Kelly’s eye on the three-in-a-row
THE excellent Donagh Kelly will be seeking to make it three Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes successes in a row when he returns to Killarney on the May Bank Holiday weekend but he won’t have it all his own way with no shortage of contenders lining up to snatch the title from him.
Kelly was unbeatable in 2015, winning the national series, the premier Irish Tarmac Championship and the iconic Killarney event in his WRC Ford Focus, and while he took a break for much of last year, he ensured he returned to Killarney to retain his crown.
The current Irish Tarmac Championship leader Alastair Fisher – nephew of the legendary Bertie – will be very much in contention in Killarney as will the Moffet brothers, Sam and Josh, who will be fighting for championship points as they currently stand in second and third position respectively.
2015 runner-up Robert Barrable will hit town in his unique Hyundai R5 – the only one of its kind in the country – and the Dublin car dealer is expected to show very well on this occasion.
Roy White, a previous winner of the National category in Killarney, steps up to the International stage in his Ford Fiesta WRC and he is on record as saying he just loves the Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes stages.
Joseph McGonigle, Brendan Cumiskey and Stephen Wright will also be pushing for glory as will rally royalty Aaron McHale in his Citroen DS3 RF.
A battle royale of modified cars is in prospect in the National section with Kevin Eves from Donegal turning out fresh from his National victory in the West Cork Rally and he leads the Irish Tarmac Championship coming to Killarney.
He will face stiff opposition from Eugene Meegan from Co Meath, last year’s National winner and one of the favourites for the title, while Galway National winner Gary Kiernan is also to be watched. The Cavan man is a previous two-time National winner and he has had a new engine fitted.
A real treat for rally fans will be the flamboyant driving style of Barry ‘The Titan’ Meade from Kanturk, a member of the Killarney and District Motor Club, who previously won the National title on two occasions while talented UK driver Phil Collins returns to Killarney and is always at the business end of the competitive National category.
Over 30 local drivers will be in the field including Fergus O’Meara who will be giving his new Ford Fiesta its competitive debut, Charlie and Johnny Hickey fresh from their Southern 4 Championship win, Kevin O’Donoghue in his unique BMW M3 and crash repair specialist Tadhg O’Sullivan.
Noel O’Sullivan will compete in his hometown rally for the 35th year – his 32nd year in his Ford Escort Mk2 – with his navigator Nicholas Burke taking part in his 25th International Rally of the Lakes.
In the Historics section, Killarney regular Eugene Graham from London, who currently leads the championship in that category, will debut his all-new BMW M3 but he won’t have it all his own way with Barry Jones, currently second in the championship, Alan Watkins, Duncan Williams, David Goose and Keith McIvor all fancying their chances.
The Junior rally in Killarney is regarded as the best event of its kind in the country with several previous winners going on to achieve major success. They include top drivers Keith Cronin, Owen Murphy, Rob Duggan and Ross Forde who have all won the prestigious Billy Coleman Award.
Exciting Juniors this year will include Glenflesk’s Kieran O’Donoghue – last year’s winner – and Kenmare’s Shane McCarthy fresh from his Junior win in the Circuit of Kerry.
The top three in the Junior Championship, the dynamic Jenna McCann, Justin Ryan and John McCabe will all be battling it out in Killarney.