The Kane in Spain
If you’re going to wait ten years before getting back behind the wheel of a rally car, you might as well make an adventure out of it.
Tralee-based Tullamore man Mark Kane returns to active competition this weekend at the Rallye de La Nucía Mediterráneo – Costa Blanca, a round of the Spanish Superchampionship based near Benidorm.
It marks Kane’s first event as a driver since the 2015 Birr Stages Rally, where he competed in a Ford Escort Mk2. This time, he will pilot a Hyundai i20 R5, prepared and run by Spain-based Irish outfit PCRS Rallysport.
The two-day tarmac event begins on Friday afternoon and runs into the night, with the second leg starting just after 9 a.m. on Saturday and finishing around 6 p.m. Crews will tackle 12 stages, covering 161 kilometres of closed public roads.
Kane’s co-driver will be Jeff Case from Laois, who will mark his 100th rally start at the event. It will also be Kane’s first competitive outing in a left-hand drive car and his first rally outside Ireland as a driver.
Speaking before the start, Kane admitted he was both excited and surprised at his high seeding position of 15.
“They’re either missing a one off the start or the end of our number,” he joked. “A de-seed is what we will need! At least we can say we were going well at the start and were up to 15th overall.”
Other Irish representation in Spain includes Philip Allen from County Tyrone, who is competing in a Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo with Welsh co-driver Craig Drew.
Monaghan-based co-driver and Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy member Killian McArdle will make his third Spanish rally appearance of the season in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 , this time alongside Aoife Raftery.
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