Irish Crews Arctic Adventure ends in Disappointment
Months of hard work and preparation came to a disapointing end for Rally Parts Ireland crew Andy Bassett and Keith Stevenson on Laplands Arctic Rally.
'This is a very special rally', said Codriver Stevenson 'Every day we learnt something new.
Our biggest worry was going out of the rally and being stranded at the side of the road in minus 34 Degrees.
We carried special survival gear in the car, including firelighters! We were advised to start a fire as quickly as possible if we were stranded. Driving on hard-packed ice with 'spiked tyres' was also a new experience for us, it needs a very brave driving style, Donegal Town company S&R Motors assisted the crew to prepare and ship their showroom Golf Tdi car to Finland. 'We were expecting more problems.
There cannot be many cars that you can drive from a showroom onto a rally track in such low temperatures and start to compete with the best.'
'Unfortunately as one of the few foreign entries we had a very low start number, which meant that the roads were extremely cut up by the time we arrived. We had to contend with hard gravel ruts with hard packed ice either side. We were amazed at the carnage on the road. By the end of the first day we had picked up 23 positions. Over the first few stages on Saturday a further 15 cars had retired due to accidents'.
'We soldiered on, the Golf soaking up the punishment, when the inevitable happened. On a fast fourth gear right hand bend the car jumped out of the ruts and spun into a snow covered ditch. We had shovels in the car, but the more we dug the further the car fell into the ditch, so we eventually had to accept retirement, even with the car undamaged!' Although disappointed, the crew were happy with the performance of the car and have gathered some valuable experience ready to participate in the Irish National Rally Championship. .
2002 West Cork Rally
The International Rally season is underway and so it is fitting to announce
that the Regulations will be available soon to competitors wishing to
compete on this years irishmobiles.com West Cork Rally 2002. Regulations
will be posted to previous competitors and to those who got an entry last
year but all new prospective competitors should contact the Cork Motor Club
official listed below (telephone calls NOT later than 9.30pm).
All competitors should be aware that the interest in this years Rally will
undoubtedly surpass previous years due to the very welcome inclusion of the
inaugural the GET CONNECTED! TARMAC Rally Championship. It is therefore very
important that Regulations are turned around quickly with all the necessary
paperwork and details completed as requested.
The Cork Motor Club operates a "first come, first served" policy and with
only 151 starters on Irelands Premier 2-Day Clubman event speed is of the
essence both in competition and Regulation returns.
Regulations are available from: -
Norma O'Donovan
47 Palmbury Orchard,
Togher,
Cork.
Tel. 021 - 496 6053 From the U.K. 00353 - 21 - 496 6053
UP to 9.30PM only please.
The entry fee is Euro 450 (GBP 285)
Euro 350 (GBP 225) For Historic Competitors
The fee is inclusive of standard IRDS/INS and competitors personal accident
insurance, for 2 days, at the standard rate.
It is Cork Motor Clubs great pleasure to have irishmobiles.com as our main
sponsor and we are very grateful to Mr. Tom Sheehy, Managing Director, for
his support of the event.
The Rally will take place in the environs of Clonakilty town on St. Patrick'
s weekend March 16th and 17th and will once again present the competing
crews with every challenge that a tarmac surface could possibly offer. The
format of the stages will be 4 stages run twice on each day. Pacenote making
will be allowed on specified days and at specific times. Illegal pace note
making will not be tolerated and competitors will be advised of the
penalties if found pace note making outside the prescribed times.
The Head quarters of the event will once again be in the excellent Quality
Hotel and Leisure Centre, Clogheen, Clonakilty. The Hotel proved to be a
perfect base for previous events and we look forward to returning to Mr.
David Henry and his staff this year. The Quality Hotel and Leisure Centre is
our associate sponsor of the event.
Conor Nash (Press Officer)
36 Glendale Grove,
Glasheen Road,
Cork.
Tel. 086 - 248 36 16 or e-mail cpn@eircom.net
Swedish Rally Preview
The second round of the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship begins next Thursday when cars cross the ceremonial ramp in the town of Karlstad to start the Rally of Sweden.
Over the following three days, drivers will compete flat-out on almost 400 kilometres of snow-covered roads based around a single service point in the town of Hagfors, 80km north of Karlstad's rally headquarters.
The Swedish Rally is the World Championship's only true snow event, although in recent years, unusually warm conditions have meant that stage surfaces are also likely to be a mixture of ice, gravel and snow. For 2002 however, it looks like a return to the deep snow banks and -30 °c temperatures of old. The 555 Subaru World Rally Team's pre-event test team has reported about 20cms of snowfall in the last two days.
86 entries (the greatest number for five years) were received, but with less than the 90 maximum number it obviated the need to operate the FIA's entry selection process on this occasion. When entries closed there were 19 works entries, 3 'works approved' cars and 4 second priority cars. Still the extraordinary statistics continue: this event which is run on frozen roads has never been won by a non-Scandinavian driver. There will be a ceremonial start on the Thursday evening.
To Compensate for this , like at Monte Carlo there will be a gap in competition numbers between the last of the World Rally Cars and the first of the alternative series (this time for Group N cars). New is an additional gap between the last of the Group N cars (76) and the first of the privateer and national team entries (101). Several entries in this latter category are also World Rally Cars. Future official Hyundai team driver Tomasz Kuchar starts this time in a private Toyota World Rally Car with number 113. The reigning Polish champion Janusz Kulig has number 120. The former Le Mans 24 Hours winner Stanley Dickens starts with number 134.
Event Timetable (Sweden is GMT +1hr)
Leg 1:
Friday 1 February
Start 0600 ,Serv A 0710 Hagfors 20 min, SS1 0815 Sågen 1 14.17km , SS2 0910 Rämmen 1 23.16km ,Serv B 1000 Hagfors 20 min ,
SS3 1140 Granberget 1 40.51km , Serv C 1344 Hagfors 20 min , SS4 1505 Fredriksberg 1 18.14km , SS5 1545 Lejen 1 28.07km ,
Serv D 1726 Hagfors 45 min , Finish 1900 Main Square Karlstad.
Leg 2
Saturday 2 February
Start 0600 , Serv E 0710 Hagfors 20 min ,SS6 0845 Granberget 2 40.51km , Serv F 1045 Hagfors 20 min ,SS7 1205 Fredriksberg 2 18.14km ,
SS8 1245 Lejen 2 28.07km , Serv G 1427 Hagfors 20 min , SS9 1500 Malta 11.25km , SS10 1530 Hara 12.29km , SS11 1605 Torntorp 1 19.21km ,
Serv H 1658 Hagfors 45 min ,Finish 1830 Main Square Karlstad
Leg 3
Sunday 3 February
Start 0600 , Serv I 0710 Hagfors 20 min ,SS12 0815 Sågen 2 14.17km , SS13 0910 Rämmen 2 23.16km , Serv J 1000 Hagfors 20 min ,
SS14 1045 Vargåsen 32.43km , SS15 1150 Torntorp 2 19.21km , Serv K 1251 Hagfors 20 min ,SS16 1340 Hagfors 2002 41.09km ,Serv L 1435 Hagfors 20 min ,
Finish 1615 Stora Torget Karlstad.
Top Entries:
1 BURNS Richard/REID Robert GB/GB Peugeot 206 WRC Peugeot Total A8
2 GRÖNHOLM Marcus/RAUTIAINEN Timo FIN/FIN Peugeot 206 WRC Peugeot Total A8
3 ROVANPERÄ Harri/PIETILAINEN Risto FIN/FIN Peugeot 206 WRC Peugeot Total A8
4 SAINZ Carlos/MOYA Luis E/E Ford RS WRC 02 Ford Motor Co Ltd A8
5 McRAE Colin/GRIST Nicky GB/GB Ford RS WRC 02 Ford Motor Co Ltd A8
6 MÄRTIN Markko/PARK Michael EE/GB Ford RS WRC 02 Ford Motor Co Ltd A8
7 DELECOUR Francois/GRATALOUP Daniel F/F Mitsubishi Lancer Evo WRC Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart A8
8 MCRAE Alister/SENIOR David GB/GB Mitsubishi Lancer Evo WRC Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart A8
9 PAASONEN Jani/KAPANEN Arto FIN/FIN Mitsubishi Lancer Evo WRC Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart A8
10 MÄKINEN Tommi/LINDSTRÖM Kaj FIN/FIN Subaru Impreza WRC 2001 Subaru World Rally Team A8
11 SOLBERG Petter/MILLS Philip N/GB Subaru Impreza WRC 2001 Subaru World Rally Team A8
14 ERIKSSON Kenneth/THÖRNER Tina S/S Skoda Octavia WRC Evo II Skoda Motorsport A8
15 GARDEMEISTER Toni/LUKANDER Paavo FIN/FIN Skoda Octavia WRC Evo II Skoda Motorsport A8
16 BLOMQVIST Stig/GONI Ana S/YV Skoda Octavia WRC Evo II Skoda Motorsport A8
17 SCHWARZ Armin/HEIMER Manfred D/D Hyundai Accent WRC Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team A8
18 LOIX Freddy/SMEETS Sven B/B Hyundai Accent WRC Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team A8
19 KANKKUNEN Juha/REPO Juha FIN/FIN Hyundai Accent WRC Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team A8
20 RÅDSTRÖM Thomas/GIRAUDET Denis S/F Citroën Xsara WRC Automobiles Citroën A8
21 LOEB Sébastien/ELENA Daniel F/MC Citroën Xsara WRC Automobiles Citroën A8
23 DUVAL Francois/FORTIN Jean-Marc B/B Ford RS WRC 01 Francois Duval A8
Other Entries of Interest
59 BARRATT Natalie/FREEMAN Roger GB/GB Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Natalie Barratt N4
60 BRIANT Ben/TBA GB/ Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Ben Briant N4
73 ROWE Martin/WOOD Chris GB/GB Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Martin Rowe N4
115 PAPADIMITRIOU Ioannis/HARRYMAN Allan GR/GB Subaru Imprezza 555 Ioannis Papadimitriou A8
West Coast Navigation Championship
The Details for the 2002 season have now been released and this year the championshipwill again be sponsored by Mc Carrick Garages and Noel Mc Carrick , who would be known for his competing in Tarmac rallies at the whell of his Subaru Impreza.
Details are as follows:
The championship is to be held over a period of eleven months, from Feb. 2000 to Dec. 2000, with a break for the Summer. A competitor scores his/her best performance in five events out of six.
The 2002 West Coast Navigation Trial Championship will be run in accordance with the regulations of the EARS Motorsport Irish Navigation Trial Championship App. "R", Standard Regulations for Navigation Trials, App. "R"(I), and with the following amendments:
Events to Count:
The six events are:
16th/17th February 2002 Midland Motor Club Navigation Trial
02nd/03rd March 2002 Co. Cavan Navigation Trial
13th/14th Apr 2002 Galway Motor Club Classic Navigation
19th/20th October 2002 Mayo Navigation Trial
26th/27th October 2002 Co. Cavan Navigation Trial
30th/01st Nov/Dec 2002 Midland Navigation Trial
note: It is anticipated that the three rounds run following the summer break will form part of both the 2002 and the 2002/2003 championship.
Registration forms and regs available from the registrar, Frank Byrnes, frankbyrnes@eircom.net (Tel/Text 087 2320123)
or the secretary, Dave Ray daveray@eircom.net (Tel/Text 087 9794868).
Forms will also be available at all rounds of the championship
Dave Ray
Makinen eventual Monte Winner
On Thursday evening 24 January, Citroen announced that they are not proceeding with the Appeal against their two minute penalty imposed during the Monte Carlo Rally
This means the event winner now is Tommi Makinen, his fourth successive victory on this event, while Sébasten Loeb drops to second place.
Placings in the Manufacturers' Championship are unaffected.
The result marks a landmark for the four times World Champion as it brings him a 24th WRC victory and makes him the most successful driver ever in the sport. Additionally, Tommi makes the record books as the only driver to win the Monte on four consecutive occasions since it was first run in 1911.
Commenting on the new result Tommi said, "I don't really know what to say - it's obviously fantastic news and a great honour to have reached this position as a driver. It's just a pity I have no time to celebrate it just for the minute as we are in the middle of our Sweden test. So for now, it's good news but also business as usual I think. But maybe though things will be a little better for me on the rally as there is no pressure for me to break the record - I've done it now and all of that pressure has been passed to the other drivers who must try to catch up!"
2002 Tarmac Championship
Regulations are now available for the Circuit of Ireland Rally which will be the opening round of the 2002 Toshiba Computers Tarmac Championship
The Championship will comprise of 8 rounds ( see tarmac calendar ) and initial fears about the Cork 20 and West International running have now being dispelled by the organising clubs
Round 1 - 2002 Toshiba Computers Irish Tarmac Championship :
Regulations and detials are available on the opening round of the 2002 Tarmac Championship.
Rally HQ - Manor House Hotel, Killadeas, Co. Fermanagh
Vehicle Scrutiny & Documentation - Lakeland Forum, Enniskillen (Friday 29th)
Looped Stages
Centralised Servicing
Saturday: Spectator Stages & Stages in Fermanagh
Sunday: Stages in Donegal & Leitrim
Monday: Stages in Fermanagh & Tyrone
Full Details and Regulations can be downloaded from Ulster Automobile Club Website: www.ulsterac.dircon.co.uk
Tipperary Forestry Preview
The 1st round of the KBB Doors National Forestry Championship kicks off this weekend when Tipperary will host their forestry rally.
Running out of the Firgrove Hotel in Mitchelstown Co Cork over 150 entries have been received for the 80 places and the first car is
due to leave the start ramp at 10.30 am for 3 stage locations of Cambaun , Kilworth and Kilcoran near Cahir.
Each stage will be run twice with service in the Galtee Meats in Mitchelstown.
Some of the leading entries are:
Dermot kelly / John Brennan in his new Escort WRC
Kevin O Kane / Stephen Griffith in his ex-allstars Subaru Impreza
Dominic Mc Neill / Francis Regan in his Ford Escort WRC
Eugene O Donnell / Paul Nagle in his ex TTE Toyota Celica ST185
Eamonn Boland / Anthony Nestor in his new Subaru Impreza WRC
Peter Mc Cullough in his Escort Cosworth
Niall Driver / Franci Corrigan in his Mitsubishi Evo 6
Ollie O'Donovan/Dave Moynihan in his Subaru Legacy RS
John Donnelly/Greg McCarthy Ford in his Ford Escort WRC
John McCarthy/Dan Maguire Ford Escort WRC
Pete Willoughby/Greg Shinnors in a Mitsubishi. Lancer EVO 6 making a cahnge from the Escort
Patrick Elliot/Sean Moriarty swopping his Subaru for his old Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 6
Large Interest in Birr Single Stgae
This event being run by Birr and District Auto Club on Feb 10th has proven so popular that the club was forvced to close entries early due to over 200 entries being received in the first week for only 130 places.
The Restricted Single Stage which is open to 2WD cars only with a maximum of 2050cc will be based in Dooly's Hotel in Birr and the COC Eoin Longworth has picked a challenging 10 mile stage with the usual familiarisation run starting at 11.00am.
Some of the entries received so far include last years top three of:
Pat and Liam Higgins from Granard (Ford Escort MrkII)
Davis and Owen Percy from Nenagh (Ford Escort MrkII)
Mervyn Wedlock and Philip Smith from Coothill (Ford Escort G3)
Some other entries received include
John Nolan (Escort) , Jimmy Lambert (Escort) , David James (Escort BDX) , Freddy Walker (Escort) , Rodney Wilton (Escort), John O Sullivan (Peugeot 205), Aidan Walsh ( Escort) , James Foley (Honda Civic) , Johnny Kelly (Honda Civic) , Mick McQuaid (Escort), Gordon Rogers (Escort)
, Joe Curran ,(Opel Astra) , Tom Taffe (Honda Integra) , Willie Dunne (Peugeot 205) , Adrian Quinn (Honda Civic) , Gery Kelly (Escort) , Sean Bird (Escort) , Maurice Moffett (Peugeot 205 RWD) , Gerry Smith (Escort) and Gary Jennings (Peugeot 106).
Further Details will follow.
Irish Crew to tackle Artic Rally
Donegal Town crew Andy Bassett and Keith Stevenson were starting to run
into trouble with their plans to compete on the forthcoming Arctic
Rally with their Golf Tdi when a local company S&R Motors kindly
stepped in and provided the necessary support.
'The logistics are enormous' said navigator Stevenson. 'Getting the car
to Helsinki alone is a challenge, let alone the 1200 Km drive to the
rally centre, and there is an endless list of special car preparation
from fitting special engine heaters that prevents the engine freezing
overnight in the minus 45c temperatures, to rebuilding the dampers with low
temperature oil'
On the rally itself special snow ploughs clear the roads a couple of
hours before the crews start the stages, and inside the cars special
survival gear has to be carried in case of an accident or mechanical
failure. 'You wouldn't last very long at minus 45c without special
clothes'. said Stevenson. 'In addition to the survival gear 2 lightweight shovels
have to be carried in the car, and a special park place has to be dug
into the deep snow banks to park the car and allow the other crews to pass'.
'In fact the logistical, technical and financial challenges were
proving so great that we were seriously thinking of giving up, when
S&R Motors stepped in and offered support. This was the break we were
looking for, and with fingers crossed we will be getting on a plane next
Saturday'.
Progress of the crew can be followed on www.rallypartsireland.com
Loix may miss Rally Sweden
With less than one week to the Swedish Rally , Hyundai driver Freddy Loix looks like his injury will force him to miss the event.
Freddy who broke a bone in his foot when his Hyundai Accent WRC crashed heavily into a bridge paraphet underwent an operation on Jan 19th and results of tests due Wed 23rd Jan will see if he can start or not.
2002 Irish Focus Challenge spec released
Engine:
Zetec Iron Block, aluminium cylinder head, 4 cylinder, 16 valve, 1989 cc, Lightwheel flywheel, steel crankshaft, wet sump.
Transmission:
Front wheel drive via 5 speed close ratio MTX75 with revised final drive and limited slip differential.
Suspension:
Front: McPherson struts with adjustable spring platforms, production anti-roll bar. Rear: Coil-Over Damper with adjustable spring platforms. Modified Rear Hub assembly.
Brakes:
Front: Alcon 4 piston lug Mount Caliper 295 mm Integral Disc
Rear: Soild Disc with 2 piston Ford Calipers. Hydralic Handbrake. Assistance via standard servo with presssure limiting valve to rear brakes.
Steering:
Standard Power assisted rack and piunion.
Bodyshell:
Welded In Steel Safety Roll Cage. New Front and Rear Wheel arch extensions in plastic, Aerodynamic Tailgate Spoiler.
Fuel Tank:
Standard 55 litre tank.
Overall length:
4152 mm
Overall Width:
1750 mm
Overall Height:
1430 mm
Further details from www.protecracing.com
Woodside takes New Year Stages win
THE autograph hunters were out in force at Kirkistown on Saturday, but they didn't bother Robert Woodside Jr as he set about winning the first stage rally of the year in Kenny McKinstry's WRC Subaru Impreza.
Even as he slid the white Subaru through the chicanes on the final two stages, the crowds were surrounding Eddie Irvine ! The Jaguar F1 star had arrived unannounced to see the fun and chat to a few old friends, but in a matter of minutes the slim figure in the green Jaguar coat had been spotted
and the on-stage action was forgotten. But there was plenty of action nonetheless. Fastest times on four of the six stages proved enough to give 'Woody' the victory, with early leader Owen Lamont slotting into second place in his similar car. Lamont had topped the time sheets on the first section
by one second from the Ballyclare driver, and pulled out a further seven on stage two. However, a hard charge on stage three pulled the full eight seconds back, and from then on Woodside was the class of the field, stroking away to pull out a nine second advantage by the finish.
Behind the two Imprezas, an all-Toyota fight for third between David Greer's Corolla WRC and the ageing but effective Celica of Cathal Arthurs was eventually resolved in favour of local man Arthurs on the final stage when Greer had an adventure and dropped 13 seconds.
Nigel Hicklin hustled his Mitsubishi into fifth overall and the Group N win. Things were tight in the lower half of the top 10, with Jaye Jordan claiming fifth in his Escort Cosworth ahead of Dan McCartan's Celica 185 and the Cosworth of Fred Cameron. Simon Woodside and Willie McKee rounded things off in their Mitsubishis.
In the classes, Marshall Kennedy took the small Group N category in his Peugeot 306, while Alistair Graham took 1400cc honours in his Vauxhall Astra. The Nova of Jonathan Armstrong beat off a horde of Sunbeams to top the 'twovalve'1600cc category while Robert Thompson's Celica was best of the multi valves.
In the 2.0 litre section, Mervyn Williamson' Escort was best of the two valve brigade, while norman Moore's rear wheel drive Astra topped the class for multi-valve machinery. The special award for best 'Mature Motor' went to Philip McDowell's Cortina GT.
Report by www.nimotorsport.co.uk
Large Irish interest in 206 Cup
With over 30 entries in the New Peugeott 206 challenge running as part of the British Championship , the interest from Irish crews has again been very high.
Among those hoping to follow in Rory Galligans footstep are :
Adrian McElihenny
Adrian Mc Elvaney
Stuart Darcy
Gary Jennings
Shaun Gallagher
Robert Woodside
James Halligan
Gareth Mc Hale
Grahamn Mc Clintock
and Brendan Kelly is listed as reserve
Subaru renews BAT sponsorship
The 555 Subaru World Rally Team announced today that it has renewed
its partnership with British American Tobacco, and its internationally
popular cigarette brand 555, for at least the next 3 years.
This latest development is part of the close relationship between
Subaru and British American Tobacco that stretches back almost 9 years
to when the first 555 Subaru Legacy appeared on the 1993 Sweden rally,
driven by a young Colin McRae.
Thanks to the versatile performance of Subaru's rally cars, a driver
line up that has included six World Champions, and levels of
presentation and styling that were previously unheard of in rallying,
the team has not been out of the spotlight since.
Commenting on the deal, 555 Subaru World Rally Team Principal, David
Lapworth, said: "As a team it is great news that British American
Tobacco have seen such benefits from their involvement with Subaru and
are going to continue to support us into the future. Many people
forget that in the early years of the Subaru World Rally Team our cars
were predominately white with a number of different coloured logos.
However, when British American Tobacco became a team partner in 1993
it was time for an image change, and an opportunity for us to take a
fresh approach to the whole concept of what a rally car should look
like. The result was the first evolution of the now familiar blue and
yellow design, and I think it is fair to say it has become one of the
most recognisable images in motorsport worldwide. It also marked the
beginning of one of the most successful teams in the modern era of
rallying."
Marketing Director of British American Tobacco Jimmi Rembiszewski,
said: "As a team I think we have always been unbeatable, and we are
delighted to be able to build upon our long standing relationship with
Subaru for the coming three years. With the recent launch of the 555
brand in the UK, 2002 will be an important year for us both on and off
the rally stages. But with the popularity of the WRC series rocketing
and the championship winning pedigree of the 555 Subaru World Rally
Team, the prospects are good for continued success for us both."
The 555 Subaru World Rally Team has established itself as the fans'
favourite but the alliance is above all a winning combination, with a
firm foundation of results. The team secured FIA World Championship
titles in 1995 for both drivers and Manufacturers, and held onto the
manufacturers' trophy for 1996 and 1997. In the FIA Asia Pacific
Championship it was victorious in 1993, 1994 and 1997. In total, the
team has won every round of the World Rally Championship at least once
and has an impressive tally of 32 world rally victories
Subaru's success story in rallying continued in 2001 when Richard
Burns took the Impreza to victory in the Drivers' Championship and for
2002 great things are expected of the new and dynamic driver line-up.
Poised to make his team competitive debut in Monte Carlo is acclaimed
four-time World Champion driver Tommi Makinen. The 37-year-old Finn
brings a wealth of knowledge to the team and his standing as the most
successful rally driver of the last decade, combined with his
confidence in the performance and handling of the Subaru Impreza WRC
during testing, will hold him in good stead.
Tommi's unrivalled experience will be complemented for 2002 by the raw
talent of Norway's Petter Solberg. A fine example of the 555 Subaru
World Rally Team's philosophy of developing the careers of talented
young drivers, the popular 27-year-old showed extremely promising form
on his debut season in the Impreza last year and he was able to
achieve the best results of his career. Now, with the benefit of more
event experience and hours behind the wheel of the 555 Subaru Impreza
WRC, Petter is in a stronger position than ever to demonstrate his
considerable talents.
Triton Showers South East Stages Update
SEVEN ROUND CHAMPIONSHIP: THREE FORESTRY, FOUR TARMAC, PROMOTED BY: THE BIRR & DISTRICT; CARLOW; CARRICK-ON-SUIR; TIPPERARY AND WEXFORD MOTOR CLUBS LTD.
Competitors best four rounds to count.
The new year has prompted a new and somewhat revitalised TRITON SHOWERS South East Stages Rally Championship. It is still promoted by the Birr, Carlow, Carrick-on-Suir, Tipperary and Wexford Motor Clubs. However the championship will run in the calendar year.
It is again a seven round (three forestry, four tarmac) class based championship with competitors four best results to count. The points structure rewards class wins, thereby giving all competitors, regardless of their machinery the opportunity of winning the championship. The clubs involved recognise that given a well structured championship, competitors can plan objectively for a seasons rallying.
The classes have been restructured to give a better spread of cars per class and to eliminate the poorly supported class 4 of previous years. The classes are as follows:
Class 1. All cars up to 1400 cc. normally aspirated, 2 wheel drive.
Class 2. 1400 cc. - 1700 cc. Normally aspirated, 2 wheel drive, 2 valves per cyl.
Class 3. 1400 cc. - 1700 cc. Normally aspirated, 2 wheel drive, more than 2 valves per cyl.
Class 4. 1701 cc. - 2400 cc. Normally aspirated, 2 wheel drive, 2 valves per cyl.
Class 5. 1701 cc. - 2400 cc. Normally aspirated, 2 wheel drive, more than 2 valves per cyl.
Class 6 . Normally aspirated over 2400 cc, all four wheel drive ,all turbo charged and rotary engine cars.
Prizes will be awarded to fifth in class provided the competitors have started three rounds
There is also a special award sponsored by Kevin Barret, TRITON SHOWERS, to commemorate the memory of Michael Smallwood. This will be awarded to the winner of class 5.
There is also a once off registration fee of Euro 20 per crew.
Unlike the previous format of the three forestry and four tarmac events grouped together, these will now be split to, two forestry, four tarmac and the final event forestry. This should take the game plan away from the tarmac only competitors.
The TRITON SHOWERS South East Stages Rally Championship calendar is as follows:
January 27. Tipperary forestry rally. Mitchelstown Branch.
February 24. Carrick-on-Suir forestry rally.
May 12. Carlow stages rally, tarmac.
June 30. Carrick-on-Suir Ravens Rock Rally, tarmac.
August 11. Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally, tarmac.
September 14 / 15. Wexford Stages Rally (two day), tarmac.
September 29. Birr forestry rally.
The sponsors and promoters of the TRITON SHOWERS South East Stages Rally Championship extends a sporting welcome to all sponsors, competitors, officials and spectators for this years championship. Whatever your involvement we hope you enjoy your year's motorsport.
Our thanks to Kevin Barrett and TRITON SHOWERS for their continued support for this popular Championship. We wish Kevin every success behind the wheel for the coming year.
Championship Registrar: Ann Fitzgerald.
The Cross,
Mooncoin,
via Waterford.
'Ph. / Fax. 00 353 (0)51 895238
Joe O Brien
Birr Single Stage Entry Closes
Following receipt of 220 entries within one week of regs being issued, it has been decided that no more entires will be accepted and are now closed.
Entrants will receive a letter in the next week or so to advise them of their status - i.e. if they are on the entry list or on the reserve list.
Anyone who has not posted their entry yet will be deemed to be too late
Keith Gibbons, Entries Secretary, B&DAC Single Stage Tarmac Rally, Feb 10th '02
Hyundai recruit new driver
Former Polish F2 Rally Champion Tomasz Kuchar is to join the Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team on select rounds of the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship. He will be making his debut with co-driver Maciej Szczepaniak on the first true tarmac event of the season, the Tour de Corse from 8-10 March.
Kuchar is an up-and-coming rally driver who has spent several years at the top of the sport in his native Poland. He contested Rallye Sanremo - his first WRC rally - in 1999 and in 2000 made his debut in a World Rally Car on the Swedish Rally. Aiming for a works drive, Thomasz set out to gain more experience at world level by contesting Portugal, Deutschland, Sanremo and Finland during last year's season.
His programme with the Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team will begin with the Tour de Corse, closely followed by Rallye Catalunya later in March. He will also contest the tarmac rounds in the later part of the year - Deutschland Rallye and Rallye Sanremo. While these are the only four rounds confirmed at present, the Polish crew are looking to expand their programme to include several gravel events as well.
Team Principal David Whitehead said, "It is of importance to the future of the World Rally Championship that all teams nurture and develop the drivers of tomorrow. We are delighted to have Tomasz join us and are very much looking forward to playing a key role in the development of this young driver's career."
2002 New Year Stages
This six stage event will take place on Saturday 19th January with scrutiny on Friday at Curran Transport in Bangor.
Top Entries are:
1 David Greer/TBA 2.0t Toyota Corolla WRC 8
2 Robert Woodside Jr/Victoria Elliott 2.0t Subaru Impreza WRC 8
3 Owen Lamont/Phillip McCrae 2.0t Subaru Impreza WRC 8
4 Cathal Arthurs/Fintain McGrady 2.0t Toyota Celica 8
5 Dan McCartan/Mark McElwee 2.0t Toyota Celica 185 8
6 Nigel Hicklin/Ivor Lamont 2.0t Mitsubishi Evo 5 2
7 Jaye Jordan/Graham Steward 2.0t Ford Escort Cosworth 8
8 Wesley Patterson/Terence Taggart 2.0 Vauxhall Corsa RWD 7
9 Fred Cameron/Dale McNeill 2.0t Ford Escort Cosworth 8
10 Willie McKee/Alison McGee 2.0t Mitsubishi Evo 4 2
Ford Ireland announce new championship
Ford Ireland have introduced the next stage in the Ford Ladder of
Opportunity for young Irish Rally Drivers with the announcement of
the new Ford Focus Rally Championship, which will run in conjunction
with the existing highly successful Ford KA Rally Championship.
Ford Ireland are committed to supporting and promoting young Irish
Rally Talent throughout the ranks, the Ford Ladder of Opportunity
starts with the Ford KA, Ford Focus, Super 1600 Puma and eventually
the World Rally Championship.
Another first for Ford Ireland, the Ford Focus Rally Championship is
the next step in the Ford Ladder of Opportunity. The Focus Rally
Championship is based on a Two Litre normally aspirated front wheel
drive Ford Focus and the car is homologated into Group A. The Ford
Focus Rally Championship will consist of five International Rallies
within Ireland in 2002.
The Ford Focus Rally Championship has an extremely generous Prize
Fund of ?13,000, with the overall winner getting to test drive an M-
Sport Focus WRC and gain automatic entry into shoot out competition
for entry into the Ford Rallye Sport Junior Team with a prize fund of
Stg£50,000.
The existing Ford Ka Rally Championship will continue for the fourth
consecutive year, in 2001 there were 15 Ford KA's competing in
Ireland helping promote the Ford Brand image as well as supporting
young drivers at a crucial stage of their careers.
"The Ford Focus Rally Championship is another first for Ford Ireland
as well as being the next step in the Ford Ladder of Opportunity for
Irish Drivers. For too long nothing has been done to promote Irish
driving talent and with the new structure and prize fund we feel that
this problem will be addressed" said Declan Foley, Brand Manager,
Ford Ireland.
Released by Tom Collins
Monte Carlo Preview
The first round of the 2002 World Rally Championship, the Monte Carlo Rally, starts on Thursday 17th January. This historic asphalt event,
to be run for the 70th time this year, is the traditional curtain raiser to the WRC season and will see the eagerly anticipated debut of
the various World Rally Team's new driver line-ups and new cars for 2003.
The event has a tricky reputation thanks largely to the notoriously unpredictable mountain weather conditions. The fast changing climate
makes predicting the levels of grip on the narrow asphalt stages extremely difficult , but this year with mild weather hampering test crews tyre choices will crucial.
Top Entries are :
1 Peugeot / Total 206 WRC Richard Burns/ Robert Reid (GB)
2 Peugeot / Total 206 WRC Marcus Gronholm / Timo Rautiainen (FIN)
3 Peugeot / Total 206 WRC Gilles Panizzi / Herve Panizzi (Fr)
4 Ford Focus WRC Carlos Sainz / Luis Moya (Sp)
5 Ford Focus WRC Colin McRae / Niky Grist (GB)
6 Ford Focus WRC Markko Martin / Niky Park (Est)
7 Mitsubishi / Ralliart Lancer WRC François Delecour / Daniel Grataloup (F)
8 Mitsubishi / Ralliart Lancer WRC Alister McRae / David Senior GB)
10 Subaru WRC 2001Tommi Makinen / Kaj Lindstom(FIN)
11 Subaru WRC 2001 Petter Solberg / Philip Mills (N)
14 Skoda Octavia WRC Kenneth Eriksson / Maria Thorner (S)
15 Skoda Octavia WRC Toni Gardemeister / Pavoo Lukander(FIN)
16 Skoda Octavia WRC Roman Kresta / Jan Tomanek (CZ)
17 Hyundai Castrol Accent WRC Armin Schwarz / Manfred Hiemer(D)
18 Hyundai Castrol Accent WRC Freddy Loix / Sven Smeets (B)
20 Citroen Xsara WRC Thomas Radstrom / Denis Giraudet (F)
21 Citroen Xsara WRC Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena(F)
22 Citroen Xsara WRC Phillipe Bugalski / Jean-Paul Chiaroni
24 Toyota Corolla WRC Didier Auriol / TBA (F)
52 Opel Corsa S1600 Niall Mc Shea / Michael Orr (NI)
55 Ford Puma S1600 Francois Duval / Jean Fortin (B)
61 MG ZR S1600 Gwyndaf Evans / TBA (GB)
63 Ford Puma S1600 Martin Rowe / Chris Wood (GB)
This year the rally will be made up of 15 stages that total 387kms and take the crews north west of the Mediterranean coast to the twisty
tarmac roads that snake through the Ardeche. Teams will start and finish each leg in Monte Carlo while servicing will take place at two
different locations. Monte Carlo will host the central service point for legs two and three, while for leg one it will be based in the town
of Digne Les Bains, 167kms to the north.
Event Timetable (CET)
Friday 18 January : SS1 0948 Selonnet - Turriers 28.74km , SS2 1106 Sisteron - Thoard 36.73km , Service 1221 Digne Les Bains 20 minutes , S3 1339 Selonnet - Turriers 28.74km
, SS4 1457 Sisteron - Thoard 36.73km , Service 1627 Dignes Les Baines 20 minutes , SS5 1825 Puget-Theniers - Toudon 26.76km , Finish 2000 Monaco.
Saturday 19 January : SS6 1008 Pont de Clans - Villars Sur Var 12.08km , SS7 1051 Puget-Theniers - Toudon 26.76km , Service 1226 Monaco 22 minutes , SS8 1349 Coaraze - Loda 23.05km
, SS9 1432 La Bollene - Turini - Sospel 32.42km , Service 1754 Monaco 22 minutes , SS10 1919 Coaraze - Loada 23.05km , SS11 2006 La Bollene - Turini 11.70m , Service 2128 Monaco 12 minutes
, Finish 2145 Monaco
Sunday 20 January : SS12 0913 Sospel - Turini - La Bollene 32.85km , SS13 1008 Loda - Luceram 16.55km , Service 1118 Monaco 22 minutes , SS14 1233 Sospel - Turini - La Bollene 32.85km , SS15 1328 Loda - Luceram 16.55m
, Service 1440 Monaco 22 minutes , Finish 1502 Monaco
Mitsubishi gear up for Monte
Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart will enter a new era when the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship begins on the Monte Carlo Rally, for it has an entirely new driver line-up. Frenchman François Delecour and Britain's Alister McRae form a powerful pairing and there is a sense of optimism in the team as it seeks to make the most of its new drivers and its latest car, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC.
Rallye Monte-Carlo - the oldest and probably the most prestigious event of all - is famously unpredictable, in keeping with an event that begins outside a casino. Venturing into the French Alps in winter ensures that the conditions can vary enormously – if an icy wind sends the temperature plummeting below zero, it can seem a long way from the palm-fringed Principality on the Mediterranean – but this year's event promises to be more than usually uncertain. All seven factory teams have made changes to their driver line-ups and most of them are extensive. The rally will accordingly be a test of the drivers' ability to adapt to new cars as much as the challenge posed by the route.
Nevertheless, the Monte is likely to be won and lost on the ability to read the conditions accurately. Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart has an exceptional record in this respect and is aiming for a fourth successive victory. Drivers can expect anything from dry asphalt to deep snow and patchy ice – sometimes all three on just one special stage. Accordingly, assessing the weather and picking suitable tyres can sometimes gain minutes rather than seconds. Experience and judgement are vital.
Few crews are better equipped for the Monte challenge than French duo François Delecour and Daniel Grataloup. The winners of the 1994 Monte, they bring a wealth of experience to Mitsubishi and Delecour has taken an instant liking to the Michelin-shod Lancer Evolution WRC.
"I don't want to tell you I can win Monte Carlo. The car is still young, but we will be competitive for sure. As soon as you can see the exit of the corner, you accelerate a little bit and it is nearly impossible to spin the car. If you look at the other World Rally Cars, they are sideways at the end of the corner. If you look at the Mitsubishi, it is nearly straight at the end of the corner. They have done a lot of work and it is very efficient. If you understand you have to accelerate very early, it is good," Delecour commented.
British crew Alister McRae and David Senior don't possess Delecour's wealth of experience in the Alps, although they were going well last year until they lost time after hitting a wall. McRae, who had his first taste of the Lancer Evolution WRC on asphalt during a test this week, sees the event as an opportunity to gain experience rather than to take chances.
"The initial feeling is that the car's as good on Tarmac as it was in the snow in Lapland. We tried a lot different damper settings to get the feeling I want and, although we didn't have any real snow or ice in the first few days of the test, conditions were still pretty slippy. Generally the car's got a strong engine and the rest of it is working very well. The first time you drive it down the road it is a different feeling, but you just have to adapt to a different driving style. To me, it felt good. I wouldn't have any worries about driving the car the way it is, but I just want to get the tyre choices right, have a clean run and finish the Monte. We can save the heroics for later in the year!" McRae said.
There are few major technical changes to the Lancer Evolution WRC, but Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart Engineer Bernard Lindauer believes that subtle alterations will bring a substantial benefit. Any Monte Carlo car is set up primarily for asphalt and the team has drawn on experience gained from the car's first rallies late last year to modify the suspension. New spring and damper rates, along with revised rear suspension geometry are reckoned to have improved the handling. There have also been adjustments to the electronic mapping of the engine.
Auriol returns to Toyota
After carrying out extensive testing for Grifone Toyota team before Christmas , his first drive in a Toyota since 1999, Didier Auriol has entered Monte Carlo in a Toyota Corolla WRC
The car has been developed for active transmission in conjunction with TTE and now Auriol has secured backing from Michelin and Toyota to contest Monte Carlo.
With just ten days to go to the event the weather has stayed dry and Auriol is playing down speculation that he could upset some of the works teams by trying for a podium finish
Skoda undergos tests
The Skoda Motorsport World rally team has undergone hundreds of kilometres of tough testing ahead of its first full World Rally Season. The Octavia WRC has been put through its paces over the toughest of routes, including snow bound mountain passes and low lying icy roads in order to allow crews to clock up maximum experience in the widest possible variety of driving conditions.
Testing of the cars, and the new permanent drivers of Kenneth Eriksson and Toni Gardemeister plus Roman Kresta began early December last year. The new teams were first given the opportunity to experience the superior handling and reliability of the Octavia WRC over the high speed testing grounds close to the Skoda Motorsport World Rally Team HQ in Mlada Boleslav in the Czech Republic.
From there, with the snow bound mountain passes of Monte Carlo in mind, the crews moved into the highest mountain range in the Czech Republic, the glorious Krkonose mountains. For two days the drivers were invited to race the cars over the compacted snow and narrow passes of this winter wonderland. Testing was then resumed for a full week just ahead of Christmas in the Alpes Maritimes in France, where the conditions were quite humid but with some patches of ice.
This year there is a new and stronger testing plan which includes a final test just ahead of each world rally, the so called optimisation test, when the crews will return to the mountains above Monaco and last minute adjustments to the Octavia WRC will be made. For the drivers though there was another chance to drive the cars, racing for several days across the frozen land in Sweden, where the regular teams were joined by veteran Stig Blomqvist.
Experienced driver Kenneth Eriksson, 45, who was enjoying his first major outings in the Octavia WRC, said the extensive testing had given him even more reassurance about the quality of the car. He said: "The tests have gone very well. There has been a lot to learn about the car but already I am very comfortable in it. We have done a lot of hard work and that is what is important right now. Especially the tests in Sweden I felt very comfortable with what we were all learning about the car."
Toni Gardemeister was equally impressed. The 26 year old said: "There is no understeering at all, even on tarmac so I am very happy. It already feels a very comfortable car for me so that's important. The suspension is good over the small bumps and there is a lot of power in the engine. " Gardemeister said his only concern was the size of the Octavia, compared to cars he had driven before. "It is a big car, that is true," he said, " so I find myself going sideways and hitting the banks, but it's just a question of learning the dimensions."
Two times Czech Champion Roman Kresta is more familiar with the car, having run several rallies and many recces in the Octavia WRC. But he said: "I was reasonably satisfied with the test, although for me the roads were dry so I wasn't able to do as much as I wanted. We only need small modifications now after the optimisation test."
Skoda Motorsport team principal Pavel Janeba said : "I am absolutely satisfied with the tests, but that is not important, what it is important is driver satisfaction and they seem to be happy. They got the chance to drive on many surfaces in a short space of time. Each driver got to do about 600 km through all kinds of conditions - dry and wet, snowy and icy conditions. They could really test the Octavia WRC. For the last test we will have similar conditions to the rally itself, so the drivers can make last minute small adjustments."
Irish Rallying Suffers Tragic Loss
Sammy Fisher
Competitors and Rally fans in Donegal and indeed all over Ireland were shocked when the news broke last Thursday that Sammy Fisher , the driver of the famous Yellow Mini had passed away.
The Donegal schoolteacher was always regarded as "The" man to beat in the 1300cc modifed class , in which he held many class wins.
Colm Doyle
Further disbelief greeted the news that this young rally driver from Mooncoin had passed away.
Colm was highly regarded as one of Ireland's rising stars and even was nominated for the 2001 Billy Coleman Award as a result of his mature and calculated drives in the Grp N Subaru with one of his best results being on the recent Crk On Suir Single Stage , where he finished 4th overall
We would like to convey our deepest sympathies to their family and friends.
Makinen Tests Subaru in Sweden
Two weeks ahead of his competitive debut with the Subaru World Rally
Team in Monte Carlo, Tommi Makinen completed a three-day winter test
in Finland on Saturday 5th January.
Tommi drove an Impreza WRC test car for a total of 570km partnered by
his gravel note driver Pasi Hagstrom, and Kaj Lindström, who will
substitute for regular co-driver Risto Mannisenmaki on the first two
events of the season.
Testing concentrated on evaluating the latest snow tyre developments
from team partner Pirelli ahead of February's Rally of Sweden, but
also gave Tommi the chance to become more familiar with the car and to
experiment with various suspension and differential settings.
The team's Sporting Director George Donaldson also attended the test.
He said, "We tested Thursday and Friday as expected but had originally
planned for Tommi to drive a course car on a local rally on Saturday.
However, we realised that may have been in conflict with some of the
Finland rally stages. So we moved to a stage which was booked for the
Saturday afternoon and did a whole day's tyre testing in ideal
conditions instead.
All our engineers are very excited about the developments Tommi is
making to the car. It was a very positive test, but at the same time a
bit of a voyage of discovery for Tommi. The depth of experience that
he brings to the team is incredible, his status as a four-time World
Champion is being backed up by his actions and the methodical and
positive way he approached the test."
Tommi said, "The test was very good. We had perfect conditions and
were able to get three full days of work in. It's a good feeling in
the car, it was working very well and there were no dramas. I think we
found some new ideas during the test and we've got lots of information
about the way the car behaves in the snow and I learned a bit more
about it. The Subaru feels very good to drive in these conditions, it
has a different balance to the Mitsubishi, and the way the
differentials work feels different too, they're very progressive on
the Subaru, which makes it quite easy to drive. The Pirelli tyres are
also new to me but I had a good feeling straight away on the snow."
Regs released for Tippoerary Forestry
Round 1 - 2001 KBB Doors National Forestry Championship
Tipperary Motor club will hold the 1st round of the KBB doors National
Forestry championship on January 27th '02. The rally is based in the
Mitchelstown Area with the HQ in the Firgrove hotel Mitchelstown.
The Rally consists of 3 stages ran twice giving a total of 48 stage miles.
Inquiries to Jim O'Brien at (025)24620
Mayo Single Stage Preview 13th Jan
Based in Westport, with headquarters at the Castlecourt Hotel, the restricted (2WD)Single Stage takes in one of the classic stages used by the Circuit of Ireland in the past. The stage distance is approximately 10 miles which will be run three times. Clerk of the Course for the Mayo & District Motorsport Club organised event is Sean McHugh.
Top 20 Entries
1 Left Vacant as a mark of respect
2 Eugene Ferry / John Gallagher ( Donegal ) Mrk II Escort
3 Patrick Higgins / Liam Higgins (Granard ) Mrk II Escort
4 Mervyn Wedlock / Philip Smith (Cavan) G3 Escort
5 Paul Gallagher / Karl Reid (Donegal) Corolla
6 Gordon Rogers /Philip McEntee (Cavan) Mrk II Escort
7 Gerry Smyth / Charlie Adams (Monaghan) MrkII Escort
8 Gordon Percy / Joe Shinnors (Nenagh) MrkII Escort
9 Rodney Wilton / Peter Leahy (Cavan) MrkII Escort
10 Peter Rogers / Byron Davidson (Cavan) MrkII Escort
11 Conor Curley / Paul Hone (Derry) Escort Class 13
12 Paddy Boyle / Kieran O Gorman (Cavan) MrkII Escort
14 Thomas Mc Govern / Kevin Mc Govern(Cavan) Mrk II Escort
15 Aidan Caddeye / Eamon Ferry (Donegal) Opel Astra
16 Paddy Boyce / William Hamilton (Donegal) Opel Manta
17 James Cassidy / Damien Duffy (Derry) Escort
18 Terence McHugh / Brian McMonagle (Donegal) Escort
19 Shaun Gallagher / Bernard Dempsey (Donegal) Peugeot 106
20 Stuart Darcy / Trevor Bustard (Donegal) Peugeot 106
The complete list is available on the club website under news and Mayo
Single Stage......at www.mayo-motorsport-club.com