Wexford drivers in Carlow

Bridlinton, East Yorkshire

John Dier

Monday 12th June

In between all the violent thunder and lightening storms we are having here today, I decided to risk the interupted electricity supplies we are getting here to bring you thee latest from gary Nolan's laptop. Read on and enjoy.

The Carlow stages rally was this year was packed to the rafters of top class machinery in one of the best line up’s the national rally scene had to offer. Current national champions Ray Breen and Andrew Purcell led the field away but the familiar Corolla of Charlie Donnelly and Paddy Toner followed in their mirrors. The fabulous array of Subaru Impreza’s piloted by Patrick Elliot/Paul Goodman, Niall Maguire/Paul McLoughlin, Martin Doherty/ Andrew Cullen, Bunclody man Noel Redmond and Kevin Barrett/Barry Goodman along with the Focus’s of Aaron McHale/Craig Parry, Michael Barrable/ MJ Morrissey and Goreyman David James who had regular navigator Jim Crowe back on the notes.

Other Wexford club members in contention for honours included the Mitsubishi Lancer’s of the Stafford’s and PJ McGrath along with the Subaru of Stephen Cullen with David Byrne on the notes. The crazy Corsa’s of John and Geraldine Somers and Mark Kennedy and Ian O’ Leary would be in the hunt for class 11 honours.

Among the world-class machinery the event this year featured a true world-class star in Alister McRae who topped the entry list in this years Escort challenge. The Scot, the youngest member of the famous Scottish rallying clan was on his first tarmac outing aboard his black mk2 and was expected to show his class on the Carlow stages. Hot on his heals would be the Welsh wizard, Gwyndaf Evans who led last years event until the final stage. At three was Derryman Seamus O’ Connell in his gorgeous Escort and he had rally.ie owner Brian Duggan on the notes. The Whitty brothers, Willy and Johnny were the only Escort men in the top ten, and they left at number four on the start line.

At the head of the field it was the Ford Focus of Ray Breen and Andrew Purcell who topped the time sheets, the Kel-Tech Focus had a 2 second lead over the Corolla of Donnelly and Toner heading into first service, who in turn had a 2 second lead over Patrick Elliot, who had clipped a rock, and the fast improving Aaron McHale who was on his second outing aboard his fathers Ford Focus WRC. In the group N battle, James Stafford and PJ McGrath were fighting it out for third in class, the pair just off the pace of class leaders Alan Ring and Adrian Deasy. Expected front-runners Kevin and Martin Kelleher rolled near the end of SS2.

On the second and third loop of stages, Breen and Donnelly traded places at the top of the time sheets, the Dunlop shod Focus holding the smallest of leads over the hard charging Corolla of Donnelly. Elliot had dropped slightly back, probably caused by the close attentions of the Focus of McHale, the Dubliner showing great form and putting in some cracking times aboard his new mount. Maguire and Doherty rounded out the top 6. Redmond’s Impreza’s was lying seventh, the Bunclody man was suffering intercom problems in his efforts to crack into the top 6. David James was just outside the top ten, the Goreyman another to suffer problems halting his progress up through the field. Stafford was still lying third in Group N, picking up the pace, settling back into the DJ motorsport run Lancer but another Lancer had left the fray, the Oakland Quarries example of PJ McGrath parked on a Carlow bank.

The outcome of the rally changed in spectacular fashion when Breen and Purcell spin at high speed, the Focus able to continue but the crew deciding to call a halt to their event at the end of the stage. This left Donnelly to take a well deserved victory, while Patrick Elliot took second as Aaron McHale had to keep an eye on the hard charging Niall Maguire to record his best result to date with third overall. David James found his pace aboard his Focus to take ninth, James Stafford finished eleventh and third in group N with Noel Redmond dropping back to twelfth overall by the end of the day.

Ollie McPhilips and Billy Collins took eighteenth overall and second in class 15, just ahead of the Nova of Mark Kennedy of Ian O’ Leary who took nineteenth overall and second in class 11, forty seconds behind the similar Nova of class winners Colin O’ Toole and John McGrath. Other award winners included Damian and Karl Morris who took second in class 2, Ciaran Cloke and Declan Stafford were third in class 3,Mick Kehoe and Tim Boyle took class 7 honours, Niall Fortune and James Kelly took second in class 13 while Paul Lacey and Nigel Dunne took third in class.

There was a junior rally along with the main event, and as usual, Wexford had a big representation in the event. John Stafford and Anne Marie Kennedy were seeded at 2 in the event, while Jason Kinsella and Bobby Murphy were at 3 in their Honda Civic. Paddy Dwyer and Pat Doyle were at 4, Kenny O’ Brien and Enda Kennedy were 5 while the similar Nova of Brian Kirwan and Elaine Delaney were at 6 and they were all expect to be at the top end of the leader board. Other entrants included Paddy Carroll and Nicky Lacey were at 9 in their Peugeot 106, Gary Nolan and Damien Roche were at 11 in their Mk1 Escort, while Eddie Nolan and John Byrne were out in their Escort as well.

The pace was frantic at the top, and it was the Nova of Kenny O’ Brien and Enda Kennedy who were setting the pace, with Jason Kinsella and Bobby Murphy proving their closest rivals. Paddy Dwyer and Pat Doyle dropped out of contention when the CK performance Nova left the road while John Stafford had intercom problems on the opening stage. Gary Nolan and Damien Roche were early retirements as were Paddy Carroll and Nicky Lacey. It was a straight fight between O’ Brien and Kinsella heading into the last stage, but the Civic was to stop with engine problems and the Blue buggy in the hands of Kenny with Enda Kennedy on the notes took their first overall win. Tim Radford and John O’ Rourke took second overall while the Kirwan/Delaney partnership took third. Eddie Nolan and John Byrne finished fifth while John Stafford and Anne Marie Kennedy survived a miserable day to take third in class.

JD