CRONIN OPENS TARMAC DEFENCE AT HEAD OF ALL-STAR WEST CORK CAST
Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin will begin the defence of their NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Rally Championship crown at this weekend’s Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally, where they line up as the number one seeds in deference to their victory on the event last year. Twelve months ago, their triumph in Cronin’s home county was the second of three wins recorded in a Ford Fiesta during their ultimately successful Tarmac campaign. This time around, they will be in a Citroën C3 Rally 2, and will be hoping for a similar outcome, in terms of the event, and the championship. They will be followed across the West Cork start line by a who’s who of Irish rallying, all aiming to deprive them of a repeat performance.
In 2024, the West Cork Rally featured a three-day format for the first time in its history, with four stages being held on Friday afternoon and evening. Cronin and Galvin trailed Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan at the conclusion of the opening day, before moving into the lead on Saturday morning as fog and rain descended, and going on to claim victory on Sunday evening by almost a minute, from Matt Edwards and David Moynihan. The event will follow a similar schedule this weekend, and will have eighteen stages in all. “It would be great if everything was to go as smoothly this year, but there are no guarantees obviously,” said Cronin. “We had the Citroën out for the first round of the British Championship last month, so hopefully the experience with the car will stand to us for West Cork.” That debut outing in the C3, on the East Riding Rally in Yorkshire, brought Cronin and Galvin a second place finish.
Edwards and Moynihan are also in a new car for 2025, lining up in an Hyundai i20N, and they too have already seen action this season, coming within .5 of a second of victory on the Midland Rally in Longford, the opening round of the National Championship. They are seeded at No. 2 in West Cork, just ahead of past Tarmac champion and quadruple National Champion, Josh Moffett, who is also in a Citroën. Moffett and co-driver, Andy Hayes, won the event in 2022 and ’23.
The West Cork entry also features Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta, backed by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, who will be using the event as a warm-up for a full-scale assault on the FIA European Rally Championship. The Top Ten further includes names such as Eddie Doherty, former Tarmac Modified champion, Cathan McCourt, former Irish Forestry champion, Declan Boyle, former Tarmac and National Champion, and Jonathan Greer, multiple Northern Ireland champion. Daniel Cronin, brother of Keith, is seeded at nine in his Citroën C3, and will be guided by Donnchadh Burke.
“The line-up for West Cork is very strong, really any of the top ten have the ability to take the win,” said Cronin. “I think the quality of the rallies here and the Tarmac Championship overall is reflected in the calibre of the entry, it’s great to see the likes of Matt coming over from the UK to take on the Irish on home ground, and lads who have progressed to World and European championship events, like Jon, coming back to Ireland to give it a go.”
The West Cork Rally gets under way on Friday evening, with the Ballinascarthy and Rossmore stages tackled twice, before and after dark. The crews will be welcomed back to Clonakilty FanZone in Asna Square at 7.30pm. There will be eight stages on Saturday, with Ring and Kilbrittain running twice in the morning, and Dunworley and Clogagh to run twice in the afternoon. A further six stages follow on Sunday, consisting of two loops of Ardfield, Glandore and Sam’s Cross. The podium celebrations are scheduled to take place at Emmet Square, Clonakilty, at 4pm on Sunday evening.
Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin are supported by M Group of Companies, Shane Casey Electrical Services, Michelin Tyres, Cronin’s Centra (Ballylickey, Union Hall, Leap, Millstreet and Dundrum), Cronin’s HomeValue Hardware, Daybreak Westlink, Cremin Coaches, Keohane Seafoods, Citroën Racing, and Race and Rally Motorsport. Their Citroën C3 Rally 2 is prepared and run by Tom Gahan Motorsport.
Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally 2025
Top Ten Seeds:
1 Keith Cronin/Mikie Galvin, Citroën C3 Rally 2
2 Matt Edwards/David Moynihan, Hyundai i20 N Rally 2
3 Josh Moffett/Andy Hayes, Citroën C3 Rally 2
4 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne, Ford Fiesta Rally 2
5 Eddie Doherty/Tom Murphy, Skoda Fabia R5
6 Cathan McCourt/Barry McNulty, Hyundai i20 N Rally 2
7 Declan Boyle/Patrick Walsh, Skoda Fabia Rally 2
8 Jonathan Greer/Niall Burns, Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2
9 Daniel Cronin/Donnchadh Burke, Citroën C3 Rally 2
10 Michael Boyle/Dermot McCafferty, Volkswagen Polo GTi R5
Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally 2025
Timetable
Friday 14th March (First Car Due)
Start Control: Clonakilty Showgrounds, 15:30
Service Out: West Cork Technology Park, Clonakilty, 16:05
Stage 1: Ballinascarthy, 16:22
Stage 2: Rossmore, 16:52
Service In: West Cork Technology Park, Clonakilty, 17:31
Service Out: West Cork Technology Park, Clonakilty, 18:51
Stage 3: Ballinascarthy, 19:08
Stage 4: Rossmore, 19:38
Fanzone: Astna Square, Clonakilty (Live Action on Big Screen from 19:30)
Parc Fermé In: Clonakilty Showgrounds, 20:20
Saturday 15th March (First Car Due)
Parc Fermé Out: Clonakilty Showgrounds, 08:15
Service Out: West Cork Technology Park, Clonakilty, 08:53
Stage 5: Ring, 09:10
Stage 6: Kilbrittan, 09:48
Service In: West Cork Technology Park, Clonakilty, 10:35
Service Out: West Cork Technology Park, Clonakilty, 11:33
Stage 7: Ring, 11:50
Stage 8: Kilbrittain, 12:28
Service In: West Cork Technology Park, Clonakilty, 13:15
Service Out: West Cork Technology Park, Clonakilty, 13:38
Stage 9: Dunworley, 14:01
Stage 10: Cloghagh, 14:32
Service In: West Cork Technology Park, Clonakilty, 15:13
Service Out: West Cork Technology Park, Clonakilty, 16:13
Stage 11: Dunworley, 16:36
Stage 12: Cloghagh, 17:01
Parc Fermé In: Clonakilty Showgrounds, 17:52
Sunday 16th March
Parc Fermé Out: Clonakilty Showgrounds, 09:55
Service Out: West Cork Technology Park, Clonakilty, 10:40
Stage 10: Ardfield, 10:59
Stage 11: Glandore, 11:30
Stage 12: Sam’s Cross, 12:05
Service In: West Cork Technology Park, Clonakilty, 12:40
Service Out: West Cork Technology Park, Clonakilty, 13:30
Stage 13: Ardfield, 13:49
Stage 14: Glandore, 14:20
Stage 15: Sam’s Cross, 14:55
Parc Fermé In: Clonakilty Showgrounds, 15:30
Podium Ceremony: Emmet Square, Clonakilty, 16:00
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