MCNULTY RETURNS TO RALLYING WITH LATEST FIESTA R5
Tim Mcnulty looks set to return to rallying for the first time since the 2016 Galway International Rally having acquired a Ford Fiesta R5 Mk2.
Any outings the 2011 Irish Tarmac champion Mcnulty makes this year in the righthand-drive Mcgeehan Motorsport-run car will help as he builds towards the National Rally Championship.
“That’s where I am headed next year,” Mcnulty told MN.
“It is a well-organised championship, the people behind it are great and the events are of a very high standard. I’m looking forward to getting started.
“I have been following R5 from a distance for a few years now and it is clear the Fiesta is a great car,” he added. “M-sport has done a fantastic job with it and the set-up is perfect for Irish Tarmac. I didn’t want a car that would require me having to spend a lot of time tweaking it. A Fiesta using Reiger suspension and Michelin tyres with
Derek running it is a winning combination.”
Mcnulty’s Fiesta is one of three Mk2s to be delivered to Ireland recently. Cathan and Conor Mccourt have an example as does Ryan Loughran, while will be for hire through his NPL Rally Hire & Preparation firm.
Former British Historic Rally champion Paul Barrett, who claimed the title in 2018, is one of two experienced rally contenders switching to rallycross for the opening rounds of the BTRDA Clubmans Rallycross Championship at Pembrey next week.
The double-header event, in which the South Wales circuit will run in a different direction on each day, features an almost 60-car entry, including Barrett in his converted Ford Escort G3 in the Supermodified category, and former British Rally Championship driver Chris
Wheeler, in a Ford Fiesta R1.
Five drivers have signed up for the Production 4x4 category, with only Bradley Sampson in a Mitsubishi Lancer E6 driving anything other than a Subaru Impreza. Former BTRDA Junior competitor Abbie Mcguinness has stepped up to the Production category with her Volkswagen Lupo, while Luke Constantine, the overall BTRDA champion for the last two years, is targeting a record third crown and remains in the Junior division.
Nine drivers are entered for the Junior category, with
Corey Padgett, Owen Robbins and Kacper Potyra all making their series debut. Supercar driver Mike Manning, a local to Pembrey, is expected to race his Ford Fiesta Supercar on the second day of the event, in preparation for his recentlyannounced 5 Nations British RX campaign this year.
The final round of the Clubmans series at Knockhill in Scotland has been moved a week to October 25 to avoid a clash with the 5 Nations British Rallycross Championship’s third round at Pembrey.
A test day will be held at Knockhill on October 24.