IRISH NOTES 1^ST MAY 06

 

Letterkenny’s Shaun Gallagher is in the process of building a new Group N Lancer Evo9 and intends to compete on the British Rally Championship. For former Peugeot 206 Super Cup champion Gallagher it is going to be a race against time to get the car ready for the Pirelli Rally.

 

Kenny McKinstry was very disappointed when his Impreza WRC S9 retired from last weekend’s Rally of the Lakes when the engine blew. Kenny intends to use the car on the Manx National and hopes to be able to get a spare engine in time for the Isle of Man trip. 

 

McKinstry was full of praise for Donie O’Sullivan’s performance in his Impreza on the Killarney Lakes Rally. O’sullivan led the rally initially and was 2^nd when the engine lost its oil pressure. In stage 5 Knocknagree O’Sullivan freely admitted that he overheated the clutch off the start line but he had the initiative and the coolness to switch off the anti lag, and treated the clutch with total respect until just a kilometre or two from the end of the test, when he was able to switch on to full power. He still set 2^nd fastest time.

 

The Killarney Rally of the Lakes, as well as being a round of the Tarmac championship, was also a round of the 023 Tiles Southern 4 series. Kevin O’Donoghue and Wesley Patterson are provisionally first in the points, just ahead of Denis Cronin. First round winner Melvyn Evans was a non starter on the Lakes but still holds 4^th place. Series sponsor James O’Sullivan rolled his Lancer on the Molls Gap test on the Sunday but was able to get the battered machine back on the stage and continue, albeit last on the road.

 

The coveted Silver Wheel Award on the Killarney rally was presented to Gardai Superintendent Michael Maher at the glittering awards ceremony in the Gleneagle Hotel.  The rally had terrific co-operation from the Gardai in keeping the traffic flowing and the award was not just for the Superintendent, but for his team both in Killarney and surrounding areas.

 

Barry Meade and his co driver Colin Fitzgerald chalked up another Junior win in their Ford Escort when they finished 39s ahead of Jason Ryan/Bernard McSweeney (Civic) on last Sunday’s leg of the Lakes. Jason O’Mahony was 3^rd in his Civic, Noel Kelleher (Corolla) was 4^th.  The Juniors enjoyed 4 of the classic stages of the rally, Molls Gap, Ballaghbeama, Caragh Lake and Kilgobnet.

 

Provisionally Eugene Donnelly has 42 points in the Pirelli Tarmac series with Eamonn Boland still 2^nd on 31.  Colm Murphy continues to lead the Group N category with 27 points while Roy White moves up to 2^nd with 22 despite niggly problems in Killarney which saw him finish down the order.

 

Brian Patterson.