The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
O’Grady set for Sunflower Trophy return
TRALEE motorcycle racer Emmet O’Grady will contest this weekend’s Sunflower Trophy races at Bishopscourt Racing Circuit in county Down, the biggest single meeting trophy event in the country.
O’Grady, who made a return to the sport last season after a long lay as a result of a work-place accident, will contest his first Sunflower Trophy since 2012.
Last year’s Mondello Dunlop Masters Supersport 600 champion has the use of a TAG Racing Honda Fireblade this weekend. It is the same bike he used to finish fifth in this season’s Masters’ championship at the County Kildare track.
Prior to his accident, O’Grady was twice Irish 400 short circuit champion. This will mark his third visit to the Sunflower Trophy races, where his best result was eighth in 2011.
“The Sunflower event has always been the pinnacle of Irish short circuit racing,” he said, “My fondest memory was racing in the Supersport race finishing behind
Declan Swanton and Jeremy McWilliams in 2011.2
Cork rider Swanton and Belfast’s McWilliams both enjoyed World Super Bike Championship success.
IRISH TARMAC CHAMPIONSHIP
PAUL Nagle collected his Irish Tarmac Rally Championship winning trophy at the championship’s prizegiving event which took place in Letterkenny on Saturday night.
Nagle is the second Kerry competitor to win the title, after Mikie Galvin won the title in 2016 alongside Keith Cronin.
The Aghadoe man and his driver Craig Breen won Galway, West Cork, The Easter Rally, The Rally of the Lakes and Ulster on their way to the title.
They secured their opening four wins behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta R5 but switched to a Hyundai i30 R5 for the final round they contested.
Other local prize winners included Rathmore co-driver Declan Casey who finished third in the modified category and Lixnawbased Tommy Commane who won the co-drivers section of the Historic Category 2 class
FASTNET RALLY PREVIEW
THIS weekend’s Fastnet Rally will feature at least 14 cars with Kerry interest.
Colin O’Donoghue could wrap up the Triton Showers National Junior Rally Championship on the Bantry-based event.
If the Ford Escort driver is successful he will secure one of the final selection spots for the Billy Coleman Young Driver of the Year Award.
Kieran Reen/Mark O’Leary (Honda Civic EK4), fresh from their category win on the recent Cork ‘20’ Rally, will go head-tohead with Jason Farrell/Donagh Crowley who are in another locally owned Civic.
With the Killarney Historic Rally fast-approaching and the absence of a Kerry Winter Rally this year, many local drivers are using this event as a shakedown for the late November rally.
Chief amongst these is Alan Ring who is racing his BMW M3 for the second time. Former Rally of the Lakes winners Denis Cronin and Helen O’Sullivan make a welcome return in their historic-spec Ford Escort RS1800.
There is a fleet Killarney-based modified Escorts on the entry list crewed by Dave Slattery/Denis Coffey, Denis Hickey/Sean Nolan and Charlie Hickey/Johnny Hickey, while Vincent O’Shea and Eoin O’Donoghue are entered in their unusual BMW M1.
Local co-drivers in action include Declan Casey alongside Emma Nott in a Ford Escort and Denny Greaney who is on pacenote duty for Robert Leech in a Proton Satria.
Brian Doherty resumes his partnership with Keith Lyons. He last worked with the Ford Fiesta R5 driver in the Rally of the Lakes in May.
BELGIUM RALLYING
LONDON-BASED Killarney man Mick Smith did not start last Sunday’s Hemicuda Rally in Belgium. He was forced to withdraw his entry at the last minute as he ran out of time preparing the car for Kokelare-based rally.
A crack at the Historic Rally in November remains on target.