The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Cronin’s chance to match the legendary Jimmy McRae
KILLARNEY and District Motor Club crew Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin have secured a last-minute deal to defend their British Rally Championship title.
The pair will drive a Hyundai i20 R5 in the series that gets underway this weekend with the Pirelli International Rally in Cumbria. The deal also includes two rounds of the world rally championship, Rally GB is already the final counting round of the BRC and Cronin and Galvin will also tackle Rally Spain in late October.
An added challenge for the local crew is that Cronin is chasing five British titles to equal the record set by legendary Scottish driver Jimmy McRae in the 1980s.
Cronin is one of the most successful drivers in British Rally Championship history as the Bantry-based driver recorded his fourth title on the Isle of Man last season in an epic last stage dual having edged Sweden’s Fredrik Ahlin to the title by a mere one tenth of a second and a single championship point to put him equal with the late-great Roger Clark in the record books.
“Last year was the toughest yet,” explained Cronin.
“It didn’t start off too well, we had a lot of bad luck early on with retirements and punctures and we were at a massive low point, but we kept fighting and fighting to recover it and we had the perfect outcome on the Isle of Man.
“When times are difficult and you are putting a deal and plan together for the year, you don’t necessarily think about what you have done but when everything is sorted and you are enjoying your rallying it is really nice to look back and reflect and remember the success but also the challenging times.
“To have the name on the trophy is fantastic but to equal a legend like Roger Clark is rather special.”
Rally Argentina
KRIS Meeke and Paul Nagle return to the scene of their first World Rally Championship win when they contest Rally Argentina this weekend.
The Citroen Abu Dhabi Total team crew won the South American classic two years ago, a rally famed for its huge challenge. Despite minimal route changes for this year – mainly found on Sunday’s leg, where the stages will be contested in the opposite direction to previous years – the route, features some very fast stages, others that are extremely twisty and gravel roads that are often very rough.
“I come into this fifth round very determined to move back up the championship standings, but this rally is such a challenge, you have to treat it with respect it deserves. I’ll do my very best, as always, but the weather may be a factor.
“The condition of the roads is often determined by how much rainfall there has been over the previous six months. In any case, it’s a rally that I really love, both for the wide range of difficulties involved and the warm, very enthusiastic welcome we get from the local fans.
“Added to which, I have always been comfortable here: I’ve finished on the podium twice in my four appearances, including my first WRC win.”
History maker
MICK Smith’s run on the Corbeau Seats Tendering and Clacton Rally was short lived after the London-based Killarney man’s historic Avenger broke a drive shaft on stage eight.
The rally, the fist-ever closed road rally in England was won by Welshman Melvyn Evan and his Cork co-driver Sean Hayde in a Subaru, Evens being a former winner of the Circuit of Kerry and the Killarney Historic Rally.
Monaghan Junior
JOHN McCarthy from Aghadoe finished third in the junior section of Sunday’s Monaghan Rally in a newly built Honda Civic.
McCarthy is better known for co-driving for his uncle Ed Murphy on local rallies. Monaghan marked his first outing as a driver and puts him in good stead for the Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes in just over two weeks’ time.