Marking one year without Irish rally action

One year without Irish rally action

Damian Fleming holds the unlikely record as the last Kerry rally competitor to contest an event on Irish soil.

The Kilcummin co-driver entered last year’s Mayo Rally alongside Monaghan’s Raymond Conlon in a Toyota Corolla. He was the only Kerry competitor on the event as several other local crews had committed to the following weekend’s West Cork Rally.

The pair finished seventh overall, and second in Class 13 on the Castlebar-based event.

The rally usually takes place on the second Sunday of March and last year  it was held on on Sunday, March 8. Four days later the country entered its first COVID-19 lockdown and the sport was suspended.

“It has been a long year since we were slipping and sliding around Mayo on the mud, little did we know that when we went to Mayo last year that it would be the last time we could go rallying,” he said.

“We understand the reasons why the sport cannot go ahead but, at the same time, looking forward to the day our sport can resume.”

A version of this article was originally published in the Killarney Advertiser. Kerry Motorsport News is the motorsport content provider to the Killarney Advertiser.