Two-day feast of rallying headed for Mallow this month

WITH less than three weeks to go until the crackle and pop of rally cars echo around Mallow, the groundswell of support for what is sure to be a feast of automotive excitement is growing at an incredible pace.

For a ninth successive year, the north Cork town will be the base for the Cork Motor Club’s annual Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally on July 28 and July 29. This year, in particular, has all the makings of being a special event with the return to a two-day format after a ten-year spell as a single-day event.

Mallow welcomed the event with open arms in 2010, and the return year-on-year since then is no accident or coincidence, such is the support received from local business and people alike, while the rally, in return, brings a huge economic boost to the region.

For a fourth straight year, the main event sponsor is Crafted Fitted Furniture, a local Mallow-based firm who have grown into an industry leader nationwide in the supply and design of bespoke furniture and kitchens. Starting in 1993, the firm is a real success story, with the current operation employing 20 people across both their showrooms and workshop.

The relationship between CFF Group and Cork Motor Club is one built strongly over the past four years of co-operation, with the rally showcasing the Crafted Fitted Furniture brand globally through both Irish and International TV coverage the event receives. This relationship is key to a combined success far into the future.

CMC are also delighted to welcome J&M Breen Distributors on board as an associate sponsor of the event. The Kanturk-based firm is a leading supplier of goods to the motor trade and is no stranger to the Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally, as it has regularly supported the event as stage sponsors down the years.

The support received from local business right across a large spectrum is testament to the quality of the event, as firms can see real benefit in being associated with the Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally.

The stages themselves, based close to Mitchelstown on Saturday and near Mallow on Sunday, have been undergoing all necessary work to get them in prime shape for the high-speed rally machines come late July, with much of this groundwork being helped by the financial contributions of the stage sponsors.

The fast-flowing tests this year are sponsored by Mallow Motor Factors, Eamonn Tarrant & Son Skoda Banteer, Irish Roll Forming Ltd, Greenhall Motors Buttevant, Healy Motorsport, R&R Tyres Ballincollig, Exact Signs Kildorrery, 2018 Rally HQ The Hibernian Hotel Mallow, and the Mallow Chamber.

The support needed to run an event of this scale is evidently rather large, but Cork Motor Club is thoroughly delighted with how well the local area has come together to ensure that the 2018 event will be the premier gravel rally in Ireland yet again.

The support of programme advertising has also been exceptional, which will be reflected in the quality of the publication. The event programme will contain all the relevant information on stages, location, times and competitors, and will be available to purchase locally the week before the event.

Alongside those that support the event financially, CMC relies heavily on other businesses for logistical support in the running of the event, and these deserve special thanks. Bringing over 100 crews to a region can have its headaches, but the willingness of these organisations to help out makes sure the event runs smoothly.

EARS Motorsport in the heart of Mallow have provided use of their facility for pre-event scrutiny on Friday and Saturday morning, while Cork County Council’s Annabella complex will be used for Parc Ferme.

The Sunday service area has been provided by Dairygold, which again is another great opportunity for the public to see the cars and drivers close up.

Lastly, of course, a rally such as the Cork Forest requires the use of stages, and a huge thanks goes to both Boggeragh Wind Farm and Coillte for the use of their roads and lands respectively.

The official launch of the 2018 Crafted Fitted Furniture Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally will take this evening (Thursday) at 7.30pm, with a photo shoot involving a number of rally cars and drivers in the grounds of Mallow Castle followed by a formal press launch with refreshments in the Rally HQ, in the Hibernian Hotel. All are welcome, and for more information please check out www.corkmotorclub.com or the Jim Walsh Cork Forrest page on Facebook.

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