Donegal International Latest

3 days - 25 Special Stages.
by Declan Mc Cay & Damian Crawford
2002 Shell Donegal International Rally, planned for 21st - 23rd June 2002, has just announced more details of the Internationally renowned tarmac event planned for June.
Tom Higgins, Clerk of the Course, has released some of the plans for the 'three-days in June', while being questioned by a visiting MotorSport Journalist.
He said, "I am excited about the 2002 event, and the challenge for the organising team, to try out some new ideas. There will be a mix of new features for both the competitors and spectators, while some of the traditional favourite stages will still from part of this top Irish event."
He continued, "The 2002 format of the event will see a start in Letterkenny town centre, with a unique town centre venue, ensuring the community will be able to participate in the celebrations for this major tourist attraction to County Donegal. The Sunday finish will take in Letterkenny as well." Tom revealed that there will be a total of 25 stages covered on the weekend, 8 on Friday, 10 on Saturday and 7 on final day, Sunday.
He said that, "in relation to the number of competitors, a total of 151 cars will be permitted to start, under existing regulations from MotorSport Ireland, competing in both the International and National permit categories over the three days. On Saturday and Sunday, up to 30 Historic cars will battle it out for honours, in a National permit event." He revealed that included in the three day even will be the Ford Focus Ireland Championship.
Remained tight lipped about some of the exact details for event, Tom did confirm he was invited by M Sport head Malcolm Wilson to visit the Cumbrian headquarters of the Ford WRC challenge.
Finally, he said that the regulations for the event, will be available soon, with copies available directly from the Donegal Motor Club website, on www.donegalmotorclub.com

Four Top crews quit Dunlop National Championship

Having failed to get entries for the recent Monaghan Rally, round three of the 2002 Dunlop National Rally Championship, four leading crews have announced that they are to withdraw from the remainder of the series. The crews concerned are Paul Harris/Eugene O'Donnell, Tim McNulty/Julian Nangle, Donal O'Donovan/Pat Lordan and Jim Harrison/Harvey Bell. The Monaghan Motor Club's procedure for accepting entries is different to that of other organisers, who usually receive entry forms by post between specified dates, and then allocate entries as they see fit. The Monaghan Motor Club opened an office for one day and required crews to deliver entry forms by hand, places on the starting list then being allocated strictly on a first come, first served basis.
While the procedure allows newcomers as much chance of getting a start as experienced crews, depending on their place in the (very long) queue outside the office door, it does not make any allowance for crews who have committed to the entire National Championship.
The four crews announced their withdrawal in a statement issued to Motorsport Ireland management, the MSI Rallies Committee, the MSI National Rally Championship sub-committee and the Monaghan Motor Club:

As and from 20/4/02, a number of top contenders for the 2002 National Rally Championship have decided to withdraw from the eight remaining rounds. They are doing this because of the disgraceful manner in which they have been treated by Monaghan Motor Club and the organisers of the National Rally Championship. How can a competitor afford not to take part in Round Three of such a Championship? We had the makings of a fantastic Championship but it cannot succeed when you have competitors being treated like this. It is difficult enough to compete in a National Rally Championship without facing such problems.
We should now review the complete Rally Championship system. We need some type of regularity system put in place to dictate how a Championship should be run (Entries, Rally Offices etc.). Other issues that now need to be discussed include the seeding of competitors and more input at the grass roots of Irish Rallying from Motor Sport Ireland.
Paul Harris / Eugene O'Donnell
Tim McNulty / Julian Nangle
Donal O'Donovan / Pat Lordan
Jim Harrison / Harvey Bell.

Donal O'Donovan was joint third in National Championship standings before the Monaghan event, but is now seventh, having been leap-frogged by a number of competitors who were fortunate enough to start the third round. "The attitude towards the competitors is simply not good enough," said Donal. "If clubs cannot guarantee entries for crews supporting the entire series then they should not be part of the National Championship. The Wexford Motor Club found themselves in a similar position with the Southern Four Championship, but did the decent thing and pulled out because they couldn't guarantee that all registered Southern Four competitors would get to start their event. If the organisers of National rounds cannot accommodate crews who constantly support the Championship, then those clubs should get out of the series," he concluded. O'Donovan's plans for the remainder of 2002 are not finalised, but he hopes to enter a variety of events rather than tackle any other particular Championship, and he is considering a trip to an unspecified overseas rally.
Report from www.rallyteamireland.com

Suzuki and Renault get ready for Gravel

Both Renault and Suzuki are both looking forward to the next round of the S1600 World Rally Championship in Argentina

Renault driver Simon Jean-Joseph gave the new Super 1600 Clio its first loose-surface event, the Auxerre Rally.
"The reliability was very good. We have a good base now to work from. We didn't know before where we were. The Acropolis will be much rougher of course, but we are planning further tests," Jean-Joseph commented after the event.The French mark being run by Auto Meca has planned to contest 4 rounds of the Worl Rally Championship along with the French Championship
Auto Meca would be well known for the Renaut Clio Maxis and Meganes that they ran in the British Championship.

Meanwhile Suzuki have carried out a good three day test in the South of France in preparation for Argentina
All three works drivers , Juha Kangas, Kazuhiro Niwa and Niki Schelle , were involved in testing an Ignis at Chateau Lastours and all drivers and team admitted to being pleased with the strength and performance of the cars

Killarney International Preview

Ordnance Survey Ireland/Gleneagle Hotel 2002 International Rally of the Lakes 4-5 May 02

Round 2 - Toshiba Computers Tarmac Championship
Round 2 - 023 Tiles Southern 4 Championship
KILLARNEY AWAITS TARMAC TITANS
Killarney will play host to Ireland's leading drivers on the 4th and 5th of May next, when the Ordnance Survey Ireland/Gleneagle Hotel International Rally of the Lakes returns to the sporting calendar, following a year's absence enforced by the Foot and Mouth scare. The event is the second round of the Toshiba Computers Tarmac Rally Championship, the 'premiership' of Irish rallying, and is one of the sport's greatest prizes. The accolade of victory on the 'Lakes' is virtually unrivaled by that of any other rally on this island, and it will be fought over on this occasion by names such as Andrew Nesbitt, Austin McHale, Derek McGarrity, Daniel Doherty and Eamonn Boland.
The Circuit of Ireland Rally during Easter opened the Tarmac season, and it saw Andrew Nesbitt take a dominant victory in his Subaru Ireland/Cuisine de France Impreza WRC P2000. The Armagh man will be anxious to erase the memory of the 2000 Rally of the Lakes, which saw him retire while holding a comfortable lead, when his car ran out of fuel as a result of a faulty filler gauge.
Derek McGarrity, Daniel Doherty and Eamonn Boland will also be Subaru mounted, the latter with the latest 44S model. All will be eager to deprive Nesbitt of victory in Killarney, as will Austin McHale, who debuted his recently acquired, left-hand drive, Toyota Corolla WRC on the Circuit.
Those vying for local honour will include Killarney & District Motor Club members, Donie O'Sullivan, Johnny O'Sullivan, Denis Cronin and Tom Randles.
The rally will commence at 9am on Saturday morning, when the first car will leave the Start Ramp at the Gleneagle Hotel Nine stages are undertaken on both Saturday and Sunday. The opening stage on both days of the event will be Molls Gap, and the crew recording the fastest time over 'The Gap' will be awarded the Bertie Fisher Memorial Cup. The new award is a fitting honour to the multiple Rally of the Lakes winner, who himself held the Molls Gap record for a number of years.
The remaining Saturday stages will be in close proximity to Killarney and Killorglin, including a new stage at Knockacullig, plus Kilgobnet, Caragh Lake and a revised version of Rockfield.
The Sunday route will be similar to that of the 2000 Rally of the Lakes. The Tim Healy Pass and Kilmackillogue will precede new versions of Lough Allua and Fuhiry, with one run over Borlin also on the itinery. The winning crew will return to the Gleneagle at 5.30pm on Sunday evening.
An added attraction on this occasion for the expected thousands of spectators, will be the presence of classic rally cars such as the Audi Quattro Sport, Lancia 037, Ford RS200 and Porsche 911SC RS, which will run as Course Cars for the organisers ahead of the main field. Three times former winner of the Rally of the Lakes, Billy Coleman, will drive Course Car 001, an Audi Quattro A2, on selected stages.
These machines date from the 'Group B' era of the mid-1980s, and were some of the most spectacular rally cars ever to grace the stages of the World Rally Championship. There will be an opportunity to examine them at close quarters at the Supercar Show, which will be held at Ireland's National Events Centre, Killarney, on Friday 3rd May, from 8.30pm to 11pm. Admission proceeds will go to the Special Olympics Fund. The INEC is adjacent to the Gleneagle Hotel, Headquarters of the Rally of the Lakes.
The Ordnance Survey Ireland/Gleneagle Hotel International Rally of the Lakes is organised by Killarney & District Motor Club, and is sanctioned by Motorsport Ireland and the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. The event is the second round of both the Toshiba Computers Tarmac Rally Championship and the 023 Tiles Southern Four Rally Championship.
Ordnance Survey Ireland/Gleneagle Hotel 2002 International Rally of the Lakes
Top Twenty Seeds
1. Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien, Subaru Impreza WRC A8
2. Austin McHale/Bryan Murphy, Toyota Corolla WRC A8
3. Derek McGarrity/Chris Patterson, Subaru Impreza WRC A8
4. Eamon Boland/Anthony Nestor, Subaru Impreza WRC A8
5. Daniel Doherty/Michael Doherty, Subaru Impreza WRC A8
6. Peader Hurson/Ian Porter, Toyota Celica GT-Four A8
7. Liam O'Callaghan/David Hogan, Subaru Impreza WRC A8
8. Pete Doughty/Tim Sturla, Subaru Impreza WRC A8
9. Maurice Gass/Geoffrey Orr, Subaru Impreza WRC A8
10. Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy, Toyota Corolla WRC A8
11. Trevor Cathers/Francis Regan Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 5 N4
12. Donie O'Sullivan/Paul Nagle, Subaru Impreza WRX N4
14. Brendan Kelly/Rory Kennedy, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 7 N4
15. Johnny O'Sullivan/Pat Cashman, Ford Escort WRC A8
16. JJ Fleming/Robbie Ward, Subaru Impreza WRC A8
17. Bob Fowden/Jerry Hynes, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 7 N4
18. Seamus Leonard/Kevin O'Brien, Subaru Impreza WRX N4
19. Roy White/Greg Shinnors, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 6 N4
20. Tom Holton/Ron Guha, Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD A8

2002 National Rally of the Lakes
Top Six Seeds
21. Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan, BMW M3
22. Tony Davies/Brian Hardie, MG Metro 6R4
25. Thomas Randles/Diarmuid Lynch, Ford Escort RS 2.4
32. Patrick Mullane/Sean Mullane, Ford Escort RS 2.0
33. Kieran O'Neill/Diarmuid Falvey, Opel Kadett Coupe GT/E
34. Jimmy Lambert/James Coleman, Ford Escort RS 2.0

2002 Historic Rally of the Lakes
Top Six Seeds
201. John Farrell/Christy Farrell, Ford Escort
202. Mervyn Johnston/Peter Martin, Mini Cooper S
203. Philip Wylie/Jim Howe, MG B
204. Martin Freestone/Kim Freestone, Ford Escort
205. Douglas Richardson/John Richardson, Ford Escort
206. Sean Tracey/Andrew Bushe, BMW 2002

Donegal Restricted Single Stage

Based in the Seaview Hotel in Bunbeg , this Sunday (28th) sees the running of the Donegal Single Stage.This event is open to all cars with a restriction of 2050cc maximun engine size and 2WD only.
Drivers briefing is due at 9.30 am with first car due home at approx 6.30 pm.

Top Entries:
1 Eugene Ferry / John Gallagher Ford Escort Gweedore
2 Philip Shaw / Derek Brannigan Ford Escort Cookstown
3 Hugh M. Doherty / Michelle O'Brien Ford Escort Bunbeg
4 Conor Curley / Paul Hone Ford Escort MK2 2000 16V Claudy
5 Paul Gallagher / Karl Reid Toyota Corolla 1600 Churchill
6 Seamus Gallagher / John McCafferty Citreon Saxo Kit Car 1600 Letterkenny
7 Damien Gallagher / Mac Walsh Ford Escort 2000 Letterkenny
8 Jonathan McKenna / Ford Escort Mk2 1998 Draperstown
9 Terence McHugh / Brian McMonagle Ford Escort 2000 Portnoo
10 Martin McGee / TBN Ford Escort 2000 Milford
11 Patrick Bonar / Derek Montgomery Ford Escort 2000 Dunfanaghy
12 Martin Doherty / Danny O'Neill Ford Escort 1998 Rondalstown
14 Thomas Keys / Kelvin Keys Ford Escort Letterkenny
15 Paddy Boyce / Willie Hamilton Nissan Sunny Falcarragh
16 Daniel Conaghan / Liam McLaughlin Ford Escort 1300 Milford
17 Aidan Caddye / Eamon Ferry Vauxhall Astra 1998 Letterkenny
18 Shuan Murphy / Patrick Durning Ford Escort 2000 Dunfanaghy,
19 Demot McCauley / Ciaran Hampson Honda Civic Castlebar
20 Andy Connor / Kevin Connor Honda Civic 1596 Downings
21 Anthony McQuillan / TBN Honda Civic 1596 Glenariff
22 Ollie O'Reilly / Gerry Gumley Ford Escort G3 2000 Ballyhaise
23 Raymond Spence / Anthony Jordan Ford Escort Newtownards
24 Gerry Maher / Declan Neville Ford Escort 1900 Mullingar
25 Andrew Casey / Steven Casey Vauxhall Corsa 1600 Strabane
26 Paul Reid / Oliver Harvey Toyota Corrolla 1598 Letterkenny
27 Hugo Durning / Danny Cannon Ford Escort mk11 2.0 Dunfanaghy
28 James Browne / Donal McElaney Ford Escort Mk2 1600 Gortlee
29 Norman Kerr / Michael Carlin Ford Escort 2000 Foyle Springs
30 James McDermott / Benny Rogers Ford Escort 1600 Letterkenny

Pirelli International Rally

Rory Galligan

This weekend sees the start of the 2002 Pirelli British Championship with the opening round , The Pirelli International , having some Irish interest.
The event opens with the rally show in Watergate park followed by over 100 miles of stages based in Kielder Forest
Among those entered is Mark Higgins driving a Focus WRC and of course the competition debut of Rory Galligan in the Super 1600 Peugeot 206 which carries the reg no of RG51 PEU .

Entries so far: International Rally 26/27/28th April
1 Gwyndaf Evans / Chris Patterson MG ZR
2 Justin Dale / Andrew Bargery Peugeot 206 XS
3 Rory Galligan / Gordon Noble Peugeot 206 XS
4 David Henderson / Scott Poxon Ford Puma
5 Guy Wilks / Roger Herron Ford Puma
6 Martin Sansom / Phil Wells Peugeot 106 Maxi
7 Kris Meeke / Glen Patterson Ford Puma
8 James Thompson / Richard Pulleyn Peugeot 106 XS
11 Mark Higgins / Bryan Thomas Ford Focus WRC
12 Marcus Dodd / John Bennie Subaru WRC
14 David Higgins / Daniel Barrett Subaru Impreza
15 Jonny Milner / Nick Beech Toyota Corolla WRC
16 Austin McHale / Brian Murphy Toyota Corolla WRC
19 Neil Simpson / Michael Gibson Toyota Corolla WRC (Withdrawn)
22 Robert Woodside / Dean Beckett Subaru WRC
24 Alistair Ginley / Rory Kennedy Mitsubishi Lancer
34 Peter Stephenson / Stephen McAuley Subaru WRC
40 Stuart Darcy / Trevor Bustard Ford Puma

Entries in Gateshead Rally (Nos 2**) and Pirelli National Rally (Nos 1**) 26/27/28 April
208 /101 Gary Jennings / Paul Nagle Peugeot 206
226 /126 Shaun Gallagher / Richard Pashley Peugeot 206
227 /127 Grahamn McClintock / TBA Peugeot 206
232 /136 Gareth McHale / Brian Sharkey Peugeot 206
239 /153 James Halligan / Kevin Plunkett Peugeot 206
240 /154 Mike Bird / John Burke Peugeot 206
107 John Carroll / Jakes Kelly Ford Puma
150 Donnie Keating / Thomas Corby Volkswagen Polo

We wish them all the best of luck

Moonraker Forestry Rally

Munster Motorcycle and Car Club are running The Moonraker Rally again. This time in the form of a Forestry Rally with 45 stage miles. This is to take place on May 19th. It will be a part of the KBB Doors Championship, with John Shanahan Car Sales of Killavullen as Main Sponsor. Once again The Imokilly Motor Enthusiasts Club has an important role in organising the event with Pat McGuire as Clerk of the Course and with other positions (too many to mention) being filled by other Club Members.
Rally Headquarters will be the Midleton Park Hotel with special accommodation rates available Tel:021 4531767
. Scrutiny will be in Keary's Toyota Garage in Midleton and stages will be around Dongourney, Tallow, Youghal, Mount Uniacke and Clashmore with service at Kiely's Cross and Tallow.
The cars will leave the Midleton Park Hotel at 9:00AM and return at 6:00PM.
Regs will be posted in early April.
The press night will be in the Midleton Park Hotel on April 9th at 6:00PM. Anyone wanting Regs or further information should contact Deputy COC Colman Hegarty - Mobile:086 2236244

Dunlop National Rally Championship

Results after Round Two - Kerry Stages Rally Posn Driver Points Posn Navigator Points
1 Niall Maguire 40 1 Paul Mc Laughlin 40
2 Jim Harrison 36 2 Harvey Bell 36
3 Sean Gallagher 22 3 Liam Costello 22
4 Donal O'Donovan 22 4 Pat Lordan 22
5 David Armstrong 16 5 Herbie Blackburn 16
6 Tim Mc Nulty 16 6 Julian Nangle 16
7 Glenn Allen 14 7 Crawford Henderson 14
8 Kieran Shaw 14 8 Shane O'Neill 14
9 James Mc Cann 12 9 John Clarke 12
10 James Cole 12 10 Paul Mc Cann 12

Cavan Stages Rally

This event due to run on 27th May is round 5 of the 2002 Dunlop National Rally Championship and round 2 of the 2002 Four Seasons Hotel Border Rally Championship
Entries open on Monday the 22nd of April for this event which again will be based in the Kilmore Hotel on the Dublin Road in Cavan Town with service again in the Equestrian Centre
Regulations, Entry from and Accommodation List are available to Download from www.irish-rallying.com

Rally Experience on target to run

Sunday 21 July The brainchild of former International rally co-driver Ronan Morgan, the World Rally Experience is the highlight of the Irish motorsport calendar as it brings some of the biggest names and teams from world rallying to Ireland for this unique event.
International Rally Event
Run at the Award winning Punchestown Racecourse
World Championship Drivers
World Championship Teams
Restricted to 40 Invited Drivers
Six runs over a 4km Asphalt Stage

THE VENUE
Punchestown Racecourse, Naas, Co. Kildare
Only 30 minutes from Dublin City Centre and Dublin Airport. Minutes from the N7/M50
Easy Access & Ample Free Parking
Excellent Facilities
Restaurants & Bars
Crèche
Toilets
Dedicated Press Room
Natural Rally Stage
Excellent Spectator Viewing

Held at the award winning Punchestown Racecourse, which is located only 30 minutes from Dublin, the one day spectacle is restricted to 40 cars and run over a 4Km Asphalt stage with each driver completing six runs in this non stop action packed family day out. Last year, the first running of the event, over 12,000 sports fans were treated to a star line-up of drivers and teams which included World Rally Champion Richard Burns & the Subaru World Rally Team, Freddy Loix & his Mitsubishi World Rally Team, two times world rally champion Miki Biasion in the high revving Fiat Punto Kit car and multiple European champion Patrick Snijers. A further 250,000 watched the action on national television.
As well as the rally stars, the event also saw a number of high profile personalities take on the role of rally co-driver and experience the ride of their lives'. Former World Snooker Champion Ken Doherty, Olympic Boxing Gold Medallist Michael Carruth, Irish Rugby International Victor Costello, Sports Minister Dr. James McDaid and others got to sample the high speed thrill of top level world rallying.
Already working on creating an even bigger and more spectacular event for 2002, the World Rally Experience is set once again to attract world rallying's biggest stars to this unique Irish event.

Circuit of Wicklow Forestry Rally

This Sunday sees round 3 of the KBB Doors National Forestry Championship running with the Wicklow Forestry rally run by the MEC
Headquarters for the event is the Glendalough Hotel in Glendalough with first car due away at 10.30am.

Top Entries:
1 Dominic Mc Neill/Francis Regan Ford Escort WRC 5
2 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Nagle Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD 5
3 Kevin O' Kane/Stephen Griffith Subaru Impreza 555 5
4 Niall Driver/Francis Corrigan Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 5
5 Eddie Kinirons/Tom Kinirons Toyota Celica GT-Four 5
6 John Donnelly/Greg Mc Carthy Ford Escort RS Cosworth 5
7 Paul Staunton/Bruce Burgess Ford Escort 2.0 4
9 John Mc Carthy/Dan Maguire Ford Escort WRC 5
10 Colin Walsh/ TBA Subaru Impreza 555 5
11 Noel Driver/Joe Shinnors Ford Escort Mk2 3
12 Ian Chadwick/Donnacha O' Brien Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 5
13 Dermot Kelly/ TBA Ford Escort WRC 5
14 Garry Jennings/David Moynihan Peugeot 106 GTI 6
15 Sean Cassidy/Joe Mc Aleese Ford Escort RS Cosworth

Randles scores well in Kerry

The Killarney & District Motor Club crew of Tom Randles and Diarmuid Lynch made a successful start to their 2002 Dunlop National Rally series campaign last Sunday, when they claimed maximum Championship class points on the Dingle Peninsula Circuit of Kerry Rally. Their Ford Escort finished the event in 17th place overall.
Although Tom and Diarmuid actually finished second in class on the Kerry Motor club organised event, they claimed the points for first place, as the Class winners, David and June Long, chose not to register for the championship.
A puncture on stage two, the Connor Pass, put paid to any chance of a Class win for the T&D Rallying team. "Our time on the second run over the Pass was fifty seconds quicker than the first, so that gives some idea as to how much time we lost with the puncture," said Tom. "It definitely cost us the class win, and about four places in the overall results. We lost another ten seconds or so when we were delayed at one of the hairpins on the Minard Bridge stage. There was another car stopped there, and ours stalled briefly while I went down through the sequential 'box. Other than that, we had a perfect run. We were the quickest two wheel drive car on one of the final stages."
Two other Class 14 crews, who were expected to mount strong challenges, failed to finish the event. Ed Synan and David Doherty retired on stage one with rear axle trouble, while KDMC members, Willie and Marie Power, crashed later in the rally.

Monaghan Stages Preview

Sunday the 21st April sees the running of the 2002 Monaghan Stages Rally a counting round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship and Border Rally Championship
The event based in the Hillgrove Hotel in Monaghan also includes a Rallysport show on Sunday the 14th from 2-6pm and includes a display of rally cars , trade stands and rallycar simulator with admission to the event being free.
Top Entries Received:
1 Niall Maguire Paul McLoughlin Imprezza WRC 8
2 Michael Barrable Dermot O'Gorman Imprezza WRC 8
3 David Armstrong Herbie Blackburn Escort
4 Glenn Allen TBA Escort WRC 8
5 Patrick Elliot Sean Moriarty Imprezza 8
6 Kieran Shaw Crawford Henderson Escort WRC 8
7 Sean McArdle Gerard McMonagle Imprezza
8 Kevin Barrett Declan Tumilty Imprezza 8
9 Michael McArdle Lisa Mangan BMW M3 14
10 Ivan Stewart Joe Friel Escort Cosworth 15
11 Sean Gallagher Liam Costello Escort 15
12 Joe MacHugh Dermot MacHugh Escort Cosworth 15
14 Philip Shaw Derek Brannigan Escort 13
15 Mac McKenna John Loughran Peugeot 205 13

Donegal International press release

2002 Shell Donegal International Rally
The "Drive to be better" begins.

Tom Higgins has been announced as Clerk of the Course for this year's Donegal Rally. Based in Letterkenny, he has been an integral part of the fabled Donegal Motor Club organisation for almost 20 years and involved with the Rally in almost every capacity since 1984.
Irish Shell, Donegal Oil and Inishowen Oil are confirmed once again as title sponsors of the Rally which will be based at Letterkenny's Mount Errigal Hotel. It will run from the 21st - 23rd June 2002.
Tom Higgins commented: "One of the most heartening things that came out of the foot and mouth crisis for the Club was the announcement that our sponsors would disregard 2001 as one of the counting years of our long term sponsorship. It allowed us to plan for 2002 with confidence and look into ways of improving the Rally. Few Clubs enjoy such stability and we are very grateful for it. We will use a format close to that planned for the 2001 Rally by Charlie Reid, but with a few twists and changes."
He continued: "We got great support from everyone in Donegal for our decision to cancel last year's Rally. The effect on local tourism and business was fairly dramatic but we all knew it had to be done. What we need now is to let everyone know we are back and that 2002 is going to be something special."
"The time off has allowed us to look again at some areas with an eye to improvement. From now on we will drive to be better. This Club, and Irish rallying, has lost some very special people in the last year. What made them all stand out was a positive attitude and a determination to be the very best. It is a philosophy we intend to put into practice."
"We are pleased to announce the return of the Rally. People should start booking their accommodation now and watch for more news shortly. The Shell Donegal International Rally is back in business."

McShea gets Subaru drive in Cyprus

Irishman Niall McShea is to get a chance to compete on the next WRC round in Cyprus at the wheel of a group N Subaru Impreza.
Niall who is better known for his antics at the wheel of a Citroen Saxo and lately an Opel Corsa is again being backed by John Loyd and Minilite Wheels for this one off drive and hopes to use the event also as a shakedown for the Acropolis Rally in which he will compete in the Junior World Championship.

Irish Interest in Astra Stages 2002

Several Irish crews are making the trip over to Wales for the Astra Stages 2002 which are being run on Saturday 13th April.
The event which is based in the Royal International Pavilion in Llangollen is a counting round of th Kumho National Rally Championship
Top Entries:
1 Marcus Dodd / John Bennie Subaru WRC
2 Kenny McKinstry / Noel Orr Subaru WRC
3 David Mann / Alan Cook Subaru Impreza
4 Jonny Milner / Nicky Beech Toyota Corolla WRC
5 Mark Perrott / Gary Mansell Ford Escort WRC
6 Steve Petch / John Richardson Hyundai Accent WRC
7 Warren Phillskirk / Eurig Evans Metro 6R4
8 Brian Bell / Paul Spooner Ford Focus WRC
9 Charlie Payne / Craig Thorley Mitsubishi Lancer
10 Gary Midwinter / Martin Saunders Ford Escort WRC

Kenny Mc Kinstry hopes to resume his battle will Marcus Dodd following Dodds non start in the Rally Sunseeker due to insurance problems
Running at No 26 is Rory Galligan partnered by Gordon Noble who is using the event as a shakedown in his Peugeot 106 GTI as he eagerly awaits delivery of his Super 206
Behind him at No 27 is Gary Jennings with Paul Nagle alongside entered in his Peugeot 106 GTI , while he awaits delivery of the new 206.
At No 29 is Midland crew of Michael Murray and Dermot O Gorman hoping to debut his Grp N Subaru while Gareth McHale and Brian Sharkey are hoping to shakedown their new Peugeot 206 running at No 65.

Other Irish Entries include:
35 Martin Cairns / TBA Subaru Impreza Grp N
39 Sean Devine / TBA Subaru Impreza Grp N
50 Brendan Connor / Peter Ward Subaru Grp N
54 Paul Ward / Robert McDaid Subaru Grp N

Among the Historic entries are John Keatley and Francis Tuthill in Porsche 911's and Jimmy McRae and John Loyd in Ford Escort RS1600's.

Carlow Stages Regs available

Regulations are now released for the 2002 Carlow Stages which again will be based in the Seven Oaks Hotel in Carlow
The event will take place on Sunday 12th May with Stephen Murphy acting as Clerk of the Course.This years stages will be based in the Castlecomer / Ballyfoyle / Clara area and the Freshford / Tullaroan area and will comprise of 4 x 11-mile stages run twice with a centralised service.
The rally is round 4 of the Dunlop National Championship and is also a counting round of the Ford Ka and South East Stages Rally Championship.

Entry fee is €450 and entries close on 29th April.
Further queries can be made by FAX to 0503 32225 with return fax number / postal address or e-mail