The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Some 20 Kerry crews ready for West Coast Rally Championship
THE Top Part West Coast Rally Championship kicks off this weekend with the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel Rally and there is an unprecedented number of Kerry crews competing on the event.
After weeks of uncertainty, particularly centred on the costs of new safety trackers, Irish rallying has at last settled down and Sunday’s bumper entry is testament to that. Clubs were able to offer reduced entry fees once Motorsport Ireland announced it would take further time to investigate the potential introduction of trackers. The announcement resulted in a flurry of late entries for the Birr and District Motor Club event with nearly 20 based Kerry crews to start.
A new season means lots of changes over the winter months. Former West Coast Champion Mike Quinn returns this season at the wheel of his favoured Ford Escort Mk2 after a few events last season in a Subaru Impreza World Rally Car. He will have a new co-driver too, with Kevin Tydings stepping in the passenger side for the first time.
London-based Kerry co-driver Shane Buckley is likely to be the top Kerry seed alongside Daniel Cronin in a Ford Fiesta R5. They are out on a high-speed test run ahead of Daniel’s home event the West Cork Rally in the middle of March.
Vincent O’Shea and Eoin O’Donoghue will debut their newly acquired Darrian T90 DXE.
Defending ladies champion Katie Quinn, Mike’s daughter is back for her another full season and she will be hoping to pick up some of the new awards offered to West Coast Championship contenders’ courtesy of Women in Motorsport Ireland.
Brother and sister crew Andrew and Tara Duggan make a rare start outside County Kerry or County Cork in their Ford Escort but they are a formidable duo wherever they compete and will be well in touch for class honours.
Ger O’Brien and John Liston field a newly built Escort. The Kerry Motor Club team have not been out since last April’s Circuit of Kerry when an engine problem ruled them out of their home event.
Circuit of Kerry clerk of the course, Eoin Duffin will have his daughter Ciara alongside for her first rally in his Ford Escort.
Co-driver Damien Fleming is back alongside his regular pilot, Raymond Conlon and they will drive their usual Toyota Corolla Twin Cam while Ger Somers will co-drive for Raymond Spence in another Escort.
Other local co-drivers include Denis O’Connell who will co-drive for Ed Synan after a year out and Keith McCarthy who is alongside Neil Phelan, both crews in Escorts.
Tralee-based Mark Kane switches from the co-driver’s seat and will steer a hired Subaru Impreza on his home club’s event.
In the Junior element of the rally Alan O’Sullivan is the only Kerry driver entered in his Honda Civic while David Griffin is the sole Kerry driver in the historic section in his Toyota Corolla GT.
New for this year is a demonstration rally, for rally cars of historic importance and inspired by the RallyFest event that ran alongside the Rally of the Lakes last year.
Six Kerry competitors have entered this section, they are: Conor Falvey and Fergal Patwell in a Porsche 911 RS; Mark Falvey in a Ford RS 1600; father and son Michael and Brian Buckley in a Porsche 911 Carrera RS; and Todd Falvey in a Ford RS1800.
RALLY SWEDEN
CRAIG Breen and Paul Nagle finished seventh in the Swedish round of the World Rally Championship in their works Hyundai, one place behind Belgian team-mate Thierry Neuville after three days of stages, which had to be curtailed because of the unusually mild weather conditions.
Noel O’Sullivan and driver Jon Armstrong crashed out on Friday.
NORTHERN IRELAND RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
TRALEE-BASED co-driver Mark Kane had an interesting day alongside Philip Allen on Saturday. The crew was contesting the Pacenotes Rally Magazine Kirkistown Stages which was the opening round of The McGrady Insurance Motorsport UK Northern Ireland Rally Championship.
Driving a Hyundai i20 R5, they set second-fastest time on stage one, only to lose time on the second test with an off-road excursion which dropped them to sixth overall.
However, worse was to follow and halfway through the third stage the gear lever in their Hyundai came off in Allen’s hand and they dropped to 23rd overall. They did recover over the latter stages to finish 19th.