Circuit of Ireland preview – Keith Cronin’s thoughts
By PRPR
When the NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Championship field gathers in Dungannon this weekend for the Circuit of Ireland, the reigning title holders, Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin, will be endeavouring to finish a job they began twelve months ago, but didn’t quite complete. In last year’s edition of the famous event, they appeared destined for victory, only to find themselves on the wrong tyre choice as the weather turned wet late in the rally. Matt Edwards and David Moynihan took advantage of the unfolding conditions to record what turned out to be their only win of the season, while Cronin and Galvin took the second place points but went on to wrap up the Tarmac crown later in the year. The two contending crews will resume their rivalry on Good Friday, when the first two of the Circuit’s eleven stages take place, with the remainder set to follow on Saturday.
They will not by any means be the only potential victors, as there are numerous others who can be expected to be in the shake-up, not least among them, Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan, who will be making their first outing of 2025, in the same Skoda Fabia which brought them wins in Killarney, Donegal and on the Cork ’20’ last year. They finished the season on the same number of Tarmac points as Cronin and Galvin, but lost out on a tie-break. Devine’s late start is for good reason, as he took time out to get married, and the impact of his absence to his championship campaign has been lessened by the postponement of the Galway International Rally.
In contrast, Cronin and Galvin have three rallies completed so far this year in the M O’Brien Group of Companies/Shane Casey Electrical Services Citroën C3 Rally 2. Having wrapped up maximum Tarmac points in West Cork, they were ultimately awarded the overall rally victory following the exclusion of Jon Armstong and Shane Byrne. They later won the Carlow Forestry Rally, and then finished fourth on the Carlisle Stages last Saturday, where their efforts were stymied by a mystery engine cut-out on the penultimate test. Edwards and Moynihan have also been in action, taking second place on the Midland Rally in their Hyundai i20N, and staying in touch with Cronin and Galvin in West Cork before going off the road on the Saturday morning stages.
“It was disappointing when we lost out on last year’s Circuit, but as I said at the time, there are lots of twists and turns in championships, and we got there in the end,” said Cronin. “Still, it would be nice if we could get the job done this weekend. It looks like the weather will be changeable again, so hopefully we’ll use the lessons learned from last year to good effect. But first we need to get to the bottom of what happened in Carlisle, the car just cut out mid stage, and then fired up again, we have to get that sorted.” He is taking nothing for granted however, adding: “Even if we have a clean run, there are no guarantees. Matt goes well in that part of the country as we saw last year, and Callum will be very strong, he won’t need any time to get back up to speed. We’ll give it our best and see what it brings.”
The Circuit of Ireland gets under way at 3pm on Friday, when the cars begin to leave the Start Control in the village of Cabragh, where the Service Park is also located. There will be two runs over the Ivy Hill stage near Aughnacloy in the afternoon and evening. Saturday’s route consists of three loops of Drummond, The Hollow and Sweathouse, starting just before 9am, with the victors due to return to the Finish Ramp in Cabragh at around 5pm.
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.
Circuit of Ireland Rally 2025
Top Ten Seeds:
1. Matt Edwards/David Moynihan, Hyundai i20N Rally 2
2. Keith Cronin/Mikie Galvin, Citroën C3 Rally 2
3. Callum Devine/Noel O’Sullivan, Skoda Fabia RS Rally 2
4. Josh Moffett/Andy Hayes, Citroën C3 Rally 2
5. Eddie Doherty/Tom Murphy, Skoda Fabia Evo Rally 2
6. Garry Jennings/Rory Kennedy, Ford Fiesta Rally 2
7. Cathan McCourt/Barry McNulty, Hyundai i20N Rally 2
8. Ryan Loughran/Gareth Doherty, Ford Fiesta R5
9. Declan Boyle/Patrick Walsh, Skoda Fabia RS Rally 2
10. David Kelly/Arthur Kierns, Volkswagen Polo GTi R5
Circuit of Ireland Rally 2025
Timetable
Friday 18th April
Start Ramp: Cabragh, 15:00
Stage 1: Ivy Hill 1, 15:30;
Regroup In: Cabragh, 15:48
Regroup Out/Service In: Cabragh, 16:03
Service Out: Cabragh, 17:53
Stage 2: Ivy Hill 2, 18:23
Parc Fermé In: Cabragh, 18:42
Saturday 19th April
Parc Fermé Out: Cabragh, 08:00
Service In: Cabragh, 08:05
Service Out: Cabragh, 08:30
Stage 3: Drummond 1, 08:57
Stage 4: The Hollow 1, 09:29
Regroup In: Rehaghy Road, Dungannon, 10:01,
Regroup Out: Rehaghy Road, Dungannon, 10:11
Stage 5: Sweathouse 1, 10:23
Regroup In: Cabragh, 10:58
Regroup Out/Service In: Cabragh, 11:08
Service Out: Cabragh, 11:28
Stage 6: Drummond 2, 11:55
Stage 7: The Hollow 2, 12:27
Regroup In: Rehaghy Road, Dungannon, 12:59
Regroup Out: Rehaghy Road, Dungannon, 13:09
Stage 8: Sweathouse 2, 13:21
Regroup In: Cabragh, 13:56
Regroup Out/Service In: Cabragh, 14:06
Service Out: Cabragh, 14:26
Stage 9: Drummond 3, 14:53
Stage 10: The Hollow 3, 15:25
Regroup In: Rehaghy Road, Dungannon, 13:09, 15:57
Regroup Out: Rehaghy Road, Dungannon, 13:09, 16:07
Stage 11: Sweathouse 3, 16:19
Finish Ramp: Cabragh, 16:54
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