IRISH NOTES 5TH SEPTEMBER 2005

Northern Ireland Rally Champion Kevin Lynch (Impreza WRC) has shaken off the effects of his injured back and will be competing on this weekend's Enniskillen based Lakelands Stages Rally, Round 7 of the series. Glenn Allen (Corolla WRC) is Lynch's biggest threat to retaining his title, and he joins all the NI Championship regulars for the event through the Fermanagh forests, always one of the most popular rounds.. 

Ivan Fisher is co-driving on his home Lakelands event this weekend for his son Alistair who is competing on his first rally in his Suzuki Swift. 

Top seeds for this weekend's Wexford Rally include Eamonn Boland, Noel Redmond and Stephen Murphy. The rally boasts a full 131 entry plus reserves, is based in Rosslare and has two stages repeated on the Saturday and three stages repeated on Sunday.

Mullingar car dealer Jack Sleator is hiring a Group N Subaru Impreza for this weekend's Castle Single Stage Rally.  The event is based at the Bloomfield House Hotel and there is an interesting 10 mile stage repeated 3 times just outside Mullingar.  Other top entries include Tom Holton in a Celica. James Foley in a new Lancer Evo9 and Dominic Loughran in a Lancer.

Johnny McKenna driving a Lancer scored the narrowest of victories over Seamus Donnelly in a similar car on last weekend's Magherafelt MC Banagher Rally Time Trial.  Seamus O'Connell was 3rd and best of the 2 wheel drive competitors in his Escort.

Eugene Donnelly's Pirelli Tarmac Championship points tally following last weekend's Ulster Rally is 89, with Derek McGarrity on 73 and Tim McNulty 59. There is just one round remaining, the Cork '20'

Following their win in the Killarney Forestry, Gareth MacHale/Paul Nagle expressed their intent to take their Corolla WRC to the Cork '20', Trackrod and Rally Ireland events.  Interestingly Rally Ireland is having a press conference in Dublin this week and part of the announcement is expected to be that entries are still available for the 15th/16th October WRC aspirant. 

Sligo Pallets man Andrew Mullan tied up class 5 on the Dunlop National Championship, following the Galway Summer, and intends now to compete on Rally Ireland with his ex-works Puma, and to contest the Pirelli Tarmac Championship next year.

Glenn Allen opted out of the Killarney Forestry event, and besides competing on the Enniskillen Lakelands this weekend, feels he would like to do something different this year and is considering the Rally Ireland and Grizedale events.

A late story from the Ulster Rally was that Brian O'Mahony won S1600 in his Puma and Justin Dale's M-Sport Fiesta broke its radiator on the penultimate stage and the engine cried enough on the final stage. 

Brian Patterson.