Irish Notes 4^th Dec ‘06

 

Brendan Crealey has acquired Rory Galligan’s ‘works’ Lancer Evo 9 from ADR and intends to compete on the Grizedale Stages this weekend as a shakedown. Brendan, a former British Junior Rally Champion and Evo Challenge winner, has not fully decided on next year’s programme, but will almost certainly tackle one of the Irish based championships, on the grounds of cost and travelling time.

 

Jon Ingram has concluded a deal for the white Impreza WRC S11, the former Pirelli test car, that Eugene Donnelly drove to victory on the recent Donegal Harvest Rally. Ingram intends to contest the 2007 Tarmac Championship. Ian Allsop will co-drive.

 

Further details have been released about the 2007 National Forest Rally Championship, with the first of the planned 8 rounds at Carrick on Suir on March 4^th. The entry fees have been pegged at €490 for the main field and €390 for the Juniors. There is no recce for the individual events, but Patterson Safety Notes and DVD can be purchased in advance.  Streamlining of the series includes, all 8 rounds to count, there will now be a separate class for WRC cars,  2WD’s to have their own points and the Juniors (under 27’s) will be allowed 1600’s but not Super 1600’s. Dates for the forestry series are:- Tipperary (March 25^th), Wicklow (April 13^th), Munster (May 15^th), Monaghan (June 10^th), Cork 2-day (Aug 18/19^th), Killarney (Sept 2^nd) and Birr (TBA).

 

Own Murphy and his co driver Gary Nolan were to compete on last weekend’s Killarney Historic Rally in Owen’s father’s Avenger.  Unfortunately the water pump blew on the way to Killarney.  Owen has plenty more to think about however.  The outcome of the Billy Coleman Award, to be announced this week, will govern whether or not he purchases a new Group N Lancer and will contest the 2007 Tarmac Championship.  As we went to press Owen was looking more and more the favourite for the Award.

 

Kieran McAnallen is one of the brains behind a ‘Gala Dinner’ evening on Friday 23^rd Feb ’07 at his Armagh City Hotel. Next season The Ulster Rally will celebrates 30 years in existence, in its present guise, under the management of the Northern Ireland Motor Club. There were forerunners to the Ulster Rally of course, under ‘The Starlight’ and several other titles. The theme of this Gala Dinner is ‘ Ulster   Rally’s First Rallying Fifteen”. It is hoped that many of the big names from that era will be in attendance. The Northern Ireland Motor Club is planning to make a sizeable contribution to their chosen charity, the Marie Curie Nursing Care, as well as to support its own reserves which took a dent when AnswerCall Direct, who were supposedly sponsoring the Ulster Rally a few years ago, went into receivership. A table for ten at the dinner is £1000.

 

On his first full season in rallying, Belfast man Liam Regan finished his season with a flourish by taking a clear class win on the Gullion Stages, which secured him the Champions Title on the class based PHP Architects Clubman Rally series. Liam, who was co-driven to victory by Francis Mulholland, plans to contest the Ford Fiesta Trophy in 2007.

 

Daniel Barry from Enniskerry is one of the few Irish drivers going over to the Grizedale Stages this weekend. The 22 year old has had a horrific year, his Lancer engine blowing up five times. His best result was 4^th o/a in the Wicklow Forestry, 2^nd in GpN to Brian McGillin. Daniel was running 3^rd in the Cork Forestry when the differential seized and pitched the Mitsubishi into the trees. A new Evo 8.5 has now been built, with an AVO engine and gearbox installed, and Daniel, a previous winner of the KA Forestry Championship, is hoping to get back on track.

 

The Trustees of the Fisher Foundation have announced further awards assisting the safety aspect of rallying, with Donegal Motor Club and the Commane Rally Rescue benefiting for the purchase of new equipment, the Galway Bay Rescue Unit for a new vehicle, and a training grant towards the Cookstown based Motorsport Marshalling Partnership. Already announced is a grant towards the Rally of the 1000 Entries/Rally Specialist Medical Assistance Fund through Magherafelt Motor Club, and the Young Driver Safety Award of £7,500 to John McGlaughlin. This brings the total of grants since the Foundation was created in memory of Bertie, Mark and Emma, killed in a helicopter accident, to £130,000.

 

RPM Productions have another of their ‘Tarmac Titan’ DVD series out, focusing on five times Tarmac Champion Austin MacHale. It’s a fascinating reflection of MacHale’s long and brilliant rally career. Also out in time for Christmas is ’35 Years of the Donegal International’ and this year’s Pirelli Tarmac Championship.

 

Brian Patterson.