JASON CRAIG
“Serious questions now need to be asked”
Stephen Wright made history last weekend by becoming the first ever Irishman to win the Northern Ireland Rally Championship’. Alternatively, ‘Derek Mcgarrity defied the odds to be crowned Northern Ireland Rally champion for the ninth time’.
As the Glens of Antrim Rally never actually took place I – and you – can only imagine how the report filed to Motorsport News for this week’s issue might have begun. The reason for the no-show, according to clerk of the course and Mid Antrim Motor Club chairman Henry Campbell, was an insufficient number of paid-for entries. Sadly, it denied the chance for a three-way title fight to reach its climax.
Prior to last Tuesday morning’s announcement Wright was preparing to make the four-hour round trip to north Antrim from his base in Monaghan, Mcgarrity had invested in a new gravel kit for his Skoda Fabia R5, and Derek Mcgeehan – the third driver in with a shot of the title – had spent a small fortune fitting a new engine after the previous motor in his Mini John
Cooper Works WRC had failed on him.
The most vocal individual to question the decision and ask why more was not done to ensure the gravel counter ran as planned was Mcgarrity – an eight-time winner of the series.
Unlike the vast majority of drivers I know, Mcgarrity is not one to mince his words; he used superlatives including ‘joke’, ‘farce’ and ‘shambles’ as he lavished criticism on a motor club that has arguably some of the best forest stages on its backdoor step.
What really struck a chord with me was Mcgarrity’s suggestion of moving the Glens of Antrim Rally to an alternative venue and date, rather than cutting the championship short and denying fans the kind of conclusion they had been looking forward to since last month’s Tyrone Stages Rally.
You may recall that back in 2017, Magherafelt and District Motor Club decided to stage the Sunset Rally at Nutt’s Corner race circuit. That quick turnaround for what was originally a reserve event allowed Mcgarrity and eventual champion Jonathan Greer to battle it out.
The official line, of course, is that in order for that to happen this year reserve events and their corresponding dates had to be included in the regulations when they were first published.
The Glens of Antrim Rally was pitched as ‘the highlight of Mid Antrim Motor Club’s calendar’.
This season it was not only the club’s showpiece but that of an entire championship given what was at stake. As Mcgarrity told MN: “Serious questions now need to be asked.”