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| Ulster Rally 2017 |
| RALLY NEWS No.9 - Ebrinton Service - Saturday @ 17:19:57 |
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RALLY NEWS NO.9 Ebrington Service Saturday
UNOFFICIAL LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 14 – Rousky II (FINAL)
1st (5) Keith Cronin/Mikie Galvin (Fiesta R5) 2.06.03.8
2nd (1) Fredrik Ahlin/Torstein Eriksen (Fabia R5) 2.06.59.2
3rd (8) Jonny Greer/Kirsty Riddick (Citroen DS3R5) 2.08.11.8
4th (7) Marty McCormack/David Moynihan (Fabia R5) 2.08.29.3
5th (9) Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan (Fabia R5) 2.08.59.0
6th (3) Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Fiesta R5) 2.09.36.5
7th (11) Joe McGonigle/Ciaran Geaney (Fabia R5) 2.11.50.5
8th (10) Stephen Wright/Arthur Kierans (Fiesta R5) 2.13.41.6
9th (15) Alex Laffey/Patrick Walsh (Fiesta R5) 2.14.21.7
10th (23) Camillus Bradley/Crawford Henderson (Escort) 2.18.27.6
11th (20) William Creighton/Liam Regan (Peugeot 208R2) 2.18.39.1
Congratulations to West Cork man Keith Cronin and co-driver Mike Galvin on taking their Fiesta R5 to a resounding victory on this tough Ulster Rally. Keith has had some difficult rallies this year which have left him struggling in the Prestone British Rally Championship but he certainly got it right this weekend through some very difficult conditions. The Norwegian driver Fredrik Ahlin and his Swedish co-driver Torstein Eriksen kept their heads despite several dramas when their Skoda encountered the Ulster scenery but they came through well towards the end to take a well earned second place. This leaves Ahlin very well placed on the road to the British Rally Championship. The series now heads to the Isle of Man for a “double header”. Jonny Greer / Kirsty Riddick drove a smooth and accomplished event to finish on the final podium place.
When Keith Cronin brought his Fiesta R5 into the finish control he took time out to tell us “I am pleased with the way the rally went, this was the first time we had a good test and were able to play around with the car, I changed the diff setup for example and it transformed the car for me”. Interestingly when we asked Keith about the final round of the British championship and having a go at the title he wasn’t totally positive that he would make the trip saying that if no other drivers go Ahlin has only to drive around to take the title. In other words for Keith to have a chance he would need to win the rally and have several crews between himself and the Norwegian. Ahlin was in top form and when we asked him about the odds for the championship. He smiled and said “I am happy to be 32 points ahead and not 32 behind”. He went on to talk about the pace this year and how much faster it was than last time, especially his own speed. When his engineer Martin Wilkinson informed him that the scrutineers for the rally wanted the gear box taken out and stripped for a check this evening he was firstly surprised and then he smiled and said “when I take the first drink in the bar I will think of you!”.
Well done to young William Creighton and his co-driver Liam Regan on winning the R2 category in their Peugeot 208 from James Wilson/Gavin Doherty in their similar Peugeot. For young Creighton this could be a major step forward in his efforts to find success on both the British championship and the Tarmac series. Scandinavian Oscar Solberg/Patrik Barth were third in the category, quite a drive considering their inexperience with the Ulster roads.
Camillus Bradley/Crawford Henderson put a massive push on through the final couple of stages to reclaim the lead in the national part of the rally. Kevin Eves/ William Lynch in their Corolla were second in the nationals which should be enough to earn them the championship in the modified category. Alan Carnmichael/Ivor Lamont in their Mini WRC made a gallant effort to recapture the time they lost yesterday with a puncture but had to be content with third in the national part of the rally. Barry Jones, co driven by Iwan Griffiths have come out tops in the H1 category with their Escort. Second in that historic category is Stanley Orr while Keith McIvor has won the H2 section of the Historics.
In GpN William Mavitty/Marty Connolly have taken the narrowest of wins from the similar Lancer crew of Gavin Kelly/Eamonn Gillespie. A late GpN retirement was Sean Devine.
Finally for now well done to the organisers of this tough and difficult Ulster Rally. Many thanks to them and all those who supported and helped with our RallyNews service.
Brian, Liz, Michael & Zoe Patterson www.rallynews.net *Follow RallyNews on Twitter & Facebook @Pacenotes or @Real_RallyNews
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