Hone has unfinished business at Willie Loughman Forest Rally
For Top Walsh (ford The Seed The The Irish Picture: R5) Fiesta Pallets Rally, Loughman Championship The Martin Jordan Forest Willie Derry’s Second Hone Forest Rally Is Round Of Sligo
Sunday’s Willie Loughman Forest Rally on the Kilkenny-Wexford borders is unfinished business for Derry’s Jordan Hone (Ford Fiesta R5), who retired when leading last year’s corresponding event with a sensor issue.
Hone makes the trip south having bagged maximum points and a first ever rally win on the opening round of the Sligo Pallets National Forest Rally Championship in Castleisland. “Hopefully, we can go as well as we did on the opening stages last year but it won’t be easy. I think Andrew Purcell will be hard to beat but really any of the top five or six will be in with a shout, the stages are very good.”
Monaghan’s Derek Mackarel, who made a hasty exit in last year’s event with a burst radiator, has since become more familiar with the Ford Fiesta R5 and will be aiming to mount a challenge, as will Cashel’s Pat O'Connell, in yet another R5. O'Connell will need to be at the cutting edge right from the opening stage, something that didn’t happen in the first round in Killarney.
Cavan’s Stephen McCann (Ford Fiesta R5) is another chasing championship points while Waterford’s Andrew Purcell (VW Polo GTI R5) could pose the biggest threat as he aims to get his title bid on track having bowed out near the finish in Killarney.
Tyrone duo Darragh Cairns (Skoda Fabia R5) and Gareth Mimnagh along with Carlow’s David Condell and Cork pair Gerard Lucey and Daragh O'Riordan — all in variants of the Ford Fiesta — complete the top ten. In the rear wheel drive category, Shane McGirr (Lada Riva) is the top seed with Ryan McHugh (Ford Fiesta) heading the Rally4 entry and Cavan’s Danny Brady (VW UP) the top seed in the J1000’s. The morning loop of three stages is repeated following the midday service halt at the Suir Shipping complex at Waterford port.
Four-time British Rally Champion Keith Cronin (Ford Fiesta Rally2) admits it may take a few stages for him to get to the pace of tomorrow’s (Saturday) Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages Rally, the second round of the British Rally Championship. Although it’s been almost a decade since the Ballylickey driver tackled the Hafren and Myherin stages, his main concern is his lack of seat time on gravel. A problematic opening round means a strong finish is required, especially if Welsh ace Chris Ingram (VW Polo GTi R5) and Moira’s William Creighton (Ford Fiesta Rally2), who are the top two seeds, replicate their first round results.
Welsh ace Osian Pryce (Ford Fiesta Rally2), well-known to Cronin from previous BRC seasons and who retired from the first round, could be the one to watch. "I think Osian (Pryce) will be very quick, he has great experience of the stages from events such as the Roger Clark Rally. I think if he (Pryce) were to win, it wouldn’t be the end of the world for my championship bid, but if Chris (Ingram) starts to go on a winning streak, then that’s not ideal. We will take it rally by rally and see how it goes.” said Cronin.
Welshman Meirion Evans continues with his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 with Jos Verstappen (father of F1 ace Max) making his debut on gravel in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. The first of the day’s seven stages starts at 8.39am.
Elsewhere, reigning ERC3 champion Northern Ireland’s Jon Armstrong and his Cork co-driver Eoin Treacy compete in the weekend’s Rally Hungary, the first round of the European Rally Championship in their M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2. MI Academy drivers Jack Brennan and Aoife Raftery tackle the event in a pair of Peugeot 208 Rally4 cars.