KEITH Cronin’s winning return to the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, after an eight-year absence, at the Galway International Rally illustrated that he has lost none of the talent that has seen him win four British Rally Championship titles.
Competing in his new M-Sport built Ford Fiesta Rally2, a car that only arrived just two days before the Galway event, the Ballylickey driver had the distinction of posting the first fastest stage time of the season.
With seven fastest stage times from the 13 stages that were completed, Cronin took a 38.1-second victory over Derry’s Callum Devine (VW Polo GTi R5) with Monaghan’s Josh Moffett (Citroen C3 Rally2) 13.1 seconds further behind in third.
Cronin used just one set of Pirelli tyres each day and made key gains at the appropriate time, thereafter it was all about managing his advantage, which he did with telling effect. Victory was more than he anticipated, as Cronin told The Southern Star.
‘I certainly didn’t expect to arrive here and win. At best, I was hoping to get a podium but to get the win, it's just fantastic,’ Cronin said.
The focus now switches to the Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally (March 15th to 17th). While the perception is that it’s his local rally, he hasn’t competed in Clonakilty since 2016 when he finished second to Garry Jennings, who was campaigning a much more potent Subaru WRC.
‘I don’t know the stages in West Cork any better than I know these (Galway). It’s all the one to me, you just have to go and make the notes,’ said Cronin.
It will be a completely different rally to Galway and Cronin is aware of that fact.
He also knows that the Tarmac Championship road has many twists and turns and is far from a conclusion, anything can happen along the way. However, he has begun the journey in impressive fashion.
