The tussle for the 2010 Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally Championship
crown could not be any closer after last weekend's third round,
the Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes.
Alastair Fisher now tops the standings after finishing fourth
overall on the event with his production category Mitsubishi Lancer.
He holds a slender one point advantage over Aaron MacHale, while
Craig Breen is third, four points adrift of MacHale.
It was Gareth MacHale who topped the tables going into the Killarney
based third round but an engine problem after the opening stage
quickly sidelined the Ford Focus WRC pilot. As a result, he has
dropped to fourth in the championship tables, two points behind
Breen.
The two-day County Kerry event saw Meath's Tim McNulty grab the
lead from the start. Navigated by Paul Kiely, the crew quickly
built a substantial advantage of more than one minute over Daragh
O'Riordan and Tony McDaid.
Then O'Riordan hit trouble on stage six, forcing him to retire
his Subaru Impreza WRC after an accident. That allowed Alastair
Fisher and Rory Kennedy into second position, although they were
displaced to third by Denis Cronin and Helen O'Sullivan on the
day's final stage.
Day two saw Tim McNulty and Paul Kiely continue to rally towards
what seemed like almost certain victory. Then, only three stages
from home, McNulty's dreams of a third Killarney victory were
shattered when gearbox problems sidelined his Subaru.
All of a sudden, a surprised Denis Cronin and Helen O'Sullivan
were leading the event by 24 seconds. A solid drive through the
final miles not only secured the crew's maiden Rally of the Lakes
victory, but also fulfilled a life-long ambition for both Cronin
and O'Sullivan.
Aaron MacHale and Eugene O'Donnell secured second overall and
maximum Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally Championship points (event
winner Cronin is not registered for points).
A late charge by MacHale saw him move ahead of Alastair Fisher
and Rory Kennedy. Then Fisher clipped a bank on the final stage,
allowing Craig Breen and Gareth Roberts into third position.
Fisher finished fourth in his production category Mitsubishi Lancer
while superbike team boss, Paul Bird, who had Kirsty Riddick calling
the pace notes, sealed fifth in his Ford Focus WRC. Brian O'Mahony
and John Higgins completed the top six and were the leading two-wheel-drive
competitors in their Renault Clio S1600.
In the Citroën Racing Trophy, Robert Barrable and Damien
Connolly sealed another victory from Martin McCormack and Dai
Roberts. Shane Buckley and Thomas Maguire were third.
In the Modified Challenge, Barry Meade secured maximum points
after winning the National Rally. The result moves him into second
position in the championship standings, 10 points behind Mervyn
Wedlock, who finished second among the registered crews on the
event. Jason McSweeney completed the top three, and holds third
in the series standings.
The battle for the Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally Championship
title resumes on 18 June with the Topaz Donegal International
Rally. Based in Letterkenny, the three-day event will play host
to what will be another titanic battle for the rally spoils. More
details can be found online at www.irishtarmac.com.
ENDS.
2010 Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes top 10
1 Denis Cronin/Helen O'Sullivan (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h51m49.8s
2 Aaron MacHale/Eugene O'Donnell (Ford Focus WRC) 1h52m26.3s
3 Craig Breen/Gareth Roberts (Ford Fiesta S2000) 1h53m12.8s
4 Alastair Fisher/Rory Kennedy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 1h53m59.3s
5 Paul Bird/Kirsty Riddick (Ford Focus WRC) 1h55m30.7s
6 Brian O'Mahony/John Higgins (Renault Clio S1600) 1h57m20.6s
7 Colm Murphy/TBA (Subaru Impreza N12) 1h57m27.3s
8 Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly (Citroën C2 R2 MAX) 1h58m31.9s
9 Thomas Fitzmaurice/Fionn Foley (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 1h58m32.7s
10 Martin McCormack/Dai Roberts (Citroën C2 R2 MAX) 1h58m42.2s
Photograph: Attached photograph depicts new Citroën
Irish Tarmac Rally Championship leader, Alastair Fisher, in his
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9. Image may be used free of charge for
editorial use with credit to the photographer, Graham Chambers/TIGHTANGLE.COM.
Image may not be sold, resold or used for commercial purposes.
Copyright remains with the photographer.
Additional information can be found online at www.irishtarmac.com.
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