Six Kerry co-drivers on Mayo Rally entry this weekend
Six Kerry co-drivers will tackle Sunday Mayo Rally – the opening rounds of the National, Border and West Coast rally championships.
However, Kerry drivers are thin on the ground compared to their note calling colleagues.
Fresh from their fourth overall on the recent Kirkistown Rally in County Down, Ger Conway will re-unite with Monaghan’s Stephen Wright, in a Ford Fiesta R5. They are seeded at five for the Claremorris-based rally.
Starting one place behind is a new partnership for a Kerry co-driver. Noel O’Sullivan, the runner-up in last year’s British Rally Championship will partner with Darren Gass.
It will be the Muckross man’s first rally in Ireland since February 2019, having spent recent years contesting World and British championship events.
Armagh man, Gass, will use a Citroen C3 Rally 2 on Sunday and, for now, it is a one-off partnership for the pair.
Dublin-based Currow man John McCarthy has already contested the Galway International Rally with Peter Wilson. The Kells-based Wilson will drive another Fiesta R5 in the Mayo Rally.
Alan Nesbitt, brother of former Irish Tarmac Rally Champion Andrew, makes a welcome return to the stages and he will be partnered by Elaine Ni She who is enjoying a busy start to the season so far. This is the West Kerry Gaeltacht woman’s third rally this season – so far three events have run in the Republic of Ireland.
Ger Somers is on co-driving duty for Raymond Spence from County Down in a Ford Escort Mk2. Their last rally together was last year’s Donegal Harvest. A broken driveshaft ended that run after four stages.
Rathmore school-teacher Declan Casey will compete alongside Tyrone’s Andrew Gillespie in a class 13 Ford Escort. Casey is another busy local co-driver and, as well as his Irish commitments, he is planning a return to the Welsh Historic Rally Championship too.
Lispole’s Alan O’Sullivan is on the reserve list but he will not start the event. A driveshaft problem during the recent ill-fated Killarney Forestry Rally and a busy work schedule means he does not have the time to repair the car.
Maynooth’s Paul Barrett, of National Championship sponsors, Triton Showers, starts at 21 in another Ford Fiesta. He has family links to Ballyduff in the north of the county.
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