153 Monit Rally Computer ......£299
Fuel Pumps/Accessories
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Intercoms
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Fire Marshal 4.0 Litre System£144.68 Mechanical 360 System ........£295.00 Electrical Gas 360 System ....£339.00 Hand-Held 1.75 Litre ................£32.34 Hand-Held 2kg 360 gas.........£175.00 R
Red Top Competition Pump Kit ............ £63.00 Red Top Pump ...................................... £53.00 Bosch Inj Pump ...................................£135.00 Filter King............................................... £29.79 S/Steel Overbraid fuel Hose Per Metre . £8.00 Millers CVL .............................................. £5.50 Pro Boost ................................................. £7.95 Weber 45 DCOE ................................£220.00
THE OLD RECTORY, AUGHER, CO TYRONE BT77 0BN CLOSED SUN AND MON, OPEN TUES-THURS 9.30AM-9PM FRI 9.30AM-6.00PM SAT 9.00 AM-2PM
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Escort Mk2 Parts Suspension & Steering Bilstein Grp 4 Adj Strut................£175.00 Alloy Spring Seat 1” Deep ..............£8.00 Alloy Spring Seat 3” Deep ............£14.00 Alloy Lock ring .................................£6.50 Alloy Top Cap D-Hole ...................£12.00 Alloy C-Spanner ............................£12.00 Bilstein 300/70 Insert.....................£75.00 Bilstein 300/100 Insert ..................£75.00 Alloy Top Mount 2-Piece Grp 4 ....£72.34 Alloy Top mount & Nut ..................£64.00 Electric Power Steering Kits .......£750.00 Mk2 Quickrack with Bronze Bush ..£235.00 Grp 4 Steering Joint Cast .............£25.53 Gen Ford Green track Rod End ...£21.00 In Situ R/J Gen Ford T.C.A. ...£145 Each In Situ R/J Q/H T.C.A. .............. £79 Each Grp 4 TensionSturt Kit .................£300.00 Bilstein Grp 1 Rear Damper .........£68.00 Bilstein Grp 4 Rear Turret .............£70.00 Bilstein Coil-Over Damper ..........£120.00 Watts Linkage Kit Atlas ...............£225.00 Axle & Transmission Fully Floating Grp 4 Atlas Axle casing .........................from £400.00 Group 1 Atlas Axle Casing.from £395.00 Steel Spit Lock Rings LH/RH .......£12.00 Spring Saddles ..............................£20.00 4 Link Brackets ..............................£30.00 Grp 1 2-Piece Halfshaft (18 tooth)£89.36 Grp 4 Halfshaft F/F (18 tooth) ......£85.11 Grp 1 Halfshaft Flange..................£65.00 Grp 4 Halfshaft Flange..................£55.00 ZF Motorsport L.S.D. Unit...........£638.30 ZF Side Gear .................................£65.00 Ford C.W.P 5.1 & 4.6 Set ...........£220.00 Tran-X Club Gearkit 5 Speed .....£595.00 Alloy Astra 16v to Ford Bellhousing ..................................£140.43 Tran-X English LSD ....................£391.41 Brake Parts Mk 2 Bias Pedal Box (Cable) ....£199.00 Mk 2 Bias Pedal Box (HYD) .......£242.00 Mk 1 Bias Pedal Box (Cable) .....£235.00 Tube-Adjustor (Mk 2) ...................£29.00 Flexible Click Dash Adjustor .........£30.00 AP & Girling Reservoir ..................£14.00 Alloy Pro HYD Handbrake Kit ......£93.62 HYD Handbrake Kit ......................£40.00 Ralloy Vertical Handbrake ..........£106.38 Master Cylinder .625, .700, .750 ..£28.00 Alcon - 15" Front Brake Kit 304 x 28 Disc, Disc Bell & Alloy 4 Pot Calliper.. .............................£899.00 Alcon - 13" Front Brake Kit 267 x 21 Disc, Disc Bell & Alloy 4 Pot Caliper................................£825.00 Alloy Products Alloy Tarmac Arches Mk 2 Set ...£245.00 Alloy Front Spoiler .........................£59.00 Alloy Front Arch .............................£59.00 Alloy Front Arch 15” Wheel...........£75.00 Alloy Rear Tarmac Arch ................£65.00 Alloy Shaped Tank & Filler..........£169.00 Alloy Inj Tank & Filler...................£190.00 Fuel Tank Fitting Kit & Straps .......£68.00 Alloy Dry Sump Tank ....................£89.00 Rear Lamp Protectors...................£14.00 Alloy Strut Brace ..........................£48.00 Alloy Catch Tank............................£40.00 Alloy SumpGuard 8mm Chassis Mounted ........................£199.15 Alloy Radiator ..............................£195.00 Pace Astra 16v Dry Sump Kit..........£695 Pace Corsa 16v Dry Sump Kit ........£695 Pace Ford Duratec Dry Sump Kit ...£695
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www.pacenotes.net Issue 62 | Nov 08 | £3.60/€5.25
rally magazine
www.pacenotes.net
the best irish and uk rally action every month!
Never
Breen Better!
the
contents 04
12
16
18
24
32
45
IRISH TARMAC FUTURE
52
58
with jonathan macdonald
NIRC
bushwhacker
EVO CHALLENGE bulldog rally
14 - BALLYBOLEY RALLY TT clubman rally action
38 - RX RACING high adrenaline racing
64 - QUESTION TIME with daniel conaghan
deputy editor pete bleakley pete@pacenotes.net
22 - NICKY GRIST nicky’s column
42 - WRC ROUNDUP spain & france rally action
67 - TULL OF MULL isle of mull round-up
design & production jeremy purdy jeremy@mooneymedia.com
27 - CLUBMAN CORNER clubmen in action
49 - IRISH JUNIORS final round-up
68 - UK CLUBMAN clubmen across the water
28 - GSMC MINI STAGES baltinglass round-up
50 - CHEVIOT NATIONAL rally round-up
71 - IRISH FOREST birr stages rally action
published by
30 - PERFORMANCE CAR fiat abarth
60 - NEED FOR SPEED with ray gavin
78 - CLASSIFIEDS rally marketplace
unit 45, banbridge enterprise centre, scarva road industrial estate, banbridge, co down, bt32 3qd, northern ireland. t: +44 (0) 28 4066 0390 f: +44 (0) 28 4062 8392
36 - JUST JAMES on the credit crunch
63 - SYSTEM SIGNS RALLY rally round-up
Ray Collects Hankook Forestry Title!
ISSN 1473-7256
9 771473 725073
61
SUPER SLEUTH
DOUBLE TOPS
McCloskey’s Down & Bushwhacker Bullseyes
Jonny Mac Considers ITC Future
OPEL FRUITS Mouthwatering Manta 400
publishing editor simon mooney editor@pacenotes.net t: +44 (0) 28 40 660 390 m: +44 (0) 7803 891893 (office hours) advertising manager beverley mooney sales@pacenotes.net tel: +44 (0) 28 40 660 390 fax: +44 (0) 28 40 628 392 assistant editor (Irl) jonathan macdonald jonathan@pacenotes.net mobile: 07989283055 assistant editor (UK) phil james phil@pro-rally.co.uk mobile: 07771768657
cover photo john bayly
FULL CHAT news round-up
DUNLOP NATIONAL donegal harvest
BUSHE’S BLOG with andrew bushe
ANCRO bulldog rally
QUESTION TIME with james kennedy
NIRC down rally
Pacenotes is published on the last Wednesday of each month. This magazine is copyright mooneymedia ltd 2008. Contents may not be reproduced in any form or stored on any electronic system, without written permission. All rights reserved. No responsibility is accepted for any unsolicited material. Reasonable efforts are made to ensure the contents are accurate, but the publishers can accept no responsibility for the effects arising there from. Reasonable care is taken while accepting advertisements, but no responsibility can be accepted for any resulting transactions. distributed by WNS NI, Easons & Newspread ROI MMC Ltd - UK Mainland
pacenotes.net
november 2008
03
FULL CHAT... Startline
Cronin’s Reflection Of Pirelli Star Driver European Shoot-out... Irishman Keith Cronin
All new faces... Welcome to issue 62 of Pacenotes, the UK and Ireland’s only rally magazine! It’s that time of year when the championships start winding up, and new champions are crowned. I can’t believe I’m saying that already - it seems just like yesterday that the season was kicking off. But here we are once again! Eamonn Boland is the Global Group Irish Tarmac champion, Patrick Elliott is the Dunlop National champion, Ray Breen is the Hankook Irish Forestry Champion, and by the time you read this, either Conor McCloskey or Sean Devine will be the Pacenotes NI Rally champion. It’s great to see new faces putting their names to the crowns, and of course there are many newly crowned class champions out there as well. Keith Cronin also deserves a special mention this month. As you can read in the news story opposite, he was selected to represent Ireland at the Pirelli Star Driver shoot-out. He stunned the opposition with quickest stage times, but sadly lost out on the top awards in the end. Not to worry Keith, keep your head up! You certainly have support from the Irish rally fraternity behind you, and who knows what 2009 will bring? That’s all for this month. Make sure you look out for December’s bumper Christmas edition where we’ll have a round-up of all major rally championships! Keep safe on the stages, Simon Mooney Editor Tel: +44 (0)28 40660 390 editor@pacenotes.net november 2008 04 pacenotes.net
narrowly lost out on the Pirelli Star Driver prize after the final European shootout leg of the competition. Cronin, who was selected to represent Ireland in Pirelli’s search for up and coming rally talent, travelled to Austria with his Mitsubishi Lancer in a bid to take the coveted prize. 19 drivers impressed the judges in a variety of assessments, which included interview and pace note making skills, as well as driving on two different stage locations (one tarmac and one gravel). Cronin set fastest times over the tarmac stages and finished second in overall stage times when combined with the gravel loop. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all about
the fastest stage times and in the end, Cronin finished seventh while the fastest driver, Hermann Gassner, finished fourth. The judges – Walter Rohrl, Michele Mouton, Mario Isola, David Evans, Joao Passos and Kevin Morris – awarded the prize to Finn Jarkko Nikara and Czech Republic driver Martin Semerad. They have both won a prize drive in next year’s PWRC for the same team
McCormack wins €35k worth of C2 R2 MAX kit! Draperstown driver Marty
McCormack has won this year’s Irish C2R2 Cup, and with it has taken the first prize of a C2R2 Max kit worth £28k/€35k! McCormack only received details of the prize at the championship prizegiving on Saturday 1 November, and was a welcome boost for the Irishman, who already had the kit on order! It was also announced at the prizegiving that the British Rally Championship’s C2R2 Cup winner would receive the same prize. There are still four drivers who are in with a shout of winning, and the result will be decided after December’s Rally GB. As part of the prize, both McCormack and the UK winner
will travel to Citroen Sport’s headquarters in France on Wednesday 10 December where they will receive their awards. It is also being mooted that both drivers will take part in a test session, although this has yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile, plans for the 2009 championships are well underway, and full details will soon be announced by C2R2 Cup coordinator, Raymond Moore.
November/December 2008 01/11 01/11 01/11 02/11 02/11 06/11 07/11 08/11 09/11 09/11 08/11
Townparks Glens of Antrim Cambrian Rally (Llandudno) Kingdom Stages (Crail, Fife) Malton Forest Stages (Pickering) Talbenny Stages (S Wales) Lombard Rally (Harrogate) Blackhorse Stages (Isle of Man) Coulter Demolition Rally Time Trial Kerry Mini Stages MEC Rallysprint Glyn Memorial stages (Anglesey)
08/11 09/11 14/11 23/11 23/11 29/11 04/12 07/12 07/12 27/12 28/12
in equal machinery. “It was a very good exercise and good to be a part of it,” Cronin told Pacenotes. “We probably would have been fastest overall, only we were held back by another car. You had to do two laps of the stage and a Fiesta was released in front of us just as we were going to do our second lap. But that’s the way it goes!” Cronin is eyeing up a campaign in the 2009 British Rally Championship and his selection to represent Ireland should stand by him when searching for potential sponsorship. Rally Ireland is also on the cards, and potentially a few other events, so 2009 could be a pivotal year for the young man’s rally career.
NI 2WD Clubmans Challenge The Northern Ireland Clubman
Championship is set to be resurrected next year with a new 2WD Tarmac Rally Challenge! Pacenotes received a copy of the draft regulations, and seven events are being proposed, beginning with January’s New Year Stages Rally. Other events include the Ballypatrick, Mourne, Lough Neagh, Davagh, System Signs and Gullion Stages. Five of the seven events will count towards the final championship standings, with the overall winner awarded free entry for two rounds of the 2010 N.I. Rally Championship. Further details will be in next months edition.
Tempest Rally (Aldershot) Lynn Stages (Sculthorpe) Roger Albert Clark Rally (Leeds) Carfax Stages (Longcross) Neil Howard Stage Rally (York) Grizedale Stages (Coniston) Rally Wales GB (Cardiff) Galloway Hills Rally (Castle Douglas) Carlow Rallysprint Cork Rallysprint Carlow Rallysprint
announce that next month’s edition will include a free copy of Demon Tweeks’ catalogue. Suppliers in racewear, competition and tuning parts, the catalogue will be invaluable for those looking to purchase items ahead of the Christmas market.
Rally Connection There are now two venues
in Ireland that are licenced Motorsport Ireland competitor coaching venues. Co. Waterford’s RallyConnection has joined Rally School Ireland, and provides budding new competitors in the south an opportunity to complete the ‘Introduction to Motorsport’ course.
Snap it up!
Pacenotes photographer Seamus Counihan has released
ount
er ds of ip.
Tuned Up For Wales…
eagh, on
Circuit To Break With Tradition?
Pacenotes is pleased to
details of his 2009 rally calendar. Printed A3 size with two images per month, featuring some top class images taken during the 2008 season from the world of Irish rallying, if you’re a fan of the sport and want to keep track of the action during 2009, log on to www.crspics. com and snap it up before it sells out!
the nts
Log On today at: www.rallyforums.com
With Wales Rally GB moving
back to mid-Wales for the first time since 2000, the event is set to generate huge interest this year with the inclusion of classic tests such as Sweet Lamb, Hafren and Myherin. It will also be interesting to see if Sebastien Loeb can finally win the event and add it to his first Rally Finland win this year. Entertainment on the Saturday evening at the Millenium Stadium will be provided by all girl pop band The Saturdays. More info & Tickets at www.walesrallygb.com
Rumour has it that the
New Irish Rally Championship For All A brand new Irish Rally Championship has been given the green
light for the 2009 season. The Excel Rallying Multimake Championship offers some of the best prizes seen in European rallying, and will reward the quickest drivers in Irish rallying. With a first prize of a fully supported drive in the 2010 Irish National Championship with a Super 1600 car, as well as a mouthwatering array of other top prizes, competitors will be revving up at the prospect of the 2009 season. There are 21 counting rounds for the series, of which competitors must choose 10 to contest. Their best eight scores out of those 10 events will count towards the final standings, and those competitors that win their class will go on to contest a ‘Race of Champions’ type event – where everyone will be in equal machinery. It’s a novel idea and will breathe some fresh air into the Irish rally scene. With enough competitors registered for the series, it could be one of the most competitive championships in the country. More information can be found online at www.excelrallying.ie.
Historic Decision… Motorsport Ireland has released a statement explaining why it
refused to grant KDMC a permit for the 2008 Killarney Historic Rally, arising from issues identified by them on the 2007 event. The full statement is available for perusal on several Irish rallying websites, but the key points are as follows… MI found that it could not grant a permit this year due to: “…the inadequate nature of the radio system; the failure to supply a proper safety plan in a timely fashion and failing to operate an event and a course car schedule that allowed officials adequate time to ensure compliance with the event safety plan...” The MI statement also says: “The Committee also asked for a meeting with event officials but received little or no cooperation, leading to several months delay by KDMC. Eventually the Club was informed it would not receive a permit for the 2008 rally due to its failure to engage with the Rallies committee on the matters raised in the Stewards reports for the 2007 rally. It was offered one final opportunity for a meeting to avoid this outcome, in Tullamore on the 26th July. Only then did KDMC arrange to send a delegation.” “The Motorsport Commission subsequently received a further delegation from KDMC on 24th September, which made further proposals to deal with the issues raised by the Rallies Committee. The Motorsport Commission considered the matter further but was not satisfied that the Club’s proposals adequately met the issues raised. It decided that the event should not be allowed to run in 2008.” While safety is paramount in rallysport, many in the KDMC may feel a little hard done by. Irish rally politics doubtless played apart in this matter, but it is essential that this popular event returns to the 2009 rallysport calendar.
2009 Circuit of Ireland Rally - scheduled for 11/12 April - is heading south and may be based in Dundalk, Co. Louth. According to sources within the UAC, the day one stages will have five repeated locations which should include the full Hamiltons Folly and the two long stages in the Newry area used on the opening day of the 2008 event. Day two will see three stages run twice, to the west of Dundalk. The rally will incorporate the Northern Ireland Rally Championship, and has been added to the 2009 Richard Egger Insurance MSA National Asphalt Rally Championship. There is some discussion as to whether the rally will be an international or a national event. Another issue could involve running an MSA event from a base in southern Ireland. This throws up the conundrum of using HANS devices, which will be compulsory on all MI events from January ‘09.
Killarney Historic Social Determined not to be
too downhearted after the cancellation of the Killarney Historic Rally, Killarney and District Motor Club will host an Historic Social Night on Saturday 29th November. Commencing with a threecourse meal followed by a rally forum, the night will be topped off with a live band and disco. Some surprise guests are being mooted, although no names have been confirmed as Pacenotes goes to print. The evening will be held at The Avenue Hotel, Killarney, and tickets can be purchased by telephoning Joe on +353 (0)86 2833 509 or Gary on +353 (0)87 2239 141. pacenotes.net
november 2008
news round-up from around the clubs and stages
w
Give Us Your Views FULL CHAT...
an
Demon Tweeks Catalogue
05
NEWS
Head For The Hills… The Armstrong Galloway Hills
Greer On A High…
Five drivers could have clinched
the Mitsubishi Evolution Challenge title at the Bulldog Rally, but unfortunately Jonathan Greer was not one of them. After a luckless Challenge campaign, his aim for the weekend was to gather some valuable experience. 20 year old mechanic Jonny said, “The event was very enjoyable. I am very happy with some of our stage times, although it took us a while to really get going. It is good to end the season on a high note.” Jonny would like to thank Toyota Materials Handling, Carryduff Forklift and BOTT Ltd for their continued support.
Rally on Sunday 7th December has all the ingredients for a classic endof–season forest tussle, and if history is any guide it will be a surprise if an Irish crew is not in contention for overall honours. The rally is based in Castle Douglas, just one hour’s drive from Stranraer, and features 5 singleuse stages with minimal road mileage and central servicing. Stena have again come up with an attractive package for competitors using their high-speed ferry from Belfast, and an afternoon finish enables a return home on the evening crossing. A unique feature of this rally is the prize draw which provides a free
entry to the lucky entrant whose entry is drawn ‘first from the hat’ by the qualifying date. The Galloway Hills also offers the unique prize system of awarding a free entry to the 2009 Galloway Hills Rally to the highest placed driver in each class on the 2008 event, subject to a minimum of 6 starters per class, and based on overall classification. The Galloway Hills website, www.gallowayhillsrally.co.uk will not be accessible until Monday 3rd November. Until then, regulations are available from the Entries Secretary, Isobel Riddick, by email at isobel@gallowayhillsrally.co.uk or by telephone on 01556 660 281.
Disabled Pilots Outpace Regular Drivers!
Two Crackers For Carlow…
Carlow Car Club recently got the
MI ‘green light’ to host Carlow’s biggest sporting event of 2009, the Carlow Stages Rally. The rally will run on 10th May and be based at the Lord Bagenal Inn, Leighlinbridge, with scrutiny and parc ferme near by. There is also a new CoC in charge of the rally - Donal Meaney. The rally’s popular Mark 2 Challenge will attract Escorts from all over the UK and will be covered by On The Limit Sports and Mick Bracken. The club will also hold a mini stages rally on 8th November, 2009. Ken Tracy will be CoC for that event.
Wye Aye To Historics… Forest of Dean Motor Club are
going to run Historic classes on next year’s Wyedean rally, behind the 1400 runners and ahead of the main field. There will be classes for Historic, Post-Historic and Classic cars as well as an overall winner. The event will offer 44 prime forestry miles in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley on February 7th, 2009. november 2008 06 pacenotes.net
Richard Egger of Richard Egger
Insurance is becoming a familiar name and face in GB rallying, but few people know of his work to bring disabled people into the sport. To cut a long story short, Egger has a disabled friend who competes successfully in a hand control modified Impreza. Impressed, Egger decided to launch a disabled driver talent search through Loughborough Car Club… “At a club meeting we decided to run a competition to find two willing disabled drivers and offer them a full season of club events at no cost,” Egger told Pacenotes. “In April this year were ran a disabled driver selection day and from eight entrants ended up with two drivers, Gary Edgecombe and Mick Brennan. These two have now taken part in ten events promoted by Loughborough Car Club – the regular summer series contested by a wide variety of club members. Both drivers have shown a healthy turn of speed to the point where they have beaten most of our regular members, In the club Autotest series they have finished first and second
in class, with Gary winning the last event outright. On the AutoSOLO series they look to be on for third and fourth, with one round to go, with a theoretical possibility of second and third if all goes stunningly well on the last round.” “The car of choice is a 1300cc Nissan Micra with an automatic CVT transmission,” continued Egger. We have fitted the car with a range of adaptions to accommodate the majority of variations. Other than putting the car on a diet (removing the rear seat and spare wheel) and fitting a set of decent shock absorbers (courtesy of a club member who has not noticed that they are not in his workshop), no other specialist preparation has been done.” Invaluable support for this groundbreaking project has come from: Disabled Information and Advice Line (DIAL); Advantage West Midlands; The Regional Development Agency; Loughborough Car Club; Dave Hawkins; Jeff Gosling Hand Controls; CG Lock; Carr Tyres & Richard Egger Insurance.
Egger Backs Asphalt Assault... The organisers of the MSA
Asphalt Rally Championship and BTRDA Asphalt Rally Series are delighted to announce that Richard Egger Insurance has confirmed its intention to remain as headline sponsor for the 2009 season. The MSA Asphalt Rally Championship calendar takes in closed-road events in Scotland, the Isle of Man and both Northern and Southern Ireland, plus visits to both the Epynt and Otterburn Military Ranges. A keen competitor himself, Richard Egger commented, “At Richard Egger Insurance have enjoyed our involvement with the MSA and BTRDA Asphalt Rally Championships. They are great events, with good competition and nice people. What more could we hope for? We look forward to 2009 and to building on the success of this year.” Regulations will be available in December and further details of both series are available from Championship Co-ordinator Andrew Haill at andrew. haill@btconnect.com or www. asphaltrallying.com.
Six-Pack For 2009… Subaru’s Team Director
Richard Taylor says that there could be five or six S14 WRC Subs competing on next year’s WRC. Taylor confirmed that Solberg and Atkinson were contracted for next year but he couldn’t confirm who might drive the other cars, saying only that Guy Wilks and Brice Tirabassi were in negotiations with the team.
MSA hip y
ger
2009
y
ts in and ern the tary or
Backing A Brit... £1850 was raised during the
Forest of Dean Motor Club’s recent Motorsport Evening at Cinderford Rugby Club in aid of Guy Wilks’ Back A Brit Campaign and local charities. The evening was compered by Pat Flynn and the panel consisted of Phil Collins, Alistair Roberts, Nik and Graham Elsmore, Craig Drew, Damian Cole and Cliff Simmons. £1000 will be donated to Guy’s fund, with Dilke Memorial Hospital and the Air Ambulance receiving £425 each. The club would like to thank everybody who supported the evening and those who donated auction items, particularly David Richards, Phil Pugh and Urmo Avaa
Fisher Wins FST Wildcard Nomination Trillick’s Alastair Fisher has been
chosen as the wildcard entrant to represent Ireland at the forthcoming Fiesta SportingTrophy International Shootout 2008, which will take place over the 9th and 10th of December. 19-year-old Fisher will be competing against a number of other hopefuls including FST UK and IE winner, Elfyn Evans. The prize is a 12-month contract
working hand in hand with the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team during the 2009 WRC season. “It’s great to be nominated for the shootout,” Fisher said. “I have had a mixed year, both in Ireland and the UK, and came so close to taking the title for the second time but it just wasn’t to be. But being nominated as the wild card entry for the shootout is a great confidence boost!”
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Down Rally On Skye Plus Stornaway Rally ace Alisdair
Graham and co driver Keir Beaton from Inverness were by far and away the further most travelled competitors on the recent F&M Contracts Down Rally. The 2007 Scottish Junior Rally Champion undertook the epic 865 mile round trip, which included a 3 hour ferry trip from the Isle of Skye to the Scottish mainland, to reach the County Down town of Castlewellan for round 9 of the Pacenotes NI Rally Championship. Alisdair and Keir made a good start on the 2008 event and were not far off the class leader James Kennedy’s pace, but a wrong tyre choice on the middle loop of the event and then a loss of 20 seconds when they encountered a retiring competitor on the last corner of the last stage dropped them back 3 places in the final results.“Next year we will stay a little longer so that we can really enjoy the legendary Irish hospitality,” quipped Graham. pacenotes.net
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bushe’s blog
Lady Luck and The Rule Book… Rallying can be a confusing sport at times and difficult to explain to outsiders, as it is bound by comprehensive rules. After the Down Rally, the penultimate round of the Northern Ireland Rally Championship, there were few more confused people in the country than Sean Devine, as he retired his WRC Subaru from the event. The Donemana-based driver is still very much in contention for the Northern Ireland Championship crown, but a score on the Down Rally would have left Sean with a lot less to do on the final round in the Glens of Antrim. Indeed, a victory would have seen him seal the title. Now he has to finish ahead of Conor McCloskey at all costs, a situation he feels could possibly have been avoided. “I have to admit that I am quite annoyed at what happened, and I feel that we were treated unfairly,” Devine told Pacenotes. “It’s a rally I have supported over the past few years, but I feel I won’t be going to the event next year, even if it’s critical to the NI Championship. I put a lot of money and effort into rallying and I just don’t feel I will be taking my car to that rally again.” Sean started the rally by dropping five seconds to Conor McCloskey on stage one, the Subaru’s handling not to his liking, but with corrections to the diff settings, he equalled Conor on stage 2, and as his times proved later, there was more to come. However, on stage 3 in Drumkeeragh forest, his time of 4 minutes 27 seconds was a full 36 seconds slower than his rival’s… The Down Rally. like several of the other NI forest events. had elected to run the smaller two wheel drive cars at the front of the field. It is a decision that has been welcomed by these competitors, as they receive the stages in better condition, but this procedure can have its drawbacks. The Dogleap was held up with blockages caused by incidents involving these cars, delays of around an hour in total, and on the Down Rally, more unfortunate twists have brought this rule once more into the spotlight. It’s a system that has been run for many years in the English forests, with the BTRDA championship letting the smaller Silver Star competitors run before the Gold Star competitors with their four wheel drive machines. In England it seems to have worked well for many years, but maybe we just haven’t got it right yet? It was certainly not ‘right’ for Sean Devine on
the Down , as the number one seed screeched into Drumkeeragh three minutes behind the last of the smaller cars. Near the end of the stage he found the road blocked, with a car off and spectators on the road, so he stopped the Subaru. “There were spectators on the road, so I stopped,” said Devine, “and I couldn’t see any OK board either, so I felt I had made the right decision to stop. It’s always been stated in the driver’s briefings to stop, and I would certainly advocate safety. In the briefings you are also told that you will be looked after, if you stop, in terms of your stage time, but this certainly wasn’t the case as it panned out.” It has to be noted that Sean had stalled the car on the start line of the stage, and this made the decision slightly more difficult for the Clerk of the Course Andy Gilmore. “It was important to make a decision on the day, and let Sean know the decision so that he knew were he was in the rally,” Gilmore told Pacenotes. “I took the information from the marshals at the scene, who were judges of fact, and the marshals at the start of the stage, and made the decision. After Sean, the following five or six cars also had to slow down to get past the scene of the incident as well.” “It’s difficult to make these decisions for sure, and the rule book allows us to credit the time of the car in front, which probably would have been worse for Sean, as the small two wheel drives had gone in before him. I think it was unfortunate for sure, and I had to take in all the circumstances.” Now 43 seconds down after three stages, Sean set a scorching time on stage four, taking 23 seconds back when Conor McCloskey stalled, and a further two seconds back on stage five. That reduced the gap to 16 seconds, in spite of the full 36 second time loss on stage three. With two stages remaining, Sean lined up for stage six, the second Drumkeeragh stage, and set off into the test. “What I can’t believe,” Devine told Pacenotes, “is that the organisers were aware that there were blockages on the stage, and they didn’t clear them before we went in. We knew
entering these two stages that we needed good times on both stages to give us a chance of victory and gain maximum championship points, so every mile counted. We got into the stage and there was Honda blocking it, stuck up a hill. There was no point in stopping as everything was okay, and we drove around the car. But the WRC car is wider than the smaller cars, so we just got sucked into the ditch, bent the steering arm and damaged the rack.” “Peter O’Kane, whose car was stuck,” continued Devine, “apologised to me profusely, but it wasn’t his fault at all - he was just stuck, and I really feel that the stage should have been cleared by the organisers.” “The following cars queued up behind us and the crews helped us haul the car out and we drove to the end of the stage. There was one more test to go, but the rack was leaking badly, and we didn’t want to risk the power steering fluid catching fire and setting the car alight, so we retired.” Clerk of the Course Andy Gilmore realises that there may be things to be learnt from the event, as he told Pacenotes, “I’m not sure of the exact reason for Sean’s retirement. He made it out of the test and was credited a maximum time for that stage, and if he had’ve managed to get through the last stage, he would have possibly scored good points. For sure we would have also looked at that time, and almost certainly given him the notional time for that test, when the circumstances became clear of his incident.” “As for the blockage, we had seen these cars run at the front of the field on other NI forest events this year, and there weren’t the same problems, and we followed the NI Championship protocol by taking the decision to run them at the front. In hindsight, yes, maybe we could look at lengthening the gap between the last one and the number 1 seed, and we could run a recovery vehicle in between.” The whole saga puts many procedures under the spotlight, and reading the regulations for the
Be
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seems to be the most suitable. However, no crew which is totally or partially responsible for stopping a stage may benefit from this measure. It will be given the time which it might have eventually set if this is greater than the scratch time awarded to the other crews. Following consultation with the Safety Officer a stage may be re-started and the stage interrupted time will only be applied to those crews affected by the stoppage. Crews completing the stage after it has been restarted will be credited with their actual time. If 10 minutes has elapsed since the start time of the last competing car which started the stage, then it may not be restarted. The rules of SOS/OK procedure are also slightly different between the MSA and MI, with the MSA insistent on the second car reporting it to the radio point, but MI feeling 8 to 10 competitors can go on to the next radio point. Stage blockages may also have the Force Majeure rule applied by MI, which is really tough luck, and there seems to be some room for conjecture in both sets of rules. For Sean Devine it was a confusing day at the Down, and as I said to him, the events of it hadn’t been too widely reported. “Maybe there would be a lot more reports on it, if I hadn’t of stopped on the stage, and had mowed the spectators down on the road,” said Devine. “I also feel that with incidents like these it’s important to keep the rally running to ensure as many people as possible who paid their money to take part get as many stages as possible. I kind of feel now though, that if I had to stop like that again, I should take my helmet off, wait for the next 5 or 6 cars to stop, and make sure the situation is sorted before I proceed.” One can only hope that Devine’s Drumkeeragh dramas are not the cause of his final championship position, in what has been a great battle between Sean and his friend and rival Conor McCloskey, who, by the way, was genuinely disappointed for Sean. It’s not easy to make the rules, and not easy to make decisions under pressure, but maybe some further guidance from the rule book would assist these situations. For the average Irish rally crew it can be confusing competing North and South, on two different sets of rules. Maybe it’s important also for each individual event to explain the procedure they wish to apply, and the action taken as regards time adjustment at each drivers briefing, so that crews know what to do, and what the penalty should be. Lives could depend on it.
Be a champion with Speedline Corse Tel: +44 (0) 1952 582825 Fax: +44 (0) 1952 582821 Web: www.speedlinecorse.co.uk Email: info@speedlinecorse.co.uk
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andrew bushe’s thoughts on irish rallying...
a number of competitors were delayed on a Special Stage due to a blockage and the nature of the blockage can be verified, or that they had stopped to comply with Appendix 29, Article 3.5.1 (c), then, the Clerk of the Course may apply the stage interrupted rule to the competitors affected. Alternatively the promoters may apply the Force Majeure rule. 3.7 As per Appendix 2, Article 29, Competitors must carry an SOS/OK board. The SOS board to be displayed when it is necessary to summon medical help in the shortest possible time. In the event of an incident where someone requires urgent medical help, display SOS board to next 8/10 competitors – they will carry the message to the next Radio Point where the medical services can be alerted. The OK board is to be displayed by competitors stopped on a stage for any reason (off, broken down, etc.) and is used to indicate that medical help is not needed. If no OK board is displayed, the following competitors must act as if an SOS board were being displayed. They must stop and establish what are the circumstances of the crew in question and act accordingly (i.e. report to the next radio point if medical assistance is required, or simply continue if not). There are certainly a lot of decisions in the rulebook left to the Clerk of the Course on the day, and with the added pressure of keeping the event running, it cannot be easy to make decisions over times of individual drivers. I would like to know how they work out whether to award a discretionary time and what time to give? Do they look at similar times in the class? The fastest, slowest, average or last competitive time? It seems there are variables to consider. This is MI’s take on a stage interruption, which again seems to take a lot more into account the performance merit of each individual competitor... 8.13 Interruption of a timed stage. When a Special Stage has to be stopped for any reason whatsoever before the last crew has covered it, a classification for the Stage may however be established by allocating to each crew, which has been unable to complete the stage because of the interruption, the time of the last competitor to complete the stage before the interruption. This classification may be drawn up by the Clerk of the Course even if only one crew has been able to cover the stage in normal competitive conditions. Should the Clerk of the Course consider the time set by the last competitor to complete the stage as abnormal, he/she may choose as the scratch time the one among the four previous competitors to complete the stage which
bushe’s blog
Townparks Stages, the final championship round, the SOS/OK board procedure has been looked at further, with the following additions to the regs… REG 19.30 In addition to above, the stewards may consider the case of a competitor who whilst carrying out their duty to react to an SOS board being displayed, (only the next two or three cars following whoever is involved in the incident), may be deemed to have suffered with the regards to time. The stewards may award such competitors a time, which would reflect his/ her performance on the event to that point. REG 19.31 A competitor misusing an SOS board may be excluded. Indeed they may award a time that would reflect their performance on the event, and that may have helped in other instances. In the MSA Blue book section H 148 page 287 the following rules are listed... If SOS board is shown – you MUST stop OR if no SOS board and competitors still in car – you MUST stop (immediately and without exception) all following cars must stop. 2nd car on scene must drive on and alert next radio point. Awards/penalties: The CoC may award a discretionary time to any competitor delayed in such circumstances. Any crew failing to comply with the rule will be reported to CoC who may impose penalties, but these penalties not specified in MSA competitors book. Any crew failing to show OK board when ok may be subject to a penalty at CoC’s discretion. The Motorsport Ireland rulebook has a slightly different take, and seems considerably more detailed in this direction… 3.5.2 Competitors who stop or are slowed as result of the displaying of an SOS board, or the non displaying of an OK board, may have the stage interruption rule applied as per Appendix 29,Article 8.13 / 8.14. COC’s are encouraged to fully investigate such incidents, and having established the facts, to act accordingly. 8.14 If the promoters became aware that
Clubman rally action from Larne
Ballyboley Rally TT
Winner: David Crossan
Words Jonathan MacDonald PICTURES John O’Neill
C3: Joe Agnew
C4: Ian Millar
C5: Adrian Donnelly
RESULTS 1 David Crossan.................. 3:50.6 2 Raymond Johnson............ 3:50.9 3 Mervyn Hill....................... 3:51.1 4 Raymond Mason............... 3:55.0 5 Eamon Mimnagh............... 3:55.3 6 Sean Haveron................... 3:55.4 7 Trevor Moore.................... 3:55.9 8 Marc Johnston.................. 3:57.8 9 Gregory Shaw................... 3:58.0 10 Martin Collins................... 4:00.0 11 Joe McQuillan................... 4:01.3 12 James Kennedy................ 4:02.7 13 Aidan Toner....................... 4:03.8 14 M Massey......................... 4:06.0 15 Ian Millar........................... 4:06.2 16 Enda McNulty................... 4:06.8 17 Colin Massey.................... 4:07.0 18 John Murphy..................... 4:08.3 19 Alan Carmichael................ 4:08.7 20 Paul McErlean................... 4:09.4
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pacenotes.net november 2008
Crossan Quickest Of The Quick… It must be the season for maiden
rally victories. In late September, Conor McCloskey secured his first win at the McGillin Bushwhacker Rally, and that was two weeks after Richard Cathcart secured his first victory in a World Rally Car. One week after McCloskey’s celebrations, young Alastair Fisher took his first win at the System Signs Clubman Stages Rally. Then, seven days later, there was another new name on a victory trophy, when David Crossan won the Curran Court Hotel Ballyboley Rally Time Trial! It has been a long time coming for Crossan. Gone are the days of his two-wheel antics in an Avenger around Bishopscourt, though. Nowadays, he has moved up a gear and his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 saw him briefly lead the Group N category of the Bushwhacker Rally before retiring after stage two. Of course, to finish first, first you have to finish, and the Comber man delivered the goods at Larne Motor Club’s event. In a dual entry with his father, David fended off a number of former Northern Ireland rally champions to claim the spoils with his quickest time, which was three-tenths faster than that of Raymond Johnston. Johnston, a former N.I. Group N champion, was not the only championship winning driver among the field. Mervyn Hill, who
finished third overall after a long lay-off, is one of only a handful of drivers to have won the N.I. championship three years on the trot (1990-1992). Then there was fourth placed Raymond Mason, who had many tussles with Johnston for the Group N crown, and sixth placed Sean Haveron, who piloted his white
2nd: Raymond Johnston
and pink Sierra to the N.I. crown in 1997. Indeed, the Ballyboley Rally Time Trial was graced by a lot of top local talent, but it was David Crossan who had the largest grin on his face at the event finish. His rear differential cried enough at the start of the final stage, but he still claimed the rally victory with his fastest time of the day! “I’ve had a second overall and a third overall before,” Crossan told Pacenotes, “so it’s good to finally get first overall! We had a good, clean run. It was my first time on that particular stage and it was in excellent condition. There were a
few beers taken that night!” “It’s my second season with a four-wheel-drive car,” David continued. “I started rallying in 2000 and then used a Ford Ka in England before having a four year break. I only started rallying again last year. I entered the event as a dual entry with my dad, and my brother Paul won his class too!”
3rd: Meryvn Hill
C2: Paul Crossan
Behind the jubilant Crossan, Raymond Johnston just pipped ‘Swervy Mervy’ to second position by two-tenths of a second, while Raymond Mason finished three seconds adrift in fourth. Eamon Mimnagh arrived home in fifth, ahead of Sean Haveron and Trevor Moore, with Marc Johnston completing the top eight overall.
facttfile
Driver: James Ken nedy Height: 5’10” Home: Antrim Birth date: 24th Feb ruary Occupation: Develo per Road car: BMW 535 Sport Rally car: Ford Esc ort MkII Marital status: Ma rried to Heather, wh o is a navigator come ser vice crew – just a gen eral all rounder! I have two children, Rebecca and David. Hobbies: Rallying ties up the whole thing! Driver: John Rowa n Height: 6’2” Home: Cushendall Birth date: 22nd No vember Occupation: Refrige ration Engineer Road car: BMW Spo rt Marital status: Sin gle Hobbies: Rallying tak es up most of my time…going to the pub is the other hob by! Anything else you want to say: Thanks to James and Heather Kennedy for a great year all round!
Gospel, According To James & John…
questiontime with
James Kennedy & John Rowan
16
pacenotes.net november 2008
1. When did you first get behind a wheel? James: My first experience was on my father’s farm on a tractor. That progressed to sneaking wee drives in cars when he wasn’t about! John: I was about 13 or 14, driving my mother’s Nissan Micra! 2. Who taught you to drive? James: My father, who is also called James. John: My father. 3. Did you pass your driving test first time? James: Yep. John: Yeah. 4. What was your first road car? James: Ford Fiesta – I shared it with my sister, but I think she got the raw end of the deal as she didn’t get it that often! John: Vauxhall Astra 1.4 – no stories to tell as they might be a wee bit illegal! 5. What is your favourite road car? James: An M3 BMW or something like that. John: Aston Martin DB9 – I have expensive tastes! 6. Who were your motorsport heroes as a child? James: Ari Vatanen and Stig Blomqvist. John: Colin McRae, Frank Meagher and Bertie Fisher. 7. Who would you rate as the top British or Irish rally drivers today? James: Eamonn Boland, Mark Higgins and Eugene Donnelly. John: Kris Meeke, Kevin Lynch and Oran Donnelly.
8. What was your first competitive event? James: I think it was in 1991 or thereabouts. There was a wee rally near Warrenpoint called the New Year Stages. We entered in a Sunbeam and would have finished third in class but time penalties dropped us down to fifth. John: Ballypatrick Tarmac Stages in 2002 – it was my driver’s first time as well. I think I did okay…although I haven’t heard from him since, so maybe that’s a bad sign! 9. What is your worst memory in rallying? James: We rolled fairly heavily in Parkmore forest during the Toshiba Rally, as it used to be called. I think Frank Kelly went off at the same place a few years before us. John: The death of Colin McRae. 10. What drive are you most proud of to date? James: A few years ago we finished third overall at the Festival Stages in 1600 Mark 2 Escort. Dominic McNeill and Davy Crockett finished in front of us, although there was a dispute over a time – I think we should have been second, but third is what the results show! John: Winning the 2wd championship this year with James. 11. What is your most frustrating memory in rallying? James: Back when I first started rallying, I bought a G3 Escort and everything was fairly frustrating about it! John: I remember leading Davagh by 45 seconds with Declan McNaughton…then our throttle cable
broke midway through the penultimate stage. We were gutted! We managed to pull the cable in through the window and work it from there but we finished nearly last. It was good craic all the same! 12. What are your plans for 2008/2009? James: I’m going to do the last round of the championship, then next year I’m just going to do a few selected events as the credit crunch that everyone is talking about is having an effect on us. John: Townparks Glens of Antrim with James, and next year I’ll just wait to see who wants me! 13. What is your favourite event? James: I’ve quite enjoyed the Circuit of Ireland for the past few years. John: Definitely this year’s Bushwhacker Rally – the stages were fantastic and it was just a good all round event. 14. What is your favourite rally car? James: It has to be a Mark 2. John: A 2005 Ford Focus WRC…and a Mark 2 Escort (to keep James happy!) 15. If you could change anything about current rallying rules/admin what would it be? James: To be honest, I just turn up and rally! John: At a lot of the N.I. championship events you just get a DVD beforehand, but I think having a proper recce is crucial.
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Dunlop National Rally Championship
Donegal Harvest Rally
Words Martin Walsh & Jonathan MacDonald PICTURES Seamus Counihan
RESULTS 1 Patrick Elliot/Paul Goodman Subaru Impreza WRC...... 1:07:30 2 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally Subaru Impreza WRC...... 1:08:29 3 Seamus Leonard/John McCafferty Subaru Impreza WRC...... 1:08:36 4 P.J McDermott/Paddy Robinson Subaru Impreza WRC...... 1:09:55 5 Stuart Darcy/Dermott Falvey Subaru Impreza............... 1:10:20 6 Gary McPhillips/Mark Tierney Ford Escort..................... 1:11:24 7 Danny McBride/Rory McBride Mitsubishi Evo................ 1:11:39 8 Casimer McGill/Brian Boyle Ford Escort..................... 1:11:41 9 Damien Gallagher/Mac Walsh Ford Escort..................... 1:11:51 10 Camilus Bradley/Charlie Bettie Ford Escort..................... 1:11:56 11 Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy Mitsubishi Evo................ 1:12:09 12 Joe MacHugh/Dermott MacHugh Ford Escort..................... 1:12:11 13 Fergal Costelo/Shane Gilhooly Mitsubishi Evo................ 1:12:43 14 Victor Hunter/Michael Doherty Ford Escort..................... 1:12:53 15 Alaister Cochrane/Crawford Henderson Ford Escort..................... 1:12:57 16 Paul Gallagher/Karl Reid Toyota Corolla................. 1:13:19 17 John Cairns/James Cairns Subaru Impreza............... 1:13:21 18 Jack McGuire/Paul McGuire Mitsubishi Evo................ 1:13:31 19 Martin McGee/Damian Crawford Ford Escort..................... 1:13:38 20 Trevor Mulligan/Lisa Roe Ford Escor...................... 1:13:38
Winners: Patrick Elliot & Paul Goodman
Elliott Harvests Donegal Spoils… Newly crowned Dunlop National Rally champions Patrick Elliott & Paul Goodman (Subaru) won the Ardara-based Nesbitt Arms Hotel Donegal Harvest Rally, the final showdown of the ten round series! In terms of the Dunlop
Championship, the major focus centred on the Pattersons RallyNews Group N award that was won by Kerry’s Alan Ring (Mitsubishi) and his Cork codriver, Adrian Deasy. They drove at a steady pace to ensure a second Group N title in three years. At the top of the tables, Elliott and Goodman finished the ninestage event 59 seconds ahead of Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru WRC), who secured third overall in the Dunlop series. Seamus Leonard and John McCafferty (Subaru) finished third, seven seconds further behind. However, at the start of the event it was all about Dungiven driver Kevin Lynch. As expected, he set a strong pace on the opening
4th: P.J McDermott & Paddy Robinson
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stage, Rossbeg, and led Elliott by a margin of six seconds, with Leonard a further 12 seconds in arrears. Kevin Barrett, bidding to secure third overall in the Dunlop series, occupied fourth - eight seconds behind Leonard, who was making his first appearance in the Dunlop series for several months. Donegal driver Manus Kelly (Escort) led the two-wheel drive category and also held sixth place. Shaun Gallagher, driving his World Championship Citroen C2, was seventh in a top ten that also featured Rodney Wilton (Escort), Group N leader Danny McBride and Alan Ring, who was intent on securing the Patterson’s RallyNews Group N award. Lynch set a superb pace through the second stage and extended his
lead to an impressive 44 seconds after just two stages. Second placed Elliott overshot a junction and ended up having to wait until after Lynch had passed to get back on stage. Seamus Leonard was 12 seconds further behind in third, and recalled an incident where he was very fortunate that his Subaru survived unscathed. Kevin Barrett maintained fourth and the Maynooth driver was 14 seconds adrift of third spot. Fifth placed PJ McDermott reckoned the suspension set up of his Subaru was unsuited to the Donegal roads. Manus Kelly maintained his lead of the twowheel drive category and sixth in general classification. Shaun Gallagher was in equal seventh
Patterson’s Rallynews GrpN Winners: Alan Ring & Adrian Deasy
At the final service halt in Ardara, the newly crowned Dunlop champion held a 32 second lead over Leonard, who remarked that the only places he could match Elliott’s S12B Subaru was on the very tight and twisty parts of the stages. Leonard and third placed Kevin Barrett both had moments at the end of the sixth stage. PJ McDermott was another driver to have an overshoot, but he was fourth overall, while fellow Donegal driver Stuart Darcy was 36
Following the demise of Manus Kelly, Garry McPhillips, who broke the gear lever of his Escort on the first stage, took control of the two-wheel drive category. It looked as though Lynch was going to walk away with the rally victory, but then the leader crashed heavily during the first stage of the second loop. His pristine Impreza WRC got out of shape before a jump, resulting in the car landing nose first into a low stone wall at the side of the road. The impact saw the car pirouette on its nose before rolling into a Donegal ditch.
5th: Stuart Darcy & Dermott Falvey
Thankfully, neither crew member was injured during the incident. With Lynch left at the sidelines, Elliott took up the number one role as he led Seamus Leonard by 12 seconds. Battle resumed on stage five, where Elliott and Barrett set identical times, but on stage six it was all about Elliott.
seconds behind in the race for local honours. Danny McBride, who had a major moment that damaged the right hand side of his Mitsubishi, continued to lead Group N, and was sixth overall. Following the demise of Manus Kelly, Garry McPhillips, who broke the gear lever of his Escort on the first stage, took control of the twowheel drive category. The top ten
6th: Gary McPhillips & Mark Tierney
also included Casimer Magill, Frank Wray and Alan Ring. Sean Flanagan lost some nine minutes when he rolled his Subaru three times on the fourth stage, but incredibly, he was still in the top five of the Group N category. Meanwhile, Shaun Gallagher slid his Citroen off the road and out of the rally during the
second loop. Elliott finished the event with three fastest times on the final loop, even though he admitted that he slackened his pace. Leonard looked on course to finish runner-up, but the engine of his Subaru overheated on the penultimate stage. The Tyrone man entered the final stage just a second ahead of Kevin Barrett, but it wasn’t enough, and Barrett clinched second spot by a seven second margin. McDermott did enough to fend off the challenge of fellow Donegal ace, Stuart Darcy, to ensure he finished fourth overall. McPhillips’ impressive drive resulted in a superb sixth overall and victory in the two-wheel drive category. Meanwhile, McBride took victory in the showroom category, while the top ten was completed by a trio of modified Ford Escorts in the hands of Casimer McGill, Damien Gallagher and Camillus Bradley. Ring finished eleventh overall and second in Group N, and he duly won the Pattersons RallyNews Group N award for the second time in three years. Another action packed year has been enjoyed by everyone involved
Donegal Harvest Rally
with the Mitsubishi of Danny McBride, who remarked that the tyre pressures were all askew due to a faulty pressure gauge. Stuart Darcy (Subaru) and Frank Wray (Mitsubishi) completed the top ten. Alan Ring was outside that select group, but that fact didn’t worry the Kerry driver, who was very much in championship mode as he kept his focus on the Pattersons RallyNews award. His only rival, Sean Flanagan, finished the second stage with three damaged rims.
3rd: Seamus Leonard & John McCafferty
Dunlop National Rally Championship
2nd: Kevin Barrett & Sean Mullally
1st GrpN & 7th OA: Danny McBride & Rory McBride
in the 2008 Dunlop National Rally Championship. There are fresh names on a few championship trophies, and Pacenotes will have all the championship winners highlighted in next month’s edition!
class report & images
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november 2008
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Dunlop National Rally Championship
Donegal Harvest Rally
CL1: Kenneth McHale & Derek McCarthy
CL2: Adrian Cannon & Conor Comack
Donegal Harvest Class Battles… Class 1
Kenneth McHale and Derek McCarthy were the sole entrants in class one. Driving their Toyota Yaris, the crew kept out of trouble over the bumpy stages to finish 69th overall, claiming the class spoils in the process.
Class 2
Adrian Cannon and Conor Comack claimed a start to finish victory
lead, and he almost doubled that advantage on stage two. It was clear that nobody could come close to the Civic pilot, and he went on to win by almost six minutes from Paul McDermott and Hugh Kelly, with Keith McElhinney and Jonathan Baird third.
Class 4
Danny and Rory McBride won
CLASS RESULTS Class 1 1 Kenneth McHale/Derek McCarthy Toyota Yaris.................... 1:23:10 Class 2 1 Adrian Cannon/Conor Comack Honda Civic.................... 1:17:17 2 Danny Gillespie/Eamonn Gillespie Honda Civic.................... 1:19:16 3 Declan McShane/Patrick Elliot Honda Civic.................... 1:19:39 4 Ciaran Walsh/Aidan Cannon Honda Civic.................... 1:21:26 Class 3 1 Conor Harvey/Fabian McShane Honda Civic.................... 1:13:59 2 Paul McDermott/Hugh Kelly Honda Civic.................... 1:19:57 3 Keith McElhinney/Jonathan Baird Honda Civic.................... 1:21:36 Class 4 1 Danny McBride/Rory McBride Mitsubishi Evo................ 1:11:39 2 Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy Mitsubishi Evo................ 1:12:09 3 Fergal Costelo/Shane Gilhooly Mitsubishi Evo................ 1:12:43 4 Jack McGuire/Paul McGuire Mitsubishi Evo................ 1:13:31 Class 5 1 Tony Gallagher/Glen Coyle Rover MG ZR.................. 1:35:19 Class 6 1 Mark Sheahan/Johnathan McGrath Renault Clio.................... 1:15:33 2 Alaister Glenn/Martin Sharkey Peugeot 206................... 1:24:09
CL6: Mark Sheahan & Johnathan McGrath
among the class two field. They dominated the proceedings in their Honda Civic, immediately taking a 41 second lead. Despite losing three of the opening five stages due to blockages, Cannon fired to the front, eventually winning by two minutes from Danny and Eamonn Gillespie. Declan McShane and Patrick Elliott finished third, while Ciaran Walsh and Aidan Cannon completed the class two finishers.
Class 3
Conor Harvey and Fabian McShane were the only class three crews to contest stage one after all of their rivals were awarded nominal times. That left Harvey with a 59 second
CL7: Audre Roberts & Eamon O’Brien
the Group N category from Alan Ring and Adrian Deasy, with Fergal Costello and Shane Gilhooly third. See main report for more production category details.
Class 5
Three crews entered class five but just one was destined to reach the finish line. Martin Leonard and Jackie Donaldson retired during the early stages, so Eamonn McCafferty and Catherine Levis led the class after stage two from Tony Gallagher and Glen Coyle. The following two stages were cancelled for the class five
competitors, then on stage five it was McCafferty who found himself facing retirement. That left Gallagher and Coyle as the sole survivors, and they went on to claim victory in their MG ZR.
Class 6
JWRC contender Shaun Gallagher took the early class six lead in his Citroen C2. With Charlie McGinty calling the notes, they held a lead of more than one minute over Mark Sheahan and Jonathan McGrath after two stages. Unfortunately for Gallagher, he later retired, allowing Sheahan into the number one slot. There he stayed until the finish, and after second placed Dermot McCafferty and Patrick McCrudden also retired, Sheahan claimed the class honours by more than eight minutes from Alistair Glenn and Martin Sharkey.
Class 7
Three crews entered class seven with Rodger Kennedy and Wendy Blackledge grabbing the early lead in their Peugeot 306 from Audre Roberts and Eamon O’Brien. Then Kennedy retired, allowing Roberts into a 21 second lead, ahead of John Duffy and John Egan. They extended their advantage on stage seven, and then Duffy retired, allowing Roberts to sail home to class seven honours.
Class 8
The top three overall sacrificed their
Class 7 1 Audre Roberts/Eamon O’Brien Vauxhall Astra................. 1:21:03 Class 8 1 P.J McDermott/Paddy Robinson Subaru Impreza WRC...... 1:09:55 2 Stuart Darcy/Dermott Falvey Subaru Impreza............... 1:10:20 3 John Cairns/James Cairns Subaru Impreza ............. 1:13:21
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CL11: John Ward & Gary Nern
CL12: Daniel Conaghan & James Gallagher
Class 9
Damien O’Reilly and Mark Hamill claimed a start to finish victory in class nine. They were the best of the bunch in their Escort, winning the category by more than one minute from Noel Lappin and Matthew McKenna, with Drew McMullen and James Sharkey third.
CL9: Damian O’Reilly & Mark Hamill
Class 10
Despite plenty of competition in class 10, Enda and Frankie McGinley were another crew to claim a start to finish win. They immediately set the pace ahead of their rivals, and despite a late charge from John Hanlon and Willie Irwin, the McGinleys claimed victory by 15 seconds. Hanlon arrived home in second position while Paul Clarke and Gary Copperthwaite completed the top three.
Class 11
John Ward and Gary Nern were yet another crew that claimed a start to finish win. Driving their Toyota Corolla, they claimed victory by
31 seconds over Kevin and Gavin Gallagher, with Columba Heena and Ryan Moore third. Mark Robinson and Johnathan Jordan were in an early second position, but retired after stage three, as did Declan and Eoin Gallagher.
Class 12
Daniel Conaghan and James Gallagher made it look easy in class 12 as they also led from start to finish. Donal Connelly and Danny McLaughlin were the best of the rest in their Escort, finishing almost three minutes adrift, while Michael
CL10: Enda McGinley & Frankie McGinley
Peoples and Hugh Curran finished third.
Class 13
Damien Gallagher and Mac Walsh had plenty of competition among the class 13 runners, but they took the spoils by a slender five seconds at the finish line. Camillus Bradley and Charlie Beattie hounded them all the way to the finish line, and in fact the two crews were joint first going into the final stage. Gallagher pulled out all the stops to claim the win from Bradley, with Victor Hunter and Michael Doherty third.
Class 14
Gary McPhillips and Mark Tierney
added more trophies to their cabinet with victory in class 14, but it wasn’t an easy ride for the crew. Manus Kelly and Donal Barrett were the early leaders from Rodney Wilton and Conor Mahon, then Wilton retired after stage two. That allowed Casimer McGill into second position with McPhillips holding third. Manus Kelly was the man on a mission as he held sixth overall and led the category by 21 seconds. Sadly he later retired, allowing McGill into the lead by eight seconds from McPhillips. The chasing McPhillips upped his pace to reel in his rival, and fastest class times over the final two stages saw him claim victory by 17 seconds from McGill, with Martin McGee and Damian Crawford third.
Class 15
Joe and Dermott MacHugh took a start to finish win in class 15. Driving their Escort, they claimed victory by nine minutes from Andrew Mackeral and Richard Cassidy, while James and Paul McDermott retired.
Class 16
The Junior category saw Damien Breslin and Patrick Boyle claim the spoils by five seconds from early leaders Mark Wedlock and Adam Kinkade. It was Wedlock who led from the start, but Breslin overhauled the Escort pilot after the fourth test. Wedlock had to settle for second on this occasion, while Glen Alcorn and Johnathan Shovlin finished third.
Donegal Harvest Rally
class positions, so PJ McDermott and Paddy Robinson took the spoils from Stuart Darcy and Dermott Dalvey, with John and James Cairns third.
CL5: Tony Gallagher & Glen Coyle
Dunlop National Rally Championship
CL3: Conor Harvey & Fabian McShane
CLASS RESULTS Class 9 1 Damian O’Reilly/Mark Hamill Ford Escort..................... 1:21:23 2 Noel Lappin/Mathew McKenna Ford Escort .................... 1:22:30 3 Drew McMullen/James Sharkey Peugeot 206................... 1:25:23 Class 10 1 Enda McGinley/Frankie McGinley Ford Escort .................... 1:18:10 2 John Hanlon/Willie Irwin Ford Escort .................... 1:18:25 3 Paul Clarke/Gary Copperthwaite Ford Escort .................... 1:19:49 Class 11 1 John Ward/Gary Nern Toyota Corolla . .............. 1:14:34 2 Kevin Gallagher/Gavin Gallagher Vauxhall Nova ................ 1:15:05 3 Columba Heena/Ryan Moore Toyota Corolla . .............. 1:15:12 Class 12 1 Daniel Conaghan/James Gallagher Ford Escort .................... 1:14:43 2 Donal Connelly/Danny McLaughlin Ford Escort .................... 1:17:33 3 Michael Peoples/Hugh Curran Ford Escort .................... 1:20:18 Class 13 1 Damien Gallagher/Mac Walsh Ford Escort .................... 1:11:51 2 Camilus Bradley/Charlie Bettie Ford Escort .................... 1:11:56 3 Victor Hunter/Michael Doherty Ford Escort .................... 1:12:53 Class 14 1 Gary McPhillips/Mark Tierney Ford Escort .................... 1:11:24 2 Casimer McGill/Brian Boyle Ford Escort .................... 1:11:41 3 Martin McGee/Damian Crawford Ford Escort .................... 1:13:38 Class 15 1 Joe MacHugh/Dermott MacHugh Ford Escort..................... 1:12:11 2 Andrew Mackarel/Richard Cassidy Mitsubishi Evo 4............. 1:21:11
CL15: Joe MacHugh & Dermott MacHugh
Juniors: Damien Breslin & Patrick Boyle
pacenotes.net
november 2008
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Images: Ecossepix & Pro-Rally
nicky’s notes nicky grist writes exclusively for pacenotes
Like Fine Wine... There’s a real nip in the air that tells us all that winter is on the way, but it’s not all bad news… because that means it’s nearly time for the world to come to us for Wales Rally GB! Every year I keep hoping for a hefty
cold snap to hit. Can you imagine the spectacle of the WRC teams battling blizzard conditions through the tricky Welsh forests? And speaking of tricky Welsh forests, I’m having to do a refresher course on map reading at the moment, as I’ll be tackling the three day Roger Albert Clark rally in an Ascona 400 (pictured above) piloted by none other than modified Mk2 maestro Phil Collins! The Roger Albert Clark is a trip back through time to the glory days of the Lombard RAC, when men were men, and sheep were scared by the banshee wail of BDA Escorts coming out of the darkness at full chat! We’ll be up against classic 911s, Escorts and the like, and the Ascona
should be competitive, with it’s torquey 2.4 litre Cosworth engine developing around 240 bhp. Phil’s Ascona blew its head gasket on its last outing, so hopefully an engine rebuild in the interim will give us the reliability we’ll need. The ‘RAC’ is long and it’s hard on both cars and crews - taking us back to the days when rallying was as much about the endurance of men and machine, as the speed of the package.
I’m actually physically excited at the prospect of taking part in this marathon and as I mentioned earlier, my rusty map reading skills need honed. It must be all of twenty years since I read a map competitively, and it will require a lot of concentration amidst the bangs and rattles of a ‘400’ fully lit in the forest! I did occur to me however, that one has to be ‘of a certain age’ to be asked to take part in this type of event. Whilst retro and historic rallying is the biggest growth area in the sport today, it is largely populated by many individuals who were there the first time around… I guess the best way to look at it is that rally crews are like fine wine: we all improve with age! There’ll be news of our adventure in the next issue of Pacenotes. In next month’s column we’ll be getting totally “HANS on” as I clarify and advise on the well proven crew safety system that will be mandatory in all ROI rallies from January 1st, 2009
Professional On-board camera systems now available from £650 plus VAT. As used by Phil Collins in his escort with TV broadcast quality pictures. Ring for details.
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Bulldog Rally
Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship
Winners: Marcus Dodd & Andrew Bargery
Dodd Grit Nets Gravel Crown… Words Larry Carter PICTURES Phil James
Marcus Dodd took a record-breaking fourth ANCRO title as he sealed the 2008 Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship crown after winning the final round of the series, the Bulldog Rally! With series leader Jon Ingram
RESULTS 1 Marcus Dodd/Andrew Bargery Hyundai Accent WRC... 0:59:44.5 2 Steve Perez/Paul Spooner Ford Focus................... 1:00:16.7 3 Julian Reynolds/Patrick Walsh Subaru Impreza WRC... 1:01:47.7 4 Nik Elsmore/Craig Drew Mitsubishi Evo 9.......... 1:02:19.3 5 Daniel Barry/Martin Brady Mitsubishi Evo 9.......... 1:02:26.9 6 Neil McCance/Graham Hopewell Mitsubishi Evo 9............ :02:29.6 7 Stephen Petch/Michael Wilkinson Hyundai Accent WRC... 1:02:32.1 8 Charlie Payne/Jamie Edwards Mitsubishi Lancer......... 1:02:43.9 9 Jonathan Greer/Dai Roberts Mitsubishi Evo 9.......... 1:03:22.7 10 David Bogie/Kevin Rae Mitsubishi Evo 9.......... 1:04:11.2 11 Roger Duckworth/Mark Broomfield Subaru Impreza WRC... 1:04:11.6 12 Alan Cookson/Julian Wilkinson Subaru Impreza WRC... 1:05:29.2 13 David Howells/Andy Morgan Subaru Impreza............ 1:05:56.5 14 Wug Utting/Derek Davies Subaru Impreza N12B.. 1:06:55.1 15 Errol Clarke/Neil Shanks Subaru Impreza N12.... 1:07:15.7
november 2008 24 pacenotes.net
absent as he cared for his wife following a recent horse riding accident, nothing less than a victory would suffice for Dodd and codriver Andrew Bargery, as the title went right down to the wire. Needing maximum points in their Hyundai Accent WRC, Dodd and Bargery set the pace from the outset and never looked back, posting fastest times over three of
Oswestry-based event, with the Subaru Impreza WRC of Julian Reynolds and Patrick Walsh in third. “I was beginning to think luck was against me this year,” Dodd said afterwards. “We had a huge lead on the penultimate round in Yorkshire, only for the engine to fail in the last stage. To then have another engine problem in testing, prior to the Bulldog Rally, really did suggest that this wouldn’t be our year.”
We had a huge lead on the penultimate round in Yorkshire, only for the engine to fail in the last stage. To then have another engine problem in testing, prior to the Bulldog Rally, really did suggest that this wouldn’t be our year - MARCUS DODD the six stages to win the 65 stage mile event outright. Dodd already had a hat trick of ANCRO titles to his name, having won in 2000, 2001, and 2007. Winning the 2008 championship by the slenderest of margins - just one point - the pair beat the Ford Focus WRC of former champion Steve Perez and co-driver Paul Spooner by 32.2 seconds on the
“I can’t begin to thank Peter Egerton enough for loaning me his car at the last minute,” Dodd continued. “It was a very generous gesture and I’m pleased we were able to bring the car home in one piece for Peter. We really owe him one!” Dodd did have a concerning moment when the right front hub collapsed on the final stage, but he
made it round to claim his third Bulldog Rally win! Meanwhile, second placed Perez had dropped time on the opening stage in Dyfnant due to an incorrect tyre choice in the muddy conditions, and also had an overshoot. But by stage three, he was back up to second position. He stayed there until the finish, setting a couple of fastest times on the way. “We were on the wrong tyres in the morning,” Perez admitted. “We should have started on mud tyres, but things went much better on the final three stages. I’m happy with the result. I would have liked to have pushed Marcus more, but well done to him - he’s a worthy champion!” Third placed Reynolds and Walsh had a heart-stopping moment when their Impreza suffered an engine management problem on leaving the second service, but managed to make the finish on the final step of the podium. Nik Elsmore and Craig Drew were fourth in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 after earlier taking a wrong slot on stage one, and took the Group N victory in the process. Irish duo Daniel Barry and Martin Brady claimed fifth in their Mitsubishi Evo 9 after a problemfree run. They had hired Richard
A6: Andrew Hockridge & Rich Mills
another Evo 9. Scottish crew David Bogie and Kevin Rae wrapped up the honours in the Mitsubishi Evo Challenge and the Production Cup when they finished 10th overall, despite having a problem with the brakes early on. Roger Duckworth and Mark Broomfield had to settle for 11th, despite setting the pace on stage two in their Impreza WRC. They also took a wrong turn on stage one, but a puncture on stage three put paid to them making up any lost time, as they had to stop five miles into the fifteen-mile test to change the tyre, losing around three minutes. In the class battles, Tony Jardine
and David Smith won class N3 from Kit and Tim Leigh. Andrew Hockridge and Rich Mills won class A6 from Andrew Coley and Tim Pearce, who sealed the class championship spoils in the process. Finally, Connor Corkhill and Howard Allison won class H3, while Andrew Siddall and Colin Thompson took victory in class H2. In the ANCRO Rally Challenge Dave and Bryan Hull took the honours in their Proton Satria as they finished 41st overall. The ANCRO Championship will return next year, whilst the ANCRO Rally Challenge’s final round takes place at the Malton Forest Rally on Sunday 2nd November.
Bulldog Rally
Cathcart’s old car after their own Evo wasn’t ready, following an accident at the Trackrod Rally. They finished ahead of fellow Irishman Neil McCance, with co-driver Graham Hopewell. Stephen Petch and Michael Wilkinson were seventh in their Hyundai Accent WRC after a difficult day. They lost their brakes towards the end of stage three, before the hydraulics failed, seeing them drop down the order from sixth. Charlie Payne and Jamie Edwards were eighth in their Evo 9, after struggling through the first two stages with a loose wheel bearing. Jonny Greer and Dai Roberts followed them home in
3rd: Julian Reynolds & Patrick Walsh
Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship
2nd: Steve Perez & Paul Spooner
H2: Andrew Siddall & Colin Thompson N4: Nik Elsmore & Craig Drew
H3: Connor Corkhill & Howard Allison
N3 (2WD): Tony Jardine & David Smith
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www.brianjames.co.uk Pacenotes 0710#1.indd 1
07/10/2008 15:06:27
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MORE CLUBMEN NEXT MONTH!! pacenotes.net
november 2008
27
Clubman rally action from Laois
GSMC Mini Stages
Winner: Kevin Kelleher & Martin Brady
Kelleher ‘Gards’ Mini Stages Trophy… Words Jonathan MacDonald PICTURES Joe Lane
CL3: John Masterson & Gerry Conlon
CL12: Leo Doyle & Alister Chambers
RESULTS 1 Kevin Kelleher Martin Brady................. 00:41:09 2 Terence O’Shaughnessy Eugene McGrath........... 00:41:24 3 Trevor Mulligan Lisa Roe....................... 00:41:42 4 Paul Mc Enroe Sorcha Kelly.................. 00:41:50 5 Des Moore Arthur Kearns............... 00:42:01 6 Adrian Quinn Alan Moran................... 00:42:03 7 Thomas Fitzmaurice Fionn Foley................... 00:42:09 8 Simon Keogh Enda Kennedy............... 00:42:16 9 Trevor Lancashire Domhnall Lennon.......... 00:42:39 10 Sam Smyth Alan Smyth................... 00:42:43
november 2008 28 pacenotes.net
Kevin Kelleher and Martin
Brady have claimed victory at the Germaine’s of Baltinglass Mini Stages Rally, organised by the Garda Síochána Motor Club! The Evo 9 crew’s path to victory was eased slightly when their main rivals, Paul Kiely and Pat McSharry, also piloting an Evo 9 Lancer, encountered mechanical trouble prior to the third of the event’s four stages. Kiely and McSharry led the rally by just one second at the halfway point, but then broke a transfer shaft while warming their tyres. The event consisted of two runs over the Kilranelagh and Slievereagh stages, east of Baltinglass. While the first loop was held in dry but windy conditions, heavy rain arrived in the afternoon to make the conditions for the crews all the more challenging over the second loop. Mark Courtney had taken a commanding lead on the first stage of the rally in his Celica, with Kelleher second fastest on the stage, followed by Kiely. Stage two saw Courtney crash out, while Kelleher also inflicted damage to his Mitsubishi Lancer. Kiely took fastest time to move into his short-lived lead. Kelleher was fastest on the two remaining stages, but had to tread carefully, as O’Shaughnessy was never too far away. The success marks Kelleher’s second win in a row on the event. “It was a bit daunting this
morning,” Kelleher said afterwards. “It was my first time running first on the road, and it was my first time in this car - I only saw it for the first time this morning! Martin Brady was just back from England as he was competing in the Mitsubishi Evo Challenge in Shropshire yesterday, so there were a lot of ‘unusual’ things about today!” “The first stage went well for us,” Kelleher continued, “but then we were lucky to get away with an ‘off ’
2nd: Terence O’Shaughnessy & Eugene McGrath
on stage two. We broke a wheel and a wishbone, but we were able to limp into service on three wheels. The James Foley Rallysport lads did a great job to turn us around - there was a lot of patching up to be done!” The event was also the final round of the Motorsport Ireland National Junior Rally Championship and Bandon’s Damien McCarthy (Honda Civic) was the highest placed NJRC finisher, finishing in eleventh place overall. Patrick Cunningham, Jason Ryan and Peter Wilson were the next NJRC runners, in 13th to 15th places in the overall results, with Wilson
claiming the Junior title. In the class battles, David and Robert Woodcock claimed class one honours, while Paul Curley and Des Daniels won class two. John Masterson and Gerry Conlon were the sole class three finishers, while Paul McEnroe and Sorcha Kelly netted the class four spoils. In class six, Vincent and JP McAree claimed the trophy with Thomas Fitzmaurice and Fionn Foley taking class eight spoils.
3rd: Trevor Mulligan & Lisa Roe
Martin Lordan and Rory Hennessy won class nine, while Larry and Lee Murphy took the class 10 honours home. Damien McCarthy and Eamon Hayes topped the ultra competitive class 11, with Leo Doyle and Alister Chambers winning class 12. Simon Keogh and Enda Kennedy won class 13, and in class 14, Des Moore and Arthur Kearns topped the standings. Tony Ferris and Des Moran won class 15, and finally, Leslie Branagan and Graham Randall won class 16.
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pacenotes.net
november 2008
29
Fiat Abarth by Jason Craig
Performance Car
A Punto With Venom… Fiat is a company on the up. It wasn’t that long ago - the turn of the new millennium, in fact - that the Italian company was reeling in debt to the tune of $6billion. Since then, it has managed to turn around its misfortunes. Drivers have always had a love affair with cars that possess a genuine sporting pedigree, so Fiat is hopeful that the relaunch of the Abarth brand can lure buyers onto its forecourts. The Turin based company wants to muscle in on a market worth millions, so it has looked to increase driver awareness of the red and yellow Scorpion badge. Abarth was founded back in 1949 by Austrian Karl Abarth, who decided to use the Scorpion as his company logo because it was his birth sign. Throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s the firm gained a winning reputation in motorsport and from that diversification into roadcar tuning came about. Realising the commercial potential, Fiat bought Abarth in 1971 and immediately made it the company’s racing section. Competitive rally success followed and cars like the Ritmo Abarth and the Fiat 131 Abarth won the World Rally Championship no fewer than three times: in 1977 and 1978 with Markku Alen and in 1980 with Walter Röhrl. Thereafter, major success eluded them, and so too did the ability to produce a sports car to whet the appetite. The Stilo Abarth didn’t exactly send Fiat’s 160-dealer network into a frenzy of activity… Fiat wants us to take it seriously however, because an exclusive Abarth area within dealerships is being developed, alongside specialist sales and servicing centres. With the Abarth relaunch comes the opportunity to start afresh, and one of the first cars to be given the sporting makeover is the Grande Punto. By all accounts, it isn’t exactly a bad looking super mini in ‘standard’ guise, so the add-ons have done little to detract from its chic city styling. You won’t see a single Fiat emblem on the Abarth Grand Punto, and that’s not by chance,
november 2008 30 pacenotes.net
because they have all been replaced with Scorpion badges. The car is literally crawling with the things, but at least you know you aren’t simply driving a lukewarm Fiat. Compared with the standard Grande Punto, the Abarth’s track has been widened by 6mm and lowered by 10mm on springs that are 20 per cent stiffer. All-new 17-inch alloy wheels feature, along with a new exhaust. Red mirror pods and go faster stripes bearing the Abarth name are optional. The front is visually more aggressive,
and the alloy pedals. The electronic display doubles up as both a trip computer and turbo boost gauge. Standard equipment is, as you would expect, extremely generous, and includes an MP3 playercompatible radio, remote central locking, air conditioning, cruise control, and side and curtain airbags. Optional extras include climate control (£250), metallic paint (£375), CD autochanger (£100) and electric sunroof (£550). In case you were wondering, the red stripes and mirrors are only available on white cars and cost £100. The on the road price for the Abarth
thanks to the headlights set in black surrounds and larger air intakes, which allow more oxygen to reach the turbocharged 1.4 litre engine. Push the ‘Sport Boost’ button located in the centre console of the Abarth Grande Punto, and it will produce a maximum of 153bhp at 5,500rpm. With a six-speed manual gearbox, it will blast from 0-62 in 8.2 seconds and achieve a top speed of 129 mph. Power is deployed through the front wheels and kept in check with ESP and all-round disc brakes, the front employing ventilated discs mated to Brembo fixed fourpiston calipers. Fiat claims that the turbocharged 1.4 litre unit delivers performance equal to or better than a conventionally aspirated 2.0 litre engine, with a reduction of between 10% and 20% in fuel consumption and emissions. What we have then is a responsive power plant that returns over 40 mpg in the combined cycle with CO2 emissions of approximately 62 g/km. Inside, little changes feature because much of the Fiat Punto remains, and that is a bit of a shame. Some neat design touches adorn, but you can’t escape the plastics on the main fascia and upper areas of the dash. Bucket seats are the most notable difference, as is the leather-bound gear lever
Punto is £13,500, but if you have some spare change and fancy splashing out on even more performance, then consider the aftersales performance packs on offer. The Essesse (Super Sport) conversion is the one you want - sold and installed by the official network of Abarth Assetto Corse tuners at a cost of £4,000. The conversion means a 28bhp increase - to 180bhp at 5750rpm, with 200lb ft of torque at 3000 rpm. With this extra oomph under the bonnet, the AGP rockets to 135mph, and will sprint from 0-60mph in 7.5 seconds. The finishing touches to the kit include 18-inch alloy wheels and various mechanical modifications to alter the car’s dynamics. Both the front and rear suspension are lowered by a further 20 mm, compared with the standard Abarth Grande Punto. The braking system is also beefed up, with the fronts being cross-drilled discs allied to softer, high-performance pads. So, thanks to the Scorpion treatment, Fiat now has a hot hatch with quite a sting. The price is right, but it will need to be to lure away buyers from its main rivals, Ford and Renault, both of whom have strong, current motorsport pedigrees in their favour. For the driver who likes performance with extra individuality, however, the Abarth Grand Punto ticks all the boxes.
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200536_VOLVO_MY09_V70 S_P-pacenotes_v3.indd 1
30/9/08 14:46:46
Pacenotes NI Rally Championship
Down Rally
Winners: Conor McCloskey & Francis Regan
WORDS Jonathan MacDonald PICTURES neillpics.co.uk
RESULTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Conor McCLOSKEY/Francis REGAN Ford Focus WRC ............... 43:15 Cathal ROGERS/Eoighan ROGERS Mitsubishi EVO.................. 44:50 John WALKER/Dessie WILSON Mitsubishi EVO.................. 45:20 PJ GILLESPIE/Mary O’KANE Mitsubishi EVO.................. 45:38 Alan CARMICHAEL/Ivor LAMONT Mitsubishi Evo .................. 45:52 Cyril DOHERTY/Graham HENDERSON Subaru Impreza................. 46:25 James KENNEDY/John ROWAN Ford Escort MkII................ 46:50 Damien HYNDS/John MAGILTON Mitsubishi EVO.................. 47:08 Shane McGIRR/Neil CONNOLLY Toyota Starlet .................... 47:19 Glenn WILLIAMSON/Keith McEVOY Ford Escort MkII................ 47:57 Dermot O’HAGAN/Pierse DOHENY Vauxhall Corsa .................. 48:30 Adrian DONNELLY/Niall BURNS Ford Escort G3.................. 48:31 Emma McKINSTRY/Kenny HULL Subaru Impreza WRC ........ 48:39 Trevor FERGUSON/Patrick GALLAGER Subaru Impreza................. 48:42 Michael FALOON/David McKONE Ford Escort MkII................ 48:49 Alasdair GRAHAM/Kier BEATON Ford Escort MkII................ 48:54 Derek CROSSEN/Jim MCSHERRY Mitsubishi EVO.................. 48:59 Gerard FARMER/Danny MALANAPHY Mitsubishi EVO.................. 49:04 Christian COCHRANE/Conar LAVERY Ford Escort MkII................ 49:12 Enda McNULTY/Declan CAMPBELL Mitsubishi EVO.................. 49:35
32
pacenotes.net november 2008
McCloskey Forces Face Off Finale… This year’s Pacenotes MSA Northern Ireland Rally Championship is set to go down to a thrilling November finale after Conor McCloskey and Francis Regan claimed their second victory on the trot at the FM Contracts Down Rally, an event which saw hot title contenders Sean Devine and Damien Duffin retire! Devine, who could have sealed
the 2008 championship title had he claimed victory, trailed Conor McCloskey from the start of the Rathfriland Motor Club event, and it seems that the decision to run a number of the two-wheel-drive classes at the head of the field was pivotal in determining the outcome of the rally. (See page 12 for more details) After leaving the Castlewellan start ramp, 22-year-old McCloskey was quickest out of the blocks in his hired Ford Focus WRC. Devine was five seconds slower over the opening seven miles of Tollymore, leaving him with an uphill struggle
4th: PJ Gillespie & Mary O’Kane
5th: Alan Carmichael & Ivor Lamont
through Drumkeeragh, one of the two-wheel-drive crews lost a wheel midway through the test. Marshals struggled to move the stricken car before Devine arrived on the scene, and the clock was ticking as he waited for a passable gap to be created. In the end, the timecards recorded a 36 second loss to
ON ONE STAGE, SEAN WAS STOPPED BEHIND ANOTHER CAR, BUT WE MANAGED TO GET THROUGH OKAY, SO I’M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED THERE - CONOR MCCLOSKEY from the start. He upped his pace through stage two and matched the rally leader, but disaster was around the corner. During the first run
McCloskey at the stage finish, leaving the Strabane pilot trailing his rival by 41 seconds. It was a huge margin to try to overcome, but the championship leader was
thrown a lifeline when McCloskey stalled his Focus WRC. This time it was McCloskey who could see the time ticking away, as he dropped 23 seconds to his rival. That gave Devine a glimmer of hope and another fastest time through stage five saw him reduce the gap to the leader by a further two seconds. That left 16 seconds between the two rivals, with two stages remaining. It was still a tall order for Devine to claim victory, but even second overall would have put that extra bit of pressure on McCloskey to win the final round. Unfortunately for the Strabane pilot, it wasn’t going to be his day, as he was once again hindered during the second run through Drumkeeragh. Peter O’Kane and Mark O’Connor, who were running among the two-wheel-drive crews at the head of the field, became
good result at the final round.” O’Kane’s class title hopes were dealt a blow, and Sean Devine’s aspirations to seal another top position were also dealt a knock-out punch. He tried to drive around the stricken car but spun and damaged his Impreza’s steering. The stage was later cancelled and although Devine was able to make the finish, he was unable to complete the final test. Devine’s retirement allowed Conor McCloskey and Francis
THERE WERE EIGHT PEOPLE PUSHING THE CAR AT ONE POINT TO TRY AND MOVE IT, EVEN THE LANDROVER DISCOVERY WHICH PULLED US OUT HAD TROUBLE. I COULD HAVE WON THE CLASS ONE TITLE HERE, BUT NOW I HAVE TO MAKE SURE I GET A GOOD RESULT AT THE FINAL ROUND - PETER O’KANE the car at one point to try and move it,” O’Kane continued. “Even the Landrover Discovery which pulled us out had trouble. I could have won the class one title here, but now I have to make sure I get a 6th: Cyril Doherty & Graham Henderson
Regan to coast through the final Tollymore stage, claiming victory by more than one minute. The result sees McCloskey move to the head of the championship standings with one round remaining, but when
Down Rally
beached in the middle of the stage. Freshly laid gravel saw their Type R Honda Civic stranded in the middle of the road, creating an immovable chicane for the following crews. “We were going up a hill, but the car just got stuck on the road half way up,” an exasperated O’Kane told Pacenotes. “My Honda Civic sits that little bit lower - there’s nothing I can do about it. There was new gravel on the road and she was just beached.” “There were eight people pushing
3rd: John Walker/Dessie Wilson
Pacenotes NI Rally Championship
2nd: Cathal Rogers & Eoighan Rogers
‘dropped’ scores are taken into account, McCloskey and Devine are on even terms. “It was a long day!” McCloskey said at the finish. “On one stage, Sean was stopped behind another car, but we managed to get through okay, so I’m not sure what happened there. Then we stalled and lost more than 20 seconds, so that put the pressure on again. Then Sean was down in a ditch after trying to get around another car!” Outside the tussle for the top spot, with Devine out of the event and Glenn Allen deciding not to start, the remainder of the top six was occupied by the Sunoco Fuels Group N crews. Championship leader Neil McCance was unable to make the start as the event clashed with a round of the Evo Challenge, so that gave his rivals an opportunity to capitalise. That’s exactly what Cathal and Eoighan Rogers did! Bringing their Mitsubishi Lancer home in second overall, they sealed maximum Group N points, propelling them to the top of the standings. It was Brian McFall and Ronnie Craig who led after the opening
7th: James Kennedy & John Rowan
8th: Damien Hynds & John Magilton
class report & images
pacenotes.net
november 2008
33
Pacenotes NI Rally Championship
Down Rally
stage though, but a maximum time on stage two put them out of the running. That second test also saw the demise of Raymond Mason and Peter Martin, as they ended their rally in a ditch after getting out of sync over a series of bumps at the start of the test. The Rogers Fencing crew had no such troubles as they exercised their authority on the pack. In the end, they claimed the Group N win and second overall by 30 seconds from John Walker and Dessie Wilson, with P.J. Gillespie
Brian McFall & Ronnie Craig
and Mary O’Kane fourth in their Lancer. Alan Carmichael and Ivor Lamont finished fifth, boosting them into second position in Group N championship terms, while Cyril Doherty and Graham Henderson completed the top six. The final round of this year’s Pacenotes MSA N.I. Rally Championship takes place on Saturday 1st November with the Ballymena-based Townparks Glens of Antrim Rally. The event sees a return to closed road stages in the County Antrim area, and provides a
perfect location for the title shootout between 22-year-old Conor McCloskey and Sean Devine. Championship regulations state that competitors may discount their three lowest scores from their championship tally at the end of the year. Devine has three no-scores, while McCloskey has two. Taking McCloskey’s lowest score of eight points into account, both men enter the final round on a total of 84 championship points. Who will win? Find out in next month’s Pacenotes!
DNF: Sean Devine & Damien Duffin
Trevor Ferguson & Patrick Gallagher
Class Battles… CLASS RESULTS CLASS 1 1 Micheal McMULLAN/Barry SAVAGE Vauxhall Astra Gsi ............ 52:25 CLASS 2 1 Cathal ROGERS/Eoighan ROGERS Mitsubishi EVO.................. 44:50 2 John WALKER/Dessie WILSON Mitsubishi EVO.................. 45:20 3 PJ GILLESPIE/Mary O’KANE Mitsubishi EVO.................. 45:38 4 Alan CARMICHAEL/Ivor LAMONT Mitsubishi Lancer Evo ....... 45:52 5 Cyril DOHERTY/Graham HENDERSON Subaru Impreza................. 46:25 6 Damien HYNDS/John MAGILTON Mitsubishi EVO.................. 47:08 7 Trevor FERGUSON/Patrick GALLAGHER Subaru Impreza N12 ......... 48:42 8 Derek CROSSEN/Jim MCSHERRY Mitsubishi EVO.................. 48:59 9 Gerard FARMER/Danny MALANAPHY Mitsubishi EVO.................. 49:04 10 Enda McNULTY/Declan CAMPBELL Mitsubishi EVO.................. 49:35 11 Brian McFALL/Ronnie CRAIG Mitsubishi Lancer Evo ....... 50:08 CLASS 3 1 Shane McGIRR/Neil CONNOLLY Toyota Starlet .................... 47:19 2 Dermot O’HAGAN/Pierse DOHENY Vauxhall Corsa .................. 48:30 3 Jonny LEONARD/Jackie DONALDSON Nissan Micra ..................... 49:58 4 Glen IRWIN/Derek TORRENS Vauxhall Nova ................... 55:48
34
pacenotes.net november 2008
Class 1
Michael McMullan and Barry Savage claimed victory in class one with their Vauxhall Astra. They briefly lost their advantage to Peter O’Kane and Mark O’Connor on stage three, but bounced back to move ahead on the following test. O’Kane later became beached on the road, resulting in his retirement and ensuring McMullan had an unassailable run to the finish line.
Class 2
Cathal and Eoighan Rogers claimed class two honours from John
CL1: Michael McMullan & Barry Savage
Walker and Dessie Wilson, with P.J. Gillespie and Mary O’Kane third. See main report for more details.
Class 3
Shane McGirr and Neil Connolly led class three from the start in their Toyota Starlet, closely followed by Oran Donnelly and Paul Hughes. Donnelly was one second in arrears going into the fourth stage, when engine problems brought a premature end to his rally, allowing McGirr to relax at the head of the standings. McGirr continued to set the pace and went on to claim victory
as well as an excellent ninth overall. Dermot O’Hagan and Pierce Doheny finished second in their Corsa, with Jonny Leonard and Jackie Donaldson third, ahead of Glen Irwin and Derek Torrens.
Class 4
Mervyn Wilson and Richard Gamble took the early lead in class four from John and Gavin Devlin, but the leaders were forced to retire after the third test. With no other rivals to contend with, the Devlins had a solid drive to the finish line, claiming the class honours as well as 21st overall.
Class 5
Conor Kelly and David Vance grabbed the early class five
Down Rally
advantage but spectacularly crashed out of the event at the start of stage two. In the same place that Raymond Mason went off the road, their Escort got out of sync over a few bumps and rolled into retirement. Their exit saw Michael Faloon and David McKone move into the category lead and they were never challenged by their remaining class rivals. In the end, they claimed the category victory by more than one minute and finished 15th overall in the process. Ian Duff and Ian Hull took second in class, with Nigel Simpson and Kevin Lynam third.
Pacenotes NI Rally Championship
Cl3: Shane Mcgirr & Neil Connolly
fifth after losing two minutes with a puncture. “My nicely polished RS alloy wheel is now square,” Heaney commented!
Class 7
Four crews entered the event in class seven, with just two reaching the finish. Aidan Caldwell and Paul
and Kier Beaton. Kennedy was fastest on every stage to seal not only the category victory but also the Superdrive 2WD championship spoils, as well as seventh overall on the event. Scotsman Graham had to be content with second in class and 16th overall.
CL4: John & Gavin Devlin
CLASS RESULTS CLASS 4 1 John DEVLIN/Gavin DEVLIN Chrysler Sunbeam............. 49:43
Class 6
The tussle between the class six crews saw Paul Mogey and Jonathan Charlesson take an early lead in their Escort. They probably would have won the event on the stage times, but a two minute penalty dropped them out of contention. Instead, it was Glenn Williamson and Keith McEvoy who claimed the spoils after staying out of trouble in their Escort. Adrian Donnelly and Niall Burns finished second in class ahead of Christian Cochrane and Conor Lavery, with Mogey grabbing fourth. Marcel Heaney and Mark Domican finished the final stage in CL5: Michael Faloon & David McKone
CLASS 5 1 Michael FALOON/David McKONE Ford Escort MkII................ 48:49 2 Ian DUFF/Ian HULL Proton Compact ............... 51:18 3 Nigel SIMPSON/Kevin LYNAM Peugeot 206 ..................... 54:52
Vaughan were first to fall foul of the stages, as they also succumbed to that notoriously bumpy section at the start of Rostrevor. They rolled out of the event, causing some severe damage to their Escort. Viv and Paul Hamill retired after the third test, leaving James Kennedy and John Rowan at the top of the leaderboard, ahead of Scottish visitors Alasdair Graham
Class 9
With Sean Devine retiring from the event and Glenn Allen deciding to stay at home, Conor McCloskey and Francis Regan topped the class nine standings, ahead of Emma McKinstry and Kenny Hull. McKinstry had a time consuming stall at the end of stage one, while a 40 second time penalty failed to help her cause.
CL6: Glenn Williamson & Keith McEvoy
CLASS 6 1 Glenn WILLIAMSON Keith McEVOY Ford Escort MkII................ 47:57 2 Adrian DONNELLY Niall BURNS Ford Escort G3.................. 48:31 3 Christian COCHRANE Conar LAVERY Ford Escort MkII................ 49:12 4 Paul MOGEY Jonathan CHARLESSON Ford Escort MkII................ 50:00 5 Marcel HEANEY Mark DOMICAN Ford Escort MkI ................ 56:35 CLASS 7 1 James KENNEDY/John ROWAN Ford Escort MkII................ 46:50 2 Alasdair GRAHAM/Kier BEATON Ford Escort MkII ............... 48:54 CLASS 9 1 Conor McCLOSKEY/Francis REGAN Ford Focus WRC ............... 43:15 2 Emma McKINSTRY/Kenny HULL Subaru Impreza WRC ........ 48:39
pacenotes.net
november 2008
35
Just James assistant editor (uk) phil james phil@pro-rally.co.uk
Whether we like it or not it’s
inextricably linked to rallying. However, as the saying goes ‘every cloud has a silver lining.’ Our sport (on the GB side of the Irish sea) has been in decline for some time now, suffering decreased entry levels, fewer marshals and falling numbers at motor clubs, the grass roots of the sport. Very little has been done to address these issues. The sport has seemingly ‘lived’ with fewer entries, coped with declining numbers of marshals and motor clubs have relied on an everreducing handful of stalwarts to keep the whole thing ticking over. Well, it‘s not just a credit crunch we’re facing, there’s a club crunch coming with it, as the active numbers in the membership ranks reach an all time low. So what’s the answer? Well, as hard as many will find it to accept, there is a simple one. Run fewer rallies! If clubs co-promoted events instead of each running their own, you could address all the problems in one go. With fewer rallies you need fewer willing volunteers to organise and marshal events. What’s more, by giving less choice to the competitor, hopefully you will get one well supported event that
When The Going Gets Tough… That ‘r’ word is dominating the media. It’s on the television, the radio, lots of websites and the newspapers are full of it, but the ‘r’ word I’m referring to is, unfortunately, not rallying. I am of course referring to ‘recession.’ can offer good value for money, rather than two or more poorly supported rallies that provide poor value and/or run at a loss. If you’re likely to end up with fewer rallies at some point anyway, why not bite the bullet now and save on a lot of hassle and heartache? Indeed, such an approach could give the sport a much needed boost and regenerate an interest in rallying to the benefit of all involved. Problem solved, then? Sadly, no. There will be reluctance in
many clubs to give up their individual events and co-operate with a ‘rival’ club in running another. In many instances, clubs will be forced down this route anyway, but do we want to wait for that to happen naturally? More to the point, can we afford to? Tough times call for tough decisions and if we prune the number of events and championships the sport may not just survive, it may begin to thrive again. So what if the MSA were to
introduce a rule whereby no section of track or road could be used more than once a year? It may seem a little draconian but hard times call for hard measures, and I for one don’t want to see our sport die for a lack of some life saving surgery. Maybe more clubs should take a leaf from the books of the Blackpool-based North West Stages or the Penrith-based Pendragon Stages. Both are run by members from a number of clubs, both have high profile town centre starts (good for sponsors), both have user friendly spectator stages (that generate added income), both use stages not rallied on other events (that appeals to competitors) and accordingly both invariably fill their entry lists weeks in advance of the rallies. Perhaps these are a blueprint for the future and more clubs should look at adopting their winning formats? Every cloud has a silver lining, but only if you spot it and grab the opportunity. Don’t leave it until it’s too late! Have you got a view on this subject? Write to Pacenotes and a selection of letters/emails will be published next month.
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RX Racing Formula
Under normal circumstances you’d find Kris Meeke and Ryan Champion doing battle on the rally stages, but RX Racing has convinced the guys to try their hand at a bit of Rallycross in the new RX Racing formula. Meeke and Champion took part
in the final round of the RX Racing winter series - the lead up to a onemake championships alongside the Rallycross Open Championship in 2009 and the 2009 MSA British Rallycross Championship. A total of fourteen RX150s competed at the Superprix at Croft, with drivers including 2007 British Rallycross Champion
A delighted Kris Meeke said, “Racing with lots of people around me isn’t what I’m used to, but this is awesome fun! Rallycross has always intrigued me, and even more so these RX150s. The best bit is that everyone is in the same boat, weight wise, so whether you’re a big lad or a small lad the weight is exactly the same.” “Driving an RX150 is like jumping
New Formula All The Rage… RX150 Tech Spec Engine: Honda 954cc, 4cyl, 150hp. Gearbox: 6 Speed Sequential Transmission: Quaife Gear Driven Link Drive, Automatic Torque Biasing Differential. Chassis: 1.5” CDS Tube, Powder Coated. Tested beyond FIA safety standards. Safety: Front & Rear Bumpers, Side Nerf Bars, Integrated Fire Extinguisher, Side Nets, Rain Light and windscreen wash/wipe system. Brakes: Stainless Steel Cross Drilled Discs all round with Brembo Calipers and Bias adjustment. Dimensions: Length 2800mm/ Width 1850mm/Height 1450mm. Performance: 0-60mph in 3.5secs, 120mph. Weight:525kg (All vehicles will be weighted to a minimum of 525kg including driver) For more information please log on to www.rxracing.co.uk
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november 2008
Ollie O’Donovan, Junior Rallycross competitor Jess Gwynne - the first girl to drive the RX150 - and her grandfather Bill Gwynne, 52 years her senior, best known for his rally school. With the heats over it was the Dungannon JWRC ace Kris Meeke who took the pole position for the superfinal. Ollie O’Donovan was next up, with Ryan Champion third on the grid. As the lights turned to green Ollie O’Donovan seemed to get bogged down on the grid and Meeke and Champion were left to fight it out for the lead at the first bend. Racing was tight and Champion had a few lunges at Meeke but it was the Dungannon man who reigned supreme and showed that he can drive anything with an engine very quickly indeed. Champion finished second while Ollie O’Donovan completed the podium. The winter championship went to the wire, but with Kris Meeke and Ryan Champion not scoring points, it was left to former rally driver and 2007 British Rallycross Champion Ollie O’Donovan to win the series. Ollie pipped Andy Scott and Tom Keet into second and third respectively for the title.
onto a wild horse and trying to tame it,” enthused Meeke. “You have 150bhp to 400kilos - a power to weight ratio that translates to over 500bhp going through the rear wheels, and with a sequential shift gearbox they’re just incredible machines to drive. The buzz of racing these machines is
Ollie O’Donovan, Kris Meeke & Ryan Champion
some places where I was closing in on Kris and on other parts of the circuit he would get away from me. The RX 150s are so evenly matched and the power to weight ratio is phenomenal. I’d love to take part in more of the RX series next year and maybe I’d take a race win!” The RX150 costs £19,995 plus VAT, and has been developed over the last few years by a number of high profile drivers in both Rallycross and Rallying. Each RX150 is identical with drivers only allowed to make adjustments to suspension settings and tyre pressures. This ensures that the racing is kept close and costs are kept low. A control tyre will be used in the category and drivers will be allowed one set of tyres per race meeting - with one spare front and one spare rear to allow for punctures. Rally driver Willie Woods and Ollie O’Donovan, the current British Rallycross Champion, are behind the RX150 project. Ollie O’Donovan said, “The RX150 is
DRIVING AN RX150 IS LIKE JUMPING ONTO A WILD HORSE AND TRYING TO TAME IT - KRIS MEEKE just unbelievable. We were coming down the start-finish straight at about 110mph, and then you tip it in to the first corner – the adrenalin rush is incredible.” When Kris was asked would he come back next year, the Dungannon ace said with a huge grin, “Back next week, you mean!” Former Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge winner Ryan Champion said: “That was fantastic fun! There were
a cracking vehicle for Rallycross racing, as it has superb handling and can negotiate a wide range of surfaces. It offers a very high level of performance at a reasonable price. Drivers will be able to budget at the start of the season and know they will not be hit with expensive rebuilds through the year.” Competitors will need to compete in at least 5 rounds of the championship to be eligible for an official classification at the end of the season.
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WRC round-up
The Big Boys
Winners: Seb Loeb & Daniel Elena
Sun, Sea And Seb… French superstar Sebastien Loeb dominated the Rally Catalunya to take his ninth win of the season, and move closer to securing a record fifth drivers’ title, something never before achieved in the history of the World Rally Championship. Petter Solberg & Phil Mills
RD12 Results 1 Sébastien LOEB............ 3:21:17.4 2 Daniel SORDO.............. 3:21:42.3 3 Mikko HIRVONEN......... 3:22:19.9 4 François DUVAL........... 3:22:28.2 5 Petter SOLBERG........... 3:24:44.8 6 Jari-Matti LATVALA...... 3:25:21.2 7 Chris ATKINSON........... 3:25:22.3 8 Andreas MIKKELSEN.... 3:26:37.0 9 Matthew WILSON......... 3:29:00.6 10 Brice TIRABASSI.......... 3:30:22.4
Loeb seized control of the
twelfth round in the series right from the word go, with team mate Dani Sordo acting as his faithful rear gunner. The balance of the Citroens and their powerful engines meant Ford had no answers on the hot Spanish tar. Seb took a comfortable 15.8 second cushion into the Saturday leg, maintaining his clean sweep in the morning, when he was fastest in SS7, SS8 and SS9. In the afternoon Mikko Hirvonen and Francois Duval beat him in SS10 and SS12, but Loeb still managed to notch up another stage win, and with a 27.7 second lead the Sunday was pretty much a formality. In the end he took the victory by 24.9 seconds, his fourth win on
could potentially clinch the overall honours on the following Tour de Corse - the Frenchman’s home event… Loeb commented afterwards, “The win in this rally means we have achieved a total of 45 victories. Not bad! I am very happy to have got it because it is a huge step in the struggle for the drivers’ title. The rally went perfectly for us.” Dani Sordo meanwhile took the runners-up spot and like Loeb he put in an impressive performance. The Spaniard was the only runner
The win in this rally means we have achieved a total of 45 victories. Not bad! I am very happy to have got it because it is a huge step in the struggle for the drivers’ title. The rally went perfectly for us - SebASTIEN Loeb
november 2008 42 pacenotes.net
the trot, having excelled in Finland, Germany and New Zealand. This was Loeb’s fourth win in succession in Spain, having won in 2007, 2006 and 2005 as well! The Spanish win meant Loeb had a 12 point lead over Mikko` Hirvonen in the battle for the 2008 drivers’ title, and it meant he
anywhere near Loeb at times and he played the perfect support role, taking second in front of his home supporters. The ‘one two’ result, combined with Loeb’s win, saw Citroen increase its margin over Ford in the manufacturers’ title race from 20 points to 27, with a maximum 54
3rd: Mikko Hirvonen & Jarmo Lehtinen
still up for grabs. BP Ford Abu Dhabi’s Mikko Hirvonen completed the podium, but only after his team-mate Francois Duval was instructed to let the Finn in front. Hirvonen commented, “This wasn’t how I wanted to take a podium and I really have to thank Francois. He was a true team player and helped me to score an extra point. Winning the drivers’ championship will be very difficult now, but it isn’t out of the question so I will keep trying.” Subaru’s Petter Solberg hung onto take fifth, albeit more than two minutes off the Fords, who were a minute or so off Loeb’s Citroen. In the JWRC battle, Ireland’s Shaun Gallagher was fourth and Kris Meeke, who was running in a JWRC points-scoring position, went out on the final day. Meanwhile, Eamonn Boland and MJ Morrissey sealed 15th overall in their Impreza WRC.
The Big Boys
WRC round-up
Winners: Seb Loeb & Daniel Elena
Can Loeb Win? Corsican Small in stature but a giant by reputation, Sebastien Loeb moved closer to a fifth consecutive world title when he won the French rally in Corsica.
2nd: Mikko Hirvonen & Jarmo Lehtinen
The Citroen driver has now won
10 times this season and leads Finn Mikko Hirvonen, second in Corsica, by 14 points with two events remaining. “It’s getting better and better,” Loeb said. “To win in Corsica is a great moment. We were much faster throughout the rally and that’s great for me and the team. We’ll add another two more points to our championship lead. So now we’ll have to see how we get on in Japan.” Ford number one Hirvonen had dropped to fifth after losing two minutes 34 seconds because of a puncture on the 13th stage. However he was fourth after stage 14 and climbed back to finish second ahead of team mate Francois Duval of Belgium and compatriot Jari-Matti Latvala, after being helped to win the final stage. Despite his own reluctance, the
Finn benefited from team orders to move past the Fords of Latvala and Duval. Ford moved within 23 points of Citroen in the manufacturers’ standings after Loeb’s team mate Dani Sordo crashed out of the first
is the 46th world victory of their career. Loeb commented, “It would obviously have been more enjoyable if we had had a fight on our hands, but there’s nothing I can do about that. It’s not me you need to ask what our opponents will have to do to beat us on this event! Winning your home event is always something special. We are unbeaten this year on asphalt and we have pulled further clear at the top of the championship standings. The weekend could have been worse...” After Corsica, Loeb (Citroen) sits on 106 points, with Hirvonen (Ford) second on 92 and Sordo (Citroen) third on 59. Citroen leads
We were much faster throughout the rally and that’s great for me and the team. We’ll add another two more points to our championship lead. So now we’ll have to see how we get on in Japan - Sebastien Loeb leg on the Friday. Meanwhile, the reigning World Champions’ 10th win of the year takes them level with their own record for the highest number of wins in a single season, a benchmark they established in 2005, and which they can still better this time round. The Corsican win
the manufacturers’ battle on 169 points, with Ford second on 146 and Subaru a long way behind on 87. The penultimate round of the 2008 World Rally Championship runs in Japan, from October 31st to November 2nd, where Hirvonen will have to drive like the proverbial kamikaze to save Ford from defeat.
Dani Sordo & Marc Marti
Francois Duval during the service interval
RD13 RESULTS 1 Sebastien LOEB............ 3:42:58.0 2 Mikko HIRVONEN......... 3:46:22.7 3 François DUVAL........... 3:46:29.6 4 Jari Matti LATVALA...... 3:46:35.5 5 Petter SOLBERG........... 3:48:33.4 6 Chris ATKINSON........... 3:49:08.4 7 Urmo AAVA................. 3:50:23.2 8 Matthew WILSON......... 3:52:00.2 9 Mads OSTBERG........... 3:52:11.3 10 Barry CLARK............... 3:56:36.3
STANDINGS 1 S. LOEB................................ 106 2 M. HIRVONEN......................... 92 3 D. SORDO............................... 59 4 C. ATKINSON.......................... 45 5 J. LATVALA............................. 42 6 P. SOLBERG............................ 40 7 H. SOLBERG........................... 22 8 F. DUVAL................................. 22 9 G. GALLI................................. 17 10 M. WILSON............................. 13
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Irish Tarmac Future
Is A Ban
The Best Plan? I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s true what they say: nobody really appreciates what they’ve got until it’s gone.
rallying. For years I’ve been told time and time again that rallying is, “not what it used to be,” and being an ‘80s child, my only knowledge of those days when rallying was supposedly in its prime, is from rally videos and old magazines. To be honest, I’m inclined to agree. Looking back at entry lists for the likes of the Circuit of Ireland and Ulster rallies in the early ‘80s conjures up images of Irish
rallying’s heyday. Henri Toivonen, Ari Vatanen, Stig Blomqvist, Pentti Airikkala and Michele Mouton are just a selection of the famous names that graced our stages. In fact, back then it was difficult to find an Irishman seeded inside the top 10! But we need to be careful. In another 20 or 30 years time, could we be looking back on today’s rallying with the same longing for a time machine to transport us back? Undoubtedly, the 2007 season
with Jonathan MacDonald
I’m talking in terms of Irish
will always be regarded as a vintage year, with the influx of world rally teams to the Emerald Isle. But with the worldwide economy in a slump, 2008 has gradually seen a number of Irish privateer World Rally Car crews slip by the wayside. Among the worldwide rallying community, Ireland is regarded as having the premier national rally championship outside the WRC. Why? Namely because we have so many WRC cars at our fingertips.
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Irish Tarmac Future Kris Meeke in his 2WD Clio
Pat & Noelle Horan in their Abarth
We need to make sure that doesn’t change, and that the ‘powers that be’ don’t take the buzz out of our sport. In some quarters, there are movements to ban World Rally Cars, with whispers suggesting that they should be just that - used on the world stage only. If the FIA gets its wish - which it will - the new Super 2000 formula will replace WRC cars in the world championship. And if that’s for the better of the sport as a whole, fair enough, but please don’t force national championships to follow suit. According to an event director, WRCs are, “a dying breed.” But I think he’s wrong. As one leading competitor pointed out to me, it has taken 10 years to build the bank of World Rally Cars that Ireland possesses. While they may not be on the entry lists, they are in garages around the country. He has a point. Switching to another formula won’t help matters - Super 2000 is still expensive, and it won’t entice the World Rally Car
owners to switch mounts based on costs alone. So if WRCs are banned, we may not only lose the cars, but possibly the competitors as well. Nor will it make events any more competitive, as no matter what championship or class competitors contest, there is always going to be a competitor who has deeper pockets than the rest.
Super 2000 in action in Italy
British championship organisers who have pushed these rules through. So what does that mean for the Irish Tarmac Championship WRC crews? That’s the million dollar (or perhaps Euro) question, and the answer has yet to be decided. Apparently, one of the ideas currently being considered could
If the FIA gets its wish - which it will - the new Super 2000 formula will replace WRC cars in the world championship. And if that’s for the better of the sport as a whole, fair enough, but please don’t force national championships to follow suit. Having said all that, I can’t help but feel that the writing is on the wall. Recently, organisers of the Jim Clark Rally, Rally Isle of Man and Ulster rallies agreed to outlaw World Rally Cars from the international categories of their events in 2009. Of course, these three rallies are also counting rounds of the British championship, and it’s no surprise that it’s the
see two international events run alongside each other, thus catering for both series. So if that idea goes ahead, who will be winner of the Ulster International Rally, for example? The BRC registered competitor in his Group N car, or the ITC registered competitor in his WRC car? It sounds like things are going to become more complicated than
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they need to be. If an event is a round of two major championships, surely it should formulate its regulations to accommodate all competitors involved? And surely that should mean having one well supported rally? These new rules only serve to make the Tarmac series competitors feel like second class
citizens, but perhaps the powers that be will surprise us with an easy to understand solution that pleases everyone. They would need to, as there have been calls from some quarters to drop those rounds from the Tarmac series and replace them with another two or three Irish events. Of course, these calls are nothing new, but it’s not good when
The good old days!
something along the lines of it being, “like watching paint dry,” and that’s not intended to offend any Italian readers. Even the sole Super 2000 competitor at Rally Catalunya failed to invoke much excitement, when compared to the WRC machinery. Perhaps the Super 2000+ formula, which will have a number of upgraded parts to increase performance, will help matters. But I’m not convinced. Going back to the Italian event, thankfully it was also a counting round of the FIA European Historic Championship, which added some pizzazz and excitement. Porsches, Lancias and Fiats were the order of the day, bringing back memories of rallying’s golden era. Perhaps historic rallies and the ‘Slowly Sideways’ group of 2038 will feature World Rally Cars, and we’ll all look at them and wish we could relive the days of the late ‘90s and the ‘noughties’? Which brings me back to my initial point - we really don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone...
Metro 6R4 - Part of the Slowly Sideways contingent
with Jonathan MacDonald
competitors feel that way. That ‘solution’ - if it is indeed a viable one - is not that simple to carry out. Each round holds a stake in the ITC, and company law must be adhered to… Meanwhile, the Tarmac Rally Organisers Assocation (TROA) has also made changes to next year’s regulations, as reported by Andrew Bushe in last month’s edition of Pacenotes. Bonus points are up for grabs for those in the Group N, Super 2000 and Super 1600 categories, in an attempt to encourage more competitors into those classes. Could this be a first step towards banning WRCs in the Irish Tarmac Championship? I really hope this isn’t the case. Apart from anything else, we would lose the spectacle of Irish rallying. Having recently attended a round of Italy’s national championship, which featured a smattering of Super 2000 cars, Group N and countless two wheel drive cars (there wasn’t a World Rally Car in sight), I wasn’t one bit impressed. In fact, my comments were
The historics bring back memories
Irish Tarmac Future
Eamonn Boland enjoyed the Spanish reception
Super 2000 future?
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Irish Junior Championship
Final Update
Championship Winners: Peter Wilson & John Kilmurray
Wilson Is First Junior King The Birr Forestry rally was the seventh and penultimate round of the National Junior rally Championship (NJRC). When the juniors arrived in Nenagh, there were six drivers in with a chance of claiming the first ever NJRC title. Vincent McAree was leading on 44 points, Peter Wilson was second on 40 and there was a three way tie for third as Ross Forde, Jason Ryan and Patrick Cunningham were all on 30. Sixth placed driver Damien McCarthy had a mathematical
and eight points put him in the championship lead with 48 points. In third place was Pat Cunningham, but his 6 points were not enough for him to mount a challenge for the title. Ross Forde was fourth, but he decided to concentrate on the Suzuki Swift Cup, where he is the leading junior with one round left to go - the Tempest Rally on
The next stage was to be a problem for long time championship leader McAree, when he put his Peugeot 106 off for the first time in the series. chance of victory on 28 points. The close competition of the earlier rounds seemed set to continue. On a bright and fine Sunday, Damien McCarthy set the pace in his Honda Civic and led for the first five stages. It looked like the Cork man was going to mount a late challenge for the championship, but he slipped off the road on stage six and lost six minutes. The next stage was to be a problem for long time championship leader McAree, when he put his Peugeot 106 off for the first time in the series. Jason Ryan went on to win the rally, and ensured that he was in the shoot out at the last round, with a total of 30 points and third place. Peter Wilson finished second,
November 8th. With his non finish, McAree dropped to second and 44 points. And so to the final round - the four tarmac stages of the GSMC Mini Stages rally at Baltinglass, Co.Wicklow. Wilson was the favourite, Ryan was definitely capable of causing an upset, but it was felt that McAree’s little Peugeot
would struggle against the power of the Civics… Ryan put in a stunning time on the first stage but he was delayed by a brake problem on two and an overshoot on three, and he finished third. Damien McCarthy led from stage two to the end and won his third tarmac rally of the series. A stunning time on the last stage saw Pat Cunningham promoted to second, a mere three seconds behind McCarthy. Wilson was fourth and that was sufficient for the Kells driver to lift the first ever NJRC crown! Peter Wilson wins a prize of 5,000 Euro as NJRC winner and as a class winner he will be interviewed for the Billy Coleman award, worth 32,000 Euro. The other class winners were Vincent McAree, Ross Forde, Eamon Power and Adrian Levis, and they too will be interviewed. In the event that Wilson wins the Billy Coleman award, the NJRC prize money goes to championship runner up Jason Ryan.
Words Austin Shinnors PICTURES John Bayly
FINAL RD8 STANDINGS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Peter Wilson Honda Civic............................ 48 Jason Ryan Honda Civic............................ 44 Vincent McAreee Peugeot 106........................... 44 Damien McCarthy Honda Civic............................ 40 Patrick Cunningham Honda Civic............................ 40 Ross Forde Suzuki Swift............................ 36 Eamon Power Peugeot 106........................... 34 Mark Sheahan Peugeot 206........................... 26
Winners RD7: Jason Ryan & Tadgh O’Sullivan
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Cheviot National Rally MSA Asphalt Rally Championship Words Andrew Haill PICTURES CMWI.NET
RESULTS 1 Andy FENWICK/Lee TINDALL Skoda Octavia WRC........ 1:42:21 2 Simon MAUGER/Brian CAMMACK Ford Escort Mk 2............ 1:43:13 3 David KYNASTON/Andy RUSSELL Audi A3 quattro............... 1:43:52 4 Tony THOMPSON/Paul HUGHES Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9.. 1:43:53 5 David HARDIE/John McCULLOCH Subaru Impreza............... 1:47:05 6 Graham HOLLIS/Ashley TRIMBLE Ford Escort RS............... 1:49:42 7 Mark WORLEY/Hamish CAMPBELL Mitsubishi Evo 9............. 1:49:57 8 David CORRIS/Mark MASON Ford Fiesta 4x4............... 1:56:11 9 Billy COWE/Robert PETERSON Subaru Impreza............... 1:57:54 10 Richard BUTLER/Matt DUBBER Honda Civic Type R......... 1:58:33 11 Tracie Louise MUIR/Garry MUIR Peugeot 106................... 2:01:11 12 Geoff GLOVER/Charlie TURNER Vauxhall Astra................. 2:01:16 13 Ian MURRAY/Iain CRAVEN Vauzhall Astra................. 2:01:20 14 Martin NEWSON/Peter MORRIS MG ZR............................ 2:12:17 15 Roland JONES/Kate GAMEZ MG ZR............................ 2:14:35 16 Tony THOMPSON/Peter GRANT MG ZR............................ 2:20:39
Chris Jones & Rich Williams
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Kynaston Stars On The Tar…
Championship Winners: David Kynaston & Andy Russell
David Kynaston and Andy Russell are the 2008 Richard Egger Insurance MSA Asphalt Rally Champions! Third place on the final round of leaving them to cruise to the finish at the Championship, the UTS Cheviot a maximum of 70 mph. Fortunately, National Rally, was more than enough they had already built such a leading to secure their second title - but it was margin that the end result was not a nerve-wracking day! affected. As crews headed for Otterburn, Runners-up on the day, after three drivers remained in contention another fantastic run, were Simon for the title. However, nobody could Mauger and Brian Cammack in their have foreseen Simpson’s early exit, two-wheel drive Ford Escort RS. With when the Hyundai left the road on Simpson retaining second place in the the opening stage. Although relatively overall drivers’ championship, Mauger undamaged, it could not be retrieved in time for him and co-driver Andrew Roughead to continue. One down, two to go! Next it was Mann’s turn to hit trouble when his Subaru Impreza WRC started to suffer from a slipping clutch. Although he and Alun 1st: Andy Fenwick & Lee Tindall Cook were able to borrow a replacement unit from eventual event winner Andy Fenwick, and in spite of moves up to third, just four points a sterling effort by his service crew to behind him. Meanwhile, Cammack change it, the Impreza was just OTL finishes second in the co-drivers’ by the time the job was completed. table. That left Kynaston and Russell Graham Hollis and Ashley Trimble needing to finish, but not needing to took their Ford Escort RS to a top win to take the championship crown six finish, confirming themselves as - one of the most difficult things for a Class B11 winners this season. Their competitive crew to achieve! However, performances throughout the season it all came right in the end and the have also kept them in touch with trophy will be heading to Devon for a Mauger in the Rear-Wheel Drive second time. category, still finishing a fine second in At the top of the event leaderboard, amongst some impressive opposition. Andy Fenwick and Lee Tindall won Richard Butler and Matt Dubber the Cheviot outright in their Skoda had been in a season-long tussle Octavia WRC, completing their tally in their Type R Civic with Paul of victories on Otterburn-based Harewood and Bob Jones for Class N3 events. It was not without its dramas honours, but the latter’s retirement on though, and with a couple of stages the Cheviot brought the matter to a to go, the car’s rear differential failed, premature close. The Honda crew also
narrowly edged out Martin Newson and Peter Morris for the top spot in the front-wheel-drive section, tiebreak rules having to be invoked for the driver’s trophy. Tracey Louise and Garry Muir rounded off their first year of MSA Asphalt Championship events with yet another class win, giving them a full house in Class B9. Meanwhile, Geoff Glover and Charlie Turner appear to have overcome the gearbox troubles that have blighted their season and a good run over Otterburn has moved them up to third in B11. The Richard Egger Insurance BTRDA Asphalt Rally Series saw Chris Jones and Richard Williams shine in their Ford Focus STI and third place overall on the Keith Knox Stages served to confirm them as 2008 Champions. It would be true to say that brother-and-sister Simon Selby and Hayley Henderson haven’t had the best of seasons with their Austin Seven, but a good run on Otterburn must give them considerable encouragement for the future. Maximum series class points and just 20 seconds behind the event class winner are just desserts for their efforts. A highly enjoyable season in both MSA and BTRDA Asphalt series is now at a close, and with Richard Egger Insurance confirmed as headline sponsors for 2009, we can only hope that the levels of competition can be maintained throughout next season!
fostek_advert_final.pdf 15/10/2008 16:42:25
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november 2008
51
Pacenotes NI Rally Championship
Bushwhacker Rally
Winners: Conor McCloskey & Francis Regan
WORDS Jonathan MacDonald PICTURES John O’Neill
RESULTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
CONOR McCLOSKEY/FRANCIS REGAN FORD FOCUS .................... 36.50 SEAN DEVINE/DAMIEN DUFFIN SUBARU WRC .................. 37.18 GLENN ALLEN/DAMIEN CONNOLLY TOYOTA COROLLA ............ 37.36 NEIL McCANCE/SEAN FERRIS MITSUBISHI EVO............... 38.15 DONAGH KELLY/KEVIN FLANAGAN MITSUBISHI EVO............... 38.28 RAYMOND JOHNSTON/RICHARD BELL MITSUBISHI EVO............... 39.12 ADRIAN HETHERINGTON/GARY NOLAN FORD ESCORT MK2 .......... 39.12 JOHN CAIRNS/JAMES CAIRNS SUBARU ........................... 39.18 CATHAL ROGERS/EOIGHAN ROGERS MITSUBISHI EVO............... 39.24 MARTIN CAIRNS/ANDREW PURCELL SUBARU N10 .................... 39.54 EMMA McKINSTRY/KENNY HULL SUBARU IMPREZA ............ 39.56 PAUL BRITTON/MARTIN McGARTY SUBARU IMPREZA ............ 40.19 RAYMOND MASON/PETER MARTIN MITSUBISHI EVO............... 40.20 VIVIAN HAMILL/PAUL HAMILL FORD ESCORT RS............. 40.26 TOMAS MULDOON/THOMAS NUGENT MITSUBISHI EVO............... 40.31 BRIAN MCFALL/RONNIE CRAIG MITSUBISHI EVO............... 40.38 PAUL WARD/PETER WARD SUBARU IMPREZA ............ 40.41 JAMES KENNEDY/JOHN ROWAN FORD ESCORT MK2 .......... 40.43 JOHN WALKER/DESSIE WILSON MITSUBISHI EVO............... 40.58 GARY McBRIEN/ALAN McNUTT MITSUBISHI EVO............... 41.00
november 2008 52 pacenotes.net
McCloskey Triumphant In Tyrone… Kilrea’s Conor McCloskey joined the rally winner’s list in late September when he claimed his maiden victory at the McGillin Bushwhacker Rally, round eight of the Pacenotes MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship! The 22-year-old set the stages
alight at the Omagh Motor Club event, with fastest or equal fastest times on nine out of 10 stages in his hired Ford Focus WRC. Navigated by Francis Regan, it was a truly dominant display by the young driver, who is among the three main contenders for the 2008 title. “I knew we had to win to keep the championship alive,” McCloskey said. “We had a good start in the morning, although we were lucky on stage two as we stalled at the start, but everyone beat the bogey time anyway. After that we kept pushing and built a good lead. Going into the last two stages, I knew it was my rally to lose, so we kept it steady. It’s good to get the win and it has taken a bit of pressure off!” It was McCloskey who made his intentions clear from the start of the 10 stage event with fastest time on the rally opener. While Seamus Leonard was forced into retirement when his Impreza WRC lost hydraulic pressure before the start, McCloskey raced to first position,
five seconds ahead of Devine. Championship leaders Sean Devine and Damien Duffin tried to fight back and equalled McCloskey through the following two stages,
back over the penultimate stage, but it wasn’t enough to worry the 22-year-old driver in front. A clean run through the final test saw him secure his maiden rally victory
2nd: Sean Devine & Damien Duffin
but it was the rally leader who extended his advantage on stage four. They were equal fastest again through the fifth test, only for McCloskey to ensure his maiden rally success with a string of three quickest stage times! Devine nipped a few seconds
by 28 seconds, while Devine was lucky to reach the finish in second position after hitting a deer during the closing miles! While the day was all about the tussle between McCloskey and Devine, third placed Glenn Allen and Damien Connolly lay in wait.
Bushwhacker Rally
Pacenotes NI Rally Championship
3rd: Glenn Allen & Damien Connolly 4th & Winner GpN: Neil McCance & Sean Ferris
They were only a handful of seconds adrift of the leaders through most stages in their older Toyota Corolla WRC, but were unable to match the hot pace up front. The reigning champions are now on the back foot going into the final two rounds of the series - they must claim victory at the FM Contracts Down Rally and hope their rivals falter in order to keep their title hopes alive. Outside the battle among the leading trio of WRC men, three Sunoco Fuels Group N crews completed the remainder of the top six. Neil McCance and Sean Ferris had another superb drive to seal the class honours as well as fourth overall, which helps to keep their hopes of title success alive. McCance leads the Group N standings but will miss the penultimate round of the series as it clashes with a round of the UK Evo Challenge. That could give his rivals an opportunity to capitalise,
5th: Donagh Kelly & Kevin Flanagan
especially Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan who finished fifth overall. They trail McCance by 21 points, so a victory in County Down could propel them back into the hunt. Raymond Johnston and Richard Bell completed the top three in Group N and claimed sixth overall
in Group N which allowed them to hold on to second position in the production category standings. They are just seven points adrift of McCance and could potentially move into the top spot after the next event. Meanwhile, in the Superdrive
GOING INTO THE LAST TWO STAGES, I KNEW IT WAS MY RALLY TO LOSE, SO WE KEPT IT STEADY. ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GOOD TO GET THE WIN AND IT HAS TAKEN A BIT OF PRESSURE OFF! - CONOR MCCLOSKEY in the process. Since their switch back to the production category, the crew has enjoyed two top six overall finishes, but their late foray into the category sees them 25 points adrift of McCance. Cathal and Eoighan Rogers finished ninth overall and fourth
two-wheel-drive category, Adrian Hetherington and Gary Nolan claimed the honours after powering their Escort into an excellent seventh overall. They finished more than one minute ahead of their nearest 2WD rivals, with Vivian and Paul Hamill claiming second ahead
6th: Raymond Johnston & Richard Bell
class report & images
pacenotes.net
november 2008
53
Pacenotes NI Rally Championship
Bushwhacker Rally
of James Kennedy and John Rowan. Round nine of the Pacenotes series sees competitors return to County Down for the Castlewellanbased FM Contracts Down Rally. After McCloskey’s retirement at Fermanagh’s Fisher Engineering
Stages, his Bushwhacker victory has thrown him right back into the title hunt. But it’s Sean Devine and Damien Duffin who continue to hold the upper hand, and if they win the penultimate round of the series, the
7th: Adrian Hetherington & Gary Nolan
8th: John & James Cairns
Class Battles… Class 1
CLASS RESULTS Class 1 1 JOHN QUIGLEY/MARK CURRAN HONDA CIVIC.................... 47.01 Class 2 1 NEIL McCANCE/SEAN FERRIS MITSUBISHI EVO 9............ 38.15 2 DONAGH KELLY/KEVIN FLANAGAN MITSUBISHI EVO 9............ 38.28 3 RAYMOND JOHNSTON/RICHARD BELL MITSUBISHI EVO 9............ 39.12 4 CATHAL ROGERS/EOIGHAN ROGERS MITSUBISHI EVO 9............ 39.24 5 PAUL BRITTON/MARTIN McGARTY SUBARU IMPREZA ............ 40.19 Class 3 1 SHANE McGIRR/NIALL CONNELLY TOYOTA STARLET ............. 41.50 2 DERMOT O’HAGAN/PIERCE DOHERTY Jr VAUXHALL CORSA ........... 42.45 3 ORAN DONNELLY/PAUL HUGHES VAUXHALL CORSA............ 43.14 4 GLEN IRWIN/DEREK TORRENS VAUXHALL NOVA .............. 45.44 5 JONNY LEONARD/JACKIE DONALDSON NISSAN MICRA ................. 47.17 Class 4 1 NIALL DONNELLY/STEPHEN O’HANLON FORD ESCORT MK2 .......... 43.51 2 MERVYN WILSON/RICHARD GAMBLE FORD ESCORT MK 2 ......... 43.55 3 DARRAGH KELLY/GERRY HUGHES PEUGEOT 205................... 46.15 4 BRIAN LITTLE/RONAN HORISK SUNBEAM......................... 51.09 Class 5 1 CONOR KELLY/DAVID VANCE FORD ESCORT MK ............ 41.20 2 WILLIAM SMITH/ALEX EWART HONDA CIVIC 16V............. 41.53
november 2008 54 pacenotes.net
Peter O’Kane and Mark O’Connor retired their Civic early from the class one battle, while Mark Donnelly and Patrick Robinson grabbed an early lead from Declan Leonard and Dermot McCaffrey. Leonard moved in front after stage three and seemed comfortable in the number one slot when Donnelly retired. Unfortunately, one stage later, class leader Leonard also retired, along with Conor and Michael McCrossan, leaving John Quigley and Mark Curran as the sole class survivors. They stayed out of trouble and claimed the class victory at the finish ramp.
Class 2
There was some hot competition in the Sunoco Fuels-backed production category, with 25 competitors entered in the class. CL1: John Quigley & Mark Curran
2008 title will go back to Strabane. The Down Rally took place on 18 October, and Pacenotes has all the action covered on page 32!
The Mitsubishi men outnumbered the Subaru men 4 to 1, so there was no surprise when the leading positions were dominated by Mitsubishi drivers. David Crossen and Jonny Harte grabbed an early lead, but retired after stage two, so at the top of the class, Neil McCance and Sean Ferris bolstered their championship chances with another victory. After a nip and tuck battle with Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan, McCance emerged victorious by 13 seconds from Kelly, with Raymond Johnston and Richard Bell third. Cathal and Eoighan Rogers kept their championship dreams alive with fourth in class, while Paul Britton and Martin McGarrity finished fifth, ahead of Raymond Mason and Peter Martin.
Class 3
Class three was well supported,
with eight crews locking horns, and only one failed to reach the finish. Shane McGirr and Niall Connelly were the men to beat in their Toyota Starlet, and after grabbing the category lead on stage one, they went on to claim a start to finish victory. Dermot O’Hagan and Pierce Doheny Jnr were their nearest rivals, but only managed to upstage the category winners on one occasion. In the end, they had to settle for second in class, almost one minute adrift, while Oran Donnelly and Paul Hughes completed the top three, after Gareth Sayers and Gareth Gilchrist retired their Nova.
Class 4
Two crews fought tooth and nail for class four honours in a battle that went right down to the wire. Mervyn Wilson and Richard Gamble grabbed the early lead from Niall Donnelly and Stephen O’Hanlon, before Donnelly moved in front after stage two. Donnelly continued to set the
Class 5
It looked as though Conor Kelly and David Vance were going to run away with the class five spoils, but the number 58 seeds, William Smith and Alex Ewart, kept the Escort crew honest throughout the event. The Honda Civic crew were only a handful of seconds adrift on each stage, and although Kelly claimed the winning trophy, Smith finished 33 seconds in arrears. Ciaran Mahon and Conor Bruton arrived home in third position with their Escort, while Robert Erwin and Chris Ragg claimed fourth, ahead of Raymond Conlon and Conor McGinnity. Raymond Doyle and Tony McHugh completed the top six.
Class 6
Philip McConnell and Aine McGuigan had to fight to claim the class six spoils. Darren Donnelly and Michael Loughney were hot on their tail from the start, and while
CL5: Conor Kelly & David Vance
Bushwhacker Rally
pace, but Wilson fought back during the latter half of the rally. On the final stage, he swiped 10 seconds out of the leader’s advantage, but it was too late, as Donnelly secured the victory by a slender four seconds. Wilson had to settle for second, with Darragh Kelly and Gerry Hughes third, ahead of Brian Little and Ronan Horisk.
Pacenotes NI Rally Championship
CL3: Shane McGirr & Niall Connelly
McConnell was fastest over the opening three tests, it was Donnelly who moved into the category lead after the following three stages. McConnell had to up his game to re-take the advantage, and he swiped 20 seconds out of his rival on stage eight. Helped when second placed Donnelly received a 10
honours as well as seventh overall. He finished more than one minute ahead of second placed Vivian and Paul Hamill. The Hamills were the best of the rest in their Escort, snatching second position by 17 seconds from James Kennedy and John Rowan. Ashley White and Brian McElhill
CL4: Niall Donnelly & Stephen O’Hanlon
CLASS RESULTS 3 4 5
second penalty, McConnell arrived home as the victor by 22 seconds, with Donnelly in second position. Wilson McConkey and Liam McAuley completed the top three.
Class 7
Class seven saw Adrian Hetherington and Gary Nolan take a start to finish victory, as well as overall Superdrive two wheel drive honours. Nobody could touch the flying Escort crew, with Hetherington claiming class
claimed fourth, as well as top front wheel drive honours, with Jason Roche and Ray Greene completing the top five.
Class 9
The top three overall sacrificed their class positions, so John and James Cairns topped class nine from Martin Cairns and Andrew Purcell, with Emma McKinstry and Kenny Hull third.
CL6: Philip McConnell & Aine McGuigan
CIARIN MAHON/CONOR BRUTON FORD ESCORT .................. 42.12 ROBERT ERWIN/CHRIS RAGG TALBOT SUNBEAM ........... 42.50 RAYMOND CONLON/CONOR McGINNITY
Class 6 1 PHILIP MCCONNELL/AINE McGUIGAN FORD ESCORT MK2 .......... 42.36 2 DARREN DONNELLY/MICHAEL LOUGHNEY FORD ESCORT MK2 .......... 42.58 3 WILSON McCONKEY/LIAM McAULEY FORD ESCORT MK2 ........ 43.01 4 PAUL MOGEY/RICHARD HUNNIFORD FORD ESCORT .................. 43.04 5 GLENN WILLIAMSON/GERALD MULLAN Class 7 1 ADRIAN HETHERINGTON/GARY NOLAN FORD ESCORT MK2 .......... 39.12 2 VIVIAN HAMILL/PAUL HAMILL FORD ESCORT RS............. 40.26 3 JAMES KENNEDY/JOHN ROWAN FORD ESCORT MK2 .......... 40.43 4 ASHLEY WHITE/BRIAN McELHILL VAUXHALL ASTRA ............ 41.46 5 JASON ROCHE/RAY GREENE FORD ESCORT MK2 .......... 41.58 Class 9 1 CONOR McCLUSKEY/FRANCIS REGAN FORD FOCUS .................... 36.50 2 SEAN DEVINE/DAMIEN DUFFIN SUBARU WRC .................. 37.18 3 GLENN ALLEN/DAMIEN CONNOLLY TOYOTA COROLLA WRC ... 37.36 4 JOHN CAIRNS/JAMES CAIRNS SUBARU ........................... 39.18 5 MARTIN CAIRNS/ANDREW PURCELL SUBARU N10 .................... 39.54
pacenotes.net
november 2008
55
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Where There’s A Will… I write this month’s article having come back from a busy weekend preparing the Mk2 RS2000 that I will be using on the Roger Albert Clark Rally in November. The car has very kindly been hired to me by William Onions with the support of Kumho, CES UK Limited, Speedline Wheels and Alan Brown at Questmead, together with others. It is ready for a test as course car on the forthcoming Cambrian Rally, before going into the 3 day Roger Albert Clark Rally in November. I have been involved in the Roger Albert Clark Rally in the role as chase car for Will Onions for the last 2 years. It is an event I have really enjoyed being involved in and I am getting very excited about competing in 2008. I have had a long search for a navigator - someone who likes having good fun for 3 days as well as being able to read a map! Iwan Jones from Oswestry, who is currently riding high in the Welsh
Road Rally Championship, will be joining me on the maps for both the Cambrian shake down and the Roger Albert Clark itself. The deal with Will Onions was to herald an attack on the British Historic Championship in 2009, however, with the decision to go down the route of a Dunlop controlled tyre it seems unlikely that we will be unable to compete on the championship. At the present time we are discussing options as to whether we compete
on the events but claim points. Will is currently building a new D5 car for the RAC and for next year’s championship, so we had hoped to run a two car team in what I think is a very enjoyable championship. The Maxi has now been mothballed for the remaining part of the year. The plan is to drag it out on a few local events in 2009, with a trip back to Donegal for unfinished business. Obviously this will all depend upon the economic climate. Being involved
in the property business, we are seeing significant reduction in levels of work, but obviously wherever possible I will be out enjoying myself in either the Mk2 or the Maxi. I am in the process of producing a full history of P2 FMC for next month’s Pacenotes. I have nearly all of the information, but if anybody has got any pictures of the car when Gwyndaf Evans, Barry Coleman or Liam O’Callaghan used it, then please could they email them to Pacenotes for inclusion in the article. I have got plenty of pictures of it whilst it has been in my hands, but obviously older pictures are increasingly hard to get hold of. That’s it for now. The next report will be on my return to rear wheel drive on forest tracks after 25 years, so it should make interesting reading! Regards Guy Woodcock
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november 2008
57
Round 7 - Bulldog Rally
UK Mitsubishi Evo Challenge
Championship Winners: David Bogie & Kevin Rae
Bogie Bags The Big One David Bogie crossed the line of this year’s Bulldog Rally to finish fifth behind Nik Elsmore, the event winner, in the final round of the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge and, in doing so, became the 2008 Champion! Nik Elsmore did all he could to Words Simon Slade PICTURES cmwi.net
RD7 RESULTS 1 2 3 4 5 6
Nik Elsmore/Craig Drew Mitsubishi Evo............. 1:02:19.3 Daniel Barry/Martin Brady Mitsubishi Evo............. 1:02:26.9 Neil McCance/Graham Hopewell Mitsubishi Evo............. 1:02:29.6 Jonathan Greer/Dai Roberts Mitsubishi Evo............. 1:03:22.7 David Bogie/Kevin Rae Mitsubishi Evo............. 1:04:11.2 Jonathan Sparks/Chris Davies Mitsubishi Evo............. 1:09:34.8
Retirements Keith Cronin/Greg Shinnors - Accident Thomas Naughton/Alex Kihurani - Accident
Championship Drivers 1 David Bogie............................ 50 2 Nik Elsmore............................ 50 3 Daniel Barry............................ 46 4 Neil McCance.......................... 46 5 Richard Cathcart..................... 38 6 Keith Cronin............................ 36 7 Jonathan Sparks..................... 21 8 Miles Johnston....................... 19 9 Jonathan Greer....................... 14 10 David Meredith........................ 11 Co-drivers 1 Martin Brady........................... 56 2 Kevin Rae............................... 51 3 Craig Drew.............................. 42 4 Greg Shinnors......................... 32 5 Graham Hopewell.................... 32 6 Mark Bowens.......................... 28 7 Chris Davies........................... 21 8 Paul Wakely............................ 20 9 Dai Roberts............................. 19 10 Ian Bevan................................ 14 november 2008 58 pacenotes.net
secure the title by being the first Mitsubishi home but, by ending the season on exactly the same points total, Bogie claims the series victory by virtue of scoring more highly on the opening round. Starting and finishing in Oswestry, with all of the event’s six stages and 65 competitive miles taking place in the north Wales forests, the Bulldog Rally provided a challenging arena for this year’s Evolution Challenge finale. As well as Bogie and Elsmore, three other drivers were in with a mathematical chance of taking the title: Neil McCance, Daniel Barry and Keith Cronin.
1st: Nik Elsmore & Craig Drew
place overall! However, the other potential champions were in hot pursuit, with Elsmore just 0.1 of a second further down and Barry a slender 1.2 seconds behind him. But where was Bogie? A rockhard brake pedal and almost no brakes meant he lost nearly a minute to the leader and most significantly he had dropped to seventh place. However, things
That was close! At one point I thought I wasn’t going to make it, so as soon as I got into fifth place I just took it steadily, but I came to do a job and I’m delighted to win the Evo Challenge title - David Bogie Knowing that he would have to win and have others falter if he was to succeed, Cronin was on a mission right from the start and went through the first stage a staggering 28 seconds quicker than his closest rival, McCance. His pace was such that he also held second
went better on the next stage and he passed Tom Naughton and Evo Challenge returnee Jonny Greer, to grasp the all-important fifth place. As cars entered the first service halt in Dolgellau, the time sheets showed Cronin still out in front, with Elsmore now 15 seconds
2nd: Daniel Barry & Martin Brady
behind in second. Barry was third, McCance fourth and then Bogie, who was now able to get his brakes checked by his team. With a comfortable lead, Cronin set off on SS3 intent on not taking any risks, but even at his slightly reduced pace he was caught out on a deceptive bend two-thirds through the stage, when the car slid straight on, dropped into a ditch and slowly rolled onto its roof. Although only superficial damage was sustained, his Mitsubishi was stuck fast and his excellent run had come to an end. Also retiring on the same stage was Tom Naughton, who admitted he was struggling to understand the pace notes, his American codriver’s accent proving to strong on occasions. He too left the road and was unable to continue. At the second service halt after stage three it was now Elsmore who held the lead, by ten seconds from McCance and then Barry, who was a further two seconds behind. Next came Greer, who had passed
3rd: Neil McCance & Graham Hopewell
been up there with the rest, battling for position, but I came to do a job and I’m delighted to win the Evo Challenge title.” Bogie will now go on to receive his award, which has recently been announced as a works drive in this year’s Rally GB. However, Mitsubishi is currently looking at other options, details of which will be confirmed in the next few weeks. The Bulldog Rally also saw
the conclusion of the Co-drivers Championship, the title going to Martin Brady, who partnered Richard Cathcart earlier in the season, before joining Daniel Barry for the final two rounds. The outcome also sees Barry take the PIAA Junior Award for under 25-year old drivers and Elsmore win the Performance Friction Brakes Cup.
UK Mitsubishi Evo Challenge
the title right up to the end. I’m looking forward to coming back for more next season.” Crossing the line in fifth place, a delighted and relieved Bogie said, “That was close! At one point I thought I wasn’t going to make it, so as soon as I got into fifth place I just took it steadily. It was really difficult to know what speed to drive at and I would’ve liked to have
Round 7 - Bulldog Rally
Bogie, but with Cronin out it didn’t matter, the young Scot admitting he had now backed off to ensure he made it to the finish in fifth place. He was unlikely to be caught by Johnathan Sparks in sixth, who was now nursing his overheating car to the finish. But the drama wasn’t over and, as he exited stage four, Bogie became aware that his car’s head gasket had started to leak, causing him to drive with one eye on the temperature gauge for the remainder of the event. Positions at the front of the Evo Challenge field stayed the same for SS4 and SS5, but on the sixth and final stage, a final push by Barry saw him edge ahead of McCance to take second place behind Elsmore, who was a little disappointed not to become champion, but very pleased with his day’s work. “I did all I could to take the title by winning today, but it depended on David (Bogie) finishing sixth or lower,” said Elsmore. “I’m not too disappointed though, as the event has gone really well and the car ran perfectly. It’s been an excellent season and great to be battling for
4th: Jonathan Greer & Dai Roberts
The 2008 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge is backed by Mitsubishi Motors UK and Ralliart, with support from its associate sponsors: Pirelli tyres, Speedline Corse wheels, Sparco racewear, Performance Friction Brakes, Sunoco Race Fuels, ADR Motorsport, Walkinshaw Performance and PIAA lights, who sponsor the junior award for under 25 year old drivers.
Congratulations to David Bogie on becoming 2008 Champion and to Nik Elsmore & Craig Drew for winning round 7 - the Bulldog Rally
2008 MITSUBISHI RALLIART EVOLUTION CHALLENGE 2nd: Daniel Barry/Martin Brady 2008 Champion Co-driver
3rd: Neil McCance/Graham Hopewell
www.evo-challenge.com | pacenotes.net
november 2008
59
Opel Manta
Technical Specifications Engine Cosworth, four cylinder in-line, 95mm bore, 85mm stroke giving a capacity of 2410cc. Steel crankshaft, light alloy head with twin overhead camshafts and 16 valves. Mobil 1 dry sumped lubrication and twin oil coolers. Twin 50 DCOE Weber carburettors, and a four into one exhaust manifold. Bosch electronic ignition. Power: 275bhp (206kW) at 7,200rpm Torque: 220lbft (300Nm) at 5,200rpm Transmission Twin plate clutch, Getrag 5 speed gearbox, direct top, driving a heavy duty rear axle with ZF limited slip differential. Final drive ratios were available in 3.18:1 through to 5.17:1 depending on application. Suspension Wishbones and coil springs with an anti-roll bar at the front. Five link rear axle with coil springs. Bilstein gas filled shock absorbers. Brakes Dual circuit AP callipers with vented discs. Adjustable pedal box. Front disc diameter 290mm, rear 278mm. Hydraulically operated with a cable handbrake. Body Manta 400 2 door coupe with integral roll cage and sump guard. Fibreglass bonnet, boot lid, front wings, doors and all spoilers. Recaro seats, Sabelt seat belts.
Austin MacHale
The Plastic Fan The Manta 400 was an iconic rally car for motorsport fans who grew up in the early 1980s. The battles between Billy Coleman, Austin MacHale, Jimmy McRae, Bertie Fisher and Russell Brookes in Manta 400s will be discussed by generations of rally fans for many years to come.
On the National scene, Charlie
Donnelly, Niall Maguire, John Spain, Ed O’Callaghan, Donal O’Donovan, Seamus Heron and Ed Synan have all entertained us on the stages with their sideways ‘half the car in the ditch’ driving. Many people reading this will be able to add more names to the list above, but it was the Manta that was the star of the show on the stages. Opel had to wait until 1st May 1983 before FISA (FIA) gave it the official stamp, and the Manta made its world debut in Corsica, driven by Guy Frequelin. It lasted only 100 miles before the head gasket failed. Jimmy McRae finished 6th on
Steering, Wheels & Tyres High ratio rack and pinion, 2.7 turns lock to lock. Opel 15” alloy wheels, 5 stud fixing with 5” to 8” wide rims. 135-250TR290 radial competition tyres
Bertie Fisher
november 2008 60 pacenotes.net
the Welsh Rally, which was the Manta’s first UK outing. While the Manta didn’t achieve much international fame (apart from nearly winning the Safari), it did make headlines during the Mille Pistes International Rally in France. Henri Toivonen was leading the rally in his Manta when the organizers decided to ban prototypes while the event was underway! Toivonen was forced to settle for a consolation trophy. What made the Manta so special on the stages was the use of fibreglass body panels. The front wings, bonnet, doors, rear arches, boot lid and
spoiler were all made from this lightweight material and it saved 80kg - making the Manta more competitive than the Ascona. Cosworth made the Manta’s engine and it produced 275bhp in phase 3 format. This was achieved with a pair of 50 DCOE Weber carburettors (rather than the 48s on the phase 2 engine) with ‘wilder’ cams. All the really worthwhile power came in at 5000rpm and 275bhp arrived at the 7,200rpm mark. 0 to 60 was in under 5 seconds. In 1981 23 Manta Bs were built, then 80 more in 1982 and 140 post-facelift models were made in 1983. The last two Mantas were built in 1984. The very last works-built Manta 400 (D902 RGS), used by Andrew Wood, is at the Griffin Trust in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England. A one-off four wheel drive Manta 400 was built and is now owned
Russell Brooks
The Need For Speed
Vincent Bonner
by a member of the Group B Club. This Manta prototype did appear in Sweden before that country’s international rally in 1983 and was shown to a select gathering of motoring press as something of a publicity stunt. Its concept was simplicity itself - using the Ferguson System as the only modification to the car’s Group B specification. In the ensuing tests with Ari Vatanen, the car proved more driveable than a Quattro, but it was unfortunately a stillborn project. DPP 117Y is the only right hand drive Manta 400 and its lucky owner is Tom Higgins of Aberdeen. It was originally proposed that the 400 be made available in the UK in right hand drive, with a total of 25 for the 1982 model. Unfortunately, this was not agreed, as Opel would only build left-hand drive cars. DPP 117Y became the Vauxhall/Opel marketing display car. It was built primarily
for UK type approval, which was attained in January 1983. It was first seen by the public at the 1983 Motor Show. After that, the car was used by GM Motorsport as a “rally replica,” as was the AC Delco 400 of Jimmy McRae and the 400 of Andrew Wood. When the 400s finished rallying in 1987, it was put into storage at the GM Sport workshops in Northampton. There it remained until being saved by the Vauxhall dealer, Thurlby Motors, in Lincs. Fully restored back to all its glory, it is now in the safe hands of Tom Higgins. This right drive Manta is based on a Manta B 400 with a 2.4 16v engine, and has just under 20,000 miles on the clock. The car is finished in Polar White with the door stripes. It is the only one of its kind and is therefore priceless. When Opel joined forces with German tuner Irmscher and engine builder Cosworth in Britain to make the Manta 400, no one would have thought that what they were creating would became an
with Ray Gavin
Fantastic...
Stephen Mawhinney
icon in rallying circles throughout the world. The Manta 400 was the dream car that led many young men to take up rallysport.
Jimmy McRae
Pentti Airikala
Andrew Nesbitt
Martin O’Keefe Anthony O’Halloran
pacenotes.net
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These images are taken from the RallyRetro. com archives. Can you identify The Driver?, The Event? The Year? Remember it’s just for fun!! Good Luck
Who, Where, When?
3
1
2
ONLINE IMAGE DATABASE ANSWERS: 1- 1976 Donegal / Mike Rawson; 2- 1983 Donegal / Jack Lyons; 3- 1991 Ulster / Mika Sohlberg
System Signs Rally
Fishers First...
Clubman action from Enniskillen
It was only a matter of time
before young Alistair Fisher had his name engraved on a rally winner’s trophy. He had been angling for the top spot for quite some time, and this year’s two-wheel-drive only System Signs Clubman Stages Rally provided the Fermanagh youngster with the perfect opportunity! In capable hands, a Ford Fiesta ST is a potent package, and Fisher proved it at the early October event. He struggled to match the pace of the more powerful Escort men at the start, but once he got into his groove, Fisher and navigator Barry McNulty were matching their times. It was Stewart Clarke and Desmond Dolan who took the early lead from Damian Toner and Paddy McCague. Clarke accelerated into a two second lead from Toner, with Fisher a further eight seconds adrift in his front-wheel-drive Fiesta. Then he moved up a gear, and on stage two he was only one second slower than his rivals, before equalling the fastest time set by Toner over the third test! While Toner and Clarke were tied for the rally lead, Fisher was only nine seconds adrift. Then Toner hit trouble on stage five, retiring from the event, while Fisher set fastest time. He was now only six seconds in arrears and Clarke
realised he was going to have his work cut out to stay in front. Clarke also had a one minute penalty hanging over his head, but was confident of getting it removed. Clarke and Fisher were equal fastest through the sixth stage and then Clarke made his move, going 14 seconds faster on stage seven. It looked as though he had the rally victory in the bag, only for an off road excursion on the final stage to relegate him to the sidelines. “There had been a really heavy downpour,” Clarke recalled, “and about two corners from the finish, we just aquaplaned straight on at a hairpin. That was our rally over. We were going to appeal the one minute penalty for jumping the start of a stage by 0.2 of a second, and I’m sure we would have got it sorted, as I definitely went on the
green light…but that’s the way it goes!” Fisher also had an off road excursion of his own during the event, but he survived to tell the tale. In the end, he claimed the rally victory by 26 seconds from Harold Brown and Bartley Downey, with Fabian McAleer and James Thompson third. “It’s nice to get my first overall win!” an ecstatic Fisher told Pacenotes. “It rained heavily all day so it was very challenging. At one point I was very lucky to stay on the road at a 6 right – she just nosed towards the ditch but I kept the power on and we got out of it.”
Classes
In the class battles, Shane McGirr and Stephen O’Hanlon finished sixth overall and won
class one from Marc Johnston and Colin Harkness. Brian Crawford and Finian Hannigan won class two from Darragh Kelly and Gerry Hughes, while Adrian McElhinney and Stephen Furey won class three from Terence McGonagle and Mark Curran Michael McDaid and Dair Maguire won class four from Ian McCutcheon and Trevor Elliott, while Harold Brown and Barley Downey topped the class five standings from Fabian McAleer and James Thompson. Finally, Alastair Fisher and Barry McNulty topped the class six tree from Niall McGrath and Thomas Nugent. 1
Alastair Fisher/Barry McNulty Ford Fiesta ........................ 36.23 2 Harold Brown/Bartley Downey Vauxhall Astra ................... 36.49 3 Fabian McAleer/James Thompson Ford Escort ....................... 37.26 4 Alastair Cochrane/Rodney Hicks Ford Escort ....................... 37.27 5 Trevor Lancashire/Domhall Lennon Ford Escort Mk2 ............... 37.35 6 Shane McGirr/Stephen O’Hanlon Toyota Starlett .................. 37.42 7 Niall McGrath/Thomas Nugent Honda Civic ...................... 37.48 8 Adrian McElhinney/Stephen Furey Citroen C2R2 .................... 38.10 9 Mervyn Wedlock/Patrick Robinson Ford Escort ....................... 38.20 10 Andrew McCloone/Marc McGowan Ford Escort RS1800.......... 38.25
pacenotes.net
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facttfile
Dan The Man… 1. When did you first get behind a wheel? Daniel: About 23 years ago, driving about the house.
questiontime with
Daniel Conaghan november 2008 64 pacenotes.net
2. Who taught you to drive? Daniel: A bit like us all…I just climbed behind the wheel and between myself and my cousin, we just footered about! 3. Did you pass your driving test first time? Daniel: Nope…third! No point in telling lies! 4. What was your first road car? Daniel: It was a Mark 1 Escort and after that I bought a Manta, arched her, and put the decals on her to make her look like MacHale’s rally car! 5. What is your favourite road car? Daniel: The Manta - I’ve always liked them and it was always an ambition to have one. In the back of my mind I’m thinking about building one. 6. Who were your motorsport heroes as a child? Daniel: Frank Meagher and Bertie Fisher. 7. Who would you rate as the top British or Irish rally drivers today? Daniel: Kris Meeke, Rodney Wilton and Ryan Barrett. I prepared Ryan’s car for him in England this year and
he was always fighting for overall positions. 8. What was your first competitive event? Daniel: I think my first event was the Hills of Donegal in a Sunbeam Ti. After the Sunbeam I bought a Manta, and then progressed to an Escort. Everything went well, although there was an odd wreck! 9. What is your worst memory in rallying? Daniel: Rolling this year in Monaghan. We went off early and broke a back brake disc, but tried to carry on. Then she stepped out on us and we rolled about five times. It was my first accident in about five years! 10. What drive are you most proud of to date? Daniel: We’ve had good runs for the past couple of years. It was my first time competing in the National Championship this year - we finished inside the top 20 in nearly all the rounds and had a lot of class wins. But I suppose Donegal in 2007 stands out for me. We were on the reserve list, but on the Thursday night before the event I got a text from my wife to say I was doing the rally. We finished 10th overall in the National and won our class! 11. What is your most frustrating memory in rallying?
Driver: Daniel Conag han Height: 5’5” Home: Milford Birth date: 21st Jan uar y Occupation: Postma n Road car: Skoda Oc tavia Marital status: Ma rried to Elaine with two kids, Dean and Danie lle. Hobbies: Danielle is riding ponies now so I suppor t them as the y suppor t my rallyin g! Navigator(s): I end ed up with three this year! James Gallagher, Ga vin Gallagher and Tre vor Graham. Sponsors: Diver’s Hardware (Milford) , Sweeney Scaffoldin g, HeatMerchants, Cyber World, Kumho Tyres, JD Recovery Ser vices, McLaughl in Taxis, Flite Busine ss Ser vices, HASS, Atla ntic Construction, KS Windscreens, Ann ’s Talk of the Town restaurant, Wash Da y Laundrette. Anything else you want to say: Thanks to all the boys who hel p throughout the yea r, especially Lexie Div er. He’s the backbo ne of the team, takes the car the scr utiny and helps me out hugely. Only for him, the res t of the boys, my naviga tors and my sponso rs, I wouldn’t be there.
Daniel: 1999 Donegal Rally - we were third in class and 19th overall before we went off in Inishowen. We were able to keep going, but ended up beaten by one second. 12. What are your plans for 2008/2009? Daniel: I’ve won the class in the Dunlop National this year and finished second in the Border championship, so hopefully I’ll get enough sponsors to do the two championships again next year! 13. What is your favourite event? Daniel: Donegal - it’s a home from home. I’ve won the Gerard Conroy Memorial Trophy three years in a row. He was a lad who was killed in an accident just outside Convoy and they created the trophy in memory of him. 14. What is your favourite rally car? Daniel: It’s hard to pass an Escort. Recently I had seven in the shed! 15. If you could change anything about current rallying rules/admin what would it be? Daniel: I think the new modified trophy in the Irish Tarmac Championship is a good idea, as it helps ensure that the modified men are recognised.
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BALLYMUN YOUTH CENTRE BALLYMUN YOUTH CENTRE BALLYMUN YOUTH CENTRE BALLYMUN YOUTH CENTRE BALLYMUN YOUTH CENTRE BALLYMUN YOUTH CENTRE BALLYMUN YOUTH CENTRE
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ANCRO Clubman Rally Challenge
Bulldog Clubman Rally
Elliott Eases Escort To Win Bulldog Clubman Battle.
1st- Nick Elliott & Dave Price. PIC: Mick Pattison
Nick Elliott and Dave Price claimed the victors spoils in this battle of Ford Escort Mk2s but only after a close battle with the Volvo powered version of Ieuan Rowlands and Emyr Hall writes Phil James. When these two crews completed the opening Dyfnant nine miler, separated by no more than half a second, it was clearly going to be a close call as to who would win. It was even closer after 13 miles in Gartheiniog where Rowlands was fractionally quicker, reducing the deficit to a fifth of a second. Third at this point were Paul Walker and Vern Brown but a puncture on the
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Rumney snatch seventh from the clutches of Stuart Clarke and Cliff Simmons who took H6 honours in their Escort RS1800. The Bennett brothers, Scott and James, guided their Lancer Evo6 home ninth ahead of Phil and Jon Edwards in the Impreza. Andy Davison clinched the RWD Challenge title after he and co-driver Laura Taylor finished 12th overall and top BMW in their 325i. Andy Fox and Tudor Jenkins put their 325i off at the same spot which claimed Keith Cronin in the national rally. Top 205 drive came from Russ Thompson and Andy Murphy who brought their Peugeot home in 22nd place. Results 1 Nick Elliott/Dave Price (Escort Mk2) 54m28.2s; 2 Ieuan Rowlands/Emyr Hall(Escort Mk2) 54m29.5s; 3 Paul Davy/Roger Allan (Impreza) 56m00.9s; 4 Jason Pritchard/George Gwynn (Impreza) 57m15.8s; 5 Phil Newson/Sam Fordham (Evo9) 57m36.2s; 6 Neville Jones/Ian Capewell (Impreza) 57m53.2s; 7 David Robinson/Kath Rumney (Escort WRC) 58m12.9s; 8 Stuart Clarke/ Cliff Simmons (Escort Mk2) 58m18.8s; 9 Scott Bennett/James Bennett (Evo6) 58m36.1s; 10 Phil Edwards/Jon Edwards (Impreza) 58m40.1s.
MITSUBISHI EVO 9 BUILD PARTS
Dry sump tank with our De Aeration head to fit into a Gartrac shell. Ideal for Millington engines.
A.H. Fabrications, Unit 6H,Thorn Business Park, Rotherwas, Hereford, HR2 6JT new improved core
following stage would cost the Subaru Impreza pairing almost four minutes and they would finish the day in fifteenth place. It was worse though for top seeds Keith Parry and Wyn Davies who had already crashed their Impreza into retirement on the opening test. Rowlands hit the top of the standings through the long 15.69 mile Dyfi stage but his overall advantage was no more than 0.3 of a second. Paul Davy and Roger Allan now slotted their Impreza into third place almost a minute behind Elliott. Henri Grehan and Chris Ridge, who were fourth at this point, would soon retire with
a broken exhaust on their Escort Mk2. With rain giving the forest tracks a more slippery surface crews headed north to Bala for the Llangywer and Penllyn tests where the leading duo swapped times again. First blood went to Elliott, giving him a 3.2 second advantage with only the nine mile Penllyn stage remaining. Rowlands proved quicker, but not by enough, his faster time merely reducing his arrears to leave Elliott with a 1.3 second winning margin. With Davy firmly ensconced in third and Grehan out of contention fourth place went to Jason Pritchard and George Gwynn, who edged their ex-Richard Cathcart Impreza ahead of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9 of Phil Newson and Sam Fordham. Tucked in behind these two crews for most of the day were Neville Jones and Ian Capewell who finished sixth in their Impreza. A last stage dash saw Escort WRC crew David Robinson and Kath
ds/Emyr Hall
2nd- Ieuan Rowlan
Tel: +44(0)1339 885666 E-mail: info@clarkmotorsport.net
www.clarkmotorsport.net
COMPETITION ENGINES Mitsubishi EVO 9 Group N engine; blueprint built, using race quality bearings, bolts, nuts and a steel head gasket. Sold either as an exchange or outright unit £3100 or £7500 Mitsubishi EVO 8 Group N engine; blueprint built, using race quality bearings, bolts, nuts and a steel head gasket. Sold either as an exchange or outright unit £3100 or £5300
Reiger suspension units ............................ £4847 ATL fuel cells ............................................ £5250 Brembo Tar Group N brake kits Fr £3291 R . £2265 Group N clutch kits .................................... £503 Brembo Gravel brake kits – F £3185 R ...... £2265 Carbon door cards – electric windows .... £190ea Carbon fuel tank access panels .................£50pr Carbon rear bulkhead panel – set .............. £250 Carbon rear parcel shelf panel .................... £140 Carbon handbrake console ........................ £153 Carbon gear lever console top ..................... £85 Carbon navigator dash panel ..................... £160 Twintex under floor guards – Tarmac .......£370pr Sill protectors – Kevlar & rubber coated ...£325pr Front bumper lower protector – Kevlar ....... £220 Standard fuel tank guard – Kevlar & rubber £235 Ralliart bush sets ........................................ £940 Speedline 17 & 18” rims in stock .................. poa Many new body panels; bumpers, wings, bonnets etc Evo 9’s breaking for spares – ring for details PLUS MUCH MORE – contact us for details
MITSUBISHI EVO X
Mitsubishi EVO 9 NEW crate engine, with turbo etc. Sold as an outright unit £4750 Mitsubishi EVO 9 Used engine, comes with turbo etc. Removed from Japanese road car (12K miles) £2750
Fast Road Camshafts, exchange (pair) £190.00 Race/Rally Cams, on new blanks (pair) £365.00 Cam follower conversion kit (set) £114.00 QED Hi-Flo inlet valves (set) £108.00 QED Hi-Flo inlet valves, +1mm (set) £108.00 QED Exhaust valves, +1mm (set) £108.00 Colsibro valve guides, GM head (set) £96.00 Colsibro valve guides, Coscast (set) £102.40 Race quality valve springs (set) £90.00 Main bearings, from (set) £45.00 End bearings, from (set) £40.00 Water pump (each) £40.00
Forged pistons, 86mm-88mm Steel con rods Steel flywheels, various, from Clutch plates, from Cam belt kits, early or late type Cast shallow wet sump Standard head gasket Trilam heavy duty head gasket Inlet gasket Exhaust gasket Fast road plug set Direct to Head Throttle bodies
(set) (set) (each) (each) from (each) (each) (each) (each) (each) (set) (set)
£360.00 £625.00 £105.00 £67.95 £85.50 £195.00 £15.00 £89.00 £5.00 £10.00 £14.00 £475.00
All prices are in pounds sterling and do not include carriage or VAT
QED MotorSport Ltd
Tel : +44(0) 1509 412317
www.qednet.demon.co.uk
november 2008 66 pacenotes.net
Mitsubishi EVO 7 Used engine, comes with turbo etc. Removed from damaged road car (19K miles) £2350 Mitsubishi EVO 9 Flywheels, HKS Steel con rods, Race spec Bearings, HKS Forged pistons, HKS Valve springs. Engine build and rebuild kits available, new and re-builds undertaken. Dyno calibrating, power testing and new EMS systems supplied and fitted.
CMS DOG KITS
MITSUBISHI 5 SPEED DOG GEAR KIT Group N Developed to suit the demands of the high torque 9 Fully assembled 5 speed dog box with heavy duty drive tube, built into a new casing £4500 Self build 5 speed dog gear kit £3400
Evo X cars and parts in stock now. Please call with your requirements
Special Offers
Ralliart sump guard Evo 7, 8 & 9 RACT9402R2 ............................................. £500 Ralliart tank guard Evo 7, 8 & 9 RACT9403R1 ............................................. £150 Ralliart Hand brake Evo 7, 8 & 9 RA626779S1 ........................................... £1750 Steel rear diff housing Evo 4-9 ................... £425 Steel gearbox selector cage EVO 4 – 9 ......... £59
Heavy duty steel drive tube EVO 4 – 9 .. £109 EVO 8 & 9 Bonnet – new ........................... £499 EVO 8 & 9 Headlamp units – new .............. £175
ALL ITEMS + VAT
Pictures: Alasdair Ewen
Tour of Mull
Clubman rally action from the Isle of Mull
Winners: Paul MacKinnon & Daniel Barritt
Sweet Victory For MacKinnon… Paul MacKinnon and Daniel Barritt have won the closest fought Tunnock’s Tour of Mull Rally in many years! Just nine seconds separated them from four-time-winners Calum and Iain Duffy, after 150 miles of stages on what is regarded as the toughest challenge in UK club rallying! The 24-year-old from Tobermory, in only his third season of rallying, led from the first stage on the Friday evening, but victory was only decided on the final stage in the early hours of the Sunday morning. Going into the final stage, MacKinnon had 38 seconds in hand
Ford Fiesta to finish an incredible sixth. But those were the lucky ones. Neil MacKinnon (Paul MacKinnon’s dad) failed to add to his record tally of 12 wins on the island, when his Subaru quit on the very first stage of the rally. John Cope (Bury) was in contention too, ‘til he fell victim to the slippery conditions and slid off the road, but unlike MacKinnon, he remained stuck fast in the peat. Daniel Harper (Nelson) too was in the hunt for honours, but clipped a rock in Gribun and almost tore a wheel off. Eddie O’Donnell (Salen)
For some reason, when I get bumpy, jumpy stages, I can’t keep my food down. But it was a good event, well run, with a really enthusiastic bunch of guys - Wesley Patterson over Duffy, but a muddy patch caught him out and his Subaru plunged off the road. 30 seconds were lost as MacKinnon struggled to regain the road and set off in a bid to save his first outright rally victory. Despite a mighty impressive effort over that last 12 mile test, Dervaig’s Duffy had to give best to MacKinnon. He finished second in his Mark 2 Escort, while completing the local domination of the island rally were Oban’s Willie Bonniwell and Pennygown’s James MacGillivray. Bishop Auckland’s Tristan Pye was fifth, but the drive of the rally came from 19-year-Kris Hall. In only his second season of rallying, the Appleby youngster drove the wheels off his
finished, but lost time changing a gearbox on the Saturday evening. Dougi Hall (Kris Hall’s dad) also fell victim to the slippery conditions and failed to finish, while Paul Kirtley (Harrogate) broke an exhaust manifold. In terms of the Irish, a number of crews made the trip to the event, including Dromara’s Denis Biggerstaff. With WRC cameraman Graham Thomson on the notes, their dreams of another top finish were dashed on only the opening stage, when the Subaru punctured. He stopped to change the wheel, only to get another puncture, losing six minutes in the process. Biggerstaff was lying in 134th
position after his dramas, but mounted a huge comeback drive. He was lucky to survive a major moment at more than 100mph after a jump over a bridge, and despite some brake troubles, he looked set for a top 10 result come the final leg. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side, as clutch failure sidelined his Subaru at the start of the final stage. As for Wesley Patterson and Martin McGarrity, stomach problems resulted in their rally coming to a premature end. The Lisburn driver was feeling rough and decided to call it a day before the end of the opening leg. “The same thing happened to me at the end of Killarney this year,” Patterson told Pacenotes. “For some reason, when I get bumpy, jumpy stages, I can’t keep my food down. But it was a good event, well run, with a really enthusiastic bunch of guys. Hopefully I can get my stomach sorted, as I can’t see myself playing golf for the rest of my life!” Monaghan’s Gerry Cassidy and Paul Sheridan also retired their Escort after stage six, so that left Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor upholding Irish honours. They went on to finish 23rd overall with their Starlet, ensuring the Irish received recognition for their efforts! And finally, one of the advantages of having a firm like Tunnock’s as rally sponsors became apparent at the rally finish in the early hours of a cold and damp Sunday morning. There were free hot and succulent traditional Tunnock’s Scotch Pies for every driver, co-driver and rally official - handed out by staff. A perfect end to a perfect event!
2nd: Calum Duffy & Iain Duffy 3rd: Willie Bonniwell & Kevin Rae
DNF: Denis Biggerstaff & Graham Thomson
RESULTS 1 Paul MacKinnon/Daniel Barritt Subaru Impreza............. 02:17:17 2 Calum Duffy/Iain Duffy Ford Escort Mk2........... 02:17:26 3 Willie Bonniwell/Kevin Rae Subaru Impreza............. 02:24:18 4 James MacGillivray/Ian Fraser Ford Escort Mk2........... 02:25:18 5 Tristan Pye/Kirsty Riddick Subaru Impreza N11..... 02:26:24 6 Kris Hall/Richard Millener Ford Fiesta S.T.............. 02:26:45 7 Tony Bardy/Reg Smith Nissan Sunny GTI......... 02:26:53 8 David Miller/Andrew Bailey Subaru Impreza............. 02:30:37 9 Tugs Sherrington/Sam Bould Mitsubishi Lancer Evo... 02:32:00 10 Wayne Sisson/Daniel Stone Mitsubishi Lancer Evo... 02:32:29
pacenotes.net
november 2008
67
Round-Up of Clubman Rally Action
UK Clubman
Winners: Kevin Proctor & David Bellerby
Winners: Stuart Deeley & Alistair Dodd
Winners: Robert Tout & Laura Tout
Proctor Powers to Palin Victory!
Deeley Dodd Duo take Touts Triumph as Lloyd Lacks Pressure! Wigan Win Again!
www.rallyrev.com
www.pro-rally.co.uk
Ben Gilbert
Event: Harold Palin Memorial Stages. Date: 04/10/08. Venue: Manby, Lincolnshire. Surface: Concrete. Stages: 10. Stage Miles: 55. Organisers: Eastwood & District Motor Club. Championships: ANEMMC; EMAMC. Starters: 64. Finishers: 47.
Event: Keith A Wood Memorial Stages Rally. Date: 05/10/08. Location: Three Sisters Race Circuit, Nr Wigan. Surface: Tarmac. Stages: 12. Stage Miles: 24. Organisers: High Moor Motor Club. Championships: ANWCC; SD34; 3 Sisters Rally Challenge. Starters: 58. Finishers: 52.
Event: Peter Lloyd Rallying Stages. Date: 05/10/08. Venue: Welsh Motorsport Centre, Pembrey. Surface: Concrete & Tarmac. Stages: 6. Stage Miles: 50. Organisers: Carmarthen Motor Club. Championships: Welsh Clubmen; Welsh Historic; Welsh 2wd Escort Challenge. Starters: 74. Finishers: 49.
Kevin Proctor and David Bellerby powered their Subaru Impreza S7 to victory finishing over a minute ahead of the MG Metro 6R4 of Robert Lowe and Stephen Shephard. With Proctor spinning off on the opening test it was left to Eddie Turner and Dean Russell to set the early pace in their Metro 6R4. Lowe then took top spot after SS2, holding it for two stages before Proctor took control for the rest of the proceedings. Gwaine Clark and David Kirkbright edged their Impreza ahead of Turner after SS4 before any threat the Metro could offer expired when it crashed out after collecting a puncture on SS6. Jamie Elston and Shaun Ridlington almost grabbed third with a late charge but in the end the Impreza crew had to settle for fourth. Ian Pashley and Steve Ashley completed the top five in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6. There was close contest for sixth between a pair of Escort Cosworth crews who traded seconds throughout the day and it required the tie-break rule to separate them at the finish. Andrew Varley and Bob Charmbury finished ahead of David Campling and James Ducker thus proving the seeding committee absolutely correct as they were seeded as cars six and seven respectively! Ray Brammer and Matthew Whattam ended the day eighth after suffering differential problems and collecting a two minute penalty with their Impreza. Class 3 winners Dave Hemmingway and Jim Plevey finished ninth and first two-wheel drive car benefitting from Chris Woods and Simon Ashton retiring their Vauxhall Astra with a broken driveshaft. A late charge from Mark Wilkinson and Kevin Ryalls secured tenth place for the Lancer Evo6 crew as Chris Cawthorne and Roger Laister were relegated to 11th in their Impreza. David and Matt Wood took a convincing class 1 win guiding their Vauxhall Corsa home over three minutes ahead of Malcolm Barker and Michael Rust’s Austin Mini. The battle for honours was much closer in class 2 where Richard Hall and Jonathan Hudson guided their Proton Satria to a 20 second victory over the Peugeot 205 of early leaders Nigel Powell and Nathan Marriott.
Stuart Deeley and Alistair Dodd chalked up another win at Wigan bringing their Lotus Banks Europa home 26 seconds ahead of the Ford Escort Mk2 of Brian Hardman and Paul Jackson. Deeley went straight into an opening stage lead but Hardman reversed their respective standings after going two seconds quicker on the second test. Deeley levelled the scores after SS3 before taking a seven second advantage when Hardman spun on SS4 and went backwards through the flying finish. Another spin by Hardman on SS5 just about decided the final outcome even though the rally hadn’t reached its halfway point. Deeley now had a 19 second cushion and was virtually uncatchable. Whilst the battle for overall honours was all but decided there was a real scrap going on for third place with five crews trading times in a fight for the final rung on the podium. When Kevin Jones and Rosalind Goodall spun their Escort Mk2 on SS3 John Deegan and Phil Merrills edged the Honda Civic Type R into third but by the end of SS5 they too were demoted. Ron Aiken and Brian Neale took control in their Escort Mk1 but Deegan snatched it back after SS6 before losing it again on the following test. This time it was Keith Davies and Ian Cooper, who were sporting a new 2.0L Vauxhall engine in their Escort Mk2, who were heading the pack and they did so for three stages. All the while Peter Tattersall and Stephen Riley were in the mix but when their Mk2 developed gearbox problems on SS10 they eased back, settling for sixth and securing the inaugural 3 Sisters Challenge championship crown. Aitken then regained third place after SS11, holding it to the finish with Deegan and Davies both two seconds in arrears and only separated by the tie-breaker. Jones finished behind Tattersall with the Nissan Micra RWD of Stuart Gilks and Mark De Spong finishing in eighth place. With their early handling problems sorted John ‘Ric’ Wood and John Wood secured ninth with a late charge edging their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo4 ahead of the Escort Mk2 of Keith Dowthwaite and Tony King.
With Peter Lloyd and Graham Handley withdrawing their Subaru Impreza WRC through a lack of oil pressure it left the way for father and daughter pairing Robert and Laura Tout to take the honours in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9. Standing water on the early stages caused all sorts of problems with a string of early retirements due to both accidents and water related engine and electrical problems. Gwyndaf Jenkins and Llinos Jones-Edwards were quickest from the off with their Darrian T90 setting a time 13 seconds faster than the Impreza of Nigel Jones and Eurig Howells. Lancastrians Chris Marshall and Simon Hunter, who finished third here last year, were a further three seconds down in their Lancer Evo5.9 with the Touts four seconds behind in fourth place. Both Marshall and Tout then set about closing in on Jenkins and when the Evo9 pilot set a second successive fastest time on SS4 the lead was his. Tout then continued to set fastest times on the remaining two stages with Marshall, who had matched Tout’s time on SS5 after being baulked by slower cars on earlier tests, securing second place by the finish. Jenkins, who had suffered a puncture on SS4 and a broken wheel on SS5, finished third. Lancer Evo6 crew Melvin Davies and Alun Lewis improved their standing throughout the day and after setting third fastest time on all three final stages finished the day in fourth place. The Subaru Impreza of Alan Bowen and Jason Sugden fell victim to the charging Evo6 slipping to fifth on the final stage. Nigel and Ken Gibbard finished sixth in the mis-firing Darrian T90 with a comfortable margin ahead of daughter and father pairing Sara and Jonathan Williams in the Honda Civic Type-R. Finishing eighth overall Alan Williams and Dylan Jenkins were just three seconds behind in their Ford Escort Mk2. Colin and Katie Davies took the class 2 spoils bringing their Escort Mk2 home ninth but only thanks to the tie-break rule. Matching their accumulative time were Simon Bevan and Hefin West but the Vauxhall Astra crew had been slower than their rivals on the opening stage.
Results 1 Stuart Deeley/Alistair Dodd (Lotus Banks Europa) 28m57s; 2 Brian Hardman/Paul Jackson (Ford Escort Mk2) (Lotus Banks Europa) 29m23s; 3 Ron Aiken/Brian Neale (Ford Escort Mk1) 29m44s; 4 John Deegan/Phil Merrills (Honda Civiv Type R) 29m46s; 5 Keith Davies/Ian Cooper (Ford Escort Mk2) 29m46s Peter Tattersall/Stephen Riley (Ford Escort Mk2) 29m54s; 7 Kevin Jones/Rosalind Goodall (Ford Escort Mk2) 29m58s; 8 Stuart Gilks/Mark De Spong (Nissan Micra RWD) 30m05s; 9 John Ric Wood/John Wood (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo4) 30m20s; 10 Keith Dowthwaite/Tony King (Ford Escort Mk2) 30m21s.
Results 1 Robert Tout/Laura Tout (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9) 1hr14m43s; 2 Chris Marshall/Simon Hunter (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo5.9) 1hr15m22s; 3 Gwyndaf Jenkins/Llionos Jones-Edwards (Darrian T90) 1hr16m16s; 4 Melvin Davies/Alun Lewis (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6) 1hr16m59s; 5 Alan Bowen/Jason Sugden (Subaru Impreza) 1hr17m09s; 6 Nigel Gibbard/Ken Gibbard (Darrian T90) 1hr17m21s; 7 Sara Williams/Jonathan Williams (Honda Civic Type-R) 1hr19m00s; 8 Alan Williams/Dylan Jenkins (Ford Escort Mk2) 1hr19m03s; 9 Colin Davies/Katie Davies (Ford Escort Mk2) 1hr19m31s; 10 Simon Bevan/Hefin West (Vauxhall Astra) 1hr19m31s.
Class Award Winners: 1: Stephen Johnson/David Barratt (Nissan Micra); 2: John Cross/Kristopher Pirie (Citroen Saxo); 3: Deegan/Merrills; 4: Gilks/De Spong.
Class Award Winners: 1: William John/Paul Seabourne (Vauxhall Nova); 2: Colin Davies/Katie Davies (Ford Escort Mk2); 3: Hefyn Thomas/ Anthony Powell (Ford Escort); 4: Jenkins/Jones-Edwards; 5: Marshall/ Hunter; 6: James Eavns/Jenny Evans (Mazda 323); 7: Neal James/Kevin Jones (Ford Escort Mk1).
Results 1 Kevin Proctor/David Bellerby (Subaru Impreza S7) 53m12s; 2 Robert Lowe/Stephen Shephard (MG Metro 6R4) 54m27s; 3 Gwaine Clark/David Kirkbright (Subaru Impreza) 55m44s; 4 Jamie Elston/Shaun Ridlington (Subaru Impreza) 55m53s; 5 Ian Pashley/Steve Ashley (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6) 56m34s; 6 Andrew Varley/Bob Charmbury (Ford Escort Cosworth) 56m43s; 7 David Campling/James Ducker (Ford Escort Cosworth) 56m43s; 8 Ray Brammer/Matthew Whattam (Subaru Impreza) 56m48s; 9 Dave Hemmingway/Jim Plevey (Ford Escort Mk2) 57m02s; 10 Mark Wilkinson/Kevin Ryalls (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6) 57m24s. Class Award Winners: 1: David Wood/Matt Wood (Vauxhall Corsa); 2: Richard Hall/Jonathan Hudson (Proton Satria Kit Car); 3: Hemmingway/ Plevey; 4: David Patrick/Martin Blood (Opel Manta); 5: Elston/Ridlington.
november 2008 68 pacenotes.net
Gary Grabs Glory With Wilmington & White Woodbridge Win! Win Jersey!
Winners: Hugh Hunter & Andy Marchbank
Hunter takes Premier Position!
www.mandh-photography.co.uk
Fiona Le Gros
Kevin Money
Event: Hutton Kitchens Woodbridge Stages. Date: 11/10/08. Venue: MOD Woodbridge, Near Ipswich. Surface: Sealed. Stages: 8. Stage Miles: 60. Organisers: Chelmsford Motor Club & West Essex Car Club. Championships: AEMC. Starters: 68. Finishers: 49.
Event: Paperclix Jersey Rally. Date: 10-11/10/08. Venue: Jersey. Surface: Tarmac. Stages: 34. Organisers: Jersey Motor Cycle & Light Car Club. Starters: 88. Finishers: 59.
Event: Rallitrak 26th Premier Rally & Premier Historic Rally. Date: 26/10/08. Venue: Mansfield. Surface: Gravel. Stages: 7. Stage Miles: 38. Organisers: Dukeries Motor Club. Championships: EMAMC; ANEMMC; AEMC; MSA Regional Inter-Association Challenge. Starters: 48 (+ 12 Historics). Finishers: 34 (+ 11 Historics).
Gary Le Coadou and Paul Hollingham headed the standings throughout the day in their Toyota Celica GT4 to improve on their runners-up spot on last year’s event in fine style! Their only problem came with a damaged front drive shaft and with that replaced after SS2 they recorded a winning margin of almost a minute ahead of Phil and Mick Gallagher’s MG Metro 6R4. Chris Tilley and Lesley Moore offered an early challenge before a blocked exhaust forced their Metro 6R4 into retirement as did Ross Daniels and Paul Mankin before turbo trouble sidelined their Subaru Impreza. Peter Rayner and Richard Bonner put up a gallant effort in their Ford Escort Mk2 but had to settle for third overall after Gallagher secured second spot with four fastest stage times. Class E award winners Tony and Emma Hewitt completed the top five in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo5. Glyn Jarman and Darren Cansdale failed to improve on their fourth place here last year bringing their Impreza home in sixth place after setting top ten times for the rest of the day after a disappointingly slow opener. Escort RS2000 crew Stephen Tilburn and Jody Wilson snatched seventh on the final stage as they took 13 seconds from the Impreza of Justin Oliver and Claire Arbrey who only held onto seventh by virtue of the tie-break rule. Matching their total time were Lee Ashbury and Nathan Marriott who had started the last stage level pegging with fellow Escort crew Graham Sanson and Selmin Sevket. Having survived a couple of excursions earlier in the day Ashbury’s improved afternoon pace counted at the finish. Jim and Frank McArdle completed the top ten in their Ford Fiesta Cosworth. An altercation with part of a tree that had been dragged onto the track by a previous car left Richard and Irene Lewsey to settle for 11th in their Escort Mk2. Tom Roberts and Paul Rees were happy to take 12th after a catalogue of problems that included broken gear linkage, an under bonnet fire, losing their rear bumper and differential problems with their Lancer Evo6, but hey, that’s rallying!
Jersey Rally debutants Anthony Wilmington and Andrew White took the winners’ laurels after guiding their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6 home a minute ahead of the Subaru Impreza belonging to James Harvey and Paul Arberry. Early leaders James Hoseason and Maurice Jellie had to settle for third in their Darrian T90 GTR leaving fourth placed Jeremy Baudains and James Ollivro as top local crew in their Ford Escort Mk2. The dubious honour of being first retirees went to Alan and Chris Thompson after they crashed their Escort Mk2 into a post on the opening La Brun test. Top seeds Simon Mauger and Lara Johnson soon followed them as their Escort Mk2 was running with an incompatible mixture of petrol and water whilst Adrian Smekss and Erik West crashed their Lancer Evo8. David West and Keith Hounslow had been on the pace with a string of top ten fastest stage times including being quicker than anyone on stages eleven and twelve. Sadly they crashed their Peugeot 306 Kit Car out on the following test. Saturday’s wet roads played directly into Wilmington’s hands as he quickly established an unassailable lead with a string of fastest stage times. The conditions also suited Harvey leaving Hoseason in third place. It was tough on the Darrian driver who had been overnight leader, despite losing time when a dislodged water bottle became stuck beneath his brake pedal. Finishing behind Baudains was Stuart and Theresa Fossey who’s Escort Mk2 had suffered clutch problems. Sixth placed Stephen Leonard and Ben Andre completed a trio of Escorts that had been trading seconds throughout the twoday event. Andy Baker and Lee Burgess came out on top in the battle for front wheel drive honours guiding their 205 GTi home seventh, 49 seconds ahead of the similar car of Andy Corner and Ade Camp. Sandwiched between the Peugeots was the Escort Mk2 of James Hansford and Andrew De la Cour with another Mk2 in the hands of Kevin Rumens and Kay Taylor completing the top ten. Tyson Flath and Rob Hannah, who had a misfire with their Impreza throughout Friday’s stages, were just two seconds behind in eleventh place.
In a repeat of their success on this event last year Hugh Hunter and Andy Marchbank brought their ex Colin McRae Ford Focus WRC01 to victory with a run of five consecutive fastest stage times. Michael O’Brien and Terry Moore had set the early pace, quickest through the opening pair of Portland tests in their Focus WRC to establish an 11 second lead over Hunter as crews set off for Sherwood. Donovan Jenkin and Ian Bass weren’t to make it to the Clipstone complex as they retired their Subaru Impreza WRC with head gasket failure. Hunter hit back through Clipstone North wiping 10 seconds from O’Brien’s advantage before taking a further second from his rival in Clipstone South leaving the two Fords neck and neck as they headed for service. Chris and Roger Bown were hanging onto third place, a position the Lancer crew would maintain to the finish, but at this point the Impreza of Karl and Guy Simmons was in close contention. Following service, crews headed back to Portland for what would be the longest stage of the day. Hunter used the 6.44 miles to best effect setting a time eight seconds up on Bown and more importantly nine seconds better than O’Brien. With only a repeat of the earlier Clipstone tests remaining it was advantage Hunter and another brace of fastest stage times saw him finish the day 19 seconds clear of O’Brien. A hat trick of top three times saw Bown secure a comfortable third place ahead of Simmons who settled for fourth ahead of the Impreza of Chris Firth and Karen Watts. Behind Ian Pashley and John Hendley who finished sixth in their Lancer Evo6 the fight for seventh went to the wire. Having started the last stage on matching times only a second separated a pair of Imprezas at the finish with Keith Turner and Steve Ward finishing ahead of Phil Brown and Andy Morgan. Paul James and Derek Davies finished ninth in their Lancer Evo9 ahead of Errol Bairstow and Arthur Heaton who’s new Lancer Evo6 suffered throttle and anti-lag problems throughout the day.
Results 1 Gary Le Coadou/Paul Hollingham (Toyota Celica GT4) 1hr21m22s; 2 Phil Gallagher/Mick Gallagher (MG Metro 6R4) 1hr22m20s; 3 Peter Rayner/Richard Bonner (Ford Escort Mk2) 1hr23m10s; 4 Tony Hewitt/Emma Hewitt (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo5) 1hr23m40s; 5 Glyn Jarman/Darren Cansdale (Subaru Impreza) 1hr24m28s; 6 Stephen Tilburn/Jody Wilson (Ford Escort RS2000) 1hr25m15s; 7 Justin Oliver/Claire Abrey (Subaru Impreza) 1hr25m18s; 8 Lee Ashbury/Nathan Marriott (Ford Escort) 1hr25m18s; 9 Graham Sanson/Selmin Sevket (Ford Escort) 1hr25m30s; 10 Jim McArdle/Frank McArdle (Ford Fiesta Cosworth) 1hr25m47s.
Results 1 Anthony Wilmington/Andrew White (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6) 1hr38m44s; 2 James Harvey/Paul Arberry (Subaru Impreza) 1hr39m44s; 3 James Hoseason/Maurice Jellie (Darrian T90 GTR) 1hr39m59s; 4 Jeremy Baudains/James Ollivro (Ford Escort Mk2) 1hr40m39s; 5 Stuart Fossey/Theresa Fossey (Ford Escort Mk2) 1hr40m45s; 6 Stephen Leonard/Ben Andre (Ford Escort Mk2) 1hr40m53s; 7 Andy Baker/Lee Burgess (Peugeot 205 GTi) 1hr41m46s; 8 James Hansford/Andrew De La Cour (Ford Escort Mk2) 1hr41m51s; 9 Andy Corner/Ade Camp (Peugeot 205 GTi) 1hr42m35s; 10 Kevin Rumens/Kay Taylor (Ford Escort Mk2) 1hr43m06s.
Class Award Winners: A: Oliver Doctrove/Stephen Scarborough (Ford Fiesta); B: Matthew Fowle/Dominic Worsfold (Ford Fiesta); C: Tilburn/ Wilson; D: Sanson/Sevket; E: Hewitt/Hewitt.
Class Award Winners: 1: Stuart Thompson/Cathy Roberts (Vauxhall Nova); 2: James Patterson/Scott Romeril (Rover Metro); 3: Fossey/ Fossey; 4: Baudins/Ollivro; 5: Tyson Flath/Rob Hannah (Subaru Impreza); 22: Baker/Burgess.
UK Clubman
Winners: Anthony Wilmington & Andrew White
Round-Up of Clubman Rally Action
Winners: Gary Le Coadou & Paul Hollingham
Results 1 Hugh Hunter/Andy Marchbank (Ford Focus WRC) 37m46s; 2 Michael O’Brien/Terry Moore (Ford Focus WRC) 38m05s; 3 Chris Bown/Roger Bown (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) 38m53s; 4 Karl Simmons/Guy Simmons (Subaru Impreza) 39m21s; 5 Chris Firth/Karen Watts (Subaru Impreza) 39m51s; 6 Ian Pashley/John Hendley (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6) 40m38s; 7 Keith Turner/Steve Ward (Subaru Impreza) 40m42s; 8 Phil Brown/Andy Morgan (Subaru Impreza) 40m43s; 9 Paul James/Derek Davies (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9) 41m14s; 10 Errol Bairstow/Arthur Heaton (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6) 41m36s. Class Award Winners: 1: Gareth Clark/Peter Reeson (Vauxhall Corsa); 2: Jamie Anderson/Martin Auskerin (Peugeot 205 GTi); 3: John Stevens/Andrew Davies (Ford Escort Mk2); 4: Simon Smith/Silvia Earle (Ford Escort Mk2); 5: Simmons/Simmons. Historic Award Winners: 1st Overall: Richard Lepley/Ian Bevan (Ford Escort Mk2); H6: Nigel Godden/Ian Orford (Ford Escort Mexico); H7: Richard Lane/Frank Richer (Ford Escort Mk2); H8: Steve Perez/Russ Langthorne (Lancia Stratos); H9: Jason Lepley/Howard Pridmore (Ford Escort Mk2).
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Champions
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Birr Forestry Rally
Breen Adds Woods Crown To Tarmac Tiara…
Hankook National Forest Championship
Winners: Ray Breen & Martin Brady
After six rounds of challenging and exciting rallying, the Irish forests long and winding gravel roads led to an exciting finale in Nenagh for the Hankook National Forest Championship. Birr & District Motor Club
were the hosts and the rally was supported by the Abbey Court Hotel and Nenagh Husqevarna Centre. Torrential rain poured down on the night before the event and the stages, having been rested for many years, were now set to have even less grip. Remarkably, the surfaces held up better than expected and the juniors, first to tackle the stages, were greeted by very smooth but low grip tracks. First seed in the main field was Ray Breen in his Focus WRC, with Martin Brady on the notes. Ray just needed a points finish to edge out rival and number four seed John Reid in his Corolla. On SS1 it was Breen who was the fastest by 4 seconds from Trevor Harding in his GpA Subaru, and equal with Harding was Colin Britton as he set a clear lead in the GpN battle and tied for second o/a with Harding. Trevor had his Subaru re-liveried in a blue and green mixture, in homage to the Stobart WRC team and he was bedding himself in for a day of sideways action in the tricky conditions. John Reid took 3rd and just pipped Denis Cronin, the Cork ace was hampered badly however by a half spin in a narrow section, which forced him to reverse and manoeuvre his Subaru and lose a
lot of time. James Coleman in his Escort Mk2 took the early 2wd lead. On stage two, Breen was caught out on the muck and his Focus slid off into the rough ground. Luckily there were no trees to catch and Breen just needed to plough the car back onto the road, with the benefit 4wd and use of the differentials. However, 17 seconds were wasted in the mire, and this gave Harding a
Britton and Arthur Kierans held 3rd o/a thanks to another 3rd fastest time on SS2. John Reid and Enda Shiels were 4th and keeping at bay a resurgent Cronin. In 2wd it was now Seamus O’Connell who led, as he got even more in the groove with his ‘fresh out of the box’ BDA Escort and new co-driver Sean Duggan. James Coleman was not far behind and he
Words Martin Brady & Jonathan Macdonald PICTURES John Bayly
2nd: Trevor J Harding & Andrew Purcell
chance which he grasped with both hands - shooting into the lead of the rally. At the first service halt it was Harding and co driver Andrew Purcell leading. Next was Breen, 13 seconds down, but now the champion elect was determined to make his pace even more subdued after his wake up call on SS2. Colin
was finding rear wheel traction in short supply, perhaps due to a new and more powerful engine - not the ideal thing on such a slippery day. Unfortunately his rally came to a halt on the next stage when he was blinded by the sun and slid into a ditch. There was no damage but he was parked for the day. Harding, now in the groove, was pacenotes.net
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Hankook National Forest Championship
Birr Forestry Rally
RESULTS 1 Ray Breen/Martin Brady Ford Focus WRC................ 45:44 2 Trevor J Harding/Andrew Purcell Subaru Impreza WRX......... 45:49 3 Denis Cronin/Helen O’Sullivan Subaru Impreza WRC......... 46:47 4 Colin Britton/Kiearns Arthur Mitsubishi Lancer Evo........ 47:11 5 John Reid/Enda Shilds Toyota Corolla WRC........... 47:18 6 Liam Ryan/Johnathan McGrath Subaru Impreza WRX......... 48:38 7 Sean Heaney/Liam McLaughlin Mitsubishi Lancer Evo........ 48:45 8 Seamus O’Connell/Sean Duggan Ford Escort Mk2................ 48:59 9 Connie Smith/Breen McNamee Ford Sierra......................... 49:41 10 Moss Fitzgerald/Alistair Wyllie Toyota Corolla.................... 49:48 11 John Reddington/Stephen Quin Mitsubishi Lancer Evo........ 49:51 12 Gerard Lucey/James Lucey Toyota Celica GT4.............. 50:06 13 Jason Ryan/Tadgh O’Sullivan Honda Civic Vtec................ 50:17 14 Mark Murphy/Carol O’Keefe Subaru Impreza WRX......... 50:18 15 John McLaughlin/Ray Fitzpatrick Mitsubishi Lancer Evo........ 50:23 16 Peter Wilson/John Kilmurray Honda Civic....................... 50:33 17 Craig Breen/Sorcha Kelly Citroen C2 R2.................... 50:47 18 Ollie Williams/Micheal Walsh Ford Escort Mk2................ 50:55 19 Jimmy Deane/Barry Meade Ford Escort Mk2................ 51:04 20 Patrick Cunningham/Martin Cunningham Honda Civic....................... 51:19
3rd: Denis Cronin & Helen O’Sullivan
to hold onto his 13 second lead over the next two stages, as he and Breen set equal times on both. Cronin turned up the pace and set a joint fastest time on SS4. He was now back in 3rd overall and 14 seconds up on GpN leader Colin Briton. John Reid had a scare when his Corolla refused to restart at the end of SS3. It took him some time to get it lit - an electrical fault was discovered and repaired. He dropped position on the road but got into the next stage and was still in the championship race. Liam Ryan was a strong 6th in his Subaru. This car was GpN spec and was in fact an ex Petter Solberg recce car. The Tipp forests were its first port of call after a glamorous WRC career! It was Harding fastest on the first visit to the very slippery and grassy stage 5, by 2 seconds from Breen. Then Breen went 4 seconds faster on stage 6. The rally moved to a service in Nenagh town and Harding was still at the front, now by 11 seconds. Harding was confident that he could hold onto the lead, despite a worry about the gearbox jumping out of gear intermittently. Cronin was revelling in the handling of his Impreza WRC and said for the first time he was happy with the feel of the car on gravel. He put this down to a problem his mechanics found and repaired in the centre diff. John Reid and Enda Shiels had moved up to 4th. The Corolla now behaving itself after the morning
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november 2008
electrical scare and Reid was sitting ready in a position to take over the championship reins should Breen falter. Colin Britton and Arthur Kiearns held 5th and the GpN lead, just ahead of Seamus O’Connell and Sean Duggan, the 2wd leaders. The final loop was a repeat of the two previous tests and despite the passage of a full field to clean away the loose and grassy top surface, there was plenty of opportunity to be caught out and end your event.
the hare, 7 seconds down, than the hound 7 seconds up, as at least then he would know how much to push. In any event, Breen tackled the stage with a determined pace that was still on the right side of safe. Harding charged through the stage, but was distracted by smoking oil, which he thought was the engine, but in fact was the gearbox leaking. Harding was to drop 12 seconds to the Focus, and this allowed Breen to take a
Trevor admitted to sliding off the road slightly - he was able to return back on track by letting the car run into a bank and bounce back onto the road. Jokingly, he quipped to co-driver Purcell, I saved your life in there! On SS7 Harding dropped 4 seconds to Breen. Trevor admitted to sliding off the road slightly - he was able to return back on track by letting the car run into a bank and bounce back onto the road. Jokingly, he quipped to co-driver Purcell, “I saved your life in there!” This meant that going into the last stage, Trevor had a lead of just 7 seconds - the closest it had been all day. Breen has been in a last gasp battle for a win often, and he was now tempering his instinct to go for the win with the need to stay on the road and claim the vital few points for the championship victory. Harding said he would rather be
last hurdle win in the rally. Breen gratefully took the points and claimed the 2008 Hankook Irish Forestry Championship crown. Harding and Purcell took a slightly disappointed second, after a day where they held the lead from the second stage. It was a cruel blow to loose it at the final hurdle, however Harding had performed well. He had used his machinery to its absolute limit and entertained many in the process. Denis Cronin and Helen O’Sullivan took the next step on the podium, polishing what has been a bright debut year for them in the forests. Winning Group N on the rally
8th: Seamus O’Connell & Sean Duggan
6th: Liam Ryan & Johnathan McGrath
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4th: Colin Britton & Kiearns Arthur
7th: Sean Heaney & Liam McLaughlin
Birr Forestry Rally
5th: John Reid & Enda Shields
At the finish ramp a delighted Breen and Brady sprayed the champagne to celebrate a special victory. Not only had they won the event, but Breen, in becoming Hankook Champion, had also the accolade of being only the
second driver to win both the Irish National Forestry title and the National Tarmac title. Breen enjoyed an impressive ‘first’ in that he won both his national crowns driving the same Tom Gahanprepared Ford Focus WRC.
Hankook National Forest Championship
and in the process the Hankook championship were Colin Briton and Arthur Kiearns - they took 4th o/a and just pipped 5th o/a John Reid, courtesy of a final stage spin for Reid. Reid had done enough to claim second in the championship and end what has been an impressive year for the Meath man, in his first full season in WRC machinery. Liam Ryan and Jonathan McGrath took their ex Solberg machine to a fine 6th o/a. Seamus O’Connell and Sean Duggan took the 2wd victory. A big moment and a puncture slightly tempered their pace on the last two stages, but they still got the pristine BDA Escort to 8th o/a. Sean was replacing his brother Brian in the co drivers seat for the day and Seamus had vowed to scare Sean as much as possible on his guest appearance. It probably worked!
CL2: Emmet Cronin & Mark Bownes
CLASS RESULTS
CL1: Seamus Cooke & Gerard Hyland
Class Battles Class 1
Seamus Cooke and Gerard Hyland took a start to finish victory in class one. They powered their Mark 2 Escort to the top of the leaderboard by more than half a minute on the first stage alone. That set the scene for the day, and in the end they won the category by more than five minutes from Tristan Horan and Keith Murray, with Barry and Paul Driver third.
Class 2
Mick Nevin and Alan Higgins were the early class two leaders in their Escort. They were 11 seconds faster than Emmet Cronin and Mark Bownes on stage one, and had gradually extended that advantage by a further three seconds after stage four. Then Cronin started
fighting back, and going into the final stage, he was four seconds behind his rival. Fastest time saw Cronin grab the win at the last gasp, leaving Nevin to settle for second, ahead of Brendan Tyndall and Ger Cullen.
Class 3
Moss Fitzgerald and Alistair Wyllie were equal fastest on stage one with Jimmy Deane and Barry Meade, but Fitzgerald made the number one spot his own on stage two. Fastest
by 10 seconds, he continued to extend his advantage, eventually winning the category by more than one minute from Deane and Meade. John Fleming and Donal Mullins completed the top three in their Escort.
Class 4
The Benskins were back in action in class four, while Martin and Colm Brady also joined them with their MG ZR. It was Ray Benskin and Peadar Walsh who claimed the number one spot after stage one, only to swap positions with second placed Sean Benskin and Bobby Nugent. Positions switched again on stage three, once more after
Claa1 1 Seamus Cooke/Gerard Hyland Ford Escort Mk2................ 52:09 2 Tristan Horan/Keith Murray Ford KA.............................. 57:19 3 Barry Driver/Paul Driver Suzuki Swift GTI................. 57:52 Class 2 1 Emmet Cronin/Mark Bownes Ford MK 2.......................... 53:33 2 Mick Nevin/Alan Higgins Ford Escort Mk2................ 53:42 3 Brendan Tyndall/Ger Cullen Peugeot 205 GTi................ 58:09 Class 3 1 Moss Fitzgerald/Alistair Wyllie Toyota Corolla.................... 49:48 2 Jimmy Deane/Barry Meade Ford Escort Mk2................ 51:04 3 John Fleming/Donal Mullins Ford Escort Mk2................ 52:21 Class 4 1 Ray Benskin/Peadar Walsh Ford Escort Mk2................ 52:27 2 Sean Benskin/Bobby Nugent Ford Escort Mk2................ 53:11
Class battles continued >> 2nd CL1: Tristan Horan & Keith Murray
2nd CL2: Mick Nevin & Alan Higgins
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Hankook National Forest Championship
Birr Forestry Rally
2nd CL3: Jimmy Deane and Barry Meade
CL4: Ray Benskin & Peadar Walsh
stage four, and again stage five! In the end, it was Ray Benskin and Peadar Walsh who won the titfor-tat battle, finishing 44 seconds ahead of Sean Benskin and Bobby Nugent. Martin and Colm Brady had looked set to take third, but they retired their MG after the fifth stage.
2nd CL6: Gerard & James Lucey
Class 8
Class 5
CLASS RESULTS Class 5 1 Seamus O’Connell/Sean Duggan Ford Escort Mk2................ 48:59 2 Ollie Williams/Micheal Walsh Ford Escort Mk2................ 50:55 Class 6 1 Trevor J Harding/Andrew Purcell Subaru Impreza WRX......... 45:49 2 Connie Smith/Breen McNamee Ford Sierra......................... 49:41 3 Gerard Lucey/James Lucey Toyota Celica GT4.............. 50:06 Class 7 1 Ray Breen/Martin Brady Ford Focus WRC................ 45:44 2 Denis Cronin/Helen O’Sullivan Subaru Impreza WRC S6.... 46:47 3 John Reid/Enda Shilds Toyota Corolla WRC........... 47:18 Class 8 1 Colin Britton/Kiearns Arthur Mitsubishi Evo 9................ 47:11 2 Liam Ryan/Johnathan McGrath Subaru Impreza WRX......... 48:38 3 Sean Heaney/Liam McLaughlin Mitsubishi Evo 9................ 48:45 Class 9 1 Jason Ryan/Tadgh O’Sullivan Honda Civic Vtec................ 50:17 2 Peter Wilson/John Kilmurray Honda Civic....................... 50:33 3 Craig Breen/Sorcha Kelly Citroen C2 R2.................... 50:47
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Four crews entered class five, but just two reached the finish. James Coleman and Michael Haley grabbed the early lead, but one stage later it was Seamus O’Connell and Sean Duggan who were out in front. John Doolan and Derek Gibbs retired, leaving Ollie Williams and Michael Walsh in third position. Coleman moved back into the top spot after stage three, but it was short-lived, as he retired one stage later. That left O’Connell holding a lead of more than one minute from Williams, so he arrived home as the victor, with Williams settling for second position.
Class 6
Trevor J Harding and Andrew Purcell topped the class six tree at the finish, but as Harding finished inside the top three overall, he sacrificed his class award. Instead, Connie Smith and Breen McNamee claimed the class honours in their
2nd CL4: Sean Benskin & Bobby Nugent
Helen O’Sullivan, but both crews sacrificed their awards. That left John Reid and Enda Shields as the remaining class seven entrants, so they picked up the class spoils.
1st CL9: Jason Ryan and Tadgh O’Sullivan
Colin Britton and Arthur Kierans claimed a start to finish victory in class eight. Britton powered his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 to the top after stage one and stayed there until crossing the finish line. Early second place holders Sean Heaney and Liam McLaughlin tussled with Liam Ryan and Johnathan McGrath for second in class, but it was Ryan who claimed the position at the finish, with Heaney taking third.
Class 9
2nd CL9: Peter Wilson & John Kilmurray
Sierra, with Gerard and James Lucey second, ahead of Mark Murphy and Carol O’Keefe.
Class 7
Event winners Ray Breen and Martin Brady topped class seven ahead of Denis Cronin and
Damien McCarthy and Eamon Hayes were the early class nine leaders, after going fastest on the opening two stages. Then Jason Ryan and Tadgh O’Sullivan started fighting back, and they moved in front after McCarthy hit trouble on stage six. While McCarthy dropped to the bottom of the leaderboard, Ryan stayed at the top, claiming victory from Peter Wilson and John Kilmurray, with Craig Breen and Sorcha Kelly third.
2nd CL5: Ollie Williams & Michael Walsh
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Gortin Rally Time Trial
Clubman rally action from Omagh
Winner: James Gillen
Words Jonathan MacDonald PICTURES John O’Neill
Gillen’s Gortin Glory... Competitors had to weather the storm at this year’s Sayers Engineering Gortin Glen Hill Rally Time Trial, with rain and wind a major feature of the event. Organised by Omagh Motor Club, 45 competitors lined up for the start on Saturday 25 October. The stage, which was just over
4th: Eamon Mimnagh
5th: Paul Hughes
RESULTS 1 James Gillen Subaru............................... 99.58 2 John Bustard Evo.................................. 100.38 3 Robbie McGurk Subaru............................. 103.39 4 Eamon Mimnagh Evo.................................. 104.22 5 Paul Hughes Escort.............................. 105.69 6 Gareth Sawyers Nova................................ 105.80 7 Willie Vance Evo 6............................... 106.27 8 Paul Britton Subaru............................. 107.12 9 Anthony McGuinness Evo.................................. 107.15 10 Ronan Campbell Escort.............................. 108.03
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pacenotes.net november 2008
one mile in length, was tackled five times and it was Castlederg’s James Gillen who mastered the test. He powered his Subaru Impreza WRC to the top of the timesheets, claiming victory by almost one second. But after the practice run, it looked as though John Bustard was on course for victory in his Evo. As it transpired, his opening run was his fastest drive of the day, setting the target for his rivals to beat. Unfortunately for Bustard, Gillen was in determined form, as he edged closer to snatching the lead after each test. Then, over the fourth run, the Castlederg driver managed to swipe eight tenths out of Bustard’s fastest time, promoting him into the top spot. Neither Gillen nor Bustard completed the final run, so Gillen’s time stood as the fastest of the day. John Bustard was the best of the rest in his Evo, and he finished comfortably ahead of Robbie McGurk’s Impreza. McGurk was running inside the top three for much of the day, but couldn’t quite find the extra pace needed to challenge the top two. Behind McGurk, Eamonn Mimnagh was fourth in his Evo, and it was his fourth run over the stage allowed him to move ahead of Paul Hughes. The Mark 2 Escort pilot also topped the two-wheel drive field, after he secured his
2nd: John Bustard
3rd: Robbie McGurk
fastest time over the opening run, as the muck and dirt made traction difficult to find in his Escort. “That’s three years in a row we’ve finished top two-wheel drive,” a jubilant Hughes said after the finish. “It was very slippery – the first few corners were like ice. We only did three runs as the stage was getting slippier and our times were getting slower!” “Gareth Sayers was going well in the Corsa,” Hughes continued. “The stage probably would have suited
a front wheel drive car a bit better, but at the end of the day, you have to drive it!” Indeed, Gareth Sayers finished a slender one-tenth of a second adrift of Hughes. Sayers, who just returned home from Australia that morning, also finished sixth overall ahead of William Vance, with Paul Britton completing eighth. Anthony McGuinness finished ninth in his Evo while Ronan Campbell completed the top 10.
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