WITH just a six-day turnaround since their British Rally Championship outing on the Carlisle Rally, the reigning Irish Tarmac Rally champions – Ballylickey's Keith Cronin and Killarney's Mikie Galvin – are back in action this weekend on the Circuit of Ireland Rally, the second round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.
Their Citroen C3 Rally2 is back in tarmac specification for the Dungannon-based event that begins this Friday afternoon with a double run over the Ivy Hill stage.
They face familiar opposition in this event where they finished second last year (14.4 seconds behind the winners) and arrive in Dungannon as leaders of the current series after they were declared winners of the opening round, the Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally.
Last year's Circuit of Ireland Rally winners Matt Edwards and David Moynihan are the top seeds in their Hyundai i20 N Rally2 and will be eager to make amends for their non-finish in Clonakilty.
The stages are similar to last year albeit with a few changes and that will mean an even stronger pace from all the contenders.
Reflecting on last year's Circuit, Cronin remarked, 'It was disappointing when we lost out on last year's Circuit, but as I said at the time, there are lots of twists and turns in championships, and we got there in the end. It would be nice if we could get the job done this weekend. It looks like the weather will be changeable again, so hopefully we'll use the lessons learned from last year to good effect.'
In relation to the Carlisle Rally last weekend where he finished fourth after a cut-out hindered his chances, Cronin added, ‘We need to get to the bottom of what happened and why the car just cut out mid stage and then fired up again, we have to get that sorted.’
On his rivals, he added a note of caution.
‘Even if we have a clean run, there are no guarantees. Matt (Edwards) goes well in that part of the country as we saw last year, and Callum (Devine) will be very strong, he won't need any time to get back up to speed. We'll give it our best and see what it brings,’ Cronin said.
Cronin may start as favourite but he knows that Edwards along with others will pose a really strong challenge. Indeed, if last year's rally is an indicator, it should be a pulsating event and not just between Cronin and Edwards.
Former Tarmac champion Callum Devine (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) missed the West Cork, and having retired from last year's Circuit will need little motivation as he bids to open his championship account in the best way possible.
There's no shortage of strong opposition with former ITRC champion Josh Moffett seeded at four in his Citroen C3 Rally2. Strangely enough, he hasn't won an ITRC round since the 2023 West Cork Rally.
The top ten also features the in-form Kilkenny driver Eddie Doherty (Skoda Fabia R5) and last weekend's Isle of Man Rally winner Garry Jennings (Ford Fiesta Rally2). The top ten is completed by Cathan McCourt (Hyundai i20 N Rally2), Ryan Loughran (Ford Fiesta Rally2), Declan Boyle (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) and David Kelly (VW Polo GTi R5).
Meanwhile, Dunmanway's Jason McSweeney (Skoda Fabia R5) is also competing in the rally as he continues his ITRC journey that didn't get off to the best possible start on the Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally.
‘That lasted 11 seconds (probably about half a kilometre) so I guess I need to bed myself in better this time,’ said McSweeney. Along with his Blackpool co-driver Liam Brennan, they were caught out on the opening stage when their Skoda landed awkwardly over a crest, hit a bank and landed in a field.
Speaking on Monday, McSweeney added, ‘We are waiting for a few parts and we will be ready to go again. This is my first time to compete in the Circuit of Ireland and bearing in mind what happened in West Cork, I need to settle down, although in my case that is hard to do at times. We will need to have a better approach for sure.’
Ardfield co-driver Anthony O'Sullivan competes in the Historic category with Welsh driver Meirion Evans (Ford Escort RS1800). Following Friday's action, Saturday's itinerary is a triple run over a loop of three stages.
