IRISH NOTES 30th MARCH 2005

 

Gareth MacHale won last weekend’s Mitchelstown Forestry Rally, his Corolla WRC finishing 9s ahead of John McCarthy’s similar example. The event was round 2 of the Southern Forestry Championship, and this was Gareth’s 2^nd win to give him a clear lead in the series. Pat Norris was 3^rd in his Subaru, 43s behind McCarthy.

 

Stephen Moore (Impreza N) won a closely fought Group N battle on the Mitchelstown Forestry, finishing just ahead of Pete Willoughby with Jonny McKenna 3^rd, the latter two driving Lancers.

 

Glenn Allen made the long trip from Enniskillen to Mitchelstown after winning the Easter Stages to compete on the Forestry event. He switched from his Corolla WRC to his Escort WRC, but was delayed by several small excursions and finished 4^th.  Allen did move into the lead of the NI Championship with his Easter Stages victory.  Kevin Lynch won the first 2 rounds and led the series, but opted out of the Easter Stages to compete on the Circuit of Ireland, but retired from the latter event when his Impreza WRC burst its radiator after a collision with a hedge.

 

Well known competitor Philip Shaw is once again CoC of the 21^st May Sperrins Rally, next round of the NI Championship.  The Magherafelt MC event will have several new forest stages, including a water splash and the club is offering encouragement to cross channel drivers to come to the event.

 

This weekend’s Tralee based Circuit of Kerry, as well as being a round of the Dunlop National Championship, is also the 2^nd counter in the Top Part West Coast series. Noel Redmond/Diarmuid Falvey lead the points in their Impreza WRC, from Alan Ring (Impreza N) and Adrian Quinn (Lancer N).

 

West Cork winner Denis Cronin has decided not to compete on this weekend’s Circuit of Kerry, but to concentrate all his efforts on getting his Impreza WRC right for the Killarney Rally of the Lakes.

 

Young Sarah Moynihan, of the Mallow arm of EARS, has acquired the ex Colin Britton Nissan Micra, and intends to compete mostly on gravel but has entered the all asphalt Monaghan stages as a shakedown.

Brian Patterson