Shaun Gallagher Rallying Latest

Victory for Shaun Gallagher on the final round of the Peugeot 206 Super Cup rounded off a fantastic season for the young Letterkenny driver. Shaun is the only driver to have scored on every round of the championship and in the process scored one third place, three second places and two wins, finishing the championship second overall
The Michelin South of England Tempest Rally moved the series back to gravel and Shaun began the event cautiously knowing that one slip on the loose surface could lose him the event. He took the lead on stage 2 and this is where he remained for the next two days. Following on from his faultless victory on Rallye Le Touquet Shaun drove yet another outstanding event, maintaining his lead over his rivals at a consistent and steady margin.
During Leg two Shaun chose to raise the ride height of the car as the re-use of the stages had made them very rough and with a comfortable lead there was no need to take any unnecessary chances.
Shaun finished a worthy 24 seconds ahead of Chris Moore and over a minute in front of new 206 Super Cup Champion Gary Jennings
This win tops off a hugely successful season and Shaun would like to thank all his sponsor's, supporters and friends.

Gallaghers Glory and Jennings Joy

The Michelin Tempest Rally lived up to its name today when ferocious gales hit the special stages. The battle for the Peugeot 206 Super Cup also raged on, with Shaun Gallagher and Garry Jennings still fighting for the title.
Gallagher led the crews off this morning, but it was Chris Moore who was fastest through the first stage of the day, Ash Ranges, despite coming across a railway sleeper in the road which had been dragged on by a previous competitor. Moore thought he had clipped it but suffered no damage. Alun Pearson went off on the jumps just before the flying finish, ending his rally and causing following competitors to be slowed down. The gales were causing havoc with the stage furniture and Richard Sykes was confused when tape was blowing across the stage and he was unsure of the correct route.
Gallagher was not happy with the following two stages, particularly the six miles in Warren, a variation of yesterday's Bramshill stage, which he reported to be very rough and cut up and he found it hard to get traction. Despite that, he set fastest times on both, and a further four to dominate six of the ten stages today.
Olly Marshall thought Stage 8, Yateley, was like driving on ice and was looking forward to new tyres at service. Thomas Mullen was getting into the swing, stating that he loved the first stage and loved the car even more. However, after Stage 9 he admitted to being a bit nervous and having "a few near ones" but was getting used to his car.
Moore had an overshoot on a hairpin losing a few seconds on Stage 9, whilst Richard Sykes had been told by a marshal that a chicane had been removed, consequently he obliterated the first chicane which was still there.
Thomas Mullen spent four minutes in a ditch on Stage 11, Eelmoor 1, and his valiant efforts in extricating his car and subsequent smile at making the finish line in 10th place have landed him with the TOTAL Spirit of the Rally Award.
At Service after Stage 11, the cat and mouse game continued with Gallagher and Jennings both holding station, but Jennings steady run had been interrupted by a brush with a kerb requiring repairs to the steering at service.
The longest stage of the day, the 7.8 mile Longmoor, saw David Wright's excellent run come to an end in a field when he hit a hole and went through the fence! Gareth MacHale hit the same hole and although he managed to leave the stage, his car was in a sorry state. Although he didn't lose too much time, road penalties dropped him well down his deserved order.
Stage 14 was a rerun of the morning's Eelmoor stage, and Sykes again had an argument with a chicane which had been tightened up, losing a wing mirror in the process. Jennings said at service, "I want to increase the pace, it's killing me, this steady run!" He continued though, with the 206 Super Cup title well and truly in his sights. Moore was looking happier, he had posted 3 fastest stage times to this point, and he was to take the last stage as well, to share all the stages with Gallagher today. But he had decided that he wasn't going to catch Gallagher, so wasn't doing anything stupid and commented at the end that he was a "happy bunny!".
Considering Mick Linford was thrown in at the deep end in the celebrity 206 Super Cup car, posting 8th overall was no bad result, in front of Matt Jessup. Local crew Trevor Martin took 7th. Olly Marshall said of his new steed, "She's not a bad little bus!" as he posted 6th overall at the end, a result which netted him the Motorsport News Award for best improvement in seeding. Phillipeddes really didn't like this event - a "cross country cow" was his description and with his tracking first off to the right, then the left, he was pleased to end in 5th overall. Richard Sykes is always exuberant, and was delighted to have posted his best result of the season.
Jennings was "well pleased" at his result - third on the event didn't matter, it was the title which counted. "It's been a long time coming", he beamed at the final ramp, parking up alongside his prize- the Peugeot Super 1600 car. His prize is a works drive in that car with Peugeot, contesting the Peugeot Sport programme for next year, likely to be the British Rally Championship.
And with Chris Moore taking the runner up spot, Shaun Gallagher was left ruefully considering the 12.5 seconds which made up his three second places on earlier events so close have the events been. The champagne was sweet, but not sweet enough to compensate for that disappointment. All through the event "0.9 seconds" as the margin for his second place in Ulster, was going through his mind. And the valuable 5 points that went with it. The championship margin today - 5 points!
Note: All 206 Super Cup championship places provisional pending post event scrutineering results.

Results:
1 Gallagher 1:15:16.6
2 Moore 1:15:40.7 0:24.1
3 Jennings 1:16:32.4 1:15.8
4 Sykes 1:17:28.1 2:11.5
5 Philippedes 1:17:47.7 2:31.1
6 Marshall 1:18:36.7 3:20.1
7 Martin 1:19:26.4 4:09.8
8 Linford 1:20:00.5 4:43.9
9 MacHale 1:21:05.1 5:48.5
10 Jessup 1:23:19.7 8:03.1
11 Mullen 1:25:05.9 9:49.3

Skoda confirms 2003 plans

Skoda Motorsport will field two permanent entries on the 2003 World Rally Championship. The team is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement with former World Champion Didier Auriol to compete alongside Toni Gardemeister on all 14 rallies of the 2003 season.
Petr Kohoutek, Skoda Motorsport Team Director, said: "We are naturally thrilled to have Didier driving one of our Skoda Octavia WRC cars next year. Not only is he the 1994 World Rally Champion, but he brings with him a wealth of experience. This will be vital to the future success of our team. We are sure that together with Toni Gardemeister, who has proved himself so often during this season, we have a formidable pairing in place for next year."
Auriol was equally enthusiastic, saying: "It is great to be part of a works team again. I have made a good choice with Skoda Motorsport, because we will make a perfect match. I know I have a lot of experience I can pass on." Didier will once more be partnered by long-time co-driver Denis Giraudet, and the duo are looking forward to their first rally with the Skoda Octavia WRC in Monte Carlo next January. Didier loves the event, and commented: "This will be a great start to the season. I have won the Rallye Monte Carlo three times, so I think it suits my style of driving."
Toni Gardemeister, who has proved his worth during the 2002 season, will be the up-and-coming talent that complements the experience within the Skoda Motorsport World Rally Team. At 27, Toni is still one of the younger drivers, albeit with 47 WRC rallies under his belt. Toni said: "I am really looking forward to continuing with Skoda Motorsport. Didier is one of the great drivers of all time and it is fantastic to be in the same team as him again. On top of that, he is a great character and a good companion."
Kenneth Eriksson, who has driven for Skoda Motorsport on every rally this year, is still in discussions with the team over his role in the coming season, as plans for a third works entry have not yet been finalized. Roman Kresta, who has shown enormous potential during his seasons with Skoda Motorsport, will stay with the team both on a national and international level. His program will be finalised later.
SkodaAuto Chairman Vratislav Kulhanek confirmed: "For Skoda, Motorsport is an integral part of our strategy as can be seen from our history. We aim to be successful both in the marketplace and in competition. Therefore I welcome any strengthening of our team in view of our future success."

Fastnet Stages Rally

This weekend sees the running of the Skibbereen & Distrist Motor Clubs Fastnet Rally.The event is again based in the Marine Hotel in Glandore and is the final rounds of the Dunlop National Rally Championship, Get Connected Tarmac Rally Championship and the 023 Tiles Southern 4 Rally Championship.

Top 20 Entries.
1 Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin Subaru Impreza WRC
2 Michael Barrable/Dermot O'Gorman Subaru Impreza WRC
3 Melvyn Evans/Alun Davies Ford Escort WRC
4 John Price/Caroline Price Metro 6R4
5 Kenny McKinstry/Sean Mullally Subaru Impreza WRC
6 Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy Toyota Corolla WRC
7 Patrick Elliott/Sean Moriarty Subaru Impreza 555
8 Frank O' Mahony/Hugh McPhillips Subaru Impreza WRC
9 Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan BMW M3
10 Bob Fowden/Jerry Hynes Mitsubishi Evo 6
11 Ollie O' Donovan/David Moynihan Subaru Impreza 555
12 Hugh Dunne/TBA Subaru Impreza WRC
13 Tommy Graham/TBA Subaru Impreza WRC
14 Cathal Arthurs/Bob Kelly Toyota Celica GT-Four
15 Sean Gallagher/Liam Costello Escort RS Cosworth
16 Andrew Stewart/Fabian McShane Mitsubishi Evo 6
17 Phil Collins/Howard Davies Ford Escort Mk2
18 Don Butler/Tony Ferris Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
19 Anthony O'Halloran/Kevin Synott Opel Manta
20 Nigel Hicklin/Sam McMullan Subaru Impreza 555
21 Jer O'Donovan/Stephen O'Donovan Escort RS Cosworth

Peugeot 206 Super Cup Championship Goes to the Wire

The forests around Aldershot in Hampshire will reverberate to the sound of rally cars this weekend as the Michelin South of England Tempest Stages Rally hosts the final round of the Peugeot 206 Super Cup.
With four different event winners this year the series is as hotly contested as ever and two drivers can still win the Peugeot works prize drive worth about £250,000 on the 66 mile gravel event. A 206 Super 1600 rally car awaits the victor for the 2003 British Rally Championship
The points system means that the competitors' two worst scores from the season can be discounted. As a result, although last year's runner up Garry Jennings goes to Aldershot with a slender two point lead, he only needs to finish in the top five to secure his place as a Peugeot Sport works driver in 2003. Previous championship leader Shaun Gallagher, however needs no less than outright victory to stand a chance
. It may then appear that the Championship is all but won. However Gallagher has hung on all year and despite a frustrating hat-trick of second places by the narrowest of margins, he pulled out all the stops for a brilliant first win in Le Touquet. His consistency and smooth driving style mean he is the only driver to have scored on every round whilst Jennings has rolled out from good points finishes twice this year.
The remainder of the drivers will not be put off by this scrap at the head of the leader board and several have set stunning times throughout the year.
Despite a non finish in France, Finn Marko Ramanen retains his third place in the series but third place on the event means Geordie Chris Moore has closed the gap ensuring a continued battle for the runners up spot at the end of the year.
Richard Sykes has potential to upset the front runners if he can overcome a run of bad luck that has cost him places on almost every rally this year. Amongst the ones to watch will be David Wright who led in Ulster. Despite only starting the series three events ago, the Lancastrian has muscled his way inside the top ten of the championship.
Dubliner Gareth MacHale has had a mixed season although some top five finishes will pile on the pressure for Jennings on the Tempest Stages. Greek George Philippedes continues the International feel of the event although he will not have far to travel from his new home in London
Alun Pearson has promised much on previous rallies and a freshly repaired car means he will be giving maximum attack as an end of season flourish. British Rally Group A7 Champion Ollie Marshal is also out to make his mark on his debut 206 Super Cup rally.
With Irish crews Adrian McElhinney, James Halligan and Thomas Mullen adding to the 16 strong Peugeot 206 field, the rally starts at 12.00 on Saturday from Aldershot town centre with six stages centred around Rushmoor Arena.
Leg 2 starts on Sunday at 07.30 with nine more stages and the podium finish in Aldershot at 15.25 where the celebrations for both event and Championship will begin in earnest.

2003 Irish Rally Calendar Released

The Irish Rally Calendar 2003 is again the work of Seamus Counihan and Trevor Foster. With 13 photographs from the current season it returns in its familiar large A2 format making it the ideal Christmas gift for Rally enthusiasts. Available from the first week in November the price will remain at 30euro including post and packaging. The IRC 2003 can be purchaced by mail order, from listed retailers and will also be available at rallies. The calendar will be at events starting with the NEMC Single Stage on the 3rd of November and the following weekends Galway International.
RETAIL OUTLETS :
MOTORWAY Blanchardstown Retail Park and Shopping centre Dublin.
PITLANE Parnell Place, Cork
TOP GEAR, DROGHEDA Peter St, Drogheda, Co Louth
TOP GEAR, MULLINGAR Mullingar, Co Westmeath
KELLEHER SIGNS ENNIS Ennis, Co Clare
ARDEE AUTO FACTORS Ardee, Co Louth
BLACKLION STORES Chapel St, Charlville , Co Cork
RL MOTOR FACTORS Navan, Co Meath

Eugene Takes National and Killarney win

Final Round - 2002 KBB Doors National Forestry Championship
Eugene Donnelly from Derry with Killarney co-driver Paul Nagle won the first Killarney Forestry Stages Rally on Sunday. Donnelly only needed to finish in the top 7 to clinch the National Forestry Championship but did it style by winning the event by 16 seconds from the Cork crew of Dermot Kelly & John Brennan in an Escort WRC. Third were John McCarthy & Francis Regan in another Escort WRC.
Rain poured down on Sunday morning as the crews left the Riverisland Hotel in Castleisland. The talk from the 80 crews was of the expected slippery stages. It was John McCarthy & Francis Regan who took the lead on the opening stage with a time of 6 mins & 28 seconds over the slippery conditions, four seconds up on the No 1 & 2 seeds, Dermot Kelly and Niall Driver. Eugene Donnelly could only manage 6th fastest time, but was well in the hunt for that national title, beaten by top 2WD through the stage Paul Staunton, and the Escort Cosworth of John Donnelly/Greg McCarthy. First retirement of the rally was Eddie Kinirons and Greg Shinnors in the ex-works Toyota Celica GT-Four. While there was no damage the crew could not get car back on the road after sliding off at a double cautioned right-hander over a bridge, Many of the top crews admitted to having a huge moment at the same location.
Donnelly & Nagle seemed to wake up on the next 2 stages. The were fastest by 3 seconds on SS2 and took 10 seconds out of Dermot Kelly on the long stage 3 to lead by 3 seconds into service at Abbeyfeale. Another 3 seconds behind Kelly was John McCarthy, and all were planning to attack again over the second loop of stages. Kelly & Brennan certainly made there intentions clear, taking 4 seconds out of Donnelly on the next stage to move into a one second lead, the 3rd leader of the rally in 4 stages. Donnelly decided to go for it on the final 2 stages, taking 7 and 10 seconds off Kelly to win by 16 seconds. McCarthy & Regan couldn't match the pace set by the 2 in front and has to settle for third, a great result for the Fermoy driver who had O'Regan co-driving with him for the first time. John Donnelly and Greg McCarthy who had been 6th at the first service, slid into a dyke on the final stage and lost 20 minutes trying to get out. Top 2 wheel drive and winner of Class 4 was that blue Escort Mk II driven by Paul Staunton, they were always a few seconds faster than John Reid on the stages but nearly threw it away on the last stage with a 360 degree spin.
Lloyd and Lester Hutchinson in a Mini had a brilliant run to 17th overall and won class 1 by over 4 minutes. Matt Shinnors & Adrian Deasy set the early pace in class 2 but seemed to relax on the second loop to let Billy O'Connell/Derek Power in a Corolla to take the class. Brian Lawlor finished 8 overall and first in class 3.
The best local crew and the winner of the James O'Rourke Memorial Cup was John Hickey with Tralee co-driver Nicholas Burke in the newly built Subaru Legacy. The Killarney driver only had a second over Jimmy Devane at first service, but Hickey did arrive into service using a Shoelace to operate the clutch! This was fixed in service and when Devane last a minute with suspension problems, the Cup was his. KDMC Chairman Anthony Kelleher with Paul O'Shea on notes finished 28th overall, despite having to do the last 2 stages with no Clutch on the Sunbeam. David Leslie, driving on first rally finished 38th. Co-driven by Mellissa Hennessey, they lost time when they ran out of the road on the 3rd stage, but lucky the damage was only light! Brothers Alan & Tony Dineen in the 1300 Nova finished 5th in class 1. Paul Ahern and Alan Nagle has been up to 4th in the class heading into last stage but slid off on a tightening right hander, no damage but couldn't get the car back on to the road.
Clerk of the Course David Slattery and his crew were delighted with the rally, and thanked all the people who came out in the pouring rain to marshal on the stages. Already many of the competitors are talking about next years rally which is expected to take place in August 2003.
Top Ten Results:
1 Eugene Donnelly/Paul Nagle (Toyota Celica GT4) 0.48.36
2 Dermot Kelly/John Brennan (Escort WRC) 0.48.52
3 John McCarthy/Francis Regan (Escort WRC) 0.49.23
4 Niall Driver/Francis Corrigan (Mitsubishi Evo) 0.50.46
5 Paul Staunton/Bruce Burgess (Ford Escort ) 0.50.55
6 James Murphy/Con Mulcahy (Escort Cosworth) 0.51.26
7 John Reid/Brendan Greene (Ford Escort 2.2) 0.52.34
8 Brian Lawlor/Peter Kavanagh (Ford Escort MK2) 0.54.09
9 Jason Roche/Tom Snell (Ford Escort MK2) 0.54.33
10 Michael O Sullivan/Ger Fahy (Ford Escort MK2) 0.55.25

Subaru takes Alpine Rally

555 Subaru World Rally Team driver Toshi Arai and co-driver Tony Sircombe have won the two-day 20th V-RALLY International Japanese Alpine Rally, which finished today in the resort of Karuizawa. Storming through to clinch all twelve stage wins, the dynamic duo put in an exceptional performance in their Impreza WRC 2002 to take their second consecutive victory at this event and finish 4 minutes 54.7 seconds ahead of second-placed Subaru driver Possum Bourne.
Today's action started at 0500hrs when the remaining 30 competitors travelled north of the host town of Karuizawa to contest the final 12 stages and a further 65.64 competitive which were based around a central service park at Kita Karuizawa. Weather conditions were miserable from the outset and continuous rain made driving conditions on the twisty mountain roads treacherous.
Subaru driver, Toshi Arai once again took control and put in a faultless performance to charge through the day's stages and claim his second consecutive overall victory. Driving in his Impreza WRC2002, which had been set-up to cope with the day's hazardous conditions, his win was supported by seven-time Australian Rally Champion Possum Bourne, who drove superbly in a Group A Subaru Impreza to finish second and complete an impressive Subaru top one, two. Despite limited experience of competing in a pure asphalt rally event, Bourne set consistently good times throughout the day and finished a full 3 minutes 48.4 seconds ahead of Fumio Nutahara, who came home third to take the final podium position. The next three positions with all taken by Japanese drivers with Yujiro Nishio, fourth; Norihko Katsuta, who had been in overnight seventh, fifth; and Hiroshi Yanagisawa sixth.
Following Taguchi's retirement yesterday, today's leg claimed the crew of Douglas Gore and co-driver Mark Nelson who had been running fourth overall. The Jamaican Rally Champion left the road on stage 18, dropped into a ravine and was forced into retirement.
The 20th V-RALLY International Japanese Alpine Rally, which ran to the Super Rally Format, has been praised for its high level of organisation. Already a candidate event for next year's FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, the 555 Subaru World Rally Team Sporting Director, George Donaldson, has also suggested that it is worthy of observation for a future round of the World Rally Championship.

Title Race goes right to the wire

The final round of the 2002 Peugeot 206 Super Cup takes place on the 26th and 27th of October and in traditional cup fashion the championship fight will go right down to the wire. The battle is between Letterkenny's Shaun Gallagher and Fermanagh's Gary Jennings.

Fresh from his victory on Le Touquet Rally Shaun hopes to emulate his French performance where he led the event from start to finish beating many of the French 206's in the process. Before this win he clocked up three second place finishes making him undoubtedly the most consistent driver in the 206 Cup.

For the last round the series switches back to gravel, making car setup on the event critical. Shaun, who finished second on the last gravel event, is very happy with the switch. He said "I am looking forward to moving back onto the loose surface I had a good result on the Quinton Rally and hopefully I will go one better and win this one!"

A win on this final round is crucial for the Billy Coleman Award hopeful but a win is simply not enough. Title challenger Gary Jennings must finish outside to top five if Shaun is to take the title and win the coveted prize. This year's prize is a works drive with Peugeot Sport for the 2003 British Rally Championship.

The South of England Tempest Rally is a 66 mile event run over two days in Aldershot near London.
Claire Walsh

Citroen to enter Rally GB

In order to continue its learning curve in the World Rally Championship, Citroen has officially entered 2 Xsara WRC in Network Q Rally in the United Kingdom which is the last round of the calendar 2002.
Very particular climatic conditions (rain, fog, mud.) make this race difficult from any point of view. Guy Fréquelin wished to take part in this very specific test in order to allow his team to aquire more experience for his engagement in a complete program in 2003.
The Xsaras will be entrusted to Thomas Rädström / Denis Giraudet and to Sebastien Loeb / Daniel Elena. Total, Michelin, as well as Magneti-Marelli, OZ wheels and Citroen Finance are the partners of Citroen World Rally Championship

West International Latest

2002 Toshiba Computers Irish Tarmac Rally Championship
2002 Ford Ireland Focus Rally Championship
2002 Irish Tarmac Historic Rally Championship
A National Permit event takes place in parallel with the main event
Event Details:
The event is being organised in association with the Quality Hotel Group with the event utilising both the Quality Hotel in Clarenbridge (Headquarters) and the Quality Hotel in Oranmore.
Regulations will be available from 23rd September 2002 and entries will close on Friday 18th October 2002. Regulations will be posted to those registered for the above Championships. Regulations may be applied for by Post or Fax ONLY to Entries Secretary, Ms. Eleanor O'Boyle, Dunkellin Lodge, Weir Road, Kilcolgan, Co Galway. Fax Number 00 353 (0) 91 758053. The Entry Fee is €495.
Event Scrutiny will take place between 2.00pm and 8.00pm on Friday 8th November 2002.
The rally start is 8.00 am on Saturday 8th November. The rally format is eight stages based around a centralised off-road service area in north County Galway followed by four stages in darkness before a 7.30pm finish. In total five separate stages are being used in a rolling loop format giving a total stage mileage of 110 approximately over the twelve stages. Prizegiving will take place on Sunday morning at the rally headquarters.
The event is organised by County Galway Motor Club Limited under permit granted by Motorsport Ireland on behalf of the F.I.A (Federation Internationale de L'Automobile).
The organisers have agreed terms to provide 45 minutes of TV coverage of the event on UTV and certain satellite channels.
Clerk of the Course, Dennis Murphy, expressed his delight at the return of International Rallying to the County Galway after a three and a half year absence. International rallies have been taking place in the county since 1971 and this event, although very different in format, is very important for Galway Motor Club and for West of Ireland motorsport enthusiasts. The November date has brought with it new challenges for the organising team, particularly as the club organises it's annual Summer Stages Rally a mere two months earlier. The club is particularly pleased to have access to a new off road facility that will contain the Service Area for the event in addition to Rally Offices etc. The reduction in daylight hours at that time of year adds an additional dimension to a tough day's rallying, as the final four Stages will take place in darkness

Thanks to Brian Thornton

Cooney Engineering Tipperary Single Stage

Top Ten Finishers:

1 4 Liam Wall Tommy Kelly 13 Ford Escort 0.31.13
2 145 Seamus Murphy Graham Kelly 11 Ford Escort 0.31.26
3 8 Enda O Brien John Butler 11 Ford Escort 0.31.33
4 12 Andrew Purcell John Purcell 11 Honda Civic 0.31.39
5 5 Eamon Murphy Noel Coady 12 Ford Escort 0.31.42
6 6 Tomas O Rourke John O Rourke 3 Opel Astra 0.32.00
7 2 John Nolan Chris Finnegan 13 Ford Escort 0.32.02
8 11 John Carroll Jakes Kelly 3 Ford Puma 0.32.02
9 7 Ollie O Reilly Arthur Kierans 12 Ford Escort 0.32.05
10 26 Gordon Percy Greg McCarthy 12 Ford Escort 0.32.07

Inishowen Gateway Hotel Harvest Stages

Inishowen's largest sporting event 'Ready for action!' Plans in the Donegal Motor Club are at the final stage of preparation, in readiness for Sunday 20th October, the Harvest Stages Rally based in Buncrana.
Billed as the biggest sporting event in Inishowen and one of the larger events in the county, this motorsport experience will attract visiting competitors and spectators alike on a level not seen at this time of the year. This comes as a welcome boost at the end of the summer tourist season which has been somewhat more difficult than in recent years.
The aptly named 'Harvest' event will now be run over a total of 6 stages, all in the Inishowen peninsula, from its headquarters in the Inishowen Gateway Hotel.
With a total of 210 entries, the organisers of the event, led by Clerk of the Course, Leonard Wilson, have had to limit the starting line-up to 150 cars.
Commenting on the event he said, "We are delighted to be able to bring the event to Buncrana and the Inishowen area. I would especially thank the residents and farmers of the area, since the disappointment of the 2001 Inishowen Gateway Harvest Rally having to be cancelled in order to play our part in the prevention of Foot and Mouth. For 2002 I am pleased to be able to bring this event to Buncrana as promised, and for our main sponsor, the Inishowen Gateway, they have pulled out all the stops to accommodate us again, especially after the change forced upon us in the light of the Irish referendum vote planned for Saturday."
He added, "The event has been oversubscribed as expected, showing the popularity of the event. It is encouraging to see this great turnout, but it adds to our problems when it comes to picking entrants, unfortunately there are a large number who do not get a start.

The top 10 entries for the event, contains some of the best drivers in the country, and include:
1 Paul Harris/Eugene O'Donnell Subaru Impreza Sti
2 Niall Maguire/Paul McLaughlin Subaru Impreza WRC
3 Daniel Doherty/Michael Doherty Subaru Impreza WRC
4 David Armstrong/Herbie Blackburn Escort RS Cosworth
5 James Gillen/Victor Carrothers Escort RS Cosworth
6 Ivan Stewart/Timothy Duggan Escort RS Cosworth
7 Philip Shaw/Danny O'Neill Ford Escort 2.0
8 Andrew Stewart/Fabian McShane Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6
9 Norman Armstrong/Geoffery Orr Ford Escort 2.0
10 Seamus Donnelly/Paul Garry Ford Escort 2.0
11 Cathal Rogers/Paul McLaughlin Ford Escort 2.0
12 Trevor Lancashire/Noel Hall Ford Escort 2.0
14 Stephen Harris/Damian Crawford Mitsubishi Lancer
15 John Cairns/James Cairns Subaru Impreza WRX
16 Paul Gallagher/Karl Reid Toyota Corolla 1.6 16V
17 Sean McArdle/Gerard McMonagle Toyota Celica GT-Four
18 David McNulty/Sean Walsh Escort RS Cosworth
19 Robbie Peoples/Keith Stewart Ford Escort 1.6 16V
20 Terence McLaughlin/Sean McLaughlin Escort RS Cosworth
21 Damien Gallagher/Mac Walsh Ford Escort 2.0

Competitors and spectators are eagerly awaiting the demanding stages found in the Buncrana area, some of which have not been used for over 20 years. The organising committee have been busy with detail plans to ensure a safe and enjoyable days sport for all who turn out to watch this popular sport.
Mr. Wilson further added, "We have changed our proposed start time to accommodate the local church services. The start has been arranged for the event to start after mid-day, to avoid any disruption for the residents of Buncrana and district."
He made an appeal to spectators, " I would ask all spectators to listen carefully to the marshals on duty during the event. They are anxious to ensure the safety of all who expect to watch the stages. In MotorSport, safety is paramount, and this is a number one priority for us in the Donegal Motor Club. Please co-operate and have a safe day's Sport."
Press Officer for the event, Declan Mc Cay, commenting on the importance of the event for crews, said that, "the big interest in the event for a lot of the crews, would concern points in the all-important Border Championship and Donegal Motor Club Championship. There are drivers and navigators who will be battling it out for points in the Border Championship, and Donegal again is a pivotal round to the series. With so many drivers close on points, it will be a battle on the day to see who will get a finish, but score a good result to get all –important points."
Finally, the Chairman of the Donegal Motor Club, Mr Damian Crawford, appealed for co-operation this week-end, and a to make it a safe event. "……I would ask all participants and visitors to Inishowen, to bear this in mind in the coming week-end and help us run an enjoyable and safe rally."

Kerry Single Stage Rally

Kerry Motor Club have announced details of their forthcoming Single Stage Rally which will take place on Sunday November 17th. The rally will once again be sponsored by Yokohama Tyres and will be headqurterted in the Banna Beach Hotel . The event is the final round of the Top Part West Coast Rally Championship currently being lead by Galwayman Stephen Bird .
Regulations will be available early next week and they can be obtained by sending a Stamp Self Addressed Envolope to Siobhan Lynch . 50 Killeen Heights Tralee Co Kerry . The will also be available to download from irish-rallying.com over the next few days. Potential entrants are reminded that these are the only ways of getting regs for the event and that the club will NOT be automatically posting regs out to previous entrants.

Tipperary Restricted Single Stage

Cooney Engineering/Esso Cahir (Tipperary) Restricted Single Stage - 13 Oct 02 Promoted by Tipperary Motor Club.
The Rally HQ will be Cahir House Hotel.
Mechanical scrutiny will take place at Cahir Motor Company, Dublin Road on Sat 12th of Oct between 16:00 and 21:00 (No Scrutiny Sunday morning). Documentation Scrutiny will be at Rally HQ.
First Car away Sunday morning 10:00 First Car Finishes 17:30 (Approx).

Top Ten
1 David Percy/Bob Kelly Escort Kit Car
2 John Nolan/Chris Finnegan Escort 2.0
3 Shay Power /Martin Croke Escort 2.0
4 Liam Wall /Tommy Kelly Escort 2.0
5 Eamon Murphy /Noel Coady Escort 2.0
6 Tomas O Rourke/John O Rourke Opel Astra GSi
7 Ollie O Reilly /Gavin Reilly Escort 2.0
8 Enda O Brien /John Butler Escort 1.6 16V
9 James O Sullivan /Bill Fitzgerald Escort 1.6
10 Trevor Harding /Charlie Boland TBA

Donal O Donovan Donal O'Donovan and Pat Lordan in the An Post SDS Toyota Celica were the top local crew in last weekend's Murphy Construction 2002 Cork '20' International Rally, coming home in fourth place despite having to contend with a dramatic fire late in the event. The Subaru crew of Andrew Nesbitt and James O'Brien claimed victory on the Cork '20', thus securing the 2002 Toshiba Computers Irish Tarmac Rally Championship title.
Mirroring his domination of Irish rallying throughout the year, Nesbitt took outright fastest time on all but one stage in the event. Only an overshoot on the second run through Killeagh on Sunday afternoon prevented a clean sweep, Nesbitt forced to share the spoils on that occasion with Eamonn Boland. The latter had taken over second place on Saturday, (following the retirement of Austin McHale due to an electrical problem) and maintained the position throughout Day Two. Peadar Hurson recorded his first finish of the year, taking third place, ahead of O'Donovan and Lordan.
The Corkmen had been hampered by fumes entering the cockpit of the Celica throughout the event, but the problem became much more serious on stage twelve. "About two miles from the end of the stage, the car filled with smoke," said Donal. "We kept going to the finish, and it was only when we arrived at the end that we realised that the floor was actually on fire. The heat from the exhaust had set it off, and there were flames between the seats and the fuel tank. The marshals at that point had an extinguisher, and we used it to put out the fire. I very much want to thank them for their assistance. We were very lucky that the car wasn't burned out."
Pat was equally relieved to finish the rally at all in the circumstances. "The smoke inside in the car was unbelievable, there was water streaming out of our eyes. We were fortunate that the fire didn't start earlier in the stage. We would probably have contained it with the on-board extinguisher, but we might have had to pull out of the rally."
Remarkably, their time on that second run through the Inch stage was faster than the first, despite the fire. "We were on for a very good time only for it," said Donal. Despite incurring road penalties while attending to the damage caused by the fire, the crew did not lose position on the overall leaderboard, remaining in fourth place ahead of Maurice Gass.
The final round of the 2002 Tarmac Championship will be the West International on Saturday, November 8th.

Murphy takes Focus win in Cork

CORK, 6th October 2002:Colm Murphy from Ahtea, Co. Limerick secured his second consecutive victory of the highly competitive 2002 Ford Ireland Focus Rally Championship, winning the penultimate round of the series, the Murphy Construction Cork "20" International Rally.
The 2002 Ford Ireland Focus Rally Championship has developed into one of the most exciting Motorsport classes ever seen on Irish shores. The two day International Rally comprising of 140 tough competitive miles, was marked by a series of punctures, accidents and mechanical problems that conspired to keep changing the leaderboard throughout the two action packed days.
Brendan Kelly in the Griffith Motor Group Ford Focus proved his earlier pace setting the fastest Focus stage time on the opening stage. Oliver Stanley in the Perry Motors Ford Focus suffering from the flu admitted "he was off the boil" however set the third fastest stage time on the opening stage. However it was Colm Murphy in the Kingdom Fastfit/Guerin Crash Repairs Ford Focus that threw down the gauntlet to Kelly, setting second fastest stage time on the opening stage, Colm progressed to set fastest Focus stage time on second, third and fourth stages to take an early six second lead. Kelly fought back magnificently to set fastest Focus time on stages five, six and seven to reduce Murphy's lead to four seconds. However on the eight and final stage of day one, disaster struck as both Murphy and Stanley punctured and both had to stop to change their respective wheels loosing approximately four minutes each.
Day two dawned with Kelly in a commanding lead of nearly two minutes over second placed Cathal O'Reilly with Colm Murphy in third despite the time loss due to the earlier puncture. Murphy decided to attack and put pressure on the leaders setting a blistering time on the opening stage of the day. Kelly suffered a differential failure dropping him out of contention and handing the lead to Cathal O'Reilly with Murphy now moving up to second overall. Murphy continued but a huge spin on the second stage cost him vital seconds and a narrow escape without any damage. The third stage of the day was cancelled due to huge crowds of spectators and all the crews headed into service, the final of the day. On the fourth stage O'Reilly clipped a bank breaking a driveshaft and handed the lead to the hard charging Murphy. John Foley in the ASA Marketing Ford Focus had driven brilliantly all weekend not taking any risks had moved into third position overall, only two seconds in arrears to second placed Ken Lyons. Foley threw caution to the wind to set the fastest Focus stage time on the last two stages to move into second position overall. Murphy coasted through the last two stages to record his second victory of the season and move into the lead of the 2002 Ford Ireland Focus Rally Championship with only one round remaining.
"It was an unbelievable event, all the changes, the puncture, it was definitely one of the hardest events I have ever competed on. However my Ford Focus is absolutely brilliant the handling is superb, the car is so predictable especially over the jumps, fantastic. It is just brilliant to win, I now just want to go to Galway and secure the 2002 Ford Focus Rally Championship title" said a jubilant Colm at the finish.
"It was an amazing event for all the competitors, all the changes made it very exciting to watch. It was a pity that Colm punctured on Saturday as he was guaranteed a top twenty finish. However the Ford Focus really dominated Class seven on this event beating much more powerful cars," said Tom Collins, Championship Director.
"The 2002 Ford Ireland Focus Rally Championship is still anyone's race, as the top five crews all have a chance of winning the championship outright. We are all looking forward to the final round on Galway when the eventual victor will be announced" aid Declan Foley, Focus Brand Manager.
The final round of the highly competitive 2002 Ford Ireland Focus Rally Championship sees all the crews' head to Galway for the West 2002 Rally based in Clarinbridge on the 9th of November.

McRae and Grist to split

Brentwood, England - Ford Rallye Sport driver Colin McRae and co- driver Nicky Grist have decided to part with immediate effect. Former co-driver Derek Ringer, with whom 34-year-old McRae won the 1995 world championship, will partner the Scot for the final two rounds of this season's FIA World Rally Championship in Australia and Great Britain.
"This is a joint decision by myself and Nicky," said McRae. "Our in- car relationship has been strained for the past 12 months or so and after long discussions we've decided that a change is the best way forward for both of us. Neither of us wish to go into specific details but this is an amicable parting and myself and Nicky have today informed Ford Rallye Sport of our decision."
"Since we joined forces in 1997, we've won 17 world rallies with two different teams and enjoyed some great moments. I wish Nicky well for the future and thank him for his support over the past six seasons.
"I would like to finish the year, and my career with Ford, in a positive fashion and that means going all out for victory in Australia and Britain. My thoughts are now focused on those two rallies and I'm looking forward to Derek helping myself and Ford to a successful end of the season," added McRae.
Grist said: "Having made the decision to split, we have decided it is better to make it immediate and have Derek alongside Colin for the final two rounds of this year's championship in preparation for next season in a new team. I have not yet thought about my future and I'll take time to assess my options. Co-driving is still a strong possibility and I would like to stress that this decision does not signify my retirement from the sport."
Ringer, also a Scot, has been released from his contract with Mitsubishi. He joined McRae in his junior days in the sport and the pair rose to the top, winning the 1995 world title on the final round in Britain. Their partnership ended after the 1996 season.

Gallagher holds off Jennings

Eleven British 206 crews made their way across the Channel for round 7 of the 2002 Peugeot 206 Super Cup - The Rallye le Touquet to contend the second to last round of the season. It was thought that this may be the deciding round of the championship between Irish contenders Shaun Gallagher and Garry Jennings. However after a battle for first, Gallagher finished the rally ahead of strong contender Jennings. Jennings now only has to finish inside the top 5 on the last round of the season to take the 2002 206 Super Cup title.
Leg One began on Friday evening with two stages to the north of Etaples, and leading contender Shaun Gallagher immediately set out to show the way round in the dark, whilst his main rival Garry Jennings had lost his brakes on the run out to the first stage and eventually traced the problem to the master cylinder.
George Philippedes had a challenging start as his power steering belt had snapped, giving him "a good workout with the steering wheel". This also eventually caused his lights to fail and fellow competitor Trevor Martin sportingly followed him back into service to act as rear marker. Philippedes just made it into service without running out of petrol, with Martin himself struggling with his new gearbox.
After almost 20 kilometres of stages, Shaun Gallagher was leading by 16 seconds from Chris Moore, and lying 16th overall, causing something of a stir amongst the French pressmen as this was six seconds faster than the leading French 206 Championship contender.

End of Leg 1:
Shaun Gallagher/Richard Pashley 10:54.8
Chris Moore/Mark Andrews 11:12.5
Marko Ramanen/Ian Bevan 11:12.7
Garry Jennings/Paul Nagle 11:14.1
David Wright/Mike Panes 11:14.8
Richard Sykes/Craig Parry 11:35.1
George Philippedes/Barry Young 11:51.8
Patrick Richard/Alyson Marlow 11:53.2
Trevor Martin/Ray Cleghorn 11:55.7
Gareth MacHale/Joe Downey 12:00.3

Leg 2 (Saturday 5th) began in earnest on Stage 3 shortly after noon, Marko Ramanen being the first casualty of the day after an off caused the clutch to jam losing drive. David Wright had an accident after the flying finish, bending the radiator and track control arm which were replaced at Service in the busy and picturesque town of Desvres after Stage 4, although he lost 50 seconds on that stage.
Mike Bird also retired before service when his engine failed. Patrick Richard had a lucky escape when his cold tyres locked up at the end of a long straight and resulting in a high speed head-on crash with a straw bale bending the bonnet and losing all water from the radiator. However, he managed to keep up an air flow to cool the engine on the fast road section back to service. Trevor Martin also fell foul of the same flying finish on Stage 3.
At service, Gallagher held a 21 second lead over Moore, with Jennings a further 4 seconds behind having collected a 10 second road penalty from the previous night.
Stage 5 at 30kms is one of the longest on the rally, and Jennings set a storming pace of 17.47 seconds, an average of just over 101 kms per hour through the lanes and villages of Picardy. Patrick Richard found himself deeper into rural France than he had anticipated when he got stuck in a bush and following the marshal's instructions attempted to drive on through, only to find himself in a front garden. After subsequently losing a wheel and finishing the stage on the hub, the stricken car was fitted with new struts and brakes at service.
Trevor Martin's rally ended on this stage when his engine overheated. Meanwhile, Gallagher had lost his domination of the French 206 Championship leaders when he lost time with three overshoots in the stage, dropping him to 25th place overall but still leading the UK Peugeot 206 Super Cup from Jennings who had narrowed the gap to just 8 seconds.
A further service and regroup followed, with all three stages then repeated. Gallagher was much happier with his car after the suspension was changed in service and was only one tenth of a second slower than Jennings, who was taking things steady. Moore was definitely not taking things steady and as a result fell foul of the same bend that claimed Marko Ramanen. Spectators were on hand to help him regain the road, but he had lost his comfortable lead over Wright.

End of Leg 2:
Shaun Gallagher/Richard Pashley 1:10:18.9
Garry Jennings/Paul Nagle 1:10:35.2
David Wright/Mike Panes 1:12:02.4
Chris Moore/Mark Andrews 1:12:08.6
Richard Sykes/Craig Parry 1:12:59.7
George Philippedes/Barry Young 1:13:38.5
Gareth MacHale/Joe Downey 1:14:06.6
Patrick Richard/Alyson Marlow 1:22:05.2

Leg 3 (Sunday 6th) presented the Cup contenders with fresh challenges when it began to rain after the crews had left service after Parc Ferme. Gallagher swapped his rear intermediate tyres to the front, but having only one spare intermediate, started the stage with one slick on the rear, provoking a "huge spin which took ages". He was further hampered by catching non-rally traffic which had strayed onto the stage. Jennings had chosen to compete on intermediates all round, but was also held up by the traffic.
Moore had opted for slicks and paid the price, aquaplaning down the road into a chicane, hitting a bank on the exit, pushing the front wheel back into the arch and bending the track control arm. A battle had began between Richard Sykes and Gareth MacHale after Sykes dropped time whilst lost on the notes. An overshoot nearly cost him dearly when a French competitor narrowly avoided him at the same junction. MacHale held the advantage with a storming run in the wet to take 5th by less than 10 seconds.
Pacenotes were a problem for Pat Richard, even though he became Canadian Rally Champion last weekend, he set off from the stage start and immediately realised that they had recce'd the wrong roads! They were also on slick tyres, and Richard's first event on tarmac was proving to be a steep learning curve.
After a short service, the roads were drying out for Stages 10 and 11 but were still extremely slippery with mud after farm activity subsequent to the recce. Richard, undeterred by his earlier performance set fastest time on Stage 11, beating Gallagher by 3 seconds and setting 14th fastest time overall.
The morning's three stages were repeated after service and regroup and on the Desvres stage, Moore appropriately hit a fire hydrant which prevented him from going straight on into a garden. However, on the last two stages of the day, he too showed that he was still a force to be reckoned with and set the fastest 206 Cup times, 14th Overall. Gallagher and Jennings both professed to be taking things steady, holding station to the finish, but this did not prevent Jennings from a spin on the penultimate stage, damaging the front of the car and smashing the rear screen. Richard had gained too much confidence from his earlier fastest time and rolled the car on Stage 13 although he was able to limp through to the finish and claim 8th place.

Final Results:
Shaun Gallagher/Richard Pashley 2:26:31.1
Garry Jennings/Paul Nagle 2:27:23.6
David Wright/Mike Panes 2:29:43.6
Chris Moore/Mark Andrews 2:30:28.5
Gareth MacHale/Joe Downey 2:33:08.5
Richard Sykes/Craig Parry 2:33:18.3
George Philippedes/Barry Young 2:34:21.1
Patrick Richard/Alyson Marlow 2:50:46.9

Championship points after Le Touquet:
Driver: Garry Jennings Points: 148
Shaun Gallagher 146*
Marko Ramanen 108.5
Chris Moore 92.5
Gareth MacHale 87.5
Mike Faulkner 86
Daniel Dunbabin 77
Richard Sykes 60
David Wright 56
Patrick Richard 51

*With one dropped score

Dessie Keenan for Billy Coleman award

Let me introduce to you Dessie Keenan, one of Irelands most exciting and dynamic young drivers. Dessie (age 25) from Monaghan, will contest the much sought after Billy Coleman Award this year in November, which is geared towards young Irish drivers. A popular driver amongst rally enthusiasts, he has shown that he can get first class results in either a rear-wheel-drive or his recently acquired front-wheel-drive ex-Super Cup Peugeot 106, on both gravel and tarmac surface events. It is this flexibility and ability that allows him to switch between a powerful 2.4Lt rear-wheel-drive MarkII Escort and a front-wheel-drive 1600cc Peugeot 106 and still take class wins and excellent overall positions that makes Dessie such an inspirational driver.
2002 saw Dessie part take, for the first time, in the Toshiba National Tarmac Championship, and what a year it's been so far! Out of three of the five rounds already run this year he has had some fantastic results. He took class wins in both the Killarney International Rally of the Lakes and the Isle of Man Manx International Rally. He finished a creditable 3rd in his class on the Stena-Line Ulster Rally and 18th overall, setting some of the fastest stage times amongst his fellow class competitors who mostly consisted of Peugeot Super 206 competitors. This year also saw Dessie receive the 'Joe Mc Gurk' Perpetual Trophy at the Castle Hellfire Rally in September. The trophy was a special memorial prize for the winner of Class 14. Dessie while winning this competitive class also managed to finish a credible 7th overall in the Mark II Ford Escort
. Despite taking his sport incredibly seriously, he also receives enormous enjoyment out of it. Dessie was among the many competitors who supported the IRCA organised "Marshals Payback Day' on August 18th, which enabled marshals to be chauffeured around the track by competitors in their rally cars. It was an enjoyable day for Dessie who like many other rally competitors, relishes the chance to give something back to those indispensable organisers and marshals who make rallying possible.
Dessie realises that being a candidate for the Billy Coleman Award in itself is an achievement. To win accreditation of the Billy Coleman Award would be a sensational boost for Dessie and would help him enhance his driving skills and seek development as a more professional driver ready to compete at the highest level of the sport.

Sean Moriarty

Le Touquet Rally - Rd 7 Peugeot 206 Cup

With six competitors still in with a chance of winning the 2002 Peugeot 206 Super Cup, the French holiday resort of Le Touquet Paris-Plage will host the seventh round of the fastest UK one make rally series this weekend.
The event is also a qualifying round of the French 206 Championship and although it will be tempting to do battle with the asphalt experts from mainland Europe, the UK series competitors will be concentrating on their own fierce fight for a place in the 206 Super 1600 works car in 2003.
Six competitors could still win the Championship with two rounds to go. Although former series leader Mike Faulkner and the Dunbabin twins have decided that enough is enough, three of the four remaining competitors can keep their hopes alive by scoring maximum points. Whilst Shaun Gallagher leads the series by nine points from Garry Jennings, dropped scores mean that Jennings has the advantage. Along with Gallagher, Marko Ramanen and Chris Moore, 3rd and 6th respectively in the Championship, will be going flat out in their efforts to gain the top spot.
The Irish contingent is swelled by 7th placed Gareth MacHale from Dublin and Mike Bird who currently leads the Rookie's category by an impressive margin.
Leader for a short time in Ulster, David Wright has two sixth places from his first two outings this year. With plenty of previous 1600 experience the Lancastrian is one to watch, promising some stunning stage times.
The Championship top ten is rounded off by Midlander Richard Sykes. He started the season well with a fifth, preferring the asphalt and should go well on the fourteen technically difficult stages.
Newly crowned Canadian National Rally Champion Patrick Richard, however, has plenty of gravel experience and led both Scottish and Quinton rallies, but lacks experience on the black stuff. He goes to Le Touquet having missed Ulster so does not expect to be on the pace but winning his championship in Canada last weekend should give him confidence.
The truly International 206 Super Cup has George Philippedes from Greece tenth on the road for the start of the rally, trying to break a run of bad luck. Having retired from decent positions too often this season, George has a new co-driver for the event and hopes a solid run will net him valuable points.
Rounding off the smaller than normal 206 Super Cup entry are regular contender Trevor Martin and the ever cheerful Matt Jessup. Matt's entry was in doubt until the last minute, as the car remained unprepared after rolling heavily whilst competing on an event to upgrade his licence for Ulster.

Kris Meeke - British Junior Champion

Kris Meeke, in only his 2nd season of rallying, has become the British Junior Rally Champion, after the final round of the BRC in Yorkshire at the weekend. The young Ulsterman finished 3rd in S1600 and 7th overall on the Trackrod Rally to secure both the British Junior Championship and 3rd in the S1600 British Rally Championship behind Justin Dale and Gwyndaf Evans.
"I am delighted with the result. We suffered a few setbacks during the year, but this result has more than compensated for all that.." said Kris.
"As for the rally, in hindsight, we probably choose too short a gear ratio for the event, losing on top speed on the faster stages. Sunday's stages suited us better, and we were able to set fastest stage times. Gwyndaf has been our bench mark over the course of the year, and it was satisfying to be able to set competitive times with him on the final round."
The remainder of the season has yet to be decided upon, but an outing on Rally GB is a possibility.