Kerry crews in West Cork Day 2 report

Photo by Kevin O’Driscoll
At the end of day two f the Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally, the opening round of the NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, defending Tarmac champions Keith Cronin and his Killarney co-driver Mikie Galvin hold a slender lead of just 7.5 seconds, in their Citroën C3.
They have been at the front since the event got underway on Friday evening, but throughout Saturday they have been coming under increasing pressure from Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne, who were fastest on four of today’s eight stages in their Ford Fiesta Rally 2.
Six stages remain to be completed in the rally on Sunday consisting of two loops of the Ardfield, Glandore and Sam’s Cross tests. The first of these will get underway just before 11am. Cronin and Galvin will have to decide whether to prioritise Irish Tarmac championship points, or to fight the advances of Armstrong and Byrne, who are using the event as a warm up for the European Rally Championship and are not registered for the Tarmac series.
“We have been tweaking the car a bit, I think we’re making improvements all the time,” said Cronin. “We have a nice gap to the second in the championship,” he added, referring to their advantage over Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes.
Keith McCarthy and his driver Ed O’Callaghan hold 24th overall and fourth in class 14. They spent the day laughing at their antics in their Ford Escort.
Sean Nolan and his driver James Bradley are three pleases behind and hold third in Class 13 in their Escort.
Co-driver Derry Long holds fourth place in the Rally4 class alongside Aaron Browne in a Ford Fiesta Rally4. They are 29th overall.
Darren Young and Pa Lawlor took the lead of class 11F on the final two stages of the day.
The Honda Civic crew carry a slender 5.8 second lead into the final day over local crew Eamonn and Lisa McCarthy having come from behind on Saturday morning.
Patrick Calnan, the West Cork man with Ballyheuige connection sis fourth in class 22 in his Honda Civic.
Vincent O’Shea retired his Darrian after it shed a load of engine oil on Saturday morning and Sam Leech’s Honda Civic suffered a broken driveshaft
Anthony O’Driscoll and his Kerry co-driver Kieran Reen are seventh in that class in another Honda.
In the Historic Rally, Fergus O’Meara is fourth in his BMW M3 despite his tyres overheating and causing understeering moments in the morning stages.
Denny Greany is guiding Wayne Evans to fifth in the category in their Escort.

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