Irish Notes 17th December 2014

It’s that time of year, an opportunity to wind down, look back a bit as well as look forward to 2015. Just a few things on the horizon for next year include seeing Kris Meeke, Keith Cronin, Alastair Fisher, Niall McShea, Dean Raftery as well as all their co-drivers and so on competing on the world stage. Hopefully Craig Breen also, although Craig admitted earlier this week that he is still working at securing a deal for next year following his frustrating 2014. Another driver planning a JWRC campaign is Daniel McKenna, who is possibly in line for backing from Monaghan County Council as a PR exercise, which is fairly innovative. Here at home Kevin Barrett with his Triton Showers company promise a fresh wave of enthusiasm in 2015 for the already ultra successful National Championship. Kevin is having an ‘open day’ in his hometown of Maynooth, to take place on Saturday January 10th at 1pm in the Glen Royal Hotel. Now that could be worth a visit.

The Tarmac and the Forestry series are also promising great things for 2015. Looking back at 2014, once again our thanks and appreciation go to all the hard-working volunteers who have made rallying possible. It was also a year of mixed emotions, highs and lows. Sadly there were some dreadful rally tragedies, which were heartbreaking for all concerned.

One of the highs of course was Declan Boyle from Donegal, co-driven by his cousin Brian Boyle, achieving the double – winning the National and the Tarmac series. A remarkable man is Declan. We had the chance for a quick chat to him, away from rallies. His cream coloured triple turbo BMW X5 swept into the car park of the Templeton Hotel in Templepatrick a few Monday mornings ago. Declan was on his weekly trip from Donegal to Belfast International Airport, and then on to work in London. His routine is to fly over to London every Monday, and then back to Belfast and on to Donegal every Thursday night. His brother Jason does the driving while Declan spends most of the time on the phone, flat out, with not a minute wasted.

Most weekends now he spends at home in Donegal with his family. Sometimes of course teetotaller Declan indulges in his only hobby, rallying – with enormous effect. He has chalked up 15 wins in the ex Tim McNulty Impreza WRC.

Declan, who has just turned 40 years old, has always been interested in cars. For many years though he worked 7 days a week in the pub business and motorsport didn`t come into the equation. He ran his first pub in Dublin, very successfully, when he was only 19. Declan and his wife Michelle then took over a pub in Dover 17 years ago, living ‘above the shop’. One thing led to another and they acquired more and more pubs as well as becoming the parents of 2 sons and a daughter, Michael, Matthew and Jessica. Currently Declan is running 60 pubs in the UK, from Southampton to the North of England. Some are community pubs; there are country food destination pubs and of course high street late night venues as well as a hotel or two.

Always the interest was there in cars. In 2008 he acquired a LHD Mk2 Escort that originated in Belgium which his cousin Brian had helped to convert and prepare. It quickly became apparent that Declan was an outstanding driver. On his first rally, the Midlands, he finished 1m42s behind Maurice Moffett. Twelve months later he took his first outright victory on the same event. Co-driver Brian said. `I’d been co-driving since I was 16, with drivers who slid round every corner. Declan was clean and fast and I knew from the start he was special. `

The pair won the prestigious Rally.ie award for top 2wd on the Dunlop National Championship as well as the Border series in 2010. Declan acquired the current Impreza WRC in 2012. On his first outing, the Galway Summer National Rally, he scored an outright win.

It was amazing the way he switched on to the Subaru. Kris Meeke is married to Danielle, a sister of Declan`s wife Michelle. Had Kris been coaching Declan, or at least helping with car set-up? Declan commented, “ Kris did help me set up the car at a test day about a year ago. I didn’t like it as it made the car very nervous. So I changed it back the way it was. We have very different driving styles. Of course, Kris has the better one and he is now one of the world’s best rally drivers.” Declan went to say, “ The only time we meet is at family occasions such as the christening recently of Kris and Danielle`s new baby Isabella Carol. But I’m still looking for tips from Kris. He doesn’t give much away!”

The routine for Declan now is to pick up a set of our Patterson notes and a DVD, have a good look at the DVD, do a short ‘recce’ and then go for it. Robbie McGurk looks after the rally car now and always has it sitting ready to go. Declan likes everything to do with the car and team immaculate.

Invariably he is quick straight ‘out of the blocks’. Indeed, that has been one of his hallmarks, making a really fast start. He does like to have the engine turned up to ‘full whack, stage 3’ starting the rally. Then he eases it down towards the end if he has a good advantage.

`People ask me at times why I’m going so hard when maybe I have a good lead` commented Declan. `But driving flat out, I get into a rhythm. It works for me. Then if I try to ease back, I usually make a mistake! `
He laughed when he recounted winning the Donegal International this year and spinning twice on the final stage because he slowed back knowing he only had to get to the end of that Atlantic Drive test to claim his most important win.

People from outside Donegal don’t fully realise how important the rally is there. Declan winces when he recounts the previous year when, despite being fastest on the opening stage he had to retire his Impreza because the brakes were broken. He recounted`. `I couldn`t sleep that night I was so upset. My co-driver Brian couldn`t get out of bed the next morning he was that sick about it. We did manage to rouse ourselves and went out spectating. When Gary McPhillips passed in my old Escort, I was wishing I had it back again! `

It was a different story when Declan recalled events after this year`s Donegal win. `We had a party which started with a cavalcade of about 100 cars doing a tour round the countryside near home at Lettermacaward through Glenties, Portnoo, Ardara – there were bonfires and crowds of 100 plus people at nearly every crossroads along the way. We had to get out and shake hands with everyone on the route. It was massive. Then there was a huge party in the pub. `

Both Declan and Brian, an insurance assessor, are quick to point out though that rallying for them is their sport. What matters most of all to both of them is family back home as well as work on a Monday morning.
A big hallmark of Declan Boyle is that he makes every effort to do everything as straight and honest as he can, be on time and treat rally officials with every courtesy. Looking forward to next year, Declan would like to have a go sometime at a gravel event, but for the moment he reckons he has a superbly competitive car and will almost certainly try for the ‘double’ again, the Triton Showers National and the Tarmac series. With his ability and determination, this remarkable man could well be the first to achieve the ‘double double’.

One of a few rallies over the next couple of weeks is the Maiden City MC’s Turkey Run at Shackleton on Monday 29th December. Top entries received include last year’s winner Derek McGeehan in his Mini WRC. His Mini is able to run the 34mm restrictor on this event. Interestingly, for some reason there are other events where it is not allowed. There will be several cars from the McGeehan stable competing at the Ballykelly – Shackleton venue, including the Corolla WRC to be driven by Derek’s brother Alan. Martin Donnelly is making the trip back from New York to drive his Corolla WRC, which is stored in the McGeehan workshop. Declan McCay, the C of C, is expecting around 80 entries for the Turkey Run, and is well on the way to achieving his target.

Further news on the Donegal MC forestry rally at the end of January (29th) is that C of C Johnny Baird has introduced a special award for the best Valvoline registered Junior finisher – a free entry in the Junior section of the Donegal International. This is a fantastic prize for an aspiring young driver, and of course the best Junior on the 2015 Valvoline backed 7 round forestry series will be automatically selected as one of the Billy Coleman Award Young Rally Driver of the Year candidates.

With the storms and the frost already starting to bite over the past week or two, it seemed an opportune time to smarten up the Patterson house roof-space insulation. That turned out to be a one step forward and two back exercise, because tucked in behind one of the rafters was an old and yellowing copy of Motoring News, the reading of which took priority! This venerable weekly motorsport tablet was lying open at a full-page account of the ‘1985 Union Foods Sligo Rally’ – a round of the Shellsport RIAC Stage Championship.

The first thing to catch the eye was that there was a £7000 prize fund for the 100-stage mile event, and there were 180 entries. The Sligo Park Hotel was the HQ, so no change there then. Amazingly a surprise entry was the late Pentti Airikkala as No.1 seed in an Ascona 400 supplied by Ian Calvin. Graham Harris was co-driving. There must be a good rally quiz question in there somewhere! Pentti eventually retired when a con-rod emerged from the side of the Ascona’s engine block. The rally had many dramas, one particular corner near Rosses Point accounting for 26 cars. No such worries though for James Cullen, who with Tony Kelly (father of ‘young Toni’ of RPM commentating fame) co-driving in his Escort, scored his first National win. Frank Meagher/Jim Crowe, also in an Escort, were 2nd and Adare’s James Doherty/Michael Curley were 3rd in a Chevette HSR. Doherty was battling with Ken Lyons for the National Championship. The latter driver had engine misfire maladies with his Escort as well as a disputed stage time and was 10th. There were many stories of derring-do, and a multitude of lovely Irish rally names throughout the article, bringing back some poignant memories. The article finished off by complimenting the superb stages, but also said the organisers had tried to cram a quart into a pint pot! (There was talk of a two-day permit.) The final comment about the event was ‘as usual, very sociable’. Another `no change` there then!

We hope you all have an excellent Christmas.