Plenty of Kerry cars in West Cork Rally
new car ahead of the opening the opening round next month.
Other drivers to register include John Daly from Listowel, who was the first driver to register last season, signing his way into the record books as the new championship’s first contender.
Co-driver Maurice McElligott signed up too, following a great run on last year’s Circuit of Kerry, he was the first ever championship leader, alongside Tom Relihan in an Escort Mk1.
Clerk of the course Eoin Duffin revealed that Kerry Motor Club will run a new town centre Rally Festival in Tralee on the eve of the rally.
Local rally and classic cars will go on display along the pedestrian area of The Mall and The Square and members of Kerry Motor Club will be on hand to explain motorsport to the general public and to give fans visiting the town for the rally something to look forward to on the night before the event.
WEST CORK RALLY
THE traditional St Patrick’s weekend rally takes place in Clonakilty this weekend and the impressively strong entry has attracted a good Kerry interest.
The rally is the second round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and its current leaders are Craig Breen and Paul Nagle in their Ford Fiesta R5. They start at two, behind multiple West Cork and Rally of the Lakes winners Donagh Kelly and Conor Foley in a Skoda Fabia R5.
With the British Rally Championship visiting West Cork for the first time, the top 25 cars come from the R5 class, making it one of the most-competitive entry lists ever seen in Europe since the current runes came in just over two years ago.
London-based Faha co-driver Shane Buckley is on pacenote duty for English rally legend Phil Collins in a Ford Escort.
Father and son team Kevin and Colin O’Donoghue start at 68 in their BMW M3 E30 while Bob Moran and Adam Power start at 120 in a Ford Escort.
The 1992 Circuit of Kerry winner, Gwyndaf Evans from Wales, will contest his first Irish rally in years and will start at number 72 in a Ford Escort.
Kerry Motor Club chairman PJ Dowd is listed to co-drive for Roland Doherty from Adare in an Opel Corsa.
London-based Ray Hilliard and his nephew Conor Walsh from Listowel are the third seeds in the historic section of the rally in their Escort Mk1.
Junior drivers representing Kerry on the two-day event include Kieran Reen/ Kevin Doherty and Conor Murphy / Keith McCarthy, both crews in Honda Civics.
MALCOLM WILSON RALLY CUMBRIA
KILLARNEY co-driver Noel O’Sullivan, alongside Derry man Connor McCloskey were the early leaders of Saturday’s Malcolm Wilson Rally in their Ford Fiesta R5 but were forced to retire at the end of stage three.