HAPPY NEW YEAR

A new year and a new rally season is about to begin. The 2023 WRC kicks off with the Monte Carlo Rally (19-22 January) and there is good news regarding Northern Ireland. We will have two drivers competing in the WRC2 category. Josh McErlean from Kilrea and William Creighton from Moira will both drive Hyuandai i20 Rally2 cars in Monte Carlo, prepared by Philip Case Rally Sport and with support from Motorsport Ireland. Creighton will be co-driven by Belfast’s Liam Regan while John Rowan from Monaghan will be alongside McErlean.

Top contenders for the WRC1 World Championship this year included title favourite Kalle Rovanpera. The current champion is backed up by his Rally1 Toyota Yaris teammate Elfyn Evans. Hyundai meanwhile have Thierry Neuville & Esapekka Lappi running full-time in i20’s while M-Sport Ford are relying on Ott Tanak & Pierre-Louis Loubet for Puma glory.

The “Wee Japanese Fella” Takamoto Katsuta and his Fintona co-driver Aaron Johnston are competing on all 13 rounds of the WRC in a Toyota Yaris Rally1 car this year. There are part-time cameo rolls for Sebastien Ogier (Toyota) and Craig Breen & Dani Sordo share a third i20 at Hyundai. M-Sport haven’t as yet revealed their plans for running part time drivers.

Sebastien Loeb will not be competing this year, leaving the way clear for the other Seb (Ogier) to win the Monte Carlo Rally. Given his vast experience the seven-times winner should (on paper anyhow) be unbeatable this year.

We received some very sad news just before Christmas. Trevor Purdy passed away suddenly. I had known Trevor for years through his marshalling work with North Armagh Motor Club. He had been Chief or Deputy Chief Marshal many times on a number of their popular events including the much missed Lurgan Park Rally. “Big T” always had a smile for everyone and was so practical and down to earth. A real rally enthusiast (with a love for Audi Quattro’s) Trevor marshalled all over Northern Ireland and beyond. On the stages he never passed anyone without stopping for a chat and some banter! Trevor Purdy will be sorely missed by us all. My sincere condolences to all the family circle from everyone involved in the BMMC/BRMC Northern Ireland Region.

LOOKING BACK......Marshalling memories

40 YEARS AGO......1983

Bertie Fisher was chosen as the 1982 NI Motorsport Personality of the Year at the annual ANICC awards night in Portadown.

30 YEARS AGO......1993

Denis Biggerstaff won the 1993 Northern Ireland Rallycross Championship at Kirkistown in his 1992 British Rallycross Championship winning MG Metro 6R4. We were marshalling as usual. Denis also was the 1992 ANICC Motorsport Personality of the Year as well as our BMRMC Driver of the Year.

20 YEARS AGO......2003

The 2003 season started for us on the first weekend in January with the annual MG Car Club’s Derek Walker Memorial Classic Trial. A small band of hardy members (3 of us) headed to Delamont Country Park in Co.Down for the start. We would be covering two tests at Audley's Castle near Strangford and Morrow’s yard above Gilnahirk. With overnight temperatures falling to -6% centigrade, the roads were not too nice to say the least. Black ice, white ice and even grey/brown ice made our journey to the tests very treacherous, but we made it! A great event with a good entry made up for the conditions and the soup and sandwiches at the finish were more than welcome!

Dickie Curran won the UAC New Year Stages at Kirkistown in January 2003. His son Michael also won Group N. We were timekeeping as was usual back then. The event ran smoothly and was finished for 3pm. This was the seventh running of the rally.

I just cannot believe it’s been twenty years since I visited the 2003 Monte Carlo Rally (24-26 January) Accompanied by my sons Scott and David we flew from Belfast to Luton then on to Nice via EasyJet on a World Rally Travel package tour costing £275 each. A drive round the famous Grand Prix track on Thursday evening was followed by two days of spectating on the snowy stages near Sisteron and Grass. On Sunday, the final day, we took in the Monaco harbour Service Park before catching our return flight that evening. Sebastien Loeb headed a Citroen Xsara WRC podium lock-out. Colin McRae was second and Carlos Sainz finished third. Only 29 of the 49 starters finished the event. Eamonn Boland was 15th and Kris Meeke with Chris Patterson finished last in their Junior WRC Opel Corsa.

10 YEARS AGO......2013

Derek McGarrity & Neil Doherty won the New Year Stages Rally at Kirkistown on Saturday 19th January. They were in the same Subaru S14 WRC as last year, when they won as well. McGarrity was fastest on all six stages round the Co.Down circuit to take victory by almost a minute from the Mitsubishi Evo.9 of Kieron Graffin. Dominic McNeill was third in another Evo.9. There were just 40 starters and 31 finishers due to bad weather throughout the country. The event was held in very cold but dry conditions and ran smoothly. We supplied timekeepers to assist McAleer Timing on the various controls. The rally was organised by the 500 MRCI supported by the UAC 

FESTIVE WIN FOR DESI HENRY

The only rally to be held last month in NI was the annual Maiden City MC’s Turkey Run at the Shackleton Complex in Ballykelly on December 29th. Of the 75 starters 27 competitors were in R5 or Rally2 machines. Shackleton experts Desi and Mark Henry (they won the Dogleap here in August) won the wet and slippery five-stage event in their usual Fiesta Rally2. Gareth Sayers/Gareth Gilchrist were second and Aaron McLaughlin/Darren Curran third, both in older model Fiesta R5’s. Top of the 2-wheel-drive cars was Barry Morris in 14th place with his Darrian T90 GTR. There were 62 finishers. We provided rescue cover as usual. I was unable to attend this one.

Unfortunately the UAC had to cancel “It’s Not The Boxing Day Rally” due to run at Kirkistown on December 27th as a Production Car Autotest. A lack of entries was the reason for the cancellation of this usually popular festive event. A sign of the times perhaps.

CIRCUIT OF IRELAND NEWS

Some more information has been released regarding the 2023 Circuit of Ireland Rally. As I said last month the event will be organised jointly by the Ulster Automobile Club and Cookstown Motor Club. Due to the current economic climate and its associated costs, the rally will be a one-day event. Held on Saturday 7th April and based in Cookstown, there will be four repeated nine-mile stages all in County Tyrone. The COI Easter Stages Rally will be round 3 of the 2023 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

ANICC CONFIRM RALLY DATES

Dates have now been confirmed for the five-round 2023 ANICC McGrady Insurance Northern Ireland Rally Championship. As I outlined last month, the sealed-surface series remains virtually the same as it was in 2022. Rounds 1-3 are single-venue events while rounds 4 & 5 are closed-road rallies.

Plans to expand the NI Championship to include the Circuit of Ireland and the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally have been shelved for this year due to the current economic situation the country finds itself in. The ANICC may have a rethink in time for the 2024 season.

North Armagh Motor Club’s Kirkistown Stages is round one of the 2023 NI Rally Championship and takes place on Saturday 18th February. The second round will be Rathfriland MC’s Race & Rally Stages at Bishopscourt on Sat.11th March. Round three is the Maiden City MC’s Shackleton Stages Rally, scheduled for Sat. 22nd April.

Round four of the NI Championship will be Magherafelt & District MC’s Tour of the Sperrins on Sat. 20th May. Ballynahinch & District MC are the promoters of the Carryduff Forklift Down Rally, the fifth and final round on Sat. 22nd July. There will be no reserve events.

Dates have also been confirmed for the 2023 ANICC McGrady Insurance NI Forest Rally Challenge which will consist of four rounds.  Fivemiletown Rally (Sat. 25th Feb.) Lakeland Stages (Sat. 2nd Sept.) Bushwhacker Rally (Sat.16th Sept.)  Magherafelt Forest Stages (Sat. 21st Oct.)