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INTERVIEW / KEVIN EVES INTERVIEW / CHARLIE EASTWOOD WINS CARRERA CUP / DANIEL HARPER WINS PORSCHE SCHOLARSHIP / BARN FIND – EX-CURLEY MARK ONE ESCORT / GERARD O’CONNELLS 700BHP ESCORT / MOTORBIKES / ALFA STELVIO / CHRIS SMILEY INTERVIEW / STIG BLOMQVIST IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT / AUTOTESTS / DRIFTING

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FOREWORD

FOREWORD

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KRIS MEEKE Welcome to the 2018 CarSport Yearbook.

There are plenty of positives to take from 2017. Paul and me took two outright victories in Mexico and Spain and it’s fair to say that the Citroen C3 WRC was challenging for podium places in virtually every round of the World Rally Championship. Every tenth of a second counts at World level and our aim at every event was to go at maximum attack – it’s the way I love to drive.

We did suffer from some inconsistencies both from myself and the car during the year but we’re getting ready for Monte Carlo and are looking forward to it. It’s great to have Craig as a team mate and we are all looking forward to racking up the points and placings in 2018. We know we have massive support at home in Ireland and it’s always great to meet some of you at WRC events.

In the meantime, enjoy the CarSport Yearbook and here’s to 2018!

CarSport

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CONTENTS JANUARY 2018

CarSport Yearbook

EDITOR’S COMMENT It’s been another fantastic year for motor sport in the whole of Ireland. Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle won two rounds of the World Rally Championship, while Citroen team mate Craig Breen scored a number of strong podium places for the team. There’s much to look forward to in 2018.

Charlie Eastwood scored a nailbiting victory in the Porsche Carrera Cup and next year the Porsche Scholarship car will be driven by Daniel Harper. Cian Carey also had a terrific year as have Motorsport Ireland award winners Callum Devine and Jordan Dempsey.

2017 will do as the year that Monaghan’s Sam Moffett cleaned up in rallying here, winning the Irish Tarmac Championship, National Rally Championship and the Forestry Rally Championship all in one season. Congratulations to Sam on a feat never achieved before…

PAT BURNS

CarSport

A CATALOGUE OF CALAMITIES FOR CITROEN’S WRC TEAM SAYS SAMMY HAMILL

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SAM IRWIN, LATVALA’S RIGHT REAR MAN AT TOYOTA

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THE ADMIRABLE WILLIAM CREIGHTON

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EVERY DREAM COMES TRUE FOR SAM MOFFETT

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MEEKE AND KELLY STAR AT RALLY LEGENDS

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THE TEAM

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EDITOR

Patrick Burns

patburns@greerpublications.com

MANAGER

Gladys Greer

gladysgreer@greerpublications.com

CONTRIBUTORS: SAMMY HAMILL; MAURICE HAMILTON; ROB WILKINS; MICHAEL O’CARROLL; RICHARD YOUNG; AARON MCELROY; ANDY GRAY; JIM MCCAULEY; DAVID FINLAY; KEVIN O’DRISCOLL; ANDREW BUSHE; RAYMOND DONALDSON; MARTIN WALSH; PHOTOGRAPHERS: TREVOR FOSTER; ROY DEMPSTER; ESLER CRAWFORD; SEAMUS COUNIHAN; FERGAL KELLY; JOHN O’NEILL; GUY FOSTER; ANDY CRAYFORD; PATRICK REGAN; MAX PONTI; SIMONE TADIELLO; MARTIN WALSH; CONOR EDWARDS;

HARRI TOIVONEN AND THE METRO 6R4

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REMEMBERING DAVE METCALFE

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IT’S AN HSR HOMECOMING FOR GER BUCKLEY

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BARN FIND – EX CATHAL CURLEY MARK ONE ESCORT

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OVER THE LINE – EASTWOOD WINS CARRERA CUP

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STIG BLOMQVIST IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT

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No part of it may be reproduced in any form without prior permission of the publisher.

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THE YEAR IN PICTURES… PHOTOS: TREVOR FOSTER / ROY DEMPSTER / MAX PONTI / FERGAL KELLY / CONOR EDWARDS

CarSport photographer Trevor Foster captured the moment when it all went wrong for Thierry Neuville on the 2017 Monte Carlo Rally… The Belgian caught the edge of this bridge parapet while leading the rally. The time loss dropped Neuville to 15th overall and handed the lead to Sebastien Ogier who scored his maiden victory for the M-Sport Ford.

“Thierry Neuville held the lead on Saturday,” recalls Trevor. “He ran wide and hit the concrete parapet and damaged the suspension on the last stage of the day, ES13 Bayons. The location on the stage was a 2 km walk uphill from the junction at Breziers which we had recced on the Wednesday before the rally. He lost 30 minutes and repaired the suspension at the side of the road in the stage.

Cars were on dry tar before the corner which was loose and two other cars went off at the same junction. I was expecting some action but not the rally leader to lose the rally right there!”

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Valteri Bottas burns some rubber at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Looks expensive! This Ciceley Mercedes went on fire during the BTCC support races.

Donegal Rally winner Manus Kelly with the 2017 Donegal Rose.

CarSport

Former WRC Champion Marcus Gronholm has a big off in World Rallycross.

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Leonard Downey clouts a bank with the back of his Escort on the West Cork Rally.

John Devlin has his Sunbeam ‘full of the rack’ in Donegal.

Seb Ogier tested a Red Bull F1 car…all it needed was a good handbrake!

Mads Ostberg won the long jump award in Rally Finland 2017.

The Renault F1 service crew got some help from R2D2 from Star Wars.

Irish rally driver Rosemary Smith had one of her dreams come true in 2017 when she tested a Renault F1 car. At the age of 79, Rosemary commented, “It just goes to show that anyone can fulfil their dreams at any age if they put their mind to it and always follow their passions.”

Roy White has an overshoot on the Sligo Stages.

Stuart Agnew has some visibility problems during a Fiesta race at Kirkistown.

CarSport

BY SAMMY HAMILL

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CITROEN’S CATALOGUE OF CALAMITIES… PHOTOS: TREVOR FOSTER / CONOR EDWARDS

Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle celebrate victory in Mexcio One of the highlights of the season

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f there was a prize for shooting yourself in the foot Citroen Racing would surely be among the front runners.

From the debacle of taking a year out from the World Rally Championship to design and build a 2017-spec car that turned out to be a pig to stating publicly they were determined to bring Sebastien Ogier back home only to find they couldn’t afford

him, it has been a catalogue to calamities.

I remember asking this time last year “Was it OK to dream? Was it far-fetched to imagine Kris Meeke becoming World champion?”

How wrong that turned out to be. Citroen screwed up big time, putting Meeke’s career, and even the life of him and co-driver Paul Nagle, in jeopardy with a car that, at times, was wickedly uncontrollable.

It wasn’t just Meeke, of course, but Craig Breen and Stephane Lefebvre, too. They all had their confidence shattered by the C3’s unpredictability; its nasty habit of pitching Craig Breen produced some great drives in 2017 them off the road at any

CarSport

The body lauguage says it all. Troubled times in the Citroen camp. given moment.

True, it was superb on tarmac, as you might expect from a car which had its origins in Citroen’s successful World Touring Car programme, but put on a gravel stage and it could become an animal.

It took Yves Matton and his team far too long to admit they had

got it wrong, instead pointing the finger at Meeke for his series of crashes and, to a lesser extent, Breen, blaming the two-time Circuit of Ireland winner for two incidents where the gearbox was damaged.

It was clear the car had suspension problems coupled with a locked 50:50 differential

BY SAMMY HAMILL

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Craig Breen flying in Finland

split which no other team employed. It was past mid-season before they started to seriously address the problems but by then the damage was done.

People who understand these things far better than I do have suggested the problems stemmed from the decision to go with in-house designed tilted springshock absorbers which increased suspension travel.

It meant Citroen could run the C3 with a lower ride-height, making better use of the car’s aerodynamics. But reducing the amount of ground clearance carried risks, increasing the possibility of damaging parts underneath the car as Breen discovered when the gearbox failed in Argentina and Sardinia following heavy impacts through compressions.

Meeke’s off in Rally Mexico and his two crashes in Argentina also suggested that the C3 struggled to cope with uneven road conditions.

In Argentina, Meeke’s first off was due to the car reacting badly to the same compression which sidelined Breen and the Ulsterman’s

huge crash the following day, he said, was down to running wide through a long right-hand corner.

But on-board footage showed the car reacting badly to a rut across the road.

The problems seemed to occur when the dampers were pushed to their limits, causing them to rebound aggressively and usually catching the drivers unawares.

By mid-summer Citroen were looking for one to blame and

The suspension on the C3 WRC proved troublesome.

they fingered Meeke, dropping the Rally Mexico winner for Poland and bringing in Andreas Mikkelsen. Officially it was to allow Kris time to re-group and re-build his confidence but he wasn’t having any of it.

For once he took his corporate hat off and accused “some elements within the team” of not supporting him. But Mikkelsen struggled just like the other C3 drivers, finishing ninth, although

design of the car, was moved out to be replaced by Christophe Besse.

And Matton finally admitted: “Directions taken during development of the C3 WRC were not fit for purpose.”

Besse found a team in disarray, their morale sapped and confidence at an all-time low and said addressing this was his No.1 priority.

“We have to give back confidence

he showed the car’s tarmac potential by finishing second in Germany where Meeke suffered the humiliation of breaking the steering on the opening spectator stage.

There were genuine fears for his future after that but Mikkelsen’s brief stay with the team only served to confirm where the C3’s problems lay and when the changes belatedly came it was in the engineering team where Laurent Fregosi, chiefly responsible for overseeing the

to everybody in the team, not just the drivers, but everybody,” he said. “The team is not used to being at this level. It’s difficult for everybody.

“The problem is to try to make everybody work together, because we have a lot of very able people in the team - it’s not by mistakes that the team has won 17 World rally titles. These people in the team are not used to being wrong at the start of the season.”

Again an admission the C3 was wrong from the start and

Kris on his way to a second 2017 victory, this time in Spain.

CarSport

BY SAMMY HAMILL

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Chris Patterson partnered Khalid at Qassimi although Meeke must take a share of the blame as the principal development driver, Citroen’s stubborn refusal to allow anyone other than contracted drivers, like comparative rookies Breen and Lefebvre, to test the car, as he wanted, must have contributed to their problems.

But Besse’s arrival and Meeke’s second victory of the season in Spain brought a glimmer of hope for the future even if the C3’s gravel weaknesses showed up in the final two rounds of the season in Wales and Australia. He headed into the winter break with the terse comment: “We have work to do.”

budget for 2018, couldn’t afford him.

Why Matton came out publicly and said signing Ogier was a priority is baffling. He could have ducked the question but instead was left looking foolish when the Frenchman turned down their approach and elected to stay with M-Sport, essentially a private team.

He also said he was unconcerned about the possible arrival of Ogier as a team-mate, insisting he would welcome the World champion and the rivalry he would bring. But it was all just Matton talking big. It subsequently emerged Citroen, amid rumours of a reduced

Kris and Paul with Yves Matton As David Championship?

Evans wrote in “An Ogier-led Red Army could Autosport: “Astonishingly, the well have marched on former French manufacturer has let a glories once more in 2018. But national hero slip once again. no. The handful of millions that What, one wonders, does this would have turned a Parisian say about Citroen’s commitment marketing dream to reality to its future in the World Rally

Kris takes a tight line in Catalunya

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couldn’t be found.”

Attention now turns to Citroen’s all-time hero, Sebastien Loeb, who it seems will return for a part programme between his Peugeot commitments in raid rallies and rallycross which will rule him out of Monte Carlo and Sweden to begin with.

But it has all been a bit of a shambles, viewed at first hand by an Irish contingent of Meeke and Nagle, Breen, who probably adapted best to the C3’s inconsistencies, and Chris Patterson who sat in with Al Qassimi on a handful of WRC rallies. They have, by and large, kept their thoughts to themselves with only Meeke giving a limited insight into what the atmosphere was like within the Citroen camp.

He, like the rest of them, will be hoping the arrival of Besse and the planned upgrades to the C3 will bring about a transformation in the car and their fortunes. Roll on Monte Carlo!

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CarSport

BY ROB WILKINS

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DREAM YEAR FOR OGIER AND M-SPORT PHOTOS: TREVOR FOSTER / CONOR EDWARDS / ROY DEMPSTER

Seb Ogier started 2017 with victory at Monte Carlo and went on to clinch the World Title

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ébastien Ogier joined M-Sport for 2017 and the Cumbrian squad beat three of the world’s biggest car manufacturers. Bravo Séb and all at M-Sport!

The record books will show Sébastien Ogier took his fifth successive WRC Drivers’ title in 2017, but unlike in those previous years, the outcome was by no means as certain.

Volkswagen’s shock exit at the end of the previous campaign meant the Frenchman had to find a new home and he ended up at M-Sport. Against this backdrop, the FIA World Rally Championship

was also gearing up for a new era with dramatic new-look cars boosting more power and more aero. It set the scene for an exciting season and the sport didn’t disappoint with each team taking at least two victories…

“Twelve months ago, we decided to take what could have been considered a risk. We decided to team up with Malcolm [Wilson and M-Sport] and set ourselves a challenge. Today, we have succeeded in that challenge and know that we made the right choice,” Ogier said after Wales Rally GB and after securing his fifth Drivers’ title with one round to go.

Hyundai’s Hayden Padden had a difficult year

CarSport

“I felt immediately proud and very happy for the team. A drivers’ title is something that has never happened for them and it was so well deserved. What they are able to do is amazing,” he added.

Despite the uncertainty, however, and despite the late move to M-Sport, the 2017 season began perfectly for Ogier and M-Sport with the Frenchman able to bag his fourth Monte win in a row and his fifth in total. It was also M-Sport’s first victory since November 2012. It wouldn’t be their last.

Granted the result might have been very different had Thierry Neuville not damaged the suspension on his Hyundai i20 on the Saturday while leading by over 50secs, but he did. Ott Tänak could well have taken second too for M-Sport, but for engine issues on the final day. Still he was third with Jari-Matti Latvala inheriting second to give Toyota the runners-up spot on its return with the Yaris after an 18-year absence.

On the snow in Sweden, Latvala went one better and put Toyota on the top-step, while Tanak and Ogier were second

Elfyn Evans scored an immensely popular win at Rally GB

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BY ROB WILKINS

Esapekka Lappi on his way to victory in Finland

and third, the latter though left rueing a spin in the first test on the final day that left him unable to challenge the two ahead.

Neuville had again looked good, and again had a very good lead, until a mistake in the short Karlstad super special on the Saturday – the final stage of the day – saw him rip off the front-left wheel. He had been more than 40-secs up on eventual winner Latvala – another case of what might have been.

After disappointments in Monte Carlo and Sweden, Neuville bounced back with a third placed finish next time out in Mexico, but Ogier was second to maintain his podium run. At the front, Kris Meeke was victorious, but only after almost throwing it away in the final test when he went off into a spectator car park with less than 1km to go.

With Ogier having briefly lost his points lead in Sweden, he was back at the top of the standings post-Mexico and Corsica yielded another second that allowed him to increase his advantage from 8 points to 13. Neuville was the winner after a controlled start, moving top when Meeke retired with engine problems on Saturday afternoon. Dani Sordo took P3 to give Hyundai a 1-3.

In Argentina the sport witnessed a thrilling finale, with Neuville again the victor, pipping Elfyn Evans by just 0.7secs in

the very last stage.

It was one of the smallest margins in WRC history but gutting for Evans who had led for most of the event.

Tanak completed the top-three with Ogier fourth but still able to extend his cushion in the Drivers’ Championship.

It was back to Europe for round six with Ogier taking the 40th win of his career and his fifth in Portugal to match legendary Finn Markku Alén.

Ogier concluded the opening day in third, despite being first on the road, but then eased in front on the Saturday, winning three stages to build a 16.8second cushion. That meant he could pace his way through the final day with Neuville having to settle for P2, 15.6secs back – but now up to second in the standings.

Sordo was third again and Tanak fourth, the Estonian one of seven different drivers to have led the event at one point or another.

Sardinia marked the mid-point of the season and after missing out in Portugal, Tanak took his maiden win to make it five different winners from the first seven rounds. The result vaulted him to third in the rankings.

A run of bad luck mid season lost Thierry Neuville as shot at the WRC title

Latvala was second and Neuville - who led early on and then lost over a minute on Saturday with brake problems - third. Ogier had to settle for fifth, hampered by running first on the road on Friday and then losing 2 minutes on the following leg when he had to stop and change a puncture. As a result his championship margin was reduced from 22 points to 18.

Poland followed and the four-day event was a thriller, thanks in part to torrential rain and thick mud. Neuville took his third triumph of the season to further close on Ogier in the Championship – the gap now 11 points. Ogier was third –

despite a string of issues on day two, including two punctures, a spin and engine issues. Hayden Paddon claimed second, the one high in an otherwise frustrating season for the Kiwi.

Finland was next with Toyota’s Esapekka Lappi taking a surprise home triumph and only in his fourth event in a WRC car. Evans won the three-way battle for the runners-up spot, just 0.3secs up on Juho Hanninen, while Teemu Suninen slipped to fourth after crashing in the penultimate test.

Ogier failed to score, retiring in SS4 after damaging the suspension on his Fiesta following a heavy landing. He crashed out shortly after.

CarSport

BY ROB WILKINS

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Toyota’s Juho Hanninen in action in Catalunga. He is not expected to drive for Toyota in 2018

Neuville also had a tricky event – but sixth (and third in the Power Stage) was enough to see him draw level with Ogier in the Drivers’ Championship, both on 160 points, but the Belgian ahead on wins (3-2).

Ott Tanak was impressive in 2017 and will drive for Toyota in 2018

Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia celebrate the fifth successive WRC title

CarSport

The next two rounds proved pivotal for the Championship with Neuville retiring in Germany on day two after damaging the suspension on his Hyundai i20

on the first run through Arena Panzerplatte. Ogier then opted to settle for third a result that put him back on top in the Championship. Tanak took the win – despite a scare on Friday afternoon when storms left the roads very muddy. Andreas Mikkelsen was second in only his third event with the Citroën C3.

Spain saw Citroën dominate, with Meeke taking a morale

BY ROB WILKINS

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Tommi Makinen (Centre) celebrates success in Finland with Lappi and Ferne boosting win after a dismal run post-Mexico that saw him dropped for Poland. The Ulsterman put in a great drive winning eight stages in total and beating Ogier by 28secs. Second for the Frenchman, however, allowed him to increase his Championship lead to 38 points with Neuville’s woes continuing and a nightmare weekend culminating with another DNF. Tanak was third to move up to P2 in the Drivers’ Championship.

Wales saw Ogier and M-Sport

wrap things up, but it was Evans that took the victory. Evans led for virtually all of the event in his Fiesta, making the most of a new range of DMACK tyres to take a brilliant win in front of his home fans. He became the first British winner since Richard Burns back in 2000.

Neuville was second and won the Power Stage, but it was not enough to stop Ogier from clinching the Drivers’ title – the M-Sport man third despite a big

scare on the Saturday when he punctured his Fiesta’s front left wheel and damaged the brakes after hitting a stone in the foggy penultimate test. M-Sport also secured the manufacturers’ crown in Wales too.

different winners and to have every team winning a minimum of two rallies. It has been good to be part of this and with the new cars it was also the most fun. It is incredibly enjoyable to drive these fast cars.”

“I can easily say this has been the most competitive WRC season I have ever driven in and this is the case for the championship in general, it has been really good for the sport,” Ogier said.

“It was good to see so many

“When I finished that last stage… I can’t explain, but in this short period of time, I have the strongest emotion I ever had in rallying,” Ogier continued.

“I don’t know why it was like this, why I felt like this. But I am happy I got this emotion, I am happy this sport can still make me feel like this.”

Seb Ogier pushing hand in Catalinya

“This emotional day started with the journey after Australia last year, when Sébastien came to drive our new car,” Wilson added post-Rally GB. “Once he drove the car that was the easy part… the difficult part started with the negotiations. I really want to take this opportunity to thank Sébastien and Julien [Ingrassia].

This was exactly what we needed.

The commitment and dedication it has brought is just incredible. It is easy to see why he is a five-time world champion.”

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CALLUM DEVINE AND JORDAN DEMPSEY TAKE TOP MOTORSPORT IRELAND AWARDS

Callum Devine, Sam Moffett and Jordan Dempsey

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he Beta Tools Motorsport Ireland Awards Ceremony was held in the Round Room at the Mansion House in December to celebrate the success of the most talented drivers in Irish Motorsport in 2017.

The Billy Coleman Award for the Young Rally Driver of the Year was won by 23-year-old Callum Devine, from Derry. Callum fended off a number of other great young drivers to take top spot in what has been described as one of the closest decisions in recent years.

Callum was nominated for the prestigious award on the back of some fantastic results this year. He had many standout performances particularly while winning the Junior British Rally Championship and when claiming victory in his class at the Ypres Rally in Belgium.

As part of the award, Callum will receive support to the value of

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50,000 euro for the 2018 season.

The Sexton Trophy for Young Racing Driver of the Year was awarded to 17-year-old Jordan Dempsey, from Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. Jordan was a previous runner up for the award and has shown a focus and determination that has seen him rise to the top this year.

Jordan spent the opening part of the 2017 season concentrating on his Leaving Certificate. It paid off and he was the highest achiever in his school in the exams.

Jordan then returned to Formula Ford with gusto and hit form immediately, taking on five races over the two days at Kirkistown and securing several pole positions, lap records and victory in his first British Championship race at Castle Combe in Wiltshire, England.

As part of the award, Jordan will also receive support to the value

of 50,000 euro for the 2018 season.

The Manley Memorial Trophy for the International Driver of the Year went to Keith Cronin, from Co. Cork, after he became the first driver from Ireland to win the British Rally Championship for an unprecedented fourth time.

The Neil Shanahan Memorial Trophy was awarded to the 13-year-old Sean McCormack, from Delgany, Co. Wicklow, who was crowned 2017 Motorsport Ireland National Junior Karting Champion at the final race of the season at Tynagh in Co. Galway.

Sean went on to represent Ireland at the World Finals in Le Mans, France and is also the only driver in its history to have won Ireland’s karting Race of Champions three times.

The FIA Celtic Trophy was won overall by Sam Moffett/ Karl

Atkinson. The competition is spread over five International rallies in the UK and Ireland.

Moffett won one of the five rounds and placed high enough in the others to take the trophy ahead of nearest rival Alastair Fisher.

The Ivan Webb Memorial Award for the Most Outstanding Contribution to Irish Motorsport went to Kieran Ambrose, of Shanagolden, Co. Limerick, who has been an integral part of the Irish motorsport community for many years and a huge supporter of rallying as an organiser, club official and committee member.

The JC Millard Memorial Award for Clubman of the Year went to Ger O’Connor, originally Foynes, Co. Limerick but now living in Prosperous, Co. Kildare, for his contribution to the sport both as an organiser and competitor.

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BY AARON MCELROY

20

LATVALA’S RIGHT REAR MAN PHOTOS BY CONOR EDWARDS / TREVOR FOSTER

Country Down’s Sam Irwin looks after Jari Matti Latvala’s right corner of his Yaris WRC

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he island of Ireland is well represented in the World Rally Championship. We have Kris Meeke, Paul Nagle, Craig Breen and Chris Patterson at the forefront of the sport; but behind the scenes, and deeper within the teams, there are many more Irish people carrying out important roles that keep the sport moving.

One such person is Sam Irwin from Hillsborough in Co. Down, who via Prodrive, Global

Rallycross and a four-wheel drive Mazda RX7, now works as a technician on the Yaris WRC with Toyota Gazoo Racing.

Sam’s primary job is to be the technician for the rear right corner of Jari-Matti Latvala’s car.

That means that it is his job to give that part of the car a visual inspection when it comes in to service and do whatever work is necessary.

However the setup allows for the manpower to be spread

Sam previously worked on Gwyndaf Evans F2 Seat Ibiza

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across all the cars being serviced by the team, so he could find himself working on a different part of Latvala’s car or even Esapekka Lappi’s if it was required.

“They are allowed four mechanics per car, and what we do is take a corner each. The engineer and lead technician formulate a job list and that will be our primary task for service.

When we have the underbody protection off, we give the car a

quick visual inspection and check for anything else that might be worn or need replaced.”

“If there is a large gap between two cars coming into service, we can use all technicians on the first and then move over when the second car arrives. During the flexi-service at night or if there is a particularly heavy workload, you have to be prepared to work anywhere on any car. You have to be flexible, you might have to change a gearbox, a differential or body panels on either of the cars.”

Toyota returned to the World Rally Championship for the first time since 1999 as Toyota Gazoo Racing with Tommi Mäkinen at the helm. From the beginning, the Finnish based team had taken their re-entry very serious, and Sam remembers seeing this motivation from the first time he visited the workshop in Jyväskylä.

“It was quite obvious the enthusiasm of the members of the team. There are so many people behind the scenes who are working so hard, it is like a big family and it was quite obvious that everyone had the same focus. It is very hard to succeed in rallying but Tommi is so enthusiastic and dedicated to get the car to succeed and the team is behind it.”

Sam Irwin was always destined

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21

Sam Irwin (right) with Paul Murphy from Donegal who looks after Juho Janninen’s engine to have a career in motorsport.

Growing up with a father who worked as a mechanic, he was around tools from a young age.

He began working for David Greer at Carryduff Forklifts as a mechanic on forklifts, Toyota forklifts of course. Working on rally cars started out as a passion for Sam, helping David in the evenings, after doing a day’s work.

“Like many people, rallying was just a hobby. When I was working with Carryduff Forklifts, I’d work on David’s rally car in the evenings. In those days I would have finished my day, went home to get my dinner and then went straight back to the workshop. I’d do that five nights and then go to the rallies at the weekend.”

The first car Sam worked on was David’s homebuilt four-wheel drive Mazda RX7. He has fond memories of working with David on the unique rotary-engined car, and said it was quite a feat of engineering and that he was proud to have been a part of.

“The first car I worked on was the RX7 4WD. The Sierra XR4x4 was only out a short time, so for a clubman to build a 4WD car was quite something; to merge the running gear of a Sierra to the body and engine of the Mazda and produce a car that would go on to win several Northern Ireland Championships with Mervyn Hill.”

A few years later, David Greer established David Greer Motorsport and Sam followed, to start working on rally cars permanently. Over the years,

he would go on to work with DGM on a number of projects including a 1600cc Corolla on the British Rally Championship, Sierra Cosworths and eventually Corolla World Rally Cars.

Sam credits DGM with being one of the reasons he was able to get to where he is today. He said that the varied skills and experiences he had in Carryduff allowed him to make more of an impact when he went on to work with works Sam at work on the Yaris WRC teams.

“I learned a lot of great stepping stone to be where skills during that time.

I am working now.”

David is very innovative, and Irwin was also involved in the in those days you worked on British Rally Championship when everything. You could have been he joined Steve Black at SBG wiring, welding or fabricating; Sport when Volkswagen and SEAT you worked on gearboxes and competed at a Works level in differentials. I gained a broad the Formula 2 category. Among knowledge and experience from the successes at that time was working with intelligent people.” seeing Alister McRae take 1998 “We had great years in the Irish Rally Finland Formula 2 win in Tarmac Championship. 1992 was the yellow Sony sponsored VW great when David was second in Golf. He also enjoyed working on the Circuit of Ireland in a twoGwyndaf Evans’ SEAT Cupra Sport door Sierra Cosworth and Frank Ibiza and said it showed his age Meagher won in a similar car. I that he is still in the sport to see worked with and against the likes Gwyndaf’s son Elfyn take his first of Austin McHale, Bertie Fisher, WRC victory. and later Joe McGurk when he “Having worked with Gwyndaf had the ST185 Celica. We went to over the years and then see Eflyn every event and all the mechanics on the podium in Wales was knew each other in healthy great. I’d say there are very few competition. To come up in those of the older guys who remember years was fantastic, and it was a

Gwyndaf that are as foolish as me to still be under the car after so many years.”

It was after this, that Sam got his first taste of working for a full Works team on the World Rally Championship when Subaru expanded to a three car team with Petter Solberg, Chris Atkinson and Stéphane Sarrazin.

What started out as a call up to do a handful of events the first year, had progressed to full seasons the following years.

Sam felt like his career had come full circle when he returned to Carryduff to help Jonny Greer in the Fiesta Sporting Trophy.

After getting his start in the sport from David, he was now tasked with helping Jonny in the British and Irish Fiesta Trophy. In what was an exciting time, they won

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BY AARON MCELROY

22

the British series and came second in the Ireland to Alastair Fisher on a countback. The following year, he went with Jonny to the BRC in a Mitsubishi Evo IX. Following his second term with the Greer family, Sam took a sabbatical for his own family, and spent a few years out of the sport to see his son Samuel Jr grow up. In 2013 he got a phone call to work with Vermont SportsCar Subaru for a round of the Global Rallycross Series in Germany.

What started as a weekend, became the next stage of his career as a technician. From 2013 to 2015 he would travel across the United States to be at every round of the GRC. While being a different breed of racing, the skills Sam had already learned in the early part of his career had helped him in the world of Rallycross. He said that being a contact sport sometimes meant for a bigger workload from the mechanics.

“The only real difference in rallycross is that the cars have twice the power, all suspension and transmission are very similar.

Being a race format there is contact and that means repairing damage in the fifteen or twenty minutes between heats. In Rallycross you are allowed to change everything in the car bar the chassis, so sometimes we would be changing engines in the

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heat of America, which can be very interesting.”

Vermont SportsCar led Sam to where he is today. A recommendation from a former Prodrive colleague and a few emails to Finland later, and he was over in the Toyota Gazoo Racing workshop building the first Yaris WRC test car, a job he had dreamt of all his life.

“I am 31 years in rallying; it goes by so fast and it is only when you start looking back on it that you realise how much of your life is dedicated. What started out as a passion is a culmination of decades of hard work. To have started my career with Toyota forklifts and find myself in Toyota once again is a dream come through.”

The 2017 World Rally Cars take advantage of the looser regulations that allowed a more aggressive design. Of all the cars, The Yaris WRC was the one that drew the most media attention for its massive rear wing and wide arches. When Sam first set eyes on the test car, and later the final model, he knew instantly it was going to be a fast car.

“For the 2017 cars aerodynamics is a massive feature, and our car has a lot of aero.

It is very interesting to see the technology that is brought into the car to achieve the speed. You can see that they are pushing the envelope to build the ultimate car.

It was quite exciting to see the cars; they look like the old Group B cars. I remember thinking it certainly looks like a fast rally car, and it made me excited when I saw the first car ready to start in Monte Carlo after all the hard work.”

If the team were proud to have the car on the start line in Monte Carlo and finish on the podium, they would have been ecstatic to see it lead and win Rally Sweden, only the second competitive event for the new team. On a personal level, Sam was overjoyed for the team to get the victory.

“Everyone was delighted, for me it was a dream come true. For all the effort everyone put in and to achieve a win on your second rally is a dream come true. It was a reward for the hard work of everyone. In a very short space of time everyone had put in a lot of time and to get the result was a reward and a motivation to keep you going forward.”

The team organise all the logistics for Sam. They arrange for his arrival at each event and his transport to the service park.

The first job they must do is set up the service bay with the tools and equipment needed for the weekend. The cars then arrive from the cargo crate and parts such as the bumpers and spoilers that had to be removed for transport have to be reassembled

and prepared for scrutiny and the event.

Being a technician is far from a glamorous lifestyle, although they do manage to see some parts of the world that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible. As part of the team, Sam works on the car and services on all corners of the world. He said they all require different preparation but the same hard work.

“Sweden would be the coldest event but in many ways I prefer it to the warm rallies because it can be tiring when you are in your overalls and have the extra heat. I am lucky to travel to see places I could only dream of but it is labour intensive and there are long hours. When I am packing it can sometimes look like I’m going on a holiday but it is hard work.”

Just like the destinations the sport brings them to, the World Rally paddock is a diverse community of nationalities. And within it, there is a strong Irish representation. Through his long career in motorsport and his love of rugby, Sam has been able to make many new friends as well as stay in touch with people he knew from his early days.

“I go way back with Stephen Whitford, the guy who does Kris Meeke’s gravel notes. I can remember when I was 19 and he

BY AARON MCELROY

23

One of Sam’s Earliest project cars was one Davy Greer 4WD Mazda RX-7 Photo by Roy Dempster was 17, we were servicing on the Scottish Rally for Richard Smyth in a 1600cc Corolla. We often have a laugh that we are both working in the WRC because in those days you would have never thought you’d get to where we are.”

Along with Paul Murphy, who acts as Juho Hänninen’s engineer, Sam is part of the small Irish contingent in Toyota

Gazoo Racing. Although he says that there is a positive mentality common to both the Finnish and the Irish which makes it an easy place to work.

“I found that the Finnish are very like the Irish. They have a can-do mentality and can always find a solution to a problem. I think it is like the Irish mentality that there is always an answer to a problem. They are motivated

to achieve what they want to achieve.”

While Sam admits that he is already in his dream job, he said that there is one more box to tick before he has achieved all that he wants. And it is a goal that he had set himself early in his career, one that he is closer than ever at achieving.

“It is important to have a goal, and mine always was to work

for Toyota in the WRC and win a World Championship with a Toyota team. I reached one part of that milestone, and it is my personal goal to help the team go as far as they can. People laugh when I say that but from an early age working at Toyota forklifts and having an interest in rallying, I have wanted the two worlds to merge. After 31 years in the sport it would be nice.”

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BY KEVIN O’DRISCOLL

24

CLONAKILTY BLACKPUDDING IRISH TARMAC CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW PHOTOS: TREVOR FOSTER / ROY DEMPSTER / PATRICK REGAN / FERGAL KELLY

Sam Moffett

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he 2017 Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship showed a few changes from the previous year. With the Circuit of Ireland not running it meant that five of the six rounds would count, thereby reducing the margin of error. The points scoring had also been tweaked, with the winner of each round now getting 17 points as opposed to 16. The final change saw the 50% bonus points removed from the final round in Cork and replaced with a five point bonus for all registered drivers who started the event.

While things didn’t go down to the wire in the same fashion as 2016, this year’s championship certainly didn’t disappoint with some tremendous battles throughout the season. With two outright victories during the year Sam Moffett and Karl Atkinson were worthy victors in their Fiesta R5 having shown a remarkable level of speed and consistency all year.

The pair won in Killarney and also finished the season in style when they only needed to start the Cork 20 to ensure the title but ended up taking the win anyway.

They were chased hard for much of the year by Alastair Fisher and Gordon Noble in another Fiesta

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R5, but engine failure on the penultimate round in Ulster ended their chances of the title. Third place went to Joe McGonigle and Ciaran Geaney who made the switch from a Skoda S2000 to a Skoda R5 this year and got faster as the year went on, only being pipped by less than a second on the final round from taking a best ever second overall finish.

Round 1: Galway International Rally A fine quality entry lined up in Galway for the opening round of the championship with most of last year’s protagonists returning to Galway. A notable absence was Keith Cronin who was concentrating on BRC commitments for the season, while Robert Barrable was making a welcome return after a long absence from the Irish stages in a Fiesta R5. Just like 2016 Garry Jennings, who wasn’t eligible for championship points, dominated the event in his Impreza WRC, with Roy Whites Fiesta WRC taking second after a battle with a number of chasing R5s. Alastair Fisher made it home in third to take maximum points in his new Fiesta R5 after a superb drive in challenging conditions. Damp, slippery conditions on the first

day were replaced by freezing conditions on the second which led to the cancellation of two stages and the shortening of two more. Sam Moffett put up a strong challenge to Fisher but settled for fourth while Robert Barrable belied his long layoff with a fine fifth overall which put him in third place in the championship after round 1.

Jonny Greer & Aaron MacHale were among the retirees while William Creighton was best placed of the R2 cars while top Group N points went to Willie Mavitty.

Positions after Round 1 1 – Fisher 17, 2 – S. Moffett 14, 3 – Barrable 12, 4 – Wright 10, 5 – J. Moffett 8 Round 2: West Cork Rally While Donagh Kelly was making history by becoming the first driver to win the Clonakilty based event four times in a row, a huge battle raged behind him with the championship competitors all jostling for position. Robert Barrable had given the new Hyundai i20 R5 its Irish debut and he was locked in a struggle with Sam Moffett which brought the pair of them within touching distance of Kelly early on the second day. Alastair

Fisher & Josh Moffett were doing their best to keep up with the leading pair but the times weren’t happening for them, while Stephen Wright wasn’t far away from either Fisher or Josh.

The second day saw most of the drama as the West Cork had its first wet weekend for many years and the pace took its toll. Sam, Barrable and Wright all came to grief just three stages from the end when they cut a corner two tight. Sam got away the lightest, suffering a time consuming puncture but managed to stay going, while Barrable also got a puncture but discovered a cracked brake disc and had to pull out.

Wrights rally also ended when he broke a shaft and this left Josh Moffett as the late beneficiary to take second place and maximum points. Fisher’s third place meant he extended his championship lead. Sam was a very disappointed fourth place after a superb effort, but had the consolation at least of getting points. Tomas Davies, Brendan Cumiskey, Aaron MacHale and Padraic Duffy were among the other drivers to gain points after a tough weekend which also included a night stage.

Jer O’Donovan took top ITRC2 points from John Mulholland but Willie Mavitty retained the

Ali Fisher category lead despite mechanical problems all weekend. Andrew Burke and James Wilson were the top point’s scorers in the ITRC 3 category.

Positions after Round 2 1 – Fisher 31, 2 – S. Moffett 26, 3 – J. Moffett 25, 4 – McGonigle 17, 5 – Cumiskey 13 Round 3: Rally of the Lakes The third round of the championship saw the challengers head for the south west and the classic Beara Peninsula stages.

One contender missing was Josh Moffett who had severely damaged his car in an accident in Monaghan the previous weekend.

Atrocious conditions greeted the crews on the opening test over Molls Gap, but by the time the first run of Cods Head came

(Stage 3) it was mostly dry if extremely windy.

Roy White was leading the way in his Fiesta but Moffett, Fisher and Barrable were keeping the pressure on as the drying road saw the pace increase. This had major consequences for Fisher who crashed on the first run of Ardgroom and who was now on the back foot despite being able to get the car sorted for Rally 2 on the second day. Barrable was showing his talent and the enormous potential of the Hyundai as he trailed White by less than ten seconds overnight and held a ten

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BY KEVIN O’DRISCOLL

second advantage over Sam. Stephen Wright, Joe McGonigle and Brendan Cumiskey were the top six registered crews with Wright and McGonigle separated by less than four seconds. The second day fell into a similar pattern early on with Sam then upping the pace to edge past Barrable, and lie only twenty seconds off the lead. Then White made a mistake and hit a chicane which put him out of the event and left Sam in the clear. Barrable made an attempt to close the gap, but Sam prevailed by just 16 seconds. Stephen Wright came home in third place almost four minutes back, while Joe McGonigle, Tomas Davies and Brendan

Joe McGonigle Cumiskey completed the top six. Gavin Kelly took top points in ITRC 2 as Willie Mavitty continued to lead the category. John Mulholland took top points in ITRC 3 as he campaigned a Fiesta R2 for the weekend, finishing ahead of James Wilson. Fisher did complete the second days stages but was unable to make any headway with the retirement rate being low and only took 1.5 points after the weekend.

Positions after Round 3 1 – S. Moffett 43, 2 – Fisher 32.5, 3 – McGonigle 27, 4 – Barrable 26, 5 – J. Moffett 25

Garry Jennings in Galway

Round 4: Donegal International Rally The fourth round was

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the classic Donegal International Rally and as usual there was a strong mix of WRCs and R5s. The battle at the front of the field was between the WRCs of Manus Kelly, Donagh Kelly and Garry Jennings, but the competition just behind them was no less intense, with all of the usual candidates present.

Josh Moffett made a welcome return to the series and was understandably cautious on the early stages as he settled in after his Monaghan accident.

Fisher was the one to catch as he aimed to put his Killarney disappointment behind him, but Sam wasn’t willing to let him go too far ahead. Barrable’s interest ended early with an accident, a fate which also befell Aaron MacHale. Fisher was certainly the dominant R5 force in Donegal but even he was trailing three WRCs in front of him. Moffett was hanging onto Alastair’s coat tails but was never quite able to take control. Josh in the meantime was happy to build up pace and confidence but wasn’t threatening the leading pair. After two dry days the heavens opened on the third and while Manus Kelly took his second win in succession on the event, Donagh Kelly’s retirement and Garry Jennings easing back saw Fisher slip into second place on the final stage to take maximum points while a late scare when the car nearly

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rolled saw Sam Moffett settle for second place points to still hold a 7.5 lead with only two rounds remaining. Josh was next up while Joe McGonigle was a retirement on his home rally. Padraic Duffy had one of his best results of the year to take ten points from the event while Marty Gallagher also had a superb drive on his home event. William Mavitty failed to finish and full points for Gavin Kelly set the stage for a big ITRC 2 battle on the Ulster Rally. William Creighton had to give best to Marty Gallagher in ITRC3 but took the lead in the category when James Wilson retired.

The excellent result for Gallagher also brought him back into the frame for the championship.

Positions after Round 4 1 – S. Moffett 57, 2 – Fisher 49.5, 3 – J. Moffett 37, 4 – McGonigle 27, 5 – Barrable 26 Round 5: Ulster International Rally The Ulster Rally was where the championship took a decisive swing towards Sam Moffett when rival Fisher hit trouble very early on. The Fermanagh

Donagh Kelly West Cork 2017

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Robert Barrable West Cork 2017 driver was forced out after only two stages with engine problems and this left Moffett only needing a good finish to be all but certain of winning the title. With Barrable and Josh Moffett not in Ulster this made Sam’s job more straightforward, but also required a lot more concentration as he couldn’t afford a lapse. No such worries for Jonny Greer who was out for the first time on a Tarmac round since Galway and was very impressive all weekend. The event was won convincingly by last year’s Tarmac Champion Keith Cronin from Fredrik Ahlin with Greer in third place and taking top championship points. Sam Moffett had to make do with sixth place but more importantly it gave him 14 championship points meaning he only needed to start in Cork to bring the title to Monaghan. Joe McGonigle moved back into third place in the series ahead of Josh Moffett.

William Creighton and James Wilson were all set for a final round showdown in Cork with the ITRC 3 title at stake while the Mavitty and Kelly battle was also finely poised with the Fermanagh drive just edging ahead.

Positions after Round 5 1 – S. Moffett 71, 2 – Fisher 49.5, 3 – McGonigle 39, 4 – J. Moffett 37, 5 – Wright 32 Round 6: Cork 20 International Rally

Roy White, Healys Pass, Killarney The moment Sam Moffett & Karl Atkinson crossed the start line they were crowned Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Champions for 2017. With the pressure off it promised a huge race between Sam, Josh and Alastair to take one more win before the year was out. Aaron MacHale and Stephen Wright were those in early trouble as the front three pulled away from the pack as expected with the Moffetts both having the edge on Fisher although after four stages the top three was only separated by 15 seconds. Fisher dropped out of the running on the fifth stage when his car stopped and refused to fire up for a number of minutes dropping him back to

sixth. McGonigle was the chief recipient and moved into a secure looking third place. Sam led overnight and Josh was second just over 10 seconds behind. The opening stage of the second day saw that lead cut to less than a second and the battle raged throughout the second day over the classic Cork stages around Millstreet and Macroom. Josh had edged ahead with only one stage to go, but went off the road on the final stage to hand victory to Sam to cap a wonderful 2017 for the older Moffett brother.

Fisher put on strong second day performance to pip McGonigle for the runner up spot on the final stage by less than a second, and this pair also finished the

championship in the same positions. With Gavin Kelly not starting the final round, William Mavitty was crowned ITRC 2 champion in his Lancer Evo 9. The ITRC 3 title went to Armagh with James Wilson taking the category win after rival William Creighton crashed out early on the second day. It had been a very successful year for the series with the promise of much more to come in 2018.

Positions after Round 6 (Final Round) 1 – S. Moffett 81, 2 – Fisher 68.5, 3 – McGonigle 56, 4 – J. Moffett 42, 5 – Wright 37

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BY KEVIN O’DRISCOLL

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EVES MASTERS THE MODIFIEDS TARMAC CHAMPIONSHIP: MODIFIEDS/HISTORICS/JUNIOR

Barry Jones won the Historic Tarmac Championship

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he 2017 Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Modified Championship was won convincingly and deservedly

by Kevin Eves and William Lynch in their Toyota Corolla. The Donegal / Cork pairing took full points on four of the six rounds throughout the season with their only real blemish occurring in Donegal where Kevin crashed out on Knockalla and ended up in hospital for a couple of days.

Undeterred they were back out on the Ulster Rally a few weeks later to all but wrap up the title and this was confirmed when they started the final round in Cork which they went on to win anyway. John Devlin & John

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McCarthy missed the opening round in Galway but showed remarkable consistency to finish all five subsequent rounds on their way to runner up overall.

Eugene Meegan took third place overall as his championship hopes ended with an accident on the penultimate round in Ulster.

Vivian Hamill took top points in Donegal but it was to be the last round he competed on as he came fourth in the championship.

Art McCarrick and Sean Moynihan rounded off the top six places in the Modified series which saw some terrific battles throughout the year.

The Historic Championship was won with a round to spare by

Welsh pairing Barry Jones & Iwan Griffiths in their fabulously turned out Escort Mk2. After mechanical problems hampered their progress on the opening two rounds, it all came right for them in West Cork where they took full points and cut the deficit to Ernie Graham to just two points. Graham retired in Killarney as Jones continued his winning form, but Graham took top points in Donegal as Jones settled for second place.

Full points on the Ulster and Isle of Man saw Jones wrap up the title as more mechanical problems relegated Graham to fourth in the championship. The last couple of rounds saw Keith McIvor move into second overall and a

fine performance on the Cork 20 Rally saw him net maximum points to seal the runner up spot.

Shaun Rayner took third overall in the series, finishing 1.5 points ahead of Graham while despite only competing on four rounds Duncan Williams came fifth overall.

The Junior Championship went right down to the wire as the series, despite seven registered crews, came down to a two horse race after the third round in Killarney. By taking overall victory in Cork, Jenna McCann rounded off an excellent year where she finished all six rounds of the series in her Fiesta R2. Second place

London based music collective ‘Dance to Tipperary’ is to sponsor the Irish Tarmac Championship.

The deal is for an initial three years, – 2018, 2019 and 2020 – with the championship being known as the Dance To Tipperary Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

Dance To Tipperary is a London based predominately Irish music collective founded in 1998. Over the past two decades, it has developed a unique and successful enterprise combining Irish, EDM, Celtic, Rock, Pop, Techno and Trance music to create a flow of Top 30 Hits and No.1 Dance Singles with sales in more than 35 countries.

Dance to Tipperary will be the official title branded partner of the championship as well as the coproduction and distribution partner for its TV and media feeds.

The sponsorship agreement gives Dance To Tipperary co-branding and co-title of the championship, on-event signage including decals on all championship entries and cobranding on official championship merchandise.

Kevin Eves was Modified champion for the second season in a row was Justin Ryan’s reward after similarly consistent season where all six rounds where finished.

To win the championship he needed to be top registered driver in Cork and have someone other than Jenna take second place points. It was not to be

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BY KEVIN O’DRISCOLL

Dance to Tipperary to sponsor Irish Tarmac RallY Championship

for the Galway driver whose unwillingness to give up took the series down to the wire.

Eric Calnan failed to score meaningful points in both his local rallies in West Cork and the Cork 20 and had to settle for third overall in the championship

despite being blindingly quick at times. Fourth overall was Jenna McCann’s partner John McCabe who took top points in two of the first three rounds in his Honda Civic, before switching roles to become Jenna’s co-driver for the final three rounds of the year.

Jenna McCann won the Junior Championship

Dance To Tipperary also intends to appoint select brand ambassadors for the Dance To Tipperary Irish Tarmac Rally Championships TV, Radio, and online media output.

These will be selected from drivers and co-drivers, radio and TV personalities, YouTube Stars, musicians and other longtime associates and friends. The main criteria will be that the brand ambassadors represent the core brand values of both Dance To Tipperary and the Championship.

Brand Ambassadors and other details of the sponsorship to be announced at the official launch of the Dance To Tipperary Irish Tarmac Championship on December 9th.

TROA Chairman David Gray said “We are thrilled to welcome Dance To Tipperary on board. As rallying supporters know, the environment is challenging for sponsors. TROA board members worked carefully over recent months to secure this deal. Dance To Tipperary is a name well known and familiar to many rally fans. We look forward to working with them for the 2018 championship and in the years ahead to further build the ITRC as a championship and event with an even greater experience for participants and supporters alike”.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO SAM MOFFETT Winner of

*2017 Valvoline Irish Forestry Championship* *2017 Clonakilty Black Pudding Irish Tarmac Championship* *2017 Triton Showers National Rally Championship 2017 FIA Celtic Trophy*

Marchio PIRELLI nel settore Tyre in advertising

The PIRELLI Tyre logotype in advertising

Nell’advertising e in tutte le comunicazioni esterne: (eventi, competizioni sportive ecc.) si utilizza il marchio PIRELLI di colore rosso Pantone 485 su fondo rettangolare giallo Pantone 109.

In advertising and in all external communications (events, sporting competitions, etc.), the PIRELLI logotype is reproduced in Pantone red 485 against a rectangular

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yellow Pantone 109 background.

8.1

CRONIN’S FAB FOUR BRC TITLES

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PHOTOS: TREVOR FOSTER / ROY DEMPSTER / ANDY CRAYFORD

Mikie Galvin (left) with four times BRC champion Keith Cronin

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eith Cronin and codriver Mikie Galvin were crowned Prestone MSA British Rally Champions after a gruelling three days of action on the 138.com Rally Isle of Man (1416 September). Cronin and Galvin in their DMACK-shod Ford Fiesta R5, clinched the championship for M-Sport outside the famous

TT Grandstand after taking both round 7 and round 8 victories on the island classic. Cronin won four rounds in 2017 on his way to the title and has now clinched Britain’s premier rallying series for a fourth time – more incredibly in four different cars.

Isle of Man with a mathematical chance of claiming the British Rally Championship crown.

Fredrik Ahlin (Skoda Fabia R5), Keith Cronin (Ford Fiesta R5) and Matt Edwards (Ford Fiesta R5) would fight for supremacy on the famous island roads.

Three crews had gone to the

It was Cronin who drew first

blood as he sprinted away to the first round victory, notching up seven fastest stage times from the ten challenging tests. It wasn’t to be plain sailing for the crew as on Stage 7 (Kella) the pair nearly threw it away, riding the Fiesta R5 across a large hedge and grass bank before landing back on the Tarmac.

Fredrik Ahlin and Torstein Eriksen entered the championship showdown as the crew to beat as the Scandinavians needed a third and a second to claim the title.

The Skoda Fabia R5 crew had a difficult first round as they nursed gearbox and differential gremlins.

Limping their way to the finish line, the Swedish-Norwegian outfit claimed an all-important third behind Edwards – keeping their title fight well and truly alive.

Keith Cronin and Fredrik Ahlin

Cronin had to do the double on Rally Isle of Man to stand any chance of the title and he attacked from the off but couldn’t live with the initial pace of Edwards. Edwards, who had the same Evo2 upgrade as his Fiesta rival for the first time this season was enjoying his fight at the front and a ding-dong battle enthralled

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Fredrik Ahlin lost the title by one point throughout the second leg.

Edwards led by 9.1 seconds going into the nail-biting final stage, but multiple champion Cronin set about hauling in Edwards. A masterful drive by Cronin saw him cross the line quicker than Edwards. Cronin won his fourth title and denied Welshman Edwards his first BRC win by 0.1 seconds.

Ahlin needed a second place to secure the title but a spin on cold tyres on the penultimate night stage on Friday evening put paid to his title chances and no matter how quick he drove the Swedish star was always going to play catch-up and couldn’t close the gap to the front two and lost out on becoming champion by one championship point.

“It’s been a tough year,” commented Keith. “It didn’t start so well, everything has been thrown at us. This was the toughest event I have ever done and the hardest title to win. Matt and Fredrik drove brilliantly and we didn’t think it was possible.

Mikie has done a great job and we have a great team behind us and we kept fighting and fighting

Keith in action in Ypres

Manx, 1986

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and to win the championship by one tenth of second is just unbelievable.”

Prestone MSA British Rally Championship Standings 1. Keith Cronin – 129 2. Fredrik Ahlin – 128 3. Matt Edwards – 94 4. Rhys Yates – 70 5. Osian Pryce – 66 6. Martin McCormack – 57

All calendars including the new desk calendar are available direct from www.rallywebshop.com or amazon.

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BY AARON McELROY

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SIMPLY DEVINE!

AARON McELROY TALKS TO CALLUM DEVINE PHOTOS: ROY DEMPSTER / TREVOR FOSTER / ANDY CRAYFORD – CRAYFORD MEDIA

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o the casual observer, 2017 would have looked like a perfect year for Callum Devine. He won the Junior British Rally Championship on his first attempt, gained a newfound love of gravel, swapped times with Chris Ingram on Belgian tarmac and rounded out the year by upgrading to an R5 Fiesta for Wales Rally GB. And in many ways it was a perfect year. After cleaning up in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship in 2016, he made what he saw as a natural progression to the British Rally Championship, which he went on to win. He built up his confidence driving on loose surfaces, and was so impressive on his first time sitting in an R5 car, that M-Sport came to talk to him in service.

But if you were to look behind the results and the timesheets, you’d quickly learn that it wasn’t plain sailing for the Claudy native.

It was only thanks to a last-minute deal with MH Motorsport that he had a car for the start of the BRC; he had to rely on the kindness of spectators to get an oil pump to the Isle of Man and he had to be taught how to start an R5 rally car so that he could drive out to the Shakedown.

To Callum, the British

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Championship was the next step in his rally career. The only problem was that this time last year they didn’t have a gravel kit for the trusty Opel Adam, and they had nothing secured for the year ahead. They got speaking to MH Motorsport in the UK who had experience in running Fiesta R2T cars for the championship, and agreed on a package for the year.

“It was a last minute decision to say we would do the BRC, but there was nothing set in stone.

Coming up to the first round we got on to MH because we hadn’t a gravel kit. They had a couple of customer cars and wanted to go ahead with a team that had front running guys. It suited us, because if we were going over to the BRC ourselves it would be difficult trying to get men off work, so at least it would be organised. It helped that they knew what they were at because we were learning gravel and learning the car.”

Before this season, Callum had very little experience on gravel.

He had a last minute outing on the Bushwhacker in 2016 when they put in an entry and sourced a hire car the evening before the event. Apart from this one outing, he was very much a tarmac man,

and was looking to go over to Britain to get some confidence and experience on the loose.

“We went to the BRC trying to learn gravel. The Irish Forestry Championship would have been nice to do but we were making our own notes on tarmac so it was natural to it try there. I really enjoyed it. We didn’t have any expectations; we knew the Fiesta would be quick on gravel so we wanted to make the most of it.”

Callum said that working with MH Motorsport made the transition to gravel and the Fiesta R2T very easy, but they were plagued by issues that held them back from being competitive.

On the opening round of the championship, he had issues with the turbo and lost boost. He was on for winning the Pirelli Rally before his tires went off; and on the Scottish Rally he just struggled to get into a comfortable pace.

“On the first round the turbo went and the car was dead. On the Pirelli, the tires let us down but we still proved that we and the car were good. Our team mate Oscar Solberg was still putting in good times. After the Scottish Rally we said that was it.

We had no luck going forward and knew it was now or break.”

Having committed to MH and

the Fiesta for the season, he was reluctant to leave the team, but Devine knew that if he wanted to have any chance in the year that things would have to change. He thanked MH for their support and wheeled the Opel Adam out of the shed once again.

It was a turning point in Callum and Keith’s attempt at the series. He said that he hoped his experience on tarmac would be enough to help him in Fiesta but after a poor start to the year they couldn’t leave it to chance any more. He decided to go back to the Adam that he knew was quick on tar, and try to salvage some results.

“If we had three good rounds we would have stuck with Fiesta.

We intended to all the rounds with them, and it was helpful to have them; but we didn’t expect so much bad luck that was out of anyone’s hands. There were three different winners in the first three rounds so we knew we had to start picking up wins.”

There was a break from the British Rally Championship as Callum made his annual pilgrimage to the Donegal International. Since he started rallying, the Donegal International was the only rally he has done every year and he wasn’t going

Nicky Grist Stages put the team the day before. They managed to in another dilemma – as it was overcome the deficit and not let a mixed surface event they had go of the lead to take a second to decide whether to go back to consecutive win, and become the Fiesta that they knew was the first driver to chalk up two stable on gravel, or stick to the victories that year.

Adam that had just proven itself The next round of the British on tar. After weighing up the Rally Championship was Callum’s options they opted to purchase home event, the Ulster Rally. a gravel kit for the Adam and Having battled with Robert hope the gravel experience Duggan at last year’s event, gained from the start of the year confidence was high and he could be transferred over. They elected to play his joker on this had intended to get a test in the round and hope for a good result Adam in Wales before the event to put him in a strong position but the lorry broke down on the going into the double header at way over and they were stuck on the end of year. the side of the road, unable to do He started the event well any miles in the car. and was swapping times with The stages were very dry and William Creighton in his Peugeot the crew had to get to grips with 208, before a puncture sent him the car and deal with the dust back down the order and put that was filling up inside the car.

Creighton in a strong position Keith was coughing, trying to call for the Championship. Callum the notes while Callum struggled was on for a comeback on the to see where they were going. second day when the alternator They tried their best to transfer on his car gave up and left him the experience off the Fiesta to stranded, unable to continue. His the Adam but found themselves hopes of success in the British down the time sheets by the end Rally Championship looked to be of the day.

“We were pushing on Callum Devine but the car kept kicking out when I turned in and that lost us time. Being in the Fiesta at the start of the year helped me understand the Adam a bit better. We were seventh after the gravel stages and went home to go over the DVD because we knew we had to have everything right from the off, there would be no time to get into it on the tar.”

There is no room for error on the stages around Epynt and Callum came out of the blocks fast and clean trying to make up all the time lost on gravel

over for good this time.

“We were going well over the stages.

They were dirty and we knew that if we could commit we would get a good enough chunk of time back and then the alternator packed up. William deserved the win, his pace had been getting faster the whole time; we went home and pushed the car into the shed. I didn’t want to even look at it. I’ll not lie; I was disappointed and fed up.”

It wasn’t until the team got home and read the regulations that they realised that the BRCJ drop a round more than the main field and that they still had a mathematical chance of winning the championship in the Isle of Man if they could outscore Creighton.

“I was chatting to Liam Regan and saying best of luck and congratulations to him and William; and he didn’t know what I was on about. Then we found out that we were able to drop a score more than the main BRC boys. That meant if we won the two rounds in the Isle of Man and William was second we would win by a point; it would go right down to the wire. We could only do it if William didn’t get a win but that wasn’t the way to look at it. There is no point going to look for someone else’s misfortune because we had enough of it ourselves all year.”

Callum was able to put the disappointment of Ulster behind him and go to the Isle of Man

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to miss it in 2017.

Before the event there had been some confusion as to what he would be driving as he didn’t want to take the Adam, but it ended up a pre-event test for Ypres.

“We weren’t meant to do it in the Adam. I was meant to hire, but had just got the engine rebuilt in the Opel and you can’t go to Ypres without testing, so with Donegal the week before Belgium we said we’ll go in the Adam. We were on a good enough pace that weekend; and I suppose trying to go Ypres without a feel for the car would have been stupid.”

Getting seat time back in the Adam proved worthwhile for Callum, because in Ypres he was locked in a battle with Works Opel driver Chris Ingram. They started out strong, and had a number of fastest stage times but a turn of bad luck meant he had to forfeit the fight with Ingram to keep the car on the road.

“I thought we might have a bit of battle, but bent the steering on our car. We fixed the hub but the steering still wasn’t straight so we let him take a few seconds out of us. At that pace you need everything to be right.”

Callum and Keith showed the pace of the BRC against the drivers on the continent and despite not getting delivery of brake parts before the event, were still able to keep the Works team honest – even if that meant taking the second-hand pads and disks from Ingram’s car every time he got new ones fitted.

“He was getting new disks and pads in service; and we had ordered brakes that never came so we took his old parts.

That’s the level he was at and we were able to stay with him.

We still managed to set fastest times and beat the likes of Van der Marel and De Mevius, who are very quick; so it was very encouraging.”

Ingram was unlucky to put his Adam off towards the end, and shows just how hard the entire R2 field were going. Before the rally was over Callum would go on to suffer a loss of brakes and get a puncture, but crucially managed to stay in front of his BRC rivals and take a maximum score.

After a less than straightforward victory in Belgium, the

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BY AARON McELROY

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with a clear goal in his mind, although there was to be another spanner in the works for him and the team. They had the car on the Isle of Man before the rally began when they noticed a leak from the oil pump, and had to ring back to get someone to collect the new part and drive to Belfast Airport where they met three spectators boarding the last flight over to the rally, who took the new pump over to get it on the car.

With the leak fixed and the rally underway, there was nothing between William and Callum.

With both crews going hard, William was unlucky to lose time that he couldn’t recover, and Callum was able to take the result needed to keep him in the chase.

“William was flying. We were having a ding-dong battle and we knew that would be the way.

He put it off and lost 15 seconds, and he just couldn’t get it back.

So we won the first day which was good” “We went into the second day and William was flying again and took time out of us. Going into the night stage we had to push, and were 4th or 5th overall. It was brave, maybe too brave but we knew we had to make 25 seconds. William got a puncture and that was a shame because as he said he had no bad luck all year except for the last round. At that point we knew we just had to control the pack to win. I like to win, but not in an all costs type of way. If William won the BRC I’d be happy for him because he deserved it as much as I did. We

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are here for fun but why not try to be the best you can be?”

Marty Gallagher won the second leg, but second was enough to see Callum take the title of Junior British Rally Champion for 2017. After having reliability issues early in the season and not wanting to get back into the car after the disappointment of Ulster, there was a relief that they were able to pull a result out of the bag, knowing that it had been hard earned. He commended the championship for making everyone up their pace and make every rally competitive.

“We had to work for it; nothing was handed to us on a plate. Everyone was always being chased. On the Border Counties Rally, Oscar Solberg won and we all said we will have to keep up; then on the Pirelli, everyone got faster. Every time someone lifted the pace, everyone else kept up.

I think everyone enjoyed it. You don’t want someone to walk it; it’s not enjoyable to watch and it is disheartening if you can only come second.”

The risk to switch back to the Adam mid-season paid off for Devine, but he didn’t regret starting out the year with MH Motorsport, and doing a number of rounds in the Fiesta R2T. “People said if I didn’t go to the Fiesta at all we would have won all the rounds, but we wouldn’t have. It would have taken a brave bit of testing to get the Adam competitive on gravel and to be honest we wouldn’t have done it. Going with MH was a good move because we were

learning gravel and the Fiesta was much more stable, it is just like driving a Mitsubishi Evo on the loose.”

As part of his BRC prize, Devine won an entry to Wales Rally GB. Having already won an entry in 2015 but being unable to do the event because of the lack of a gravel kit, he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity again.

But when the Adam was put up for sale at the end of the season, it looked as if they would have no choice but to sit out the event if they had no car; until they joked about taking an R5 Fiesta that his father Seamus had sourced in China.

“After the Isle of Man we thought the Adam would need to be rebuilt. Then it was up for sale and there was a boy looking to buy it, so we said there would be no point taking it to. Da got a car out of China that was meant to be sold on; it was a 2014 car with no Evo upgrades on it. We were in the office and were talking about going with MH again, and I goes sure get that Fiesta from China and we’ll go out for the craic. The car was never meant for me; we just took a notion of taking it.”

And that was the decision made. They got the car and with the help of Adrian McElhinney they began to work on the car and get it ready for GB. On the Saturday before the rally, Adrian had to leave for M-Sport and it was looking unlikely that they would make the event. Callum and Keith were over doing the recce and were still unsure

whether they would be doing the rally or not, he said that the idea of getting the Fiesta ready in time was still a bit of a joke.

“I was to be going on Sunday with the car to do a bit of a test because I had never driven the car except for off the trailer and into the shed. There was no press release because we didn’t want to make a story and then not be there. Keith did the preparation anyway and we thought if we do the recce at least, we will have a bit of knowledge.”

On Sunday morning the car was still not ready, so they took it up to Phillip Case to help get it prepared before scrutiny on the Wednesday. The test was meant for Monday but the car was still in PCRS in Donegal, and eventually on Tuesday it got over to CA1 who were to run the car for the event.

“We raced up to Philip Case and we have to thank him for getting the car right. He gave up bits and pieces he had because you wouldn’t get them anywhere else on time. We worked all day Sunday on the car; I was welding, everyone was chipping in. The panic was on.”

“We are Last Minute.com at everything, but this was something else. I was working on sites and on the phone making calls. On one day I counted thirtytwo emails I’d sent to M-Sport and the guys in the FIA trying to get all the things sorted. It is always a bit crazy but it was never this bad in my life” When they did get the car together, everyone was telling

Keith Moriarty and Callum Devine Callum to not focus on the times of the other R5 drivers because he would be slower over each kilometre than a car with an Evo2 kit. Having not sat in the car and not had a chance to focus on the rally build-up, Callum said there was no fear of getting carried away.

“I was going to be about a second slower than the Evo2 cars, and I was being told to not even try to keep up with them, but I hadn’t driven the car yet so no point worrying about that. Adam Taylor was the engineer with us when we were going to drive out to the Shakedown. He asked

me if I’d ever driven an R5 car, or even started one. So he showed me the launch control and you could see him thinking how are these pair going to do GB if they can’t drive the car?”

“We started it up, and Keith was talking about how great the cars are, but we didn’t know what it would be like in gravel. I pulled the handbrake and saw the launch control come up on the dash; I released the handbrake and Jesus it shot off. I just remember thinking this is some bus.”

Callum said he was surprised

and having a strong performance has only made it more difficult to look ahead at what he can get up to next year.

“There was never a plan for an R5, we always thought to do in steps; we won the ITRC, tick; BRC, won that; natural progression would be the WRC or ERC in an R2. I know Rob got a sickener but I’d like to do the Junior World Championship sometime. I’ve played all the WRC games and wouldn’t it be class to see your name in a game and have it there for a lifetime.”

He has weighed up the possible options and can see the merits of all the available campaigns. After seeing how Opel run the R2 car in Europe he doesn’t see potential as a privateer in the ERC so shot off an email to Opel asking if they had a spare seat. He thinks he’d need a year in an R5 in the BRC to match the pace of the regulars, and the ITRC interests him but he would miss the gravel.

After hearing how they almost didn’t make it to Wales Rally GB, you can believe Callum when he says there is nothing set in stone for the 2018 season yet.

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by how easy it was to be quick in the car, after being warned it could be hard to adapt and considering it was still only his fifth gravel event of the year. But he enjoyed the opportunity and learned a lot, because they saw it as nothing more than a 300km test.

After getting through the event without any major drama, they noticed that they weren’t too far away from some more established names, and Callum was proud that people were taking notice of him.

“The result showed the effort everyone put in. If we didn’t make it to the end, it would have been all in vain, but I believe if you put in the hard work you should get the rewards from it. And for two weeks everyone worked countless hours on the car. It was nice to get a good result and we were really surprised by the pace. It was nice to get recognition for our performance. Even M-Sport came down to us and started talking about the difference in the Evo2 kit.”

He said that jumping into an R5

“It was a last minute decision to do GB. We never really had planned it, so it will be time enough at Christmas to make a decision on what we get up to next year.”

Callum Devine Winner of the Billy Coleman Award

Callum Devine & Keith Moriarty Winners of the Junior British Rally Championship SPRINGHILL SPRINGS Precision Spring Manufacturers

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BY MARTIN WALSH

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MOFFETT MANIA SHOWERED THE TRITON SERIES PHOTOS: TREVOR FOSTER / PATRICK REGAN / MARTIN WALSH

Sam Moffett (right) here with Karl Atkinson, clinched the 2017 Triton Showers series

A

third season of the National Rally Championship under the Triton banner was dominated by Monaghan’s Sam Moffett (27), who was virtually untouchable as he campaigned his Ford Focus WRC with aplomb and wrapped up the Vard Memorial Trophy with victory in each of the first six rounds.

There is little doubt that he was the star of the Irish rallying season as he completed an unprecedented treble by adding the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship and the Valvoline Irish Forest series and for good measure, he also won the FIA Celtic Trophy.

Several titles within the Triton series wound their way back to Farney country with Shane Maguire (Mitsubishi) claiming the Motorsport Safety Team Group N title and Mickey Conlon netting the Mk. 2 Championship Trophy and the rally.ie crown.

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Meath’s Brian Brady won the Triton Showers Junior National rally title.

The most concerning aspect of the series and indeed that of Irish rallying in general was the decline in entries. The heady days of reserve entry lists seemed but a distant memory. The insurance crisis threatened the whole sport but should it have got to that level of uncertainty?

Flicking to a different eight rounds from the previous year, this year’s series Triton campaign got underway in County Tipperary – the home of reigning champion Roy White. It went on to Longford as the Midland club took over the main street where a pipe band led rally winner Sam Moffett to the finish ramp. How clubs and indeed locations embrace the Triton series is crucial to its promotion, so too is how it’s portrayed on social media, a medium that needs careful monitoring, in some

circles its becoming a CCTV issue – ironically there is the view that social media is already the catalyst for negativity, where are the rules, regulation and restrictions?

Not everyone appreciates the amount of work that is entailed for television coverage, On the Limit Sports faces constant challenges and the use of drones has given the programme a

fresh impetus. The fact that the national broadcaster has given motorsport the title “On the Limit Sports” in the RTE Player is also significant.

One of the most important aspects in Irish motorsport - Junior rallying – needs to be harnessed as success seems out of reach to talented drivers that do not have the financial resources, it needs to

Micky Conlon won the MK2 Championship

BY MARTIN WALSH

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Meath’s Brian Brady won the Junior Championship be streamlined if nothing else to protect the future of the sport.

A u-turn on the levies seemed to cause great uncertainty – something that motorsport really doesn’t need now or indeed at any time. Strong leadership is required to steer Irish rallying through its present difficulties and the involvement with the drivers, co-drivers, clubs and other stakeholders is vital to its future.

Motorsport could take a leaf from other sports – particularly from that great bastion that is GAA. Round 1: MOFFETT WINS ABBEY COURT HOTEL NENAGH RALLY Leading from the start Monaghan’s Sam Moffett in a Ford Fiesta WRC and co-driven

by Cavan’s James Fulton won the Abbey Court Hotel Nenagh Rally, the opening round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship. They finished 59.1 seconds ahead of the similar car of Donegal cousins, Declan and Brian Boyle.

Another Donegal driver, Donagh Kelly and his Monaghan co-driver Conor Foley in a Ford Focus WRC were 36.1 seconds further behind in third, they claimed an extra championship point for setting the fastest time

on the Power Stage.

Cork’s David Guest and his Monaghan co-driver Emmet Sherry (Mitsubishi) won the Motorsport Safety Group N category and Cavan’s Gary McPhillips/James McNulty (Escort) took the laurels in the rally.ie twowheel drive section.

Throughout the day’s eight stages Moffett’s only indiscretion was on the opening stage when he stalled on the start line and on S.S. 6 when his Fiesta WRC almost got away from him in a high-speed slide. Former national champion Declan Boyle made a slow start but was content that he brought his Fiesta WRC home in second place.

Top seed Donagh Kelly spun his Ford Focus on the second stage, however, his speed improved on the afternoon stages and he punched in the best time on the Power Stage to claim an extra Triton championship point.

Reigning Triton Showers champion Roy White (Ford Fiesta WRC) came home in fourth place.

Victory in the Junior category went to Donegal’s Michael Boyle and his co-driver Dermot McCafferty (Honda Civic).

Round 2.

MOFFETT MASTERS MIDLAND

Desi Henry in action on the Circuit of Munster Monaghan’s Sam Moffett and his Cork co-driver Karl Atkinson (Ford Fiesta WRC) took a commanding victory in the Midland Moto Rally in Longford, the second round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship. They finished a minute and 9.9 seconds ahead of the Ford Fiesta WRC of reigning champions Clonmel’s Roy White and his Cork co-driver James O’Brien. Donegal’s, Manus Kelly/Gareth Doherty (Subaru WRC) were 21.1 seconds further behind in third. Tyrone’s Adrian Hetherington (Escort) and his codriver Andrew Greenan won the Modified section – 55.9 seconds ahead of Donegal’s Brian Brogan/ Damien McGettigan, also in a Ford Escort.

The Motorsport Safety Group N category was won by Cork’s David Guest (Mitsubishi), who was co-driven by Donegal’s Paddy Robinson.

Monaghan’s Jonny Treanor/ Adrian Foley (Honda Civic) won the Junior category.

Quickest through the opening loop close to Longford town Moffett opened up a 33.5 second lead over the similar Fiesta WRC of Declan Boyle, who spun on the second stage and lost a few seconds towards the end of the third stage when his tyres lacked grip. Continuing his dominance Moffett stretched his advantage to 42.9 seconds on the repeat loop of stages. Second placed Boyle spun twice and dropped around ten seconds. Kelly was

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BY MARTIN WALSH

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Declan Boyle on the ragged edge in Monaghan

6.7 seconds further behind in third with Maguire fourth.

As Moffett swept to victory, Boyle crashed out on S.S. 7 when his Fiesta WRC hit a chicane and ended up in a field. That promoted Kelly into second but he spun on the penultimate stage and dropped to third allowing White inherit second. Ian Barrett retired his Darrian with engine woes. David Guest took a final stage win in the Motorsport Safety Group N category beating Neil Tohill (Mitsubishi) to win the category by 4.3 seconds.

Third placed Boyle had to contend with a loss of power all through the nine stages.

In Group N another Monaghan driver Shane Maguire took a 9.8 second win over the similar Mitsubishi of Cork’s David Guest.

The Modified category was won

by Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle (Escort).

By the completion of the opening loop Sam Moffett was 21.5 seconds ahead as Kelly slotted into second 5.8 seconds ahead of Boyle. Unfortunately,

last year’s Monaghan winner and top seed Josh Moffett (Fiesta WRC) crashed heavily some two kilometres into the second stage.

Retaining his composure Moffett led Kelly by 24.4 seconds with Boyle hampered by the power issue, 6.1 seconds further behind.

Wright Maguire and White completed an unchanged top six, the latter had no intercom through S.S. 5. Gary Kiernan (Escort) retired with an oil leak.

Moffett secured his third straight win in the Triton series and also

Round 3. MONAGHAN SAM’S THE MAN IN MONAGHAN Monaghan’s Sam Moffett (Fiesta WRC) partnered by Cork’s Karl Atkinson took a start to finish victory in the Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan Rally, round three of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship. They finished 26.8 seconds ahead of the Ford Focus WRC of Donegal’s Donagh Kelly and his Monaghan co-driver Conor Foley. Donegal cousins, Declan and Brian Boyle in a Fiesta WRC were 15.5 seconds further behind in third.

Moffett led all through with Kelly his main rival even though he lost second spot on Stage 7 where he was caught in a heavy downpour, but regained the runner-up position a stage later.

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Championship Sponsor Kevin Barrett in his S14 Impreza WRC

claimed the bonus point for the Power Stage albeit by twotenths of a second from Kelly, a heavy shower caused the latter to lose second temporarily but he regained the spot on the penultimate stage and finished 15.5 seconds ahead of Boyle.

Meath’s Brian Brady/Leonard Tuite (Honda Civic) won the Junior event.

ROUND 4: MOFFETT WINS CIRCUIT OF MUNSTER RALLY

BY MARTIN WALSH

41

Paul Barrett entertains the crowds at Ravens Rock

Monaghan’s Sam Moffett (Ford Fiesta WRC) continued his domination of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship with victory in the Rathkeale House Hotel Circuit of Munster Rally, round four of the campaign.

In what was the closest contest of the series to date, Moffett and local co-driver Keith Moriarty finished 12.4 seconds ahead of the Ford Focus WRC of former Triton champion Donegal’s Donagh Kelly and his Monaghan co-driver Conor Foley. Ulster pair Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble (Fiesta R5) were one minute and 39.4 seconds further behind in third.

The Group N category was won by Limerick’s Colm Murphy (Subaru) and his Cork co-driver Don Montgomery. Tyrone’s Vivian Hamill/Denver Rafferty (Escort) were the top two-wheel drive exponents.

Moffett led through the opening stage but Kelly topped the time sheets on the next pair of stages to lead at the Newcastle West service by 3.1 seconds with Declan Boyle (Fiesta WRC) 19.7 seconds further behind in third.

As the leading pair battled for supremacy, Boyle retired when his Fiesta WRC punctured on the fifth stage and he lost over five minutes. His demise promoted Alastair Fisher (Fiesta R5) into third.

Although Kelly extended his lead to 6.4 seconds on S.S. 4, Moffett made the perfect response and courtesy of a pair of fastest stage times regained the lead but Kelly was only 2.1 seconds behind.

Moffett went on to claim his fourth win of the season and extend his lead in the Triton series. Kelly and Fisher were second and third respectively.

Donegal’s Manus Kelly (Subaru) came home in fourth place from Keith Cronin (Ford Fiesta R5), who lost time with an overshoot.

Roy White (Ford Fiesta WRC) was sixth.

Round 5: MOFFETT’S HIGH FIVE ON RAVEN’S ROCK RALLY Monaghan’s Sam Moffett (Ford Fiesta WRC) with Cork’s Karl Atkinson back in the co-driver’s seat, claimed his fifth consecutive win in the Triton Showers National Rally Championship on the Waterford based Dooley’s Hotel Raven’s Rock Rally, round five of the eight round series.

They finished 18.1 seconds ahead of the similar car of Clonmel’s Roy White and his Dromtarriffe co-driver James O’Brien.

World Rally star, Waterford’s Craig Breen in a Mk. 2 Ford Escort, co-driven by Patrick Crowe, were two minutes and

Paul Rowely produced some tpp results in his DS3 R5 37.3 seconds further behind in third.

Although Moffett was quickest on the opening pair of stages where he had intercom issues, his Fiesta WRC sustained a broken rear driveshaft on the third stage due to a heavy landing over a jump – that promoted White into an 11.8 second lead. Craig Breen slotted into third some 39.8 seconds behind Moffett and five ahead of Niall Maguire (Subaru WRC), who spun on the second stage.

Brendan Cumiskey (Skoda Fabia R5) and the Escorts of Enda O’Brien and Frank Kelly followed.

Shane Maguire (Mitsubishi) led Group N - 3.9 seconds ahead of the similar car of David Guest, who overshot a junction and also endured a moment on S.S. 2.

Moffett posted the top times on all three stages of the second loop to regain the lead - 7.8 seconds in front of the Fiesta WRC of Roy White, who suffered a 360-degree spin that damaged the front grill and spoiler.

On the final loop, Moffett went on to secure another impressive win. White took second with Breen third. Shane Maguire (Mitsubishi) won Group N – finishing 11.6 seconds in front of the Mitsubishi of David Guest with Paul Barrett (Subaru) third.

Tipperary’s Killian O’Sullivan/ Conal O’Sullivan (Honda Civic) won the Junior section as Meath’s Brian Brady/Leonard Tuille (Honda Civic) took maximum points to move into the lead of the Triton Junior Championship.

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BY MARTIN WALSH

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Round 6: MOFFETT IS SLIGO & TRITON CHAMPION With his sixth victory in as many events, on this occasion on the FAAC Simply automatic/ Sligo Park Hotel Rally, Monaghan’s Sam Moffett (Ford Fiesta WRC) clinched the Triton Showers National Rally Championship in style.

Co-driven by Cork’s Karl Atkinson, twenty-seven year old Moffett finished a minute and 35.6 seconds clear of the Skoda Fabia R5 of Derry’s Desi Henry and his Cork co-driver Liam Moynihan.

Former triple champion Niall Maguire (Subaru WRC) and his co-driver Enda Sherry, were a minute and 22.2 seconds further behind in third.

Moffett held a slender lead after the opening stage but his Fiesta WRC was very twitchy on the remaining two stages where Declan Boyle (Fiesta WRC) moved into a 9.4 second lead. Late entry Josh Moffett (Fiesta R5) was 17.4 seconds further behind in third.

On the second loop both Boyle and reigning champion Roy White (Fiesta WRC) survived incidents after both slid wide on a righthander and clouted a bank. Josh Moffett punctured and dropped two minutes on S.S 5 while a

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puncture cost Boyle three minutes and the lead on S.S. 6.

That allowed Sam Moffett take total control as he led the Skoda Fabia R5 of Desi Henry by a minute and 12.3 seconds, the latter reckoned his car was down on power possibly due to a leak in the turbo boost. Maguire, despite a major overshoot on S.S. 5, was third albeit a minute and half behind. The top six also included White, Kenny McKinstry (Subaru WRC) and the unlucky Boyle (who withdrew from the event). Josh Moffett was eighth.

Sam Moffett went on to seal his sixth win of the season, he also won the Power Stage. Enroute to his first ever national title, he claimed all but one of the 126 points that were available.

Meanwhile, Monaghan’s Shane Maguire (Mitsubishi) won Group N Johnny Treanor (Honda Civic) took the Junior category.

Round 7: HURSON WINS GALWAY SUMMER RALLY County Down driver Peadar Hurson (Ford Fiesta WRC) took a start to finish victory in the Gort based Lady Gregory Hotel Galway Summer Rally, the penultimate round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship.

The Warrenpoint man and his Monaghan co-driver Damien Connolly finished 31.4 seconds ahead of the Fiesta WRC of Clonmel’s Roy White and Cork codriver James O’Brien, who took maximum points in the Triton series. Monaghan’s Niall Maguire/ Enda Sherry (Subaru WRC) were 38.9 seconds further behind in third.

Extricating a lead of 13.7 seconds from the opening stage, Hurson (Fiesta WRC) was in control all through even though he did have a moment on the third stage.

With a lead of over 40 seconds entering the final loop of three stages he was able to slacken his pace to take victory. Second placed White, the outgoing Triton champion, also took an extra point for setting the fastest time on the Power Stage. Maguire had an untroubled outing to finish third.

Another Monaghan driver Stephen Wright (Fiesta R5) held second until he took the front right wing off his Fiesta R5 on the fourth stage, he finished fourth – his presence was geared to get co-driver Karl Atkinson as many championship points as possible as he chased down the Noel Smith Trophy.

Cavan’s Gary Kiernan (Escort)

won the Modified section - 40.2 seconds ahead of the similar Escort of Frank Kelly.

In the Motorsport Safety Team Group N category, Monaghan’s Shane Maguire (Mitsubishi) netted an important victory as his only rival David Guest (Mitsubishi) struggled with a number of problems. Maguire was seventh in general classification in a top ten that also featured Pat O’Connell (Mitsubishi EvoIX), Tom Flaherty (Ford Escort) and Kevin Barrett (Subaru WRC).

In the Junior event, Armagh’s Jason Black (Toyota Starlet) took the spoils as the Triton Showers Junior title remained finely poised between the Honda Civic trio of Meath’s Brian Brady Donegal’s Michael Boyle and Monaghan’s Johnny Treanor.

ROUND 8: O’RIORDAN WINS FASTNET RALLY Cork driver Daragh O’Riordan O’Riordan (Fiesta WRC) on his first outing in almost a year and a half, took victory in the Westlodge Hotel Fastnet Rally, co-driven

by Wexford’s Andy Hayes, he finished 45.3 seconds ahead of the Mitsubishi of Dunmanway’s Jason McSweeney and his co-

Peadar Hurson scored an impressive win on the Galway Summer Rally

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BY MARTIN WALSH

driver Anthony O’Conaill.

Another Dunmanway driver, David Guest and Donegal’s Paddy Robinson (Mitsubishi) were 32.7 seconds further behind in third and claimed maximum Triton points.

Monaghan’s Shane Maguire in a Mitsubishi won the Motorsport Safety Team Group N title within the Triton series, he was co-driven by Darragh Kelly.

The top co-driver award in the Triton series was retained by the non-competing James O’Brien after his rival Karl Atkinson failed to finish, driven by Stephen Wright (Subaru) they retired with transmission problems on the fifth stage.

There were three different leaders on Shane Maguire and Darragh Kelly took the Group N award the opening loop of three stages. Bandon’s drive, went on to set the fastest Donegal’s John O’Donnell Vincent McSweeney times on the remaining five stages (Escort) came home in fourth (Honda Civic) led initially as to claim his fifth Fastnet victory. in a top six that also included Jason McSweeney topped the McSweeney managed to Cork drivers Conor McCarthy leaderboard after the second survive some transmission woes (Mitsubishi) and Colin Byrne stage and O’Riordan went in front (Escort). at the end of S.S. 3 where Vincent to secure second spot while Guest took third in the rally and runnerMcSweeney retired his Honda up in the Motorsport Safety Team The Mk. 2 Champions Trophy Civic with engine woes.

Group N category of the Triton and the rally.ie award within O’Riordan, in his Fiesta WRC series. the Triton series were both won that was converted to right hand

by Monaghan’s Mickey Conlon (Escort).

The Triton Junior Championship was won by Meath’s Brian Brady, who beat off Monaghan’s Jonny Treanor and Donegal’s Michael Boyle, who lost time on the final stage, all three were in Honda Civics.

Kris Meeke & Derek Brannigan

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3RD OVERALL IRISH TARMAC CHAMPIONSHIP

THANKS TO ALL THE TEAM AT MCGEEHAN MOTORSPORT AND ALSO OUR SPONSORS FOR THEIR SUPPORT CarSport

PHOTO BY ROY DEMPSTER

2

017 was another very successful year for Derek McGeehan and the team at McGeehan Motorsport.

The Draperstown based rally preparation business maintained a number of top line cars, including Joe McGonigle and Marty McCormack.

Joe McGonigle drove a Skoda Fabia R5 to third overall in the 2017 Clonakilty Black Pudding Irish Tarmac Championship and won a few small rallies. “At the start of the season, the front differential on the Skoda gave trouble braking the front diff in Donegal, the side gears were not lasting any more than 500km we discovered,” says Derek, “but there are now upgraded parts available and once they were fitted it ran faultlessly.”

For 2018 Joe is going to hire the left hand drive McGeehan

Motorsport Mini WRC to contest the Triton Showers National Rally Championship. Joe McGonigle’s Skoda Fabia R5 is now for sale…

Marty McCormack contested the British Rally Championship also in an R5 Skoda but the results weren’t what Marty was hoping for. Marty suffered a number of punctures on the forestry events, but still managed third overall on the Pirelli and Scottish rallies as well as fourth overall on the Nicky Grist Stages and John Mulholland Motors Ulster Rally. The decision was taken after the Ulster Rally to pull the plug on the 2017 BRC assault.

Alan Carmichael contested several rounds of the NI Rally Championship in one of the McGeehan Motorsport hire Mini’s and gained a number of top podium places. Alan was leading

the Ulster National Rally until he lost time with a puncture. He also impressed with his first loose rally in the Mini WRC, finishing the Bushwhacker Rally and setting some very good stage times.

Phillip Allen, son of the late Glenn Allen, also hired the McGeehan Motorsport Mini WRC and won the May Day stages and finished a very respectable 4th overall for his first closed road rally on pace notes. Derek says there’s a lot more to come from this young driver in the future.

Derek himself had a number of outings in the Mini when they were available, finishing second overall on the Bishopscourt Stages and third overall on the McGeehan Motorsport Sunset Stages, though Derek felt bad about taking points away from other competitors

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PAT BURNS

McGEEHAN’S MAGIC TOUCH…

who were contesting the whole championship. “This year the Northern Ireland Championship organisers decided to make registration to series automatic, but I knew at the start of the year I would only be able to contest one or two rounds. I know the organisers are doing this to try and promote the series and to get more competitors to contest all the rounds, but this is not fair on the competitors who want to do the whole championship and me entering rounds on a one-off basis can affect the whole championship.”

With one of the Mini WRC cars already booked up for next years Triton Showers National Rally Championship, 2018 looks set to be another busy and successful season for McGeehan Motorsport.

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BY AARON McELROY

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CHRISTMAS EVES

PHOTOS: ROY DEMPSTER / TREVOR FOSTER / SEAMUS COUNIHAN

Kevin Eves in his RWD Corolla

T

he main task on Kevin Eves’ 2017 to-do list was to be on the pace of the top Modified runners in the Donegal International Rally. Leading the National section after the first day by over six seconds, everything was going to plan until his rally came to an abrupt end on the first run up Knockalla on the Saturday morning. In a matter of seconds his rally was over, and his Championship hopes hung in the balance.

“I never saw the barrier. I thought we were going get away with it, that we might get back out onto the road. There was just a bang and two seconds later we were stopped. There is not much thinking involved, you’re in the hedge before you have time to think.”

Kevin had built his year around that one weekend in June. From the end of last year, the only thing he had set out to do was get up to pace in time to put on a good fight against the best in Ireland. He didn’t even have much intention of competing in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, let alone win it.

“We went back to modified

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– back to where we started. The only plan I had for 2017 was to have myself in a position to be quick in Donegal. That was all that was in our heads. The game plan was to hit a couple of rallies and get up to speed with the other boys. I think it worked out alright for us.”

“I signed up for the championship but didn’t really know if we’d do many of the rounds. The way it falls, Galway is the first rally of the year so we just took it from there.”

Galway was a learning curve for Eves and his new partner-incrime William Lynch. Not only was it their first event together, but Kevin had only started to get a good feeling in the car at the Killarney Historic Rally the December previous, and was looking to learn more.

“So we got third there, which was good enough. Galway was slippy, mucky and tricky. Gary Kiernan and Damien Gallagher raced away and we knew the bar was still above us. We were going through suspension set ups and only had the car going well since Killarney. We learned a good bit but knew we had a step to go to

be on the pace.”

Kevin’s plan was always about putting himself up against the quickest drivers, so that dictated the events he took on. The West Cork Rally attracted possibly the strongest modified entry of the year, and Kevin wanted to be a part of it.

“We heard West Cork was a good event, so we decided to go there. It was grippy, fast and dry for us. I had confidence in the car and could push on. I like that kind of stuff. After the first day we had a good lead, and were very happy to be on the pace quicker than expected.”

However, due to feeling unwell during the night between the two legs, there was almost not going to be a second day of rallying for the crew. They managed to keep going and with some unfortunate luck for the leaders Gary Keirnan and Brian Brogan, Kevin and William had an overall win.

“I took sick in the middle of the night and never slept.

I nearly wasn’t going to go to the rally on the second day, and everyone took stripes out of us; the lead we built up was gone in two stages.”

“Gary and Brian were unlucky to clip and break something on their cars, which gave us the overall, but it kind of took the shine off the win.”

Regardless of how it was won, Kevin now had a maximum score under his belt, and even though he still had no championship on his mind, he followed it to the next round, The Rally of the Lakes. “We ended up leaving Clonakilty with maximum points, so thought we may as well go to Killarney.”

Declan Gallagher was in a hired MKII Escort for Killarney, and was the only man able to keep up with Eves’ Corolla during the weekend. They swapped times, but it was to end with The Milkman losing out and having to settle for second.

“We were in a good position all weekend and kept tipping on. We were doing what was needed to get the lead. I was in a position I was never in before, trying to go out and maintain a gap; to not lose time.”

“We went up Moll’s Gap and Declan took ten seconds out of me. I thought that if he keeps doing that, he will drag us down

around the country, and indeed further away, it is the one rally they look forward to. This could be seen by the entry list, the who’s who of modified drivers were in Letterkenny for the weekend.

All the top men had their own reasons to be considered favourite for the win, and for Kevin it was that he was on form and had matched the pace of any person he was up against during the year. This rise in pace had given him a boost of confidence going into the biggest event in the Irish rally calendar.

“We were confident going to Donegal. We had it in our head that if we ended within twenty seconds of the front we would be happy enough. It’s a different game up there; when pressure comes on it is experience that shines through. We knew we had to come very hard out of the blocks.”

Recognising the talent he would be up against, Kevin gave it everything from the start, and by the end of the first day he was leading by over six seconds.

“I was very happy to be in that position. I don’t think there was anyone missing that weekend, almost every modified man was there. We proved that we were there to fight for the trophy. I suppose it ticked a few boxes in my head, to say I was leading the rally. Then we got it a wee

bit wrong on Saturday, but these things happen” Going in to the second day, the plan was to maintain the lead and watch everyone who was behind.

But on the first run up Knockalla on Saturday morning, the challenge for the victory ended in a concrete post.

“It was the first run up on Saturday morning. We were sitting at the line for around thirty minutes so everything was a bit cold. On Knockalla memory and experience counts a lot and I don’t know why, but I marked the corner up. We came up to it with a big rev on, the tires were cold and I turned in far too hard. There was no traction and car nosed across and caught the barrier.

That was the party over for us that weekend.”

The impact was absorbed on Kevin’s side of the car and he was left with two broken metatarsals and two more fractured. He also had an open wound across the top of his foot. Ever the optimist, Kevin recognised he was lucky that he and the car came away light compared to what it could have been.

“It could have been a lot worse; there is no point worrying about sore toes.

The only real worry I had about the car was that the engine would get a knock. The crash broke

the oil pump and the alternator off, but it was only panel damage more than anything. If I had a couple of concrete posts go through the engine it would have been a dear job.”

An impact like that would put some people off the sport, or at least have them think long and hard about getting back into the car, but the only thought in Kevin’s head was to get healed and have the car running again for the Ulster Rally less than two months later. He was not afraid to get back behind the wheel, but said the accident had left him less organised than he would have liked going into the event.

“There was no fear when I was in the car, but there was a bit of a panic on to get ready and working was mounting, so I wasn’t organised. I was only out of cast about two weeks before Ulster, and there was a bit of a panic to get the car back together so we didn’t get a pre-event test.”

The main concern was that the way the championship was scored; another non-finish would see John Devlin or Eugene Meegan clean up if they got a result. Kevin had to be sensible to make sure he got the points he needed from Derry.

“I was a bit nervous. We were still under pressure because if we

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BY AARON McELROY

the road. It was a good battle swapping times. I was very happy with Killarney. It was the first event we went to where we started quick and finished quick.

We literally went and did what was needed to do.”

Comparing his win in Clonakilty to his victory in Killarney, Kevin said he savoured the score in Killarney more because it was harder earned.

“Nobody wants to go to an event and be miles ahead. The trophy means nothing without being put under pressure to win it. There’s a squad of boys there to keep you under pressure. They don’t let you get away with too much; it keeps you on your toes.”

With a second maximum score under his belt and realising the position he was in, Kevin eventually considered tackling the entire championship; but that was short-lived as it went out the window as quickly as it came when it was time for the Donegal International.

“It was only after Killarney we decided to commit to the series, we had signed up but didn’t expect to be in the position we had. When we got to Donegal we said good luck to championship, it was forgotten about. Donegal is what you want on the mantle; it was the only thing on our mind.”

It isn’t just Kevin who holds the Donegal International in high regard, for a lot of drivers all

Kevin Eves is considering a move to an R5 car in 2018

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BY AARON McELROY

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were to have another dropped score, John or Eugene just had to get scores. It would have left the championship wide open, so we had to have manners. When Meegan went off, it meant we just had to get the bonus points for starting Cork to win the series.”

With Ulster behind him, Kevin said that the Cork “20” came as relief to himself and William. With the bonus points scored, they were able to have a bit of fun and just go out for the race. “It was like any other day out. We didn’t have to concentrate or hang back, we could chance on.”

Having taken the win in Cork and with it the ITRC National title, the next event that Kevin had his eyes on was the Donegal Harvest.

Although it is only a one-day event, it still attracts a strong entry. And as the newly crowned Tarmac champion, he felt he had to prove his worth.

“We won the National just the week before so you can’t go to the Harvest and get stripes cut out of you by rest of boys; you have to stand up. You can’t pretend that you don’t care; you’re not there to come second.

At the start of year I didn’t care, but with a couple of wins you can’t show up, get beat and say you don’t care. The reality is that everyone is there to be first.”

Clipping a rock on the Harvest meant his only two DNFs of the

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year came from two starts in Donegal, and Kevin saw the year as being very successful, and more importantly, enjoyable.

After going through heartbreak with an R2 programme for a number of years, he was glad to be back being competitive and having fun on the stages.

“I am happy with what we did. In my eyes we didn’t do too much, but taking the series in our first year of trying was great. To step back to a Corolla was good fun and I am looking forward to having the car set up and having fun Kevin Eves again in the future.”

Being a Corolla in a field frame. We run the same engine of Escorts has made sure that and gearbox as the other boys.” people always knew when Kevin With a Billy Coleman Award Eves and Big Blue were on the nomination in his back pocket stage, but he said that there is no for his performances during the difference between the two cars, year, Kevin says there is a chance and that he proved he can be just the Corolla could be rested for as competitive as any MKII. next year, and another toy could “Who would be foolish to not be got for 2018 if they can put a take you serious when you take package together. wins in National section of the “We are trying to do something ITRC? There is no difference in an for next year because we have Escort or a Corolla. From what a Billy Coleman nomination.

I’m told, my Corolla would be a We aren’t going to step back to better jumping car, and maybe R2 so there is a possibility of a have better balance; but an Escort package being put together to will turn in better. Really it is just give an R5 car a rattle. We only an Escort suspension and axle all started talking about it after we retrofitted. It’s the same modified won the Tarmac Championship toys just put into a different but if we were to win the award

we wouldn’t go playing in a MKII or something, we would need to step up.”

Regardless of what car he is out in next year, winning the National section of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship without intending to and matching the pace with the top drivers in the country will be an extra string to the bow in any competition he finds himself in.

“After this year we will have a bit of confidence. We did all the rounds of the series so it will be fresh in our minds. Nothing will be new to us; we are not going to worry about Moll’s Gap or Ardfield because we have the notes and all there.”

PHOTOS: TREVOR FOSTER / ROY DEMPSTER / ANDY CRAYFORD – CRAYFORD MEDIA

BY AARON McELROY

THE ADMIRABLE CREIGHTON

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Creighton in Munster

W

hen William Creighton first got behind the wheel of a Citroen C1 as part of the J1000 series, he would have laughed if you said he would be runner up in the Junior British Rally Championship on his first attempt and be competing on a round of the World Rally

Championship, all before he turns twenty years old.

But having grown up around machinery and watched his father compete around Ireland in his Cortina, it was no surprise that William would himself have an interest in driving and start rallying. He credits the J1000

Creighton, Regan & Fisher at the start of the Circuit of Munster

series with making the path to his Peugeot 208 R2 a smooth transition.

“J1000 was great for getting us started. It is different to closed road rallying, but it is a great grounding and gave an understanding of how to control a car. When we finished that, we

didn’t know what to do, or what was the best option for us. We thought that an R2 car was too big of a jump, but the R2 is so easy to drive once you get some time in it. After one rally in it, you are already looking forward to the next.”

As a way to bring his pace up and moving his career on further, William did what a lot of young drivers in Ireland do, and looked across to the British Rally Championship (BRC).

He had planned to get more seat time in his Peugeot in the Junior British Rally Championship; but he never expected to be winning rounds and be going into the final round as Championship leader.

“This time last year we didn’t know what we were going to do.

We looked at BRC to hopefully bring us on in pace, but not in a million years did we think that we could be leading it going into the final round and having a chance of

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BY AARON McELROY

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winning it.”

2017 was William’s third year in the 208, and during those years, he was strictly a tarmac driver, but to succeed in a mixed surface championship like the BRC, you need to be quick across the board. And despite initial fears, he was able to get comfortable on the loose stuff very quickly.

“This time last year, I had never done a gravel rally, but I really did enjoy it. I don’t favour tarmac or gravel now; I suppose I am a fan of both. I didn’t know if I could ever drive quickly on it but I came on well. For most of the competitors in the BRC, gravel is their back yard and we

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won the Pirelli International. We were punching well above our weight, but if you want to step up into anything more serious you have to be able to drive on both surfaces.”

Spending the year in the UK paid off for William. He took two wins in the Junior Championship and said that he could feel his speed increase compared to where he was last year.

“Doing the BRC and different rallies has brought our pace on.

We are far quicker than last year; it has probably been the biggest step up in speed for us. At the start of the season there were five or six boys who were in it to win

it. We didn’t think we would be one of them but going over and having the competition is what brought us on.”

And although he wasn’t victorious on the Isle of Man, William was happy to see that the trophy would still be making its way back across the Irish Sea, highlighting the talent of the young drivers in Ireland.

“If the Junior Championship worked like the main BRC we would have won, but we had to drop another round. It was still nice to see Callum win. It goes to show the pace the boys at home have. Marty winning a round was more proof of the pace over

here.”

“Liam and I had good craic with Callum, Keith, Marty and Dean all year. They are friends and we have good fun with them, and we look out for each other.

DGM as well have been so helpful running the car. It has been the most fun I’ve ever had; the craic has always been mighty.”

It can’t be all play with no work however. William is currently in Scotland studying Business Management. Despite the move, he doesn’t let it get in the way of his hobby.

“I am over in Edinburgh at the moment. It is good craic, and my sister is over here. The airport is

handy for getting back over to rallies. In fact I’m testing the car at home on Monday, so flying back on Sunday. It is tough; I have essays still to be done but if you want to play you have to work hard.”

As well as competing in the BRC, William was also registered for the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and despite having missed two rounds; he was still going into the Cork “20” in a winning position. “It was hard not to do the Irish Tarmac because some of the rallies are just great. We didn’t think it would be the case to be going into the final round with a chance

seconds out of me. I couldn’t understand but there is no point looking any further into it. These things happen.”

On the other hand, he said that getting the opportunity to rally in Belgium as part of the BRC was an experience that had a lasting impression on him.

“Going over to Ypres, no one knew what to expect. It was one of the highlights of the year for me; it was completely different to anything I had done before.

It could be 30 degrees and still slippy because of the polished tarmac surface.”

“The passion they have over there is unreal. There were thousands of spectators lining the hedge for the shakedown alone.

If we are not competing next year, I’ll have to go and spectate at least.”

Sitting beside William in the 208 is Liam Regan, who has brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the crew. “I couldn’t have done it without Liam. He put in so much time and effort, especially for the British series. He has competed in a lot of rallies over the years.”

The experience of Regan has no doubt played a part in the 19 year old driving with a maturity well beyond his years.

An example of that was the opening round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, the Galway International.

“It was our second time doing Galway, so we knew going in that it would be fairly treacherous.

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BY AARON McELROY

of winning it, having missed two rounds.”

Unfortunately, he would have similar luck in the Irish series, and despite his best efforts he finished second overall in it as well. “It was a very positive year; I suppose we were so close yet so far. It was also disappointing. We had serious speed all year, but to come away with nothing was a bit tough.”

Looking back at his off in Cork, William put it down to inexperience at being the pace setter. He said that he is much more used to giving chase, but it is something he will learn from and take with him to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“It is nice to be a wee bit behind and hunt. I find it quite hard to pick a pace if you are leading a rally. That’s what went wrong for us in Cork at the end of the year. To go off the road in the position we were in was a bit stupid.We will take away the fact that we should be driving at a pace where it should never have happened. Mistakes happen and we just got caught out.”

Apart from Cork, William said that the event that stood out for him as most difficult was the Ulster Rally in Derry. Up until Callum Devine retired, the two had been locked in a battle and swapping times all weekend.

“We had a tough Ulster Rally.

I drove knowing I had to go flat out and beat Callum. There were stages where I was going hard as I can and he could take ten

William Creighton, Donegal

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William Creighton and Liam Regan - Pirelli Rally 2017 We wanted to start the year on a good steady pace and were fighting with Marty Gallagher during the rally. He was a bit quicker than us, but he slid off so it’s an approach we try to take.

Not to go balls out as they say at the start, although sometimes you have to if you want to win.”

“Liam and I approach each rally as our own rally. You have to forget about the boys you are competing against. There is no point looking at them, you have to look at what you are doing if you want to be quick. You’ve to get to the finish to get the points” Having left 2017 with some unfinished business, Creighton has no plans set in place for 2018, but is confident he will be staying loyal to the 208 R2.

“We will stick with the Peugeot for another year. For sure it is a serious hobby, I don’t know what the plans are yet but we will just go about it and enjoy it. It will be hard not to go near the BRC if you are looking for the same competition. Having a year under us will be a big boost, but I try to not build up expectations, because then you let yourself down if things go wrong.”

Looking slightly further, he has his eyes set on the end goal, but makes sure his feet stay planted to the ground and that he and Liam take every moment as it

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comes.

“Everyone my age who is doing what I am doing would love to be at WRC. It is a bit far-fetched now but doing Wales Rally GB this year will be nice to do and get a taste for what it is like. We will be just looking to get to the end of the rally; it will be very long and very

tough” Wherever William and Liam will be next year, one drawback from having such a strong rookie year is they will have a target on their back when competing in the future. Other drivers will know they have a class leading pace, but it won’t be playing on their

minds too much.

“I normally prefer to be underdog but that is one thing to think about going into next year; people will be looking at me as the boy to watch. It won’t faze us; we will just do our own thing.”

53

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BY ANDREW BUSHE

54

GREER’S YEAR

2017 MSA ANICC MCGRADY INSURANCE N.I RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTOS: ROY DEMSPTER / FERGAL KELLY

Jonny Greer took the 2017 NI Rally Championship

F

or 2017 Northern Ireland Rally Champion Jonny Greer, the year has provided a new experience, rallying at home against tough opposition, none tougher than seven times champion Derek McGarrity. It was a challenge that he didn’t

initially intend to take up, but after a thirteen second victory over McGarrity on the North Armagh Motor Club’s first round at Kirkistown in February, things rolled on!

“We didn’t anticipate that we would ever be in this position

Stevie Whitford in action on the Glens of Antrim Rally

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at the start of the year. We didn’t initially set out to do the championship, but when we won the first round, we sort of carried on. I think that actually makes it feel more special for me, as we went through the year the more interesting and enjoyable

the whole thing became,” said the Carryduff driver. Third at Kirkistown was Peader Hurson debuting his new Fiesta WRC, with 2000 N.I Champion Robin Phillips making a return to the sport in fourth in his S10 Subaru.

BY ANDREW BUSHE

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Series sponsor Fintan McGrady It was domination on round two for Derek McGarrity at the Ballynahinch Motor Club’s Bishopscourt Stages in a WRC Fiesta, having used an R5 version at Kirkistown. Second was Derek McGeehan in the Mini WRC, Stuart Biggerstaff was third in his S9 Impreza with Kenny McKinstry fourth, and Alan Carmichael fifth.

Jonny Greer was a non-starter on this one, but returned for the third round, a closed road blast through the Glens of Antrim

stages, in a popular new event staged by the Mid-Antrim Motor Club. It was not an easy win for Jonny and co-driver Kirsty Riddick.

The twenty-one seconds over Derek McGarrity were mainly earned over the torturous twists of Torr Head and their DS3 R5 was Derek McGarrity was beaten by one point in the championship mysteriously cutting out on some of the tests, a problem that was to manifest itself on a number of occasions. Alan Carmichael was a fine third on the Glens event and moved to third in the standings using the Mini WRC and he was to become a strong runner as the season progressed.

Peader Hurson at Bishopscourt

TYRONE STAGES Round four was to be the Mourne Rally in June, but its cancellation brought in Cookstown Motor Club’s Tyrone Stages in July. This closed road event over new stages proved immensely popular and thanks to the club’s efforts featured a TV programme and on-line bulletin service. Ironically it was to be a bogey event for the top three in the McGrady series. First victim was Derek McGarrity whose

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Phillip Allen, son of the late Glenn, was very impressive on his first outings newly acquired S14 Subaru expired on stage one with engine problems. Then Alan Carmichael also in an S14 this time retired with gearbox failure. It was an ideal chance for Jonny Greer to capitalise, but whilst lying fourth the DS3 R5 was to grind to a halt with fuel pressure issues after six stages.

“That was the low point in the middle of the season for us” said Jonny. “It started on the Glens of Antrim, then we had the Tyrone

Stages retirement, and I knew it wasn’t to do with the team. It turned out to be a faulty batch of fuel pumps, and once we had cured that, things really turned around.” It was Desi Henry in his R5 Fabia who won that fourth Tyrone round, and took maximum points, as automatic registration was introduced to the series this season. Second placed Marty McCormack took second placed points, with Peader Hurson returning and taking third.

Raymond Johnston in his Histroric Escort

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LAKELAND STAGES The Fermanagh forests basked in September sunshine for the fifth round, and it was a significant rally in terms of the championship. Josh Moffett took a convincing victory with top N.I points, but Jonny Greer’s late charge up into second place ahead of Sam Moffett, was important as Derek McGarrity was fourth on his first appearance in a Skoda Fabia R5. It was a good drive by Derek in what was a new

experience with an R5 Skoda on gravel, but from a championship perspective it was to get worse with Jonny claiming second again on the Omagh Motor Club’s Bushwhacker Rally and Derek struggling into fifth and admitting he could do little to match the pace of the younger R5 chargers.

Fifth placed points for Derek would leave him on dropped scores in a compromised position as the series headed for its finale.

Desi Henry was the winner in Omagh, with fine drives coming from Scottish visitor Jock Armstrong in third and Paul Barrett fourth in an Evo 10.

For Jonny Greer these two rallies turned the championship hunt around and not only were the two second places hard earned, but the rallies were enjoyed immensely. “It’s the first time I have contested the whole series, and some events I hadn’t done before like the Bushwhacker for example. I had often heard my dad talking about some of the classic stages on these rallies, and we have been competing on the famous stages in England and Wales for so many years so I really wasn’t sure just how they would compare.

However when I actually drove some of the stages at home I understood why they had been talking about them for so long!”

BY ANDREW BUSHE

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Richard Tannahill in his Peugeot 208 Another event cancellation followed, this time the Down Rally, as the forests were unable to be used and it fell on Magherafelt Motor Club to run their reserve event. They too were unable to use the Sperrins woodlands due to storm damage, and on a cool but pleasant November day at Nutts Corner, County Antrim, the Northern Ireland Rally Championship was to be decided over ten short stages.

Using the racing track and across the road on a rallyschool course, no-one could have forecast that the series would end with this finale or that Jonny Greer would become the 2017 champion!

Once again Derek McGarrity illustrated just why he holds seven titles with a great drive in the R5 Fabia to eventually take a narrow three second victory over Jonny Greer who had done enough to clinch the series by one point.

Their Citroen DS3 R5 prepared by the Greer family DGM Sport team had run faultlessly and the crew had actually taken a narrow 0.3 second lead going into the tenth and final stage. “We had the narrowest of leads, but then on the start-line the rain came pelting down and the track was like a bottle. We knew the championship was the important thing and we just chilled out a bit and got round” There were other battles being waged out on the final round and Derek McGeehan took the Mini WRC to a fine third place, with Gareth Sayers Ford Fiesta Proto in fourth. Alan Carmichael’s fifth place in the S14 Impreza helped the Ballymoney driver claim third in the championship, In ninth was top two wheel drive runner, Antrim’s James Kennedy in his MK2 Escort. James also claimed the coveted N.I two wheel drive title, just a few points ahead of

Kyle White who was eleventh overall and first in class again with the 1600cc 208 R2. Young Kyle had been just ahead on this final round, but slipped back behind the Escort after a bad run on the wrong tyres stage six.

GROUP N Clive Kilpatrick wrapped up the Group N championship in his Evo 9 after a fine year. The 2017 Junior category winner was Gareth Deazley from County Tyrone who bravely took up the prize and contested the Rally GB National Rally in his class one Honda Civic.

In the Historic category too there was final round drama, as Drew Wylie’s challenge sadly expired like his BDA engine on stage one, and Raymond Johnston had to retire with clutch failure on stage six in his similar RS1800, but secured the championship.

deep end, she has been learning the ropes and making progress, and is very much looking forward to developing the series in 2018.

Once again the series has proved popular with competitors, and once again there are calls for even more media coverage.

Budgets need to be found, major sponsorships arranged, and motor clubs need to play their part in funding and organising their event’s promotion. This great series would benefit greatly from regular TV coverage, but who is going to pay for it?

The last words however will go to the new N.I Champion.

And it looks like he could be back in 2018! ”With the mixture of surfaces in the series, a good atmosphere and the events on offer virtually on our door-step I actually feel that this is one of the better championships out there to contest also. I have really enjoyed the race with Derek and the camaraderie was good.

He is the first person to congratulate you if you have done well on a rally, and I’m sure he will come out fighting again next year.”

CLASS WINNERS The 2017 MSA ANICC McGrady Insurance Northern Ireland Rally Championship class winning drivers are: Class 1-Gareth Deazley, Class 2-Clive Kilpatrick, Class 3-Ryan Murray, Class 4-Kyle White, Class 5-Stephen McFerran, Class 6James Kennedy, Class 7-Dessie McCartney, Class 8-Niall Henry, Class 9-Alan Carmichael, Class 10- Jonny Greer, Class 11-Philip Wylie, Class 12- Raymond Johnston, Ladies ChampionMichelle Morelli, Group N Champion- Clive Kilpatrick, 2WD Champion- James Kennedy, Junior Champion-Gareth Deazley, Historic Champion- Raymond Johnston.

In 2017 the series had a new co-ordinator- Denise McCanney.

Having been thrown in at the

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BY ANDREW BUSHE

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SUPER SAM! FIRST IN THE FORESTS PHOTOS: LORCAN BARRON/CATHERINE GROVES/GAVIN WOODS

Sam Moffett on his way to clinching a third 2017 Rally Championship

T

he 2017 Valvoline Motorsport Ireland National Forest Rally Championship was a game of two halves.

Starting with the Carrick on Suir round in February, the Moonraker in April, and the Donegal event in May it returned on the Jim Walsh Forestry in July, the Lakeland in September and the Bushwhacker providing this year’s final round. Once again the series was extremely well supported, and with the current climate enforcing more stringent levies on closed road rallies, and six good rallies, the championship has become increasingly attractive to competitors.

Once again the series had welcome sponsorship from Valvoline assisting in it having TV coverage for each round, and an active social media presence.

Series co-ordinator Ray Fitzpatrick and his team including Terry Hegarty Jnr and Ita Doonan

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have great enthusiasm for the championship, and this year saw the introduction of a new Junior 1000 class, the first winner Jason Murphy with his Peugeot 107.

Round one, the Carrick on Suir Motor Club’s Willie Loughman Memorial Forest Rally brought a serious entry, and just 0.6 of a second separated the winner Josh Moffett and Stephen Thornton, from brother Sam Moffett and James Fulton, with Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin making it a R5 Ford Fiesta 1-2-3 a further twenty-one seconds behind.

2016 champion Desi Henry took fourth just a few seconds ahead of the similar R5 Fabia of Marty McCormack. Adrian Hetherington was switching well to four wheel drive with sixth in his Corolla WRC. David Crossen took the two wheel drive honours in his MK2 Escort, after challenges from Shane McGirr and John Gordon both faded.

The Munster Motor Club’s Moonraker Rally based in Ballyvourney, County Cork was the second round. Fine dry weather blessed the event, which proved to be a real hit with the competitors, and winner was Keith Cronin in his R5. Keith won by a twenty second margin, his only dramas being an intercom failure and clipping a chicane on stage one, but Josh Moffett, fresh from an ERC Rally Azores podium borrowed his brother Sam’s R5 Fiesta, secured second place and maximum points. Just four seconds behind in third with the WRC Fiesta, Sam Moffett took a little bit of time to get into a rhythm and Desi Henry slotted into fourth just six seconds back from Sam. Comber’s David Crossen took another 2wd victory, Jordan Hone claimed Group N in eighth place overall. Stephen Dickson in his R2 Fiesta took a narrow Junior victory over round

one winner Shane Kenneally in his Honda, whilst Alex Byrne took Junior 1000 honours with round one winner Jason Murphy second.

Round three was the Donegal Motor Club’s Forest Rally based in Donegal town, and the event provided its fair share of excitement, as Marty McCormack stormed to victory in his Skoda Fabia R5. Second overall was the Mitsubishi Evo 6 of Omagh’s Patrick O’Brien and co-driver Stephen O’Brien, who’d consistently fast pace all day. No one expected the Valvoline Two Wheel Drive category winner to make the podium in Donegal, but that’s what happened as Comber’s David Crossen brought his Mark 2 Escort into a fabulous third place overall with co-driver Damien Fleming on the pacenotes. Finishing in fourth overall and top Group N was Omagh’s Cathan McCourt in his Evo,

BY ANDREW BUSHE

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David Crossan was second in the Championship

Seamus Heany won class CI

Ger Lucey finished third in the Forestry Series

Adrian Hetherington in his Corolla WRC whilst, sixth was Cork’s Ger Lucey in his venerable Evo 8, and as in 2016 he once again led the Valvoline points race going into its mid-term break, with the Moffetts electing not to contest the Donegal round.

Sam Moffett and Darragh Kelly in their Ford Fiesta WRC took victory on the Cork Motor Club’s Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally, round four of the series, and it was a result that put him into pole position for the championship

chase. Fifty-one seconds was the margin over second placed Jonny Leonard and Arthur Kierans in the Evo 6 to leap into that position.

Top two-wheel drive in third and less than a minute behind the leader was David Crossen.

Fourth and first in Group N was Jordan Hone with his father Paul as ever in the hot-seat. The ever smiling Ger Lucey was a creditable fifth in his Evo 8, with Enda McCormack sixth, Niall McCullagh seventh and second in Group N, just ahead of Darren McKelvey. John O’Sullivan took the Junior category in his R2 Fiesta, whilst Jason Murphy took victory on the day and in the new M. O’Brien Plant Hire Junior 1000 Championship.

On the fifth round Josh Moffett and Stephen Thornton in their

Ford Fiesta R5 took a convincing thirty-one-second victory on the Enniskillen Motor Club’s Lakeland Stages Rally, but brother Sam’s third place finish was after a calculated drive.

“We were mindful of championship points. It was quite loose on the top surface on the first loop, but it cleaned up in the afternoon and it was a good day in the Fermanagh forests” said Sam who had one more round to go to clinch the series. Clinching the two-wheel drive title early in a fine ninth place overall, David Crossen was delighted, and rightfully so after an astounding performance this year in his MK2 Escort, which was topped off with another victory on the final round. “It’s been a brilliant championship, and brilliant to get six 2 wheel

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BY ANDREW BUSHE

Celebration time in the Moffett camp.

Stephen Dickson scored a second Junior Championship title

Jason Dickson won class 2

Jonny Leonard was second in class 20 drive wins from six starts, so a big thanks to everyone who helped for that “said the Comber engineer.

Sixth place was enough on final

Omagh Motor Club Bushwhacker round to give Sam Moffett and Stephen Thornton in their Ford Fiesta WRC the coveted 2017 Valvoline Motorsport

Sam Moffett receiving the Valvoline Trophy

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Ireland National Forest Rally Championship title, for both driver and co- driver. “To clinch the championship was brilliant, and it’s been a great year, a great series, and for Stephen to get the co- driver’s title is an extra bonus” said Sam. With Ger Lucey nonstarting, second in the series went to two-wheel drive champion David Crossen with Lucey third after another strong season in his Evo 8.

Winner over the six stages laid on by the Omagh Motor Club was last year’s champion Desi Henry in his Skoda Fabia R5, twenty-seven seconds ahead of Jonny Greer’s R5 Citroen, who in turn was four seconds ahead of impressive Scottish visitor Jock Armstrong in his Subaru. Local driver Paul Barrett was a fine fourth in a hired Evo 9, ahead of Derek McGarrity’s R5 Skoda. Sam Moffett took sixth ahead of Alan Carmichael’s Mini WRC, with Alan Smyth’s Evo eighth and a relieved Adrian Hetherington ninth and learning a right-hand drive R5 Fiesta. The Tyrone driver had suffered mechanical misfortune a few times during the year.

A fine tenth place overall for Omagh’s Niall McCullagh and first in Group N was still not enough to give him the Group N title.

That honour went to Jordan Hone with father Paul in the co-driver’s

seat. It wasn’t clear-cut as Jordan’s Evo 9 was struck with gear selector trouble on stage one.

“It wasn’t looking too good at one point, but thanks to Niall Henry and the McCourt’s assistance we made it into service.” Indeed Jordan’s eventual fourth place in Group N was enough to secure the 2017 title.

Second in Group N was Belfast’s Liam Regan who is getting used to his new Evo 9, and Cathan McCourt ended up third despite a stage two spin and the car cutting out on a stage, whilst brother Conor had intercom trouble in his similar machine.

The Valvoline Junior Section was as ever closely fought and winner on the Bushwhacker was Derek Mackeral in the Vauxhall Nova, continuing his winning form from the Lakeland Rally.

The championship was to be decided however and Omagh’s Stephen Dickson emerged as the champion for the second season in the R2 Fiesta after a third-place finish behind the hard trying Johnnie Mulholland.

Mallow’s Jonny O’Sullivan had the disappointment of retiring his Fiesta after service with mechanical woes, but then the elation at the finish of clinching second in the Junior championship, and more importantly first Motorsport Ireland licensed driver which nets him an automatic Billy Coleman Award nomination.

Overall it was another successful year for the Valvoline championship, and the competitors are justly praising the quality of the events, and the special stages, with many tests rivalling those across the seas. There is no doubt that the championship has established itself firmly on the map in recent seasons, and with new initiatives the wheels are well oiled as we head into 2018.

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King Fisher - The Story of Rally legend Bertie Fisher There are only a few copies of this fabulous book remaining, it is a must for any fan of Irish rallying.

Launched in March 2016 at a gala dinner in Armagh, this unique coffee table style publication, which is over 320 pages, 300mm square in size, features over 600 photos and documents and studies a great in-depth look at the Ballinamallard driver’s outstanding 30+ years of competition, is an absolute must for any rally fan.

The book, written by Fergus McAnallen and published with help from the Armagh Tigers Charitable Trust committee and friends, is being sold at £45 (+£10 P&P to UK & Ireland) and is fully

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endorsed by the Fisher Foundation and Fisher family, with all proceeds going to the Fisher Foundation http://www. fisher-foundation. com Copies of the book are dwindling fast but some are still available online at http://www. bertiefisher. com

or at the following shops / outlets : Armagh City Hotel , Friary Road, Armagh McAnallens Benburb SPAR ,Main Street, Benburb The Fermanagh Trust ,Fermanagh House , Enniskillen.

Severfield NI (Fisher Engineering), Ballinamallard Jennings Fuels, Kesh Beattys Spar, Ballinamallard LAST CHANCE to own this special book on one of Ireland’s greatest rally drivers. Stocks Are Limited, and once they’re gone, they’re gone !

For any more information about the book or how to order you can call Fergus on 07714 218477 or Kieran on 07771 654 700 Wider View” calendar.

McKlein Rally Calendar 2018 – The Wider View The new-generation World Rally Cars are wider, faster and more powerful, and make the sport more spectacular than ever before. In their search for the last tenth of a second, the WRCs of Citroën, Hyundai, M-SportFord and Toyota fight their way through powdery dust, slide with all four wheels over icy tracks or speed over bumpy tarmac roads.

All this action-packed spectacle is shown nowhere better than in McKlein’s “Rally 2018 – The

This, the official calendar of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship, shows twenty-five of the most captivating images from the current WRC season.

Technical Details: Publisher: McKlein Size: 95 x 48 cm Pages: 25 Pictures: 25 in colour (a choice between two images every month) Extra features: spiral binding, shrink-wrapped and dispatched in a cardboard box ISBN: 978-3-927458-93-2 Price: 39.90 euros /34.99 GBP www.mcklein-calendars.com

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BY SAMMY HAMILL

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EVERY DREAM COMES TRUE PHOTOS: TREVOR FOSTER / ROY DEMPSTER

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hat now for Sam Moffett? Where do you go after a year in which all your rally dreams came true?

Winner of the premier Clonakilty Black Pudding Irish Tarmac championship, the Triton Showers National champion, the Valvoline Irish Forestry championship and the Celtic Trophy for good measure, Moffett can rightly sit back on his laurels and savour a season of unprecedented success.

Would he even contemplate trying to do it again? Unlikely.

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But then he will tell you he never intended to end up a four-time trophy winner in 2017. The pieces just fell together and, gradually, he found himself “sucked into” a situation he couldn’t resist.

No one has ever pulled off such a championship haul before, not even the likes of Billy Coleman, Bertie Fisher, Austin MacHale, Andrew Nesbitt or Eugene Donnelly. It is doubtful any of them ever tried, such is the commitment involved, but Moffett found the time and the resources to pursue a sustained

campaign which stretched from February to October and covered 17 rallies.

He finished all of them, winning nine times across the three championships and, surprisingly, he did it in the company of a variety of codrivers, Karl Atkinson, James Fulton, Keith Moriarty, Darragh Kelly and Stephen Thornton.

The elder of the two rallying brothers from Clontibret in Co Monaghan, Sam has been winning rallies at all levels stretching back over the past

five years and including his first ‘major’ victory, the Donegal International in 2013, followed by the Rally of the Lakes in 2014.

Throw in a string of national wins as well and he has an enviable record.

But during that period he was largely overshadowed by the likes of Garry Jennings, Declan Boyle and Donagh Kelly, Tarmac champions all and the latter two sweeping up the national championship as well. To some extent younger brother Josh made life difficult for him, too, the pair of them going head-to-head in their matching Tom Gahanprepared Combilift Ford Fiestas on rallies all over the country.

On tarmac Sam often had the upper hand but Josh revelled on the loose, winning the Irish Forestry championship and being chosen as Motorsport Ireland’s Billy Coleman Award winner at the end of the 2016 season. He was, in the eyes of many, the Moffett man on the rise.

However, it was the senior sibling who stole the limelight in 2017 as he demolished all comers in the Irish National series, racking up six straight wins in a row against the likes of Boyle, Kelly

BY SAMMY HAMILL

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and 2016 champion Roy White to take the title before the end of July.

Statistics logged by Aaron McElroy show he was fastest on all but nine of the 53 stages he contested, his average winning margin was 46.98 seconds and he took 125 of the 126 points available. Comprehensive or what?

The significance of his dominance should not be overlooked. He was up against a group of drivers who had rejected the switch to R5 cars, vocally and stubbornly sticking with their favoured WRCs while

the Moffetts and others like Alastair Fisher, Robert Barrable, Marty McCormack and Desi Henry eagerly bought into the R5 concept.

But Sam still had a WRC Fiesta tucked away and he rolled it out with devastating effect to leave everyone in his wake through the first six rounds of the National series. Just for fun he kept Josh company at the start of the Valvoline Forestry championship as well, finishing second behind him on the Willie Loughran Memorial Rally and picked up second place points again on the Moonraker Rally where a ‘visiting’

Keith Cronin edged out Josh.

With Josh focussing on European Championship rallies as part of his Billy Coleman Award bursary, Sam found himself in contention at the top of the standings in the Tarmac, National and Forestry championships and I recall asking him if the intention was to challenge for all three.

He laughed at the notion, saying it was never in his mind.

The Tarmac title was always his primary target.

But as the points piled up, one rally led to another and he got sucked into chasing all three although in the latter part of the

season he found himself caught betwixt and between. Go for glory or bank the points?

A classic example was the Ulster Rally. When his anticipated duel with Fisher fizzled out early, Alastair retiring on only the second stage, Sam was left with the dilemma of getting into a battle with Cronin and the British championship contenders or settling for the points which would all but guarantee him the Tarmac title. He chose the latter but didn’t enjoy it.

Similarly, the Lakeland Stages saw him gather points which took him to the top of the Forestry championship but he was left him trailing in the wake of Josh and Jonny Greer on a rally he had won for the previous two years. Even if he could have challenged them, he chose to take the points.

But with the only the bonus point needed for starting the final Tarmac round, the Cork ‘20’, to ensure he would be champion, Sam was free to let rip one last time and enjoy a wheel-to-wheel duel with younger brother Josh.

It went down to the wire, Josh leading by a tiny margin but then crashing out on the last stage.

Not the way Sam might have wanted an unforgettable season to end but a fitting finale nonetheless.

With no Galway Rally in February to focus the mind, he has time to consider what comes next but a triple title defence is not on the cards.

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GERRY HEADS BACK TO THE HILLS… PHOTO: TOM MAXWELL – RACELINE PHOTOGRAPHY

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ack in 1989, Gerry McGarrity set the sprint and hillclimb scene alight when he blitzed the NI Sprint and Hillcimb Championships in his Honda Civic, setting new records at every hillclimb along the way. In 1989, Gerry set new hillclimb records at Ben Bradagh, Spelga, Cairncastle, Croft, Eagles Rock and Craigantlet.

Gerry was back on the hills in 2017, this time in an historic class Mini. Gerry is hoping to reclaim a few of his Class records in the Mini that he built up along with friend, colleague and fellow class competitor Mervyn Johnston. Gerry’s Mini is lighter than usual as it is a very early shell, weighing in at 630kg as opposed to Mervyn Johnston’s Mini which weighs 670kg. The Mini is full historic

spec - a 1340cc A Series Cooper S engine, straight cut gearbox, Salisbury diff and 10” Minilite wheels.

Gerry spotted the car on ebay and wanted to contact the purchaser to make an offer, but he Gerry eventually discovered that the seller had put in the wrong mobile number. Gerry contacted ebay who eventually gave him the number of the vendor.

The vendor lived in the south of England but originally hailed from Monaghan who told Gerry that the Mini was bought new in 1965 and only ever had one owner. It was used for racing at Silverstone and Brands Hatch. Gerry bought the car and brought it back to Irvinestown where he and Mervyn Johnston are planning a major assault on the 2018 Sprint and Hillclimb Championships...

DVDS BOOKS & CALENDARS from Rosberg’s winning and retiring year.

Formula One: The Pursuit of Speed: A Photographic Celebration of F1’s Greatest Moments

by Maurice Hamilton (Author), Jackie Stewart (Foreword), Paul-Henri Cahier (Photographer), Bernard Cahier (Photographer) UPDATED EDITION With over 300 photographs – from the 1950s to the present day and many previously unpublished – this stunning book is the ultimate celebration of Formula One. This new updated version includes photographs

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From the charismatic rivalries of Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss and the highly competitive Championship battles of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, through to the historic tales of Monaco’s winding course and the atmospheric crowds of Monza, the adrenaline-fueled, highoctane world of Formula One has created some of the greatest moments in sporting history.

Chronicling both the changing face of the teams and their cars, from Lotus and Cooper to Williams and Ferrari, and of course the legendary drivers who have pushed their machines and themselves to the limits, these incredible photographs are from the archive of Bernard Cahier and his son, Paul- Henri who have been trackside capturing the drama of the Formula One Championships since the 1950s.

Brought to life by Formula One correspondent Maurice Hamilton, they tell the story behind the infamous circuits that have played host to intense rivalries which have produced moments of tragedy and triumph that read like a film script

Rally History 2018 For the second time, McKlein takes pleasure in publishing a calendar aimed at enthusiasts of historic rallying. The calendar is called “Rally History” and shows the beauty of this discipline in twenty-five breath-taking colour images offering a truly colourful journey through the history of the sport. Starting with the Mini Coopers, Renault Alpines and Audi Quattros and ending with early World Rally Cars, it comprises a mixture of both rare and well-known images from the McKlein archive in a size and quality never seen before. The calendar comes in a 67 x 48 cm format and takes you to the steep cliffs of Corsica, the dusty gravel roads of East Africa and the great Lancia festival at the Sanremo

Rally. Just like all other McKlein wall calendars, “Rally History” offers the choice between two very different images each month.

Additionally, all pictures come with a short description of the unique moments captured in the photograph.

Technical Details: Publisher: McKlein Photos: McKlein Size: 67 x 48 cm Pages: 26 Pictures: 25 in colour (a choice between two images every month) Extra features: spiral binding, shrink-wrapped and dispatched in a cardboard box ISBN: 978-3-927458-96-3 Price: 39.90 euros /34.99 GBP www.mcklein-calendars.com

McGARRITY EVO 9

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gerry mcgarrity testing the evo at Bishopscourt.

Moffett takes Irish Forest Championship in McGa

Photos: Roy DemPste

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onaghan’s Josh Moffett clinched the 2015 Valvoline Irish Forestry Championship at the final round, the Glens of Antrim Rally. Driving the new Group A Mitsubishi Evo 9 developed by Irvinestown engineer Gerry McGarrity, Moffett’s main opposition was Mick O’Brien in a Focus WRC. Gerry McGarrity was delighted with the result. “We had a few

niggling problems with the Evo whne we first launched the car at the end of 2014 and then I discovered a fault in the wiring loom and once we cured the electrical gremlins there was no holding Josh back. The car cost a tenth of the price of a WRC to build but now that we have it running reliably it is more than a match for any World Rally Car. “Josh has only limited

experience in the Irish forests so we were delighted to have a level playing field for the Mayo Forestry Stages as none of them had been used for about 25 years. Josh put the hammer down on the first stage and was quickest by 25 seconds!”

The car has been developed with new 5 way adjustable XTC suspension which has really improved the car, while Gerry has

RALLY CAR PREPARAT BEST WISHES TO ALL MY CUSTOMERS IN 2018 T: 07768 348738

T: 07768 348738

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BY BRENDAN FLYNN

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CONLON & KELLY 2017 SLIGO PALLETS BORDER CHAMPIONS PHOTO: JAMES BURKE

The winning team from Armstrong Brian Armstrong, Peter McManamon, Motorsport David Armstrong, Philip Armstrong and Bill Armstrong Conlon has made regular appearances in the Border Championship over the years but more recently has focused on the Irish Forestry Championship Peter McManamon and Derek McCarthy where he has enjoyed considerable success. He has been campaigning his faithful black Escort for many seasons and 2017 was his most successful yet Conal Doherty, Peter McManamon, as he claimed Stephen Reynolds overall honours in the Sligo he 2017 Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship has been Pallets Border Rally Championship and also took victory in the won by Michael Conlon and 2wd and Mk2 categories in Darragh Kelly. Castleblayney’s

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the National Rally Championship.

Ciaran McPhillips was his navigator for the year but he missed the opening Border round in Mayo and had to settle for 2nd overall in the Ronan Denning, Peter McManamon navigator’s category. and Karl Egan Martin Byrne stood in for McPhillips in Mayo where he and Conlon took class 13 honours. Conlon/ McPhillips then scored class wins in Cavan, Sligo and Galway with 2nd places in Monaghan and Donegal.This demonstrated both speed and consistency Brenda Flynn presents Adrian Cannon throughout the year. with Second in Class 2 Shane Maguire & Darragh Kelly also teamed in the Border They began their campaign in Championship for the first time.

Monaghan with a class win on

Border RallyChampionship Championship 2017 Border Rally 2017 CarSport

BY BRENDAN FLYNN

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Michael Conlon and Ciaran McPhilips

First in Class 2, Roger Kennedy and Wendy Blackledge with Brenda Flynn

Brenda Flynn presents the award to class 10 winner Mickey Brennan

Stephen Kellett presents an award to Philip Hamilton home ground. They also secured class wins in Sligo, Galway and Donegal giving them a 100% win rate from the four rounds they contested. Maguire matched Conlon’s tally of 40 points but lost the championship on a tie-break. Shane also won the Group N category in the National Championship this year. Darragh’s total of 40 points saw him secure the overall navigator’s category in the Border Championship by just one point.

3rd overall driver went to Martin Geraghty who dominated

class 1 throughout the year while Ryan Brennan secured 3rd overall navigator as he pushed his driver Michael Brennan hard in class 10 securing two class wins and two third places.

Class 1 Champions Stephen Reynolds & Conal Doherty Reynolds had a solid season in class 1 with his navigator Derek McCarthy who took 2nd navigator. Conal Doherty just missed out on an overall placing on a tie-break. Doherty had sat

Border RallyChampionship Championship 2017 Border Rally 2017 CarSport

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Seamus & Gary’s defence of the Border title began well with victory in Mayo but retirements in Monaghan and Sligo dented their title aspirations. They still secured class 11R thanks to another class win in Galway and 2nd in Cavan. Donegal’s Gerard Gibbons/Aodhan Gallagher finished as runners-up with Declan Hall/Chris Corr in 3rd.

Second in Class 11F, Chris Brennan and Martin Hughes receive their award from Stephen Kellett

with Martin Geraghty for most of the season.

Michael Brennan & Ciaran Carr

Class 2 Champions Ronan Denning & Karl Egan

Class 10 involved a tight battle between the Nova’s of the Brennans of Monaghan and the Carrs of Donegal. Michael & Ryan took class wins in Mayo & Monaghan with 3rd places in Cavan & Galway. Two retirements resulted in Shane & Ciaran closing within one point after taking top points in Galway & Donegal.

This pair were the sole registered crew in class 2 and secured the championship after a string of class successes on the opening rounds.

Class 3 Champions Roger Kennedy & Wendy Blackledge

Class 11F Champions Ciaran & Aine Phelan

One of the great supporters of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship, Roger & Wendy notched up another class 3 success in their Peugeot. Adrian Cannon was runner-up in the driver’s category.

Class 10 Champions

The Phelan’s took a dominant class 11F win with Chris Brennan/ Martin Hughes coming home in 2nd and Philip Hamilton 3rd driver.

Class 11R Champions Seamus Connolly & Gary

Class 12 Champions Bill Armstrong & Philip Armstrong Bill and Philip maintained the Armstrong name in the Border championship with success in class 12. The pair edged out the similar Escort of Darrell Quinn/Michael Laverty by just a single point.

Class 13 Champions Daniel Conaghan & Terence McGee The Donegal pair have been regular supporters of the Border Championship. They started well with 2nd in class in Mayo and 3rd in Monaghan. Their next finish wasn’t until Donegal where they finished 9th in class.

Class 14 Champions David Armstrong & Paul Mulholland David Armstrong made a return to the Border Championship this year with navigator Paul Mulholland. Consistent scoring throughout the year left them clear at the top of the class.

Class 15 Champions James McGreal & Chris Mitchell The Mayo pair notched up another success in class 15 thanks to another consistent season.

Class 18 Champions Malcolm Pedlow & Ivor Ferguson

Aodhan Gallagher, Stephen Kellett and Gerard Gibbons

The sole Historic crew to

compete in the championship.

Malcolm and Ivor piloted their beautiful BMW 2002 around the stages to another class success.

Class 20 Champions Declan McCrory & Graham Henderson Declan & Graham dominated class 20 throughout the year scoring top points in Mayo, Cavan and Galway.

Junior Champions Jason Black & Jack McKenna

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BY BRENDAN FLYNN

McCrudden

The Armagh/Monaghan duo put in some scintilating times throughout the year notching class wins in Mayo and Galway with 2nd in Sligo and 3rd in Cavan securing the title. Jonathan Treanor and Michael Carr took 2nd in class with Keith Jacob in 3rd.

Team Champions Armstrong Motorsport Armstrong Motorsport were crowned Team Champions with a comfortable advantage over Border Busters.

Summary The 2017 Sligo Pallets Border Championship was once again a huge success. Despite a drop off in entries and registered crews, there was still plenty of competition through the year with the overall placings going right down to the wire.

Sligo Pallets have become synonymous with the championship in recent years and we hope this partnership will continue for many years to come.

The prizegivings have become bigger and better each year with a total of €17, 536 raised over the last six years. The Border Championship committee would like to thank Andrew Mullen for his continued commitment to the series.

2017 saw another pair of first time champions crowned for the fifth year in succession.

Congratulations to Michael Conlon & Darragh Kelly. We look forward to seeing them defend their respective titles in 2018.

Border RallyChampionship Championship 2017 Border Rally 2017 CarSport

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MEEKE AND KELLY STAR IN SAN MARINO PHOTOS: MAX PONTI

Kris Meeke entertains the Italian crowds in his Xsara

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ris Meeke and Frank Kelly set the Rally Legend stages alight. Meeke, who had his gravel note checker Derek Brannigan sitting with him, drove a Citroen Xsara, while Frank Kelly, partnered with his daughter Lauren, was out in his trusty baby blue Mark Two. Meeke set fastest time on every stage until the Xsara suffered hydraulic failure.

The event also featured a Colin McRae Tribute which was a great success. The immense crowd of spectators from all over Europe was most impressed, judging from the applause!

A fantastic group of ten drivers

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and four navigators who wrote stunning pages in the annals of rally history, unprecedentedly were all together on Saturday 21 October on the WRC Conference stage at the Rallylegend Arena.

An absolute first, and an amazing opportunity then to see them all together at the wheel in the cars that, thanks to their prowess, have become the stuff of legend!

Stig Blomqvist, Ari Vatanen, Timo Salonen, Juha Kankkunen, Miki Biasion, Didier Auriol, Marcus Gronholm, Petter Solberg and the two current champs, Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier, plus Hans Thorszelius, Bjorn Waldegaard’s navigator,

and Luis Moya, representing Carlos Sainz, and Colin McRae’s co-drivers, Derek Ringer and Nicky Grist, making for a gala ‘cream-of-the-crop’ assembly for the Arena homage to Colin McRae − a rally ace adored even by his direst ‘foes’. The Scots champ was represented by his family, too − mum and dad Margaret and Jimmy, daughter, Hollie, and brother Alister (also an impressively experienced driver).

The large public, made of moved and attentive spectators, also included many drivers and champions competing at Rallylegend, including Kris Meeke (who was something of a

‘disciple’ of Colin McRae’s in his early days) and Thierry Neuville, awaiting his Sunday performance at Rallylegend (not to mention Sandro Munari and Simo Lampinen two legendary figures from rally’s ‘pioneering’ era).

The WRC Conference honouring the memory of Colin McRae, compered by Claudia Peroni, included video testimony from Carlos Sainz, unable to attend, David Richards and Malcom Wilson, two team managers whose belief in McRae’s qualities was unshakeable and Valentino Rossi, who considers Colin McRae an idol in the rally world.

During the evening the “Champion Legend” award went to Colin McRae. The prestigious award − from Eberhard&Co., the watchmakers celebrating 130 years of production − was received by Hollie McRae, Colin’s

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Frank and Lauren Kelly

Donagh Kelly

nineteen-year-old daughter.

On Sunday 22 October, after the amazing World Champions group photo session, together with the cars in which they won their colours (all on display at Rallylegend Village), came the Champions for a Champion Parade with a special stage called “The Legend” before a delighted public. World Champions at the wheel in the vehicles in which they reached the pinnacles of rallying. The world of rally paid homage to McRae also with a Colin’s Parade, with ten cars driven by the Scot during his career.

Kris Meeke and Derek Brannigan

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Meeke Xsasa With this event and the rally, Rallylegend found it had a new (and important) fan in Kris Meeke: “I’m used to driving with maximum concentration because in WRC competitions, the gaps are always a question of some tenths of a second. Being at an event like Rallylegend, which I’d only heard about but nothing more, brought me into contact with something incredible – just driving for the pleasure of driving, strutting our stuff before an amazing public from all over the world and in such numbers! And remembering Colin, who I carry in my heart. Driving his car with his family present. It was really great!”

San Marino teams dominated the Historics, following three Rallylegend legs, with Marco Bianchini and Daiana Darderi, in a 1985 Lancia 037, first in after an inspiring duel with Calzolari for much of the second leg. Giuliano Calzolari, with Costa at his side (1981 Ford Escort RS) provided a fine place of honour, plus Davide Cesarini, with Gabrielli, in a 1973 Ford Escort RS, and Stefano Rosati, with Toccaceli, in a 1979 Talbot Lotus, making for a truly impressive turnout ‘made in San Marino’. Absolute fifth for Claudio Covini, with Brega, in a 1985 Lancia 037, donning Shell Elix Ultra.

Simone Romagna triumphant once more, with Dino Lamonato, in a 1990 Lancia Delta 4WD, in the Myth category, truly remarkable speed and heading the way for the entire race, with, hailing from San Marino, Loris Baldacci, and Magnani, in a 1998 Renault Clio Williams coming in

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ex Brookes Sunbeam

Lauren Kelly second. Qualifying third for the Myth event was Gustavo Trelles from Uruguay, with Del Buono, in a 1990 Lancia Delta 4WD. Trelles is a big international name and a Rallylegend ‘aficionado’.

Luciano Cobbe, with Fabio Turco (2002 Ford Focus WRC) triumphed for the WRC-KIT category, before the Dane, Kristian Poulsen, with Niels

Iversen, in a 1998 Toyota Corolla WRC, which, during the rush, overtook Nico Signorini e Leonardo Marraccini’s 1993 Renault Clio Maxi, topping the Kit category. Martin Prokop, a prestigious international figure, fourth to the finish, was essentially particularly keen to provide a spectacle for his public pitched out along the special stages.

From the very start, Kris Meeke (official driver for the Citroen team in the World Rally Championship) understood what Rallylegend was really all about.

A hydraulic problem denied him an easy victory in his D-Max team 2003 Citroen Xsara WRC, with Brannigan. But he wanted the spectators to enjoy the show anyway, which was something the spectators greatly appreciated.

Marty McCormack and Barney Mitchell

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WINNERS

of the Roger Albert Clark Rally 2017

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ADAC EIFEL RALLYE FESTIVAL 2017 - SIX DECADES ON THE LIMIT

Neuville

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he 2017 Eifel Rallye Festival proved to be just the spectacle for which everyone had hoped. There were one hundred and sixty cars making a great show on the demonstration stages in the Vulkaneifel region.

Watching them were thousands of spectators from all over Europe as the Festival celebrated cars and drivers representing ‘Six Decades of Rallying’. From the rattling of a two-stroke Wartburg via the fire-spitting beasts from the Group B era including three Peugeot 205 T16, five Ford RS200 and as many Audi Sport Quattro E2 to the modern-day World Rally Cars, the Eifel Rallye Festival had it all. During the three-day event, the spectators could either watch the cars in action on eight demonstration stages that totalled one hundred and twenty kilometres, or get up close with the cars and drivers in the Rallye Mile in Daun.

Armin Schuarz

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The stars were shining Mingling with the Gentlemen Drivers who restore and drive their precious classic rally cars themselves in the Eifel, were a dozen ‘VIP drivers’ who were also taking an active part in the Festival. The youngest of them was 29-year-old Hyundai works

driver Thierry Neuville who made a stop in Daun before heading on to the next WRC round in Finland. “I really enjoyed it and I hope that the fans also enjoyed my driving. I have tried to drive in as spectacular a way as possible”, says the current vice-World Rally Champion after climbing out of his Hyundai i20 WRC on Friday night after inserting the occasional series of doughnuts into his stage performances.

Looking at the cheering crowds on the stages, one can say: Mission accomplished!

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Neuville’s Eifel Rallye Festival ‘team-mate’, Armin Schwarz, took the wheel of two different Hyundai WRCs. When his own 2003 Accent WRC retired with gearbox problems, Schwarz had the chance to swap into a proper works car - a slightly less historic Hyundai i20 WRC. “Thanks to Hyundai for letting me drive such a fantastic car. What I like most about this event is that the rally is based right in the centre of Daun - and that we all feel most welcome here. It is a real Festival.”

Equally thrilled was 1983 World Rally Champion Hannu Mikkola: “I would like to thank the organisers for giving me the chance to be here. This is a superb event with a great atmosphere.” While Mikkola joined the Eifel Rallye Festival for the second time, Kalle Grundel from Sweden made his Festival debut. “There are so many memories from my time in the German Rally Championship that are coming back, this is really fantastic. I certainly want to return next year.” German Rally Champion Matthias Kahle experienced his own form of time travel by swapping cockpits between the 1977 Monte Carlo Rally class winning Skoda 130 RS to this year’s WRC2 class winning Skoda Fabia R5, which he drove on both stages of the ‘Festival Parade’. “This was my personal journey in time. It is simply unbelievable how many people came here to watch the action.”

For the ‘Champion’s Choice’ award, this role was served by the VIP drivers taking part in the event and they chose the tiny Trabant P 800 RS driven by Olivier and Marc Hermans. While the BMW 2002 of Wolfgang Schröder and Detlef May resembling the 1972 Olympia Rally works car was crowned as “Best Replication”, the Toyota 222D owned by Ernst Kopp was awarded the ‘Best Original’ prize. This Group S prototype drove its first stage kilometres since 1986. The ‘Sideways Star’ trophy for the most spectacular course-opening car went to Michael Rausch and Marcel Stauch in their Opel Ascona B 16V.

the Eifel skies during the proWIN night stage and made it look like a glowing fireball racing through the night. The final - and probably most prestigious - award of the night was the ‘Rallying Ambassador’ trophy handed over to Stig Blomqvist who has made history by winning rallies in six

With classic rally cars driven on the limit, it is only natural that sometimes technical gremlins appear. But for some crews, this was not the end of the story.

When Andreas and Ramona Hoppe found the rear axle of their Opel Ascona B leaking oil after the shakedown, they drove

to have worked as much on their car as the No. 2, the Fricker Mercedes 190E 2,5-16 driven by Harald Demuth. On Thursday, they repaired a broken driveshaft after the shakedown and then, on Friday night, they worked on the gearbox until 3 am. Both times, they managed to get the

home overnight and returned the next morning just in time for scrutineering with a spare car, an Opel Manta 400. Swiss crew Franco Lupi and Daniel Petermann were able to cure the problems on their Porsche 924 Turbo in Daun but only by taking the whole gearbox apart right there in the Rally Mile. But nobody seemed

Mercedes running again but it wasn’t enough. A broken fan belt eventually ended the trip out on the stages. Two-times German Rally Champion Harald Demuth was sorry for the fans. “We did not get back to service in time otherwise we would have tried to get it running for the afternoon stages again.”

Stig Blomqvist different decades. “I had a lot of fun this weekend and there was also a lot to do as I could drive three different cars. I really enjoyed that”, said the 70-yearold Swede who is known to be rather silent and undemonstrative, but during the prizegiving one could see that he was really moved.

While Rausch’s driving style caught the attention of the jury, it was something else which made them vote for Dave Kedward and Felix Wiseman to win the ‘Special Prize’: The red-hot turbocharger of Kedward’s Peugeot illuminated

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BY ROB WILKINS

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HARRI TOIVONEN ON RALLYING IN IRELAND, THE METRO 6R4 AND HENRI INTERVIEW: HARRI TOIVONEN

PHOTOS: FERGUS MCANALLEN/RALLYRETRO.COM

Circuit of Ireland, 1986

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oivonen: one of the most emotive and legendary names in the motorsport world, but as with Senna, Hill or Clark, it is etched in sadness and in part born out of tragedy.

Back in the 1980s rallying was massively popular with the monster Group B cars heralding in what some regard as a ‘golden era’. The death on May 2 1986 of Henri Toivonen and co-driver Sergio Cresto while competing in Corsica ended that and more importantly cut short two lives.

More than 30 years on, brother Harri Toivonen is at Rallyday 2017 chatting to Rob Wilkins about his own career, about the Metro 6R4 and inevitably also about his brother, Henri - still missed, and still very much remembered.

Harri, when people mention the Toivonen name there’s a real mystique and emotion that comes with it - and thanks to you, your father, Pauli and your brother Henri it is intrinsically linked with motorsport. How does that make you feel?

Well, first of all when people start to talk about my dad and about Henri I am really glad that everybody still remembers them.

Most people think that it is a bad moment for me, an emotional moment for me to speak about them, and yes, it is, but at the same time I am really happy to speak about them. I wouldn’t be here without them and because of dad both of us started to

drive and then because of Henri, who was also my best friend, he helped me a lot and I mean a lot during my career. After Henri’s accident I still did a bit of rallying but then I went into circuit racing because Henri was always saying I was so quick on the special stages and so I should try also the circuits. Well I did from 1989 until 2007 - it was actually a longer time in racing than in rallying.

“ALL THE REALLY BAD FEELINGS HAVE GONE AND NOW IT IS MORE THAT I AM MISSING HIM A LOT…” What do you remember about competing with the Metro 6R4 in 1986 in what was then the Shell Oils RAC MSA British Open Rally Championship?

In the left hand drive metro on the 1986 Manux Rally

CarSport

Yeah I did the British Open Rally Championship with the Metro 6R4 and then we did a few World Championship rallies too, it was a great time. It was a really nice team and we had probably the best team boss ever, John Davenport. He was a really awesome man and still is – what a gentleman. We are still good friends and I still call him boss! Unfortunately we had some problems with the car at

that time, like in the Scottish Rally, when there was a lot of dust in the air and the air filters were sucking everything in and we lost all the engines. I still remember when Dai Llewellin was my team-mate and my car

was already gone, but his engine was almost gone and we tried to push him from the service to get the engine to start again. It was a great time. We had a good time with RED and then of course the World Championship rallies I was working for the factory team with Malcolm Wilson and then in the UK, on the RAC, it was also with Tony Pond, really nice guys. I have some very good memories. Of course there were some bad times also when we went off on the Circuit of Ireland and it was the third or fifth from last stage, but most of it was really good.

BY ROB WILKINS

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What was the Circuit of Ireland rally like at that time?

It was the last time it was five days and it was really long. We didn’t sleep a lot in the nights or the evenings because we always started again at about 2am. I always joke that with these new WRC drivers, it is a miracle if they can put the lights on! [laughs]. In my day we were driving more in the night and with the Group B cars. I remember in that year we had this average speed, which was 110 or 120 whatever it was, and after the first day ten guys were leading the rally because we all passed the average speed.

We all had the same time which was ridiculous, but it was good fun. We did a good rally. We were lying in third position until just from the very end. Then there came a small mistake and still I have to say it wasn’t my mistake.

The note came a bit too late. We went over a crest flat-out and then it was something like 100 or 70 or whatever it was, right - a 90 right junction and there was a gate on the front and there was a small hole that I tried to aim for.

Well I aimed okay, but we had too much speed and we destroyed the whole front. It was a really bad moment because then Neil [Wilson – my co-driver] was saying to me immediately: ‘Sorry, sorry, I was late, my mistake’.

I tried to continue and we did about 1 mile but we couldn’t do more. Then when the big boss came to see us, Neil went and said: ‘This young man is crazy.

He was still going flat-out’. Of course, I am doing what the note is saying but I wasn’t pushing. It was just one of those things. That was, is, rallying.

The 1986 Ulster Rally stayed in a hotel in Belfast and there was this bloody security room. Each time you went in they checked all your pockets and all of your bags because they were so scared of the bombs. I was scared too, thinking: ‘What’s going on here? Is this really so dangerous?’

I also recall one special stage that we started to recce very well. So we stopped at the beginning of the stage when Neil started to write everything ready for the rally. Suddenly I heard a knock on my window and there were these army guys with guns. He was hitting the door with the gun, shouting out: ‘Passports’.

The Finnish passport was really good then and after they saw it, they just said: ‘Okay, bye’ and just disappeared into the forest.

That was really scary. Despite that

though, it was a really good time and I really liked driving in Ireland.

It was a pity I couldn’t go there this year to remember everything but one day hopefully. We had a really good time there also after the rally because Dai Llewellin won it. We went out with Nigel Mansell and Tony Pond and it was kind of a wild evening.

The Metro 6R4, as you said won there with Dai, did you enjoy driving it and what was it like to drive? You had to use both right-hand drive and left-hand drive versions didn’t you?

Yeah it changed. In the beginning the first rally was the National Breakdown and I always remember that event. We went to RED to test the car and actually

all that we did with the car before the rally was that we drove all the way from that factory to wherever the National Breakdown was starting. It was right-hand drive – and I had never driven right-hand drive – and we were on the motorway and the rally car was quite wide, not the easiest to drive. Then on the morning of the rally we were driving with the gravel tyres and I noticed that there was about 20-30 centimetres of snow. We had no studs and I thought, ‘Oh no, it can’t be more difficult’. Anyway we were doing not so bad until we came to this asphalt stage. It was one of those park stages and there was snow, water, everything on the stage and we got a bit sideways and suddenly there was a very narrow gate. The Metro was like a square, but it wasn’t

What else do you remember about rallying in Ireland?

I just remember the first time when I came to Ireland. We

Servcing the right hand drive Metro on the 86 Ulster Rally

CarSport

BY ROB WILKINS

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1986 Manx Rally HARRI TOIVONEN TODAY: What are you up to these days?

I am lucky that I have got a lot of invitations to do different shows and to go to them and drive different cars. We are hoping to go to Tuscany in November and do the TER Tour European Rally Series event there in a Fiesta R5.

That will be my first proper rally in a long, long time. If it goes well hopefully we can do something more, maybe some other rallies like that in 2018 with the R5 and probably the European Historic Rally Championship with the Ford Sierra too.

LE MANS: What was it like to compete at Le Mans?

Unfortunately I finished only once at Le Mans [in 1991]. However, in 2001 [with Team Ascari and my team-mates Ben Collins and Werner Lupberger], we were lying in fourth position, but it rained so much that the black box was just soaking water and the fuel vent went – a £1.5 million project was gone because of a 70 pence part. But yeah, I have always had a good time at Le Mans, a few small accidents at about 300 kms per hour! [laughs] - and the top speed we had there was something like 374 kms per hour.

I enjoyed that time in racing but now I am back in rally. I got the chance to do a rally in 2011 and decided to put my racing stuff to one side and start to do rally again. I am enjoying rallying more than ever.

CarSport

square enough to go sideways through that gate and we hit the left front and the radiator went. The guys changed that and it was okay, but they forgot to bleed it, to take all the air out, so we lost the head gasket and retired. That was the start with the Metro 6R4.

The car was nice to drive on some surfaces but like on asphalt when you hit the white paint it was really snappy. Later we got left-hand drive, but we were up against, like 1986 Manx Rally on the RAC, Audi, Lancia, Peugeot and Ford and we gearbox and everything. He was didn’t have the power like behind me and thought he’d they had. I drove the Lancia S4 be able to breeze by. Then I just recently in Italy and Dan Ellmore went to the left lane and passed was behind me with a Metro, people. Later he said: ‘Damn that which is more sophisticated car goes’ - and that wasn’t even now because it has a sequential

1986 Circuit of Ireland

with the high boost, but it is so quick compared to the Metro.

Did you enjoy working with RED and the Austin Rover Rally Team?

Nationality: Finnish Born: October 20 1960 Age: 57 FIA World Rally Championship 1986 8th Lakes 6R4 Wrede)

Rally of 1000 MG Metro (Cedric

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BY ROB WILKINS

FACTFILE & SELECTED CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

FIA European Rally Championship

On a snowy National Breakdown Rally

Oh I did, a lot. We had a really good team and all the mechanics were great. Okay, I was working for RED and the factory team and so we had two different mechanics, but in both of the teams there were fantastic guys. It was really good and a nice family.

I really enjoyed it.

That year of course was a tragic one for your family with the death of your older brother, Henri. You must still feel the impact of that?

Of course and especially when I go to these happenings in Italy where I drive Lancias. The first thing I did when I saw this Lancia S4 a week ago, I looked immediately under the throttle and said to myself: ‘Is there the piece of metal there?’ Henri’s throttle was stuck on the floor and that is why the accident happened in Corsica. I always look at that and there was that bit of metal and so that was fixed. So it is immediately in my mind to check all these things otherwise I would not drive the car. But of course all the really bad feelings have gone and now it is more that I am missing him a lot. I am thinking about him almost every day, one way or the other because there are a lot of people who remind me about him. Next week we are having a big meeting with the film industry in Finland and we are looking at making a movie about Henri. You are the first person [member of the media] that knows this and you are allowed to write it. It will probably take five years to make it and everything is still ideas at this stage. We are talking, as I said,

with one film company in Finland next week and if that doesn’t go forward then we are going maybe to the USA, or England, or Italy or somewhere that we can make a movie.

What was it like being Henri’s younger brother?

Henri was always tipped to achieve so much in the WRC and in motorsport. Do you ever wonder what might have been?

A pain! [laughs] He was so bloody quick, and so bloody good in every way - he was good as a human, technically, in driving, working with the teams, he was just so good. I was always four years behind and if I succeeded, or if I won a rally, or I was topthree, everybody said, ‘Of course, he is a Toivonen’. But if I failed I was the black sheep of the family - that was quite hard at that age to hear from the press.

I felt I didn’t get the credit when I did a good rally and when we got good results because that was ‘obvious’: ‘Of course, it is the Toivonen family and he is getting the best cars and the best sponsors’, they would say. That was a lie because I didn’t get the best cars. So, yeah it was difficult to be his brother, but at the same time it helped a lot too.

Sure, I always have different thoughts. But the thing was when he died they banned Group B and already in that time Group S was coming. Without his accident a lot more drivers would have died.

I think he probably saved a lot of lives and there are a lot of Group B drivers who can say thank-you to him that they are still alive.

Do you think the FIA decision to ban Group B cars in the wake of Henri’s death was correct?

Absolutely, yes. The cars of that time, there were no rules for the cars, it was really wild and [FIA president at that point] JeanMarie Balestre made the right decision to ban Group B.

Your father Pauli was also known for his exploits in rallying and was crowned the European Rally Champion in 1968 with Porsche. Was there ever any question in your mind that you would also go into rallying and motorsport?

Well the thing was my dad never pushed us. It was our own decision. When we started with go-karts it was always that both of us wanted to drive. Henri wanted to drive more on the circuits and my idea was to go straight to rally. But it was 100 per cent from the beginning that I was going to drive and I was going to be a rally or race driver.

Do you find the fact people still want to ask you about Henri helps keep him alive in a way?

Exactly. That is why I want to make this film too. We are not going to make any headlines.

It will be more a really positive thing about his driving. He was an unbelievable driver and everybody remembers that he was a really kind man, a fantastic person.

Those are the things we want to show in the movie.

1988 1st Hankiralli (Finland) Lancia Delta HF 4WD (Ilkka Riipinen) 1987 9th Hankiralli (Finland) Mazda Familia 4WD (Cedric Wrede) 1987 3rd Arctic Rally Mazda 323 4WD (Cedric Wrede) 1984 2nd Hankiralli (Finland) Audi 80 Quattro (Cedric Wrede)* 1983 7th Arctic Rally Ford Escort RS (Juha Paajanen) *1st in class A8 Shell Oils RAC MSA British Open Rally Championship 1986 4th British Midland Ulster Rally MG Metro 6R4 (Neil Wilson)

Sportscars 1991 9th Le Mans 24 Hours Porsche Kremer Racing 962** **shared car with Manuel Reuter and JJ Lehto

CarSport

BY ROB WILKINS

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1986 Ulster Rally Let’s talk a bit about rallying today. This year in the WRC we have seen a lot of change. Volkswagen pulled out suddenly at the end of 2016, and of course we have Toyota back and a new breed of cars. What do you make of the latest generation cars? Has the sport gone in the right direction?

Speed wise, more noise please!

But the thing is it is going to become too expensive again. It is way too expensive and that is a shame because young drivers just cannot afford it. There are some really talented drivers who cannot get good drives because there are so few proper factory teams. Ott Tänak looks set to join Toyota [now officially confirmed – Ed] and if that happens then Teemu Suninen will probably get a works car [at M-Sport] for next year. That is good for us, as he is a Finn, but for Malcolm [Wilson – M-Sport boss] it would be really bad [to lose Ott]. I really hope everything comes good for Malcolm. He has been pushing hard as a privateer and he should get the big trophies for what he has done.

M-Sport’s form this season with Sébastien Ogier and Ott has been fantastic hasn’t it?

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Exactly, but the big problem is, as I said, it is getting too expensive again. Also if you look at the jumps, like in Finland, I went to see the shakedown and I am quite tall, and I looked up when the cars were jumping, but now they are starting to lift at the front. I am a bit scared it might happen the same like with Mercedes at Le Mans [in 1999] - that they will flip. I really hope it won’t happen but the speed and everything is unbelievable.

How do you rate the current crop of WRC drivers?

1986 Ulster Rally

Good drivers but the personalities are not there anymore, like we had with Markku Alén, Henri and the others. Before the drivers were more colourful and that was one part of the whole show.

When they came into the room it was a show immediately, you know what I mean? So it needs more colourful people.

What changes would you like to see in rallying in the future?

Me in a factory car! [laughs].

What can I say? Getting the expenses down and more teams and more manufacturers into it. It is a shame that Ford is not backing up Malcolm and M-Sport because they have done a brilliant job. Malcolm has put up a fortune

1986 Ulster Rally for this and it would be great to get Ford back officially, as well as some other teams. It would be fantastic to get five to eight

manufacturers there, at least.

That would open up the whole show again.

WHEN RALLYING WAS MAINSTREAM…

BY PAT BURNS

81

PHOTOS: FERGUS MCANALLEN/WWW.RALLYRETRO.COM

Chris Serle talks about competing on the 1981 Lombard RAC Rally with Roger Clark…

Rauno Aaltonen about to give Chris Serle a driving lesson

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ack in the seventies and eighties, rallying generated as much media interest as Formula One, with regular reports on the World Rally Championship and British Rally Championships on primetime television, as well as in the daily newspapers.

Back then, there were only 3 television channels available, so

viewing figures were massive by modern standards. Rallying was immensely popular, with many of the drivers household names and this top ranking PR was greatly helped when Chris Serle navigated for Roger Clark on the 1981 Lombard RAC Rally for a ‘fly on the wall’ series, ‘In at the Deep End.’

In the programme, Chris was trained in the skills of being a rally co-driver and then was sent out to compete with former RAC Rally winner Clark in a Mark Two Escort. Chris Serle had never set out to become a celebrity, but he ended up co-driving for the ‘poster boy’ of British rallying, Roger Clark, who drove for Ford

and had previously won the Lombard RAC Rally in 1977 in his Cossack hairspray Escort. The BBC programme ‘In at the Deep End’ was primetime viewing with audience figures approaching 20 million. That programme is now available to watch in three parts on Youtube.

“After studying at Trinity College in Dublin, I was working as a radio producer for the BBC,” recalls Chris.

“A good friend of mine, who had done reviews with me when we were students, asked if I could come along and do some work with them. It was with Dave Allen and I was Dave’s foil on some of his early shows.”

The early Dave Allen shows are also available to view on youtube and a young Chris Serle plays the part of a newsreader…

Roger Clark and Chris Serle in action on the ‘88 Lombard RAC Rally

“It was a sort of moonlighting.

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Chris Serle discusses the filming of ‘In at the Deep End! I had spent 10 years as a radio producer and a gap had appeared on Esther Rantzen’s ‘That’s Life’ tv programme which was absolutely massive back then. I was asked to come along and have a go, which I did for a laugh, but I got the job. It was very rewarding and very interesting but with 20 million people watching I suddenly had become a reluctant TV star and I wasn’t interested in being a celebrity – it can be a pain in the neck. I literally couldn’t walk down the street without being recognised.

“After 3 or 4 years of That’s Life, (fellow co-presenter) Paul Heiney and I decided to move on, but we still had some time to run on our BBC contracts and that’s how ‘In at the Deep End’ came about.

“One of our producers was very keen on motor sport and rallying in particular. Rallying was huge then, 3 million people came out to spectate on the Lombard RAC. The producer looked into it and came back to say we had got Roger Clark on board. Roger was a massive star back then.”

In the programme Roger comes across as a prickly character but Chris insists that wasn’t the case.

“Roger was ok, but he was very focused and he would be the first to admit that he thought of us as ‘media poofters’. He gritted

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his teeth and just got on with it.

He was just so focused. If you tried to talk to a top footballer during a match you wouldn’t get much sense out of them, but a football match is 90 minutes, we had 4 days of rallying with next to no sleep.

“Roger was lovely in private and very funny. People forget how gruelling rallying was. Not only was the event non-stop for 4 days, but I had a few sleepless nights planning the route, service halts, planning refuelling points etc on Ordinance Survey maps, so by the time the actual event started I was pretty well out of it.”

During the event, Chris sends Clark the wrong up a motorway road section, loosing them valuable service time. Could this possibly have been done to add to the air of tension that comes across in the programme? Serle insists this wasn’t the case.

“I made a mistake on a road section on a motorway – it was genuine mistake. We didn’t have a chase car or anyone to follow – that was the whole point of the programme, I did what a co-driver should do on a rally. When we realised we would be late for service due to my mistake there was a long silence in the car.”

In the programme, Chris can be seen regularly lighting up a cigarette, but when he meets

Roger for the first time and asks Roger if he has any pre-requisites for a co-driver, Roger’s answer was ‘no smoking!’

“I don’t know how I managed without the cigarettes, it didn’t help!” says Chris.

“We did a lot of filming prior to the event as we wanted to look at all apsects of motor sport. We went banger racing at Crayford Park as it was really popular at the time. It was awful. The fuel tank was actually an old fire extinguisher that was strapped in where the passenger seat should have gone and had a pipe

running into the engine. There was a ‘Jack the Lad’ in the race who tipped me over on to my side and in the accident the fuel tank came loose and hit me on the shoulder and leaked fuel all over me. There I was stuck in the car, on its side with petrol running over me. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. I was driven home.

I had been using my motorbike helmet with the visor removed and my face was covered in the red mud from Crayford. When I got home, I collapsed in pain and exhaustion. My wife came in and thought I had bled to death!

Rauno Aaltonen and Chris Serle in the Ascona 400

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Getting to grips with the Opel Ascona 400 Bagshot “It was only a few weeks later when I had to drive a left hand drive rally car and my shoulder was really aching trying to steer the car that I got it checked out and discovered I had dislocated my shoulder in the banger accident.” A few weeks after that, Chris spent a day filming with Rauno Aaltonen at Bagshot where Rauno gave some rally tuition to Chris in an Opel Ascona 400.

As well as the rally instruction with Rauno, Chris also suffers the wrath of John Taylor who worked with Ford Motorsport at the time.

In the rally, Chris had to drive the Escort (built by Dave Campion who would go on to be a director at Prodrive) on one of the stately home special stages with Roger co-driving for Chris… This was not uncommon at the time, particularly on very long rallies but has since been outlawed by the MSA. In the programme, John Taylor tries to demonstrate how to balance the Escort on the throttle but ends up rapping his knuckles on Chris’ helmet shouting at him, “You are going to lose the rally for Roger.” John Taylor, operations manager at Ford Motorsport at the time and a former European Rallycross Champion, comes across as a fractious character but Chris looks back on it from a different perspective – that of a producer

as opposed to a viewer.

“The part with John Taylor where he teaches me car control was great – John made for great tv.

“Rallying was fantastic and I continued rallying afterwards – both driving and co-driving but time was always the problem.

The other highlight of the series was going sailing where I had to skipper a yacht on a race in the Channel.”

After two series of ‘In at the Deep End’, Chris returned to producing and now lives near Bristol, but he continues with his love of motoring.

“I have a beautiful Aston Martin DB2/4, which is probably the cheapest Aston Martin you can buy and is a lot of fun to drive…” he says. As long as you don’t have John Taylor rapping his knuckles on your head that Rauno and Chris is…

Roger Clark

CarSport

BY ANDREW BUSHE

84

WHEN DAVID BEAT GOLIATH….

PHOTOS: FERGUS McANALLEN/WWW.RALLYRETRO.COM

Dave in action at Sartfield hairpin on the1990 Isle of Man Rally

T

wenty-five years have passed since Thursday 17th December 1992, the day when rallying lost one of its heroes. Dave Metcalfe was thirtyfive when he was killed in a multi vehicle collision whilst testing a Calibra 4x4 Turbo rally car along the A6 north of Kendal. Myrna Clitheroe, a retired school-teacher from Carlisle was also sadly killed on the impact with her Ford Fiesta.

Many fans still fail to believe that Dave was taken in this way, as he had seemed almost invincible as he slid Novas at impossible angles in forests and leapt them high over the jumps and bumps in Ireland and on the Isle of Man. He had inspired and still does inspire many drivers with his rally driving skills, yet he never lost his clubman roots or north-country modesty. He was just starting a new chapter with Vauxhall’s Astra GSI MK3 rally car which he had been developing and was closing a chapter he will most be remembered for in the Nova GTE and GSI’s.

It was on farmland close to his home that Dave first learnt to drive in his teens in a Mini, and it wasn’t long before he built up a MK1 Escort and clinched his local grass-track championship

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for three years. Then it was onto road-rallying, firstly with a MK1 Cortina, and then MK2 Escort Pinto in which he won four road rally events. The stages beckoned and the Pinto MK2 was sold and replaced by a MK2 1600 BDA, in which he won his class on all eight rounds of the 1983 BTRDA Rally Championship. The Escort was sold and a Group A Opel Manta GTE was built for the 1984 British National series, by this time Castrol and GM Dealersport helping out. Rear

Dave Metcalfe & Mike Broad

axle failures were scuppering the team by once again the pace was there. On a trip to the Manx International Dave lay an amazing seventh overall on day one, even equalling Hannu Mikkola in the Sport Quattro on a down-hill test before the half-shaft broke.

It was not all bad news however as GM Dealersport offered to assist with an assault on the British Rally Championship in a 1.8 litre Group A Astra GTE, and Dave helped to construct the machine, and started to learn

the left-foot braking techniques for front wheel drive. 1985 was a learning year and budgets where tight, as Dave often raided his local Vauxhall dealer’s stores- Atkinsons of Kendal for spare parts. Loaning him the spares on events on a sale or return basis was a big help, and in 1987 Dave was offered a job

by Atkinsons MD Ray Derry to set up a motorsport department, a role which he developed as successfully as his rally driving.

By 1986 the results in the BRC

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Dave with Mike Broad on the 1987 Circuit of Ireland Rally were starting to pour in and with co-driver Paul Watkins Group A wins were achieved on the Ulster and Welsh, and let’s not forget their Astra team-mates at the time were Andrew Wood and

Pentti Airikkala! By 1987 the Astra had got a 2 litre 8 valve engine and with Paul Watkins alongside Dave took the Group A 2000cc class in the BRC, and capped the season off with a sixth

Dave pictured at the 1989 Cartel Rally

overall finish behind team-mate Russell Brookes on the Manx. For 1988 Brookes’s co-driver Mike Broad was put into the co-driver’s seat, and immediately compared the Cumbrian’s determination to that of Brookes’. A fantastic fourth overall on the Circuit of Ireland, just one second ahead of Pentti Airikkala’s Starion was one of the highlights of the season, a result matched on the Ulster finishing behind team-mate Malcolm Wilson, the Astra’s now fitted with the 16 valve “red top” engines. In an Astra prepared at his Atkinsons Motorsport department he also took his

first major overall win on the Cambrian Rally, finishing ahead of Graham Middleton’s Celica GT4.

During 1988 Dave’s driving and engineering skills were being utilised to develop the Vauxhall Nova GTE for rallying. With 150bhp and weighing around 850kgs, it was GM’s baby and in 1989 with new co-driver Nicky Grist a full BRC assault was planned. Early promise on the Cartel Rally saw Dave set top four overall times, before two driveshaft failures forced retirement.

Engine failures on the Circuit of Ireland, Welsh and a gearbox failure on the Scottish

Dave and Mike Broad finished 4th overall on the 88 Circuit of Ireland

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In action on the ‘88 Circuit showed that this was a car still in development, but it turned a corner on the Ulster International with a remarkable seventh place overall finish, but Dave took the “Star of the Rally” award on the Manx and no wonder!

Fourth overall behind the Sierra Cosworths of Russell Brookes, Mark Lovell and Jimmy McRae, car nineteen, Nova registered F981 RBH left an enduring memory on the island. “I think because you know you’re in an under-powered car you drive with that in mind to get the best out of it” he said at the time. Tenth overall and a class win on the Audi Sport Rally and an unfortunate retirement with clutch failure on the RAC ended

1989, but it was more of the same for 1990, now Ian Grindrod the brave man in the hot-seat.

It proved to be a difficult start to the year with crashes on the Cartel and Circuit of Ireland.

Fortunes turned slightly on the Welsh with ninth place despite the Nova being inverted at one point, but clutch failure on the Scottish meant another DNF. The Ulster was once again good to Dave as he took fifth overall, just losing fourth on the last stage to James Cullen’s Sierra Cosworth.

Again on the Isle of Man the Nova was spectacular in fifth overall until an accident caused by debris left on the road from an exhuberent Colin McRae bent the rear beam, and then the engine

Jumping the Nova on the ‘89 Manx

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1990 Circuit of Ireland in the Nova

The early days with Vauxhall. This is the ‘86 Manx Rally

was to be a fitting swan-song on the island. Appearances in rallycross had also yielded success, and during 1992 he also picked up a Blue Peter badge, for coaching TV presenter John Leslie in the Nova!

With Ian Grindrod alongside, he made the debut of the new MK3 Astra GSI, lying an impressive third overall on the Elonex Rally until drive-shaft failure. The new car showed well on what was to be Dave’s last event, the RAC Rally before the wheel studs sheared forcing retirement. The fact that car in 1993-1995 was so successful in David Llewellin’s hands was testament to Metcalfe’s early development input, and sadly we were never to witness what the greatest Nova exponent of all time could have done in the Formula 2 era.

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BY ANDREW BUSHE

dropped a valve on stage thirty.

It wasn’t the best of years, with Dave also developing the 4x4 Cavalier rally car for Vauxhall, but himself and Ian ended it with a high, fourteenth overall and first two wheel drive finishers on the RAC Rally. Whether on tarmac or gravel the naughty Nova in Dave’s hands was a giant-killing act.

By 1991 the Nova had a face-lift and was re-branded the GSI, the GSI Super Challenge also running and Dave’s own programme was more limited.

Fifth overall on the Mintex, ninth on the Welsh, fourth on the AudiSport, second on the Cambrian Rally behind Richie Holfield’s 6R4, a repeat of the 1990 RAC result and sixth on the Manx over two minutes ahead of Meagher’s Cosworth were the prime results as many now naturally expected the giant killing acts. Surely the Nova’s days were done by 1992, and Dave was undertaking much development work on the Calibra 4x4 turbo project and the 2 litre MK3 Astra GSI. However fourth overall on the Ulster International in the famous H957 EBM Nova GSI behind Colin McRae’s Legacy and the Cosworths of Davy Greer and Frank Meagher proved that he had lost none of his touch. The Manx saw the Subaru Legacys of Colin McRae, Bertie Fisher and Kenny McKinstry fill the top three, but astonishingly Metcalfe’s Nova slotted into fourth, for what

Battling with the Sierra Cosworths on the ‘89 Manx

Dave had Malcolm Wilson and Louise Aitken Walker as team mates at Vauxhall

Entertaining the crowds in Castletown on the Isle of Man

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BY PAT BURNS

88

HSR HOMECOMING

PHOTOS: FERGUS MCANALLEN – RALLYRETRO.COM / JOHN O’NEILL – SPERRINS PHOTOGRAPHY

Ger Buckley, surrounded by his family, friends, co-drivers and service crew, is reunited with his Vauxhall Chevette HSR in a surprise celebration arranged by his sons Patrick and Paul.

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works Vauxhall Chevette HSR built for Ger Buckley in 1980 was bought back by his family this year, reuniting Ger with one of the most successful Chevettes ever built…

Vauxhall Chevette HSRs are quite rare nowadays. It is believed that about 50 HSR road cars were built and about half of them were turned into rally cars. The HSRs had remarkable success in the hands of Jimmy McRae, Russell Brookes and Terry Kaby and two of the last examples ever built made their way to Ireland.

GCE506W was built especially for Ger Buckley, while a sister car,

originally registered GCE507W was built for Dessie McCartney who went on to win the 1982 Ulster Rally in it…

Ger Buckley’s Chevette is one of the most successful HSRs ever built. Delivered straight to Dealer Team Vauxhall Ireland in 1980 from Bill Blydenstein’s Dealer Team Vauxhall (DTV) workshops in Shepreth, GCE506W would become one of the most successful Chevette HSRs ever.

Ger Buckley had his first outing in a Chevette HSR when DTV sent over one of their works cars (the ex-Jimmy McRae CEB234V) for him to try on the 1980 Circuit of Munster. Ger won that rally first

In action on the 1981 Cork 20 Rally

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time out in a Chevette and repeated that success on the 1980 Rally of the Lakes in his new black HSR. One of Ger’s greatest successes in the car was on the 1981 Galway International Rally. The entry list read like a Who’s Who of eighties rallying: Jimmy McRae in an Opel Ascona 400, Bertie Fisher in an RS1800, John Coyne in his Sunbeam Lotus and the sister car of Dessie McCartney. Ger drove a faultless rally to win

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Ger celebrates success on the 1982 Galway Rally. His brother Con Murphy (left) navigated for him. They beat the Opel Ascona 400 of Jimmy McRae and John Horton into second place. the event from Jimmy McRae by over a minute.

Ger’s brother in law Con Murphy co-drove for Ger on that event as Ger’s usual co-driver, John Caplice had to pull out at the last minute due to family commitments.

That success was repeated on the ’81 Cork ‘20’ Rally where the opposition this time included Russell Brookes in The Chequered Flag Lancia Stratos and Billy Coleman in an Escort.

After many other Tarmac and National rally victories GCE was then sold to Demi Fitzgerald who re-registered the car as 666NPI and after that it was sold to Pat Murphy from Killarney.

Mike Dunnion acquired it around 1987 and used it on a few events before it ran out of International homologation and went into storage. The car eventually made its way to Mervyn Johnston in Magherafelt who completely rebuilt the car for Mike. Mervyn has an ex-works Chevette HSR of his own that Jimmy McRae has driven on many occasions and

Jimmy once commented that Mervyn’s 2600 engine was the best 2600 he had ever driven!

The HSRs originally had a 2300 engine but these could have their stroke lengthened to allow for the larger cubic capacity.

While at Mervyn Johnstons, the HSR underwent a complete bare shell rebuild, with some previous accident damage repaired and the shell completely resprayed. The 2300 engine had been already rebuilt by James Armstrong.

GCE506W made an appearance at the 2017 Circuit Déjà vu, where Ger got the chance to be reacquainted with the Chevette again. Mike Dunnion and Mervyn Johnston also took the Chevette to the 2017 Eifel Historic Rally in Germany in July and Mike was able to drive the HSR in anger again.

During the summer, Ger’s family approached Mike about buying the car back for their father and initially Mike said no, but eventually he agreed and the HSR headed back to Mallow in October 2017. Ger had no idea his family had bought the car back for him and they arranged a special party at Ger’s house and invited all their family, friends, co-drivers, service crew as well as Billy Coleman to gather at their house. The HSR arrived in Banteer straight from Mervyn Johnston’s workshop

in Magherafelt kindly towed by local rally driver Barry Meade and one of Gerald’s sons Paul. Once unloaded it was driven back into Banteer village one more time and up the short road out of the village to Ger’s house where Ger and all gathered were waiting for the arrival.

Ger had no idea what was arriving so was naturally blown away by what he saw appearing up the drive way to his house. It was a day to remember for Ger he was naturally delighted to get his Chevette back.

“The family have great memories of their father’s rallying days,” recalls Patrick. “We can remember Jimmy McRae and Russell Brookes coming testing their works cars for the Circuit of Ireland just up the road from here around the Eagles Nest stage.

Jimmy had brought along Alastair and Colin who were 14 or 15 at the time and I can remember us all playing in the garden together.

They all had dinner together in the house and Jimmy and Russell presented our mother with a special China serving plate which she still uses on special occasions to this day. They were great days.”

Technical Specification: Homologated on April 1st 1980 as an evolution of the Chevette HS, the HSR external differences were the larger front and rear

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Entertaining the locals on the Cork 20

wings, fiberglass bonnet, boot lid and sills but beneath the surface there were many technical developments and this example has the tarmac LWB shell and repositioned engine for lower centre of gravity. The FIA Homologation Number 649 was still retained for the HSR. Engine: Vauxhall 2.3 twin cam, dry sump, steel crank and rods, 48 Webers, 280 BHP at 7,250 rpm Clutch: Twin plate AP Racing Clutch Gearbox: Getrag dog-leg 5 speed direct top dog tooth box Axle: Atlas fully floating with 4.1 or 4.3 CW&P and LSD Brakes and suspension: AP 4 pot callipers front and 2 pot rear, vented disks, 10.5in front, 10.25 rear. Bilstein shock absorbers all round.

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RESULTS 1980 Circuit of Munster Ger Buckley 1st Overall (the first event was a silver Chevette brought across for Ger to try out) Rally of The Lakes Ger Buckley 1st Overall 1981 Galway International Ger Buckley 1st Overall West Cork Ger Buckley 3rd Overall Circuit of Ireland Ger Buckley 2nd Overall Circuit of Kerry Ger Buckley 1st Overall Midland Moto Ger Buckley 2nd Overall Donegal Ger Buckley 3rd Overall Cork 20 Ger Buckley 1st Overall Rally of The Lakes Demi Fitzgerald 1st Overall 1982 Galway International Demi Fitzgerald 7th Overall West Cork Demi Fitzgerald 2nd Overall Circuit of Kerry Demi Fitzgerald 1st Overall Stonethrowers Demi Fitzgerald 1st Overall

Cork 20 Demi Fitzgerald 1st Overall 1983 West Cork Demi Fitzgerald 1st Overall Mayo Stages Demi Fitzgerald 2nd Overall Circuit of Kerry Demi Fitzgerald 1st Overall Circuit of Munster Demi Fitzgerald 1st Overall Glenside Homes Demi Fitzgerald 1st Overall Galway Summer Rally Demi Fitzgerald 1st Overall Cork 20 Demi Fitzgerald 3rd Overall 1984 Circuit of Munster Pat Murphy 4th Overall Rally of The Lakes Pat Murphy 4th Overall 1987 Circuit of Kerry Mike Dunnion 5th Overall 1988 Circuit of Kerry Mike Dunnion 4th Overall K&N Filters Rally (Wales) Mike Dunnion 5th Overall Wexford Stages Mike Dunnion 2nd Overall Ears/Motoring News C’ship Mike Dunnion 5th Overall

CELEBRATING 70 YEARS OF THE DONNELLY GROUP

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partners and loyal customers to thank them for their support and it was a great opportunity to officially welcome our new Managing Director, Dave Sheeran, on board at Donnelly Group. Our staff, partners and customers have helped build the company to what it is today and we look forward to the future with them.”

Dave Sheeran brings with him over 30 years’ experience in the motor industry, having most recently held the Managing Director position at Opel Ireland.

Dave said: “The Donnelly Group is an institution in the local motoring sector and I’m thrilled to be a Donnelly Group 70th anniversary

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orthern Ireland’s largest family-owned new and used vehicle dealership, the Donnelly Group, celebrated its 70th anniversary with a glittering event for manufacturers, partners, customers and staff in the Armagh City Hotel.

Since its beginnings in 1947, when Peter Donnelly opened a vehicle repair and taxi business in Caledon, County Tyrone, the business has experienced huge growth now boasting eight locations across Northern Ireland, 19 manufacturers and an annual turnover of £300 million.

The special event was hosted by local mentalist, David Meade, who entertained guests before interviewing a range of guests including Peter’s sons, Executive Chairman of the Donnelly Group Terence Donnelly and Director Raymond Donnelly.

The interview panels provided an enlightening glimpse into the company’s past, present and future.

Terence Donnelly said: “The last 70 years have seen vast changes in the motor trade industry, and from our humble beginnings our business has expanded at pace now employing

over 700 people across our eight locations in Northern Ireland.

“Despite industry and technological changes, our ethos and values have remained the same since 1947, and that involves keeping the customer central to everything we do.

“We are dedicated to providing quality vehicles at the right price for our customers, all whilst delivering an impeccable service from purchase to aftersales.

“In addition to our dealership locations, it is an exciting time for TBC – Taxi and Bus Conversions - as they continue to expand on their efforts over the last decade.”

David Donnell, Managing Director of TBC, commented: “Since launching in 2006, TBC has gone from strength to strength working with key manufacturer partners to serve the needs of various sectors including adaptations for mobility adaptations, taxi and bus as well as specialist projects – built and delivered with intelligence, empathy and care.”

Raymond Donnelly continued: “It is very exciting to be celebrating our 70th anniversary,

David Meade, Terence Donnelly, Raymond Donnelly, Houston Taggart it really is an ‘MOT’ for the Donnelly Group, a ‘Moment of Time’ in our history. We have recently announced plans for a £6 million-pound expansion of our site in Dungannon to facilitate our new 19th manufacturer, Jaguar Land Rover, which will create a number of jobs when complete and which will be the only premium brand outlet anywhere in mid-Ulster.

“We are now the largest family-owned motor business in Northern Ireland, with new vehicles from 19 manufacturers, as well as our used car Motorstores, which have over 1,200 used cars at six of our eight convenient locations across the province.”

Donnelly & Taggart Director, Houston Taggart, added: “Our anniversary event was a fantastic day to gather staff, past and present, manufacturing

part of the team as we celebrate this mammoth milestone. Over the last 70 years the Group has established itself as the leading, local, family-owned vehicle supplier and we are ready to continue to provide our outstanding level of service to customers across Northern Ireland for the next 70.

“Our dedicated team of experts are ready to help and advise customers across all eight of our showrooms. We now have more brands and models available than ever before and our awardwinning teams are ready to find the vehicles that suit your needs and budgets.”

The Donnelly Group employs over 700 people in its eight locations in Ballymena, Belfast (Boucher Road), Dungannon Moy Road, Dungannon M1 Complex, Eglinton, Enniskillen, Newtownabbey and Omagh.

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WESLEY’S MAGIC MANTA PHOTOS: ROY DEMPSTER

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or someone with a long and successful career rallying Fords, an Opel Manta 400 might not be what you would expect to see Wesley Patterson driving. The Lisburn driver admits he ‘always wanted one’ ever since the days when Ari Vatanen and Henri Toivonen drove for the Rothmans Opel World Rally Team.

That’s why Wesley had his Manta 400 painted in the Rothmans colour scheme. The car was the last Manta 400 built by Tony Fall’s team at Safety Devices and Jerry Johnston was in charge of

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the build. It’s a full house Manta 400, with a Phase 3 2.4 litre Cosworth Opel engine, twin 50 DCOE Weber carburettors and a dogleg Getrag 265 gearbox. The car was built for Welsh haulier Tony Morgan who rallied it for a few years before it was passed on to Rob James who used it for a few years before parking it in the corner of his Vauxhall garage and forgetting about it. Gareth Lloyd heard about the car and knew Wesley was looking for a Manta 400 so he bought it on behalf of Wesley.

The Manta was shipped back to Northern Ireland for a complete rebuild with Ivan Orr of Cormean Motorsport in County Armagh doing the engine work. There had been a small fire in the car caused by a blown manifold and it wasn’t easy to get parts for the car, with the pistons and timing chain having be to made specially.

Wesley wanted the car in tarmac spec and was unable to find any 10” Ronal wheels for the back of the Manta, but discovered a company in Europe who makes copies of them machined from

billet alloy. Strangely, the Manta 400 utilises twin oil coolers on the pressure side of the oil pump, meaning the oil goes through both radiators before entering the engine. Wesley hasn’t figured out why it is plumbed like this, but that always how they have been done!

The car is too good and too rare to use in full blown competition.

It ran as ‘00’ on the 2016 Killarney Historic Rally and the 2017 Monaghan Stages but Wesley has no plans to rally it flat out. He has his Escorts for that!

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Wesley started rallying in 1985 as a navigator and then competed in a Group One Escort from 1988 onwards. In the late nineties he bought a Group A Sierra Sapphire Cosworth and rallied it for a few years before going back to Escorts. Wesley, who owns DFS Digital security systems, then tried some historic rallying in a BDA Escort before going back to Modifieds. His previous modified Escort was demolished in a massive accident in Donegal a few years ago which was caused by a rear wheel bearing failing on a fast right hander, putting him off the road, hitting hedges, a telegraph post and a gatepost along the way. Wesley has since built another modified Escort and is also working on a gravel spec Mark Two for a few outings on the loose in 2018‌

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BY ANDREW BUSHE

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THE GENERATION GAME- THE WILSON RALLYING FAMILY PHOTOS: JOHN O’NEILL – SPERRINS PHOTOGRAPHY

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n 2017 a little bit of history was made in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship that few people realised.

As James Wilson Jnr, from Keady, County Armagh in his Peugeot 208 R2 crossed the finish line of the final stage of the Cork 20 Rally he took victory in the 1600cc R2 category of the Tarmac Championship, and was the third generation of his family to lift an Irish Tarmac class title. It’s a unique record started by his grandparents James and Hilary Wilson.

Left to Right, Trevor Wilson, James Wilson, Hilary Wilson, Glenn Wilson and James Wilson Sr.

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n 1981 James Wilson with wife Hilary as co-driver took an Avenger to victory in the Tarmac Championship Group 1 category, and in 1991 son Trevor, took an Opel Manta to two litre class honours. Trevor’s brother Glenn had some remarkable rally performances in his 106 Peugeots and a Formula 2 Escort, and also took the modified tarmac title as a co-driver alongside Uel Williamson in a MK1 Escort.

It’s quite a rallying dynasty and now with the efforts focused behind third generation- James Jnr’s rallying. The family garage premises, just outside Keady on the main Armagh road has forever been subject to those inevitable late nights after work as the cars are prepared.

The rallying obsession all started in the late 60’s and early 70’s as James Wilson was serving his time in Joshua White’s garage in Armagh. “How I got started was working in garage I used to help Ronnie White in preparation of his Mini Coopers and went on events like the Circuit of Ireland. That was really how the bug bit,” said James. By 1972, his road car, a Triumph 2000 was being pressed into service for night navigation events, but it wasn’t long before a long association with Avengers started and by the mid 70’s James was getting noticed on the special stages in a Hillman Avenger, the first stage rally being the Donegal Harvest. In 1975 he contested his first of almost a dozen Circuit of Irelands, finishing the five day marathon with Harold Ingram co-driving. As the 70’s progressed James re-established the family garage business which is still thriving today. It initially had been run by his father, before an accident at work which paralysed him had sadly curtailed it. But business pressure and marriage to Hilary did not curtail James’ rallying, and indeed by 1979 Hilary was to become his permanent co-driver!

The husband and wife partnership proved immensely successful and 1981, the year of the Golden Jubilee Circuit of Ireland was to be a golden year for them. “We had an ex Chris Sclater Group 1

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Chrysler Avenger which I had purchased from Robin Lyons or “Hoppy” as he was known. It was a great car, my favourite car in fact. We finished tenth overall on the Circuit that year, and won Group 1, and we won the category in Cork, and were about eighth from memory, and third in class in Donegal. We clinched the championship class and that year stands out for us. They were great times and many great rivals and friends on the rallies such as Robert Meharry, Arnie Poole, Eamonn Harvey, Dan Daly, Raymond Armstrong, Trevor Cathers, Bruce Kelso, the Knox brothers and many more. I really enjoyed those years, they were great times.”

A Group A Talbot Sunbeam was the next purchase also coming from “Hoppy”, and whilst the Circuit of Ireland was the big event to look forward to, rallies like the Ulster International were good to the partnership providing class victories, and adding to an ever expanding trophy cabinet.

By 1986 James had built a Group A Opel Manta i200, but it was to be his least favourite car, despite several class victories. Its association with James ended on the 1988 Killarney Rally of the Lakes, with a big accident on Tim Healey Pass, but it’s resurrection for son Trevor was to give it another lease of life. Nowadays James travels to rallies to assist grandson James Jnr, but now contests the odd event for fun like Loughgall Stages with wife Hilary in a beautiful 2.2 Lotus Sunbeam, built by John McBride and Nigel Wilson.

For Trevor Wilson it was inevitable to grow up with rallying and he was fully part of it. “I was on the rallies from about five year’s old, the Circuit, Killarney, Donegal we went everywhere, and started servicing for my parents with my cousin Davy Johnston in those early days,” said Trevor. Starting

in the family garage business at seventeen, Trevor managed to convince his dad to loan him the Manta i200 for his rally debut for the Hills of Donegal in 1988.

It was also a year where he contested the Donegal International with Brian Black in the co-driver’s seat claiming third in class, before a remarkable result on the Carlow Stages Rally- fourth overall in the Manta. For 1989 Trevor acquired a Group A 1300cc Nova, a car which he rates as his favourite. “What a car!

It had so much grip, and you felt that you were never going to go off the road, it was flat-out all the time.” It was a successful time for Trevor, finishing second in class in 1990 to Stephen Price in his similar Nova, with the Donegal International being the highlight of the year. “That was the best event of all I think.

We had a mighty battle with Stephen Price, and Alastair McRae, and we had those 1300 Nova’s into the top fifteen overall. I remember Stephen had thirteen

seconds onto me into day two, and we ended the day something the same, it was just second for second all day, great battling.”

In 1991 Trevor made the switch back to the family Opel Manta, now fully rebuilt, and the switch back to rear wheel drive didn’t worry the Keady driver as he took a remarkable two litre class win in the series, before hanging up the helmet for twenty-two years. “I had that twenty-two year break from rallying until I went to a stag party with Uel Williamson and ended up buying his MK1 Escort!” Some very quick outings in the MK1 followed and then a MK2 Escort was recently built for the odd outing. With brother Glenn in the co-driver’s seat on the closed road 2016 Mourne Rally they finished a fantastic sixth overall and first in the two-litre class showing some of the talent is still there. “Glenn reckons it was because he was co-driving that I did so well! I always tell him that I’d always beat him if we ever competed against each other as I’d get to the finish! It’s something we never did and I don’t think the rally organisers would want us to either!”

“If the two of us ever went head to head I think it would be a mess!” said younger brother Glenn. “I was always like a lucky charm in the passenger seat, when I did two years with Uel Williamson, and sat with Paul Muldrew, but when I came to drive it often ended in retirements.” Having purchased his first rally car a MK2 Escort Pinto off friend Nigel Wilson, the first rally was in Gosford Park where he started with a flourish and finished ahead of Frank Kelly in his front wheel drive Fiesta.

“Trevor always winds me up and says I won a championship, and I

tell him I beat Frank Kelly!”

In 2000 the MK2 was used to gain experience in the N.I Rally Championship, before the move to front wheel drive and a Peugeot 106 Cup Car. By the second season the 106 was upgraded to have more power and Glenn was starring in the Irish Tarmac Championship. Class wins and magnificent overall performances were achieved with the silver 106, and on the 2002 Manx Rally it was sitting in an amazing ninth overall, and leading the class by a mile but Glenn’s luck wasn’t in again. “On the start line of the final stage the clutch broke and we were out.

That was often the story with my rallying, there were quite a few mechanical break- downs even though I always spent the money on new parts and the odd accident thrown in as well.”

In 2003 the ex- Kenny McKinstry F2 Escort was purchased from Ollie O’Donovan. “It was my favourite car, amazing car at times, especially in the wet. On the first stage in Galway one year, we beat the bogey time along with Nesbitt and MacHale in the WRC’s. It broke my heart though, but I’d still love to have it back.” 2004 and fifteenth overall and a class win in Galway was a highlight, finishing ahead of rival Guy Woodcock in his later edition F2 Maxi Escort, and, other top results were achieved on rallies such as Kilbroney and Loughgall.

For 2005 an ADR Group N Mitsubishi Evo 8 was purchased but despite a top fifteen finish on the Ulster International there was no great love for the machine.

“I hated the car, and stepped out of it on that Ulster and that was it for me, so it was sold. I probably should have given it

more of a chance and took it to the forests but that was that.”

Now managing the family garage every day and farming take a priority with Glenn, but he still hankers to build something fast in front wheel drive and return to competition.

The third generation of Wilson, James Jnr has at twenty-two achieved remarkable success, as the family’s attention has turned fully to support the young engineer. James works at Road Tanks Armagh, a business his dad Trevor started up alongside the garage fifteen years ago and it’s going from strength to strength. James started rallying on rally-sprint events in his teens, before progressing to a 106 Peugeot for stage rallies.

It was in 2016 that he really started to get noticed, winning his class on his first attempt at the Northern Ireland Rally Championship, and coming to the fore with some spectacular stage times on the Ulster Rally, which eclipsed many of the top BRC R2 runners.

2017 was set to be a learning year with a new left hand drive Peugeot 208 R2, but immediately James started to clock up

the results. Despite missing the opening 2017 Irish Tarmac Championship round in Galway James and new co-driver Gavin Doherty started their championship title trail with a third in class finish on the West Cork Rally in March, followed by second place on his first visit to Killarney. Donegal was less lucky, with an accident forcing retirement, but after showing front running pace, which was continued on the Ulster International. Second place here and a resounding victory on the final treacherous Cork 20 round sealed the IRTC3 category for James. “It was fantastic to win the championship category.

It meant so much particularly because of what dad, Uncle Glenn and my grand-parents had achieved in the series, and we didn’t expect it to happen in the first season. Of course I had all the family support behind me and that meant a lot” explained James Jnr. “Now if we can find the support we wish to take another big step into the MSA British Rally Championship, along with some Irish Forestry rounds to gain more gravel miles.”

A remarkable County Armagh rallying family is set to continue its long association and love affair with rallying, and the future looks promising for the third generation of the Wilson drivers.

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LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON ASHLEY DICKSON, STEPHEN, IAN AND JASON

Most memorable motorsport moment you and your father had together? When dad won Group N in the 2014 Circuit of Ireland. For him to win Group N on an event such as that was special to us all

SON: IAN DICKSON AGE: 24 Motorsport Career so far: Kart racing and rallying Ultimate Goal: Win a championship outright What are your earliest memories of your father competing? 2002 Circuit of Ireland Rally Did he encourage or discourage you? Encourage Best Advice your father gave you? Work comes first Most memorable motorsport moment you and your father had together? Wining our class in the New Year stages 2016 the one and only time he got into the passenger seat with me.

SON: JASON DICKSON AGE: 21 Motorsport Career so far: Kart racing and now rallying for two years Ultimate Goal: To win a championship overall What are your earliest memories of your father competing? Dad finishing 9th Overall and winning his class in the 2004 Carn Quarry Rally Sprint

FATHER: ASHLEY DICKSON AGE: 55

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otorsport Career Highlights: I led the1991 Mounty Carlow Forestry Rally in my 1600cc Sunbeam until the axle broke on the last stage. I still won my class and finished 6th overall. Other highlights include winning Group N on 2014 Circuit of Ireland National Rally, finishing 2nd Group N in the 2015 Donegal

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International Rally and winning Group N in the 2015 Valvoline Forestry Rally Championship.

SON: STEPHEN DICKSON AGE: 25 Motorsport Career so far: Kart racing for 7 years and I have been rallying for 5 years now. I am currently the reigning back to back Irish Junior Forest Rally Champion.

Ultimate Goal: To win NI/ROI Rally championship overall

What are your earliest memories of your father competing? Helping to service for Dad on the Circuit of Ireland in 2002 Did he encourage or discourage you? Encouraged - Both my Mum and Dad helped and supported myself and my brothers from when we were racing karts and now with rallying Best Advice your father gave you?

Look after our business and it will look after you - without the support of our insurance brokerage business, we would not be rallying

Did he encourage or discourage you? Encouraged Best Advice your father gave you?

Business first - rallying is a hobby Most memorable motorsport moment you and your father had together?

Co driving for my dad in his Evo 9 on the New Year Stages 2014 - it was very wet and we were sitting 3rd overall. We dropped to 6th overall when it dried up.

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LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON JOHN AND JOHNNIE MULHOLLAND

FATHER: JOHN MULHOLLAND

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y love of rallying started at the ripe old age of 12 when as a boy growing up during the troubles in Belfast I would get a bus across town to stand in the Ormeau Park and watch the 160 competitors participate in the Circuit of Ireland Rally. I was immediately smitten and vowed to myself that “One day I would do that”.

My racing career started at Dunmore Stadium in Belfast in the late seventies at fifteen years of age, where banger and hot rod racing was introduced to encourage youngsters from both sides of the religious divides of the city to mix and put their energies into something positive and distract them from the mayhem of the ongoing troubles.

As soon as I got my licence I enrolled in Richard Dillons Rally School which was held every Thursday night at Stranmillis College Belfast. Here special guests like Austin Frazer would teach us navigation skills and the rudimentary facts of rallying at that time. I have fond memories of a young Andy Johnston always arriving late into class clobbered in oil from whatever project he was working on.

I participated in a few night navigation rallies with a close friend at that time “Luke Salters” who was tragically killed some

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years later in the Kegworth air disaster on his way home from a foreign holiday. I was navigating in Luke’s Ford Capri but soon realised I wanted to be sitting behind the wheel not navigating.

My father purchased my first rally car from Chris Duncan in Kells Co Antrim which was a Mark 1 RS 2000 that had sustained heavy frontal damage and consequently had been lying in a barn for years deteriorating.

We got the car home and started dismantling it and it soon became clear that the easiest approach would be to re shell it. I heard of a shell advertised for sale near Dungiven Co Derry and it transpired that it was one of the two ex -Clarke Brothers of Belfast MK 2 Escorts which they rallied in the Tarmac Championship for years still resplendent in its famous red and white livery.

Never having re-shelled a car before we got stuck in with gusto. We had no knowledge whatsoever about set up, tracking, alignment etc. Just bolt everything that would fit from one car to the other and hope for the best. We needed a target to aim for, a rally to enter so we would have a deadline to finish the build. No such thing as a local sprint or hill climb to ease ourselves into this wonderful world of rallying. It was straight to Donegal. “The Holy Grail” of rallying and the Harvest Stages of 1984 was to be our very first ever

tarmac rally.

A navigator was next on the agenda. How or where do we get a navigator? The easiest solution was a show of hands from the enthusiastic friends who had helped build the car.

Terry Mc Evoy, Chief Mechanic.

Gerry “Doc” Keenan.

Chris “The Builder” Mc Evoy.

Eamon “Marine Boy”(Don’t ask) Gorman.

Eamon was the only participant brave or mad enough to have a go.

We set off from Belfast at 12pm on a freezing, dark wet Friday night. With no other means of transporting the car we had no option but to drive the rally car on Russian tyres my father acquired from Logans of Cloughmills to the rally and our accommodation in the Downings. Eamon sat the whole journey wrapped in a blanket as we had no heater and there was more holes in the floor of the car and the bulkhead than a teabag. I will never forget arriving into that house cold, hungry and knackered but nothing could dampen our spirits with our very first rally looming.

Chris produced a bottle of Jack Daniels and we all had a generous mouthful as a night cap and retired to bed.

The rally was everything and more than we expected.

On reflection the car was a total death trap but with the

enthusiasm and b---s of a twenty year old we managed a third in class and got presented at the prize giving in the Milford Inn with a lovely trophy which I have cherished to this day. I have lost count the amount of times that I have competed on both the Harvest Stages Rally and the Donegal International Rally. I have competed in a number of different cars, Ford Sierra V6, Peugeot 106, Mitsubishi Evos, Ford Puma Kit Car, Skoda Fabia VRS Diesel, Skoda S2000 and latterly Skoda Fabia R5 to name a few.

From the first day I pulled that helmet on I have been totally smitten with Irish Rallying. We have some of the finest stages in the world through beautiful parts of this Emerald Isle north and south. I have met the most wonderful people along the way and made some great friends. It is a sport that intersects well with our motor trade business that we started thirty years ago. I feel very privileged and blessed to have traversed and competed on roads that all my rallying heroes have competed on. My wife Alicia would say that rallying is my first real love!! (That’s not true but close!)

I have four wonderful children Alicia, Shona, Johnnie and Anna.

All of whom have their own interests and hobbies. When Johnnie was eight I bought him his first kart and we competed in

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the local and Irish karting scene for approximately four years. I tried early on to get Johnnie into rallying after purchasing a Group N Vauxhall Nova which we took to Alltrak events but surprisingly he didn’t hold my passion and harked back to the track. A two year stint in a Junior Ginetta ensued with Murray Motorsport in Dublin winning “Best Junior Driver.” This was followed up by a year in Formula Ford and an impressive win of the pre 91 Championship.

What followed could be best described as a “Stand off at the OK Coral” as Johnnie had his heart set on competing in England in a Formula Ford and I wasn’t prepared to go to that expense and more importantly time away from the business standing at the side of a track practising for three or four days and then waiting for your slot to race on the Saturday or Sunday.

I knew if I could get Johnnie interested in rallying he would be hooked. Fantastic rallies, fantastic people, fantastic craic and no waiting around for your time slot. You rally all day or weekend depending on the event therefore more miles for your money.

There is an old saying “Hunger is a great medicine”. After a few heated conversations Johnnie decided to try his hand in the ex -Hyundai UK i20 WRC replica we purchased from them last year. Coupled with my trusty navigator Jeff Case and a plan to put him into the Irish Forestry Championship he has taken to it like the proverbial Duck to Water.

I am delighted that in his first

year rallying Johnnie has clinched second overall in the Junior Irish Forestry Championship. The loose teaches you great car control and greatly assists your ability to react in any situation that may arise in a tarmac rally. A decision was taken to upgrade to a proper R2 car so that we could gauge Johnnie’s performance better against his main protagonists. Therefore in keeping with our own company philosopy to rally one of our represented brands that we sell it therefore had to be a Skoda, Ford or Hyundai. Hence the R2 Fiesta.

Johnnie was lying second in The Junior Irish Forestry Championship this year with an outside albeit real chance of clinching the title before his first real off in the Lakelands Rally in August. Enda Mc Cormack is noted to have stepped out of his car at the end of the stage and run over to a somewhat shell shocked Johnnie after his first end over end roll and congratulate him on becoming a man! Philip Case and the lads at PCRS Letterkenny are to be commended in getting the car back together in time for the Bushwhacker and more importantly the Harvest Stages Rally.I first competed on the Harvest Stages Rally at twenty years of age and I feel extremely blessed and privileged that 33 years later I got the chance to compete on this iconic rally with my son who is now rising twenty, the same age I was on my very first rally. To this end and in keeping with my first ever rally car I competed in my trusty 1300 BDA MK 2 Escort and Johnnie competed in the Ford Fiesta R2.

My navigator from 33 years ago Eamon Gorman who retired from the sport 10 years ago came out of retirement to navigate for me for auld times sake. The whole Mulholland family were in attendance and cheering us on although I think the odds were heavily stacked against me with all the bets on Johnnie. At least I had the family dog on my side.

Son: Johnnie Mulholland Age: 19 Motorsport Career so far: I started karting when I was 8 and done that for 4 years. I then moved into a Vauxhall Nova at local Alltrak events for my first taste of rallying but I didn’t really seem to gel that well with it and moved back onto the track in a Ginetta Junior for around 2 years, winning best newcomer and managing to finish 2nd in the championship after a pretty luckless year. I then progressed into single seaters, where we finished 1st in the Pre 91 championship. I then moved into rallying behind the wheel of our Hyundai i20 in the Irish Forestry Championship, upgrading midway through the season to a Fiesta R2 where I am pleased to come away with 2nd overall in the junior championship in our first year of rallying.

Ultimate Goal: To win a well renowned championship such as the Irish Tarmac or the BRC

What are your earliest memories of your father competing?

The earliest memory that sticks out for me would probably when he contested a round of the WRC when it was in Ireland in his newly built, Diesel Skoda Fabia.

Did he encourage or discourage you?

Dad definitely encouraged, whereas Mum still tries to get me to stop. But it was my own choice as well. I tried most other sports but once I got a taste for speed nothing was as exciting.

And, growing up in and around a world of cars I think it was inevitable really.

Best Advice your father gave you?

To finish first, first you have to finish. This was probably one of the first things he told me when I started racing and over ten years later, he’s still telling me.

Most memorable motorsport moment you and your father had together?

We’ve only ever competed in the same rally once. Dad decided to give the gravel a go at this years Bushwhacker rally in a Subaru N12B and me in the Fiesta R2. Dad had never done a gravel event before this and, admittedly, I had a slight advantage having been on the gravel all year, but its still nice to say that I beat him.

I think people stopped giving him stick about it after the third week maybe?

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LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON MICHAEL AND ROBERT BARRABLE

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he Barrable name is linked to racing on the circuit as much as it is rallying on the stages.

Michael’s successes in both forms of Irish motorsport were mirrored by his son Robert who has made a name for himself both at home and around the world. They work together at Michael Barrable Motors in Swords, Dublin.

Name – Michael Barrable Age - 59 Career Highlights – I started off in single seater racing, then saloons and finally rallying. I always wanted to do rallying and the easiest way to go racing was single seaters so I went to Mondello Racing School at 17 because it was a cheaper way of getting into a racing car. I won the Formula Ford Hillclimb Championship in 1982 and the Sexton Trophy in 1995. I was runner up in Irish Formula Ford a couple of times but could never get across the line.

My first rally car was a Lotus Sunbeam I bought off David Gould. It was a very troublesome car but I liked it a lot. I won the Circuit of Wicklow in it in 1985.

In 1987 I bought Austin McHale’s Group B Manta and it was a fabulous machine. I remember in 1989 I was leading the National Series until the last round, and

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was leading the Fastnet from Richard Smith by a minute and a half until the driveshaft broke. I had a Celica ST185 and ST205, and I bought an Impreza P2000 in 2002; I won a good few rallies in it. I really enjoyed 2003 and 2004, Eugene Donnelly was in a Celica and we were runner up to him.

I’ve a lot of great memories; I met a lot of nice people and always look back at it in a positive light.

------------------------------------------Name: Robert Barrable Age: 30 Career so far: We have done bits of everything. I started out in Formula Ford and then went to rallying. We rallied in the Citroen C2 Championship and then ended up in an S2000, taking part in the ERC. I have never really committed to a specific championship but did a lot; sort of like a “Jack of all Trades, Master of None”. A big thing for me was always to be in a competitive and equal class. I think R5 is great because it is close just like a one-make championship. The economic downturn affected competing a lot. It’s hard not to enjoy competing at home, there is way more recognition for doing racing at home. I enjoyed racing around the world and have no regrets of how it panned out. It

was a great experience but the budget involved to try stay there is unsustainable.

Ultimate goal: We all have goals when we start competing, but it was never really a thing to think of. The ambition at the start was to just enjoy ourselves and do the best we can do. To look back at what I’ve done I wouldn’t be disappointed, and would put it down as great experiences.

Earliest memories of father: Probably the white Celica ST185 that he had.

Encourage or discourage: He gave us his full support at whatever we did but would never encourage me to choose rallying over racing or anything like that.

Best advice he gave: There were a few tips and bits of advice along the way especially when starting out but he would let you find yourself. He would be heavily involved and I would rely on his input because he has been there himself.

Memorable moment had together: We are the only father and son to win a race in the Phoenix Park and only father and son to win the West Cork Rally. West Cork sticks the most because he had a small margin over Tim McNulty and we won from Daragh O’Riordan in similar circumstances. Kevin O’Driscoll wrote about us in his book about the West Cork Rally which sort of empowers the results and that’s pretty cool.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

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IVAN AND ALASTAIR FISHER

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van Fisher was a brother of Bertie’s and had a very successful career in karting.

Ivan competed in the super fast Formula E karts, winning many championships including

the Formula E Road Racing Championship as well as taking Formula E Ulster GP and Manx race victories. Ivan’s son Alastair has competed in numerous rallies, taking victories and podium

places in the Junior World Rally Championship, Irish Tarmac Championship and British Rally Championship.

Name: Ivan Fisher Age: 58 Motorsport Career Highlights: Formula E Irish Road Racing Champion, Formula E Ulster GP Winner & 125 Manx GP Winner Name: Alastair Fisher Age: 29 Motorsport Career so far: Competed in ITRC, BRC & WRC. JWRC & WRC3 Wins , Various ITRC & BRC Podium Finishes, , Runner-up JWRC 2014, Irish Tarmac GPN Champion.

Ultimate Goal: Win Irish Tarmac Rally Championship & British Rally Championship.

What are your earliest memories of your father competing?

I remember being at Nutts Corner back in the 90s when Dad was racing karts. I always remember the exhaust fume smells and high revving engines. In turn, my own career stated at Nutts Corner with Dad in the co-drivers seat.

Did he encourage or discourage you? He always left the decision to compete up to me and in turn he supported me from there.

Best Advice your father gave you? Let your stage times do the talking.

Most memorable motorsport moment you and your father had together? Our victories in the JWRC years were memorable and special to share.

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104

CHAMPIONS OF MOTORSPORT

Pamela Ballantine with Elfyn Evans and Malcolm Wilson.

J William Creighton

onathan Rea was chosen as winner of the annual Sparks Contribution to Motorsport Award in recognition of his record three World Superbike titles in a row.

The annual fund-raising dinner on 1st December, which supports Action Medical Research for children, featured many prominent motorsport personalities including World Rally Championship-winning team boss Malcolm Wilson and his Rally GB winner Elfyn Evans, as well as the former Irish racing driver Tommy Byrne.

Jonny Greer & Pamela Balantine

More than ÂŁ47,000 was raised in support of the charity.

Jack Young

Daniel Harper

Glenn Irwin.

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Geoff McConville and Barbara English.

M-Sport team owner Malcom Wilson on stage.

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Tommy Byrne with Michael Chester and Leo Nulty.

James Turkington with PJ Fallon.

Charlie Eastwood, Catherine Scott, Suzanne Eastwood and John Eastwood.

Jeramy McWilliams with Gladys and James Greer.

Trevor Turkington, Hugh Haveron and Trevor Lockhart.

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106

McCORMACK WINS ROGER ALBERT CLARK RALLY PHOTOS: GARY JONES

Marty McCormack and Matt Mitchell scored an impressive victory on the RAC.

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arty McCormack and Barney Mitchell won the 2017 Roger Albert Clark Rally after four days, 270 stage miles and 29 special stages in the forests of Wales, Northumberland and Scotland.

The Magherafelt crew battled hard with leaders Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke over the first two days and moved ahead when Pritchard was sidelined by a broken halfshaft. Once ahead, McCormack continued his stunning pace to win by 1m44s from fellow former winners Matthew Robinson and Sam Collis while Roger Chilman and Bryan Thomas turned in a star performance on unfamiliar stages for third after leading overall during the opening day in Wales.

Adrian Hetherington looked set for a podium finish until he crashed out on the final stage.

Britain’s biggest and toughest rally made a triumphant return after a break of three years and drew a fantastic response

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from competitors, service turned out in their thousands, crews, marshals and spectators. including for the opening pair The incredible atmosphere of of stages at Shelsley Walsh on camaraderie and adventure made Friday morning when the rally this the stand-out rally of the made history by running cars season and each of the finishers competitively both up and down was elated to complete the rally.

A total of 91 crews started from Brightwells in Leominster on the Friday morning and a remarkable tally of 61 finished at Kielder Waterside on the Monday afternoon. In between were heroic tales of crews working miracles to keep cars running.

Celebrations on the finish ramp.

Spectators

the hill for the first time. With many fans out in the forests across four days, the overall standard of spectator behaviour was very good.

McCormack drove a superb

107 Adrian Hetherington was set for a podium finish until he went off the last stage

rally to repeat his 2012 victory and was elated with the result as he drove his Ford Escort Mk2 in the British forests for the first time in four years. However, he paid tribute to Pritchard’s outstanding drive over the first two days.

“It’s been absolutely fantastic,” said McCormack. “It’s been a massive event and Colin Heppenstall and the team have done a fantastic job.” It was not all plain-sailing for McCormack, however, as his Ford Escort Mk2 needed two new clutches and two gearbox changes during the rally.

The battle for second got down to as little as 14s after the night stages, but Robinson pushed hard again in the daylight to see off Chilman, who duly took a fine third place on his first sight of many of the northern stages.

Fourth place was a tremendous result for Alan Walker and John Connor while Simon Webster and Jez Rogers were fifth as Steve Bannister and Callum Atkinson came back from a roll and a final day off to salvage sixth.

David Hutchinson and Jeff Garnett tackled the event for the first time and came away with a resounding victory in the Open Rally for non-historic two-wheel drive cars. By Monday afternoon Hutchinson was three minutes clear of the Peugeot 205GTi of James Nicholls and David Allman, which was the best front-wheel drive car on the event. Open Rally class winners included Andy Gray/Emma Morrison to make it a memorable weekend for the Grays as Andy’s wife Kim took victory in class D2. This was an absolute triumph in the face of adversity for Kim and Tom Murphy in their Escort Mk2. It started with engine issues on Friday that dictated a return to Chesterfield for an overnight rebuild but sheer determination got them through.

Dave Watkins and Graham Wride won class C2 in Watkins’ ex-works Escort Mk1 as the superbly presented car ran like a train across four tough days.

Jimmy McRae and Pauline Gullick

drove a rally befitting their combined experience to win class C5 in the Chevrolet-powered Vauxhall Firenza. Another V8, the Triumph TR7 of David Kynaston/ Val Thompson, won class D4 despite an off on Sunday’s ice.

Stuart Egglestone and Brian Hodgson in their Pinto-powered Escort Mk2 took an impressive class D3 win on Egglestone’s first rally in a rear-wheel drive car.

The Category K classes were won by the VW Golf GTi of Chris Hellings and Glyn Thomas and Paul Griffiths/Iwan Jones. The VW Golf crew drove a great rally to win their class on their first attempt at the event. Griffiths took over in class G2 when Pritchard went out of the lead of the rally.

The two-stroke Saab 96 of Stephen Higgins and Sam Spencer won class B2 after a wonderful performance in the low-power car. The Saab behaved impeccably over four days and Higgins drove it with gusto. Veteran Bob Bean and co-driver Malcolm Smithson took victory in class B4 among

the Category 1 contenders in their freshly built Lotus Cortina.

Finally, Rikki Proffitt and Graham Wild (Porsche 911) won class B5 despite a challenging event.

Results: Roger Albert Clark Rally 1 Marty McCormack/ Barney Mitchell (Ford Escort Mk2) 4h28m27s 2 Matthew Robinson/Sam Collis (Ford Escort Mk2) 4h30m11s 3 Roger Chilman/Bryan Thomas (Ford Escort Mk2) 4h31m19s 4 Alan Walker/John Conner (Ford Escort Mk2) 4h34m24s 5 Simon Webster/Jez Rogers (Ford Escort Mk2) 4h35m51s 6 Steve Bannister/Callum Atkinson (Ford Escort Mk2) 4h39m03s

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BY PAT BURNS

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THE MOST POWERFUL ESCORT IN THE WORLD… PHOTOS: TOM MAXWELL – RACELINE PHOTOGRAPHY

S

even hundred brake horsepower. Sequential gearbox, traction control and active aerodynamics. Sounds like Formula One, but it’s actually the specification of Gerard O’Connell’s sprint and hillclimb Escort and just to prove there is plenty of original Escort left in there, it still uses an Atlas axle…

The development of STW201R has featured in the pages of the CarSport Yearbook over the past few years. It started off as a BDA powered historic Mark Two before being upgraded to Millington power. Most of the work was carried out by Gerard O’Kane who looks after the car.

Gerard felt that it needed more power so the 2017 spec ultimate Escort was built… The first part of the operation was to prepare the shell and STW was delivered to Den Motorsport who got special wheel arches fabricated

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to accommodate the 10” wide wheels that the car runs at the back. The wheels are Revolution

and tyres are Avons while 4-way adjustable Reiger suspension keeps the wheels on the track.

The powerplant is a custom built engine by Smith and Jones Engineering, who specialise in

BY PAT BURNS

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Gerard O’Connell’s 700bhp Escort • • Cosworth and YB power units.

The engine is a 2.4 turbocharged example and delivers 700bhp through a Tractive sequential gearbox to the rear wheels.

Robbie Thornton of Track Day Performance Ireland (TDP.ie) carried out a lot of work on the

• •

• • • •

•

drive but Gerard says that’s not the case. “It’s actually

Escort didn’t get the chance to set any new class records. Gerard

• • • •

• • •

• car, setting up the traction control and launch control using the latest Motec software. He also designed special airbrake spoilers that operate pneumatically using air rams when the brakes are applied to aid downforce.

The car sounds like a monster to

really easy to drive, you could send the wife to the shops in it!”

Gerard won his class in the 2017 Northern Ireland Hillclimb Championship though it’s fair to say the weather wasn’t great on many of the rounds and one was cancelled due to an oil spill so the

will be back out in 2018 in both the Escort and his Radical. “I am going to defend my 2016 NI Sprint Championship title in the Radical,” says Gerard… The Hayabusa engine in the Radical is now a 3.0 V8 litre unit so the Dungiven driver will be kept on his toes in 2018.

•

Smith & Jones 2.4 litre engine TDP.ie ( Nascar ) Dry Sump Pump Kit with 1” wide belt drive 2017 Rally X Supercar cams TDP.ie Billet 8 Injector Intake system with diffuser and drive by wire throttle body TDP.ie Billet Fuel Rails Seimens Deka 830cc Injectors x 8 TDP.ie Billet Denso Coil on Plug Conversion TDP.ie Custom exhaust manifold with TIAL direct to atmosphere wastegate TDP.ie Custom Garrett GT35r Turbo with Billet compressor wheel uprated bearing cartridge.

MoTeC PDM30 Power Distribution System MoTeC 15way Can Bus Key Pad MoTeC C127 HD Display Full Colour MoTeC M1 M150 ECU with custom TDP.ie firmware, Featuring, ALS, Traction Control, Launch Control, DRS, Active Braking, MoTeC LTC Can Bus Lambda control Life Racing Steering wheel controls TDP.ie Active DRS and Active Braking system all controlled by MoTeC M1 firmware TDP.ie Integrated Paddle shift system, Compressor, Resivoir, High-Speed valves and Gearbox mounted actuator for Tractive 6 speed box.

Full range of Temp, Pressure and Speed sensors as needed.

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BY PAT BURNS

110

BARN FIND - CIA 2112 – CURLEY MARK ONE ESCORT PHOTOS: FERGUS MCANALLEN – RALLYRETRO.COM / EYMARD BRENNAN

Gerry McGarrity (Centre with Pauraic Monaghan’s brother in law and nephew

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MK1 Escort recently, unearthed from a shed in Fermanagh, has been found to be the rally-winning car of Cahal Curley from 1969.

Gerry McGarrity was a car mad schoolboy when CIA 2112 arrived in Irvinestown. The brand new Mark One Escort Twin Cam arrived home with Cathal Curley who lived three doors down from him in time for the 1969 Circuit of Ireland Rally.

“I remember going on my bike to a stage at the Manor House on, the Easter Monday,” recalls

Gerry, “mainly to see Cathal in action. He finished fifth that year and first in class and when he came home again to Irvinestown after the rally he took me for a run in the car.” That run obviously had a major effect on the young McGarrity as he would go on to become one of Ireland’s go-to rally engineers, suspension set up experts and young rally driver mentors, helping the likes of Mark Fisher, Gareth MacHale and Sam Moffett along the way.

In 1969 the Escort was unarched, but by 1970 Cathal had got the ‘bubble arches’ fitted

The start of the ‘71 Welsh Rally

CIA 2112 in action in Wales

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to the car which was now painted yellow. The car was maintained

by Donal McElhinney, who was deaf and dumb, and could tune the Lotus twin cam engine by touch, feeling the vibrations on the engine. Back in 1970, this was a state of the art car, the equivalent of driving a 2017 Fiesta WRC nowadays. Curley was always one step ahead of his adversaries in terms of cars, performance and the team he assembled around him.

BY PAT BURNS

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Austin Frazer co-drove for him on all his events and the duo would go on to win every round of the Tarmac Championship in one year – Galway, Circuit of Ireland, Donegal, Ulster, Manx and Killarney, a feat that no one has ever repeated and are highly unlikely to now.

In CIA 2112, Curley and Frazer won the 1969 Pre Circuit Rally,

the Texaco Rally, the Scallon Cup Rally and the Winter Rally, going on to take the 1969 NI Rally Championship. In 1970, with the bubble arches fitted, the pair didn’t have as much success on the Circuit of Ireland when the accelerator cable broke and a number of alternators failed on them. When the accelerator cable broke on a stage, Cathal

drove the rest of the stage sitting, on the bonnet operating the throttle while Austin Frazer drove the Escort! Later that year, Curley drove CIA 2112 to victory on the Texaco Rally, a pre-cursor to the Ulster Rally.

There was greater success on the 1971 Galway Rally when Curley and Frazer battled hard with the similar car of Billy

Coleman with CIA 2112 winning that rally.

After numerous successes in CIA2112, Curley decided it was time to progress on to a BMW 2002 so he sold the Escort to ‘Flat’ Pat McCourt from Derry who kept it for a year but couldn’t match Curley’s standard of success. It was then sold to Willie Aitken of Castlederg who had built a racetrack behind his garage and it was used on it!

Syonfin Hillclimb was the one of the top events in the area at the time and Pauraic Monaghan bought the car to compete in the Syonfin hillclimb. Unfortunately he hit the rear quarter panel at McDermott’s Corner, damaging the car. He brought the car back home and got the quarter panel repaired and sprayed some primer on the car until he could get it resprayed.

A friend told Pauraic that there was great money to be made labouring in Germany so Pauraic headed off to work in Germany in the mid seventies…and never came back. He settled there while the

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Cathal Curley and Austin Frazer in action

BY PAT BURNS

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Escort sat in primer, dry stored for 43 years. Sadly, Pauraic passed away a few years ago, so his sister inherited the car and she too passed away this year. CIA 2112 was left to Pauraic’s brother in law and nephew who approached Gerry to see what could be done with the car.

“The car is like it has been in a time warp,” says Gerry. “It is exactly as it was in 1973. When I went to look at the car I rubbed off some of the primer and there was Cathal ‘CB’ Curley’s name coming through. Some of the yellow paint is still on it too. It

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was stored in a steel shed lined with timber which has preserved it well. I took the head off the engine to have a look and the engine is in really good order. I think if I had a few hours with the car I could get it runningagain!”

Cathal’s Memoirs CIA 2112 is fondly remembered by Cathal Curley as the car which introduced him to front engine/rear wheel drive, following his initial launch into rallying with Volkswagen. The initial change to Ford power with the works 1650 twin-cam and bullet gearbox was the prelude to a career that displayed CB’s car control on every power combination available - from rear engine/rear wheel drive of the Volkswagen Beetle and the 2.7 and 3.0 litre Porsche 911s to the challenge of an underdeveloped Lancia Stratos with its mid-engine/ rear wheel drive and the front engine/ rear wheel drives of the works Datsun 240Z and the lightweight and lethal BMW 2002 tii.

The car was campaigned with Austin Frazer in the late ‘60s seeing action in 1968, 1969 and 1970 when it appeared originally as a standard Escort shell in white paintwork. The car was subsequently fitted with flared wheelarches to accommodate wider tyres, and the colour was changed to yellow.

1969 was the most demanding year when eleven major rallies were contested with almost consistent podium placings. Among them were 1st place in the Texaco Rally and 1st in class and 5th overall in the Circuit of Ireland. The consistent high place finishes also took him to 1st place in the Ulster Rally Championship.

Cathal remembers the durability of the car and its ability to respond to demanding situations. Also as testament to his own ability, a broken throttle cable on the 1968 Circuit of Ireland saw him and Austin drop to last of 147 entrants on the first stage. In his own words, he ‘drove the life out of the car’ and by the Monday of the then four-day/two/night Rally, he was lying 3rd overall when a blown head gasket forced retirement. However, his experience and success with the Mk I Escort encouraged him to stay with Ford for the next season.

Jim McCauley

113

SHERWOOD E N G I N E S

join the elite!

Congratulations

1st to 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Killarney Historic Rally all using Sherwood Engines seamus O'COnnell

Pic: Martyn's Foto's

Pic: Esler Crawford

Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Champions 2016

Will OniOns

Pic: Martyn's Foto's

2nd Mark Falvey

1st Denis Moynihan

3rd Ryan Barrett

Jason Pritchard & Phil Clarke

Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Champions 2016

Paul Barrett Pic: Martyn's Foto's

JasOn PritChard

Pic: JMS Photographic

Pic: Martyn's Foto's

ryan Barrett

rudi lanCaster

melvyn evans

ian millar

Wishing all our customers a very Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

www.sherwoodengines.co.uk

t: +44(0)1353-864888 e: sherwoodengines@gmail.com Unit 5, Faraday Business Park, Faraday Rd, Littleport, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB6 1PE

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BY DAVID FINLAY

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TOUGH AT THE TOP…

The Lexus RC-F at Craigantlet Photo- Steve Kandi

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fter two seasons of competing in manufacturer press fleet cars at hillclimbs throughout the UK, I feared that people might be growing tired of the format.

Perhaps it was time to stop this nonsense and find another way of spending my time. Late in 2016 I put this to the public vote (or rather asked the question on Facebook, which amounts to the same thing) and was quickly assured that the project still had a lot of life in it. Everyone who responded said they wanted it to continue. Nobody gave the slightest suggestion that it was becoming stale.

I can take a hint as well as the next fellow, so the Multi-car Hillclimb Challenge went into its third year, still supported by Primo plc Multi Vehicle Insurance and still raising awareness for the Nationwide Association of Blood Bikes. Sadly, this didn’t go quite as smoothly as I’d expected.

Initial responses were as positive as they had been in the previous two years, but four brands withdrew after delivery dates had been confirmed (sometimes with profuse apologies, though one disappointingly broke off all contact) and an organising club made it impossible for us to compete in a fifth car.

There was no hint of this pre-season when Mazda, bless it, actually offered an MX-5 without being asked. As you know, there are many varieties of MX-5, so the question was which one would be most suitable for the opening

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round at Prescott in April.

For road use, my personal choice would be the RF hard top, but the roadster is lighter and has a lower centre of gravity so obviously we had to use that.

Equally, the car had to have the two-litre engine because it’s 29bhp more powerful than the 1.5. The final piece of the jigsaw was that the Sport has the liveliest suspension set-up in the range.

Nothing else would do.

Despite all this, I would be driving a standard car in a class of 18 modified hot hatches and sports cars. Before the event I reckoned I might be able to dip

into the high 55s on the last run, and that this would be good enough to finish 15th (which turned out to be true).

The first practice run was a compete shambles from start to finish, but it took 56.97 seconds.

That was only a second away from my target, so it was clear that the little Mazda might actually be reasonably competitive if I could just stop making mistakes.

And indeed it was. On the second practice run I was in the top ten with a 55.03, and by the first competition run the MX-5 was in the low 54s. By this point

The Mazda MX5 RF was very impressive at Prescott Photo- Eddie Walder

I was falling in love with it. Okay, it’s the quickest car in the range, but how on earth was it able to do so well?

There was still work to be done. Fiona Rogers, driving her Lotus Elise (the only other unmodified car in the class) quite beautifully, had done a 53.70, and although I didn’t think I could match that there was no reason not to give it a go. I engaged ‘mad nutter’ mode, the car responded, and when I reached the timing display after the finish line it was reading 53.51 seconds.

I was overjoyed (nearby marshals may have heard some unseemly

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Once the dift settings were sorted the subaru WRX STI was superb Photo - Paul Hunter whooping) and only slightly disappointed that Fiona must have gone quicker.

But she hadn’t. Split times showed that she would have been, but a wild ride on the exit of Pardon hairpin dropped her back into the 54s. So I had overtaken her for seventh place, a result I wouldn’t have dared to dream of earlier that week.

The MX-5 had done this on showroom tyres, far less grippy than the ones the front-runners were using. On more suitable rubber it would probably have been about two seconds quicker, and I was 2.7 behind the class winner. With the right tyres, slightly tighter suspension and some judicious lightening the Mazda could have been right up at the sharp end while still being a perfectly usable everyday road car. It’s quite a thought.

One week later I was out again at Craigantlet. This was one of my favourite hills even before April 2016, when I won the class and set a new record in a Honda Civic Type R thanks to a cunning strategy of doing seven runs while everyone else did five.

This time I brought along a Lexus RC F. It obviously wasn’t going to be as quick as the Honda through the corners, but with a 470bhp five-litre V8 engine under the bonnet it might, I hoped, make up the deficit on the straights.

It soon became clear that this wasn’t going to happen. A shower of rain ten minutes before practice started made the hill very greasy, and in those conditions I went in what was supposed to be

a straight line between Crossing and Allard at opposite lock on half throttle.

Life became a lot easier when the track dried out, but the Lexus still wanted to go sideways through all the bends. Fair enough, I suppose. The Civic is a very racy little car, while the Lexus is more of a high-performance cruiser more suited to a flowing A-road than the twists and turns of Craigantlet.

Try as I might, I couldn’t keep up with local men Adrian Mulholland, Mervyn Johnston, Tom Lawther and Colin McCann, or Yorkshire visitor Peter Herbert.

At least I can say I did my best.

On the dry runs, my times through the final sector were 9.00, 8.97 and 8.97 seconds, so either a better driver was required or that was as fast as the car would go.

I had registered for the British Championship in the faint hope that I might qualify for one or both of the Top 12 Run-Offs. This had worked in the Civic, but in 2017 too many other contenders were present. Or so it seemed.

Several of the racing cars expired, and Peter Herbert showed enormous generosity by selecting reverse gear at the Chicane in his 911.

To my great amusement, I found that I had qualified for the second Run-Off. Since I had no way of beating anyone else I didn’t really concentrate, so it was a scrappy run, not helped by the fact that a badly attached (by me) video camera fell off at Allard.

However, since Darren Gumbley and Ed Hollier most obligingly

crashed on the first half of the hill I finished tenth. The Lexus therefore became only the second standard car ever, after the Civic Type R, to score a point in the British Championship. I had been ridiculously lucky, but I wasn’t going to complain.

The season began to deteriorate from now on as cars which I had been told were available turned out not to be.

This wasn’t a problem with Ford, which offered a Focus RS with the Mountune power upgrade kit for the June event at Loton Park and stuck to its promise.

Unfortunately, the engine, apparently fried at some point in its life (something to do with having been driven for nearly 15,000 miles by one journalist after another), failed completely after two practice runs.

I felt quite hard done by, not least because I’d driven to Loton so slowly that I averaged 42mpg (surely a record for a Focus RS) and could hardly blamed for the misdemeanours of others.

Still, the AA mechanic who investigated the car when it was showing early signs of trouble, and his colleagues who spent a total of nine hours taking me home, were helpful and pleasant, which cheered me up a bit.

And so to Shelsley Walsh.

There are usually two British Championship weekends at Shelsley, but this time there were two consecutive one-day events in August. Both were likely to be heavily oversubscribed, but the regulations stated that priority would be given to anyone registered in either the British or

the Leaders Championships, and since I was registered in both I didn’t think there would be a problem.

But there was a problem, namely that the organisers ignored their own rules and announced, when the entry lists were published, that they had adopted a completely different policy. As a result of this, although my Sunday entry in a BMW 540i xDrive was accepted, my Saturday one in an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio wasn’t. My suggestions at finding a solution to this were ignored, so I had to apologise to the Alfa Romeo people, who to their credit were very nice about it.

Shelsley fell a long way down my list of favourite hills because of this, but it suited the BMW very well. I had asked for a car with automatic transmission and four-wheel drive since these are very helpful on a short hillclimb.

The 540i xDrive has both, and although it’s not enormously powerful it handles beautifully for a large premium car.

Remarkably enough, it was fourth quickest in a class of eight on the first competition run. Next time up I was slightly quicker, but over-ambitious braking into the steep righthander at Bottom Ess meant I didn’t improve by as much as I should have done.

Peter Herbert took full advantage of this and dropped me down to fifth.

I was a bit cross about this, but it seemed a reasonable exchange for having denied Peter a Run-Off place at Craigantlet. Furthermore, the BMW had finished four

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BY DAVID FINLAY

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The BMW 540i X Drive at Shelsey.

Photo - Ian Dowding hundredths ahead of a modified Porsche 911 GT3, which made me very happy.

The final event - the 28th in the short history of the Challenge - was at my home track of Doune. Subaru supplied a WRX STI for this, and ironically the main opposition also came from Subaru. Steven Darley and Justin Andrews were sharing Steven’s first-generation Impreza Turbo Wagon, which produces 600bhp on medium boost and somewhere between 650 and 700 on full boost. As Steven had obliterated the class record at Shelsley, becoming the first driver to get up there in under 30 seconds in a road-legal tin top, there was no point in even thinking about beating him, and although Justin hadn’t driven the car before he had just won the HSA Speed Championship in yet another Subaru I could dismiss him from my thoughts too.

I had a target, though. In June 2016 I had set a new unofficial record for a standard car of 50.50 seconds in a Ford Focus RS (one whose engine lasted the whole weekend) and three months later

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come close to this with a 50.81 in a Mercedes-AMG A 45. The WRX STI is a lot less powerful than either of them, but perhaps it could get down to a similar time?

At least it would be fun trying to make this happen.

To begin with there seemed to be no possibility of it. You can’t alter the suspension on the WRX STI, but there are nine settings for the centre differential. I picked the one that had worked best when I drove another WRX STI at Prescott two years previously and took the car out for a Friday evening run.

It felt fine.

During practice at Doune the following day it did not feel fine.

It felt like it was trying to kill me. The slightest movement of the steering wheel to the left or right sent it galloping crazily in that direction. On the open roads of Craigantlet this would just about have been manageable, if worrying. At Doune, where the track is about as wide as the car is long and on most sections there is no run-off area before you hit something solid, it was disheartening to say the least.

Tyre pressures were radically

altered. Wheel alignment was checked and found to be as Subaru intended. Something was badly wrong but neither I nor an army of helpful onlookers could work out what it was. Then, after several hours, the question arose: was the centre diff setting which had seemed ideal on the road and at Prescott maybe not so ideal for Doune?

Enter, at this point, fellow journalist and former Challenge regular Alisdair Suttie, who was at a loose end because the car he had been sharing had just seized its engine. He was drafted into the team and sent up the hill with another diff setting entirely.

On his return he complained of understeer, which wasn’t great news for him but at least suggested that we were in the right area, because the one thing the car hadn’t been showing any sign of before was understeer.

Further experimenting was required. I selected another diff setting in the same general area as the one Alisdair had used but two steps away from it. The car came alive, behaving exactly as a Subaru should. I was cautious

because I didn’t know in advance that it would be like this, but I still improved on my previous best time by two and a half seconds.

From then on things just got better and better. The final run was a really exuberant affair taking 50.86 seconds. I was five hundredths away from the Mercedes time and would have beaten it if I hadn’t needed two attempts to select third gear on the way to the finish line, though this still wouldn’t have been enough to match the Focus RS. Then again, if I’d been on the correct diff setting for all six runs, who knows what might have happened?

It was a great end to an often difficult season, and also the end of a chapter. Finding cars has become so much harder that I’ve decided the Challenge should be called to a halt. Still, having the opportunity to drive 28 in three years has been wonderful, and I will always look back on it fondly.

Negotations are now under way to do something very different but equally splendid in 2018. I hope I’ll be able to tell you all about that in a year’s time.

BY JIM Mc CAULEY

DON’T PASS ON THE STELVIO

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Alfa Romeo - Stelvio

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ith Alfa Romeo basing the UK launch of its début SUV in Northern Ireland, it was an excellent opportunity to experience the new model on home ground.

A two-day route provided the opportunity to drive a selection of models from the Co Down coast and through Co Fermanagh to the Atlantic coast in Donegal before heading North again to return to our Belfast base.

Alfa Romeo ownership will always have an emotional input and the head of design highlighted the initial process where all the drawings are done by hand to establish the human element. This has translated into a vehicle that maintains the company’s instantly recognisable front end, with the lines tensing towards the steeply raked rear hatch to present an overall sporting image.

Inside, the personal touch continues with again hand drawn detail at the design stage and no copy substitutes in the trim where metal, wood and carbon fibre finishes all feature the genuine material.

To increase the vehicle’s sporting potential, optimum use is made of lightweight construction with the doors,

bonnet and tailgate manufactured in aluminium as well as many of the suspension elements. A further weight paring is made in the carbon fibre prop shaft which saves another 15kg.

As the Stelvio was developed alongside the Giulia, it uses the

same floorpan, so performance expectations are high. To maintain similar handling responses, suspension and anti-roll bars have a firmer set-up with the damper settings compensating for occupant comfort.

While a 2.0 litre turbo petrol

engine is one of the two power units initially available, test choice is the highly rated 2.2 litre turbo diesel outputting 210bhp and delivering peak torque of 470Nm at 1750rpm. In this instance, drive is distributed to all four wheels through an 8-speed automatic

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provided by the firmer suspension set-up with well controlled poise.

Brakes have also come in for unique development with no pedal feedback on ABS and claimed lack of fading in heavy use.

For the driver, well bolstered seats, particularly the side squabs on the back, provide excellent support and comfort, while instruments are presented under the traditional Alfa twin-cowl supplemented by the central infotainment screen. Steering column adjustment is limited, but can be balanced by the full power movement, in the case of the test vehicle, on the driver’s seat.

For those who believe they can better the gear selection of the automatic transmission, steering column mounted paddles provide manual temptation, but all models come as standard with Alfa’s established DNA settings. Defaulting to Natural, this is the best setting for comfort and fuel economy

BY JIM Mc CAULEY

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transmission.

Aided by the weight saving construction, initial benchmark acceleration from rest to 62mph takes just 6.6 seconds with a potential top speed of 134mph.

Power transfer is biased to the rear wheels with balanced transfer to the front wheels when conditions demand taking just 0.1 seconds through the multi-blade wet clutch that works continuously in the central transfer.

Quiet and responsive, the power delivery seamlessly steps

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through the eight ratios with minimal hesitation on reapplying the throttle after lifting off.

A challenging route on home ground proved ideal for the Stelvio to display is qualities – and charms. High geared steering offers quick and accurate response while specific development of the system maintains equal force in use and adds to the cornering pace

while Dynamic accentuates performance and reactive handling. The ‘A’, once denoting an All-weather setting, is now an Advanced Efficiency energy saving mode that maximises energy saving and minimises emission levels.

Cabin accommodation provides generous room for five occupants with trim levels offering good choice. Standard provision starts with the ‘Stelvio’ which features the company’s 8.8 inch ‘Alfa Connect’ infotainment system as well as automatic lights and wipers. These models also come with rear parking sensors, switchable start/stop and tyre pressure monitoring system.

With a 5-star EuroNCAP safety award and the highest occupant safety rating in class, all models also come with a comprehensive technical support package. This includes Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection, Blind Spot Monitoring, Forward Collision Warning and Lane Departure Warning.

Wheel sizes and equipment levels step up through ‘Super’ and ‘Speciale’ to the ultimate ‘Milano Edizione’ version which was the finish on the test car.

In terms of running costs, the model tested has an official combined fuel consumption of 58.9mpg and has a CO2 emissions of 127gms/km.

While the diesel range opens at £33,990, the range topping model tested in all-wheel drive costs £42,290, which for business users has a BIK rating of 25%.

With regards to residual values, those given by industry leaders CAP forecast between 40% and 44% of the list price after three years, positioning the Stelvio among the slowest depreciating models in its class.

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BY JIM Mc CAULEY

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FERRARI – UNDER THE SKIN

The 1988 Ferrari F40

L

ondon’s Design Museum opened its tribute exhibition to Ferrari in November, celebrating 70 years of creative development since the launch of the first car in 1947. The exhibition on the ground floor of the museum in London’s West End brings together a representative sample of the design, engineering and production of the cars that have established Ferrari as the legend that it has become.

Personal documentation includes Enzo Ferrari’s driving licence and hand written documents as well as many original photographs. And while Ferrari focused on the

development and engineering of the cars, many of the stunning bodies that encapsulated them were developed by specialist design studios including Pinninfarina with original artwork from the company also on display.

The design process progresses from hand drawn sketches to working drawings and high-tech wind tunnel models, while the next stage in the early production process can be seen in the hand crafted wooden master models for both the road and track cars including that for the 1961 ‘Sharknose’ 158.

Representing the exclusivity of some of the model ranges, the exhibition features the full-size

A full size J50 day model only 10 cars were built for Japan in 2016

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A 1975 3.0 litre flat 12 312T engine clay design of the J50. Only 10 of these cars were built for sale in Japan to celebrate 50 years of Ferrari sales there.

Among the personality cars

1967 275 GTB4

on display are the 1957 250GT Cabriolet owned by Peter Collins and a 166MM from 1950 originally owned by Fiat supremo Gianni Agnelli, while modern

BY JIM Mc CAULEY

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This 1961 ‘Sperimentale’ raced at LeMans. ownership includes the F40 owned by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason and the La Ferrari Aperta on loan from chef Gordon Ramsay.

But the Ferrari legend is based on track success and a small sample of these cars pays tribute to that dominance. From the early years the F2 Ferrari 500 of Alberto Ascari is on display which took him to two F1 Championships in 1952 and 1953. More modern successes are seen in the F12000, the Championship winning car driven in 2000 by Michael Schumacher.

Complementing the F1 cars

Schumacker and Villenuve

are a selection of race engines including the very successful 3.0 litre flat-12 engine from the 1975 312T cars. Also featured are some racing overalls as well as a selection of helmets progressing from the cork-lined polo hats of the 1950s to the sophistication of the current head protection.

Representing the sports car successes is one model in particular bearing the number ‘7’. Long associated with Stirling Moss this short wheelbase 250GT was ordered by Rob Walker and provided several wins for Moss.

Although certain colours have been traditionally associated with

A young Enzo ferrari Ferrari, a powder blue 275GTB/4 is the unlikely colour of the 1967 demonstrator owned by the British Ferrari agents, Maranello Concessionaires. This sits amid a backdrop of photos of famous road car owners including Clint

Eastwood, Peter Sellers, Brigitte Bardot and Sammy Davis Jr. The value of the items on display is estimated in excess of £140 million and is the largest Ferrari exhibition to be mounted outside of Italy.

Commenting on the exhibition, Design Museum founder, Sir Terence Conran said, “The Ferrari story is truly one of the greatest adventure stories of the industrial age and I am very proud that we are able to tell it at the Design Museum. The depth of emotion goes far beyond the external beauty of the cars; what excites me so much about the exhibition is the rare opportunity to glimpse behind the scenes and experience the dynamic between engineering, manufacturing and design which produces Ferrari’s magical ingredient.”

‘Ferrari – Under the Skin’ runs until 15th April 2018 and the museum on Kensington High Street is within walking distance from Kensington Olympia station, accessed by Southern Rail services from Gatwick Airport.

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HAMILTON ON A HIGHER PLANE…

BY MAURICE HAMILTON

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PHOTOS: MAX PONTI

I

n August, the championship story looked totally different to the narrative that would play out in the final chapter.

Sebastian Vettel had just won the Hungarian Grand Prix to bring the Ferrari driver’s victories to four, in line with Lewis Hamilton.

It was an appropriate summary of a seesaw season thus far as Ferrari finally gave Mercedes something to think about. The racing was close, the outcome of each Grand Prix unpredictable and the championship poised to either stay with Mercedes or go to Ferrari for the first time in ten years.

Then two things happened: Ferrari imploded and Hamilton moved onto a higher plane, the like of which had not been seen before, not even during his previous three championships.

From being 14 points behind Vettel, Hamilton opened an insurmountable lead thanks to winning five of the next six races.

Ferrari, meanwhile, began to suffer a nightmare, kicked off in Singapore by Vettel eliminating both red cars at the first corner and followed by a rash of unreliability that denied the

German driver a massive amount of potential points.

By the time Ferrari got their act together for the US Grand Prix in late October, Hamilton and Mercedes had moved on – not by much on a race-by-race basis, but just enough in a deeply competitive season measured in fractions of a second.

That race weekend in Texas summed it up. Pictures from on board Hamilton’s Mercedes W08 showed a struggle with understeer during the first day of practice. Diligent work with his engineers found an improvement in set-up. The car was not yet perfect – but good enough to allow a markedly relaxed Hamilton to exercise his innate skill and take pole. A measure of the driver’s unique input could be taken from Valtteri Bottas (winner in Russia and Austria) qualifying third, almost half a second slower, in the sister car.

But Hamilton’s work was not done. Realising that tyre performance – particularly the front left – would be critical, he asked for a minor adjustment to

the front wing while coming to the grid. Having taken control during one qualifying lap, now he was ready for 56 of the same.

Vettel, starting from the front row, snatched the lead. Hamilton sat behind his rival for six laps and noted that Vettel was pushing hard enough to damage the front left. “I knew he wouldn’t last if he did that,” said Hamilton. “I thought: ‘I’ve got this’.”

Saving energy to the maximum from the hybrid turbo V6, Hamilton closed in, used the drag reduction system (DRS) and dived inside the Ferrari. Once in front, he controlled the race. Vettel’s glum look on the podium said everything about an inability to respond and the championship slipping from his grasp.

Vettel’s dejection could also have been prompted by two further thoughts: a moment of madness when he deliberately drove into Hamilton while running behind the safety car at Baku in Azerbaijan (a rash move that brought a pit stop penalty and cost a certain victory); and that collision in Singapore as he

desperately tried to defend a poor getaway. Starting from pole (with a struggling Hamilton back in fifth place), a win on the streets had been there for the taking. Vettel had thrown away another 25 points. It was a pivotal moment in a championship that had started so well.

Hurt by criticism of a truly dismal season in 2016, Ferrari came to the first race in Australia with a silent sense of purpose.

Media communication was cut to the bare minimum. The message ‘We’re Serious’ was backed up

by Vettel taking a place on the front row alongside the seemingly inevitable as Hamilton claimed his 62nd pole position.

All ten teams faced the unknown on completely different tyres which were much wider than before. Pirelli had also been charged with making them raceworthy. In the past, if the rubber overheated, the tyre was gone for ever. In 2017, tyre performance would drop off as normal in any race but the purpose of the new rubber was to allow the driver to bring the tyre back if he pushed too hard early on.

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BY MAURICE HAMILTON

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The new machinery – longer, lower and wider – looked mean and exactly like a F1 car should.

The performance was there, too, as drivers cornered faster and were made to work harder by the presence of greater downforce.

On this day, in these conditions in Melbourne, Ferrari outraced Mercedes. It was Game On. The contest between red and silver continued, growing in intensity and uncertainty as Hamilton won in China and Spain, Vettel in Bahrain and Monaco. Grid positions were habitually decided by tenths

divided into those that might suit Mercedes and those that could allow Ferrari to shine. Based on Ferrari’s command of Monaco, the streets of Singapore were made for Vettel. Which is why he was so frantic to make up for the poor start and triggered immediate mayhem and a month of decline.

Both Ferrari and Mercedes were pushing their machinery to the limit, doing everything to steal a millisecond of performance here, a fraction there. Ferrari tried too hard, allowing their power unit to run hot and leading to a spark plug failure that eliminated Vettel

been evident all year. Much of the harmony on Hamilton’s side of the garage could be attributed to the absence of Nico Rosberg in the other car. The intense rivalry evident during the previous three years had been replaced by a calmer relationship between Hamilton and Bottas – largely because the Finn was fractionally slower.

This enabled Hamilton to focus completely on exploring the intricacies of a fast but difficult car (respectfully referred to by the team as a ‘Diva’). By the second half of the season, Hamilton had worked out how to get W08 and its tyres to work at their optimum over the balance of a lap, qualify consistently at the front and then run the race as he pleased. The US Grand Prix proved that as Hamilton not only won but also rubbed salt in the red wound by catching and passing Vettel along the way.

The Mexican race a week later summed up the season’s trend. Vettel, knowing he had to win this race to keep his slim hopes alive, took a brilliant pole position. This came at the expense of Max Verstappen, who had already won in Malaysia to confirm his credentials as a stand out star of the future.

Lewis Hamilton

When Verstappen challenged Vettel at the first corner, rather than let the youngster go, the Ferrari driver resisted – and damaged his car against the Red Bull and then against Hamilton’s Mercedes. He recovered strongly to finish fourth.

Hamilton, meanwhile, had done enough to win the championship for a fourth time and become the most successful British F1 driver. Now it really was Game Over. of a second; sometimes less. It depended on which driver/car combination found the narrow performance sweet spot on Friday and Saturday – and made it last through Sunday.

When Vettel won that race in Hungary in August and stretched a championship lead he had held since Australia, the pressure was growing on Mercedes. Then Hamilton won in Belgium, and again in Italy. It was the first time he had led the championship. The momentum was shifting.

As a broad prediction, the remaining seven races were being

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from the Japanese Grand Prix, where he started from the front row.

This came seven days after his Ferrari had also failed him with a turbo inlet problem just as qualifying was about to start in Malaysia. A strong climb from the back of the grid to finish fourth merely increased the belief that this was yet another race Ferrari could have won.

While the Italian team became increasingly surly and began to tie themselves in emotional knots, Mercedes maintained a cool, productive dynamic that had

Sebastian Vettel: “We had a bad couple of races in Singapore and Japan and I didn’t get the chance to fight. As for the earlier incident [driving into Hamilton] in Baku, ultimately I’m driving the car and whatever I decided to do that day impacted on the result. I feel I let the team down. Overall, we didn’t have a problem with the pace and we probably could have won.

“In Singapore, all I could see was Max [Verstappen, starting from the front row and coming through on Vettel’s inside after

his poor getaway]. I defended a little bit, but I was not trying to run him into the wall. Then there’s Kimi [Räikkönen, who had made an even better start from the second row, got alongside Verstappen, leading to the Red Bull being pincered by the two Ferraris]. I’m thinking: ‘Where has Kimi come from?’ If you try to think about all the things that might happen at the start of a race, you’ll never turn into the first corner.

“We had serious conversations and I apologised for some of the things I did. Sometimes you’re right and sometimes you’re wrong. It was frustrating. I love Singapore and that track; I was really ready for the race. Japan was the same. What hurts most is that I wasn’t able to fight.

“The problems with the car?

These things happen and there is always a reason. There are areas where we need to improve, but I don’t like to point fingers. We are all in this together. We needed to bring the results in – and we didn’t do that.”

Toto Wolff, team principal at Mercedes-AMG F1: “We’ve had a few years with a little bit of a power unit advantage. But in 2017, every one closed up and you could see Red Bull was also there along with Ferrari. This was the new reality and we had to deal with it.

“These is no silver bullet.

Everything needs to come together; the right group of people, the right resources and also the right mind-set. Hungary was one of those examples where you need to stick to your values and stick by your word. Valtteri had been asked to let Lewis through to attack the Ferraris on the understanding that Lewis would give the place back if that didn’t work. It didn’t work and both drivers did exactly as they were asked. When something like that happens, even though one driver is losing, there is a gain for the whole team.

“There is no question Lewis has been on top of his game.

Since the summer, he has been quick during qualifying, made no mistakes and the management of the tyres has been great. But I wouldn’t pick him out because the whole group has achieved this, made the car quick, made it reliable and Lewis has been perfect in the execution.”

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James Wilson & Gavin Doherty winners of the Clonakilty Blackpudding ITRC3 Championship and R2 Championship.

Sponsors, Philip White Tyres, Road Tankers Armagh, James Wilson Garage Services, Herrons Country Fried Chicken and DC Drive.

Also thanks to all the team for the support throughout the year.

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Colin TurkingTon runner-up of The 2017 BriTish Touring Car Championship

round 2 Brands haTCh round 6 doningTon park round 9 ThruxTon round 14 CrofT round 29 Brands haTCh gp TraCk CarSport

BY SAMMY HAMILL

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NO REGRETS…

R

egrets? Colin Turkington has a few but they don’t include his decision to leave the BMR Subaru team and go back ‘home’ to West Surrey Racing.

True, it was the Subaru Levorg of Ash Sutton which denied him a third British Touring Car title but Turkington doesn’t regret the move he made in re-joining WSR and being re-united with the BMWs which carried him to the championship in 2009 and 2014.

Despite his own disappointment, he helped WSR win both the BTCC Teams’ and Manufacturer/ Constructors’ Championships.

“For sure I was bitterly disappointed to come so close but it just wasn’t meant to be this time. But it just makes me more determined to come back stronger in 2018,” he reflected after finishing runner-up to Sutton, one of the BTCC’s new rising stars.

In a season which produced a record number of different winners (13), Turkington was to the fore with four victories, bringing his career total to 46, but Sutton, in just his second season in the championship, won six times.

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“I’m very proud of what we as a team have achieved. To come away with two titles is testament to all of the hard work that everyone has put in.”

Turkington’s return to West Surrey Racing to join Rob Collard and new recruit Andrew Jordan coincided with official manufacturer status and rebranding as Team BMW. But it didn’t start well when a collision with Matt Neal’s Honda just moments after the start of race one at Brands Hatch sidelined both of them.

From there things could only get better and they did with Turkington taking his first win of the year in the next meeting at Donington and he followed up by winning again at Thruxton.

And with the series heading for two of his favourite circuits, Oulton Park and Croft, it was expected Turkington would thrust himself right to the forefront of the championship battle as the summer break approached.

His record at both tracks is outstanding, including seven wins at Oulton and he is known as the King of Croft for good reason.

But a problem which was to dog his BMW again later in the season

raised its head at Oulton – a mysterious misfire. He missed most of qualifying as the WSR engineers sought to identify the trouble and it was only as last gasp effort which got Colin onto the second row of the grid.

However, when he was challenging for third place in race one, he collided with the back of Aidan Moffett’s Mercedes and fell back down the field to finish in 29th place. Race two saw an amazing recovery drive, Turkington climbing through the field, passing 15 cars, to salvage a couple of points in 13th and from there he restricted the damage with fifth place in race three.

It kept him fourth in the championship but 31 points adrift of the then leader Gordon Sheddon and he admits, with hindsight, that may have been when his title bid was de-railed.

“I love Oulton and would always expect to pick up at least one win there but that was a disappointing weekend.,” he reflected.

The up side was a ballast-free 1-series BMW for Croft. But it was at the north Yorkshire circuit that Sutton emerged as a real title contender. He denied Turkington pole and then held on to beat the BMW by less than a second in race one.

Arriving at the season finale with a 10-point deficit to make up on Sutton, Turkington struggled in qualifying as a misfire forced him sit out a majority of the session and ultimately qualify P17.

Scoring just a single point in race one, Turkington had it all to do to keep his title dream alive in the

second encounter. Starting P15, the Northern Irishman utilised the soft tyre and a BMW free of ballast to scythe through the field and win, closing the gap to six points.

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BY SAMMY HAMILL

The positions were reversed in race two with Turkington taking a 12th Croft win of his career but in the rain-affected third race he could only manage sixth as Sutton won again. The two of them were now closing in on Sheddon.

Surprisingly, Turkington wasn’t to win again until the final weekend at Brands Hatch, going 10 races without taking the top step of the podium, although he moved up to second in the standings behind new leader Sutton.

He explains: “It becomes a bit of a balancing act, a Catch 22 situation. Of course you want to win every race and you try to win every race but the success ballast we have to carry plays a big part. If you win you take 75 kilos into the next race and that’s like having another person in the car.

“It is a big penalty in something as close and competitive as the BTCC. The strategy has to be consistency and you aim to get to the final meeting as close to the front of the championship as you can but not in front.”

But having clinched his two titlewinning seasons at Brands it went wrong this time.

With a nail-biting climax set up on a wet Grand Prix circuit, Turkington set about overhauling Sutton by beginning to pick his way through the top 10 on the opening tour.

However, disaster struck on lap two when contact was made with the Ford Focus of Mat Jackson which broke the right rear suspension, forcing him into the pits, out of the race and more importantly out of the title hunt.

“It knocked the wind out of my sails but we gave it everything we had. You never want to be second but at least I went down fighting.”

Runner-up was disappointing and he puts it down to “too many small things” that went wrong across the 30-race season. “You can look back and think that if this hadn’t happened or that hadn’t happened it might have been different,” he said. “But everyone had their issues and for me it just wasn’t meant to be this time.

“And I definitely don’t have any regrets about going back to West Surrey. It was a dream come true for me to wear the colours of BMW and my one

big regret is I couldn’t deliver the championship. Not in 2017 anyway …. Watch this space!”

Turkington has words of praise for fellow Ulsterman Chris Smylie and the new Northern Ireland-owned BTC Norlin Chevrolet team.

“They must have been encouraged by the amount of progress they made over the season,” he said. “Look, the BTCC is a tough environment and it takes time to get to grips with

it. There is so much to learn.

“But they made steady improvement and ended the year strongly and Chris started to get regular points finishes. Qualifying was his Achilles Heel and if you are starting back in the pack there is always the potential for trouble.

But by the end of the season he was up in and around the top 10 and the experience he gained will stand him and the team in good stead for next season.”

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BY ANDY GRAY

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OVER THE LINE

Carrera cup at Le Mans

T

he rain has just started to come down at Brands Hatch ahead of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB finale. Starting from third, Charlie Eastwood knows fifth or better will secure him the title ahead of Dino Zamparelli.

The five red starting lights stand out under the darkening skies, the engine notes rise and then the Belfast driver makes a good start, rising up to second through Paddock Hill towards the Druids hairpin. So far, so good.

Then a bang. Car after car streams past and the 22-year-old is left down in eighth place. If he is to seal the championship, he has it all to do.

“When they looked at the data, Lewis Plato (Zamparelli’s team mate) touched my back bumper and went straight back on the throttle, basically driving me off the track,” reflects Eastwood, “I was taken back by it; I didn’t think he had it in him! I had to get myself together and knew I

Cookstown’s Eddie Corr (in sunglasses) is the Carrera Cup Technical Manager

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had a bit of work to do here.

“You know you have to get through as fast as possible but you can’t take any unnecessary risks or do something that could end the championship there and then. I had to compose myself. I was sitting behind Tom Oliphant for a bit and he started defending heavily as well.

“I saw there was about six laps to go and I knew I had to get a shift on and I finally made a move on Tom. After I passed him I was trying to give my thumbs up to the team to see if that was enough for the title. I tried to build a gap from Tom but before I knew it I had caught Plato!

“He

turned on me again, holding me up and before I knew it Oliphant had passed me back. I had to ask myself was this actually happening! I eventually got him again out the back of the circuit.

He was covering every traditional overtaking point so I knew I had to try something which was a bit ropey but thankfully it paid off.”

It finished tighter than anyone could imagine. Both drivers were level on points, with Eastwood taking the title on countback of victories. It was tense, but he had done it.

After the race, there was a strange feeling, with the tension still in the air. Eastwood pulled up in parc ferme, the rain now falling harder, taking a minute to compose himself before getting out of the car. Zamparelli just sat behind the wheel, staring into the distance.

“The last race summed up the championship,” laughs Eastwood, “It was all plain sailing and then it wouldn’t go to plan, it’s hard to explain the feeling of relief when I crossed the line.”

“It’s almost like there was no joy, just pure relief. The whole year, and especially that last race, was a lot to take on board! To cross the line and know that I

impact and we dropped right down the order,” said Eastwood, “but we managed to get the fastest lap of the race as we made our way back through the field. It was probably the most frustrating race of the year, one because it is on such a big stage, but also we had so much pace and a lot of bad luck but that’s just how it goes sometimes.

“Usually you just get on with it but in that race I was thinking about me, Tom and whether Lewis would play any more games, as well as trying to see if Dino was able to get past Cammish out front. It’s all risk against reward. I needed the bare minimum and didn’t need to look like a superstar. It took a lot out of me but it was worth it!

“It maybe wasn’t the way we wanted to go out and win it but it doesn’t say that on the trophy so I’ll take it! Winning the overall championship was the aim of the two years so it was amazing to be able to go out and do that.”

“At Le Mans, coming from so far back, you have to work your nuts off knowing that my rivals were at the front because races like that can be a championship decider. Our pace was ridiculous and to be honest we don’t really know why. It was one of my best races, making it back up to 23rd, but it was probably my most frustrating.

Charlie Eastwood

“It’s like every other track on steroids! It’s a four-minute lap which is an age for us Carrera Cup guys. The whole of the Le Mans town is just indulged with the race and the spectators go so hard at it as well. It’s an experience I won’t forget!”

12 months earlier, after comfortably collecting the Rookie Championship in the first of a two-year scholarship with Porsche, Eastwood had his sights firmly on the overall prize before the season even started.

“I knew this year that I had to go out and do the job,” he recalls, “and thankfully we got off to a good start. Although it was only after a double pole and double win at Donington Park that we knew we would be in with a good shout for the championship.

“The first year was all about learning and it had taken me a while to get fully comfortable with the car and get to the absolute limit of. Winning the last round at Brands last year really helped me over the winter and into this year so I could hit the ground running.

With team mate Dan Cammish missing the rounds at Snetterton due to clashing commitments with the Porsche Supercup, Eastwood knew that the title was there for the taking: “It added a lot less pressure, we knew we could finish second in most of the rounds and that

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was champion was such a great feeling, but it was mainly relief.

Then there was Knockhill and the flashpoint of the season.

Eastwood had stormed away from pole position and held a comfortable advantage until encountering traffic midway through the race.

would be enough. But motorsport rarely works out that way! I knew I had to stay in touch with him before Snetterton and then really make the most of him not being there and we did, just missing out on taking maximum points.”

Despite the title success, the season didn’t pan out as smoothly as Eastwood would have hoped before the first round in March.

“There were a few hiccups

along the way,” he admits, “Dino spun me around at the first corner in Oulton and we had to battle back through the pack but he took 12 or 15 points off me in that race alone.”

As part of the Carrera Cup, Eastwood got to race at the iconic Le Mans circuit, supporting the 24-hour race.

“We had a hefty enough

Then drama, as he and Cammish came together through the kink on the approach to the hairpin on the penultimate lap, which resulted in the Englishman ending up in the tyres. Eastwood took the win, Cammish’s title challenge was over.

“The end result wasn’t what I would have liked and if I’m honest it didn’t look great on the ITV footage,” Eastwood recalls, “I tried to defend my position and unfortunately he went off.

“When they looked at the onboards, the stewards realised

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BY ANDY GRAY

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The Eastwood family celebrate Charlie’s success it was so far away from being intentional. It showed I had come out of the corner, looked into my right mirror to see Dan and as soon as I looked right I jinked left to get out of his way but it was too late.

“I was always going to make him go around the outside into the last corner, not in the kink before that. We’d been battling so closely for two years it was going to come to a head at some point. It’s always so clean in the Carrera Cup I think it came as a bit of a shock.

“We actually picked up a car problem after the summer break which held us back, it was particularly bad at Silverstone.

Thankfully we just sorted it out in time for Brands Hatch. In any championship, there are so many what ifs so you just have to take it as it comes.”

As well as the Carrera Cup GB campaign, Eastwood also secured an outing on the Porsche Supercup rounds at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix, which was a valuable learning experience.

“Supercup was difficult for me,” he reflects, “You’re going into the Champions League of Porsche racers, some of the best in the world, but you’re in a new car and team, plus I’d never met my engineer or mechanics before.

“It’s very difficult to showcase

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something but very easy to make a fool out of yourself. I was learning while out on track where we were going against guys who had half a season under their belts. I’m pleased with how I got on and I learnt a lot!”

After the success of 2017, what does the future hold?

Eastwood had a chance to become the scholar for Porsche in the Formula One supporting Supercup. Unfortunately, as ever in motorsport, politics played its part and 18-year-old Frenchman Julien Andlauer was awarded the Supercup drive as Porsche looks at future Formula E drivers after its exit from LMP1 endurance racing.

driver that is as fast as their gold standard ones.

“There are a lot of opportunities for a silver driver.

America might even be an option, with IMSA but it is all really just balancing on this driver grading so I can see what I can do next year.

“This isn’t the end with

Porsche. I’m still doing some work for them and they asked me to let them know what happens with the grading and we can even look at customer racing. There are plenty of options and opportunity out there. It’s going to be a turning point in my career and we have to make sure we make the right move.”

“I don’t want to say too much about it but all anyone can tell me is now I’m too old for Formula E. That’s the only reason they can give me. I even met the French guy who got it and he was even surprised!

Eastwood has also been nominated for Motorsport Ireland’s Young Driver of the Year award, which comes with a rather tasty 50,000 Euro prize fund as well as the reputation of being the winner of the prestigious award.

“The big thing I’m waiting on is to see my driver rating, to see if I’ll be gold or silver.

Being silver actually opens up a lot more doors with the World Endurance Championship or the European Le Mans Series. All the manufacturers want a silver rated

Congratulations to

Charlie Eastwood, 2017 Porsche Carrera Cup Champion from everyone at Nutts Corner Circuit.

EYES ON THE PRIZE

BY ANDY GRAY

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Daniel Harper won the 2018 Porsche Carrera Cup Scholarship drive

T

he 11th of November 2017 is a night that will live long in the memory of Daniel Harper. The Hillsborough teenager, who is too young to even take his driving test, beat off stern competition to become a Porsche Junior driver at the age of 16, just two years after stepping into car racing.

After being included in a fivedriver shortlist, Harper underwent intense media tests, fitness assessments and an evaluation behind the wheel of Porsche 911 GT3 machine. The competition was fierce.

Jamie Caroline had romped to the British Formula Four title, while George Gamble had impressed in the GT4 Ginetta Supercup. Esmee Hawkey had previous Porsche experience in a Cayman GT4 machine while Dean MacDonald had come out of racing a McLaren GT4 in the British GT Championship.

On experience alone, he was an underdog. Yet Harper was fastest on the day, on a Silverstone International layout he had never previously raced on before.

Impressive is an understatement, and those evaluating the process clearly agreed.

“I had no idea I would be selected,” admits the Hillsborough teenager, “When I

heard the announcement I was almost in tears.

“To jump from Ginetta Juniors to Porsche GT3 Cup car is a massive leap but I know I am well capable of. It’s a huge honour to represent Porsche and not only to race in a world class series, but to be an ambassador for one of the biggest manufacturers in motorsport.

“I really can’t thank everyone enough, from those at Porsche to my family and those who have supported me from day one and helped me get this far. I hope I can do them proud.”

Harper’s reward is a two-year scholarship with Porsche, the first step on the ladder of one of the largest and most recognisable car firms in the world. For the 2018 and 2019, he will race in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, following in the footsteps of

fellow Northern Irishman Charlie Eastwood, who was awarded the scholarship two years previously and claimed the championship after a nail-biting ending at Brands Hatch in October.

It is testament to Northern Irish motorsport that it has produced back to back winners of the most competitive and desirable scholarships in motor racing.

Eastwood and Harper are two special talents, with the latter’s career progression nearly as quick as the Dromore High student is on track.

He won both the Ulster karting and quad bike championships in 2013, before winning the Northern Ireland Karting Association and Motorsport Ireland Karting Championships the following year, which led to Harper being awarded the NIKA Driver of the Year.

A brief venture into rallying followed in 2015, before being selected out of 65 candidates to win a one year Ginetta Junior Scholarship. Harper impressed in his maiden year in car racing, picking up the Rookie Cup before

Daniel with Dad Stan

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Daniel in action in the Ginetta Series returning to the championship this year.

“I knew this year I had to try and build up as many points as possible,” explains Harper, “I did quite a bit of damage in my first year so I knew I had to try and keep that down as well.

“I wanted to get off to a solid start and let the others trip over each other. I knew consistency would be key and I tried to keep on the podium as much as possible.

“We had a good start to the year, getting a podium at the first round then grabbing our first win of the season at Donington Park, where I took my first win in the series the year before.”

Despite the strong start, Harper’s title challenge was dented by two weekends where the starts off the line let him down, despite qualifying among the front runners.

“Oulton Park and Croft were really the downfall for us, that put us too far back for a title challenge unfortunately,” Harper admits.

“It was such a shame. In qualifying we were so strong and we got first and second. I thought we were on for another

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good weekend but it just didn’t pan out.

“Every driver seems to go through a stage of having terrible starts. Last year we were gaining places off nearly every start, but at Oulton and Croft they were both terrible, then they picked back up again.

“It’s very frustrating knowing we had the pace and couldn’t make the most of it. If the leading group get away, it is so hard to try and catch up to them again and it can be a bit of a dog fight.

“At Oulton we had a bit of a moment when we were looking at the sky. I was squeezed by two other cars after I had a bit of a slow getaway and that launched me in the air. The other two drivers tried to blame it on me even though I was driving in a straight line!”

Stan Harper, Daniel’s dad, has made a name for himself in the TOCA paddock too, with the father and son duo developing a bond that helps Daniel both on and off the track.

“My Dad has been a big influence in my career so far,” says Harper, “He never gives up, and neither do I! Whether it’s a good race or a bad race, he

always wants to keep improving and that’s been very helpful.

“Even when I’m winning or had a good race, he’s always on to me asking what more can we do to make it even better, and when it has gone bad he’s been there for me and helps me sort it out.

“It’s been a really good partnership, especially through the Ginettas. He also didn’t get caught swearing on ITV this year which got him some brownie points!”

Harper bounced back in fine style, only finishing off the podium three times in the second half of the season, showing remarkable consistency along with the blistering pace.

“In the second half of the year we got into the swing of things, picking up six wins and five podiums. It was really pleasing to show that kind of form,” said Harper.

“I’d say Rockingham was probably my best weekend of the year. I love the circuit; I think it’s class. The first corner with the banking is brilliant and I love the tight and twisty stuff in the middle, and there are some fast corners too.

“It was my best performance of the year too, taking two wins and a second place, which is nearly as good as you can hope for in the championship. Heading into Rockingham, I was 60 points behind and coming out of it I was only 16.

“We missed out by just 25 points in the end, which shows how strong our year was. We were edged out of second place by two points as well, but I know I am the in-form man at the tail end of the championship and if we had a bit more luck, we could have had that title.”

“Leaving the championship on good results gives me a bit of confidence heading into next year. I’m hoping ending on a high can give me a bit of a kick heading into 2018. I was the only one in the championship to finish each race and that was key this year as well. The consistency and speed were both there, we just sometimes didn’t have the luck.”

Harper is getting in the habit of winning, and that is no bad thing at all. The Porsche Scholarship will be the start of a special journey for the youngster, that can shape his undoubted speed and talent into a well-rounded, world class driver.

2018 could be the start of something very special indeed.

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09/05/2012 16:58

CONGRATULATIONS TO JACK YOUNG ON WINNING THE RENAULT UK CLIO CUP JUNIOR

CONGRATULATIONS TO DANIEL HARPER ON FINISHING 3RD IN THE GINETTA JUNIOR CUP AND GOOD LUCK NEXT YEAR WITH YOUR PORSCHE CARRERA CUP DRIVE.

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BY ANDY GRAY

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SMILEY AGAIN PHOTOS: BTCC.NET

I

t’s fair to say that 2016 wasn’t the best season Chris Smiley had ever had. The Carrickfergus driver knew he had to bounce back and ensure his touring car career wasn’t resigned to half a season in a back of the grid car.

That meant that the pressure was on for 2017. Signing with BTC Norlin Racing, he was now in a team that backed him 100% and he knew it was a second chance to show his worth.

Little was expected of the new outfit, but the eyes of many were opened as soon as the garage doors were lifted for the BTCC’s media day at Donington Park.

The set-up was immaculate, with everything presented in a manner that many described as Formula One-like. In the middle of the garage sat two pristine Norlinclad Chevrolet Cruze machines.

It was clear the new guys on the block were not there to mess around.

The simple yet striking livery stood out, and at the end of the four-hour test around the Leicestershire circuit Smiley lay third fastest, which certainly

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raised a few eyebrows up and down the paddock.

Despite the optimism after the official test, Brands Hatch proved to be a tough affair, not only for Smiley on his “proper” debut, but the team as a whole as they embarked on their maiden campaign.

complicated, Smiley had to contend with his first wet start with no clutch, but a storming start saw the 25-year-old fly up the order to eighth by the end of the first lap, only for all the hard work to be undone when race officials brought out the red flag after several cars had aquaplaned off at the top of the circuit.

“It was a bit frustrating,” admits Smiley, “We showed genuine pace at the media day and we were desperate for it to come together. Qualifying was tough and really tight but we managed to get two trouble-free races in which was crucial.”

“The grid was re-set for the restart, but with no clutch we knew we couldn’t risk the same start again so we decided to start stone. We worked well up the order to finish 17th but again it was frustrating to see our pace not produce the deserved result.”

The team were hopeful of a repeat performance at Donington Park for the second round, but Smiley was taken out by Tom Chilton in race one when running within touching distance of the points.

To sum up how well the car worked at Donington Park, Newsham put in a battling performance to finish in fourth place, being pipped to the final podium place at the very end of the race.

Smiley started race three from 17th, with team mate Dave Newsham starting from the front after being drawn on pole positon for the reverse grid race.

The BTCC circus moved on to Thruxton, where Smiley collected his first points in the series with a fine drive in race two, nabbing the final point on offer.

There had been a downpour before the start of the race, and to make matters more

“It was a huge relief to finally get into the points, especially after once again starting from

the rear end of the gird,” reflects Smiley, “It was nice to be able to give some of the front-running guys a bit of a race.”

The team’s lowest point came at Oulton Park, with 20th was the best result that Smiley could manage after again starting from the back. But the season would be a lot more positive from there on in.

The trip north to Croft marked the beginning of an impressive run for the former MINI Challenge Champion. Qualifying was again a write-off after a multi-car accident which was sparked by fluid from Luke Davenport’s Motorbase Ford Focus, which left the session red-flagged with only two-thirds of the grid setting a lap time. But again, progress was made in the race, scoring his best finish to date in race three.

“We tried a couple of new things on the car, I ended up driving the wheels off that car at Croft. We ended up finishing 13th, which maybe doesn’t sound fantastic but shows we were going in the right direction.

“All these tracks I’d never raced a touring car on properly before

and I was always learning how to drive the car and it was all starting to come together.”

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Running at the two-day tyre test at Snetterton was the turning point of Smiley’s season: “Having the extra days to play with set ups worked a treat. In qualifying we were caught out on the wrong tyre in the rain and were left 22nd. The three races were average enough but the car felt good and we secured more points. On another day, we could have had even more.

Across the Scottish border at Knockhill, Smiley secured more points and began to move up the standings as he got on a roll.

“We were caught on with the tyres in qualifying again,” he recalls, “we called the one lap too late but that comes with experience. As the results come and season goes on its very easy to forget it’s a new team with a new driver.

“We made more steady progress and made our way up the order and scored more points in race two before we got a puncture in race three, which dropped us down to the back of the pack which is frustrating because I know we were on track for the top 10. We’d no weight on, soft tyre and I was determined to go through!”

Knockhill also produced the first piece of silverware for the team, as Newsham collected the team’s first Independent win.

Rockingham once more showed what Smiley was capable of, with two top 10 finishes as he really began to find his feet in the BTCC:

Norlin’s swift progress up the order continued at Silverstone, where Smiley collected his best finish in the series: “Yet again qualifying wasn’t good enough but we’ve showed more than once that we can come from the back cleanly and fairly and put the fight to the big boys. With the soft tyre bolted on in race two we managed to get up to 11th in race two before we got our best result of the season by coming home in seventh.

“Like at Rockingham, we could have been a bit more aggressive yet again but we had to make sure we finished. If you go out and every time you get into that position and don’t finish then you’ll not have the respect of those around you!”

Smiley was full of praise for

his team mate, who collected the Norlin’s first overall podium by taking third in the final race of the day, “Dave has been a great asset to the team, he’s not only got previous experience in the Chevy but he’s seven years in the seat of a touring car,” said Smiley.

“We were closely matched all year and if things worked out differently then we could have been standing on that podium too. That experience has been crucial in qualifying; he knows how to get that little bit extra to of the car and that has made his Sundays that little bit easier. We get on great and that has helped push the team forward.”

Brands Hatch proved to be a strong way to end the year, with Smiley making the most of the mixed conditions.

“We were caught out with the tyres once again in qualifying, we made a bit of a habit of that!” laughs Smiley, “We flew from 19th to 11 in race one but in the second race everyone just seemed to batter me off. We ended up down in 28th place with smoke pouring off the back-right tyre, but that’s just how it goes.

“Before the third race I looked at the sky and it was going to be a flip of a coin as to whether it was going to be wet or dry. I said to the boys make the car a grippy as you can, and sure enough it did pour down.

“I came from 28th on the grid up to 11th, just missing out on 10th on the last lap. We got second in Dunlop’s Forever Forward award, for the most overtakes throughout the season.

We ended up with 124, which

Chris Smiley “The last three rounds were all really strong but qualifying once again it wasn’t good enough.

In race one I came from 25th to 20th in race one. In race two we stormed through the order to finish 10th and take our best finish. We went from 10th to ninth in the third race, just losing out to Tom Ingram on the final lap.

“We’d had a clean battle in race two and knew we could race each other in race three. It’s very easy to get over-aggressive and pick the wrong battles which can lose you a strong finish and points. It was a big relief to finally crack the top 10.

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shows how poorly we qualified but how good a race car we produced!”

Smiley is set to stay with the team, with his close relationship with manager Bert Taylor, who stuck with Chris and saw his potential despite a difficult 2016, meaning the team can continue to develop. With Newsham also set to remain, stability and consistency can help the team move forward and take another step forward next year.

“If we can get qualifying sorted we will be right there next year,” says Smiley, “it would set us up nicely for the weekend instead of using the first race as a building block. We’ve raced cleanly all year and we can take that forward into next year.

“We’re still unsure about what car we are going to run next year, but if we’re back with the Chevrolet I’ll be happy enough and we can build on what we know. It’s just too early to say at the minute exactly what we’ll be doing.

“It’s all been really positive, we’ve beat a lot of big names this year and for a team that didn’t exist 12 months ago for us to be fourth in the Independents team and 11th overall in the teams’ championship is outstanding.

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“We’ve shown we’re not on the grid to mess about and to be consistently in the top-15 of the BTCC, pushing some of the best drivers in the world round, especially in my first crack at it, it’s been really good.

After a positive maiden campaign under their belts, Smiley and the BTC Norlin team have their targets set for 2018: “We have to look at the Independent championship next year and if we get it all dialled in then we should be challenging for overall podiums and wins.

“It would have been easy to be written off after a difficult half season but Bert and Richard Irwin (the team owner) have believed in me. If my touring car career had been half a season in a rubbish car, then that would have been disappointing but they’ve put their faith in me and I think together we’ve proved that it has paid off and they’ve put a great team together.

It’s only getting started!”

JACK YOUNG TAKES JUNIOR CLIO CUP PHOTOS: WILL FEUKES

J

ack Young made a piece of history by becoming the inaugural winner of the Renault UK Junior Clio Cup in dramatic circumstances at Brands Hatch.

The Belfast teenager edged out Ethan Hammerton and Max Marzorati by six points to take the maiden crown, his first in car racing. Young initially attempted to get into the main Clio Cup series, but being in the right place at the right time allowed the now 16-year-old to make the move into car racing.

“I’d taken a bit of time out after winning the Irish karting championship,” explains Young, “I was sitting watching the British Touring Cars with my Dad one day and we thought it would be great to try and get into.

“We’d tried to get into the Renault Clio Cup that supports the BTCC, but I was 15 at the time and the age limit was 16.

Thankfully the Junior Clio Cup came up and I knew I just had to give it a go.”

The two-race format over four weekends, taking place on iconic circuits such as Brands Hatch, Pembrey and Snetterton, would prove to be a challenge for a group of talented drivers all hoping to make a name for themselves.

“It was a good season really for all of us at the team,” said Young, “We got off to a decent start and we grabbed a second in race two at Snetterton after being hit off in race one.

“We struggled with our pace at Brands Hatch which was a bit strange, but we still managed to get two fourth place finishes.

“Then at Pembrey we dominated all weekend but we were still three points down when dropped scores were taken into consideration.

“We were quickest all weekend

at Brands Hatch for the finale but it was Max’s title to lose. We stalled at the start of race one and dropped to seventh but we recovered to take second place which set us up for the final round.

have been able to do it without his advice.

“Dan was great as well, he was always there giving me some support and handing out some pointers on and off the track as well.”

“I started third for the final round after a grid penalty and Max tried roughing me up at the start so we had to back out of it, and the same lap we hit an oil spill and went off, but we managed to get back on and take third, which thankfully meant we managed to take the title.”

The prize for winning the Junior championship was free registration into the main Clio Cup category on the BTCC package, but Young won’t be able to take it with his studies and is aiming to take another crown in the Junior championship.

Double British Touring Car Champion Colin Turkington was on hand at the Brands Hatch finale to give Jack a helping hand and offer advice, with newlycrowned Porsche Carrera Cup GB scholar Dan Harper also giving Young tips.

“I honestly couldn’t think of a better to support me,” said Young, “It was great having him there and I don’t think we would

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“We’re going to do the Junior championship again because of my GCSEs,” Young admits, “The rounds just wouldn’t fit around it but we’ve tried to make sure the Junior series fits around my exams next year.

“It’s going to be hard heading into the Junior championship as the favourite next year, but hopefully we can keep up the pace and take another championship home as well.”

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CARROLL MASTERS ELECTRIC RACE CARS

Adam Carroll in action

2

016/17 provided a new venture for Adam Carroll, with the experienced Portadown driver signed up to lead Jaguar’s charge in Formula E, alongside New Zealander Mitch Evans, as the marque returned to top-level motorsport. The all-electric series provided an interesting proposition, with new technology to learn as well as racing against some of the finest drivers around, on street circuits in some of the biggest cities in the world.

With Jaguar only entering the championship in season three, Carroll and the team were always a step behind their competitors no matter how many miles they put in when testing.

“I think Jaguar were probably surprised at how much work needed to be done and how far behind they actually were. There was a lot of development over the year and we made huge strides.

“We were on the back foot from the word go,” admits Carroll, “the reality of it was we weren’t even running a season two specification car, going against guys who were heading into their third year.

“One of the things people don’t realise in Formula E is the amount of software that is involved in it. The drivetrain is stuck for the season, but the software is open and it is really advanced.

All this, and the fact the series was gaining a growing reputation in the racing fraternity, attracted Carroll to the championship.

“There’s not that many championships that you can actually earn a living in,” said the 35-year-old, “and I could see that it was really starting to gain a lot of traction.

“The type of drivers that were in it are all top class, the drivers in the series are all ex-Formula One and LMP1 guys so it shows how seriously the manufacturers are taking it. I’ve never seen a championship come along and grow to that level so quickly and taking professional drivers has really helped with that.

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Adam Carroll Ininterviews and photocall

“The cars have lots and lots of things that are going on and that ultimately decides what makes the cars competitive or not. You’ve got things like the powertrain, your weight and your layout too but the electronic software side is critical.”

“When they work as they should and when everything is working correctly, it’s like any other race car. You drive as you normally do and brake as late as

“It should be a positive but sometimes it doesn’t matter,” said Carroll, “You don’t really know what people want to see. As a racing driver, you’re never told what they want but then on the other hand it’s very hard to reach what they expect you to achieve when things aren’t working correctly.

you can to carry as much speed into the corners.

“The circuits suit the cars very well and makes them quite enjoyable to drive. It is a challenge to get them right at some of the circuits. If we raced at the likes of Donington Park all the time, then you’d know the cars aren’t suited to the traditional circuits. But the street tracks at Hong Kong and Montreal are brilliant to drive around.

your feet, head and hands all crucial, it’s the technology that adds that extra challenge. The lack of consistency was one of the things that hurt me, when it doesn’t work you’re resigned to the back so it is hard.

For one reason or another, Carroll’s pace didn’t get the results that he deserved, although point scoring drives in Mexico and New York stand out after a couple of strong drives.

“They’re not obviously the fastest cars but they are very tricky and they are complicated and anyone who tests them, that is what they’ll say. You’ve no downforce and treaded tyres and quite a heavy car, and you don’t have masses of power, so they can be quite difficult to drive.

“The year on a whole was massively frustrating,” admits Carroll, “A lot of the problems we had were outside my control.

There were quite a few races that I was in the points but unfortunately we didn’t end up there, and if we’re being honest, it wasn’t my fault.

“They move around quite a lot and with the regeneration of power, the motor effectively turns into a generator which in turns becomes a brake. It’s like pulling a handbrake or braking too hard on a bicycle. You can just lock up the rears if it is not set up properly. It makes it a lot trickier to drive than a conventional car.

“When you’re part of a team.

I’ll take the blame when I make a mistake but we had quite a lot of issues and we should have scored a lot more points. With the opportunities that we had, we should have done better. But that’s motorsport, it’s just super tough.

“For me driving any car is the same, with the balance between

A positive for Carroll to take was that he had a 100% finishing record throughout his time in

“When things aren’t working as they should, you can’t show what you can do as a driver. It doesn’t matter what team you are in or who you drive for. To finish every race shows my consistency and the fact is that there was no point in throwing it in the wall.

“The amount of data that was collected from that was massive, especially for a team learning as much as we were. It comes with that little bit of experience and age as well. You can learn to control yourself that little bit more.

“You’re still as frustrated with the situation you are in but you know that throwing it off into the barriers isn’t going to help anyone or make it any better.”

“On my side, I was happy. I felt that I performed well with what I had that was the best that I could do. The results came a bit better towards the end of the season but that’s because we got the car working for me.

“Mitch is a world class driver and is super quick, so it was never going to be easy when trying to beat him. When we were in even cars, and everything was working on my side of the garage as it should, it was really close between us.

“I did everything I could and unfortunately I just couldn’t get the results to show for all the effort that we put into it.”

Looking back on his maiden season in the electric series, is there anything the 2009 A1GP champion would have done differently?

“You learn as you go along, there’s certain things I would have done differently,” admits Carroll, “Unfortunately, I can’t go back in time.

“When you go into a big team and when you get involved with manufacturers, that’s a new experience for me. Things like politics play a big part so I would have to say if I was going to relive certain areas I probably would have handled it differently.

“For the first time in my life I would see the benefit of a manager, who would be able to fight my corner if it becomes quite personal. It would allow you to separate that really. So yeah, there’s definitely areas I would have do things differently but it’s all part of the learning experience.

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BY ANDY GRAY

Formula E, a statistic that only Dutchman Robin Frijns can match.

“I’m glad I did it, at the end of the day you can’t turn an opportunity like that down. It’s unfortunate that it hasn’t worked out but to experience Formula E and what it is going to become was great.

“So, on one side it was obviously great to be able to experience that but it’s just unfortunate that it didn’t come together in the end.

Although his electric adventure ended sooner than he would have liked, it has given Carroll time to look further ahead into the future.

“With the way that the Formula E season works, I’ve been able to work with my wife, Claire, to open up a shop, the R.Nook in the Linen Green in Dungannon,” said Carroll.

“We’ve been flat-out getting that sorted and we got it open in time for the turn on of the Christmas lights in the town. We both knew that I won’t be racing forever so it is nice to be able to work on some long-term plans for my family.

“It’s been Claire’s dream so it’s good to be able to make it happen. We’re doing a range of everything, from cards and kids toys to hats and bags. We’ve just tried to get a broad selection of lifestyle items.”

Although he is planning for the future, Carroll isn’t ready to hang up the gloves just yet and is itching to get back on the track in the new year.

“When it comes to racing I’m in talks with a few teams about a GT programme next year,” says Carroll, “But it’s early days yet and we’ll just have to wait and see how they go. I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel!”

CarSport

BY ANDY GRAY

140

NO KANE, NO GAIN

2

017 proved to be a fast yet frustrating year for Steven Kane and the team in the #7 Bentley Continental GT3.

On paper, the results weren’t as the 37-year-old would have hoped, but a look at the timesheets shows that Kane and his team were as fast as ever.

Strangely, the season highlight was at the first event. The fearsome Bathurst 12 Hour race saw Kane, along with team mates Guy Smith and Oliver Jarvis, head Down Under for the first event

of 2017.

Jarvis, a new addition to the team, had only 25 laps under his belt before the race started, putting the #7 Bentley on the back foot.

“We ended up getting the car into first place which was fantastic,” recalls Kane, “We had a small ABS issue which actually got worse as the race went on. So, we had to go six hours without ABS. We managed to grab third which was a brilliant result.

“I love going there every year and the Aussie fans love Bentley as well. The circuit is only opened twice a year so to race on it is a real privilege. I always remember watching it on TV as a kid so to be able to race on it is the stuff on dreams!

“You just have to watch out for the Kangaroos coming across the track,” laughs Kane, “There’s only a small concrete wall and they’ve spotters all around the track as they come in flocks. You’ll get a radio message in the car and then see a Kangaroo flag hanging over the wall, so it has an added challenge like no other circuit!”

In the first round of the Blancpain Endurance Series, Kane, Smith and Jarvis had an eventful race. Smith, starting from fourth, was adjudged to have sparked a collision off the start line, with the stewards handing the team a drive-through penalty.

Steven Kane drove for Bently in the 2017 and Endurance Series

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“The drama didn’t end there,” said Kane, “There was a miscommunication and

we didn’t serve our penalty and the stewards decided to black flag us from the race. We could have won that race but it was taken away from us which was frustrating.”

“We were going well at the next round at Silverstone but we got caught out by a yellow flag just as we passed pit entry and we dropped from sixth position before dropping back to 23rd.

“In the championship, if you don’t get every pit stop right you’ll just end up sitting in traffic and then you’ll just end up going backwards.

The number seven may be lucky for some, but for the Bentley team the bad luck continued.

“We were actually leading the race at Paul Ricard,” explains Kane, “It was going well and then we had mechanical issues and we didn’t get to finish that race.

“Then in the Spa 24 hour race we got hit by a Porsche when lapping them and that hit us off into the wall, which gave us another mechanical issue and we finished well down the order.”

“At the final round at Barcelona, we started from the back after Guy had an incident in qualifying in the wet. Every

Kane wasn’t the only Irish driver to be competing in the Blancpain GT series.

Dungannon’s Andrew Watson completed a full season in the #59 Strakka Racing McLaren, with a highlight coming from a front row start at Zolder.

Although the results didn’t match the pace shown, 23-year-old Watson proved to be the one of the quickest Silver Graded drivers on the grid, and is aiming for return to the championship and build on a strong year.

weekend we were competitive in terms of performance and speed, so despite the bad luck there was still a lot to take from the year.

We had mad steps forward from the year before and we can take the positives into next season.”

The Blancpain GT Series is unique as it splits into two different branches, a Sprint and Endurance series. Kane remained in the #7 Bentley in a bid for the sprint title, sharing with Frenchman Vincent Abril.

“Our car is better suited to the endurance side of the series,” explains Kane, “It is the most competitive GT championship in the world, far more so than the World Endurance Championship with the volume of cars and factory teams.

“If you’re not on your A-game or make a small mistake you drop down the order very, very quickly.

At Silverstone, there were two tenths splitting the top 15, which is absolutely ridiculous.”

“Saying that, the first race we had at Misano was a stunner.

We tested there before the race and had a really good set up.

Unfortunately, we qualified 11th but raced up to fourth in race one and race two was really strong as well.

“We had that little bit of luck where it was all falling into place in the Sprint championship. We were making a pit stop at the right time and we seemed to avoid any mishaps on the track.

“We ended up being an outside bet for the championship at the final round, which was a bit surprising as we don’t always do the Sprint Championship. Okay, we missed out but it was still encouraging.”

So how does the 37-year-old reflect on a year full of speed but unrealised potential within the team: “My year was pretty eventful.

We had a lot of high expectations after 2016 and we made a lot

of changes over the winter. Even in hindsight I would still say that they were positive changes.

The team proved that it was a championship-challenging car.

“M-Sport did a fantastic job with the car, which they’ve also proved with the World Rally Championship machines with Sebastien Ogier, and we nearly capped it off with another championship on our side.

“I love how it is a team sport. You have your individual moments and you can add something unique to the car, but ultimately we are working for each other and that can be very rewarding.

“On a personal level, my year was pretty frustrating because we didn’t get the results that our pace deserved. But that’s just motor racing. When it all works out and you do win something it means an awful lot and that feeling keeps the hunger there.

Bentley are bringing a new car to the championship for 2018, an upgraded Continental GT3 which should bring the team on par with the other teams in the series.

“The old girl served us well but it’s time for a change and it’s nice to see a new toy come along,” says Kane, “The new Continental GT3 is a masterpiece of engineering and it’s a great advertisement for what Bentley can produce.

“All the components are in the right place and the new Continental looks great. It’s a second-generation car and the team have left no stone unturned to make sure we’re back on the top step in 2018!”

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BY ANDY GRAY

Racers Round-Up

“Although this season hasn’t delivered the expected results on paper, I hope it will turn out to be a breakthrough year for me,” said Watson.

“The front row start at Zolder was a highlight, as was topping the timesheets at the Nurburgring and also setting the fastest first sector time at Spa Francorchamps, with the fearsome Eau Rouge corner.

“We’re looking at our options for 2018 and we’re hoping to stay in the Blancpain series and build upon a promising year.”

Jonny Kane was also competing under the Strakka Racing banner, although the Comber driver had a difficult time in the #43 machine, with several accidents marring a difficult season for the 44-year-old.

Matt Griffin is a regular on the endurance scene and competed in the 24 Hours of Spa race, where he claimed at 23rd place finish in the #52 Ferrari 448 GT3. The Blarney driver also competed in the endurance race at Paul Ricard, recording a 20th place finish.

There were three more Irish drivers making one-off appearances in the series for the Spa 24 Hour race. GT expert Richard Lyons failed to finish in the #3 Audi, while Euan Hankey crossed the line in 15th position in the #97 Aston Martin Vantage GT3.

Damien Faulkner competed in two events in the Endurance series, finishing 25th at Silverstone and 18th in Monza.

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ON A ROLL

BY ANDY GRAY

142

Cian Carey took a number of victories in the F3 Championship

I

t has been quite a year for Cian Carey. The Meath driver clinched the BOSS (Big Open Single Seater) Ireland championship in 2016, which launched Carey’s career to the next level.

The championship victory set the 23-year-old for Motorsport Ireland’s prestigious ‘Young Driver of the Year’ award, a prize that brings recognition not only across Ireland, but in the motorsport community across the water too.

“Winning the young driver of the year award was a massive step in my career,” reflects Carey, “The funding support was incredible and it’s got my name across a lot more in Motorsport in Ireland. To represent Motorsport Ireland and sport Ireland internationally was amazing.”

With a growing reputation and budget help from motorsport Ireland, Carey signed with Chris Dittmann racing for a year in F3 Cup. “We got off to a pretty fast start at Donington. We managed to get on the front row in my first ever F3 qualifying! It sounds great but I still kick myself as it should have been pole but we knew we could still kick on from there.

“The cars are awful to get off the line and it was my first taste

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of it, and to be honest, they cost me any chance of a victory. I dropped down the order and it’s extremely tough to make places back up when the grid is so competitive.”

Snetterton proved to be a trickier test for Carey, the only circuit on the calendar that he had never raced on before.

“It took me too long to get to terms with the circuit,” he admits, “We were always up in the top 10 but didn’t have that last half a second to match the top 3 or 4 cars.

“Thankfully, at the next round at Silverstone we were back on form and showed racewinning pace.

I took a third and second at Silverstone and was pretty relieved.

I knew I had the pace and I led the last race for 18 of the 23 Laps.

It just built up my confidence moving forward!”

Another

Cian Carey

trip to Snetterton followed and again Carey uncharacteristically struggled, but a sublime run of form meant he would end the year on a high.

“After the second round at Snetterton I was left scratching my head,” said Carey, “The car didn’t feel good under me and I wasn’t happy. We changed the setup as we went towards Brands Hatch and the difference was unbelievable!

“We were fastest all day in testing on Friday and just lost out

in qualifying, but we managed to grab third in race one and got caught up in a crash in front in the second race. Overall, I was delighted with my weekend. The confidence was back and I knew I had a car to challenge again. The set up changed the whole balance of the car so an amazing job by the Chris Dittman racing boys.

Things would get even better for Carey at the final round of the season at Oulton Park, where he collected his first win in the championship. It has been a long time coming.

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Cian took his first F3 victory at Oulton Park To be honest, I thought it would never come,” he laughs, “Getting into a rhythm is critical in a Formula 3 car and I was feeling really good. We were fastest all day again on the Friday and a mistake in qualifying left me in third. I was pretty annoyed with myself but going into the race I felt strong and knew I could win it.

“I got an amazing start, up to second, before taking the lead at Lodge corner. From there I controlled the race and I felt so relaxed. You’d swear I’d been doing it all season!

“I took a little too much out of my tyres in race two and had to settle for second, but it was an incredible weekend to finish the season strong and seal 3rd in the championship despite missing a

full weekend at Silverstone.”

The win in the final round of the championship wasn’t the only silverware that Carey would collect throughout the season, taking victory in the Leinster Trophy, the biggest race in Ireland.

“The Leinster Trophy was an amazing weekend,” he said, “All weekend I was fastest in both wet and dry conditions and I feel the only thing that could have beaten me that weekend was myself.

of the month which I will now be in contention for the sports person of the year award in January so excited times ahead!”

2018 is already looking promising for Carey, who has resigned with Chris Ditmann racing for a second season in the F3 Cup and he has only one thing on his mind.

“I can’t wait to get started

already,” he says “I feel we learned a lot together this year and I’ve the one aim of winning it for sure. I am also hoping to do a few more bits but all will be revealed sooner to the time.

Watch this space because we will be fast in 2018 so to keep up with the action follow me on Facebook at Cian Carey racing and twitter @ciancarey19.”

“There is a lot of pressure starting from pole in the Leinster Trophy, and for my first race back in Ireland, but I was relaxed and brought it home. It’s the most prestigious trophy in Irish Motorsport. Winning it was something I will never forget. The week later I received the award for County Meath sports person

Celebrating at Oulton Park

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BY RICHARD YOUNG

144

KIRKISTOWN REVIEW

PHOTOS: ROY DEMSPTER / TOM MAXWELL

Niall Murray was one dominant player at Kirkinstown 2017

H

istory will record that Niall Murray was the dominant player in this years Kirkistown Formula Ford 1600 Championship.

And with victories in eight of the 13 qualifying races, the statistics would support this.

But -and there’s always a ‘but’ – it didn’t seem quite so clear-cut for much of the year.

Interest in the category was high even before the season began, with the news that, after many years without a title sponsor, the series would receive backing from Dawson WAM to the tune of £10,000, this to be spread among the top six finishers of each individual race, along with the top four drivers of Pre-90 cars.

It made a difference.

So, too, did the fact that for the first time, the Kirkistown series would also be a ‘feeder series’ for the Mazda Road to Indy Scholarship in association with Cooper Tyres.

Indeed it was the ’Road to Indy’ status that persuaded Niall Murray to contest the series.

Having earned a place in the 2016 shootout at Laguna Seca by winning the BRSCC UK ‘National’ title, the Dubliner didn’t quite make the top spot, so the chance of having another bite at this particular cherry by taking the Kirkistown title was too good a chance to miss.

But he wasn’t the only one with his sights set on a trip to the US. Naas teenager James Roe also fancied his chances, while a handful of others met the age criteria (Road to Indy is for drivers under 25) as well, and all turned up for the opening double header at Kirkistown in March.

But they weren’t the only ones who fancied a shot at the Dawson WAM title, and any one of them might well have spoiled Murray’s chances of getting to America for a second time.

Chief among these was Kevin

Tom Maxwell of Raceline photography caught this sequence of Craig Brown barell rolling

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O’Hara.

Having won the Martin Donnelly Trophy in 2016, the Naas driver started the new season still in winning form, and might well

a while . Nonetheless he scored back to back victories at the first meeting of the year, following these up with a string of strong finishes after battles in which the

Adrian Finnegan, jonny Forsythe and Thomas Agnew in the fiestas

have rained on Murray’s parade before the end of the year but for an unfortunate non-racing accident which sidelined him for

pair clashed more than once. It made for exciting watching, but it all came to an end just before the final two rounds when a

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Peter Daryer was a winner in the BOSS Ireland Series mountain bike crash left Kevin with both arms in plaster and his title bid in ruins.

He bounced back in October however to score a repeat ‘Donnelly’ victory.

Other winners during the year were Noel Robinson – whose season was interrupted by work and family interests -, James Roe, who was a contender all year, finishing runner up several times but didn’t win a Dawson WAM round until the very end, and Pre-90 hero Alan Davidson who continued on his giantslaying way in Hugh Reid’s 1989 Mondiale. With one victory, four second places and two thirds to his podium tally, the Randalstown MoT inspector ended the year runner-up to Murray in the overall rankings – just one point ahead of Roe - and well ahead in the Pre90 category which he won every time out !

Behind this bunch there were several strong performers, although few managed to do a

whole season for one reason or another.

David McCullough returned after a two-year layoff and was immediately on the pace, scoring well in the latter half of the year.

Will Herron – another returnee – did most of his points scoring early on before a persistent mechanical problem got in the way, while Jordan Dempsey put education first, only appearing after the exam season whereupon the Mullingar teenager became a real contender.

FF1600 newcomers Keith Donegan and Andy O’Brien were well-matched and raced side by side more often than not when they came to Kirkistown, but neither did a full season.

Donegan decided to do more events in the UK – successfully as it turned out as he picked up a Road to Indy nomination through the Beckett SuperSeries - while O’Brien missed out on the mid-season excitement when the BRSCC National series came to

call, and his points total suffered accordingly.

The fact, however, that all the above tried their hardest all the time and provided plenty of wheel to wheel entertainment during the year meant that every FF1600 race was something to look

down the grid. Apart from Davidson, the rest of the Pre-90 brigade turned in some pretty impressive performances – and close racing - too, standout drives coming from Reynard pilots Ryan Campbell and Andrew Blair, neither of whom did the

Kevin O’Hara leads the Formula Ford Pack forward to.

The story was the same further

full season. In their absence it was left to David Nicholl and

his fiesta which he described as like being in a tumble dryer

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BY RICHARD YOUNG

146

Fergus Flaherty won the second round of the Boss Ireland Series at Kithistown Henry Campbell to fill the points podium.

And among the Pre-82 subdivision there was some highly entertaining stuff from Crossle pilots Arnie Black and Nicky Gibson who were locked in combat more often than not. It all became a bit torrid in May when a bit of togetherness at the Chicane left Arnie viewing the world from an inverted position, but once repairs had been effected they were back ‘at it’ again a month later.

But close-fought though the Dawson WAM Championship was, the series’ finest moments came at the midsummer meeting in June when, in addition to the two NI Championship rounds, the ‘National’ BRSCC series came to visit for three races of their own.

With a full 26-car field , which included some locals among the visiting stars, this was always going to be good.

And indeed it was, with James

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Roe scoring victory in the first of the three races ahead of Jordan Dempsey, while the other two went the way of Jamie Thorburn and Neil Mackenzie with Keith Donegan taking the runner-up spot.

It was generally agreed that the visitors put on a good show – with a little help from the local contingent.

But it’s fair to say that, the locals excelled themselves in their own races. Whether it was the presence of the visitors looking on from the pit wall or simply the ongoing pressure of a hotly contested championship reaching the halfway point, but whatever it was, it made the Dawson WAM regulars fight like tigers.

In the first race, Murray was the winner from Roe by 0.2 sec with Davidson completing the podium after 16 hectic laps during which Dempsey found himself ejected from the leading group.

In the second, Murray was,

perhaps, the author of his own misfortune, a last lap clash with O’Hara at the Hairpin demoting both to allow Davidson to win by a few tenths. Roe again placed second with David McCullough third while Murray dragged his bent car over the line to finish fifth.

However it would take another page to go through all the place changes, wheel rubs and other antics which kept the onlookers on their toes, and more than one of the visiting UK drivers returned to their garages wondering . As one of them put it: “I thought I had been going well in my races, but THAT was real motor racing….”

Away from FF1600, some of the best racing seen at Kirkistown came from the occasional visits

by Formula Vee, culminating in their final race of the year which featured a ten-car battle for the lead which lasted all the way to the chequered flag !

History relates that the win, and the Emerson Fittipaldi Trophy which went with it, fell to the evergreen Ray Moore, but the top five at the finish were covered by 0.5s after a battle which lasted the full 12 laps. Stirring stuff !

Other great races during the year came from Roadsports where, although Jim Larkham and his Radical PR06 held sway to take an umpteenth title, there were strong, but occasional challenges from Mike Johnston and his Opel Tigra, who won twice and led three times. The Crossles of John Benson and Paul Conn scored strongly in the places to complete the Championship podium.

The Mondello Strykers turned up for one meeting, strengthening the grid and proving very rapid when the weather turned soggy !

Among the Fiestas there was plenty of close racing – sometimes TOO close on occasion – and quite a lot of activity in the

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147

Brian Hearty, a winner in F.Sheane Steward’s room too. Most of this, though, happened behind Jonny Forsythe who took the honours for a second year. Dan Conlon and Mark Stewart were the placemen.

Entry numbers dipped midseason after one particularly ‘robust’ event but had recovered to reasonable levels by seasons end.

Due to a severe lack of entries in 2016, the Libre Saloons raced without Championship status in 2017, but numbers, and consistency returned to the extent that the year ahead should see a Championship permit granted once again. Top dogs in 2017, though were Andrew Armstrong (BMW M3) and Stephen Traub (Honda Integra) with occasional interventions from Martin Duffy (M3), and the Honda trio of Ulick Burke, Ciaran Denvir and Stephen Potter.

Much of the renewed interest has come from the creation of a class for ‘standard‘ BMW 330i saloons, a number of which

appeared during the year. At the time of writing the exact definition of a ‘standard’ car remains unclear, with at least two schools of thought as to the ultimate specification.

All being well, however, things should have gelled by the start of next season.

The fields were also strengthened by ‘guest appearances’ from the the Irish SEAT Cupra Championship and the ASK Supercars, all of which will return next year.

There are also plans for a two diver ‘enduro’ for saloons at some time next year, complete with pit stops and other excitement.

Other race classes to appear during the year were the UKbased Historic FF2000 brigade who put on a fine show early in the season, the Irish Legends, who also raced hard and well, and Formula Sheane where the racing was every bit as competitive as it has always been.

And….heavy metal fans were treated to a couple of BOSS

Ireland races which, as usual, managed to provide surprise results. There are still a few big-engined single seaters about, and they tended to dominate qualifying. However reliability problems took their toll, and it was usually the small-engined F3 brigade who triumphed in the end.

All in all a good year, and the prospects for 2018 look every bit as good – better even – with most classes hoping for increased numbers in the year ahead, and return visits on the cards or both the National FF1600 and Historic FF2000 classes.

There’s also the prospect of a bigger, better Bishopscourt meeting in 2018.

Finally, a quick mention for some of the Kirkistown ‘old boys’ who had strong seasons in 2017. Top of these must be Colin Turkington, whose bid to take another BTCC title was foiled in the final race of the year. However there were also strong performances from Steven

Kane, firmly established among the ‘Bentley Boys’ in Blancpain GT, and from Wayne Boyd on his occasional appearances in LMP3 with United Autosports. For next year he looks forward to having no less a person than Fernando Alonso among his team mates…!

There are others too. Daniel Harper may not have actually raced at Kirkistown before, but he did compete at the Co.Down venue in a Junior 1000 rally car.

Last season he was one of the stars of the UK Ginetta Junior Championship, but for the year ahead he moved up to the Porsche GB ‘Scholarship’ seat vacated by Charlie Eastwood – who also competed at Kirkistown in the dim and distant, albeit on a kart !

And talking of karts, perhaps I should mention the fact that pole position at one Kirkistown Superkart race not so very long ago, among the very rapid 250 brigade was occupied by a certain Kris Meeke!

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BY MICHAEL O’CARROLL

148

A SPECIAL GENTLEMAN

Pictured outside the church in Dublin at Stuart Cosgrove’s funeral: left to right: Larry Mooney, Declan Quigley, Michael O’Carrroll, Leo Nulty, Sheila Cosgrave (holding photo of Stuart and Bosco O’Brien in front of Ayrton Senna’s FF2000 at Mondello Park1982), Martin McCarthy, David Kennedy and Russell Murphy.

S

tuart Cosgrave gave over 18 years of his life to making Mondello Park viable. Handicapped by economic downturns, recessions, debts, rows and false promises, he eventually lost out to accountants, banks and legal agents.

Mondello fell into the hands of a consortium of motor clubs under the patronage of the RIAC and shortly afterwards the London based Mayo-man, Martin Birrane, bought the facility and land for what was suggested less than a quarter of a million punt.

After that serious set-back Stuart went on to other things, including Kylemore Karting, an interest in jazz music, and above all his family – Sheila his wife and two daughters, Alison and Nicola.

Up to the time of his death last Summer he never lost an interest in motor racing, in watching young drivers making progress in a difficult sport, and he remained friendly with Martin Birrane, who picked up the fragmented pieces in 1988. Kylemore was Stuart’s bread and butter and likewise its importance to young drivers.

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It is very fitting at this time that we should pay here a small tribute to Stuart Cosgrave. Because he failed in one objective is no reason to pass over the deeds of a dedicated enthusiast – a generous benefactor to young drivers within the sport and who lived life with the glass half full, even when it was cracked and leaking.

Circumstances were not always on his side while he toiled to keep the Mondello Park light flickering, at least.

village. He witnessed what was left after the death and destruction that resulted from racing between the hedges, near walls and telegraph poles. He arrived at the conclusion, along with others, that a man-made circuit, with safety built in a far as possible, was the sensible answer.

Motor racing is dangerous anyhow, but circuit racing could and would be safer.

In my view it was a great pity that Stuart Cosgrave was never honoured by the sport he gave so much effort towards.

He was a driver, a competitor, and an unpaid official, before he motivated Eddie Regan and Eddie’s brother-in-law Jim Morrin to develop the farmland at Donore, outsde Naas, and to build the racing circuit that became known as Mondello Park.

Before Mondello took shape Stuart was a practicing solicitor with a passion for the sport.

He got together with hotelier and publican and motorsport competitor Eddie Regan to push forward the idea of a circuit. They looked at several possibilities.

Indeed, at the time there were others working along similar lines, but when Regan introduced Jim Morrin, a farmer and auctioneer, to the equation, the circuit idea took shape quite quickly.

Stuart raced at Dunboyne.

He also became President of the Leinster Motor Club, the organisers of the twice-yearly races around the Co. Meath

In fact, in late 1967, almost twelve months after Dublin motor-dealer Kenny McArdle was killed at Dunboyne, Stuart, Eddie and Jim brought a small group

of motorsport writers together, myself included, to tell us of their hopes and aspirations. The details were scant, except for the location and when I visited Donore, near Caragh, Co. Kildare, some weeks later, all I saw were healthy and happy cattle grazing in green fertile fields. At the end of 1967 and in early 1968 the diggers and dozers appeared.

The company Motor Racing Circuits (MRC after Morrin, Regan Cosgrave) was incorporated in July 1967. Construction commenced on Monday December 18 that year with Southern Roads of Blackrock, Co. Dublin doing the major work.

That construction stage was very much under the supervision of Stuart Cosgrave. He designed the initial 0.8 mile (1.15km) circuit with a main straight that has remained to this day.

Of course it had its critics, but Stuart’s design elements, refined in consultation with a few drivers, have stood the test of time, especially when the extension was added at the end of the first

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TRIBUTE: JOHN McCLEAN 23RD FEBRUARY 1936 -16TH NOVEMBER 2017

I write this with tears in my eyes. The well-known motor trader and rally driver, who started driving in the 1950s and did events all over Ireland and The Isle of Man, has passed away.

I had the great pleasure to

season. Turns three and four were added and they presented the driver with serious difficulties, especially the adverse camber into turn four. But there were critics and cynics even before the gates opened. Did we really have to pay to be there?

The original Mondello Park was difficult to lay-down on damp if not wet soil. Draining was not possible within the budget and fifty years ago road building was a crude art that too often resulted in bumpy and uneven surfaces.

Laser- level road building is no more ten years old. Also, the initial budget, although it included two grandstands and a control tower, did not provide for surfaced car parking, either for competitors or patrons.

If the truth be told the initial operation was rushed. When Dunboyne was run in 1967 only motor cycles, saloon and basic sports cars were raced and that July the Leinster Trophy was run at Bishopscourt and won by Sexton Champion Dave Furlong (Lotus Super Seven). That very fact virtually forced Cosgrave and his team to plan their circuit to open and operate in 1968. It

share a 911 Porsche with John in the late 70s and as my navigator Peter Lyster wrote from Australia ...’Ken, you could not have had a better person to share a car with in rallies, he was kind and good natured.....’

was, in truth, a race against time and a battle to find the necessary money.

The new circuit opened for business on May 12th, 1968.

There was chaos. It was fine on the day of the first meeting, but it had rained heavily the days before. Over 25,000 people turned up to clog the roads leading to the new venue. The Garda didn’t believe they were needed and many patrons turned home, never to see Mondello Park again. Wet grass, muddy paddocks and car parks, added to the frustration as the racing was efficiently run by the M.E.C.. But it was real motor racing!

The following winter the extension was added bringing the track length to 1.24mile (1.860km) and that allowed the venue to be suitable for some international classes. Formula Ford was growing rapidly, here, as well as in the U.K. What was also good was that young Irish drivers were joining the sport, young stars such as Derek Daly, David Kennedy, Michael Roe, Bernard Dolan, Eddie Jordan, Martin Donnelly, Tommy Byrne, Bernard Devaney and Alan Murray arrived

For many years John, along with the late Victor Stanfield, Cecil Molyneaux, and me were known as the four Musketeers and we enjoyed very many golf outings to Scotland, Westport, Ballyliffin, and our favourite Rosapenna, Donegal.

John had a stroke eleven years ago and he was lovingly looked after by his Wife Elma who went to great efforts to make the home as comfortable as she could. He was privileged to have such a devoted partner.

on the scene. And, I could add twenty more who impressed .

For the next 18 years Stuart Cosgrave kept the Mondello Park operating. Regan and Morrin gave way to Bosco O’Brien, another hard working Dubliner with a love for racing. Bosco started in motor cycles, but like Stuart he also raced cars and he grafted earnestly to keep the circuit out of debt, alongside his business partner who by now had given up the law practice, and, among his other activities he had taken on the Irish agency for Marcos cars.

During that period we were given Formula 3, F500, the Dublin Grand Prix, British Saloon Cars, Formula Ford and Formula Ford 2000 as well as Vauxhall Lotus, The indigenous Irish classes Formula Vee and Sheane were created and of course there were our own racing tin-tops.

Mondello Park served the racers well, but the public appetite was not what was required. The organising clubs made more money than the circuit owners, who were not helped at times by the trouble and strife up north and recessionary times here.

John’s daughter Elyse and son Andrew were always available and helped Elma to care for John and when we would visit to see John we were always made very welcome.

Thanks to all the McClean family for your devotion to John and we will all miss a very honest, straight, and lovely man.

Ken Shields

Stuart Cosgrave made arrangements with Donington Park and even Brands Hatch to get championship exchanges.

When matters became futile Cosgrave even went to work for Donington. Bosco O’Brien’s death robbed Stuart of a good support. However, his fulltime buttress was his wife Sheila, who stuck by him as the receivers and accountants came knocking, and Mondello Park was taken from him by the banks.

With the death of Stuart Cosgrave a rare chapter of Irish motor sport was closed. David Kennedy spoke eloquently at his graveside praising the Dubliner’s generosity. Stuart once donated to David, then, an impecunious and teenage racer, his flameproof racing suit. That’s how generous he was.

“Mondello could be interpreted as meaning “little world”. Which brings to mind the words of Archimedes: ‘Give me a place to stand upon and a lever, and I will move the world.’ Stuart just didn’t just move our world, he made it, and we are forever in his debt’.

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BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

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PLEASED TO SPONSOR ROBIN LYONS IN THE WINNING TEAM CarSport

PHOTOS: TREVOR FOSTER

NI Wharton 17 Team Robin Lyons

T

he Ken Wharton Memorial Autotest, organised annually by the Hagley and District Light Car Club is the highlight of the Autotest season in Ireland and UK mainland. Teams from Ireland, North and South, England, Wales and Scotland are invited to compete.

The coveted trophy shows past winners include Irish Motorsport Legends Paddy Hopkirk, Robert and Ian Woodside, Ronnie McCartney, Adrian Boyd, Harold Hagan, John Lyons, Ken Shields, Ken Irwin, Dermot Carnegie and

Sam Bowden, a true testament to the importance of this event.

The NI team of Robin Lyons (Mini Saloon), Mark King (Vauxhall Nova), Paul Blair (Stryker) and Paul Mooney (Mooney Special) , supported

by Woodside Haulage, Euro Auto Commercials and Ferguson Joinery were looking to extend the NI recent success of 5 wins in the last 5 years.

Test 1 saw a close start with both NI and ROI suffering 2 penalties each but NI holding a slight advantage of 6 seconds over England with ROI a further 7 in arrears. Wales followed in fourth, just ahead of Scotland.

Tests 2 and 3 were a repeat of test 1 and the NI drivers settled into a fast pace with a penalty free run to lead ROI by 23 seconds after test 3, but England now less than a second behind ROI. A new test layout was set out for test 4 and repeated as test 5. The NI pace continued to dominate but Paul Mooney’s failed test and the resulting 20 second penalty allowed both ROI and England to close the gap.

NI still held a comfortable 24 second lead to England but could not relax because a failed test or mechanical breakdown attracts a 20 second penalty.

With another new layout for test 6 and 7 both the ROI and England teams tried to maintain the pressure and although matching the times over the last 2 tests were unable to challenge for the lead. NI finished 20.1 seconds ahead of the ROI team of Chris Grimes, David Thompson, Timmy

BY RAYMOND DONALDSON

NI TAKE 2017 KEN WHARTON MEMORIAL AUTOTEST

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Lynch and Ian White.

Six wins in a row, now the team will be aiming for the record set from 1969 – 1976 when NI achieved a record 8 consecutive wins.

Final results: N. Ireland Republic of Ireland England Scotland Wales

2264.5 2284.6 2313.2 2553.3 2557.7

KEN WHARTON MEMORIAL TROPHY CRANMORE GARAGE INTERNATIONAL AUTOTEST AT ARROW MILL, ALCESTER, WARWICKSHIRE: 1 Northern Ireland (Paul Mooney, Robin Lyons, Paul Blair, Mark King) 2264.5s, 2 Republic of Ireland (Ian White, Chris Grimes, Timmy Lynch, David Thompson) 2284.6s, 3 England (Malcolm Livingston, Dave Mosey, Richard Pinkney, Mark Thornton) 2313.2s, 4 Scotland (Stuart Perren, Mike Biss, Willie Keaning, Warren Gillespie) 2553.3s, 5 Wales (Dave Evans, Ash Slights, John Moffatt, Dafydd Roberts) 2557.7s.

Individuals: 1 Malcolm Livingston (Lindsay Special) 546.2s, 2 Ian White (Mini Special) 553.5s, 3 Paul Blair (Striker) 556.7s, 4 David Thompson (Nova) 563.4s, 5 Dave Mosey (Mini) 563.7s, 6 Richard Pinkney (Caterham) 564.6s, 7 Mark King (Nova) 567.1s, 8 Paul Mooney (Mini-Nova Special) 567.5s, 9 Robin Lyons (Mini) 573.2s, 10 Chris Grimes (Mini) 581.7s,

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Paul Blair

Mark King

11 Timmy Lynch (Westfield) 586.0s, 12 John Moffatt (Westfield) 588.0s.

Class winners: Dave Mosey, David Thompson, Paul Blair, Ian White.

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Reserves: 1 Ashley Lamont (Westfield) 547.9s, 2 Alastair Moffatt (Mini Special) 555.4s, 3 Chris Chapman (Striker) 561.4s, 4 Peter Grimes (Mini) 564.3s, 5 Steven Ferguson (Mini-Nova Special) 565.2s, 6 Guy Foster (Mini Special) 567.1s.

Class winners: Peter Grimes, Jamie McMillan (Nova) 599.3s, Ashley Lamont, Alastair Moffatt.

New Sponsor for 2018 NI Autotest Championship The 2018 Northern Ireland Autotest Championship will be sponsored by McMillan Specialist Cars. George Paul Mooney on the startline McMillan himself was a top autotest competitor and his son Jamie won his class at the 2017 Ken Wharton Trophy in his Vauxhall Nova. Jamie has just started a new job with the World Rally Championship winning M-Sport team.

George McMillan, who owns McMillan Porsche in Antrim is expanding his business. “Our main customers are young men and women starting out in the world of Porsche, or retired people,� said Mr McMillan, who has been in business since 1990.

To facilitate ongoing growth, McMillan Porsche acquired new 55,000 sq ft premises at Kilbegs Industrial Estate in Antrim, made up of a large workshop, training area, customer facilities, and a forecourt.

There, Mr McMillan said the company intends to expand its workforce from five people to 15 people over the next two years, with the help of an

Jamie McMillian

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Andrew Blair investment of almost £250,000 from Ulster Bank.

George commented, “Outside of Germany, the UK has one of the highest instances of Porsche ownerships anywhere, and Northern Ireland has a large and growing base of Porsche owners.”

McMillan Porsche offers servicing, diagnostics, modifications, repairs, and rebuilds of the premium cars.

Ashley Lamont

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2017 Autotest Championship Paul Mooney clinched the 2017 Autotest Championship. Driving his Mooney Special, he scored an eleven point victory over second placed Paul Blair. Paul and Ashley Lamont tied for second place with the dropped scores rule going in Paul’s favour. Peter Grimes was fourth with Steven Ferguson fifth.

Norman ferguson

WIN, TEST, SLEEP, REPEAT

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PHOTOS: HARRY WILSON/PATRICK REGAN

Michael Dunlop extracts every last ounce of speed out of his Suzuki at the NW200

‘

Imperious’, ‘sublime’ and ‘dominant’ all became standard fayre when describing Jonathan Rea’s 2017 World Superbike season. 24 podiums from a potential 26, including 12 race victories, a new championship record points tally of 556 and a title winning margin of 153 points all prove these words were no exaggeration of the Kawasaki rider’s performances.

His 2017 motorsport masterclass was made all the more remarkable as it clinched a 3rd successive World Superbike title for the Ballyclare man, becoming the first ever rider to achieve this feat and prompting Rea to declare the season had “surpassed all his expectations and dreams”.

We are a country more used to celebrating the motorcycling feats of road racers who ply their trade between the hedges on public roads, however Rea united fans of all two wheeled disciplines when he became our first world champion since Joey Dunlop and Brian Reid claimed the Formula One and Formula Two world

titles in 1986. Three titles later his fans, the media and his fellow competitors are all running out of superlatives to describe his utter domination of the sport.

The 28-year-old is a popular member of the World Superbikes paddock where the acknowledgement of his outstanding ability as a rider is matched by an admiration for his dedication and humble down-to-earth nature. There is also an acknowledgement that his motorbike development skills have honed the Kawasaki ZX10R into a bike that maximises his talent and smooth riding style.

This point is well made when you consider his team mate on an identical machine ended the season 183 championship points adrift in 3rd place.

So what next for the Ballyclare man ? There is one record remaining to keep him focused in 2018, that of total championship wins, currently held by Carl Fogarty with a total of 4. There are no major technical regulation changes for next season so a continuation of Rea’s dominance

is highly likely. Not surprisingly his feats have also put him on the radar of team bosses in the premier class of motorcycling, Moto GP, where Kawasaki do not have a presence. Rumours have ebbed and flowed in recent months about a move to the Suzuki Moto GP team, however Rea has been keen to highlight he has a further season to run on his Kawasaki World Superbike contract, emphasising how comfortable he is with the team and engineers at Kawasaki, but clever enough not to rule it out.

The more pressing issue though for Rea’s legion of fans is a deserving nomination for BBC Sports Personality of the Year !

In contrast to Rea’s season, fellow countryman Eugene Laverty summed up his own World Superbike season as ‘a big let down’. He returned to the series in 2017 following a spell in Moto GP, signing a 2 year deal with Aprilia aboard a machine which promised so much on paper.

Laverty and the team struggled to convert this theoretical potential into real world lap times. The

second half of the season was an improvement and Laverty amassed 157 points on his way to 10th place in the championship.

The groomed World Superbikes paddock and the media savvy riders, controlled by image conscious manufacturer teams, provide a sharp contrast to the world of road racing. Equally skilled and brave riders grace both disciplines, big name manufacturers are present in each, but road racing is different and nothing highlights it more than an interview with Michael Dunlop.

“We made the impossible possible” declared the Ballymoney man from the top step of the podium, having just clinched his 15th TT win. Noteworthy because it was the ‘blue riband’ Senior TT and his 3rd career win in that race. Even more noteworthy because he achieved it on board Suzuki’s brand new GSXR1000RR. “Bring me here on anything and I’ll win on it”.

A bold statement but not one that many could argue with as the Isle of Man record books

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Ian Hutchinson and James Hillier battle it out on the coast line

Irwin celebrates in style highlight Michael’s TT victories on machinery provided by BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha and now Suzuki. He had taken on the challenge of developing a brand new production road bike into a world class road racing machine in the space of 6 months. This bike was not an evolution of a previous model, there was no data to base decisions on, just a rider with equal quantities of experience, ‘feel’ and bravery telling the mechanics what to change on the brand new machine at the end of each practice session.

There is no sterner test for a motorbike than a 37.7 mile lap of the Mountain Course at an average speed of 130 mph

and true to form it found a weakness in the new Suzuki.

Leading the first Superbike race of the week by 1.4 secs, Dunlop ground to a halt with a ‘technical issue retirement’. No further clarification was forthcoming around this ‘spoiler’ to an otherwise perfect Suzuki debut, which saw fastest lap in practice and a standing start lap 1 in the race of 132.9mph – just shy of the 133.9mph outright lap record held by the man himself.

Suspicion surrounded the engine, an aggressive mapping, but until the Senior TT would go live nobody was sure if the issue could be managed without compromising pace over race distance. 2 laps into that race

and it was clear Michael was struggling and adrift of an Ian Hutchinson and Peter Hickman battle for honours. Hutchinson then proceeded to crash, the race was red flagged and Dunlop got back to the paddock for suspension adjustments. The bike was transformed and that 15th TT win followed 4 laps later to further enhance the pedigree of our country’s No 1 road racing rider.

The British Superbikes series and its support classes continues to have a healthy presence of local riders pushing for honours around the race circuits of England and Scotland. Clogher’s Keith Farmer clinched the 2017 championship for 600cc machinery ahead of Carrickfergus rider Andrew Irwin.

Having enjoyed a 100 point series lead at one point in the season, Keith needed to go all the way to the last round to secure the title with an 18 point winning margin.

A move to the 1000cc Superbike class is now on his radar where he will come up against another member of the Irwin family, this time Glenn.

Paul Bird Motorsport is a name familiar to those in rallying circles, but they may not be aware of his British Superbike championship winning team. Shane Byrne delivered another Superbikes championship title for the PBM team but his team mate Glenn Irwin also recorded his maiden BSB win for the team aboard his identical Ducati. With another season already contracted he could soon be joining the Irish motorcycle hall of fame alongside Jonathan Rea, Eugene Laverty and Michael Dunlop.

VAUXHALL RETAINS TITLE SPONSORSHIP OF THE 2018 INTERNATIONAL NORTH WEST 200 Northern Ireland’s International North West 200 motorcycle race, Ireland’s largest outdoor sporting event, is to have the support of Vauxhall for the 2018 event. This is the company’s sixth consecutive year as title sponsor.

Vauxhall is delighted to return as title sponsor for a sixth year,” said Simon Oldfield, Vauxhall’s Marketing Director. “We are very much looking forward to reaching out to thousands of motorcycle fans through our sponsorship of this great event.”

The securing of the car giant’s continued sponsorship is a huge boost for Event Director, Mervyn Whyte and his North West 200 team as the event moves toward its 90th birthday celebrations.

“We are delighted to have Vauxhall’s support once again as we approach this landmark occasion in the International North West 200’s history,” Whyte said.

“The support we receive from Vauxhall is vital in running an international event which attracts the best road racers in the world each year. The 2017 races culminated in a fantastic superbike race battle between Glenn Irwin and Alastair Seeley that will still be fresh in every fan’s memory. With Vauxhall behind us we will be aiming to hit those same spectacular heights next May.”

From left to right: Simon Oldfield,Martin Jessopp,Mervyn Whyte

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THE NEW COMING SOON

Commutes feel cooler. Getaways get greater. Adventures become reinvented. Step up to Grandland X’s extra ride height, premium design, enhanced safety assistance and smart infotainment, and you’ll find it’s more than just another SUV. Isn’t life brilliant.

Contact your local Vauxhall Northern Ireland Retailer or search Vauxhall Northern Ireland Official Government Environmental Data. Grandland X range fuel consumption figures mpg (litres/100km) and CO2 emissions (g/km): Urban: 44.1 (6.4) – 60.1 (4.7), Extra Urban: 57.6 (4.9) – 80.7 (3.5), Combined 51.4 (5.5) – 70.6 (4.0). CO2 emissions: 127 – 104g/km.# Model shown Grandland X Launch Edition 1.2 (130PS) Manual OTR £28,245. #Fuel consumption information is official government environmental data, tested in accordance with the relevant EU directive. Official EU-regulated test data is provided CarSport for comparison purposes and actual performance will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non-technical factors. Correct at time of going to press.

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SLIDE RULE PHOTOS: PADDY McGRATH

F

or quite some time now, the Deane name has been synonymous with motorsport. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, Mike Deane senior built rally cars for a living, and rallied them too. Very successfully. Since the ‘90s, two of his sons: Mike and Ken, have continued this family tradition, and business, building and looking after competition cars, as well as taking to the rally stages in a variety of rear wheel-drive Escorts. Also very successfully. Indeed, rallying was pretty much a way of life to the Deanes. Then, in 2002, drifting arrived on the scene.

Very much a grassroots discipline at the time, this emergent and exciting sport soon began garnering quite a lot of attention, and ever-increasing numbers of spectators. It was easy to participate too. All you needed was a tail-happy, rear wheel-drive car, and a helmet. Mike’s interest was piqued.

Mike, who would go on to become a very successful drifter, and Irish Drift Champion in 2009, not only took part in the first-ever drifting event to be held in Ireland, he won. And,

significantly, watching from the sidelines was his younger brother: James.

James was just ten years old, and the smoke, the sounds, the electrifying atmosphere, and the sheer spectacle left an indelible impression on him. In fact, it proved to be an epiphanous and life-defining event.

“Up until this point, my passion had been watching rallying,” confesses James.” I loved the way the cars went sideways around corners. But, drifting took this to a whole new level. I was hooked, and vowed that when I was old enough, drifting was what I wanted to do in life.”

was able to call upon the services of the family business: Deane Msport. Nonetheless, please don’t run away with the idea that James was gifted a full-house competition car, and a bottomless budget. That’s not the Deane family way. They graft, and they earn their rewards.

Having such a familial association with Ford Escorts, you might also be surprised to learn that James didn’t begin his drifting career in Ford’s ‘steerfrom-the-rear’ icon. Instead, he ventured onto the drift scene in what can only be described

as one of the Blue Oval’s family barges: a Sierra Estate.

“I was an absolute novice of course, so it made sense to run something cheap and easy to fix,” says James smiling. “We gutted the Sierra interior and welded the diff. It was a bare essentials drift car. But it worked well enough, and was a good learning tool.

Good enough for James to do rather well during the season.

That said, James soon realised that a Sierra Estate wasn’t going to enable him to progress his career. Cue Nissan 200SX. This was a big step,” he

Sideways move Fortunately, James didn’t have to wait too long to realise his ambition. Prior to 2006, you had to be seventeen years-old in order to compete. But, the 2006 regulations ushered in a number of changes, including dropping the minimum age to fifteen.

James signed up on his fifteenth birthday, and set about getting a car.

Of course, he was lucky that he had the support of his family, and

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acknowledges. “Much more expensive too. But my family helped out with the finances, and we used the money that had been put aside for my communion and confirmation! A number of my friends chipped in too. I had to do my best to justify their faith in me.

“At the start of every season there’s a judging day. After analysing your runs, the judges place you in the category they feel suits you best. I managed to get into Pro class and was rewarded with a Pro licence. The 200SX performed really well.

Within a few months I’d won my first event.”

School leaver James’ meteoric rise to success, and committed yet exceptionally precise driving style, was getting him noticed. As a result, in 2008, sponsors started coming on board. This proved a significant boost, as James was not only able to continue contesting the Irish drifting events, his new sponsors wanted him to also make the leap into Europe.

Not that this was a decision that the 16-year-old James took lightly. He was well aware that competing in Europe would not only be make or break, it would also impact on his schooling.

“After talking things through, at length, with my family, I made the decision to leave school and try to forge a career as a professional racing driver,” recalls James. “I had to work of course.

So, I got a job as a mechanic.

However, on weekends, I travelled across Europe. This could have been a stumbling block, as I was too young for a driving licence.

Luckily the top four Pro drivers, which included me, had their cars transported to events. When I competed in Ireland, dad towed my car to the events.

“It was a very busy year, but it also proved to be a great year. I was very fortunate and managed to win both the Irish and the Prodrift European Championships.

“At the end of the season, I was one of thirty-two drivers invited to take part in the first-ever Red Bull World Drift Championship, at Long Beach, California. We did have some mechanical issues, but the overall

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experience, my first at this level, was incredible.”

Shape shift Incredible indeed, but unexpected shipping delays meant that the 200SX didn’t arrive back in Ireland in time for the start of the 2009 season.

Keen to keep up the momentum, and contest as many events as possible, a new car: a Mazda RX7, was built ...in just two months.

His brother Mike would also be competing, but in a Nissan PS13.

The PS13 is a tried and tested format, whereas the RX7 proved be somewhat different, and took some finessing. Mechanically ...and behind the wheel.

“Amongst other things, the rotary engine had blown,” mentions James. “We fitted an SR20 in its place. We’ve a lot of experience with this engine. Ours produced 450bhp.

“The 2009 season was spent developing the car. As well as the SR20 engine, it had SR20 running gear and a Skyline gearbox. The traction was excellent. However, the RX7 is short and wide. It’s like a go-kart and takes a great deal of concentration to drive it at the limit.

“Mike won the Prodrift Ireland Championship, and I finished in second place. There’s never any animosity between us, it’s more a matter of who’s got bragging rights at the dinner table!”

Stateside 2009 had been a good year for James. As would 2010, albeit in a more formative way.

“At the end of 2009, I travelled to the States to watch my good friend, Darren McNamara, compete in a Formula Drift round as part of the Falken Drift Team,” James elaborates. “This series is the pinnacle of the sport globally.

I got on really well with the team, and was invited to take part in a number of events during 2010.

“Because one driver was retiring, they gave me the use of his Falken Tyres Nissan S15. It was a well sorted car, but a little down on power. The engine produced 500bhp, whereas most of my competitors had 700 - 750bhp.

Even so, it performed well enough for me to get a number of top 16 and top 8 finishes. And, it well and truly opened my eyes to Formula Drift and what it could offer.”

Support system In 2012, having switched back to the RX7, James contested Prodrift Ireland and the European Drift series. 2012 also happened to be the season that he first received support from Falken Tyres.

“Falken came on board and provided tyres as my official tyre sponsor,” enthuses James.

“I had a very good year using their FK453 street tyre and ended up winning the Irish Drift

championship. I also did some events at the Nurburgring with Falken, and started building up a very good relationship.”

In fact, in 2013, Falken became James’ title sponsor in Europe and his RX7 was painted in the company’s teal and blue colour scheme. James, Falken, and the now well-sorted RX7 quickly proved to be a winning combination.

“I won the Irish National Drift Championship, as well as the firstever Nurburgring Drift Cup ...and did a demonstration for Falken at the Nurburgring 24-hours.

“At the time I was still using the FK453, which I found to be very predictable, long-lasting, with good grip. It produced lots of smoke too ...which is always exciting for the spectators!”

Fast forward James’ relationship with Falken Tyres was blossoming. There were some technical flourishes too.

With the help of his two brothers, and a few friends, James built a new car for the 2014 season: an S14. It was quite some machine.

“The pace of drifting had increased so much, I knew that more power would be needed,” explains James. “But I didn’t want to ruin the balance of the RX7, hence the switch to the S14,” The engine used in the S14, which was very reliable, was a 650bhp 3.0L 2JZ-GTE with ZRP internals.

“Initially it was partnered

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otherwise you don’t get the forward progress you need. This is hugely-important, especially when competing at the highest level, such as in Formula Drift.”

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Winning formula As alluded to, Formula Drift has been on James’ ‘to do’ list since 2010, but it wasn’t until 2017 that he was able to make a return to this most coveted of championships.

with a 350Z gearbox, but this kept breaking input shafts so we changed to a NASCAR, four-speed, dogbox. It was a bit agricultural, but tough. In more recent times, we’ve moved to using a Samsonas six-speed sequential, which is fantastic. As is the Winters Performance Quick Change differential set-up. This allows us to swap final drives in just five minutes.

“Because the pace of the sport has increased so much, we fitted the S14 with Wisefab suspension and steering. Wisefab designed the rear to have as much grip as possible. The front end, which uses electric-hydraulic power steering, has an incredible 65 degrees of steering angle. It’s brilliant. Great fun too ...and easy to park! The tyres have helped enormously. Because of the pace and power increase, we relied upon Falken’s excellent Azensis RT615K championship-winning street tyre.”

Using the RT615K-shod S14, James clinched the European Drift Championship in 2014, and the Drift Allstars Championship.

What’s more, as if he hadn’t already achieved enough, and

done his fair share of travelling, there was the trip to Dubai to attempt the Guinness Book of Records Longest Tandem Drift.

James’ participation came about thanks to the support of Nissan, the Pro Drift Academy UAE, and, naturally, Guinness.

He was in the chase car; Ahmad Daham drove the lead car.

Covering over 100 laps of the Dubai track, the pairing achieved an incredible 28.52km run, over a 45-minute period, to take the record. Set in December 2014, it still stands.

Without doubt, James was on a winning streak. He went on to take the European Championship in 2015 and 2016. Plus, he was Irish Drift Champion in 2015 and Drift Allstars Champion in 2015 and 2016. And, as part of the Falken Drift Team, James was invited to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2015 and 2016, where his drifting demonstrations proved to be a favourite with spectators.

Pace car “The new car, which is a fabulous machine, was needed due to the fact that my main focus for 2017 was Formula Drift.

I’d be racing with Falken as part of the three-driver Worthouse Drift Team. On events, the car would be looked after by the Bridges Racing Team.

“The engine, still a 3.0L 2JZGTE, it tuned to 750bhp. There’s a direct-port nitrous kit too. This adds another 150bhp, pushing power to 900bhp. It’s tuned into the throttle position sensor/ ECU. When the throttle goes past the 80% mark, the nitrous is triggered. The nitrous also helps in spooling up the turbo.

“It’s proved to be a tricky car to drive, but the move to Falken’s Azensis RT615K+ tyre has helped tame the beast. This is the PLUS version of the original RT615K. Sizes are 235/40/18 front, 295/40/18 rears. To create a bigger contact patch, we run the rears at quite a low pressure.

“What many people don’t realise, is that the tyre is the most important component on a drift car. You need to go sideways as fast as possible, and accelerate through the corner.

This requires the tyre to have a high level of grip. Although the car is constantly sliding, the tyre needs to grip as much as possible,

“It’s long-been my dream to do a full season in Formula Drift,” admits James. “Thanks to the great support I’ve received, I was able to make this dream a reality in 2017.

“Because of this, I’ve been able to focus 100% on drifting and give the fans, and the sponsors, the best show possible and get the best results. Although I’ve been competing in drifting for over a decade, I still truly love the sport. It gives me the most fantastic adrenaline rush.

And, no doubt, James will be feeling that adrenaline rush for quite some time, seeing that he recently clinched the 2017 Formula Drift Championship.

2017 has been a stellar season for James and having amassed such a points lead, he arrived at the final round, at Irwindale, safe in the knowledge that he only needed to qualify in order to win this highly-prestigious series.

But, it’s not in James’ nature to play it safe. Driving the Worthouse / Falken Tyres Nissan S15, he finished on the podium, in third place, capping off a mightily-impressive season that also saw him net four event victories.

It was a field day for Falken Tyres too, as the manufacturer swept the podium and won the Tire Manufacturer Championship for their second consecutive time.

However, the real credit ...and the final word, has to go to James

“To win the Formula Drift title on my birthday, and with so many fans having come over from Ireland, made it extra special, and very emotional. I just wanted to put on a good show. It’s been a dream season.”

EURO M-SPORT OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS OF SAMSONAS TRANSMISSIONS PANTA FUEL www.eurom-sport.com CarSport

RENTOKIL INITIAL KILLARNEY HISTORIC RALLY

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PHOTOS: TREVOR FOSTER

Denis Moynihan

D

enis Moynihan and Ger Conway recorded their second overall win on Ireland’s only rally dedicated to historic rallying. Driving a Ford Escort Mk1, the Millstreet and Faha crew recorded a start to finish victory in what was a relatively trouble free run. Their 11 second victory added to their 2015 result and defied the fact that Moynihan has not competed since his previous victory on the event.

Runner’s up Mark Falvey and Diarmuid Lynch from Rathmore and Glenflesk respectively did try hard to keep the lead car in their sights but ultimately an overshoot on the Beallaghbeama stage cost them the chance to fight for victory.

Last year’s winners Paul Barrett, from Tyrone and his Isle of Man co-driver Paul McCann finished third in their Ford Escort Mk2 after a day long battle with Eoin Murphy and Anthony Nestor who were driving a Talbot Sunbeam.

Denis Cronin and Helen O’Sullivan returned to the sport after a long lay-off, the former Rally of Lakes winners drove a newly acquired Escort to seventh overall.

Rob Duggan, co-driven on this

occasion by his sister Tara, stole a march on rivals in the Modified category by going 16 seconds faster than anyone over Moll’s Gap to claim his second victory in as many years. Recent Kerry Winter Rally winner Gary Kiernan was second, some thirty seconds off Duggan’s hot pace at the finish.

Colin O’Donoghue, with co-driver Kieran O’Donoghue on board, was the sensation of the rally, driving in his first rally, his seeding of 101 defied his finishing position of sixth in a hired Escort.

OVERALL: 1 Denis Moynihan/Ger Conway (Escort) 65m 09s, 2 Mark Falvey/Diarmuid Lynch (Escort) 65m 20s, 3 Dave Pritchard/Emyr Hall (Escort) 72m 16s, 4 John Coyne/Stephen Joyce (Sunbeam Lotus) 73m 25s, 5 Colin McDowell/Michael Spence (Mini Cooper S) 73m 59s, 6 Brendan McAree/Niall Kelly (Porsche 911) 77m 36s.

FIA APPENDIX K CARS: 1 Denis Moynihan/Ger Conway, 2 Mark Falvey/Diarmuid Lynch, 3 Dave Pritchard/Emyr Hall.

HISTORICS: 1 Colin McDowell/ Michael Spence, 2 David Dee/Rita Dee (Mini Cooper S) 87m 26s, 3 Iarla Carty/ Stephen Reynolds (Mini Cooper S) 102m 46s.

POST-HISTORICS: Ryan Barrett 1 Pat Looney/Tom Kelleher (Escort) 73m 05s, 2 Jimmy McRae/ Pauline Gullick (Vauxhall Magnum) 74m 40s, 3 Maurice Meskell/ Stephen Meskell (Escort) 76m 06s.

CLASSICS: 1 Ryan Barrett/Paul McCann (Escort) 66m 50s, Robert Duggan 2 Owen Murphy/ Anthony Nestor 3 Enda O’Brien/John Butler (Sunbeam Lotus) 67m 08s, (Escort) 63m 52s, 3 Melvyn Evans/Sean Hayde 4 Tommy Doyle/Liam Moynihan (Escort) 68m 04s.

(Escort) 64m 31s, MODIFIED: 5 Damian Toner/Marty Toner 1 Rob Duggan/Tara Duggan (Escort) 64m 59s, (Escort) 61m 47s, 6 Wesley Patterson/Johnny Baird 2 Gary Kiernan/Ryan Moore (Escort) 65m 56s.

(Escort) 62m 12s,

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DRIVER’S SEAT INTERVIEW: STIG BLOMQVIST AGE: 71 LIVES: SWEDEN

The Audi, you could entertain people with that car. In the beginning people were fed up with it, but I think once we got used to the car, I think more and more started liking it and now it is loved in some places.

Stig Blomqvist

WHAT IS YOUR MOST EFFECTIVE OR PERSONAL ASSET? I think I was one of them that could push a bit harder if I really needed to. If I had a problem I could put another percentage on the driving to try and come back and keep up again.

S

tig Blomqvist is one of the legends of the sport and during his heyday in the 1980s he was one of the best in the business, winning the WRC Drivers’ title with the Audi Quattro in 1984 and finishing runner-up in 1985.

He also took the British title in 1983 and was twice Race of Champions ‘Champion of Champions’ in 1989 and 1990.

Stig began driving in the 1960s, honing his skills with Saab and taking his first international win in 1971, when he won the Swedish Rally with the Saab 96. He would go on to win his home rally seven times in total - the last time in 1984 – and he also took victory on a number of other classic events, including the Acropolis Rally and the RAC, to mention just two.

His career spanned more than five decades - his last appearance in the WRC coming just over 10 years ago in Sweden, although he remains active and continues to contest the East African Safari Classic. In total he did just over 120 WRC events, taking 11 victories, 33 podiums and notching up over 480 stage wins.

Here he speaks to Rob Wilkins at Rallyday 2017…

STIG, WHAT WAS THE BEST MOMENT IN YOUR MOTORSPORT CAREER?

CarSport

There have been quite a few in my long time in motorsport, but of course winning the World Rally Championship in 1984 was one of them, and I think winning the RAC in 1971 was also quite big for me.

WHAT WAS THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY? Maybe the Safari in 1984. We had a really good car but a change to the gearbox at the last minute made it so it didn’t last. That was a big problem. We had a fantastic car in testing and on the recce and things, but then in the rally we had an issue with the gearbox.

WHAT WAS THE WORST MOMENT? There have been some ups and downs, but not really any bad things. I must say I have been quite lucky and haven’t had any big crashes. Okay, sometimes you have to roll it at least once a year because otherwise you are not quick enough, but with the rest I didn’t have any big things. I have been lucky there.

the chance to drive the Lancia Stratos in Sweden once [1978 – Ed] - and that was an interesting car - of course Audi came in with the Quattro and that was my favourite for sure.

Worst car? I don’t think you can pick a worst rally car really because all rally cars are good – although some can be better than others. In the beginning the Audi was actually quite tricky, but okay for me and I got to grips with it quite quick because I came from front-wheel drive cars and the behaviour on the Audi was very similar.

WHICH CAR DO YOU REGRET SELLING AND WHY? Looking today I should have kept them all, but of course it would be nice to have an Audi.

WHAT’S THE MOST ENTERTAINING CAR YOU’VE EVER DRIVEN?

WHAT WAS YOUR BEST CAR... AND YOUR WORST? That is difficult to answer because, as I said, I have been in motorsport for such a long time, but there have been a few ‘best’ cars actually. I started with Saab and that did a hell of a good thing for me. Then I had

Stig in a quattro

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER THE ASPIRING DRIVER? It is very difficult today to do something because you need a lot of money to do things. It is not only talent that talks. That is a shame and I think motorsport is missing a lot of talent because of that.

WHO HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST MOTORING INSPIRATION? There were quite a few in Sweden. Erik Carlsson because he was with Saab and what I liked very much was the driving style of Tom Trana with the Volvo. Then we had another one who was also really talented and good and that was Harry Källström.

TELL US SOMETHING SURPRISING ABOUT YOURSELF? It is too late for that now…

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