Ballina Report
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Downhill Hotel Mayo Stages Rally2000

Handy Andy

            The Mayo and District Motor Club heralded the dawn of a new era in Irish Rallying.  They would be the first club to run the new format four by two stages with 150 entries.  They would also kick off the new look Dunlop National Championship and be the first round of the Border Championship.  None of this though distracted from the excellent entry.  Andrew Nesbitt had his stunning Cuisine de France Impreza WRC out for some testing after an extensive winter rebuild.  He however would not overshadow the rest of the entry as Paul Harris, Pete Doughty, Ray Breen, George Cullen and James Harrison.  Indeed the leading rear wheel drive car was Glenn Allen at twenty although Denis Cronin ran ahead of him on first attempt at the National series.  New cars were out in the hands of Dominic Loughran, Joe McGurk and Tim McNulty.

            The first stage provided a surprise with Harris in the Natural Foods Impreza hitting the front, a healthy seven seconds up on Nesbitt.  Doughty who was now running a sequential gearbox was a wee bit back and had the Tom Hogan Impreza of George Cullen behind him keeping up his Donegal form.  Rory O’Connor and Spewer Kenny were next up after a very impressive time to equal James Gillen while Ray Breen was bedding himself into his ex-Bruno Thiry Impreza and seemed much more at home than in the Escort.  Dominic Loughran in the ex-Donal O’Donovan Mother Hubbards Saphire went out after stage two with a broken hub while F2 favourite James and Ann Foley retired with head gasket failure.  Nesbitt fought back on the second but it was still Harris leading into service.  Nesbitt was set to make changes to his suspension and his only problem so far was damage to the front bumper at a tight hairpin when the bumper tipped the road.  Doughty after completing the stage retired on the road section with gearbox problems.

            Leading out of service Harris was to suffer a puncture on the third stage while Nesbitt with improved suspension was flying and took thirteen seconds off him.  James Harrison, who had Mike Gibson on the notes due to the arrival of a baby in the Bell household, was settling into his now active Escort.  A couple of wee moments didn’t slow him too much and he was keeping Gillen at bay.  O’Connor’s Kodak Escort bust an oil pipe on the second stage costing twenty seconds and dropped him behind Breen.  Denis Cronin was steadily working his way up the leaderboard with his usual committed style.  Heading for the midpoint Nesbitt increased his lead by a further four seconds to lead by only thirteen seconds.  Cullen was now on the way out, his third place up for grabs as his clutch was going.  Nesbitt was now much happier with his stiffer suspension.  Harrison would profit from Cullen’s exit and was becoming more comfortable with the new transmission but could not rest as the flying Gillen was only four seconds adrift. O’Connor was now up to sixth but was being reeled in by Cronin who was pulling away from Glen Allen.  Joe McGurk rounded off the top ten in his ex Davy Greer Celica and was happy enough with his progress.  Tim McNulty in the ex McHale Pierce Celica was steadily improving, not taking and risks as he registered some mileage on a car that was slightly different to his GpN Civic.

            Group N was being led by the CNC/Fleet Inn Escort of the McHugh brothers who had upped their pace after a slow start.  Last seasons champion Michael Shaw admitted to driving like an old granny, while Seamus Gallagher was comfortably out front in F2 and after Derrick Jobb hit problems looked to have on competition.  The Civics of Stuart Darcy and Dermot McCauley would fight out the runners up spot.  Outside the top ten the was a great scrap going on between the class 11a boys.  With Allen leading the class, Mac McKenna, Maurice Moffett and Damien Gallagher would all end the day covered by only thirty seconds.  Mervyn Wedlock could not make up for a time loss on stage two and finish just off this group. 

            The run in over the last four stages would see little change.  The lead battle ended on the next stage when Harris punctured loosing two minutes.  Nesbitt was now well clear and able to cruise home to victory.  Harris’s puncture promoted Harrison to second for a couple of stages.  His private battle with Gillen saw the pair swap seconds over the last loop but it was the popular English visitor in the ED and F Mann back Escort that took third.  Gillen for his part showed what he was always capable of aside from mechanical problems or the odd indiscretion. Breen who was a bit back in fifth was happy for his first points in some time and had his old partner John Purcell back again.  Cronin was very happy with sixth and really looking forward to the season ahead.  Top club crew home was O’Connor and Kenny, the jinx finally broken and a small celebration was planned.  The McHugh’s increased the pace all day and took a comfortable GpN win from John Cairns Impreza with Noel McCarrick third after a poor close to the day. 

            Nesbitt was in very confident mood at the finish, he had successfully tuned the suspension to his liking although he wants to be out again before Killarney.  “The suspension is totally new to Ireland” and competition is the only way to sort it out.  The hero of the day though was most definitely Paul Harris.  “We had a hell of a go, didn’t work out”.  He was not too disappointed as he took maximum points and was never too far from Nesbitt even though he admitted that he would not have beaten him. 

            As for the new system, it seemed to work well.  The rally itself attracted huge crowds and the action was great.  The problem with the so-called “cowboys” also seems to be more under control this year with a new Garda plan and greater involvement from them.  All told it was a great start to the new Millennium.

RESULTS             

1 1 Andrew Nesbitt/James O'Brien                           Subaru Impreza WRC 8          1:02:44

2 3 Paul Harris/Eugene O'Donnell                             Subaru Impreza 8                     1:05:55

3 12 James Harrison/Michael Gibson                         Escort Cosworth 8                  1:06:25

4 17 James Gillen/Shane O'Neill                                Escort Cosworth 8                   1:06:43

5 4 Ray Breen/John Purcell                                          Subaru Impreza 8                     1:07:39

6 29 Denis Cronin/Helena Sullivan                            BMW M3 12                           1:08:14

7 16 Rory O'Connor/Francis Kenny                         Escort Cosworth 13                1:08:45

8 31 Joe MacHugh/Dermot MacHugh                     Escort Cosworth 4                  1:09:16

9 14 Joe McGurk/Arthur Kiearns                            Toyota Celica 8                       1:09:33

10 20 Glenn Allen/Adrian Johnson                            Escort 11A                             1:09:38