Cork Rallysprint Update

Cork Motorclub Rallysprint @ Cork Showgrounds - 9 Jun 02 in Association with Des Golden Services - Rolling Road & Performace Tuning Centre.
With entries about to close for Cork Motor Clubs Rallysprint in aid of the Irish Kidney Association, a capacity entry for the city-based event has been received. The rallysprint will be held at The Cork Showgrounds (beside Pairc Ui Caoimh) on Sunday 9th of June.
Cork Motor Club are delighted to welcome on board Des Golden Services, Tuning and Performance Centre as title sponsor for this Charity event. No doubt many of the competitors will be visiting Des's Rolling Road at his premises just off the Sarsfield Road in Wilton before the big day.
A number of local GAA players will be swapping the football boots and Hurley's for a Rally suit and Helmet to co-drive on the day. Dual player DIARMUID O'SULLIVAN & hurling star SEAN OG O hAILPIN will be joined by Motorsport Correspondent of the Irish Examiner Martin Walsh, and the Evening Echo Laurence Hartigan. Also lined up to co-drive for the event will be Cork96 FM's EZEKE and Paul Byrne of TV3 News.
Some of the drivers entered include London based Limerick man Ollie O'Donovan who had a great run at similar event 2 weeks ago in Scotland and Cork's Barry Coleman driving Subaru Impreza 555s. Both will up against Liam Davies who is expected to wheel out Stan Harper's Subaru Impreza World Rally Car. Local driver Conor Cavanagh and James Murphy are both out in Escort Cosworths. Also looking forward to the event is Eddie Kinirons, who has been setting some impressive times on Rallycross events and will be out in his ex-works Toyota Celica GT-Four. Eddie's wife Dorothy will also be competing on the event in a Nova.
There is no doubt that the 1.2 mile track will suit the group N 4WD cars as driven by the winner of last year's rally sprint @ Rosegreen James Cribben, who switches from the Mitsubishi to a 2001 spec Subaru Impreza Sti 6. Pete Willoghby will be reunited with the Pitlane Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 he drove on the first 2 rounds of the Forestry Championship. Donal O'Brien swaps seats and will co-drive for Pete on the day. Also out in a Lancer will be Dublin based Cavan man Willie Fannin.
Last year Mike Quinn was fastest 2-wheel drive car in his Mark II Escort when the North Kerry Man just held off the amazing Rallycross Nova of David Aiken. Both are making a return, and the faster track at the Showground may give Aiken the edge. In the same class as Aiken is the Escort of James O'Sullivan, "Small" Tim O'Donovan and Kieran O'Callaghan in rear wheel drive Corollas, Gus Kearney in the Peugeot 106 and Noel Brady in the Proton Kit Car. Joining Quinn in class 3 are Liam Wall, Leonard Downey, Paul Roberts and John Hickey from Killarney who will no doubt give the crowd plenty of entertainment!
Gates open at the showground's at 10:00, with the action starting at 11:00 for what will make a great day entertainment for all the family.
Brian Duggan

Sligo Stages Regs available

Tom Hunt Motors / Sligo Park Hotel Sligo Stages Rally 2002
Date: 14th July

2002. HQ: Sligo Park Hotel, Sligo. Regulations for the above event will be posted to all Dunlop National and Four Seasons Border Championship registered competitors on Fri. 24th May 2002.
Competitors not registered for the above championships and requiring regulations should contact the event secretary Christina Corcoran between 19.00 and 22.00 hrs. @ 071 / 67700.

Entries Open - 03rd June 2002.

Countdown to Donegal International

RALLY FORMS LOUDEST THEATRE 'AUDIENCE' IN THE WORLD.
In one of the most unusual performances it will ever see, Letterkenny's An Grianán theatre is about to host a production starring an audience that can't wait to leave. It will also be, without question, the loudest in the World.
Mr. Tom Higgins, Clerk of the Course for the Shell Donegal International Rally 2002 and Ms. Patricia McBride, Director of An Grianán have announced that this year's Rally will start from An Grianán theatre, with the driver's briefing to be held in the main auditorium. The cars will assemble at the theatre on Friday morning the 21st June next.
"This is a fantastic boost for the Rally." said Tom, "An Grianán has state of the art facilities which are perfect for us. While we first considered using it just for the driver's briefing, we quickly realised that it is also a superb start venue. We're thrilled."
"We are indebted to Patricia and all the staff at An Grianán for allowing what must be a novel use of the theatre. I'm pretty sure she won't have an audience quite like this for a while again - nor one capable of making so much noise!"
Ms. Patricia McBride commented: "I am very happy to welcome the Rally to An Grianán. We have always felt it important to be a community based theatre, open to all, and the Rally gives us a great opportunity to involve people who might not otherwise consider using it. We are looking forward to the Rally weekend with great interest."
"While I understand the competitors and officials will be anxious to leave, I hope to see many of them back again enjoying our Summer programme. And maybe being a little quieter too!"
Mr. Higgins also announced that entries for the Rally close on 24th May 2002. Full details, plus a competition about the classic BMW photo no one can identify are available on the Donegal Motor Club's website at www.donegalmotorclub.com.

Declan Mc Cay & Damian Crawford

Jim Clark Memorial News

Round 4 - 2002 Toshiba Tarmac Championship
The Jim Clark Memorial Rally will break new ground this year when it becomes the first rally to start from the venerable surroundings of Edinburgh's historic Calton Hill, high above the city's famous Princes Street along which the cars will proceed before heading south.
Confirming plans for this year's event, which sees the running of Round 4 of the Pirelli British Rally Championship and includes rounds of the New Pig Scottish Rally Championship and the Toshiba Computers Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, the organisers have announced further details of the 32nd staging of the rally which commemorates Britain's first double Formula One Motor Racing Champion.
The 21 special stages of the two day International rally are, as usual, set over the narrow twisting roads of Jim Clark's Berwickshire homeland, providing 160 miles of flat-out competitive action on the tarmac which comprises mainland Britain's only closed-road rally. The highly popular water splash stage at Langton will once again feature amongst other familiar stages, but there will be new mileage in a route which is always within 15 miles of central servicing at Duns.
The cars will return for an overnight halt on the Friday to Edinburgh where the event will maintain its headquarters and control. Leg 1, and part of Leg 2, of the British Championship event will be followed by a Junior Rally, with the National Rally for the Scottish Championship running over the final 60 miles on the Saturday.
With the enthusiastic support of the City Council, plans are in progress to stage a Rally show from the Thursday evening, which along with a number of other attractions, will see the Calton Hill transformed into a splash of colour as Edinburgh welcomes its first International car rally.
Commenting on the plans, Rally Manager Colin Pagan said, "We are very pleased that Edinburgh has agreed to host this year's Jim Clark Memorial Rally which, as always, will be run throughout the country roads of Berwickshire where the community so enthusiastically support an event they see as their own."
Regulations, Entry Form & details on accommodation assistance available from The Jim Clark Memorial Rally website , http://www.jcmr.u-net.com/

Ravens Rock Rally Update

The Carrick on Suir Motorclub started its Ravens Rock Rally on Wednesday night last, in dramatic style with its Rally launch.
The launch was held in the Rally H.Q. in the beautiful Jurys Hotel. The event played host to some famous names in all aspect of the community Rally Legend Billy Coleman, Deputy Mayor Pat Hayes, Waterford, Deputy Mayor of Kilkenny, Cllr. Betty Manning. The Launch had some of the best machinery to the oldest dating back to MK1 Escort.
Regs have been posted in the last week and entries are pilling in with all the regular Dunlop National entries as well as many local entries, and the top entrants from the British Get Connected championship.
Andrew Purcell.

Wexford Single Stage

Regulationa are now available for the Wexford Single Stage , a restricted event which is open to 2WD cars with a maximum of 2000cc.
Headquarters is the Naomh Seosamh Hotek with the event taking place on SATURDAY the 15th June.Scrutiny is on Friday at Paddy Walls in Fethard and first car is due away at 10.45 am on Sat.
Further info available from Wexford Motor Club

Circuit of Munster Preview

The Limerick Motor Club's Circuit of Munster rally takes place on the 2nd of June. The headquaters is in the Woodlands House Hotel in Adare Co. Limerick. This year the rally is not a round of the National Championship. However it is a counting round of the West Coast Championship, The Southern 4 Championship and is also a round of the Ka Championship.
The rally has attracted a full entry with enough entries recieved to run almost three rallys. However only 151 cars can be run. The top 10 is a mixture of some of the best 4wd and 2wd cars and crews. At 1 its Paul Harris & Eugene O'Donnell in an Impreza. At 2 its Donal ODonovan & Pat Lordan in a Celica. At three its Ollie O'Donovan and David Moynian in an Impreza. The top 2wd competitors are Denis Cronin and Helen O'Sullivan in the newly rebuilt BMW at 4. The top local crew are Ed Synan and David Doherty in the Manta 400 at 8.

Top Twenthy Entries:
1 Paul Harris/Eugene O Donnell Subaru Impreza Sti 8
2 Donal O Donovan/Pat Lordan Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD 8
3 Ollie O Donovan/David Moynian Subaru Impreza 555 8
4 Denis Cronin/Helen O Sullivan BMW M3 14
5 Johnny O Sullivan/Pat Cashman Ford Escort WRC 8
6 JJ Fleming/Robbie Ward Subaru Impreza WRC 8
7 Michael Barrable/Dermot O Gorman Subaru Impreza WRC 8
8 Edward Synan/David Doherty Opel Manta 400 14
9 Anthony O Halloran/Kieran Cusack Opel Manta 400 13
10 Ken McKinstry/Conor Bruton Ford Escort RS2000 7
11 Tom Holton/Ron Guha Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD 8
12 Patrick Elliott/Sean Moriarty Subaru Impreza 555 8
14 Tim McNulty/Julian Nangle Subaru Impreza 555 8
15 David Percy/Owen Percy Ford Escort RS2000 7
16 Dermot Kelly/Frances O Regan Ford Escort WRC 8
17 John O Sullivan/Darren Hayes Peugeot 205 12
18 William McCarthy/Humphry Deegan Escort 2.0 13
19 Gerard McKiernan/Martin Maguire Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5 4
20 Edward O Callaghan/Nigel Shanahan Opel Manta 400 13
21 Michael Walsh/Torsten Schmidt Escort 2.4 14

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Cavan Stages Top Ten

This weekend ses the running of the Cavan Stages Rally based in the Kilmore Hotel in Cavan .The event is a counting round of both the Dunlop National (Round 5) and the Border Championship (Round 4)
The event uses the traditional route of three stages run three times , Bruse Hill near Ballinagh , Derrylane near Killeshandra and Farnham beside Cavan town with service based in the Quinn Direct Insurance car park beside the Kilmore Hotel.
First car is away at 11.00am with a short service in the Quinn Direct car park and due to finish at the Kilmore at 6.30 pm.

Top Ten Entries:
1 Niall Maguire Subaru WRC
2 Michael Barrable Subaru WRC
3 Tim Mc Nulty Subaru Impreza
4 Eugene Donnelly Toyota Celica
5 Hugh Dunne Subary Impreza WRC
6 David Armstrong Escort Cosworth
7 Patrick Elliott Subaru Impreza
8 Ivan Stewart Escort Cosworth
9 George Robinson Escort Cosworth
10 Sean Gallagher Escort Cosworth

Burns excluded from Argentina

The final results of Rally Argentina were amended this evening after car number 1, the Peugeot of rally winners Richard Burns and Robert Reid, was excluded from the event for a technical infringement
. The FIA Technical Delegate reported that the flywheel on the Peugeot 206 WRC was too light, and didn't comply with the homologation form. Peugeot declined to appeal the decision.
With Burns out, Carlos Sainz has been declared the new overall winner of the rally. 555 Subaru World Rally Team driver Petter Solberg was second and Colin McRae third.
Amended Final Leaderboard
1. Sainz / Moya Ford Focus RS WRC 2002 +4:08:09.1
2. Solberg / Mills Subaru Impreza WRC2002 +4.0
3. C McRae / Grist Ford Focus RS WRC 2002 +2:19.1
4. Martin / Park Ford Focus RS WRC 2002 +2:52.4
5. Gardemeister / Lukander Skoda Octavia WRC

Peugeot Sport Chief Engineer Michel Nandan has stated that the underweight flywheel that cost Richard Burns the Rally of Argentina should have been detected by the team's quality control process.
As the flywheel is a machined part, variations in weight are inevitable and the FIA permits a tolerance. The flywheel in question should have been destroyed or at best used on a test car, but somehow found its way on to Burns's car.
Peugeot Sport did not contest the verdict when the scrutineers found that the flywheel was 20 grammes below the weight specified on the 206 WRC's homologation form. However, Nandan dismissed any suggestion that the saving had offered a performance advantage
.

Moore takes 206 win in Wales

Chris Moore stopped Garry Jennings impressive run of back to back wins with victory after a fraught and close battle in the TOTAL supported 206 Super Cup. Marko Ramanen and Paul Alexander also figured strongly in the battle today. Jennings still leads the Championship race on 55 points with Ramanen 2nd on 44.5 points and Moore moving up to 3rd on 42.5 points.
Leg 2 / Day 2 of the Wrexham Rally saw the twenty-two remaining 206 Super Cup crews face 6 stages totalling 88.14 miles around the Sweet Lamb complex, west of Newtown.
Chris Moore set out his intentions immediately on the opening 14.86 mile Hafren stage with a time 22.6 seconds ahead of overnight leader Garry Jennings, which moved Moore into the top spot. Jennings was disappointed with his run but Moore was clearly enjoying himself despite two near overshoots. Paul Alexander was second quickest and promoted himself from sixth place up to third. Marko Ramanen pronounced himself "Medium Happy" and moved from fourth into second place, 12.6 seconds down on the leader. Stage four saw the crews enter the Sweet Lamb bowl with another 14 plus miler. Ramanen posted his intentions with a time of 17 minutes 18.9 seconds, which was two tenths of a second quicker than Moore with Alexander a further 2.1 seconds back. Jack Ingleby was delighted with his fourth fastest stage time 9.4 seconds down on Moore. Over the 14.40 mile stage the top three crews were split by only 2.3 seconds. Overall Moore led Ramanen by 12.4 seconds with Alexander 16.8 seconds down and Jennings slipping into fourth place 27.3 seconds down on the leader Moore. Faulkner rounded off the top five but Dunbabin was pushing him very hard. Jennings posted the fastest time through SS5 Myherin 1. The 14.81 miles saw him spending a lot of time sideways through the stage but he had upped the pace and was happy to finish 0.9 seconds ahead of Moore who was closely followed by Alexander, who in turn was relieved to see the end of the stage, having carried a rear puncture for three miles and lost the pace notes for half a mile. Ramanen suffered a similar fate also losing his notes. Dunbabin's fine run ended with an off which left the car on its side in a ditch 2 miles from the end of the stage. Moore extended his lead over Ramanen and Alexander who were now both tied for second 20.3 seconds behind. The rerun of Hafren saw Jennings post his third fastest time clearing the field by 10.4 seconds, next up was Faulkner with Ramanan a tenth behind. Alexander and Moore rounded off the top five times through the stage. Overall Moore's lead was reduced to 11.7 seconds from Jennings who had moved into second place, Ramanen slipped to third but had moved closer to Moore, 16.1 seconds down on the leader. Alexander was only half a second behind with Faulkner fifth. SS7 – Sweet Lamb 2 fell to Jennings who was now pushing Moore very hard, Moore slid off on a hairpin. He commented that it was like going round a roundabout slowly but he didn't want a repeat of his Pirelli retirement at a similar hairpin. Jennings was now only 7.3 seconds behind. Ramanen slipped back slightly, still unhappy but he was comfortable in third place, 20.8 seconds behind the lead car. Faulkner lay in fourth 55.8 seconds down, he was flat out through the stage and trying to deal with a fair bit of understeer. Ingleby moved up into fifth spot 1 min 22.5 seconds down. Paul Alexander's impressive run unfortunately came to an end when he rolled out. George Philippedes and Graham McClintock also retired on the penultimate stage, ironically both with steering arm failure. The final stage saw a titanic battle between Moore and Jennings, Jennings however was unable to close the gap, despite not carrying a spare wheel to save weight and Moore finished 6.7 seconds clear. Ramanen was third 23.6 seconds down, Faulkner fourth and Ingleby a fine fifth.
BTCC series director Richard West in the Celebrity car was well placed in thirteenth spot and was extremely impressed with the pace of the young Peugeot lions. He won the Celebrity Car class by a considerable margin.
Of the sponsor awards, Mike Bird and John Burke take the Motorsport News for best improvement on seeding, while Alan Doncaster's first ever rally ended in retirement on the first stage, but for his smile saying how much he had enjoyed the event and looking forward to the next, he takes the TOTAL Spirit of the Rally Award. The service crews are not forgotten, and Graham McLintock's crew are rewarded with the Hella Cool Box, after repairing his car in a testing accident before his first event.
Peugeot 206 Results:
1 Chris Moore /Eddie Myatt 2:02:23.9
2 Garry Jennings /Paul Nagle 2:02:30.6
3 Marko Ramanen /Ian Bevan 2:02:47.5
4 Mike Faulkner /Alan Clark 2:03:37.8
5 Jack Ingleby /Grania Inglby 2:04:11.6
6 Shaun Gallagher /Richard Pashley 2:04:38.0
7 Gareth MacHale /Brian Sharkey 2:06:14.2
8 Andrus Laur /Aleksander Kornilov 2:06:17.1
9 Andrew Pawley /Timothy Sturla 2:07:09.3
10 Lee Sharples /Martyn Quant 2:07:33.0
11 Martin Evans /Shaun O'Gorman 2:11:17.7
12 Mike Bird / John Burke 2:13:44.9

Mourne Stages Update

Round 5 - 2002 ME Crowe Northern Ireland Rally Championship
Round 4 - 2002 Four Seasons Hotel Border Championship
Newry and District Motor Club host the fifth round of the ME Crowe Northern Ireland Rally Championship on June 15th, based in the new city of Newry. This year's event is sponsored by Jim Feenan of Forumla Karting Newry, and Kenny Gass of Gosford Road Service Station, Newry. The events starts from the Mourne Country Hotel, Newry, with Vehicle Scrutiny the night before at Gosford Road Service Station, and centralised service in the Carnbane Industrial Estate. The event is also a qualifying round of the Border Rally Championship.
The route this year includes the usual tests of Small Gullion, Big Gullion and Camlough, but this year also features the popular closed road stage over Cooley Mountain just south of the Border. These four stages are ran three times on the day, to bring the total stage mileage to near 60 competitive miles.
Speaking of the rally, Clerk of the Course Des O'Loan commented, "Following last year's event being cancelled, along with the bulk of the season, because of Foot and Mouth, we are very happy to have the event run again this year. The rally takes you through one of the most scenic areas in Ireland, with stages in the Ring of Gullion' in South Armagh and the truly classic Long womans grave stage on the Cooley Peninsular in North Louth. We hope to have a capacity entry for the rally, which always proves to be a very popular event with both competitors and spectators alike."
Regulations and entry forms are now available from the Newry and District Motor Club's website at www.newryanddistrictmc.com
Colin Courtney

Dunlop National Update

Overall Positions after Carlow Stages Rally.

Posn....Driver..........Points..Posn..Navigator.........Points
1 Niall Maguire........78.......1.Paul Mc Laughlin.....78
2 Sean Gallagher......51...... 2.Liam Costello........49
3 Michael Barrable.....38...... 3 Sean Moriarty.......44
4 Jim Harrison........36...... 4 Dermot O'Gorman......38
5 David Armstrong......30...... 5 Harvey Bell..........36
6 Andrew Stewart.......30.......6 Herbie Blackburn.....29
7 Joe Mac Hugh........28.......7 Fabian Mc Shane......29
8 Patrick Elliot.......28.......8 Crawford Henderson...26
9 Kieran Shaw..........26.......9 Elva Roe.............22
10 Aaron Mac Hale.......25.......10 Pat Lordan..........22

Rally of Wales Preview

The organisers of the International Rally of Wales are expecting the event to provide a major boost to the local tourism trade this weekend, as over 95 crews will descend on the North Wales town of Wrexham in order to contest the second round of the Pirelli British Rally Championship.
With a healthy mixture of driving talent from across the rally categories, the rally has received entries from as far away as Italy, Sweden, Finland and the USA as the teams bid to be winners on one of the most popular spectator events in the Welsh sporting calendar.
Spectators can get close to the action on a number of special stages, including the Clocaenog Forest near Ruthin on Saturday evening, and the famous Sweet Lamb Forestry Complex in Mid Wales on the Sunday. Full Spectator Information can be found on the event's website at www.rally.wales.com. With only a matter of days to go before the big event, Press Officer Jamie Edwards was confident that the rally would prove to be a major success for everyone concerned, despite the event running unsponsored this year:
"We've received an excellent field of entrants, with lots of high quality drivers from the UK and overseas. Wrexham is an excellent venue for the start of such a prestigious sporting event, and I'm sure that the people of Wrexham and its surrounding areas will come and support the event as it is on their doorstep. The opportunity is there to come and see the next Colin McRae's or Richard Burns in the making, so we hope that people will visit the town centre start and finish and of course the stages to get a glimpse of the next generation of rally stars."
The Rally of Wales starts from Queens Square near Lampit Street in Wrexham on Saturday 18th May at 5pm, and returns at 8pm that evening. On Sunday, the rally restarts at the less than social hour of 5:30am, before returning for the champagne celebrations at 5:30pm on Sunday afternoon. A wide variety of drivers and machinery will contest the event, from Marcus Dodd in the latest £350,000 Subaru Impreza World Rally Car, to the cut and thrust of the Peugeot 206 Super Cup, where the young stars like Ulster's Garry Jennings will be looking to make a name for themselves as they go flat out through the classic forests of North and Mid Wales, with both Channel 4 and Sky Sports filming the event for screening the following weekend
Top Entries:
1 Gwyndaf Evans / Chris Patterson MGZR
2 Justin Dale / Andrew Bargery Peugeot 206 S1600
3 Guy Wilks / Roger Herron Ford Puma
4 Rory Galligan / Gordon Noble Peugeot 206 S1600
5 David Henderson / Scott Paxan Ford Puma
6 Kris Meeke / Glen Patterson Ford Puma
7 Martin Sansom / Phil Wells Peugeot 106 Maxi
8 James Thompson / Plug Pulleyn Peugeot 106 S1600
9 Marcus Dodd / John Bennie Subaru WRC
10 Jonny Milner / Nicky Beech Toyota Corolla WRC
17 Austin McHale / Brian Murphy Toyota Corolla WRC
19 Alistair Ginley / Rory Kennedy Mitsubishi Evo 7
31 Robert Woodside / Dean Beckett Subaru WRC
40 Stuart Darcy / Clare Mole Ford Puma

Other Irish entries:
61 Gary Jennings / Paul Nagle Peugeot 206
63 Shaun Gallagher / Richard Pashley Peugeot 206
72 Gareth McHale / Brian Sharkey Peugeot 206
82 Graham McClintoch / Martin Kerwick Peugeot 206
84 Mike Bird / John Burke Peugeot 206
121 Donie Keating Jnr / Thomas Corby Volkswagon Polo

Thanks to Jamie Edwards.

Donegal International Latest

SHELL DONEGAL INTERNATIONAL RALLY ENTRIES FLOOD IN.
Entries have opened for this year's Shell Donegal International Rally on the 21st- 23rd June 2002. The Regulations for the 200 Stage Mile event, over 25 Stages, are available from the Donegal Motor Club's website at www.donegalmotorclub.com.
Tom Higgins, Clerk of the Course, says that an Ad campaign in Motorsport News over the past few weeks has yielded a significant, if welcome, headache for the organisers.
"We felt that with the break in rallying last year it would be useful to take some Ads and encourage entries from the UK and Europe. Using a classic Esler Crawford BMW photo, and giving the Club's Web address only after the third Ad, we hoped for a reaction. Nothing prepared us for the result."
"In the two days after the web address was advertised, we received over 2,500 hits on the regulations page. Enquiries from both competitors and spectators are continuing to flood in. The Regulations and Entry Forms can be downloaded from the website and are also being posted out to those who competed in Donegal in 2000."
"This is a staggering response and we are lucky that the Club devised a detailed, performance-based, entry selection process a few years ago. The closing date has now been extended to May 24th at the reduced rate."
"Needless to say, we are delighted with the response. We have had to change the route to accommodate roadworks on some of our classic stages, and are very pleased with the result. Competitors in Donegal this year will know they have been in a Rally, and spectators will know they have been at a Rally. We're looking forward to it."
"The BMW photo has caused so much interest we are running a competition on the website, with a nice prize, to see if anyone can identify who, what, where and when. Even Seamus McGettigan is having trouble with it"!
Declan Mc Cay & Damian Crawford

Galligan and Dale look forward to Wales

Pirelli British Rally Championship, Round 2, Wales 18-19th May `02
After a challenging start to the Pirelli British Rally Championship (PBRC), the Peugeot 206 Super 1600 (S1600) official works team have set their sights high for Wrexham Rally of Wales for the second round of the Championship. Starting in Wrexham, Justin Dale will leave the line at 17.02 with Rory Galligan leaving 4th at 17.04.
Classic stages in north and mid Wales form the basis of this gravel round with over 100 miles of competitive stages. The Rally of Wales is a familiar rally to works driver Rory Galligan. Galligan, who recently took part in the Astra stages in mid Wales commented; "For me the stages in mid-Wales are some of the best in the world. I am feeling much happier with the car now we have more miles on the clock and will be looking to the podium again."
Irishman Gordon Noble, who has been competing in National rallying since the 80's commented; "Of all the forests in the world mid Wales are probably my most favourite. Rory Galligan and I did the Astra Stages recently to recce this round and with this in mind I think we will be competitive here."
Champion driver Justin Dale feels better prepared for the second round of the PBRC. He commented; "The Rally of Wales is one of my favourites. I am more confident about this rally than I was with Gateshead since there is more character to the stages in mid Wales than in Kielder. It's going to be hard beating Gwyndaf Evans on his home soil. We have new gearboxes on this event to try to alleviate the selection problems from Pirelli, and we don't expect any further brake problems."
Mick Linford, Motorsport Manager Peugeot Sport UK commented; "After initial teething problems, we are confident we will fair well in Wales. Justin and Rory are both familiar with the ground being covered during the Rally of Wales."

Rally of Argentina Preview

Rally Argentina, the sixth round of the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship gets underway on Thursday next week when 82 cars are expected to cross the start ramp in the town of Carlos Paz. The event is the first long-haul challenge of the year and the only event of the series held in the Americas.
The Argentinean gravel stages are a real mixture of fast, flat sections on the edge of the Pampas, combined with twisty and rocky mountain tests that take the crews to altitudes of up to 5000 feet above sea level.
The altitude keeps weather conditions changeable, and it's not unusual for the stage surface to alter dramatically during the course of each leg. There is a constant threat of rain, and even a possibility of snow in the highest locations. The temperature fluctuates too, and although it is expected to reach 25°C during the day, it is a lot colder in the mornings and evenings. Information from gravel crews on the latest conditions is of vital importance here.
The event will comprise three legs with a total of 22 stages and 380 competitive kilometres, with leg two being a identical repeat of the first leg. There will be two service points - La Cumbre for days one and two and Mina Clavero, to the south of Carlos Paz, for the final day of competition.
In addition to the WRC entries, Argentina is also the fourth round of the 2002 FIA Production Cup Series.

Event Timetable (Argentina is GMT -3hrs)
Thursday 16 April
1930 Ceremonial Start, Carlos Paz
Friday 17 April
Start 0640 Carlos Paz
Serv A 0750 La Cumbre 20 minutes
SS1 0833 Capillo del Monte - San Marcos Sierra 23.02km
SS2 0904 San Marcos Sierra - Cuchi Carral 26.97km
Serv B 0954 La Cumbre 20 minutes
SS3 1054 Cosquin - Villa Allende 19.19km
SS4 1207 Super Especial Complejo Pro-Racing (Lane A) 3.44km
SS5 1207 Super Especial Complejo Pro-Racing (Lane B) 3.44km
SS6 1312 Tanti - Cosquin 16.07km
SS7 1410 La Falda - Villa Guardina 9.37km
Serv C 1435 La Cumbre 20 minutes
SS8 1513 La Cumbre - Agua de Ore 23.46km
SS9 1605 Ascochinga - La Cumbre 28.83km
Serv D 1647 La Cumbre 45 minutes
Finish 1842 Carlos Paz
Total leg 1 distance 479.17km (competitive 153.79km, liaison 325.38km)

Saturday 18 April
Start 0640 Carlos Paz
Serv E 0750 La Cumbre 20 minutes
SS10 0833 Capillo del Monte - San Marcos Sierra 23.02km
SS11 0904 San Marcos Sierra - Cuchi Carral 26.97km
Serv F 0954 La Cumbre 20 minutes
SS12 1054 Cosquin - Villa Allende 19.19km
SS13 1207 Super Especial Complejo Pro-Racing (Lane A) 3.44km
SS14 1207 Super Especial Complejo Pro-Racing (Lane B) 3.44km
SS15 1312 Tanti - Cosquin 16.07km
SS16 1410 La Falda - Villa Guardina 9.37km
Serv G 1435 La Cumbre 20 minutes
SS17 1513 La Cumbre - Agua de Ore 23.46km
SS18 1605 Ascochinga - La Cumbre 28.83km
Serv H 1647 La Cumbre 45 minutes
Finish 1842 Carlos Paz
Total leg 2 distance 477.97km (competitive 153.79km, liaison 324.18km)

Sunday 19 March
Start 0600 Carlos Paz
Serv I 0747 Mina Clavero 20 minutes
SS19 0900 El Candor - Copina 16.77km
SS20 1013 Giulio Cesara - Mina Clavera 22.82km
SS21 1053 Cura Brochera - Cienage de Allende 13.63km
Serv J 1151 Mina Clavera 20 minutes
SS22 1237 El Mirador - San Lorenzo 20.65km
Serv K 1313 Mina Clavera 20 minutes
Finish 1533 Cordoba
Total leg 3 distance 498.86km (competitive 73.87km, liaison 424.99km)
Total event distance 1456.00km (competitive 381.45km, liaison 1074.55km)

Moonraker Forestry Rally

Based in the Midelton Park Hotel in Midelton , Co Cork the event is round 4 of the KBB Doors National Forestry Championship
The rally sponsored by John Shanahan Car Sales of Killavullen takes in over 45 stage miles around the Dongourney , Tallow , Youghal , Mount Uniacke and Clashmore areas with service at Kielys Cross and Tallow
Scrutiny will be in Keary's Toyota Garage in Midleton and first car is due away at 9.00am

Top Entries:
1 Dominic Mc Neil / Francis Regan .......Escort WRC.
2 Kevin O Kane / Stephen Griffiths.........Subaru Impreza
3 Dermot Kelly / John Brennan ..............Escort WRC
4 Niall Driver / Francis Corrigan ............Mitsubishi Evo
5 John McCarty / Dan Maguire.............Escort WRC
6 John Donnelly / Greg McCarty...........Escort Cosworth
7 Eddie Kinirons / Tom Kinirons ...........Toyota Celica
8 Godfrey Kirby / Rob Tynan.................Toyota Celica GT4
9 James Murphy / Con Mulcahy..............Escort Cosworth
10 John Dislane / Paul Goodman ............Mitsubishi Evo
11 Stephen Caraway / Padraic Barry ......Escort Cosworth
12 Eugene Donnelly / Paul Nagle..............Toyota Celica

VK Vodka Tour of Sperrins preview

Magherafelt and District Motor Club are delighted to welcome as title sponsor for the 2002 Tour of The Sperrins Rally, VK VODKA KICK. The 4th round of the M.E.Crowe N.I.Rally Championship, on Saturday the 18th May, will this year revert to an all gravel format, with a new start and finish venue in Walsh's Hotel, Maghera.
VK VODKA KICK, the popular spirit mixer and the maker of Pure Energy have signed to sponsor this years' rally. VK is the UK's fastest growing new drinks brand, selling over 3 million bottles a week in most major nightclubs and pubs, with the brand now selling well in Northern Ireland.
Managing Director, Steve Perez, a rally competitor himself, saw the potential of rallying as a way of promoting the VK name when he competed on the recent Circuit of Ireland in his Porsche 911. Steve commented 'I was amazed at the enthusiasm and coverage rallying gets in the province, and we are delighted to be involved in such a prestigious and well run event'. The great thing about VK is that you can drink the energy drink to keep up concentration levels, when you are competing or marshalling, and celebrate with a vodka kick in the bar after the rally.
Top Ten entries:
1 Trevor Moore / Philip McCrea....Esc Cos
2 Derek McGarrity / James McKee.....Corolla WRC
3 Eugene Donnelly / Paul Kiely........Celica
4 Denis Biggerstaff / Damien McCann ...Metro 6R4
5 James Gillen / Victor Carrothers.....Escorth Cos
6 Glenn Allen / TBA.....Escort WRC
7 Stephen Whitford / Mark Crowe.....Mitsubishi Evo
8 Kevin O'Kane / Stephen Griffith.......Subaru Impreza
9 Gary White / Barry Taggart.........Escort WRC
10 Richard Hogg / Mark Hanna......Mitsubishi Evo

Dunlop National Championship

Update after Monaghan

OVERALL POSITIONS

Posn... Driver .....Points........ Posn ....Navigator .....Points
1 ......Niall Maguire 60 ..........1 ........Paul Mc Laughlin 60
2 ......Jim Harrison 36 ............2 ........Harvey Bell 36
3...... Sean Gallagher 35 ........3 ........Liam Costello 35
4 ......Patrick Elliot 28 ...........4 .........Sean Moriarty 28
5 ......Kieran Shaw 26 ..........5..........Crawford Henderson 26
6...... Andrew Stewart 24..... 6 .........Fabian Mc Shane 24
7...... Donal O'Donovan 22... 7........ Pat Lordan 22
8...... Michael Barrable 18..... 8 .......Dermot O'Gorman 18
9...... David Armstrong 16..... 9 ......Gerard Mc Monagle 17
10 ....Tim Mc Nulty 16 ........10....... Herbie Blackburn 16

Carrick On Suir Stages Rally

Regulations will be available soon for the event which is a counting round of Motorsport Ireland Dunlop National Championship, The British Get Connected Tarmac Rally Championship, The Triton Showers South East Stages Championship, and Crk's own Kel-tech Engineering Club Championship
Regs can be obtained by contacting John Doherty @ 086-3790188 between 6 and 9pm
New Clerk of the Course for the Ravens Rock Ann FitzGerald, would like to welcome on board Jurys Hotel as the Rally Headquarters and co-sponsors for the 2002 event and join with the current sponsors Suirway Forklifts who have supported the event for the past number of years. The rally will have four stage locations with centralised service, will take place on Sunday 30th June 2002 with recce. On Saturday 29th June.

Cork Rallysprint announced

Cork MC Rallysprint @ Cork Show grounds - 9 June 02
Cork Motor Club are holding a Rallysprint around the tarmacadam roads at Cork show grounds (beside Pairc Ui Caoimh) on Sunday 9th of June. The event which will be with-in walking distance of Cork City Centre will held over a 1.2 mile stage with separate start and finish points and a dedicated service area.
The event is open to Rally and Rallycross cars and co-drivers can be carried.
Regulations and entry forms can be got by sending a Stamped Addressed Envelope to the Event Secretary

Mary Hogan
13 Hazelwood Close
Glanmire
Co. Cork
Tel 086-3595530

Subaru carry out Tarmac Test

The 555 Subaru World Rally Team completed the latest stage of preparations for the remaining two asphalt rounds of the 2002 World Rally Championship - the Deutschland and Sanremo Rallies.
Team drivers Tommi Makinen, Petter Solberg and Toshihiro Arai drove a Subaru Impreza WRC2002 test car for a total of 646kms during the four day test which was held in the French Alps, near Sospel.
Petter Solberg was at the wheel for days one and two, and drove on two contrasting roads. Testing concentrated on evaluating the latest tyre developments from team partner Pirelli, as well as experimenting with engine, suspension and differential set-ups.
On day three Tommi Makinen was in the driving seat and the team moved to another road, again in the Sospel area. Risto Mannisenmaki, Tommi's regular co-driver who is currently still recovering from injuries sustained in an accident in Corsica last year, joined Tommi for the one day test. At the start of the day light rain descended on the test and the team used this opportunity to test new wet weather asphalt tyre advances, as well as differential, suspension and transmission settings. However, when the rain became torrential the team was forced to curtail the session.
Toshihiro Arai took over for the fourth and final day ahead of his 555 Subaru World Rally Team tarmac debut in Germany. The Japanese driver focussed on tyre testing and some other work on engine and brake set-up. He experienced mixed weather conditions that enabled him to optimise his testing with both wet and dry set-ups. Day four was an extended test to make up for the previous days' bad weather.
The team now turns its attention to the gravel stages in South America for round six of the WRC, Rally Argentina, which starts on 16 May.

Team Quotes
Tommi Makinen: "It was a very useful test because we made progress and found a good set up for wet conditions but unfortunately we could not do the things that we had planned to do because of the very bad weather conditions. Things are looking positive for later in the year though."
Petter Solberg: "We did a lot of work with the tyres and then looked at the engine and differential set up. The test was mainly concentrating on small details to ensure the car is good on tarmac and I have to say it felt brilliant. We are just improving all the time and we are looking forward to the remaining tarmac events."
Toshihiro Arai: "The set up of the car is feeling very good now and the car is easier to drive than it was last season. We did a lot of tyre work and hopefully managed to make up for the fact that Tommi lost the opportunity to test dry weather tyres the day before."

Carlow Stages Top Entries

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.

1 NIALL MAGUIRE / PAUL MC LOUGHLIN IMPREZA 1994 8 MONAGHAN
2 MICHAEL BARRABLE / DERMOT O'GORMAN IMPREZA WRC 2000 8 CO.DUBLIN
3 DONAL O'DONOVAN / PAT LORDAN CELICA ST 185 1998 8 CLONAKILTY
4 TIM MC NULTY / JULIAN NANGLE IMPREZA 1994 8 CO.MEATH
5 DOM BUCKLEY / BRIAN MURPHY IMPREZA 1994 8 SCOTLAND
6 DAVID ARMSTRONG / HERBIE BLACKBURN ESC COSWORTH 1993 15 CO ARMAGH
7 JAMES HARRISON / HARVEY BELL IMPREZA 1994 8 WALES
8 KIERAN SHAW / CRAWFORD HENDERSON ESC WRC 1994 8 CO.ANTRIM
9 PATRICK ELLIOTT / SEAN MORIARTY IMPREZA 1996 8 CO.CAVAN
10 HUGH DUNNE / DAMIEN MORRISSEY IMPREZA WRC 2000 8 CO.KILDARE
11 KEVIN BARRETT / SEAN MULLALLY IMPREZA 1994 8 CO.KILDARE
12 JAMES COLE / JOHN CLARKE CELICA ST 185 2000 15 CO.CAVAN
14 DEREK SMITH / DARAGH CAFFERKY ESCORT 2400 14 CO.WICKLOW
15 DENIS CRONIN / HELEN SULLIVAN BMW M3 2300 14 CO.CORK
16 WILLIE O'DWYER / ANDREW PURCELL METRO 6R4 15 CO.KILKENNY
17 RICHARD CURRAN / GER ENGLISH ESC COSWORTH 2000 15 CO.TIPPERARY
18 JIMMY LAMBERT / JAMES COLEMAN ESCORT MK2 2000 13 CLONMEL
19 JOHN TREACY / JOHN SMITHWICK ESCORT 2000 13 KILKENNY
20 DAVID JAMES / RON GUHA ESCORT BDX 2000 14 GOREY
21 THOMAS G. RANDLES / DIARMUID LYNCH ESCORT MK 2 2400 14 CO.KERRY
22 JOHN ROONEY / PAUL KELLY ESCORT 2000 13 CO.TYRONE
23 JOHN NOLAN / LLOYDE GARRETH ESCORT 2000 13 CO.CARLOW
24 TREVOR CULBERT / JAMES GLYNN ESCORT MK 2 2000 12 CO.WICKLOW
25 PATRICK WHITE / AIDAN MORAN ESC COSWORTH 1994 8 CO.MEATH
26 RORY O'CONNOR / FRANCIS KENNY ESCORT WRC 8 CO.MAYO

McHugh Rally Team Update

Moving up from a Peugeot 205 GTi to a Subaru Impreza is a big step for any rally driver to take. Undaunted by the prospect, Sean McHugh has taken to the 4-wheel drive category extremely well and continues to make steady progress. The Claremorris native also began the 2002 season with a new navigator in fellow Mayo & District Motorsport Club member, John Rowland, from Crossmolina. The new partnership had its inaugural outing last March in the Breaffy House Hotel Mayo Stages Rally, the first round of the Dunlop National Championship which resulted in Sean achieving his best ever finish – 30th overall (starting from 57th). Both driver and co-driver were very pleased with the performance especially as the wind and rain made conditions extremely difficult.
"We had a few major moments in the early part of the rally as the move up to the big league added its own pressures," stated Sean. "For me, it's a major step up from the Peugeot, in terms of power, brakes and especially tyres. It's the first time I've ran on competitive tyres," he added.
Two weeks later, the climb up the leader board continued at the Midland Single Stage Rally at Carrick-on-Shannon. Another successful days outing was recorded with 17th overall and 2nd in Class 4, despite a shaky start over the very bumpy first stage, which did not suit the Impreza's standard suspension.
Dingle was the next port of call for the Circuit of Kerry, Round 2 of the Dunlop Series with its classic stages Conor Pass and Slea Head. Using slick tyres for the first time, Sean made rapid progress through the field to bring the first Subaru home in Class 4. "Poor seeding meant that we had to carve our own way through, catching cars Stage after Stage. We had a brilliant day, a great run , thanks to the super grip from the Dunlop slicks." Running the Showroom/Class 4 version of the highly successful Subaru Impreza World Rally Car requires significant financial backing and McHugh's Rally Crew are indebted to Gerry McCloskey (Irl) Limited, Building & Civil Engineering Contractors, Dublin; and Corrib Oil for their support this season.
Sean's Subaru Impreza was one of the major attractions at Corrib Oil's official Opening of their new Shell Service Station in Swinford recently. Mid West Radio's Mid-Morning Show hosted by Gerry Glennon were present and interviewed Sean 'live' from the car.
During the summer further promotional visits to various venues are planned. McHugh's Rally Crew are contesting three more rounds of the Dunlop Series and three rounds of the Top Part West Coast Championship this season taking in events in Limerick, Sligo, Tipperary, Galway and Clare.
For the record, the Subaru Impreza features a 2.0 litre turobcharged 215bhp powerplant with adjustable differentials and 16" wheels on Dunlop competition rubber.