Following his great run on Rally Ireland, when only a
blown head gasket on his Subaru deprived him of a top
ten result, Tim McNulty is full of optimism for the ’08
series. Tim is again looking forward to contesting the
Global Group Tarmac Championship, and will have a new
Impreza WRC 12b from the Circuit of Ireland onwards. Tim
commented, “We spent all this year getting back on track
following the big accident the year before on the
Ulster. On Rally Ireland I felt the engine losing power,
and the water injection turned off, but then the engine
came good by itself. It seemed alright on the Saturday
morning. I dropped 10 secs to Gareth (MacHale) on the
first one, but I wasn’t worried. Then the power dropped
off again, the temperature went up to 130, I turned the
engine lag off, it seemed Ok, but then bang! It was a
new engine as well. Anyway I’ve got the car back, and
we’ll do Galway in it. Then the new one for the
Circuit.” Despite the slowdown in the construction
industry, and the economy, Tim was still confident that
it would be a good rally year.
Indications as well for the Tarmac Championship are that
Mark Higgins will get a deal in a Pirelli Subaru again,
Stephen Murphy and Noel Redmond have also ordered new
Impreza WRC S12b’s. Andreas Mikkelsen is reported to be
trying to make the trip, and Eamonn Boland is also
expected to compete again. Aaron MacHale has promised to
make a couple of appearances, and although Gareth hasn’t
committted himself, it would be disappointing if he
didn’t make some Tarmac Championship appearances. Hugh
Martin Doherty is hoping to do most of the rounds in his
Impreza WRC S12, and there are many more names in the
frame.
Tarmac Champion Eugene Donnelly was in London when we
spoke to him earlier this week. Although the Reid
Motorsport thing is over with a capital O, Eugene was
still optimistic about next year, commenting, “The Skoda
is an option, and I’m looking at something else. It's
gathering speed. I’m just not able to tell you what it
is just yet, but I’ll keep the momentum going. There’s
light at the end of the tunnell. It’s never easy until
everyone has signed on the dotted line!” Eugene’s
brother Charlie is also hopeful of a run out in ’08,
although Charlie, having been in top form at the
Motorsport Ireland/Dunlop Champions lunch, then took
unwell again. Happily Charlie has picked up a bit over
the last few days.
Darren Gass certainly got a very nice Christmas present
when he won the Pirelli Tyres shoot-out over at M-Sport
in Cumbria, his prize being an all expenses drive on the
British Rally Championship. Afterwards, from the family
sand and gravel busines in Killycarn, Darren commented,
“Great to have won, it’ll take the pressure of the auld
bank balance!” It was on the Manx International Rally
this year that Darren was awarded the Pirelli 'yellow
jersey’ (more like a yellow strait jacket actually).
After a great drive. Darren, in his Citroen C2, matched
and often beat Conrad Rautenbach during his British
Championship season, and it is interesting that African
Champion Conrad has landed himself a semi works drive
with Citroen next season.
Darren, just 19, was the youngest driver in the
shoot-out, and remarked that it was the hardest thing he
has ever done. He was up against tough opposition,
including the ‘works’ Suzuki driver James Wozencroft,
Matt Beebe and George Thomas. Guy Wilks and Philip
Morrow were also eligible for the final, but Wilks
pulled out beforehand as he is going down a different
rally route, and Morrow pulled out during the final, as
he has already won what amounts to the same prize, a
works Lancer drive on the British Championship for
winning the Evo Challenge. Darren winning was a great
boost for his well known rallying father Maurice, who
has supported Darren from the start, despite a few
mishaps along the way.
The car that Darren will drive as the prize has not yet
been decided – it could be a GpN Lancer or a new Subaru
Impreza. In the immediate future Darren is off on a
skiing holiday to Bulgaria, before sorting things out
for the new season. The Tesco British Championship
doesn’t start until the Pirelli Rally on the 19th/20th
April. Darren is putting his potent Citroen C2 machine
up for sale, and will almost certainly buy the match of
the car that he will drive on the British Championship
for Irish and various events, as he does not want to be
jumping in and out of different types of cars during the
season.
Following his all conquering year in his Renault Clio
Super 1600, young Brian O’Mahony plans a slightly
reduced programme for 2008, as he has important exams to
get through. Brian hopes to contest the Dunlop National
Championship in the first half of the year, and then a
few selected events, inluding at least one WRC rally.
There is a ‘Marshals Pay–Back Day’ planned for Sunday
13th January 2008 at Mondello Park, promoted by the
Irish Rally Competitors Association. This has become a
really well established annual occasion, where marshals
are given the opportunity to go for a blast round
Mondello in a rally car. Many of the top drivers in
Ireland provide their cars and time, and any profits go
to The Motorsport Benevolent Fund, a worthy cause
offering support to competitors who find themselves in
financial need following a motorsport accident.
Declan Grogan has been the driving force behind the
Carlow Rally for many years, and he is completely
devastated that the Club is not being granted a permit
to run its National Rally in 2008. This means that the
Mayo Stages (9th March) will now open the 10 round
Dunlop National Championship. To say that Grogan is
disappointed is an understatement. “OK, I’m history now.
I’ve also sent in my letter of resignation as Chairman
of the race committee. I’ve been involved with the rally
since 1983, and really I only co-ordinate. There are
over 200 people involved in running the rally. I see
this as not just about having a go at Declan Grogan. The
rally starts the tourist season for all the B&B’s and
hotels in the area. It’s probably the biggest tourist
event of the year. Michael Murphy of the Seven Oaks
Hotel is one of the strongest supporters of Irish
Rallying. We have him booked out for that weekend, where
does that leave him? It’s a big tourist event.” Declan
was not hopeful of any big turnaround in the situation,
but we can only hope that those fabulous Carlow stages
will be back on the calendar in some form before long.
The event has always been very popular with the
competitors, particularly the Mk2 Escort drivers,
The Circuit of Ireland organisers, The Ulster Automobile
Club, have confirmed that the rally is indeed moving to
Newcastle. The event will be the 2nd round of the Global
Group Tarmac Championship, including the Historics.
Integral with the rally will be the Easter Stages for
the NI Championship contenders, and it will also be a
counter in the Fiesta Sporting Trophy. The rally will
employ loops of stages and have a centralised service.
It will again take place on its traditional Easter date,
which this year is 21st/23rd March.
By co-incidence, when the Circuit news came in, we were
just hoking in the roof-space for the Christmas fairy
lights. Despite all good resolve not to be sidetracked
by anything in the roofspace, we couldn’t help but look
at an old set of Benson and Hedges Circuit of Ireland
RallyNews bulletins, from 1976. The final page showed
that after 60 – yes sixty - stages spread over five
days, Billy Coleman in an Escort was the winner. Billy,
with Dan O’Sullivan co-driving, was on the stages for
over 8 hours – 484mins 28 secs to be exact. Russell
Brookes/John Brown, also in an Escort were 2nd, a mere 5
minutes adrift, with Dessie McCartney/Terry Harryman 3rd
in a Porsche Carrerra, another 5 minutes back.
There was a host of great and famous names in the rally,
with many retirements. Per Inge Walfridson finished 4th
in a Lancia Stratos. Down in 16th at the Kings Arms,
Larne finish, was Bengt Lundstrom in a Toyota Celica.
The Norwegian’s co-driver was Rally Ireland Deputy Clerk
of the Course Fred Gallagher. Fred reportedly finished
the rally with many flies stuck between his teeth, the
Celica having gone for most of the five days with no
windscreen. Bengt had rolled the Toyota into a Co. Down
field in front of Fred’s mother and father, on day one!
Fred, who got married last week after Wales Rally GB to
Hayley, reportedly got the flies in his teeth when he
smiled, and he did a lot of that as it was an all
sideways dramatic trip with Bengt!
No more Irish Notes until 2008 – season’s greetings to
all!
Brian Patterson.
