Darkness is starting to fall on the seaside village of Fethard on Sea. We have witnessed all weather conditions on this December day. The rally has been a huge success and Fethard has not seen such a busy mid-winter day in a long time. It has been 18 years since the village has resounded to the sound of rally cars and Wexford Motor Club has given a day to remember. Top seed David James headed off first into the West Wexford countryside. He dominated the first stage being 12 sec. quicker than Kilkenny man John Treacy, albeit Treacy being slowed by a misfire. Martin Taggart made the long trip from Co.Down well worthwhile in third only two seconds further back. While the weather was fine and sunny on stage 1, various crews described the road conditions as anything from slippy to lethal.

Stage 2 was to be a different story with James suffering on the now wet roads. Treacy was to pull out with a serious misfire problem. Fastest time on this occasion to Clonmel man Jimmy Lambert, Taggart four seconds back and James a further seven seconds back in third. This had set a cracking prospect for the third stage. This stage, held in the dark, was to be as interesting as the previous two. The crowd waited to see who would first see the fireworks that had been arranged to greet the leading cars. Who would it be? James, Lambert or Taggart?

The fireworks went off, the cars came down the long straight to the time in control and who was to lead them in but Martin Taggart. What had happened to James .We spoke to James who revealed that he had spun and lost 30 seconds to Taggart. But what had happened to Lambert, he spun off well in to the stage and was left stranded. He was left slightly blocking the stage, but that problem was solved by the charging Thomas O'Rourke. He clipped the stranded Escort, doing minor damage to his Opel in the process. Not that it bothered the Wexford Opel dealer who was in fine spirit after a charge on the last stage.

So it was the man that took the long drive that had upset the locally favoured form book and drove down the main street to the winner's ramp outside the rally H.Q at the HOTEL NAOMH SEOSAMH to a rousing reception by the hardy band of spectators that had braved the not to pleasant weather conditions. The winner's trophy will head north of the border for the first time in a Wexford Motor Club event in quite a while. Martin Taggart was a happy man as he realised that his trip south from Co. Down was very worthwhile.

What of Thomas O'Rourke's storming drive. He took 27sec.out of Eamonn Murphy's last stage time and must rue the fact that his first stage spin cost him a definite top three finish of all the drivers he seemed to relish the damp and the dark.

David James must also rue the half-minute that co-driver Ron Guha reckons that they lost when the Escort G3slid broadside down the escape road at the first junction. The delay in extricating was also that bit longer as David was careful not to dislodge his spotlight set-up which was badly needed for the pitch-black conditions.

So the millennium’s last tarmac rally ended on an exciting and successful note with the Hook peninsula having had an entertaining day and also a quite a financial pre Christmas boost. Full marks to the Wexford Motor Club and the Hook Development Association for the way both bodies maximised the opportunity.

STAGE THREE - PROVISIONAL
 1   3 Martin Taggart/Bob Kelly            Down              Escort        10:49
 2   6 Tomás O'Rourke/John O'Rourke        Wexford           Astra         11:20
 3   1 David James/Ron Guha                Gorey             Escort G3     11:22
 4  22 John Beresford/Derek Power          Clashmore, Wfd    Corolla       11:34
 5  12 Sean McEvoy/Chris Finnegan          Laois             Escort 2000   11:34
 6  21 Allen Tracey/Bob Fitzgerald         Killeagh, Cork    Corolla       11:42
 7  51 Kieran O'Callaghan/Diarmuid French  Cork              Corolla       11:43
 8  29 Gary McGuiney/Donal Crossan         Monaghan          Escort        11:44
 9   5 Clive Williams/Patrick Walsh        Wales             Escort        11:45
 9   8 Huw Jeffreys/Llinos Jones-Edwards   Wales             Escort        11:45
11  10 Eamonn Murphy/Keith Martin          Waterford         Escort        11:47
12   4 Trevor Culbert/Russell Dagg         Wicklow           Escort        11:48

    11 Jimmy Lambert/James Coleman         Clonmel           Escort        DNF


TOP 51 - OFFICIAL
 1   3 Martin Taggart/Bob Kelly            Down              Escort 2000   31:46
 2   1 David James/Ron Guha                Gorey             Escort 2000   32:14
 3  10 Eamonn Murphy/Keith Martin          Waterford         Escort        33:14
 4   6 Tomás O'Rourke/John O'Rourke        Wexford           Astra 1998    33:22
 5  22 John Beresford/Derek Power          Clashmore, Wfd    Corolla       33:37
 6  29 Gary McGuiney/Donal Crossan         Monaghan          Escort        33:38
 7   5 Clive Williams/Patrick Walsh        Wales             Escort        33:48
 8  21 Allen Tracey/Bob Fitzgerald         Killeagh, Cork    Corolla       34:02
 9   4 Trevor Culbert/Russell Dagg         Wicklow           Escort        34:11
10  51 Kieran O'Callaghan/Diarmuid French  Cork              Corolla       34:19
11  25 Colm Doyle/Eoin Doyle               Mooncoin          Peugeot       34:23
12  45 Shay White/Bea White                Newbawn           Starlet 1600  34:24
13   8 Huw Jeffreys/Llinos Jones-Edwards   Wales             Escort        34:29
14  50 Alan Smithwick/Barry Roche          Kilkenny          Escort        34:46
15  30 Michael Hickey/Ann Hickey           Newbawn           Peugeot 205   34:48
16  12 Sean McEvoy/Chris Finnegan          Laois             Escort 2000   34:54
17  36 Billy CollinsMichael Culbert        Kilkenny          Escort G3     35:01
18  47 Gareth Richards/Kevin Price         Wales             Escort        35:03
19  26 James Doherty/Colm Doherty          Slieverue         Starlet 1650  35:11
20  48 Michael McEvoy/Della McEvoy         Laois             Escort 1598   35:12
21  20 Peter Boggan/Ray Codd               Wexford           Escort 1600   35:14
22  18 John Hennessy/Finbarr Mangan        Carlow            Escort        35:18
23  62 Joe Redmond/Trav Hutton             Carlow            Peugeor       35:34
24  34 Martin McGrath/Dorothy Morrissey    New Ross          Starlet 1300  35:44
25  39 PJ O'Farrell/Jim O'Brien            Fethard-on-Sea    Swift 1300    35:56
26  41 Paul Cloke/Elizabeth Cloke          Enniscorthy       Peugeot       36:10
27 114 Tony Mulcahy/William Walsh          Cork              Starlet       36:13
28  35 Eugene French/Ger French            Newbawn           Escort 1300   36:16
29  52 Mark Nangle/Brendan Sterds          Meath             Corolla 1600  36:20
30  84 Larry Bradley/Paul Meredith         Laois             Sunbeam       36:35
31  32 Anthony Roche/Noel Byrne            Wexford           Peugeot       36:39
32  43 Eugene Fitzpatrick/Mary Fitzpatrick Bunclody          Escort 2000   36:41
33  98 Eamonn Power/Shane Power            Ferns             Peugeot       36:43
34  55 Geraint Jones/Philip Ralphs         Wales             Escort        36:51
35  60 Tommy Egan/Craig Britton            Dublin            Peugeot       36:54
36  28 Thomas Sheehan/William Walsh        Clonmel           Astra         37:06
37 137 Tim O'Donovan/Tadgh White           Cork              Toyota        37:09
38  16 John Murphy/Martin Nolan            Ferns             Escort 2000   37:15
39  78 Damian Browne/Kristian Browne       Clonmel           Astra 2000    37:18
40  54 John Brennan/Patrick Cummins        Kilkenny          Escort 2000   37:30
41  74 Dermot Harrington/Conor Foley       Waterford         Corolla       37:31
42  90 Derek Kennedy/Mark Kennedy          Wexford           Corsa         37:33
43  17 Pat Bolger/Paul Griffin             Kilkenny          Chevette 2000 37:41
44  56 Gerald Sharkey/Paddy Robinson       Donegal           Corsa         37:53
45 138 Wesley Roberts/Seamus Sommers       Sligo             Nova 1400     38:13
46  33 Pat Murray/Jimmy Murray             Carlow            Sunbeam       38:19
47  58 John Byrne/Paul Kavanagh            Ferns             Sunbeam       38:19
48  92 Adrian Leonard/Thomas Tutty         Gorey             Honda         39:14
49  76 David Whitty/Robert Dunne           New Ross          Corolla       39:47
50  91 Michael Kehoe/Patrick Murray        New Ross          Peugeot       40:55
51  64 Connie Delaney/Richie Long          Piltown, Kilkenny Escort 1600   43:02

Compiled by John Dier and Will Downing

With thanks to Mark Cooper and Mickey Joe Morrissey - keep up the legwork!!!