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Opening N.I. Rally Championship Event Backed by Eurocables Belfast

For immediate release

Regulations and entry forms for North Armagh Motor Club’s Eurocables (Belfast) Stages, round one of the Carryduff Forklift MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship and round two of the McGrady Insurance Junior 1000 Rally Challenge Ireland, have been revealed.

The event, which takes place on Saturday 16 February at Co. Down’s Kirkistown Race Circuit, sees Eurocables (Belfast) return as title sponsor for the first time since 2009.

“We’re delighted to have Shane Braniff and Eurocables Belfast back on board as title sponsor,” said Clerk of the Course, William Fullerton. “Shane has long been a supporter of rallying and particularly our event, so on behalf of North Armagh Motor Club, I’d like to extend our sincere gratitude.”

Having previously backed the event for what transpired to be a 10-year term, company director Braniff decided to renew his business association with the rally this year.

“I’m delighted to support North Armagh Motor Club and their opening round of the Northern Ireland Rally Championship,” Braniff said. “It is always a popular event to kick-start the season and one that I always enjoyed as a competitor in the past. I’m proud to be associated with it and wish everyone a very safe and enjoyable rally.”

Competitors will face the traditional six stages, totalling approximately 24 stage miles, all based within the Kirkistown venue. Regulations have just been released but the event has already received interest from a number of leading competitors.

Last year’s winner and reigning N.I. champion, Derek McGarrity, has confirmed his intentions to enter aboard his S14 specification Subaru Impreza WRC. However, McGarrity may not mount a full title defence.

“I really enjoy the opening rounds of the Championship,” he admitted. “They are always good events to do – there’s not much to hit around the tracks – and they provide a good shakedown ahead of the Circuit of Ireland.”

“I’m also going to enter the first three rounds of the Irish Tarmac Championship,” he added. “We’ll see how things are sitting after that and make a decision on whether or not we’ll continue with either series.”

Maynooth driver Kevin Barrett is another driver who has expressed interest in competing. The Subaru Impreza WRC pilot intends to mount a full Northern Ireland Rally Championship campaign this year and has always been competitive on previous visits to Kirkistown.

The event may also see Phillip Morrow return to the series aboard his Group N Lancer. He is going to enter another event in Ireland in early February, and provided there are no major repair bills, the Lisburn driver may be amongst the Kirkistown line-up.

They will be joined by a host of quick pilots in both four-wheel-drive and two-wheel-drive machinery, not to mention the Junior 1000 crews, in what is always one of the best supported events of the season.

ENDS.

Regards,

Jonathan MacDonald
MediaJAM Communicaions
Tel. +44 (0)7989 283055

MEEKE MIGHTY IN LURGAN!

PRESS RELEASE:  For Immediate Release: 30^th July 2012

MEEKE MIGHTY IN LURGAN

Dungannon’s Kris Meeke and his co-driver Gerry McVeigh from Cookstown took their McGeehan Motorsport Mini WRC to a clear win on last Saturday’s Orchard Motorsport backed Lurgan Park Rally. They surged into the lead on stage 2, thereafter dominating the timesheets. Eleven times Lurgan Parkwinner Kenny McKinstry, who was driving John McGaffin’s Subaru this time, and indeed had John’s daughter Lesley co-driving, was a clear 2^nd at the end. The race for 3^rd place was a lot closer. Garry Jennings (Subaru 555) just shaded first stage leader Derek McGarrity (Mini WRC) for the final podium place.

At the finish, Kris Meeke, who has spent very little time in a rally car of late due to budget cutbacks, and indeed who had spent the previous week on his pushbike chasing after the Tour de France, commented. “As well as a good challenge, it was a great day out. The biggest test was the changeable conditions. However the Mini WRC is a really precise car to drive, especially in the steering. The car was well fit for it.”

The opening stage was damp, green in places, a little greasy. Derek McGarrity was fastest from Kris Meeke with Kenny McKinstry 3^rd. Just 2s covered the three cars.  Stage 2 was a repeat of the first one. Meeke was 5s quicker than his first run to move into the lead. The former Intercontinental Rally Challenge Champion finished the stage with a broad grin on his face and commented. “That was a lot better.” Indeed it was. From then on he never looked back, and showed all the flair that took him into theWorld Rally Championship arena.

Not so happy was Derek McGarrity. He made a small mistake on the stage, and on the following one, which saw him relegated to 3^rd and then to 4^th following another slip-up. Kenny McKinstry on the other hand didn’t make a mistake all day in maintaining his 2^nd place. The Banbridge man commented at the end. “We had a good day, but I was always going to be up against it with Kris Meeke. We were best of the rest, which wasn’t so bad.”

An unknown quantity before the start was just how well Garry Jennings would go in his old model Subaru 555. He bought this car earlier in the year for a bit of fun in the forests, and indeed has won a few rallies. The Fermanagh man drove well in the Park, but found the car simply outgunned in the fast sections. Still 3^rd place, ahead of Derek McGarrity’s Mini WRC wasn’t such a bad result at all.

Maynooth’s Kevin Barrett, who had his 19-year-old son Paul co-driving, had a steady run to 5^th. Derek McGeehan, with Laurie Smith co-driving, rounded off the top six. Derek was driving the first right hand drive Mini WRC built by Prodrive. The car was delivered just two days before the rally, which left little time for ‘set-up’. The car performed immaculately. Indeed, it was quite something to see three Mini WRC’s together in the beautiful environment of Craigavon Borough Council’s Lurgan Park. It certainly broke the Subaru dominance of recent years.

Outside the top six Kinallen’s Stuart Biggerstaff took 7^th place in the family’s classic Metro 6R4. The car’s only hiccup was a broken power steering pipe in stage 4, as a result of clipping a bale. Former NI Rally Champion Stuart had Danny O’Carroll, a star of the TV show ‘Mrs Brown’s Boys’ co-driving. Not only did they have a good rally; they had a great laugh as well!

Norfolk’s Ray Brammer took 8^th in his Subaru. Ray set some good times, despite a few small overshoots in the slippy conditions. John McKeown, despite feeling a bit rusty following a break from rallying, did well to bring his newly constructed Escort WRC into 9^th. Alan Carmichael struggled a little on his first competitive run in a left hand drive Subaru and finished 10^th.  

Gilford’s Mark Doyle slipped out of the top ten when his Celica slithered into the scenery at one point. His brother nipped home for a couple of wet weather tyres, and with those fitted Mark battled back to 11^th. Martin Teggart, who had his nephew Ben co-driving, finished the day 12^th overall and won the best Escort accolade for his efforts. There was an enthralling battle in the FIA Historic category and seven times Circuit of Ireland winner, Jimmy McRae, came out tops in that one. McRae was driving Lisburn man Wesley Patterson’s Escort RS1800.

Orchard Motorsport Lurgan Park Rally Top Ten:

1^st (1) Kris Meeke/Gerry McVeigh (Mini WRC) 16.09.1
2^nd (2) Kenny McKinstry/Lesley McGaffin (Impreza WRC) 16.39.4
3^rd (4) Garry Jennings/Kerry McCarter (Impreza 555) 16.47.7
4^th (3) Derek McGarrity/Kieron Graffin (Mini WRC) 16.49.6
5^th (5) Kevin & Paul Barrett (Impreza WRC) 17.02.8
6^th (6) Derek McGeehan/Laurie Smith (Mini WRC) 17.03.4
7^th (7) Stuart Biggerstaff/Danny O’Carroll (Metro 6R4) 17.14.6
8^th (10) Ray Brammer/Damien Fleming (Impreza WRC) 17.16.1
9^th (12) John McKeown/Tommy Speers (Escort WRC) 17.29.1
10^th (11) Alan Carmichael/Neil Doherty (Impreza WRC) 17.42.7

Class Winners:

CL1 Andrew Mullan/Elaine Doherty (Lancer): CL2A Ronan Lynn/Niall McKeegan  (Civic): CL2B Martin & Ben Teggart (Escort): CL4 Garry Jennings/Kerry McCarter (Impreza 555): CL5 Kris Meeke/Gerry McVeigh (Mini WRC): CL6 Gary Owens/Denver Rafferty (Escort): CL7 Jimmy McRae/Eamonn McGarrity (Escort).

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Issued by: Brian & Liz Patterson: Patterson Agency Ltd.

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