A look at several locals and some almost local drivers and co-drivers in last weekend’s Banna Beach Resort Kerry Winter Rally.
Rallysport style…but tongue in cheek look too.
Our lawyers don’t work over the weekend.. we may have to take this down Monday morning!
Apologies to any Kerry competitor we missed…it is hard to get to you all but
WhatsApp 087 6771019 anytime and we will do our best to run stories on anyone with a Kerry connection
1 Sam Moffett/ Keith Moriarty Toyota Starlet RWD
Great to see a Toyota Starlet at Number 1, defending champions Sam and Keith, from just over the County bounds Abbeyfeale were second in class 13 and eighth overall. Sam swore that damage to the left-hand door was a legacy from a previous rally and not caused in Kerry!
3 Ryan Loughran/Tony Healy Ford Escort
The Tyrone Kerry crew finished second, steamy windscreens coming from the body heat caused issues in the first loop
5 Conor Murphy/Sean Collins Ford Escort
Disappeared off the result sheets after the first loop, mechanical problems, reasons unknown
6 Daniel Cronin Donnchadh Burke Mitsubishi Evo 9
Meet a cow on stage one and had to wait until the bovine blackguard returned to a field at the loss of 15 or more seconds.
7Richard Moffett/Ger Conway Toyota Starlet RWD
Rally winners ensure a Toyota Starlet will run first on the road the next time the rally runs
10 Mike Quinn/ Kieran Doherty Ford Escort Mk2
A broken exhaust needed welding at mid-day service on their way to 11th overall. Mike’s 25th attempt at Banna!
17 Tom Relihan/Maurice McElligott Ford Escort Mk1
Winners of the Donal Flaherty Cup for the second time, in a nice touch, Maurice handed the cup to Hannah, Donal’s mother, to mind for the year at the event’s prizegiving.
20 Barry Meade/Colin Fitzgerald Ford Escort Mk2
KDMC member Barry won class 13, he won the rally overall in 2011
28Tadhg O’Sullivan/John McCarthy Ford Escort
Crash repair expert Tadgh made sure his boys were busy on Tuesday morning after deranging the front of his Escort on an Abbeydorney ditch
29 Kevin O’Donohoe/ Evan Macbride BMW M3
Nice personal touch here. Kevin’s good friend Danny McBride died after an illness during the summer. Kevin took his son for a run on Sunday.
33 Darren Young/ Pa Lawlor Honda Civic
A last stage, almost last-corner puncture robbed the local crew of a certain class win. They were avoiding the debris of a previous driver’s incident when they picked up the flat.
34Jason Farrell/ Donagh Crowley Honda Civic
Junior rally winners and Jason is the latest Kingdom of Kerry junior champion after the weekend
35 Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy Subaru Legacy RS
Engine misfire in the morning was followed by a hub issue later in the day and the crew did not finish.
37 Charlie Hickey/Charlene Hickey Ford Escort RS
Charlene’s stage rally debut – Charlie said: “I will never again take a man co-driver, she was that good”
39 Mark Falvey/ Diarmuid Lynch Ford Escort Mk1
The crew’s first outing since a crash on last year’s Historic Rally in preparation for this year’s December event #
40 Mark Murphy/ Damien Fleming Toyota Starlet RWD
A slipping clutch hindered progress, finished second in class, and could be decisive in the Kingdom of Kerry later in the year as class points are vital in such circumstances.
46 Dave Slattery/ Denis Coffey Ford Escort Mk2
Engine expired just before the long straight in Abbeydorney
49 Ger O’Brien/ John Liston Ford Escort
Happy to finish after a DNF in Wicklow in September.
51 Ray Hilliard/ Denny Greany Ford Escort Mk1
Found a Killflynn dyke to park in!
53 Brendan Brosnan/ Eilish Dunne Ford Escort RS1800
Brendan’s first day out in his newly built historic Escort – he won this rally way back in 1986.
59 John Hickey/Michelle Hickey Fubaru Escort RS 4×4
John reckoned this was the best day he ever had in the Fubaru…the car needs wet roads and he got them!
64 Sean Enright/Kevin Doherty Ford Escort Mk2
Class winners: ”We took it handy over the last loop to bring it home, we are more than happy,” said Sean
68 PJ O’Dowd/ Padraig Brick Talbot Sunbeam
Class winners. Spent the day laughing
69 Eddie Kennelly/ Paul McGlinchey Ford Escort Mk2
Retired at first service.
70John Daly John Joe Daly Ford Sierra
Son and father – third in class in what John described as a throwback to the 1990s.
71 Bob Moran/ Eoin Collins Ford Escort Mk2
Small issue with the gearbox on their way to a class win
72 Ray Stack/ Gene Stack Ford Escort
“I had a very dangerous day,” said Ray. Kerry Motorsport News did not ask him to elaborate because he once did something obscure in Berlin and we do not need to know the details of either!
73 Conor Walsh/Sean Mulvihill Ford Escort Mk2
Second in class on his second day out in the car!
75 Cyril Wharton/ Donal Falvey Ford Escort Mk2
Crashed out while trying to mind the car for Killarney. Hard luck guys!
79 Neil Phelan/ Keith McCarthy Ford Escort Mk2#
Catching cars
Catching cars
Catching cars
81Pat Barry/Kevin Tydings Ford Escort Mk2
Retired at first service
83 Raymond O’Neill/ Padraig O’Donovan Ford Escort
Second gear problem, wiper motor problem, stuck in a bank problem, “A shitshow “ he said.
84 Jason Costello/ Megan Costello Ford Escort Mk2
Spent the day getting back into it… first outing together since June 2018.
86 John Michael Kennelly/ Aaron Browne Honda Civic
A lesson in how to shorten and lighten a Honda Civic
91 Colm Browne/ Michael Browne Ford Escort
Part of the Browne Dynasty from Brosna. “Well put together rally, it was a bit of craic,” said the Tyrone-based Colm.
92 Hazel O’Callaghan/ Sean Nolan Ford Escort Mk2
The Limerick Lady drafted in Sean Nolan at the last minute!
93 Katie Quinn/ Ciara O’Connell Honda Civic
Mike’s daughter – she did not lick it off a stone.. .second in class!
97 Ian Horgan/ Cian Walsh Toyota Corolla RWD
Still suffering after a recent trip to Salou.. gearbox problems all-day
98 Chris Browne/ Mark Kelly Honda Civic
Brosna Browne dynasty part two… second in the junior rally
99 Maurice Browne/ James Browne Ford Escort Mk2
Brosna Browne dynasty part three. Cousins Maurice and James. They are rallying together since the 1980s but back then James was the driver and Maurice the co-driver.
100Paudie O’Callaghan/ Danny Murphy Toyota Starlet RWD
“Good day, no dramas,” said Paudie.
102 Brian Doherty/ David Fleming Ford Fiesta
“The stages were great but I was too slow,” said Brian.
107 Anthony O’Carroll/ Timothy Diggin Honda Civic 1.6VTI
Bike racer turned rally driver gave a good account of himself!
108Gary Healy/ Gearoid Moynihan Honda Civic EK4
Newcomers this year but Southern 4 Junior champions after the final round in Banna.
113 Maurice Kennelly/ Eoin Mulvihill Ford Escort Mk2
No wonder Joe Costello was nervous. The long-time Kerry Motor Club member had three grandchildren in the event, Eoin joining Mossie and Megan Costello
123 Gearóid O’Regan/ Brian Martin Honda Civic Type R
First time rallying in the wet but Gearoid enjoyed it!
124 Robert Counihan/ Timmy Kelly Toyota Corolla Twin Cam
Second rally in a long time for the Killarney crew.
“Uneventful, we were way too slow, but the stages were great,” Said Kelly
125Jamie O’Rourke/Patrick Brislane Honda EG6
Third in the Junior rally.
126 Mossie Costello/ Cian Clancy Honda Civic
Engine failure ended Mossie’s senior debut.
127 Niall Myers/ Damien Hussey Toyota Corolla Twincam
“We went ploughing on SS1,” said Niall.
132 Colin Neligan/ Damien O’Donovan Suzuki Swift
“First tarmac finish so I am delighted,” said Colin.
133 Ross Hilliard/ Joey Hilliard Honda Civic EK4
Maybe it’s because I am an Irish Londoner! Google it!
175 Brian Hickey/Eoin O’Donoghue Ford Escort Mk2
Called in off reserves, Brian’s first rally in over a million years. he will also be competing in the Carrick on Suir sprint on Sunday so his absence record is being reversed. Welcome back! He was the winning co-driver of the first-ever Top Part West Coast Championship back in 1993.
Kerry Motorsport News 