ALMC Stages Rally Cancelled

Press Release by Ian O Flynn & John Carroll
Thank you all for your enquiries about our event for 2002. As a result of family illness within the organising Committee we have recently taken the decision to cancel this our rally.
Although this situation has been ongoing for several months, we had hoped to put the event together for the sake of all the loyal competitors and supporters. At this time family commitments must come first. Again, thank you all for your support & patience, see you next year in old territory with a new twist.

Shaun Gallagher leads Peugeot 206

Letterkenny rally driver, Shaun Gallagher, is the new leader of Britain's top one-make Championship, the Peugeot 206 Super Cup, after recording a series of consistent results in the six rounds held to date.
The new Peugeot 206 Super Cup, created to provide a true stepping stone for young rally drivers takes in quality events in the British, Irish and French Rally Championships. The Peugeot 206 Super Cup rally car is based on the 3-door 206 XSi and is powered by a 160bhp, 1.6 litre engine fitted with a 6 speed Synchromesh competition gearbox with a ZF limited ship differential.
Shaun's route to the head of the Championship points table stems from a brace of second place finishes in the Scottish and Jim Clark Rallies respectively, preceded by a third in the Rally of Wales.
With support from Pearse Road Tyres, Letterkenny and Sligo and Mullen Express Transport, Sligo, Shaun has three events yet to compete in starting with the Ulster Rally in Belfast on September 6th-7th. As the best six from eight scores will count, Shaun continues to hold the trump card regarding the overall standings when the season comes to an end next October. In conjunction with his Peugeot campaign, Shaun plans to contest a number of rallies in the Irish Championships in order to qualify for the Motorsport/Ireland Billy Coleman Award. Shaun's rapid progress in rallying has elevated the 22 year old among Ireland's stars of the future. And if all goes to plan and Shaun's ambitions to secure a Works drive in the World Rally Championship will become a reality.
Shaun appreciates the contribution of the following sponsors in his campaign this season:
PPG Paints; Gary's Pet World; Glenard Plant; Ciaran Larkin Car Sales and Sean Docherty Fruit & Veg (all Letterkenny, County Donegal)

Thanks to Jarlath Sweeney

Tipperary Stonethrowers latest

This years Stonethrowers rally taking place in Clonmel and the surrounding areas will consist of 9 challenging stages around Cloneen with the service area in Clonmel town. This years rally program will be a true rally fans collectors item as it is entirely dedicated to Frank Meagher.
What makes this program extra special is that it is free of any adds to make room for over forty colour photos of Frank throughout his career, with many extracts from newspapers and articles dating back to his first ever event. The program will be on sale at rally headquarters the Clonmel Arms Hotel at the service area and also in a select few service stations in the town.
You can also get your hands on this by sending 10euro and a stamped addressed A4 envelope to the following address and the program will be sent to you the Wednesday before the Rally. Part of the proceeds from this will go to the Hospice
.
Top 20 Entries:

1 Left vacant as mark of respect
2 Niall Maguire/Paul Mcloughlin Subaru Impreza WRC (8)
3 Patrick Elliott/Sean Moriarty Subaru Impreza 555 (8)
4 David Armstrong /Herbie Blackburn Escort RS Cosworth (15)
5 Michael Barrable/Dermot O Gorman Subaru Impreza WRC (8)
6 Donal O Donovan /Pat Loydan Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD (8)
7 Hugh Dunne/Derek Brannigan Subaru Impreza WRC (8)
8 Denis Cronin/Helen Sullivan BMW M3 (14)
9 Liam McCarthy/Kieran Murphy Toyota Corolla WRC (8)
10 Anthony O Halloran /Kieran Cusack Opel Manta 2.0 (13)
11 Sean Gallaher /Liam Costello Escort RS Cosworth (15)
12 Paddy O Reilly /Colon Mckenna Escort (14)
14 Thomas Randles/Diarmuid Lynch Escort 2.4 (14)
15 Mac McKenna/John Loughran Peugeot 205 RWD (13)
16 Roy White/Des Cooney Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7 (4)
17 Aaron McHale /Damien Connolly Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 5 (4)
18 David Long /June Long Sierra RS Cosworth (14)
19 Kieran Molloy /Brian Boland Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 (4)
20 Eddie Kinirons/Tom Kinirows Toyota Celica GT-Four (8)
21 David James/Ron Guha Escort 2.0 (13)
22 George Robinson /Tommy Spears Escort RS Cosworth (15)

Chris Moore takes Quinton Stages

The Quinton Rally, 27th July, 2002
The Quinton Rally saw the fifth round of the TOTAL supported 206 Super Cup return to Wales. 25 competitors fought the battle over 8 stages and 45 miles. With the mileage low compared to recent events and no recce, it was to be a sprint from start to finish with no room for error.
Quickest out of the blocks was Shaun Gallagher, but over the 3 ½ miles of twisty gravel, the top 17 cars were covered by only 10 seconds. Down in 16th and lucky to be in the rally was Chris Moore, after his trailer with the rally car on board came away from his van on route to the start and crashed into Sykes' van. A big spin didn't help his time on the records.
Championship leader Garry Jennings was a mere second behind Gallagher, with Finn Ramanen and Canadian Richard sharing the next second on. However, S2 saw Patrick top the time sheets after the first run at Crychan and move into the lead overall. This was despite trouble breathing after trying out a new neck brace. Jack Ingleby was a second behind, with Gallagher another two behind that. Chris Moore despite commenting that he was driving like a girl, recorded fourth fastest. Richard Sykes was determined not to have a repeat of his first stage dramas on previous events, but reckoned he was too cautious. S3, the 3.85 miles of Route 60 saw Chris Moore fastest, three seconds behind event leader Richard, with Jennings a second behind that. Mike Faulkner, having speedily re-shelled his car from his huge accident on the Jim Clark, turned out in immaculate yellow, gained him the Hella Coolbox for the Service Crew. He was fourth equal with Shaun Gallagher on that stage, one further second adrift which moved Shaun into second place, only three seconds off the top spot.
However, Moore's charge continued on Caeo, the first of the two long 8 mile stages. Taking 11 seconds out of Jennings moved him into the lead as previous leader Richard dropped back losing 30 seconds, damaging his wishbone going straight on at a T-junction and the car pulled to the right until the end of the stage. Gallagher moved into second overall, five seconds adrift of Moore with Jennings a further five back. Jack Ingleby was showing well in fourth while Alun Pearson was storming up from a poor seeding to show fifth. Mike Faulkner was 6th, Jazz Nandhra 7th, Richard 8th, Ramanen wasn't faring too well in 9th while Daniel Dunbabin rounded off the top ten at the half way point. Stage 5, Crychan 2, at 8.60 miles was the longest of the event and Jennings took the stage, with Gallagher 2nd and Chris Moore in 3rd which kept him in the lead overall, despite his throttle sticking open and giving him the most scary four miles of his life. So tight were the competitors at the top of the field that the first ten were split by 13 seconds. Jennings and Gallagher swapped places on the overall leader board, with Jennings starting to close on Moore, the difference now only 2 seconds and a battle royal was in progress.
Chris Moore responded to the pressure and took fastest again on Stage 6, eking one more out of Jennings to make his lead three seconds. Ramanen, with his intercom problems resolved after disconnecting the in-car camera connection, upped to tie second place on the stage with Jennings, while Ingleby, Nandhra and Richard were tying in fourth place only one more second behind that.
Further down the field, Phillippedes appeared on the leaderboard in joint 8th with newcomer, former British Junior Champion, David Wright on his first time out in the 206 Super Cup and Dunbabin rounding out the top ten.
But drama erupted on stage 7, 5.75 miles of the ironically named Halfway. Jennings rolled a mile in, losing a minute and a half and his second place in the process. Ramanen dropped time in Jenning's dust, with Dunbabin off on a square right, losing time getting back on. Both Ingleby and Nandhra didn't make the finish line after accidents, with George Philippedes going off on the same corner as Ingleby which stopped the stage. However, Ingleby's efforts in trying to extricate the Greek netted him the TOTAL Spirit of the Rally Award. Dave Poyser too rolled within sight of Jenning's accident spot but made it to the finish. Patrick Richard was back in the frame and took fastest despite stalling on a hairpin, and Shaun Gallagher took yet another second place, lucky to make it through the stage after a broken shock absorber caused major handling probs. The lead overall was minimal at 7 seconds with Moore still ahead of Gallagher, but only one second split third place with Faulkner fighting off Ramanen in fourth.
The last stage was a short 4.4 miles and Ramanen took up the gauntlet to set his first fastest time of the day, and move ahead of Faulkner by two seconds. Shaun Gallagher romped home in second place on the stage, but couldn't take enough time off Moore, just closed the gap to 5 seconds still in second. However, as Jennings only finished in 13th place, Gallagher now moves into the championship lead.
Moore consolidated his day with a fourth fastest to stay top of the leaderboard, and taste the champagne for the second time this season. Gallagher has yet another Michelin cap to his collection for second while Ramanen made third overall. Mike Faulkner took a solid place in fourth, while Pat Richard rued his earlier accident and was disappointed with his fifth. Wright took sixth and the Motorsport News award for best improvement on seeding. Latest Standings

Drivers after rounds 1, 2 ,3 ,4 ,5, 6 ,Total
1 Shaun Gallager 10 9 16 22 25 25 107
2 Garry Jennings 15 15 25 0 30 8 93
3 Marko Ramanen 12.5 0 22 30 0 22 86.5
4 Mike Faulkner 11 10 20 25 0 20 86
5 Chris Moore 0 12.5 30 0 0 30 72.5

"Winter Series to Warm Up Competitors"

Three event series With the success of the 206 Super Cup in British motorsport, the eyes of the rallying fraternity will be eager to hear of a new Winter Cup being hosted by Peugeot Sport UK. Designed to attract all competitors, the new three round championship will take the name of the 206 Winter Cup. As manufacturer leaders in one-make rallying, this new venture will take competitors into different events from the Cup championship, but with a view to then joining the 206 Super Cup as it marches into its second year.
Three events have been selected to join the new Winter Cup. The first is in early December, the mid point is early January and concludes near the end of February. These are all quality events, typical of the Cup standards and the dates will be announced within the next seven days. The aim is to run cars of 206 Super Cup specification, to the 2002 regulations, to encourage newcomers to the series. Those who are not committed yet to a full season in the Cup might just try their hand with a one-off hire car to see just how competitive the pocket rockets really are.
Mick Linford, Motorsport Manager for Peugeot Sport UK, said "We are very excited about this new venture and pleased to be able to offer a prize fund. Further details will be announced shortly. The close season is quite long with the last event of the 2002 championship being in October, and starting again in March 2003. This Winter Cup will fill the gap nicely and we are looking forward to some great competition.
We have three aims for competitors out there. Firstly this is an opportunity for competitors who have already decided to contest the Cup in 2003 to get "match practice" in their car. Secondly, it will give those competitors who are toying with the idea of competing in the Cup a chance to try out the car in competition just to see how competitive it really is to help them make their mind up. And thirdly, it will give those who don't want to do a full season as they are already competing in four wheel drive cars for example, a chance to show how competitive they are, as a driver, against cars of an identical specification."
Regulations for the series are currently being compiled and will be available from Stella Boyles shortly, along with specific Winter Cup event information.

Achim Mörtl signs for 555 Subaru World Rally Team

Austrian ace ready to prove potential on forthcoming asphalt rounds
The 555 Subaru World Rally Team announced today that Austrian driver Achim Mörtl will drive a Subaru Impreza WRC2002 for the team on the German and Italian rounds of the 2002 World Rally Championship.
31-year-old Achim and his experienced German co-driver Klaus Wicha will compete alongside regular team members Tommi Mäkinen and Petter Solberg, and will be nominated to score points for the Japanese manufacturer on both events.
Commenting on the signing, 555 Subaru Team Principal David Lapworth said: "Achim is clearly a very talented driver, and we've been following his career for some time now, initially as a member of the Subaru Allstars, but also on rallies this year with the Power Horse team. Our 555 Subaru team strategy for the rest of this year remains focussed on Tommi and Petter. The reason for giving Achim this opportunity is that we're looking ahead to 2003 and longer term options." "We know Tommi and Petter will be with us next season, but as we've said in the past, we will never rule out running a third car if there's a championship benefit in doing so, and this is still the case. By running Achim in Germany and Italy we're giving him the chance to prove what he can do given the best car and support team. There's no better way of evaluating a driver's potential than putting him in the car."
"It's great news, and certainly the biggest opportunity of my career so far," said Mörtl. "To be able to compete on level terms with the best drivers in the world is a great chance for me. As far as my objectives for the rallies go, it all depends on what the team strategy is, I want to perform well, but I also have to be realistic. The German rally will be my first on Pirelli tyres, so there'll be some adjustments to make, but I hope to achieve all the team want me to, and hopefully collect some points for Subaru as well."

McHales do well in Punchestown

Austin McHale took a confidence-boosting third place in the World Rally Experience at Punchestown Racecourse last Sunday in a one-off fun day event, which saw a 12,000 strong crowd watch former World Rally Champion, Colin McRae, win the event.
Punchestown was just a short trip down the road from McHale's Rathcoole base and it was a relaxed day for everyone taking part including Austin, who was instrumental in building the 4km tarmac track around the racecourse perimeter.
Making his first appearance in Ireland for 10 years, McRae was delighted to compete against Ireland's top names and the Scot did not disappoint. McHale - with Newbridge's Brian Murphy on the notes in the Toyota Ireland Corolla WRC - and Irish rival, Andrew Nesbitt, rose to the challenge and set about to repeat last year's performance in which they took joint victory at the Kildare track.
In an event which saw the paddock thronging with celebrities such as Jim Corr of The Corrs band, Keith Duffy from Boyzone and champion jockey Richard Dunwoody, McHale quickly established himself as quickest of the Irish drivers behind McRae in the first run. He equalled his time in the second run as Nesbitt took a slight advantage and then in the third of six outings, again eclipsed the reigning Tarmac Champion.
Suspension problems delayed the five times Tarmac Champion in the fourth run, leaving McRae and Nesbitt clear to the end of the event. McRae finished the event in a time of 15m 14.4s, Nesbitt on 15m 28.4s and McHale on 15m 41.5s.
There was more good news for Austin's eldest son, Aaron who drove superbly to finish first in Group N and take15th overall.
Said Austin: "It was an excellent day and we were very pleased to have Colin McRae here and winning the event. Everything went well for us and we were level pegging with Andrew until we had a suspension problem midway through but we still finished third, which was a good enough result. It was a good day for Aaron winning Group N and the young lad's really coming on well."
The next event on both the Pirelli British and Toshiba Computers Irish calendar is the Manx International Rally in the Isle of Man next month on August 1/3, however, McHale has not committed to competing and will make a decision in due course.

"Jennings on a Charge"

The Quinton Rally, 27th July, 2002 Britain's leading one make championship, the 206 Super Cup, heads to Wales for the second time this season, to contest the Quinton Rally. This rally is a one day, 45 mile event, with the Cup competitors only on route notes, based in mid-Wales
. But despite the shortness of the event by comparison to the Jim Clark recently contested, it will be no easy victory for the winner. Classic names of Crychan, Cefn and Caeo reveal the flowing gravel stages. Rory Galligan, 2001 winner of the Super 106 Cup, rated this as "one of the best in the Championship", principally due to the quality of the stages. Garry Jennings, from Ballinamallard in Northern Ireland, has taken the lead of the 206 Super Cup championship back, and aims to hold on to it with another win. He was pipped at the post on the Rally of Wales by a mere 6.7 seconds earlier in the year but made no mistake to win by a similar margin last time out, so is determined to make this his year. Shaun Gallagher, who hails from Donegal, has made a rapid improvement this year, and lies a mere three points behind in the standings, though has yet to drop a score. He so nearly had his maiden victory on the Jim Clark, only a handful of seconds split him and Jennings after 157 miles of competition and is looking forward to tasting that champagne at least once this season. Third in the championship lies Mike Faulkner. The Scot led the Cup briefly going to the Jim Clark, but a monumental crash on Stage 4 resulted in a new shell being ordered, and a lot of midnight oil being burnt in the race to get the car prepared in time. Fourth is Marko Ramanen – he too had a big accident on the Jim Clark, though his car was repairable. His victory on the Scottish gravel surface will still be on his mind as he tries to repeat the performance. Lying in fifth place is another Scot, Aberdeenshire man Jack Ingleby, who finished 6th on the Jim Clark. Sixth, but one to watch, is the Rally of Wales winner Chris Moore, the Geordie lad has already two dropped scores in the championship, so needs to consolidate all the results to the end of the year to ensure Cup victory.
Further crews to watch on gravel are Patrick Richard, the rapid Canadian was leading the Scottish Rally until his roll into retirement. Rob Russell too, has not contested all the rounds so far, so is languishing in the championship, but ought to put in a fight. George Philippedes and Matt Jessup both took part in the Swansea Bay Rally last weekend in their preparations, George in particular very pleased with his performance. Continued/…
The latest of newcomers to the Super Cup is making his first appearance. David Wright, former British Junior Champion is turning the wheel in anger, with new co-driver Mike Panes alongside. Mike's usual Cup driver has sold the car to another potential newcomer. Andy Pawley, Alun Pearson and Martin Evans have all been knocking on the door of the top ten, and so too would Richard Sykes, if only he didn't have a problem on the first stage of each event, resulting in a spirited charge back through the field. The event starts and finishes from the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells, with central servicing in a new area near the Epynt Ranges.