The build up to september hots up.

Website office(Wexford)

John Dier

Thursday 23rd August

The build up to the 2007 Riverbank House Hotel Dick Bailey Stages Rally is starting to reach fever pitch, with over 200 entries having been received with ten days still left before the closing date is reached. The event, which is held over the 8th and 9th of September, takes place over 16 special stages with nearly 220 competitive kilometres in store for the crews over some of the fastest and demanding stages in the country.
Eamon Boland is the local hero and the Wexford motor dealer has confirmed his intention to be sitting on the start line, aboard his newly purchased Subaru Impreza S12 WRC. Eamon has had a tough year, although third overall on the Jim Clark rally and second overall on the Manx International has brightened up what had been a pretty lean year for the Wexford man. Subaru’s look to be spear-heading the event, with entries having been received from another pair of Subaru’s in the shape of Melvyn Evans and Damien Finneran, while there is always a chance that fellow seven times winner Stephen Murphy may return to the stages for the first time since his spectacular off in Donegal. There is a strong possibility that the Ford challenge will be headed by World Rally Championship regular Gareth McHale, with Michael Barrable another weighing up the possibility of having a crack at the event that he has finished second overall on two occasions in the past. If McHale were to start, he would be battling for victory on the event exactly 25 years on since his father, Austin, took his first of three wins on the Wexford Stages. Also entered is the ever spectacular David James.
The Subaru versus Mitsubishi battle that seems to be the story of Group N looks set to take place in Wexford aswell. Last years group N winner David Parle looks set to return in a Mitsubishi, with usual Wexford rally Group N front runners Mark Nangle, who only missed out on overall honours by one second last year, Sean Flanagan and Padraig Neville likely to field another trio of Subaru’s in the Group N section. The two men most likely to cause a stir in the Group N are Gabriel Martin and Trevor Harding, both entered in Mitsubishi Evo 9’s. Martin led Group N in both 2005 and 2006 while Tipperary man Harding is hoping to debut his new Mitsubishi Evo 9 on the south-east event.
The new 2-wheel drive challenge, a new dimension for the 2007 event has caused a great stir for this year’s event. James Stafford and Frankie Dwyer have been a revelation this year since they debuted their Millington –powered Darrian on the West Cork rally. Their likely to head the local challenge, with the Escorts of Liam Wall, Willy Whitty and John Kehoe bound to right up their with the leaders. However, competition is going to be stiff, with the likes of John Dalton, Phil Collins, Brian Brogan, Seamus O’ Connell, Adrian Hetherington, Trevor Culbert, Gareth Lloyd, Gordon Rodgers, Gary Reidy, Neil Williams, Washington James and Wayne Evans all showing interest in being top dog on the 2-wheel drive challenge. The 1600cc is never to be under estimated, with the likes of Terence O’ Shaughnessy, who had a cracking run on the recent Stonethrowers event, Mark Kennedy and Colin O’ Toole all hoping to give the more powerful buggies a run for their money!
This year’s event will also be the first non-international event in the country to have the spectacular Micro-Cam TV Truck Screen, the massive Cinema-live screen that will be seen at various locations over the weekend, most notably at the Sunday Service area at the Wexford Racecourse where members of the public are welcome to come in and view the action on the big screen. Plans are also underway to broadcast a live stage on the screen, bringing live footage to the public from the comfort of the racecourse grandstands.
The Wexford marshall’s club is an integral part of motorsport within the south-east, and is growing by the event. Two of its members, Carla Walsh and Stephen Kavanagh, were lucky enough to win a fully expenses paid trip for two to a round of the world rally championship, after marshalling on five or more events during the 2006 season. The club were at the launch of the Dick Bailey stages event where folk signed up to join the club there and then. Also, head of the club Michael Brady can be contacted on 087 2772366 for details on the club’s activities.

JD