IRISH NOTES 16^TH APRIL 2006

 

John McCarthy’s victory on last weekend’s Wicklow Forestry rally took him to the front of the McAuley Trailers Forestry Championship with 39 points. Stephen Moore had led the series but retired from Wicklow when his Focus WRC which he had just acquired from Craig Bennett cried enough on the penultimate stage following a stage 2 accident which cost him the lead of the rally.  Moore is now 2^nd in the series with 36pts.

 

 

Donie O’Sullivan finished a very close 3rd on the Wicklow event driving Ollie O’Donovan’s P2000 Impreza. The car needed some fettling at the final service and O’Sullivan was only seconds away from victory despite not having competed for well over a year.  He has entered his home Killarney Rally of the Lakes and is planning to drive the McKinstry Impreza WRC which had been earmarked for Andrew Nesbitt. The Lakes has received in the region of 300 entries and is causing quite a headache for the organisers to sort out.  Most of the top drivers have entered for this 3rd round of the Pirelli Tarmac series.

 

This weekend’s Monaghan Rally sees a continuation of both the Dunlop National championship and the class based Border series. As ever the rally has attracted a strong and over-subscribed entry.  Championship regulars Ray Breen, Charlie Donnelly and Patrick Elliott fill the top 3 slots in their Focus WRc, Corolla WRC and Impreza WRC S10 respectively. The reserve list makes interesting reading with names such as West Cork Group N winner Kevin Kelleher and former Production World Champion Niall McShea far from sure of a run.

 

Enniskillen MC is running an interesting draw in aid of  McMillan Cancer Relief with 3 winners getting a chance to co-drive on their traditional May Day Rally on Monday the 1^st May at St. Angelo.

 

Anthony O’Halloran must be favourite for this weekend’s Clare Single Stage as the classic Ruan stage which runs past his home is the heart of the rally, being run 3 times. The event is based in Ennis and just some of the other top competitors expected to take part include Pat Casey in his Escort, also from Ruan and Aidan Walsh along with Mike Moloney in their respective Escorts.

 

The Carlow Rally which this year has been included again in the Dunlop National series is also featuring an Escort Mk2 Challenge and one exciting entry is Alister McRae in an absolute top specification Mk2 Escort.

 

Regards: Brian Patterson