‘I think there are too many classes in rallying; it gets very confusing for the general public’

BY MARTIN WALSH

EVEN though it was only at the beginning of the millennium that Enniskeane’s Sean Hayde began rallying, much has changed since.

Just a few weeks into his new role as manager of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, he is still finding his feet. While his familiarity with all of the seven clubs may vary, his task has a common theme.

The Tarmac Rally Organisers Association (TROA) are the organisers of the ITRC embracing seven motor/car clubs within the 32 counties. In order of the championship events, the clubs are Galway Motor Club, Cork Motor Club, Ulster Automobile Club, The Killarney and District Car Club, Donegal Motor Club, the Munster Car Club and the Northern Ireland Motor Club.

As a co-driver, Hayde has over 400 events under his belt. Not surprisingly, his first event was the West Cork Rally in 2002 with English driver Hugh Wylie (Mini Cooper ‘S’), finishing tenth overall in the Historic category.

He has called the pacenotes for as many as 30 different drivers in those 22 years. The list includes many local drivers such as Barryroe’s Steve Roberts, Lyre’s Tim O’Donovan, Bandon’s Ger Seaman, Clonakilty’s Kevin Kelleher and Kilcrohane’s Jer O’Donovan.

A flick through the list reveals the O’Donovan duo, Tim and Jer, along with the likes of Trevor Mulligan, Michael Curran, Wesley Patterson, Declan McNaughton, Frank Kelly and Brian O’Keeffe were the drivers with whom Hayde had regular outings. Welsh ace and former West Cork Rally and Fastnet Rally winner Melvyn Evans has also enlisted his services.

In terms of his new role, Hayde is the second West Cork person to occupy the position, following in the footsteps of Bandon’s Ger Seaman.

‘The role is for two years initially followed by a review, and it is to promote the championship and to get competitors more involved,’ Hayde explained.

One of the major changes since 2002 is that of social media.

‘It’s now a big thing and we hope to have something in place before the Galway International Rally at the beginning of February,’ he added.

Time was when On the Limit Sports was the sole carrier of the ITRC, reaching millions of homes across the globe. That programme followed in the footsteps of RPM, the Plum Tyndall production that was a regular feature on terrestrial television.

It's possible that On The Limit could continue with TV coverage including transmission on TG4. For now, social media outlets are the most likely option. ‘Television is expensive but it’s not being ruled out; it will probably be up to each club to decide,’ Hayde said.

Reflecting on his co-driving experiences and like many others in the same seat, he experienced non-finishes on many occasions, but there’s been success too. One of his first class wins was in the Fastnet Rally in 2006 when he co-drove Tim O’Donovan (Toyota Corolla) to victory in Class 11 and 14th overall.

In 2009 and co-driving for Northern Ireland’s Declan McNaughton (Ford Escort) he was second overall in the Tour of Sperrins, finishing 1.3s behind event winner Derek McGarrity (Subaru WRC). In 2013 he had a notable victory in the Cartell.ie Historic Rally of the Lakes with Lisburn’s Wesley Patterson (Ford Escort), a few weeks later it was followed by a class win on the Sol Rally of Barbados with Killarney’s Mike O’Leary (Mitsubishi Lancer E10).

His most cherished win?

‘Winning the Group N category of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship with Jer O’Donovan (Subaru N12B) in 2009 and winning the Corbeau Seats Rally Tendring & Tracton, the first closed-road event in the UK with Mel Evans (Subaru WRC) in 2018.’

While much of the first half of this season will all be about building a strong working relationship with clubs and competitors Hayde wants to put his own stamp on the role.

‘Respect is very important and I know from competing that organising events is not an easy task. It’s a voluntary sport and that has to be recognised,’ he said.

‘Watching the points for everyone will be a major part of the work and it’s my aim to get the results out quickly to competitors. There is a change to the points system this year, bonus points for the final round have been scrapped. Currently, we are finalising the points structure.

‘The difference between first and second will not be like the system previously operated in the WRC as we don’t have enough rounds to do that. It’s more likely that we will have a few extra few points between first and second place compared to last year. Indeed, this has been suggested by competitors, so we are listening to them, which is important.’

Another element that Hayde is hoping to address, albeit not immediately, is the class structure.

‘I think there are too many classes in rallying; it gets very confusing for the general public. While Motorsport Ireland have added a few more for this season, I think we need dialogue to streamline this side of rallying. There has to be a desire within the organisation to do that; it’s bizarre to have so many classes,’ he said.

Hayde’s new role will not prevent him from competing in events.

‘When I was interviewed for the position, I informed the TROA that I had already committed to competing in the West Cork Rally with Brian O’Keeffe and when I give my word to someone, I honour that. It won’t be an issue. But I’m not going to register for the championship so as to avoid any possible conflict,’ he explained.

Hayde also wants to look at where the sport is going in terms of costs and insurance and other issues like permits for TROA events. Also, it appears that three of this year’s seven rounds are of a one-day format: the Circuit of Ireland, the Cork ‘20’ International and the Ulster Rally. Returning these events to their halcyon days brings a challenge as will the possible return of the World Rally Championship to these shores in 2025. It appears Sean Hayde will have plenty to keep him busy.