Local crews get their seasons underway

SHANE McGirr and Denver Rafferty enjoyed a successful start to the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship in Killarney where they won the two-wheel-drive class in their Lada Riva, while Ballygawley’s Vivian Hamill was second in his R5 Volkswagen Polo and Clady’s Niall McGonigle was third.

Through rain, mist and an afternoon of scorching sunshine, and being chased by one of the most impressive and talented fields in quite a number of years on a loose-surface event, Jordan Hone and Paul Hone delivered a cool and calm masterclass to claim a very first rally victory on the Killarney Forest Rally and leave with maximum points in the hunt for the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship title.

With ninety cars starting the event, the buzz was real in the build up, but a lot of crews will have been surprised to wake up to misty rain for the opening loop on what was forecast to be a drying affair, but it matter little to the Hone’s as they finished the 12.6km opening stage fastest in their Ford Fiesta R5.

Andrew Purcell and Liam Brennan would go quickest on the middle stage of the loop, but the Hones would again claim a stage win to return to mid-day service with a lead, but it was fine margin stuff as they only had 1.7 seconds to spare over Ballygawley’s Vivian Hamill and Gary Nolan and the similar VW Polo GTi of Purcell and Brennan in third.

In the afternoon though Hone, guided by his father Paul on the notes, upped the pace again going fastest on Stages 4 and 6, returning to Castleisland Mart with an 11.2 second gap to Vivian Hamill & Gary Nolan, with third going to a rather surprised McGonigle & Caolan McKenna who left the Killarney Forest Rally with a stage win and podium finish on what had been intended as a shakedown for Saturday’s Omagh Motor Club Samsonas Fivemiletown Rally.

In the two-wheel-drive battle, it was a tricky day with many of the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship frontrunners reporting issues throughout the day, although for the late entrant pair of Fivemiletown’s McGirr and Ballygawley’s Rafferty it was a successful trip south for the Lada pair as they claimed a well deserved victory. Struggling to manage fuel and tyre wear on the opening loop, the unique machine was singing in the afternoon sunshine to come home 10.4 seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

Behind McGirr was back-to-back 2WD Forest Champion Mickey Conlon & James McEneaney, the MC Blinds Ford Escort looking worse for wear following a dramatic meeting with a chicane, while it would be Dromore’s Hugh McQuaid & Declan Casey who would claim the final podium spot, as well as first place in class, and set up an exciting Championship battle between the trio looking forward to the rest of the season.

Meanwhile, Sion Mills’ Darragh Cairns and Mark Preston impressed in their Skoda Fabia, finishing sixth overall and third in class five, one place ahead of Drumquin’s Stephen Dickson and co-driver Dean O’Sullivan in their Ford Fiesta.

Ian Dickson and Martin Brady were 11th in another of the Dickson Motorsport Fiesta’s, while Omagh’s Brian Little and Niall McCarron were third in class and 60th overall in their G3 Ford Escort.

Elsewhere, the Northern Ireland Rally Championship got underway at a rain-lashed Kirkistown where Drumquin’s Jason Dickson and Martin Brady were the top local finishes in fifth overall in their R5 Ford Fiesta.

Cookstown’s Trevor Ferguson was next home in his Fiesta alongside co-driver Michael Laverty in 12th overall, while Cookstown’s Philip Allen and James Laverty had to settle for 19th after a bright start and Bready’s Derek Gurney and Alan Connor in their Sierra Cosworth were 27th overall and second in class seven.

Ardboe’s Kevin Quinn and Christopher Corr brought their Mk II Ford Escort home in 33rd overall, one place ahead of class nine winners, Dungannon’s Richard O’Loane and James Turkington in an R3 Ford Fiesta.

Galbally’s Seamus Morris and Aidan Campbell brought their Darrian T90 GTR+ home 40th overall, five places ahead of Stanley Orr, who had Donemana native Graham Henderson on the notes, while Donaghmore’s Pauric Mohan and Sean Daly were 54th overall in their Mk II Ford Escort.