Irish Notes 30^th January 2006 .

 

Oldcastle’s Mickey Curran took his Escort to victory on his home Castle Stage Rally last Sunday, Mark Alcorn put up a dramatic last stage charge in his Corolla to take 2^nd.  Gordon Rogers’ Escort suffered a spluttering fit on the last stage and he had to be content with 3^rd. Curran led the rally from the start, shrugging off both the icy roads beside Lough Sheelin and his Escort’s back axle giving some trouble at the end of the first stage.

 

Donegal man Stuart Darcy, a former Billy Coleman Award winner, is planning to contest the Irish Forestry Championship this season. Nearly all Stuart’s rally experience has been on asphalt stages. He will tackle the opening round, the Carrick on Suir based Wm Loughman Rally, in a GpN Evo7 Lancer, which he may run in the GpA  category if he fits a bigger turbo restrictor.

 

Seamus Leonard’s new GpN Lancer will not be ready in time for this weekend’s Galway International, and he will start his Pirelli Tarmac Championship effort in Rory Galligan’s 2005 machine. John McGlaughlin was also hoping his new Lancer would be ready in time for this weekend, but it looks as if he will have to run his old car.

 

Sligo Pallets boss Andrew Mullen, who supports Eugene Donnelly’s Corolla WRC, has concluded a deal to purchase the ex Shaun Gallagher S1600 Saxo and intends to contest the Border Championship plus a few selected Tarmac Championship rallies.

 

Alan Ring has already taken delivery of the latest Impreza N12 and following a test session is very impressed with the new car in comparison to his N11 citing improvements in the braking and power delivery, as well as overall balance.

 

Although entered for the Galway International, Gareth MacHale is reportedly non-starting and will concentrate his efforts on Rally Mexico as well as Rally Ireland . Gareth’s regular co driver Paul Nagle is sitting in with Alan Ring for Galway .

 

The fund raising evening for Philip Morrow proved to be a resounding success with in excess of £50,000 being raised.  Just some of the items up for auction included a test drive with Colin McRae in his Escort which resulted in a bid for £4,700.  While a test day at M-Sport produced £3,000.  Morrow’s main aim for the season is the British Championship and the Evo Challenge, but he has entered for Galway International this weekend and will drive Brendan Kelly’s Lancer Evo 8 as his own new Mitsubishi will not be ready in time.

 

It has come as quite a surprise to many of the Irish drivers that the entry closing date for Rally Ireland is this Friday 3^rd February. It would seem that quite a few competitors who intend to do the event have not yet put their entries in.

 

Reports that Derek McGarrity has acquired a Peugeot 307 WRC seem somewhat premature. The Glengormley car and helicopter dealer will drive a new Impreza WRC S11 in Galway . Cork winner Tim McNulty is sticking with his Subaru S10, but will have an S11 for Easter. Eamonn Boland has a new Focus WRC for Galway . JJ Fleming has bought his old Focus WRC back from Boland. National Champion Ray Breen has had his Focus WRC stripped, shot-blasted and rebuilt for Galway , and will test on Friday. Andrew Nesbitt will drive a McKinstry Motorsport Impreza WRC S9.

 

Brian Patterson.