Circuit of Kerry Preview

SUNDAY 7TH APRIL DINGLE CO KERRY
Kerry Motor Club have attracted a top class entry for this tears Circuit Of Kerry Rally which takes place on the Dingle Peninsula this weekend, with over 250 entries received for the regulatory 151 places. This year's event is the second round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship and the opening round of the Top Part West Coast Rally Championship. Interest in this year's event is at an all time high with entries coming from all corners of the country and the UK.
Reigning champion in both championships Donegals Paul Harris /Eugene o Donnell are the number one seeds in their Subaru Impreza. Harris, winner of this event in 2000 will face opposition from the likes of Niall Maguire/Paul McLoughlin (Imprezza WRC) who won the opening encounter in Castlebar. English visitors James Harrison/Harvey Bell is in a similar car to Maguire finished third overall on the recent West Cork Rally. Other Subaru mounted drivers at the front of the field include Tim McNulty/Julian Nangle, Michael Barrable/Dermot o Gorman and JJ Fleming/Robbie Ward. Former National Championship front-runner Liam o Callaghan makes a welcome return to the sport in the shape of a McKinstry Motorsport Subaru Wrc. Other top drivers seeded in the top ten is Cavans Patrick Elliott in his Subaru Impreza 555 and has local codriver Sean Moriarty calling the pace notes. And the West Cork garda pairing of Donal O Donovan /Pat Lordan in a Toyota Celica. David Armstrong /Herbie Blackburn in their Escort Corworth are another crew well capable of a top result.The two wheel drive brigade will be headed by Shanagoldens Edward Synan Manta 400,who will face a stiff challenge from the other Manta driver, the ever-spectacular Anthony o Halloran in his 2 liter version. The group N entry is headed by Corkman John o Leary in his Impreza but is sure to face a strong challenge from the Mitsubishis of Wille Fannin/Brian Duggan and Arron McHale /Damien Connoly and Pat/Karen Price.
The rally has attracted the biggest local entry in years with over thirty crews entering the event with Kerry addresses representing both clubs in the county. Top Kerry Motor Club team are the husband a wife pairing of Willie and Marie Power (Firies) in their Vauxhall Chevette. Peter Clifford /John Young from Tralee compete in their ex works Group N Subaru Impreza and Lisseltons Pat Barry / Steve o Connoll wheel out their super quick Sierra Cosworth. Club chairman Donal Lynch is navigating for Ardaghs John Danaher in the ex Bertie Fisher Manta 400. Other Kerry Motor Club teams taking part in this years rally include Ger O Brien /Seamus O Connor, Talbot Sunbeam (Abbeydorney), Martin Quirke /John McElligott, Talbot Timemachine (Camp), Tommy Sullivan /Tom Barrett (Kilflynn) in a Ford Escort.
All these crews will compete for the specially commissioned James O Rourke Memorial Trophy in memory of one of our most popular members who died tragically in January.
Clerk of THE course for the event Richard Talbot and his team have laid on a challenging route in one of the most scenic areas in Ireland which creates a classic ambience similar to the world famous Monte Carlo Rally The rally gets underway from the events new headquarters The Smerwick Harbour Hotel, (4 miles west of Dingle) at 11 o clock Sunday morning with the crews tackling all the classic stages in the West Kerry area including Slea Head, Brandon Creek and the Connor Pass. The winner is due to be presented at the podium at the Smerwick Harbour hotel around 6 pm Sunday Evening. The four special stages for the rally have been kindly sponsored by the local business community are as follows. Stage 1/4 Tarmac Overakil, Stages 2/6 Sheermac Shell Station, Stages 3/7 Paudie o Sheas Pub and Stages 4/8 Brian DeStaic Jeweller. The official programme for the event contains a full timetable for the event. A list of all the competitors and features on all the Kerry Rally news is available from, Rally Head quarters, Moran's Garage Dingle, The Highway shop Dingle, Keanes Petrol Station Lispole, O Sheas of Blennerville and Moriarty Top shop Farranfore as well as selected retailers in Tralee, Killarney and West Kerry.

Thanks to Sean Moriarty

Full entry list available click here

On The Limit Motorsports on TG4

Starting on April 2nd at 9.00PM

A new showcase for top Irish rally action and other motorsport comes to the TG4 screens from April 2. The 2002 Dunlop National Rally Championship will form a major part of the new series which will run on TG4 every week till November.
On the limit sports will be produced by Michael Bracken, who is based in Mullingar and is well known to rally fans from his previous motor sport coverage.
TG4 Sports Editor Rónán Ó Coisdealbha says the new series fits in well with TG4's sport policy. "Our schedule aims to give the whole breadth of Irish sport a television platform," he said "and we have been gratified by the response to our previous coverage of motor sport". Rónán is confident that the new series will serve the existing large following for rallying in Ireland and will succeed in drawing others.
Producer Michael Bracken is also looking forward to the new challenge. "It is important that Irish tv viewers have access to action from the Irish rally scene and motorsport action from around the country," he said " and I am delighted that TG4 has come on board to allow us to do this." Mr Bracken says that the new programme will be action-driven and cover a wide range of competitions and events.

Schedule of Programs
TUESDAY 2 APRIL
The first round of the 2002 Dunlop National Rally Championship from the new headquarters of Breaffy House Hotel in Castlebar - Mayo Rally Stages. Organised and promoted by Mayo and District Motor Club, the event is also the 1st round of the Four Seasons Border series. Newly installed clerk of the course Michael Noone and his team have spent hours over the past number of months preparing for this major event. All eyes during this event will be on Paul Harris and Eugene O'Donnell who were the 2000 National Rally Champions.

TUESDAY 9 APRIL
Action from the Carrick-on-Suir forestry and the Lismore forrestry in County Waterford.

TUESDAY 16 APRIL
The O-Plate Karting Championship - Super Karting Action from Waterglass Hill in County Cork.

NATIONAL RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS WHICH WILL BE FEATURED ON TG4
MAYO 10 MARCH , KERRY 7 APRIL , MONAGHAN 21 APRIL ,CARLOW 12 MAY ,CAVAN 26 MAY , CARRICK ON SUIR 30 JUNE , SLIGO 14 JULY , STONETHROWERS 11 AUGUST ,CLARE 22 SEPTEMBER and SKIBEREEN 27 OCTOBER.

NATIONAL FORESTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
TIPPERARY 27 JANUARY ,CARRICK 24 FEB,WICKLOW 14 APRIL,LIMERICK 19 MAY ,CORK 8 SEPTEMBER , BIRR 29 SEPTEMBER and KILLARNEY 20 OCTOBER.
NATIONAL KARTING
IRL TYNAGH 21 JULY , RACE OF CHAMPIONS 4 AUGUST and O PLATE 25 AUGUST

During the year, the 'On the Limit Sport' series will also include the Peugeot Super 206 Rallies from England and the new Super 1600 series from England and Wales, as well as Rallycross from England and Ireland.

Finally a word from Mick Bracken
Well as some of ye know by now after a long hard struggle I finaly have got a decent time slot for rallying on Irish television ,Its on TG 4 every Tuesday night at 9 pm and repeated every Saturday Morning at 11.30 am.
Also from the end of April TG 4 will be available on the sky digital network ,and I have secured the same times on this channel ,so that will give every programme 4 half hours of television.
My first programme will be the opening round of the Dunlop national rally championship from Mayo on Tuesday the 2nd of April and repeated on Saturday morning 6th April . My programme starts on the 2 nd April and will run every week until the end of November at the abouve times. Some will be new and some will be repeats,The following is what I hope to show in the coming year 'All rounds of the Dunlop National rally Championship, Selected rounds of the National Forestry Championship and three rounds of the National Karting Championship, I will also be showing all rounds of the Peugeot Super 206 cup from England. When the first programme goes out you will notice that there is no class winners shown.
Well the reason for this is as follows.
I am going to try and do a separate 13 minute package from every round of the national series for the competitors that are not shown in the first half hour programme 'club men' ' class winners etc'
EXAMPLE
13 minutes from Mayo and 13 minutes from Kerry you then have your own half hour of programme that will be shown a few weeks later, so in total you will have five half hour programmes . This has to be financed so I hope to set up a few meetings with competitors and clubs to explain more about this
ON BOARD CAMERAS
Micro-cam will be the only supplier to "ON THE LIMIT SPORTS" for on board cameras as I have found their quality and service to be excellent, so if you want that extra shot I will only except Micro-cam footage.

Will all the following competitors that Intend to compete in this years national rally championship please send me their postal address and phone no if you do not have an email you can post it to me at this address
Michael Bracken
On The Limit Sports
Rathconrath
Mullingar
Co westmeath (Thanks)

As all this takes finance to achieve, my programmes solely depend on sponsors and the competitors But we will get there " Give it time "
Many thanks
Michael Bracken

Randles to contest National Championship
The Dingle-based Circuit of Kerry Rally, on April 7th, will see Tom Randles, and his co-driver, Diarmuid Lynch, kick-off their 2002 Dunlop National Rally Championship campaign. They plan to enter all the remaining rounds of the National series, as well as the Ordnance Survey/Gleneagle Hotel Rally of the Lakes.
Competing together since 1996, Tom and Diarmuid have previously entered occasional National Championship events, but have never tackled the entire series. They have regularly recorded impressive results, including a class win on the 1998 Manx Trophy Rally, second overall on the 1999 Killarney Classic Rally, and top five places on the 2001 Wexford and Kerry Single Stage Rallies.
The South Kerry pairing will once again compete with their familiar, dayglo painted Ford Escort RS. "Our main target on the National events will be to accumulate points to win our class in the Championship," says Tom. "It would be nice to finish in the overall top ten on the individual rallies, but it will not be easy with so many new four wheel drive cars out there." The Ford Escort RS, as dedicated rally followers will know, is rear wheel drive, having originally been designed in the mid-1970s. One round of the National Championship has already taken place, in Mayo. "We couldn't make the first round, because I had a long-standing family commitment that weekend," explains Tom. "However, we've added the Rally of the Lakes to the programme, so we will still be doing ten events this year." The Rally of the Lakes which is organised by the Killarney & District Motor Club, (of which both Tom and Diarmuid are members), is part of the Tarmac Championship for international rallies. As well as planning for the season ahead, Diarmuid has been weighing up the competition: "The Escort will run in class 14 on the National rounds, or class 12 on the Rally of the Lakes, and our main opposition will come from the likes of Denis Cronin and Michael McArdle in BMW M3s, and other Escort drivers such as Alan Nesbitt and Douglas Richardson. Denis especially, is very quick, he will be hard to beat." The crew's Escort RS, or 'Mark 2' as it is more commonly referred to, will be sponsored in 2002 by Dyno-Rod, Advanced Biotech, Plumbfast Direct, Heatmerchants, Firebird Boilers and CRL Oil. Nine rounds remain in the Dunlop National Rally Championship, including the Circuit of Kerry. The series visits Monaghan, Carlow, Cavan, Waterford, Sligo, Clonmel and Ennis before concluding in Skibbereen in October.

Circuit of Ireland Entry List
Top 20 Entries:

2 Austin McHale Brian Murphy Toyota Corolla WRC
3 Derek McGarrity Chris Patterson Subaru Impreza WRC
4 Daniel Doherty Michael Doherty Subaru Impreza WRC
5 Eamonn Boland Anthony Nestor Subaru Impreza WRC
6 David Greer Michael Reid Toyota Corolla WRC
8 Peader Hurson Ian Porter Toyota Celica ST205
9 Niall Maguire Paul McLaughlin Subaru Impreza WRC
10 Brendan Kelly Rory Kennedy Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII
11 Roy White Greg Shinnors Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI
12 Sean McArdle Gerard McMonagle Subaru Impreza
14 Maurice Gass Geoffrey Orr Subaru Impreza WRC
15 Kevin Barrett Sean Mullally Subaru Impreza WRC
16 Tom Holton Andrew Cullen Toyota Celica
A8 18 Seamus Leonard Kevin O'Brien Subaru Impreza
19 Trevor Cathers Gordon Noble Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V
20 Seamus Heron Billy McCullins Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
21 Eugene Meegan Jim Crowe Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII
22 John Lloyd Pauline Gullick Subaru Impreza

Andrew Nesbitt has since entered in the ex Marcus Dodd Subaru Impreza WRC
The Saturday stages will feature a spectator special at St Angelo airport as part of a family orientated day out together with some more traditional closed public road special stages. Present plans are for a maximum of seven special stages located in Fermanagh and West Tyrone. Centralised servicing and looped stages will be used. Easter Sunday morning will see the crews moving towards County Donegal, Cavan and Leitrim for the majority of the day's action. A maximum of twelve special stages are planned again with centralised servicing and looped stages. Those who survive a fast and furious day will return to Enniskillen that evening. On Easter Monday a further eight looped special stages, in and around the Clogher Valley, combined with more centralised servicing will see the rally return to Enniskillen by 5.00pm. Subject to any last minute route changes, it is intended that much of the special stage action will occur within 45 miles of the rally's Enniskillen base. Overall stage mileage will be in the region of 180 miles. Total route mileage is anticipated to be 380 miles.
For Complete Entry List click here
To enter www.ral.ly competition click here

Hyundai crew hurt in recce
Hyundai Motorsport's 3rd crew for the Catalunya Rally were injured today during a recce accident.
The Polish crew of Thomas Kuchar and Maciel Szczepaniak were injured when their recce car struck a truck on the road section.Both crew members were hospitalised but their injuries are thought to be minor.
A decision will be made on their participation this Thursday.Hyundai also have another "works " car entered by Natalie Barrett.

Midland Mini Stage Preview
The Midland Mini-Stage Rally takes place on Sunday the 24th March. The headquarters for the event is The Bush Hotel, Carrick-On-Shannon, Co. Leitrim. First car away from headquarters at 11.30am on Sunday morning with recce and scrutiny on Saturday. The rally consists of 2 challenging stages ran twice with a centralized service area. SS1 is a classic Circuit of Ireland Stage starting close to Arigna and crossing the mountains to Keadue and is 11 miles long. SS2 starts in Keadue and ends in the village of Knockvicar and is 7.5 miles long. Service is on the Main N4 Boyle - CarrickOnShannon road.
Scrutiny:...................................Sat. 23rd March 3pm - 9pm
Paper Scrutiny:..................................Sat. 23rd March 3.30pm - 9.30pm
First Car Away From the Start Ramp Sun 24th March...................11.30am
First Car Due Back At Finish Sun 24th March.................................5pm
Recce Starts at 9am on Saturday

Top Entries
1. H. Dunne /D. Morrissey ....Naas....Subaru WRC
2. T. Graham/F. Kenny........ Kildare....Subaru WRC
3. S. Gallagher /L. Costello..........CK on Shannon......Escort Cosworth
4. J. Cole /J. Clarke............Virginia..........Celica ST185
5. E. Keenan/B. Mc Namee .......Monaghan..... Escort
6. M. Mc Ardle/T.B.A............Monaghan......BMW M3
7. P. Higgins/L. Higgins.......Granard............Escort
8. D. Mc Loughlin/S. Mc Loughlin...............Sligo........ Peugeot RWD
9. M. Wedlock /P. Smith........Cootehill... .... Escort
10. W. Fannin/B. Duggan.........Dublin......Lancer Evo 6

Preview by Brendan Fayne
Full entry list available click here

Sainz and Moya injured in crash

Carlos Sainz and his co-driver Luis Moya have been injured in a testing accident in Spain when the car went off the road and into a rockface.
Both were taken to hospital and reports say Moya has cracked a rib. He also has broken a tooth and cut his tongue. Sainz is reported to be suffering from whiplash.
Sainz was approaching a left-hand, fifth gear corner but went straight on into a rockface on the right hand side of the road, reports say the cage has stood up to the impact of the crash.
Sainz was released from hospital on Monday evening and has been pronounced fit enough to take part in Tuesday's recce. However Moya is being kept in overnight and will miss the recce; replacement co-driver Marc Marti has been drafted in on the teams home event, Rally Catalunya. The Ford team will make a decision later this week on whether Moya is fit enough to contest this weekend's event.

Meanwhile Colin McRae has stated that "if his broken finger starts to interfere with his driving he will get it amputated"
Latest update on Moya suggest that he will miss his home event and Carlos Sainz will be partnered by Marc Marti

Catalunya Rally Preview
The event is the third of five tarmac rounds in the 2002 championship and is renowned for its smooth, demanding stages and crowds of fanatical spectators. The asphalt event in north-eastern Spain is also a firm favourite with drivers.
Covering a total distance of almost 2000km, the event has 400km of special stages, and with the exception of the Safari Rally is the longest event in the WRC calendar. There are three legs comprising 18 stages, with the start and finish based at the Mediterranean holiday resort of Lloret de Mar. The event is also the second round of the FIA Junior World Rally Championship, and in total 75 cars are expected to start.
The event is based around two service parks. The Universal Studios theme park 'Port Aventura,' close to Tarragona, will host the teams on Friday 22 March. The location will change to the sports stadium in the town of Manlleu for Saturday and Sunday. Rally headquarters will be in the Hotel Olympic Park in Lloret. The character of the Rallye Catalunya stages differs throughout the event. For the southern stages of leg one, the roads are abrasive and bumpier than those in the north which are driven on legs two and three.
The six stages of leg one are based 200km down the coast from Lloret de Mar in the countryside around Port Aventura. For legs two and three (the remaining twelve stages of the event), the action takes place 100km north of Lloret around Manlleu.

Entries:
Along with the usual top twenthy the Citroen cars of Radstrom (20) , Loeb (21) and Bugalski (22) are joined by Jesus Puras in a Citroen at No 25.
Niall Mc Shea and Michael Orr are running at No 52 in their Opel Corsa with Gwyndaf Evans at 61 and Martin Rowe at 63 in the Junior WRC category.

Dunlop National Championship standings
Drivers:
1 Niall Maguire 20
2 Jim Harrison 18
3 David Armstrong 16
4 Glenn Allen 14
5 Sean Gallagher 13
6 James Mc Cann 12
7 George Tracey 11
8 Joe Mac Hugh 10
9 Trevor Lancashire 9
10 Donal O'Donovan 8
Navigators:
1 Paul Mc Laughlin 20
2 Harvey Bell 18
3 Herbie Blackburn 16
4 Shane O'Neill 14
5 Liam Costello 13
6 Paul Mc Cann 12
7 Elva Roe 11
8 Paul Gallagher 10
9 Noel Hall 9
10 Pat Lordan 8

To download Full Class Results click here

Peugeot denies new 307 WRC
Peugeot Sport chief Corrado Provera has denied that there are any immediate plans to replace the 206 with a World Rally Car version of the 307 and that a 307 prototype already exists.
Asked to comment on photographs of what appears to be a 307 WRC, he replied, "This is an artist's impression. We have never issued pictures of something that is not yet existing. I am not saying that the 206 will not one day be replaced by another car, but we have no plans. It is very competitive on most rallies." He maintained that the 206 will certainly be Peugeot's front-line rally car when the 2003 season starts. The fact that it is the company's best-selling car ever is also seen as a sound commercial basis for continuing to promote it through rallying.
More news on www.worldrallynews.com

Luxembourg Rally Postponed

The Tour du Luxembourg, the second round of the Belgian Rally Championship Division 1, will not take place during the first weekend of April. Two new cases of swine-plague made organiser Pierre Delettre postpone the rally until October
. «It was a tough decision», says Delettre. «If no new case had occurred before the end of the week, the rally could have taken place. As the incubation period is two weeks. Unfortunately, two porcupines were discovered in the woods, having symptoms of the plague. I did not want to take any risks and decided to postpone the event until October.»

Laukkanen returns to British Rallying
Tapio Laukkanen has struck a deal to drive one of the latest spec Prodrive Group N Subaru Impreza in the Pirelli British Rally Championship. Laukkanen last won the championship for Renault in 1999.
After driving various F2 and WRC Cars over the last eighteen months he thought it would be difficult to acclimatise himself to Group N but says; "I was a little bit worried coming back to Group N, when I last drove one they were a little bit fragile. Now though, I can see the cars are good." He added " We have to believe we can win the championship, that is why I am coming to do it. " His co-driver Kaj Lindstrom is currently competeing with Tommi Makinen in the WRC, replacing Risto Mannisanmaki another of Laukkanens former co-drivers. However he will be pairing up with Ilka Riipinen.

West Cork Rally Latest
Irelands first two-day tarmac stage rally to be run since foot and mouth decimated the sport will take place on St. Patrick's weekend in the form of the irishmobiles.com West Cork Rally 2002. The event, based in the Quality Hotel & Leisure Centre in Clonakilty, promises to be an exciting spectacle of close competition and is eagerly awaited by the rally fans and competitors alike. The irishmobiles.com West Cork Rally will be the first round of the inaugural GET CONNECTED! TARMAC Rally Championship based in the UK and the 023 Tiles Southern 4 Championship. Leading the field away this year will be John and Caroline Price in their MG Metro 6R4. John is one of the regular Welsh contingent to compete in West Cork, and will be hoping to rekindle some of the form that helped him to victory in 1992 and 1993. After a lay-off of a couple of years, he brings his new lightweight Metro to West Cork, hoping to show the way to some of the more modern machinery. In the number two slot, is Derek McGarrity in his Subaru Impreza WRC. McGarrity, who was second overall on the last running of the West Cork in 2000, must be one of the favourites for victory on this year's irishmobiles.com backed event. Melvyn Evans and Alun Davies finished third overall on the 2000 event and the Welsh driver will be hoping to improve on that result in his Ford Escort WRC. Next up is Pete Doughty and Tim Sturla, who do a lot of their rallying at this side of the Irish Sea. Doughty, who has been very competitive in West Cork over the years, has switched to a Subaru Impreza WRC for this year, and undoubtedly will be a force to be reckoned with next weekend.
Starting at number five is the first local crew of Liam McCarthy and Kieran Murphy in their new Toyota Corolla WRC. Although never having taking victory, the popular local crew have always gone well on the event, having lead the rally for a time on previous years. This year must be regarded as their best chance to date of pulling off an outright win. Following in sixth place is another regular West Cork crew English visitors James Harrison and Harvey Bell. The Maccelsfield driver is another who has switched to a Subaru Impreza, finished second in the recent Mayo Stages Rally.
Tony Davies and Brian Hardie start at seven in a Metro 6R4. Davies surprised many with his speed over the Irish stages on his previous visit to West Cork and is another potential candidate for victory. Tommy Graham, who will have Jack Kane navigating when he debuts his new Subaru Impreza WRC. He finished third on the Cork single stage rally back in December. The West Cork Rally's only triple winners, Bob Fowden and Jerry Hynes start at 9. The Welsh/Irish pair are another crew changing from Ford to a Japanese make. While others have followed the Subaru route, Fowden has gone with Mitsubishi and will drive a GpN Evo 6 version on the irishmobiles.com backed rally. Rounding off the top 10 will be the current Southern 4 rally champion Johnny O'Sullivan. The Killarney driver will be navigated by Pat Cashman in his championship winning Ford Escort WRC. Frank O'Mahony and Hugh McPhillips are another local crew who have come very close to winning the West Cork Rally on previous occasions. O'Mahony will drive the same Metro 6R4 in which he and son Brian finished second on the Cork single stage in December. Others outside the top 10 include the Subaru Legacy of Ollie O'Donovan/David Moynihan plus the Impreza WRCs of John Joe Fleming and Steve Fleck; the Metro 6R4s of Jon Mercer and Peter Lloyd plus the unique Ford Puma ST P1 of Welsh driver Gwyn Thomas.
The first of the 2WD cars start at 19 and these include the Escort Mk2s of Derek Smith/Darragh McCafferky, England's Phil Collins and local crews Martin and Deirdre Daly plus Willie McCarthy/Kevin Walsh. Also included in this group is the Kadett of Kirean O'Neill/Diarmuid Falvey and the Darrian T90s of Jon Strangle/Paul Nagle and John Dalton/Gwynfor Jones plus the Escort Kit Car of Guy Woodcock/Hu Kent. Along with the main rally, the Historic section also has a full entry. John Keatley and Maurice Beckett, Ford RS1600 are top seeds and they will be followed off the start line by the Ford Lotus Cortina of Drexel Gillespic/Gill Cotton with Paul Wignal/Martin Griffiths' Porsche 911 in third spot. John Farrell starting at 4, is the first of eight Mk1 Escorts while another regular Connie Ward is seeded in fifth place in his Mini Cooper S. While not competing against the West Cork competitors, rally hero Billy Coleman will be back in action on the stages when the Millstreet man drives a 00 car on next weekend's irishmobiles.com West Cork Rally.
The irishmobiles.com West Cork Rally will be based at the Quality Hotel and Leisure Centre, Clonakilty and will be run over eight stages both days on Saturday and Sunday next, March 16 and 17. First car leaves the start ramp in Clonakilty on Saturday morning at 10.45am for four stage locations at Ring, Kilbrittain, Tuough Bridge and Quarry Cross. After service the remaining crews will repeat the four tests with the first car back in Clonakilty at 6pm.
The rally restarts on Sunday morning at 11.30am with another four stage locations at Shannonvale, Ballinacarriga, Rosscarbery and Rathbarry, each run twice with the irishmobiles.com West Cork Rally 2002 winner due back at the finish ramp in Clonakilty at 5.30pm.

LATEST NEWS:
Derek Mc Garrity was withdrawn his entry due to insurance costs and following that Frank O MAhony is reputed to be hiring a McKinstry Subaru WRC to up his fight for overall honours
For More info check out www.westcorkrally.com

Irish Rallying loses hero.

Utter shock and disbelief greeted Irish rallying fans and competitors with the news that Frank Meagher had lost his life in a testing accident today.

The former National and Tarmac Champion was known for his skill and determination at which he drove his often outdated and underfunded Ford cars in the various championships

Among the highlights being his 86 Natonal Championship title , 92 Circuit of Ireland win , and the eventual Tarmac Championship title in 1995

Frank was a Hero to rallyfans , the most deafening roar in the 92 Circuit of Ireland was not the noise of the car but the cheers of the crowds that lined the stages in Slievenamon , a great Father and Husband , a proud son , brother and friend to everyone in rallying.
He will be deeply missed and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends .

"The People's Champion ", Thanks for all the great memories

For ebook of condolences click here

Corsican Rally Preview
The Tour de Corse, round three of the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship, begins next Friday 8 March when 67 cars cross the start ramp in the town of Ajaccio on the French island of Corsica.
The three-day rally is the first proper asphalt test of the season and will see the drivers competing on almost 400 kilometres of twisty, mountainous tarmac roads that place huge demands on braking components, tyres, suspension dynamics and driver concentration.
The island event can be prone to the vagaries of its coastal weather, but this year running six months earlier in the calendar than usual, it is likely to present teams with even more varied weather conditions. Weather crews will do their best to advise of the conditions in the mountain stages but teams will have to prepare for almost anything from dry roads right through to the possibility of snow.
The stages for 2002 stay the same as last year, and with cars only ever straying about 40km from the Service Park, the rally is the most compact in the WRC calendar. There will be a single service point in the town of Ajaccio at the Campo Dell'Oro airport complex. In addition to the WRC entries, Corsica is the second event in the Production Car World Championship series. Of the 26 drivers registered for the series, 21 have opted for the chance to score points on this event
. Top Entries:
1 Peugeot 206 WRC Richard Burns/ Robert Reid (GB)
2 Peugeot 206 WRC Marcus Gronholm / Timo Rautiainen (FIN)
3 Peugeot 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 Lancer WRC François Delecour / Daniel Grataloup (F)
8 Mitsubishi Lancer WRC Alister McRae / David Senior GB)
10 Subaru WRC 2002 Tommi Makinen / Kaj Lindstom(FIN)
11 Subaru WRC 2002 Petter Solberg / Philip Mills (N)
14 Skoda Octavia WRC Kenneth Eriksson / Tina Thorner (S)
15 Skoda Octavia WRC Toni Gardemeister / Pavoo Lukander(FIN)
16 Skoda Octavia WRC Roman Kresta / Jan Tomanek (CZ)
17 Hyundai Accent WRC Armin Schwarz / Manfred Hiemer(D)
18 Hyundai Accent WRC Freddy Loix / Sven Smeets (B)
19 Hyundai Accent WRCThomas Kuchar / Thomas Szczepaniak
23 Ford Focus WRC Francois Duval / Jean-Mark Fortin
24 Peugeot 206 WRC Harri Rovanpera / Risto Pietilainen
25 Citroen Xsara WRC Philip Bugalski /Jean-Paul Chiaroni

Intrestingly enough last years winners Citroen only entering seven rallies this year, ahead of its full WRC campaign in 2003, the French team has decided not to enter the first true asphalt event of the season, the Tour de Corse, preferring to build up its experience in other events. But, the temptation of the Citroen Xsara and Michelin tyres on the Corsican tarmac has proved too much for Philippe Bugalski, and the Frenchman has a entered a privateer Xsara WRC,run by the Spanish team Piedrafita, for the rally. Many tip Bugalski as a likely winner in Corsica

West Cork Rally Preview
With entries now closed and with a little less than two weeks to go to the irishmobiles.com West Cork Rally the Club the Rally has attracted in excess of 270 entries. Some of the entries include Welshman John Price in his lightweight Metro 6R4 and Peter Lloyd and Frank O'Mahony will also be using the Metro 6R4 for their assault on the West Cork stages. Bob Fowden will use a Mitsubishi Evo 6 Group N this year. Derek McGarrity, J.J. Fleming, Nick Breslin will be driving various versions of the Subaru Impeza.
Top Twenthy Entries:
1 John Price Caroline Price Hereford MG Metro 6R4 2500
2 Derek McGarrity T.B.A Antrim Subaru Impreza WRC 2000
3 Melvyn Evans Alun Davies Wales Ford Escort WRC 1998
4 Pete Doughty Tim Sturla Nottingham Subaru Impreza 1998
5 Liam McCarthy Kieran Murphy Dunmanway Toyota Corolla WRC 1998
6 James Harrison Harvey Bell Maccelsfield Subaru Impreza WRC 1993
7 Tony Davies Brian Hardie Milton Keynes MG Metro 6R4 2500
8 Tommy Graham Jack Kane Prosperous Subaru Impreza WRC 2000
9 Bob Fowden Jerry Hynes Llanelli Mitsubishi Evo VI 2000
10 Johnny O Sullivan Pat Cashman Killarney Ford Escort WRC 1998
11 Frank O'Mahony Hugh McPhilips Carrigaline MG Metro 6R4 2500
12 Oillie O Donovan David Moynhian Shanagolden Subaru Legacy 2000
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14 John Joe Fleming Robbie Ward Galway Subaru Impreza WRC 2000
15 Jon Mercer Aled Davies Hereferdshire MG Metro 6R4 2500
16 Peter Lloyd Martin Henry Bridgend MG Metro 6R4 2500
17 Gwyn Thomas Phill Harrison Gwynedd Ford Puma ST P1 2000
18 Steve Fleck Mark Aspinall Newbury Subaru Impreza 1998
19 Derek Smith Daragh Cafferky Greystones Ford Escort Mk2 2400
20 Phil Collins TBA Hereford Ford Escort Mk2 2498

The West Cork contingent include Gerard O'Connell, Willie McCarthy and Gerry O'Mahony and Liam McCarthy will be debuting his Toyota Corolla. Final preparations for the Rally are now complete and Clerk of the Course is appealing for Marshals for the weekend.
A Marshals training night will be held on Tuesday 5th March in the Sunset Ridge Motel at 8.30pm. The training night will familiarize everyone with the procedures involved in Marshalling for the West Cork Rally. There will be videos and different demonstrations shown on the night along with other topics of discussion which should help to prepare people for the important task that is Marshalling.
The Club will provide food and accommodation for the Marshals on the weekend. All are welcome and anybody with an interest in Rallying should attend and the 4 Stage Commanders are looking forward to meeting you and organizing your accommodation for the weekend.

Conor Nash (Press Officer) for more info check out www.westcorkrally.com

Mitsubishi upbeat for Corsica
Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart heads to Corsica buoyed by points in Sweden in both the Drivers' and Manufacturers' Championships, but is all too aware that competition on asphalt will be as tough as ever. Regular team drivers François Delecour/Daniel Grataloup and Alister McRae/David will be back behind the wheel, both hoping to build on their ever-increasing knowledge of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution WRC in this, the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship
Few of the regular World Championship contenders have as much experience here as François Delecour, the 39-year-old having competed on Corsica no fewer than 12 times. The Frenchman, and former World Champion co-driver Daniel Grataloup, also spearheaded Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart's recent 700 kilometre test programme on the island, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the on-going development of the Lancer Evolution WRC. "The handling of the car on the bumpier roads in Monte Carlo caused us a problem and we knew we had a lot of work to do for Corsica," said François, who has finished second on a number of occasions and took outright victory in 1993. "It's difficult to say how much progress we've made but I think we have made some steps forward with the suspension settings, but we'll have more to do with some new parts during our confirmation test just before the rally.
"With the event based around Ajaccio it could be sunny, but on the test we had some rain and temperatures between freezing and about 16 degrees. For me, I love Corsica, but the rally and in fact Tarmac events are not my favorites. I think we still have quite a bit of work to do, but the team is working hard and hopefully things will be good for the rally."
Marlboro Mitsubishi Ralliart chief engineer Bernard Lindauer added: "We have done a lot of work on the suspension, dampers, car balance and geometry, generally improving the car, but we still have some work to do yet. François has been a big help because of his experience on asphalt and we have a clear understanding of what we need to do. Some of that has been achieved during the test and the performance of the car has already improved as a result."
In contrast, team-mates Alister McRae and David Senior have limited experience having only contested the event three times previously. Encouraged by his first points this season however, the Scot will be looking to secure competitive times and a solid finish. "Even though my experience is limited, you have to have a flat-out approach everywhere these days," said Alister. "François knows the roads very well, as do a lot of the other drivers, but I just need to drive as quickly as possible, obviously with a bit of caution thrown in. I actually quite enjoy Corsica, the roads are good, quite technical, but I don't know what this year will be like with it being held earlier - maybe the weather will play a bigger part. We've had a fair bit to do on the car since Monte Carlo, but hopefully we'll be far enough advanced to have a reasonable result. We will be better here, that's for sure, and if there's a chance of a point, that would be an extremely good result for me."

New Accent Evo3 for Corsica
The Hyundai Castrol World Rally Team head to Corsica next week for the famous Rallye de France-Tour de Corse, the first true tarmac round of the season. HCWRT crews Armin Schwarz/Manfred Hiemer and Freddy Loix/Sven Smeets will be competing in an Accent WRC³ where it will be making its debut. They will also be joined by team newcomers, former Polish F2 champions Tomasz Kuchar and co-driver Maciej Szczepaniak in the third WRC³.
The team completed six days testing the new evolution of the Hyundai Accent World Rally Car in the Tarragona region of Spain, where roads resemble all tyres of tarmac encountered in Corsica. Concentrating predominantly on a revised engine specification, improved suspension and power steering, both Schwarz and Loix were impressed with the car that is clearly well on it's way to making a statement.
Germany's Armin Schwarz said, "The car is feeling much much better now, really good. It feels more confident, reacts better and I am really enjoying driving it. For me the engine changes have made a big difference, although there are obviously many other factors contributing to a better feeling. I'm looking forward to Corsica and if the car runs in the same way as it did on the test, then we should really be able to competitive there."
Team-mate Freddy Loix is also looking forward to seeing exactly how competitive the WRC³ is. "The first two events of the year were both a nice surprise in terms of performance and there's no reason why the situation should be any different in Corsica," said the 31-year-old Belgian. "We had a very good test in Spain and the car has improved a lot but we just don't know the level of performance until we can compete against other cars. Last year I gained confidence that I had not had before for Corsica so I am going there next week with a good feeling. I have also begun walking without crutches to strengthen my foot again. It feels a bit stiff and weak but I have been doing a lot of exercises and cycling and I am 95% hoping to be driving without the special foot protection by next week."

Subaru 2002 Debut in Corsica
The latest homologation of the Subaru Impreza, the WRC2002 will make its debut in Corsica. But according to 555 Subaru World Rally Team Principal and Technical Director David Lapworth, the car is more about evolution than revolution:
"The car features a few small revisions to the aerodynamic package, in particular a revised front splitter that is lower and more durable than on previous models. The splitter has the effect of generating more downforce at the front of the car.
There are also some small changes to the engine, including a new flywheel, throttle-body and some minor changes to the IHI turbo-charger. A revised and more efficient exhaust manifold has also been designed and this gives us a bit more power.
Our current car was introduced in two stages, some of the mechanical components were first used in 2000, while the complete car with the four-door body shell made its debut last year. So it's still a young car, and as we saw in Monte Carlo it's an extremely competitive package with plenty more development potential."