Irish
Notes 24th July ’06.
Killarney
Lakes and Cork ‘20’ winner Tim McNulty
reckons he’s 99% recovered from the operation
that forced him to miss the Jim Clark and
reports that he is now looking forward to the
Ulster Rally. “This key hole surgery is great,
sure you wouldn’t see a keyhole on me”
commented Tim, not a small man in any sense!
Former
British and Tarmac GpN Champion Trevor Cathers
from Omagh plans a return to rallying, has been
testing a new GpN Lancer, and will compete
on the 6th August ALMC event.
Kevin
Barrett has acquired Derek McGarrity’s Impreza
WRC S11. The car is being changed into Kevin’s
Triton Showers livery and is currently in
Prodrive being converted to RHD. Kevin’s first
planned outing in the car is the 9th/10th
September Wexford Rally. Kevin’s Impreza S8
has gone to Sean Gallagher, while his newer
Impreza WRC has been taken by Tony Davies.
Derek
McGarrity may get a new Impreza WRC S11 for the
Manx, but the Glengormley man says, “The
decision will be made later this week. The S10
we won the Jim Clark with is a very good car,
just needs a few more tweaks.” Tralee’s
Diarmuid Falvey will again co-drive.
Interestingly, there was some doubt if the
Circuit of Ireland would be treated as a
non-finish, dropped score, for Derek as regards
the Pirelli Tarmac series. It is, which leaves
the Championship race between Derek and Eugene
Donnelly finely poised when dropped scores are
taken into account.
Magherafelt
MC is running the popular Davagh Stages Rally
this weekend and Camillus Bradley in his Escort
is the top seed. Derek McGeehan is at No.2
in a Skoda WRC and Johnny McKenna at 3 in a
Lancer.
Rory
Galligan was looking after his Peugeot 205
Challenge competitors on last weekend’s Cork
Forestry event, and reported that following a
very close battle Noel O’Donnel came out on
top. Barry Mahon and Tommy Rafferty both
succumbed to accidents, the three separated by
just 10 seconds for much of the rally. Rory
confirmed that his trip to Finland’s 1000
Lakes in a GpN Lancer, co-driven by Greg Shinors,
appears to be on.
There
were three members of the Willie John Dolan
family competing on the Cork Forestry, with
Willie John himself bring his Impreza N12 into a
respectable 14th o/a and 4th GpN. One son,
Stephen, crashed their older Impreza early on,
while 19 year old Richard, on his first rally,
had a great run to dominate the class in a hired
Peugeot 106.
It
is with immense sadness that we report the
death, following a stoical and long battle
against illness, of Jim Walsh from Cork. Jim,
known with great fondness by his rally friends
as ‘Father Jim’ was a highly respected
organiser. It is hard to put the finger on just
why, but anyone who came into contact with this
calm, gentle man just thought the absolute world
of him. Hard men had tears in their eyes when
the news of his death broke at the end of the
Cork forestry. He was closely involved with the
West Cork Rally, and also helped out on the
Killarney Rally of the Lakes and on the results
team on Rally Ireland. The world as a whole, and
rallying in particular, will be a much poorer
place for his passing. To all his family and
many friends we offer our very deepest
condolences.
Brian Patterson.
