PEREZ STRATOS TO DRAW CROWDS TO KILLARNEY HISTORIC RALLYThe 2005 Killarney Historic Stages Rally will get underway at 4.30pm next Saturday evening, December 3rd, when the Lancia Stratos of top seed, Steve Perez, crosses the Start Ramp in the centre of Killarney town.
Perez, from Clay Cross in Derbyshire, was the winner of this event in 2003. He debuted the Stratos on the Roger Albert Clark Rally in Britain last week, and the appearance of this spectacular supercar on the Killarney Historic Rally is certain to draw large crowds of motorsport fans to the south-west. The Mayor of Killarney, Councillor Tom Doherty, will flag competitors away from the Ramp, and the crews will tackle two special stages that evening. The addition of these two stages to the route on Saturday will see the event spread over two days for the first time since its inception in 1996.The Lancia Stratos won virtually everything there was to win in rallying throughout the world in the mid-1970s. Perez's example is entered for this event in the Post-Historic category, for cars built between 1968 and 1974. Among the other contenders for Post-Historic victory will be last year's runner-up, Todd Falvey. The local man drives a Porsche 911 and will be navigated by Millstreet's Dan Barry. Also in contention will be former Post-Historic victor, John Farrell (Ford Escort), whose navigator, Brian Duggan, originally hails from the Healy Pass, one of the stages of the rally. Farrell leads the 023 Tiles Southern Four Historic Rally Championship, of which the Killarney Historic Stages Rally is the final round. Derry's John Keatley, the winner of the very first Killarney Historic Rally in 1996, is also expected to be in the hunt for Post-Historic honours; he originally entered the Historic category of the event in a Porsche but has since opted to bring a later Ford Escort. In the headline Historic category for cars built before 1968, former British Open and Irish Tarmac Rally Champion, Russell Brookes returns to active competition for the first time in five years to tackle the 2005 Killarney Historic Stages Rally. He will drive a Porsche 911, provided by Blackburn-based Tony Arnold, and backed by Great Stuff Caterers, Porsche Centre Ireland and Vodka Kick. Brookes opposition in the Historics will include Mini Cooper drivers, Mervyn Johnston (Fermanagh) and Ray Cunningham (Galway).The newly introduced Classic category, for cars built between 1975 and 1981 running in their original competition specification, will be fought out between Welshman, Gareth Lloyd and The Gambia resident, Martin Freestone. Both will drive version of the Mark 2 Ford Escort RS. The Classic category has attracted a handful of entries for its first year, but the event organisers anticipate stronger interest in the future.The Modified category for cars built between 1975 and 1979 (previously referred to as 'Classic') sees two local drivers among the expected front runners. Kevin O'Donoghue and Dave Slattery were the Classic runners-up in 2003 and 2004 respectively, and both will mount a big effort to go one better this time around.The top seed in the Modified category is Monaghan man, Dessie Keenan, winner of the Classics in 2004. Other contenders include Meathman Pat Donegan (third in 2004), who will be navigated by Ardfert's Jakes Kelly, and Clonakilty's Kevin Kelleher, winner of the Mark 2 Challenge in Carlow earlier in this year.Ger Buckley, winner of the National Rally Championship in 1979 and 1980, is one of the event's sponsors through the family company, EPS, and he hopes to drive a Ford Escort as a Course Car, guided by his navigator of old, John Caplice.
Following the two stages on Saturday night, the competing crews will return to Killarney for the overnight halt. Nine further stages follow on Sunday, with the winning Historic crew due to return to the Finish Ramp at Randles Garage shortly before 4.30pm. The 2005 Killarney Historic Stages Rally is supported by Randles Hotels, Killarney and West Cork; Failte Ireland; Remax Properties, Killarney and Kenmare; EPS Environmental Products Division; the Christmas in Killarney Festival and Killarney Crystal.* Former Irish Tarmac Rally Champion, Derek McGarrity, who intended to take part in the 2005 Killarney Historic Stages Rally, has withdrawn his entry as the car he was due to drive, a Ford Escort RS, sustained damage during the recent Kerry Single Stage Rally. Last year's Post-Historic victor, Jimmy McRae, has also pulled out as his Porsche 911 blew its engine during the Roger Albert Clark Rally. Local driver, Donie O'Sullivan, who had entered an Escort RS in the Modified category, is also among the non-starters.Further details of the 2005 Killarney Historic Stages Rally are available on the event's website, killarneyhistoricrally.com.
Top Ten Seeds - Historic/Post Historic2 Steve Perez/Neil Dashfield (England) Lancia Stratos (P)3 John Farrell/Brian Duggan (Meath/Cork) Ford Escort Mk1 (P)4 Todd Falvey/Dan Barry (Killarney/Millstreet) Porsche 911 (P)5 Don Moynihan/Tim Moynihan (Cork) Ford Escort Mk1 (P)6 John Keatley/James McKeefry (Derry) Ford Escort Mk1 (P)7 Russell Brookes/Maurice Hamilton (England) Porsche 911 (H)8 Joe Connolly/Gareth Connolly (Kilkenny) Ford Escort Mk1 (P)9 Denis Moynihan/Dan Moynihan (Cork) Ford Escort Mk1 (P)11 Frank Cunningham/Aaron Forde (USA) Ford Escort Mk1 (P)12 Brian Lawlor/Peter Kavanagh (Dublin) Ford Escort Mk1 (P)
Top Ten Seeds - Classic/Modified90 Dessie Keenan/Enda Sherry (Monaghan) Ford Escort RS (M)91 Dave Slattery/Ger Somers (Killarney) Ford Escort RS (M)93 Pat Donegan/Jakes Kelly (Meath/Ardfert) Ford Escort RS (M)94 Kevin O'Donoghue/Joe O'Leary (Killarney) Ford Escort RS (M)95 James Coleman/Eoin O'Neill (Kilkenny) Ford Escort RS (M)96 Kevin Kelleher/Martin Kelleher (Clonalilty) Ford Escort RS (M)97 Peter Kelly/Con Lucey (Killarney) Ford Escort RS (M)98 Gareth Lloyd/Ryland James (Wales) Ford Escort RS (C)99 Kieran O'Neill/Andrew Donoghue (Antrim) Opel Kadett GT/E (M)100 Wesley Patterson/Bob Kelly (Antrim/Rosscarbery) Ford Escort RS (M)
2005 Killarney Historic Stages Rally - RouteSaturday 3rd DecemberStart Ramp: Market Cross, Killarney 16:30SS1: RockfieldSS2: CoolickParc Fermé (In): Killarney Racecourse 18:56
Sunday December 4thParc Fermé (Out): Killarney Racecourse 07:45SS3: Molls GapService: KenmareSS4: KilmackillogueSS5: Healy PassService: Adrigole-Castletownbere RoadSS6: Cod's HeadSS7: ArdgroomSS8: Healy PassService: Adrigole-Castletownbere RoadSS9: Cod's HeadSS10: ArdgroomSS11: KilmackillogueFinish Ramp: Randles Garage, Muckross Road 16:27
Prizegiving: The Shelbourne Suite, Dromhall Hotel 21:00023 Tiles Southern Four Historic Rally Championship 2005Positions after five of six rounds1: John Farrell (Ford Escort Mk1), 78 points;2: Denis Moynihan (Ford Escort Mk1), 68;3: Martin Sheehan (Ford Escort Mk1), 60;4: Todd Falvey (Porsche 911), 52;5: Liam Sheehan (Ford Escort Mk1), 50.
