Enright and Buckley top Kerry crew in East Cork Rally

KERRY Motor Club’s Tim Enright and Stephen Buckley were the top local finishers on Sunday’s Middleton-based Imokilly Rally in what was a day of high attrition for Kerry crews.

Enright and Buckley, driving their usual Ford Escort Mk2, steadily increased their pace over the event’s six stages. Clearing the opening test in 16th position, by the half-way mark they were up to tenth and ended up eighth overall, to record one of their best results outside The Kingdom.

Killarney and District Motor Club member Barry Meade was the early leader and at the halfway halt he announced that he was going to drive steady and within himself to secure the win. But, as so often is the case in rallying, it is easier to drive flat out than it is to drive at a reduced pace and Meade put his Ford Escort off the road and out of the rally on the penultimate stage.

A post on his social media fan page said: “An early bath for us today, unfortunate to slide wide on a left-hand corner and break a steering strut. We didn’t anticipate the gravel or melting tar to get worse on the third run of the stage. It is disappointing, especially while in a comfortable lead, but that is rallying as they say.”

Vincent O’Shea was another Kerry driver running well inside the top ten but he too failed to make the finish. This left Denis Hickey and Sean Nolan as the top KDMC crew, the Ford Escort team finishing 11th overall.

Conor Murphy and Kieran O’Donoghue, also representing Kerry Motor Club finished a creditable 14th overall in their Honda Civic and also won the junior (under 27) element of the rally.

John Hickey recorded a rare finish in his Subaru-powered Escort taking class 20 honours in the process and finishing one place overall ahead of the Toyota of Sean Hickey and Noel Fleming who finished 29th.

Father and son team Denis and Ryan O’Brien (KDMC) finished second in their class in their Opel Corsa.

Kerry retirements on the popular East Cork club rally included Charlie and Johnny Hickey and Tadgh O’Sullivan and Damien Fleming in their Escorts while Fergus O’Meara did not start.

Meanwhile, in Lisburn, on Saturday, Dublin-based Kerry navigator guided local driver John Devlin to 17th overall in their Escort on the Down Rally.