Keith Cronin feels Rally of the Lakes is big moment in Irish Tarmac series title battle

BY MARTIN WALSH

KEITH Cronin makes the relatively short journey to Killarney this weekend for the Assess Ireland Rally of the Lakes that marks the halfway point of the Samdec Securities Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

Having garnered two wins and a second place from the opening three rounds, Cronin and his Killarney co-driver Mikie Galvin lead the series by 19.5 points from Welsh ace Matt Edwards and his Mallow born co-driver David Moynihan, both campaign Ford Fiesta Rally2 cars.

The Killarney and District Car Club has attracted 153 entries for the main event with a further 13 in the Junior category. Adding to local interest, Saturday will feature stages in the Beara Peninsula including classics such as Cod’s Head, Ardgroom and the Tim Healy Pass. The service park is in Castletownbere.

For the top seeded crew and winners for the past two years, Derry’s Callum Devine (VW Polo GTi R5) and his Killarney co-driver Noel O’Sullivan, it’s a crucial event in terms of a successful defence of their Irish Tarmac title.

With non-finishes in the Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally and the Circuit of Ireland, in both instances retiring with wheel damage, they trail Cronin/Galvin by a staggering 42 points. Not since the 1990s has a driver achieved three in a row in Killarney – the late Bertie Fisher achieved the feat as part of a magnificent five straight wins from 1990 to 1994.

Cronin is well aware of Devine’s ability, particularly on the ‘Lakes’.

‘Callum always goes well there, it seems to suit him. Noel (O’Sullivan), his co-driver, is a Killarney native; they'll want the win after their retirements in West Cork and on the Circuit of Ireland,’ Cronin remarked.

The Ballylickey ace, whose uncle Denis (Cronin) won the Rally of the Lakes in 2010 aboard a Subaru WRC, also underlined the potential of Matt Edwards, with whom he had a thrilling battle on the Circuit of Ireland.

‘Matt's season is coming together more and more. He was getting closer to the pace as the West Cork Rally progressed, then he beat us in the Circuit of Ireland.  We can't really let him steal a march on us in Killarney, because the Donegal International Rally is next up after that and he's been very strong up there over the past two years,’ Cronin said.

On the rally itself, he added, ‘It's certainly like a homecoming for Mikie and myself. The stages in the Beara peninsula are near me. Well, geographically anyway. One of my first motorsport events was a Killarney and District Motor Club Autocross in Doyle's Quarry, as it was then, when I was in my teens.’

Cronin was also pragmatic. He said: ‘While it'll be nice to see local faces and to be on familiar ground this weekend, it actually counts for very little once you're in the car, the same effort has to be made to put in the times as it would anywhere else, be it in Galway or Scotland or wherever.’

Despite the ‘home’ nature of the rally, Cronin added, ‘I haven't actually taken part in the Rally of the Lakes since 2016 and only three times altogether, so I can't say I'll know the stages any better than any other driver. It will be a tough rally for everybody. The weather could go any way at this time of the year, there have been some very pleasant May bank holiday weekends while in other years the rally has been run in torrential rain. If it's extremely wet or very dry, then it's usually straightforward in terms of tyre choice. If it's in between or mixed, as we saw on the Circuit of Ireland, then things become more challenging.’

With Monaghan’s Josh Moffett a notable absentee it’s likely that the Tarmac series will rest between Cronin, Edwards and Devine, the latter finishing second in last weekend’s Maiden City Rally in Claudy (Co Derry), a six-stage event he used as a shakedown for this weekend.

Carryduff’s Johnny Greer, who won the Historic Rally of the Lakes last December, was third in the Maiden City Rally and will certainly benefit from the seat time. Tyrone’s Cathan McCourt (Ford Fiesta Rally2) was fourth on the Circuit of Ireland that marked his return after several months; he is seeded at number five followed by former Tarmac champion Declan Boyle (Citroen C3 Rally2). The top ten is completed by another Donegal driver David Kelly (VW Polo GTi R5), Kilkenny’s Eddie Doherty (Skoda Fabia R5), Kesh driver Garry Jennings (Ford Fiesta Rally2) and Donegal’s Michael Boyle (VW Polo GTi R5).