CUMISKEY SET FOR RALLY NORTH WALES IN FIESTA BRIAN PATTERSON

“Not much sign of a deal on the Circuit”

New R5 owner Brendan Cumiskey has confirmed his return to next month’s Rally North Wales – four years after he last appeared on the gravel meeting.

The Dolgellau-based event takes place on Saturday, April 2, and will only be Cumiskey’s third outing in his Ford Fiesta R5 and his first in the forests.

On his last visit to what was then known as the Bulldog National Rally the Louthbased driver finished 10th overall using a Group N Mitsubishi Lancer E9.

“I took part in the rally in 2012 and really enjoyed it,” Cumiskey said. “I hope to do a few more gravel rallies during the course of the season. I feel that this is the best place for my confidence driving a lefthand-drive car to grow. I find gravel is more forgiving than Tarmac to learn on.

“This will be our first run out on gravel in the Fiesta R5 and the hope is that we can achieve a solid result. I really cannot wait to get going.”

Cumiskey’s primary focus this year will be the Irish Tarmac Championship.

He finished sixth in class on the Galway International Rally and seventh in class at West Cork but admits to being overly cautious on the latter.

“It is going to take time to get confident and for me to maximise the car’s ability,” he said after switching from a JRM Subaru last year. ● The regulations are out for Rally North Wales and the event already has 122 entries.

Goodwood’s decision to run a race for Edwardian cars during the Members’ Meeting might have surprised some, but the impressive leviathans were bound to entertain and even before the start of qualifying big crowds had gathered to take a closer look.

From the 1903 Mercedes of Gareth Graham to several 1923 cars, this was a grid of remarkable engineering from a century ago.

In a world where the curse of one-make racing can make the modern sport uninspiring, the Edwardian racers are wonderfully diverse, ranging from diminutive hillclimb specials like Winston Teague’s GN Wasp to vast aero-engine monsters.

Goodwood’s oldest ever race was a real hit with the crowd and will surely be repeated.