Donegal International Rally Ireland Garry Jennings won this Donegal International Rally 12 months ago. He was considered then to be somewhat of the underdog in that his hired Subaru S14 was an unknown quantity. Well, Fermanagh man Garry certainly socked it to the doubters last year in no uncertain manner. It was a fairy tale come true for Garry, a poignant episode as well in that his co-driver Neil Doherty’s father John was terminally ill in Letterkenny Hospital during the rally, and indeed passed away shortly after the rally finished. Well, we are twelve months down the line. Garry and Neil are favourites this time. Garry will drive the Impreza WRC S12b which carried him to victory on the Rally of the Lakes a few weeks ago. He reckons that the ‘S12b’ is the best Subaru for Irish Tarmac rallying. Speaking from his Kesh oil business, Garry commented about this year’s rally. “It is 15 years ago since I first started going to the Donegal Rally and I remember watching the likes of the late Bertie Fisher, never dreaming that one day I could win the rally. I reckon it is one of the best rallies in Europe and I am very proud to be running No.1. The trouble is that after I won the rally last year, and the realisation eventually sank in, then I was a wee bit empty inside, lost my motivation a bit, nothing left to fight for. But we went on and won the Donegal Harvest for the 3rd time, and now having won the Killarney Lakes, I feel the Tarmac Championship is wide open. That is giving me a wee nip of sparkle. We are certainly not going to Donegal to finish 2nd or 3rd. I think I can win the Tarmac. It will likely be between me and Derek McGarrity, with Eugene Donnelly in with a real chance of another title if he gets this deal for a Fiesta WRC together. But then Donegal is a big rally, it is very tough, and anything can happen.” Interestingly, one of Garry’s main sponsors, Jason Black of Letterkenny business Voodoo, has just conquered Everest – so that may give Jennings a top of the world feeling to get him going! Indeed, there is food for thought in Garry’s comments. His closest challenger last year for most of the rally was Cork man Darragh O’Riordan. Darragh and his co-driver Tony McDaid have switched from a Subaru to a Fiesta WRC this season. It was evident from Darragh’s stage times on the recent Killarney Lakes that he is getting to grips with his new machine. But then the quality at the top of this rally is considerable to say the least and nobody will get it easy. Derek McGarrity in his Impreza S14, Donagh Kelly in his newly acquired Focus WRC, current Tarmac Champion Darren Gass in his Subaru, Donegal crew Declan and Brian Boyle in their Impreza WRC S12b, Seamus Leonard, 2nd here last year in his Subaru, all will be strong contenders. Young Sam Moffett won Group N here last year and switches this time to the McKinstry Motorsport Impreza S14. Sam, a former Billy Coleman Award winner, took victory on the Monaghan Rally on his first outing in this car. Who is to say he will not spring a real surprise here. There are many potential winners. Following a safety briefing for the crews in the An Grainan theatre, the rally starts from Letterkenny on Friday morning 21st June at 11.15. There are Friday and Saturday overnight halts in Letterkenny before the 17.30 finish ramp on Sunday at the Mount Errigal Hotel. Sounds simple, but for the 150 competing crews, it will not be. The fast and furious pace allied to the challenging closed road special stage route laid out by Clerk of the Course Eamonn McGee will see to that. The rally is the longest and toughest in Ireland these days. We have only scratched the surface of the large and varied entry here. The battle for GpN honours for example should be interesting. One of the youngest drivers in the rally, Josh Moffett, could well be the benchmark in his Lancer Evo 9. Two of the most experienced drivers in the GpN section, Martin Doherty and Pat Kirk, may have something to say about that. In between there is a range of good drivers such as Stephen Wright, Rory Byrne in his new Evo 10 and Kieron Graffin, also in a Lancer, who could snatch a slice of the GpN limelight. Perhaps one of the most hotly contested aspects of the rally is the expected battle between a plethora of top Mk2 Escort men. There are just so many top drivers in Escorts it really is astonishing – Frank Kelly, Rodney Wilton, Dessie Keenan, Gary McPhillips, Martin McGee, Manus Kelly, the Doherty brothers Daniel and Michael. It is a massive line up. The rally is divided into different categories, and the Escorts will be fighting it out for ‘National’ honours over the full three days. There will also be shorter sections for the Historic competitors, as well as the junior contenders. Another important aspect of the rally is that there are drivers, and indeed spectators, coming from all parts of the world to drink in and partake of the very special atmosphere of the Donegal Rally. Partly instrumental in this is the far reaching Failte Ireland Irish Tourism Board’s ‘The Gathering’. Indeed, there are competitors travelling home all the way from Australia and the USA to compete on their home soil. Indeed, taken as a whole, with the tens of thousands and spectators, competing crews, mechanics, officials and marshals all converging on Donegal for the best part of that special week in June, the rally has developed into one of the biggest and most prestigious, not to mention enjoyable, sporting occasions of the year. Event Clerk of the Course Eamon McGee went on to say “I can report that the entry list is virtually full at the moment, but going by the dropout rate in previous years we expect to fit a few more in. Anyone still thinking of an entry should contact us at donegalrally.ie as soon as possible. Our accommodation officer holds special rates, reserved for competitors beside Rally HQ, and is also on the website.” “As ever, we are looking forward to a safe weekend for our competitors and also for all the visitors to the County. This year in particular we are asking rally supporters attending the Donegal International Rally to join with Donegal Motor Club’s campaign, in conjunction with the Road Safety Authority, to “Keep the Race in its Place”. “The Rally will start from An Grianan Theatre on Friday morning 21st June, with the cars on view at Parc Ferme each evening at Letterkenny Institute of Technology. It will finish at its ‘ancestral home’ at Rally HQ, the Mount Errigal Hotel in Letterkenny, on Sunday evening. I wish to thank all of these flagship Letterkenny institutions for their continuing support.” Chief Marshal for the 2013 event, Tony Boyle made an appeal for Marshals to assist at the event. He explained, "While we continue to receive offers of help from Marshals but we will need everyone available. In particular we want to hear from experienced motorsport marshals and we will be running an exclusive training session for the less experienced or novice volunteers who wish to assist on the week-end. That training will take place before the week-end of the International. I would like marshals and potential marshals out there, to please get in contact with me to offer your help! I can be contacted, Tony Boyle on 00353877566863". The outline schedule is: Friday 21st : - Start at 11.15 from Letterkenny, 6 special stages with service in Letterkenny, Parc Ferme for the overnight halt is at 17.18. Saturday 22nd , Leave Letterkenny at 09.00 for 8 special stages. Service in Milford. Return to Letterkenny at 18.22. Sunday 23rd : Leave Letterkenny at 10.45 for 6 special stages, service Milford. Champagne finish at the Mt Errigal Hotel, 17.24hrs.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 09:11:43 +0000
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