Photo:
William Neill/NEILLPICS.CO.UK
For immediate release: 05 April 2010
McGarrity
secures maximum Citroën Irish Tarmac
Rally Championship points at the UTV Drive Circuit of Ireland
Rally!
Derek McGarrity and James McKee have emerged victorious from
the second round of this year's Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally
Championship, the UTV Drive Circuit of Ireland Rally!
The cross-border event saw the stars of Irish rallying descend
on Newry and Dundalk, but it was McGarrity who emerged triumphant
at the finish.
Sealing the win was by no means an easy task. In fact, it was
only during the event's second and final leg that McGarrity
assumed the advantage at the head of the field.
At the start of the Ulster Automobile Club rally, Tim McNulty
and Paul Kiely grabbed the lead but their challenge was thwarted
by a puncture on stage five. That dropped the crew back to fifth
overall, and handed the number one position to production category
contenders, Alastair Fisher and Marshall Clarke.
With the rain falling, Fisher extended his lead from eight seconds
to 31 seconds from McGarrity over the following three stages.
However, the day's final 18-mile night test told a different
story, as McGarrity reduced the leader's advantage to 13 seconds.
It was the boost that McGarrity needed and when day two dawned
bright and dry, it was only a matter of time before the powerful
World Rally Car crew overhauled young gun Fisher.
McGarrity moved in front after stage 12, helped along when Fisher
lost approximately 30 seconds with a puncture. That dropped
him into Gareth MacHale's grasp, and one stage later, Fisher
was third.
Tim McNulty was also back in the mix at that point. He was in
very determined form going into the final loop of stages, but
on stage 13, his Impreza WRC landed into a field.
Gareth MacHale and Brian Murphy were fastest over stages 13
and 14 but it was too little, too late. McGarrity's advantage
was secure and he went on to reclaim the 'Circuit' crown which
he last won in 2005.
Galway winners, Gareth MacHale and Brian Murphy, recovered from
their day one misfire to take second ahead of Alastair Fisher
and Marshall Clarke.
Championship Manager, Don Wilmont, said: "Congratulations
to Derek McGarrity and James McKee on winning round two of the
Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. They are very
worthy winners but credit must also go to championship leader,
Gareth MacHale, for an impressive comeback drive, and of course
Alastair Fisher, who impressed everybody by leading the event
on Saturday in a Group N car."
Aaron MacHale and Eugene O'Donnell's fine fourth place finish
was enough to consolidate their third position in Championship
points table.
The event also hosted round two of the Citroën Racing Trophy
series. For the second event in succession, Marty McCormack
and Dai Roberts lost out on victory during the final day. They
had a substantial lead in the category, and held eighth overall,
but took a wheel off their Citroën C2 R2 Max on stage 13.
McCormack lost almost four minutes as a result, handing the
category win to Mark Donnelly and Paddy Robinson. An impressive
recovery drive saw McCormack take second, just six seconds adrift,
while Adrian McElhinney and Shane Buckley finished third.
In the Modified Challenge category, Mervyn Wedlock and Damian
McCabe claimed maximum points in the M2 category, moving them
to the top of the tables. They finished fourth overall in the
National Rally, while Ferghal Allen finished 14th and topped
class M3.
In the Historic category, only one championship registered crew
completed the event, with William Todd and Noel Anderson claiming
the spoils in their Morris Mini Cooper S.
Round three of the Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally Championship
takes competitors to the opposite end of the country. The Killarney
Rally of the Lakes takes place over 01/02 May, and more details
are available from www.irishtarmac.com
and www.rallyofthelakes.com.
ENDS.
UTV Drive Circuit of Ireland Rally top 10
1 Derek McGarrity/James McKee (Impreza WRC) 2h15m27.2s
2 Gareth MacHale/Brian Murphy (Focus WRC) 2h16m00.7s
3 Alastair Fisher/Marshall Clarke (Lancer Evo 9) 2h16m16.3s
4 Aaron MacHale/Eugene O'Donnell (Focus WRC) 2h20m59.5s
5 Daragh O'Riordan/Tony McDaid (Impreza WRC) 2h21m42.4s
6 Neil McCance/Brendan Cumiskey (Lancer Evo 9) 2h25m24.2s
7 Brendan Cumiskey/Conor Foley (Lancer Evo 9) 2h26m29.5s
8 Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Lancer Evo 9) 2h28m02.0s
9 Sam Moffett/James O'Reilly (Lancer Evo 9) 2h28m27.7s
10 John McGlaughlin/Crawford Henderson (Lancer Evo 9) 2h30m10.6s
Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally Championship standings after
round two
1 Gareth MacHale 28pts
2 Alastair Fisher 23pts
3 Aaron MacHale 18pts
4 Derek McGarrity 16pts
5 Craig Breen 15pts
6 Alan Ring 13pts
Photograph: Attached photograph depicts Derek McGarrity
and James McKee in their Subaru Impreza WRC during the 2010
UTV Drive Circuit of Ireland International Rally. Image may
be used free of charge for editorial use with credit to the
photographer, William Neill/NEILLPICS.CO.UK. Image may not be
sold, resold or used for commercial purposes. Copyright remains
with the photographer.
Regards,
Jonathan MacDonald
MediaJAM Communications
