Following his decent showing on the Galway International, where he set a fastest GpN time on the final stage with his FESP backed MG2000S, Roy White reckons there is a bit more to come from the car, but at the same time it is limited. A radar speed gun device on the Galway event seemed to show that the fastest GpN cars were 11/12 mph up on the MG. A check like that of course can only ever be a bit hit or miss. Former GpN Tarmac Champion Roy did say, “We haven’t got the best out of the car yet, it is all so new, particularly on the tarmac. We plan a good test before the Circuit. There’s not much we can do about the top speed. Longer ratios would kill it. The power is limited by a single throttle body, same as the Peugeot and the Fiat. It kills the torque, compared to a GpN car, but the MG is 300 kilos lighter and great to drive.”

Gareth MacHale’s fine run on the Birr Stages, in wet and then drying conditions, gave the former Forestry Champion a perfect opportunity to try different tyres and set up over what were great stages. This was just the preparation for the Circuit that Gareth needed, and should do his confidence no harm at all after his very unlucky accident on the Galway International. PJ McGrath showed a great turn of speed in Birr to take 2nd in his Subaru and Patrick Elliott’s showing on his way to 3rd should stand him in good stead for tackling the National Championship. Patrick will have a new Impreza WRC S12B shortly and also plans to tackle some Tarmac Championship events.

Kris Meeke has no definite plans to contest the Circuit of Ireland, but is considering trying to get a deal together to defend his Killarney Lakes winning title. Red Bull driver Kris has been asked to drive a Rage Buggy in a championship which will run in tandem with, and in a similar format, to the British Rallycross Championship. So let’s just hope that rallying is not going to lose this fabulous talent.

Last weekend’s Donegal Forestry event had a disappointingly low number of starters, but a top day’s rallying showed great quality, which made up somewhat for the lack of quality. Seamus O’Connell, Adrian Hetherington and Frank Kelly continued their battle from the Omagh Spring Rally on the Saturday, charging over the Donegal forestry stages around Lough Eske and Lough Derg. They were joined on the Sunday by Ryan Barrett in his Mk2. Whereas Adrian Hetherington was the Mk2 man of the moment on the Omagh event, finishing 2nd overall to Howard Clarke, following a massive battle, it was a reluctant Adrian who came out on top again in Donegal after a massive battle. It was O’Connell and Ryan Barrett who fought for the lead through the first six stages, arriving into service exactly equal on time. Ryan’s Escort then ran out of oil pressure, so he parked up. Frank Kelly had been battling against the flu all day, and although his times weren’t a mile away, he decided to pull out. Seamus O’Connell then put his Escort in a ditch at the end of stage 7. Adrian Hetherington, having lost valuable seconds on stage 2 when his Escort hit a gatepost, stopped to try and help Seamus, but to no avail. He was persuaded to keep going, although he was unhappy to take the rally win that way, preferring a straight fight!

The entry list for the Clonakilty based West Cork Rally is still being finalised, and it would appear that around 280 crews have applied, although there is a dearth of WRC machinery compared to recent years. Donie O’Sullivan in Kenny McKinstry’s WRC S11, Melvyn Evans is reportedly in the ex Tim McNulty Subaru S11 and Stephen Murphy in his Impreza WRC S12B are likely to be the top seeds. Last year’s winner Michael Barrable was hoping to defend his title, but it is looking increasingly unlikely that his Focus WRC will be ready in time. GpN entries include Colm Murphy, Alan Ring and Owen Murphy and as the rally is a round of the Irish Evo Challenge a full complement of GpN machinery is expected.

The Modified section of the event is very strong and includes entries from Phil Collins in his Escort, Pat Donegan (Escort): Wesley Patterson (Escort): John Dalton (Darrian): Ashley Field (Darrian) and Seamus Heron in the Conor Curley white Escort.

One notable local crew who don’t seem to have an entry as yet is the Kelleher brothers, Kevin and Martin. This could still happen for the Clonakilty men, winners of GpN in Galway, but there is just so much rallying through March it is putting a lot of drivers in an impossible position. The Circuit recce is the same weekend as West Cork, and just before West Cork is the opening round of the National Championship, the Mayo Stages, and then immediately after the Circuit of Ireland is the Kerry Stages, round 2 of the National Championship.

West Cork is also the opening round of the Irish Citroen C2R2 series and Martin McCormack is now almost certainly going to be taking part. There was a question mark over whether he would be able to do the event, as he has been invited to attend a Rally Elite weekend in the UK on the same weekend. Martin has taken delivery of his new left hand drive Citroen C2R2 and has had a short test in it. He was well impressed with the stability, speed and handling of the car. He has also re-shelled his Classic Mk2 Escort, and along with co-driver Liam Moynihan is planning to compete on the Robin Hood Rally through the Sherwood Forest Stages near Nottingham. McCormick’s aim in the C2R2’s has always been mostly to try the UK series, but he was also going to have crack at some of the Irish rounds. There are likely to be 11 of the C2R2’s in West Cork, including Martin Laverty, the winner of the British series last season.

John Quill, the chairman of Cork Motor club, is very disappointed that he won’t be competing in his Citroen, but John had a fairly big accident on the Mitchelstown Forest a couple of weeks ago, and neither himself or the car are in great shape just yet. John told us, “I’m on the mend, but I’ll be off work for 4 to 6 weeks. If it hadn’t been for the Hans device it would have been a whole lot worse. The back of the car dropped into a drain, the back kicked up and then the car landed fairly heavily on its roof. Michael Coleman’s son Donal was co-driving for the very first time, he was ok, but he certainly had a story to tell in college the next morning!” John, who doesn’t really have accidents, recounted that he was trying pretty hard, reckoning he was 2nd in class by that 3rd stage. It is possible that a back wheel may have already been knocked askew and a brake pipe damaged on an earlier encounter with a drain, and that may, or may not, have had something to do with the accident.

A few weeks ago we reported that Damien Tourish had been very badly injured on a building site when a concrete stairway fell on him. It transpires that, but for some very cool headed work by a crane driver, plus a GP and the emergency services, it could have been much worse. It was bad enough anyway, but Damien is making a remarkable recovery and hopes to be back on the stages very soon. His co-driver Donhnall McAlaney told us that Damien is getting all fired up about West Cork, but that seems an extremely optimistic timetable!

This weekend sees a resumption of the Hankook Irish Forestry Championship, and points leader after the first round, 25 year old Andrew Purcell, along with his co-driver Mick Courtney, are on course in their Subaru. In a celebration of 50 years in existence, the Carrick on Suir Club is trying something different and the event is starting at 05.00 on the Sunday, to give the drivers 3 stages in the darkness. The rally is not a round of the new Junior Championship but still all the forestry regulars are likely to be in attendance. The rally is based in the Carrig Hotel and James Coleman's Suirway Forklifts depot just up the road.

Dublin’s Bob Scanlon plans to contest this season’s Irish Forestry Championship in an ex Colin Britton Lancer Evo 8, to be run by Kieran Graffin Motorsport. Finian Hannigan will co-drive for Bob. The last time the pair competed together was in ’06 when they won GpN on the Mitchelstown Forestry.

Irish drivers didn’t let themselves down on last Saturday’s Rallye Sunseeker. The rally, opening round of the Pirelli backed MSA Gravel Championship, as well as the opening round of the UK Evo Challenge, was won by Marcus Dodd for the 6th time. Sean Devine was up with the leaders until his Impreza succumbed to gearbox trouble. Stephen Moore did really well on his first visit to the charismatic Bournemouth based event, finishing 3rd overall in his Focus WRC. Young Danny Barry from Wicklow continued to show great form and finished 7th o/a and 2nd in the Evo’s. Richard Cathcart had led the Evo’s, but brake and launch control problems, causing at least one stall, knocked the young Enniskillen man back to 10th and 5th Evo. Neil McCance finished 11th o/a and Billy Coleman Award winner Keith Cronin made a gentle start in his new Evo, and would have finished 12th o/a but a road penalty dropped him back a little. Young Jonny Greer was in the top 20 but retired with gearbox trouble. Craig Bennet had a wiring loom fire in his Metro 6R4 and had to retire early on. Alan Carmichael finished 17th overall in the hired Subaru and John McGaffin finished 23rd o/a in his Subaru WRC.

Brian Patterson.