The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Top class entry for Historic Rally
KILLARNEY and District Motor Club can be justifiably proud of the entry they have attracted for Saturday’s Renotkil Initial Killarney Historic Rally, Ireland’s only dedicated historic and modified rally.
The rally is divided in to two categories with first 60 places reserved for pure historic rally cars, cars that remain almost unchanged (apart from modern safety equipment) from the time they originally graced the stages 40 years ago.
Top seed in this section is Rathmore man Mark Falvey, a former winner of this event, in his ex-Billy Coleman Ford Escort Mk1, with co-driving legend James O’Brien from Kanturk on the notes.
Behind him is a veritable whois-who of Irish and British rallying.
Names like former British Historic champions Paul Barrett and Marty McCormick field Escort Mk2s, Irish forestry champion Eoin Murphy in a Talbot Sunbeam and Melvyn Evans, the first overseas driver to win the Irish national series make up the top five.
Other top names include current British Rally Championship regular Jonny Greer in a Ford Sierra Cosworth, a replica of the car his father used on the Rally of the Lakes in the early 1990s,former Irish Tarmac Champion John Coyne and Phil Collins from Hereford who has only missed a handful of Killarney events since his first visit over 40 years ago.
Locals expected to make a mark on the leader board include Todd Falvey in a Ford Escort Rs1800, Pat Looney the defending Post Historic category champion and Bantry’s Denis Cronin who is also a previous Rally of the Lakes winner, with Helen O’Sullivan on the notes.
Rathmore’s Donal O’Connor will be pushing hard for top local honours in his Ford Escort while Killarney’s Paul Mitchell, David Fleming, Glenflesk’s Diarmuid Lynch and Glenbeigh’s Jack O’Shea are also in the line up.
New cars
There will be many new cars on the event, but two notables represent the Tralee-based Kerry Motor Club. Club chairman P O’Dowd made an epic journey to north-west Scotland last week to collect a new Talbot Sunbeam. A few days earlier club stalwart Mike Dowling imported a pristine Escort Mk1 from England. The Ballyduff man has not driven on a rally in over 30 years although he has kept his hand in my co-driving various locals in the in-between years.
Galvin’s BRC link
What happens when a former multiple British champion needs a local co-driver? You introduce him to a local co-driver that has also won the BRC.
Rallying royalty Jimmy McRae makes a welcome return to Killarney in his Rentokil-Initial-backed Vauxhall Magnum. He will be joined by Killarney man-abouttown Mikie Galvin, the 2017 BRC co-driving champion alongside Keith Cronin.
International affair
The rally has attracted crews for all over Ireland, England, Scotland, Isle of Man and Wales. There are two American entrants with Atlanta-based Donegal man, an event winner Stateside, making his annual pilgrimage to Killarney.
Two Kerry members of the London Irish Motor Club are competing. Ray Hilliard brings his Ford Escort Mk1 over for the weekend while Shane Buckley is on co-driving duty for Limerick’s Johnny O’Connor in a newly-built MK2.
Nagle’s noise making machine
Paul Nagle makes a welcome return to rallying and will join his former Citroen World Rally Team mate Craig Breen in Breen’s MG Metro 6R4. The pair will perform zero car duties at the head of the modified field. The noise this impressive car makes is reason enough to get out an watch (or listen) the rally.
Modified section
The modified category is always keenly contested and this year is no exception.
Leading the field away will be Rob Duggan who is chasing his third straight win on the rally. He is making the trek from Melbourne, Australia to compete and will again team-up co-driver Ger Conway. If Duggan wins the rally he will also become the inaugural Moriarty,s Centra Kingdom of Kerry Rally champion.
Other leading local crews include the Rentokil Initial backed team of Charlie and Johnny Hickey, Thomas Randles and Dave Slattery are both set to come out of retirement for the event, along with the young guns like Conor Murphy, Colin O’Donoghue who marks his first outing in a BMW M3. Others include Tadhg O’Sullivan, Denis Hickey, Con Lucey, Noel O’Sullivan, Vincent O’Shea, Bob Moran, John Hickey, Paudie O’Callaghan and Kevin O’Sullivan and many more.
Event details
The rally starts on Friday with a ceremonial start on main street Killarney at 7pm.
The real action gets underway on Saturday morning with the iconic Molls Gap, often rated by rally drivers as being the best and one of the most-challenging stages in the world.
The Gap is followed by the mountainous Beallaghbeama Pass and the fast flowing Carragh Lake stage, after which the crews head into service at Liebherr Container cranes Killarney for a well-earned service break.
The crews then repeat this loop for a second time before the switch in territory for the evening loop where the club has taken extra measures to encourage spectators into the many safe viewing spots along the way.
Club PRO Johnny Hickey explained: “For the evening loop we have strategically designed a new version of the Kilcummin stage which will be run back to back. It’s a spectator friendly stage and we would like to invite the public and rally fans of Killarney Town to come out and support your local heroes as they contest the Kilcummin village test. [The] first run at 14:30 and second run at 16:00, it should be a great spectacle and atmosphere in Kilcummin village.”
Full details of the route and entry lists are published in the official programme which has gone on sale in many local outlets since last weekend.