SEVERAL local competitors are making the relatively short journey to Midleton on Sunday for the Imokilly Rally where the organising Imokilly Motor Club has seeded 116 crews for their premier event.
The rally, like all national and mini stage events, only takes place biennially. While the current entry is slightly more (12) than what started in 2023, it shows a concerning drop off for rally events in the second half of this season.
Killarney's Rob Duggan (Ford Escort), who took a start-to-finish victory in the event two years ago, is the top seed. Opposition this time around is somewhat different with only Armagh's Jason Black (Toyota Starlet) from the 2023 entry joining Duggan in Sunday's top ten.
Wexford's James Stafford (Darrian T90 GTR) will be hoping for dry conditions to maximise his effort over the day's six stages while Monaghan's David Moffett (Toyota Starlet) impressed in a similar event in Laois a few weeks ago. The top six also features Cavan's Johno Doogan (Ford Escort), the aforementioned Black and Cavan's Gary Kiernan (Ford Escort).
Barryroe co-driver Dylan Doonan co-drives for Castlemartyr driver Cian Walsh, who switches from his usual Toyota Corolla to a Ford Escort belonging to Killarney's Tom Randles; they are seeded at number ten. Other Cork drivers in the top 20 are the Midleton trio of Mark Dolphin, Kevin Dolphin and Colin Byrne, all in Ford Escorts with the latter accompanied by Bandon's Stephen Quin
Clonakilty's Kevin Kelleher, who has Macroom's William Lynch on the pacenotes, is the top West Cork driver on the entry list.
‘The car has been re-fettled after the West Cork Rally. I'm looking forward to getting out again and getting seat time ahead of the Cork '20' and the Fastnet Rally, so that's the plan,’ Kelleher said.
The local pairing of Lyre's Tim O'Donovan and Rossmore's Vinny Bennett (Toyota Corolla) compete in Class 11R that also features Schull's Fergus Hurley (Ford Escort) and Cloyne's Tommy Cronin, a graduate of the J1000 category, who switches to a Ford Escort. Macroom's Barry O'Brien (Honda Civic) is amongst the Class 11F contenders.
Elsewhere, The Pike's Diarmuid Keohane and Lissarda's Philip Cross, both in Ford Escorts, compete in Class 13. Barryroe's Steve Roberts (Ford Escort) contests Class 12, with Kilcrohane's Micheál O'Donovan (Ford Fiesta R2) amongst the entry in Class 2A.
There are a number of West Cork co-drivers spread throughout the entry, including Ardfield's Gary Lombard, who will call the pacenotes for Castlemartyr's Darragh Walsh and are amongst the Junior category. Rathbarry father and son duo Niall and Joseph O'Sullivan are on respective co-driving duties with Cappawhite's Sean O'Carroll (Ford Escort) and Glanmire's Michael Delaney (Mitsubishi Lancer E9). Clondrohid's Iarla McCarthy teams up with Millstreet's Michael P. Kelleher (Ford Escort), Inchigeelagh's Eamonn Creedon with John Forde (Citroen C2) and Bandon's Daniel Seaman with Fermoy's David Herbert (Peugeot 208 Rally4).
According to the event regulations, the rally is a counting round of the GK Print Southern 4 Rally Championship, however, we haven't received any pre-event or indeed any form of information about this regional series, which was once extremely popular. Surely, the championship organisers have a duty to its sponsor. Apparently, while it was all a last-minute plan to secure the current sponsor ahead of the West Cork Rally, another sponsor had withdrawn when they couldn't get a commitment from the championship organisers about their media plans.
On a separate issue and although the Motorsport Ireland biennial calendar brought some regularity to the Irish calendar, it needs tweaking due to the imbalances in relation to geographical situations and also time spans between events.
The majority of clubman competitors are now choosing their events with finance a major factor given the increasing costs involved, especially in relation to accommodation that has spiralled in recent years. Events within the Tarmac Rally Championship and the Irish Forest Rally series remain unaffected by the biennial calendar and take place annually but having the Imokilly event and the Fastnet Rally on the same year rather than alternate years is something that needs addressing, by the clubs involved and subsequently, Motorsport Ireland.
Another instance is having the forthcoming ALMC Rally (a national event within the biennial calendar) and the Ulster Rally (a round of the ITRC) on the same weekend is far from ideal from several perspectives.
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Last weekend's Sligo Rally saw Kilkenny's Eddie Doherty (Skoda Fabia R5) reclaim top spot in the Triton Showers National Rally Championship with a 10.9-second victory over the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 of Donegal's Declan Boyle. Donegal's Michael Boyle, also in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 was 14.2s behind in third.
Ballylickey's Robert Cronin (Opel Corsa Rally4) was fourth in Class 2. Enniskeane co-driver Sean Hayde partnered Roscommon's Bobby Cooper (Mitsubishi Lancer E9) to victory in Class 4.
