Perfect Start for NI Champion
Jonny Greer made a perfect start to the 2022 Northern Ireland Rally Championship.The current champion won the first round at last month. The Orchard Motorsport Kirkistown Stages on Saturday 19th February was organised by North Armagh Motor Club.
Driving his brand new Citroen C3 Rally2, Greer with new co-driver Darragh Mullen, finished the six-stage event just 4.6 seconds ahead of the Skoda Fabia R5+ of the eight-times champion, Derek McGarrity, who this time had the very experienced Graham Henderson co-driving.
Phillip Allen and Emily Turkington were third in their Ford Fiesta Rally2. They had been running in second place after SS4 but eventually finished just seven tenths of a second behind McGarrity after a final stage charge by the Skoda driver.
Early leader, and another previous champion, Stephen Wright (winner here in 2019 and 2020) eventually finished fourth with Ger Conway in their Fiesta R5. Darren Gass on his return to rallying following a long absence was fifth in his ex.Mads Ostberg Citroen C3 Rally2. Gass’s co-driver was Marc McMillan.
There were 80 starters and 65 finishers. It was great to see so many competitive cars out there. The top fifteen finishers were all in WRC/R5/Rally2 machines. Best placed 2-wheel-drive car was the Ford Escort Mk.2 of James and Heather Kennedy, in sixteenth place. Second in that category was the Escort Mk.1 of Andrew White and Paul Hughes.
BMMC Northern Ireland was well represented at the Orchard Motorsport Kirkistown Stages. Around a dozen club members turned out to marshal key points on the stages as well as providing recovery. The weather was typical for mid February, rain in the morning but dry in the afternoon with sunny intervals. Despite the recent storms there was no excessive wind. Temperatures were around 3-5%.
On Saturday 26th February we had the first round of the 2022 McGrady Insurance NI Forest Rally Challenge. Five of us BMMC members were in Mullaghafad Forest covering radio, timing and rescue at the start of two of the nine special stages on the Samsonas Fivemiletown Rally. Previously known as the Spring Rally, the event was last held in 2020. I hadn’t been here since 2019.
A total of 77 cars started the Omagh Motor Club’s 33 stage mile gravel event. The weather was cloudy but dry which made our job a lot easer. Desi Henry and co-driver Paddy Robinson led the rally from start to finish in their new-generation Ford Fiesta Rally2. There were 3 Fiesta Rally2’s and no less than 11 Fiesta R5’s competing plus a couple of WRC cars and an interesting Skoda Fabia R5+ with a 2-litre engine.
In second place overall was the Fiesta R5 of Cathan McCourt while Vivian Hamill was third in a McGeehan Motorsport MINI WRC. Conor McCourt finished fourth in the 2-litre “special” Skoda Fabia. Best of the 2-wheel-drive cars was David Crossen in 10th place with his Escort Mk.2. There were only 53 finishers in a rally of high attrition. We had no problems on the 1.5 miles of SS2/8 Mullaghafad. Both stages ran to schedule (as did the whole event) and we had two clean runs. I was finished by 16.30 and home in Bangor by 18.15.
It was good to get back out on the rally stages last month and meet up with some old friends again. Everyone had huge smiles on their faces. Most COVID restrictions have now been lifted in Northern Ireland although we still have to be careful when out and about. Hopefully the remaining rounds of the NI Tarmac Rally Championship and the gravel Forest Challenge will be able to run this year without any problems.
Looking Back
Marshalling Memories
20 Years Ago.....2002
There were two stage rally’s at Kirkistown in early 2002. The 500 MRCI New Year Stages was held in January and North Armagh Motor Club organised round one of the N.I. Championship, the Eurocables Stages in late February. I was Chief Timekeeper at both events and with the help of BMMC/BRMC members both rallies ran without a hitch.
In March six of us were at Bishopscourt for the second round of the Championship. We were using lights and beams to time the event for the first time. Our day lasted almost 11 hours, we signed-on at 8am. There were eight stages and we covered all of them with just a break of 20 minutes for lunch.116 cars started at 09.15 and the last car crossed the finish line of SS 8 at 19.45. Ballynahinch and District MC were the organisers and they were focused in pushing through the 8 stages, regardless of the marshals welfare, some of whom had been on duty from 6am setting up the stages. Thankfully the club has learned from this and since then the Bishopscourt Stages have been reduced to 6 tests. Derek McGarrity, driving a state-of-the-art Subaru Impreza WRC, won both the Eurocables and Bishopscourt Stages by a country mile.
10 Years Ago.....2012
Two of us were running a test in Slemish Mountain car park on the MGCC’s Derek Walker Classic Trial. Victor and I were kept busy in the wet and windy conditions as some 48 competitors arrived to complete the autotest, one of 17 on the route. Winners were father and son Wesley and Ashley Lamont in an MG Midget.
Two weeks later three of us were at a cold but mostly dry Kirkistown, marshalling on round one of the Carryduff Forklift MSA N.I. Rally Championship. North Armagh MC were the organisers of the Magic Bullet Stages Rally. There were 6 stages giving a total of 24 miles. We had very little to do at our post which covered the area around the circuit’s permanent chicane. There were 83 starters which included 10 World Rally Cars. Derek McGarrity and James McKee continued their winning streak this year at Kirkistown (They won the New Year Stages in January) in the latest S14 Subaru Impreza. Derek was fastest on five of the six stages. Second was Kevin Barrett in his older S11 Impreza while Derek McGeehan finished third in his Mini WRC.
A week after Kirkistown, Ray and I went down to Omagh MC’s Spring Rally in the forests near Fivemiletown. We were finish timekeepers on SS3/7 Crocknagrally. 71 cars started and 43 finished the eight stage gravel rally. Garry Jennings won in his Gp.A Subaru Impreza. Frank Kelly was 7th and top 2-wheel-drive finisher in his “baby blue” Escort Mk..2. The weather was good to us, mild and dry all day.
Rally Diary
Sat.12th March.
Race & Rally: Bishopscourt Stages
A new sponsor for this event (Davy and Jonny Greer’s family company) organised by Ballynahinch and District Motor Club. Round 2 of the McGrady Insurance Motorsport UK Northern Ireland Rally Championship. Expect a full entry for this popular circuit-type tarmac rally. Can Jonny beat Derek again? BMMC marshals will be covering timing and other jobs on the day.
Fri.15th-Sat.16th April.
Wastewater Solutions: Circuit of Ireland Rally
Round 3 of the Irish Tarmac Championship. Based in Broughshane, Ballymena Co.Antrim. A very compact event. Good Friday sees two closed-road stages in the Glens of Antrim run three times, Cairncastle and Glendun. On Saturday these same stages are run in the opposite direction. Final details to follow next month. We will be out in force covering rescue/radio/timing/recovery and stage marshalling.
Looking much further ahead; The Ulster Rally (19th-20th August) is reverting to two days of competition. The seventh and final round of the Irish Tarmac Championship is based again in Newry, there will be 2 stages on Friday, one run once the other twice. Saturday will have 3 stages running twice.
