Rally Masters Killarney 50 Cars, 50 Drivers  event preview

Rally Masters Killarney 50 Cars, 50 Drivers  event preview

This Saturday the Rally Masters event will bring 50 rally cars and 50 drivers to Killarney Racecourse.

The one-day show is already a complete sell-out and will be the first time in over two decades that rally cars have tackled a stage at the racecourse.

The entry list is one of the strongest seen in Ireland in many years, with Group B monsters, Group A legends and World Rally Cars all set to appear.

Organised by Killarney and District Motor Club in association with Motorsport Ireland, the day is designed as a demonstration rather than a competition, giving fans the chance to see and hear the cars that defined rallying from the 1970s through to the modern era.

 Proceeds will go to the Jack & Jill Foundation and LauraLynn Children’s Hospice, with the support of Eamon Long Plant Services.

One of the headline stories is the return of the MacHale family. Austin MacHale, a five-time Irish Tarmac Champion, will be joined by his sons Gareth and Aaron, with all three sharing a Ford Focus WRC 06.

The last time all three appeared on the same entry list was back in 2009, when they contested both Rally Ireland and the Rally of the Lakes in Killarney. Their appearance together is one of the key attractions of Rally Masters.

Another major story is the presence of Swedish driver Kalle Grundel.

Grundel was a factory Ford driver during the Group B era and will be in Killarney with a Ford RS200. His name is linked with one of the most dramatic moments in Irish rallying history. During the 1986 Circuit of Ireland, Grundel’s RS200 struck a young boy after two children ran onto the road. Thankfully the child the incident that was captured in helicopter footage that has since become part of rally folklore. Almost forty years later, Grundel, the RS200, and the now-adult survivor will be reunited in Killarney.

The star line-up continues with Billy Coleman, regarded as the father of Irish rallying. He will drive a BMW M3 from the Group A era and also a Metro 6R4 supplied by Darren Gass. Coleman’s appearance alongside two of the most iconic rally cars in history is a reminder of his central role in Irish motorsport. Gass himself will compete in a Subaru Impreza S12 WRC as well as his own Metro 6R4.

Andrew Nesbitt, a multiple international rally winner, returns to Killarney in a Mitsubishi Evo X WRC and will be reunited with his long-time co-driver James O’Brien.

Donegal’s Donagh Kelly will drive a Vincent Bonner Opel Manta 400, bringing back memories of the 1980s.

Former Irish Tarmac Champion Eugene Donnelly is entered in a Ford Escort Cosworth, while fellow Donegal driver James Cullen will appear in a Nissan 240RS, another classic of the Group B period.

Younger talent is represented by Josh McErlean, who now competes in the World Rally Championship with M-Sport Ford. He will drive a Ford Focus WRC 07, the same type of car that dominated the sport in the mid-2000s. International flavour comes from Belgium’s Patrick Snijers, who will line up in a replica BMW M3 in the famous Castrol colours, recalling his European Championship successes in the late 1980s.

Long-time competitor and former Forest Rally Championship frontrunner John Reid will return in a Toyota Corolla WRC once campaigned by the MacHale family.

Davy Greer is another RS200 entry, ensuring that two of the legendary Group B Fords will be in action.

Other notable cars include machines once driven by Colin McRae, Stephen Murphy and Eamonn Boland.

Ollie Benton will appear in a Focus WRC 01 that was campaigned at world level by Colin McRae.

 Mick and Dan O’Brien form a father-and-son line-up with a pair of Ford Focus WRCs, while Ollie and Patrick O’Donovan provide another family entry with an Escort Cosworth and Peugeot 306. Rising driver Kalum Graffin will make his debut in top-level machinery with a Subaru Impreza S7 WRC.

The Group B era is well represented with further examples of the MG Metro 6R4, entered, Stuart Biggerstaff and Willie O’Dwyer. Pat Horan will bring a Lancia 037, while Audi Quattros will be driven by Martin Roberts and local competitor Mike Buckley. Porsche 911s also feature, including Conor Falvey in a 3.0 RS.

Group A is equally well represented with BMW M3s for event sponsor Aidan Long, James McCarville, Fergus O’Meara and Paul Ahern.

 Ford Sierra Cosworths will appear in Marlboro and Belga liveries in the hands of Pat Croke and Don Butler. A replica of Stephen Murphy’s Escort Cosworth will be driven by Tom Gerathy.

Local interest is strong with Kerry drivers David Randles in an ex-works Nissan Almera GTi and David Murphy in a Subaru Impreza N10.

 In total, the entry covers almost every era of modern rallying, from the brutal Group B years through the more refined Group A period and into the World Rally Car generation.

With every ticket sold, thousands of fans will pack Killarney Racecourse on Saturday for what promises to be one of the most remarkable one-day rally events ever staged in Ireland. For older fans it is a chance to relive memories of rallying’s greatest days, while for younger fans it offers the rare opportunity to see legendary cars and drivers in action.

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