Wexford Volkswagen Stages Rally gets under way this weekend
THE much-anticipated Wexford Volkswagen Stages Rally gets under way this coming weekend (September 8 and 9), pitching top Irish and UK drivers against one another in one of the most eagerly-awaited events in the Irish motor sports calendar.
The 47th running of the two-day rally will take in 15 stages over more than 200 kilometres, and will run from 9.15 a.m. on Saturday, closing at 5.30 p.m. on Sunday, by which time the 2018 rally champion will have been crowned.
Winners for the last two years, Steve Wood and Keith Moriarty return in 2018 to try and make it three wins on the bounce. They return with the Subaru Impreza S11 WRC which brought them to victory in 2017. The certainly start the event as favourites, but they will face stiff opposition, especially from the two-wheel drive ranks.
At number two are last year’s runners-up, Ian Barrett and Eoin O’ Flaherty.
Last year they debuted their Ford Fiesta WRC on the event, but in 2018 they return in a Darrian T90 GTR. Ian, navigated by Paul McGee, scored a very impressive victory on the National section of the Donegal International rally in June, and the Joule backed car will not only be expected to set the bench mark in the twowheel drive race, but also mount a considerable challenge to the lead Subaru. At three is last year’s two-wheel drive winner Gary Kiernan, with Darren “Speedy” O’ Brien on the notes.
Kiernan was head and shoulders above the two-wheel drive opposition last year, but he faces a far sterner test this year to retain his two-wheel drive title.
Seeded at four are the Welsh wizards, John Dalton and Gwynfor Jones. John has had some fabulous runs in Wexford over the years, and despite a six year absence from the event, he will be very much tipped as one of the favourites for both two-wheel drive and overall success. John has forever and a day longed to take victory on one of Ireland’s premier events. He was second on this year’s Raven’s Rock rally, can he go one better in Wexford? Fifth on the road is Tyrone man Frank Kelly with Wexford’s John McGrath in the hot-seat.
Frank is famous all over the world for his antics aboard his famous “baby-blue” escort, but there’s nothing Frank Kelly loves more than a race, and he has a major one on his hands this weekend. Second to Barry Meade in Carlow earlier in the year, Frank will be sure to challenge the men ahead for overall honours.
The remainder of the top ten is just as strong for this year’s event. At six are the Condell brother, David and George in their 2.5 Millington powered Escort. David won the Imokilly mini-stages rally earlier this year and indeed won the Carlow stages rally in 2017. With brother George on the notes, they will pose a strong challenge to Kiernan and Kelly for top Mk2 on the event. At seven is the Darrian of the 2015 winners, Mark Straker and Mike Coady. Mark has been hard at work developing his 1.6 litre turbo-charged Darrian, and he will be looking to make strides forward with his very different car on this year’s event. It’s great to see another Welsh crew at eight, Meirion Evans and Jonathan Jackson aboard the state-of-the-art Hyundai i20 R5.
This will be Meirion’s first event in the new car, and it will be interesting to see how the latest R5 car fair out against the opposition on the Wexford stages.
Another former two-wheel drive winning crew is at nine in the shape of Wesley Patterson and Johnny Baird in their immaculate Mk2 Escort. Wesley was second overall to Mark Straker in 2015, and third overall in 2014, so the Lisburn man knows how to get a result in Wexford. Rounding out the top ten is another Welsh crew, Tomas and Eurig Davies in the Scott Williams motorsport Mk2 Escort. Tomas was on the podium on the Imokilly stages rally when taking third overall. After bad luck on both the raven’s rock and Stonethrowers rally, they will be looking for a good performance here in Wexford.
The format consists of three stages north of Enniscorthy run three times on Saturday and two stages in the Ballymurn and Blackwater areas run three times on Sunday over a course of smooth and technical tarmac.
Scrutiny will take place at Hertz in Ferrybank with central service at Enniscorthy Mart on the Old Dublin road while rally headquarters are at the Riverbank House Hotel in Ferrybank.
The event has remained free of the constraints of any national championship to evolve into the much-celebrated clubman rally that it is.
The recent launch of the rally by brand sponsor Rosanna Davison at Wexford Volkswagen, in Drinagh, was hosted by Dealer Principal Kevin O’Reilly, the rally’s main sponsor.
‘ Through our sponsorship over the past few years, we have watched the Wexford Volkswagen Stages Rally gain popularity and respect as Ireland’s only two-day, non-championship rally, he said.
‘Our partnership with Wexford Motor Club and the stages rally helps us to support a local club here in Wexford (and) to support the relationship between Volkswagen Motor Sports and international rallying.’
Mr O’Reilly said the continued growth and success of the event was testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved.
The motor club says Wexford is where UK crews come to compete in all classes with Irish / local competitors – for the bragging rights that last for a full year. Following quite a few years of UK winners, the 2018 Wexford Volkswagen Stages Rally offers an opportunity for an Irish crew to restore the overall award honours.
Previous winners include Steve Woods, Mark Straker, James Stafford, Damien Cole, PJ McGrath, Eamonn Boland, Stephen Murphy, Pete Doughty, Donie Keating, Bill Connelly, Frank Meagher, Austin McHale, Bertie Fisher, Ger Buckley and Billy Coleman.