|
Welcome to the Carlow Stages Rally & MkII Escort Challenge website for 2008. This year will hopefully be just as exciting as last year with some top class drivers and stages.
Once again in 2007, the Carlow Stages Rally & MkII Escort Challenge was a highly entertaining rally with a packed entry list. Over 240 crews entered which clearly indicates the popularity of this event. Number 1 on the road in the MkII Escort section was last years winner Gwyndaff Evans in his newly aquired Ex-Tommy Graham MkII Escort. Cork's rallying legend Billy Coleman was at 2 in the David James "11 ZIK" Yellow MkII with Wexford's Whitty brothers Willie & Johnny in their Whitty Autobody "Silver Bullet" MkII Escort rounding off the top 3. These along with a packed top 10 line up made it almost impossible for anyone to call a result. However as the day went on it became all to clear where the real battle for overall honours would be. Gwyndaff Evans & Wesley Patterson in his "Feckin Irish Whiskey" MkII Escort were swapping times all day long with the overall lead changing after almost every stage. However it was to be yet another emotional win for the Welsh Wizard taking a 13 second victory over Patterson. The icing on the cake for the Evans family was Gwyndaff's son, Wayne, taking a very creditable 3rd overall in the MkII Section.
This years main field line up definatly compliamented the MkII Entry with any one of the top 8 capable of overall honours. Up to this point there had been a different overall winner on every round of the national championship. Again however, like the MkII Challenge, as the day began it became quite clear where the battle for victory was with Aaron MacHale, Michael Barrable and Niall Maguire moving away from the rest of the pack swapping seconds on every stage. Towards the last couple of stages though, it became a 2 horse race with only seconds splitting MacHale and Barrable. Going into stage 8, Michael Barrable in his 2005 Ford Focus WRC had a 2 second lead over Kilcullen's Aaron MacHale in a similar spec focus. But it was MacHale who was to through caution to the wind taking a stage win and overall rally victory along with it by just 3 seconds. An emotional victory for Aaron and new navigator Killian Duffy as it was a first National Rally Victory for both crew members.
In the Junior Challenge it was anyones rally. Last years winner Kenny O'Brien was No 1 on the road with Donegal's Johnny Hegarty second followed by Mark Kinirons in his brand new Citroen C2R2 at No 3. With Stage 5 being cancelled for the Junior Drivers Stage 6 would see John Stafford & Anne Marie Kennedy in their Opel Corsa B take a lead which they never lost. Taking 2 out of 3 fastest stage times they won the section by 12 seconds over Wexford's Neil Hickey in his Orange MkII Escort.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank anyone who helped out on the 2007 Carlow Stages Rally & MkII Escort Challenge and hope 2008 will be just as exciting.
|
