Kerry Motor Club has announced details of its brand-new Summer Mini Stages Rally, taking place on Sunday, July 5.
Sponsored and headquartered at The Rose Hotel in Tralee, this new event serves as a replacement for the club’s traditional Winter Rally.
The event features a two-by-three stage format, offering competitors nearly 90 kilometres of stages. The central service park will be located at Castleisland Mart. The route utilises popular local roads, featuring several variations since they were last used in November 2024.
Organisers have focused on keeping the event accessible for club competitors, setting the entry fee at €650. The club believes this offers the best value entry rate in the country for this length of rally.
The event forms a counting round for three regional championships: the Top Part West Coast Rally Championship, the GK Print Southern 4 Rally Championship, and the Moriarty’s Central Car Sales Kingdom of Kerry Rally Championship.
Clerk of the Course, Eoin Duffin, confirmed that preparations are already well underway.
“This is a new departure for the club, but planning is well ahead,” Mr Duffin said. “We wanted to deliver a cost-effective rally aimed squarely at the club driver. At €650, we believe we are offering the best value entry fee in the country for nearly 90 kilometres of stages.”
A special accommodation rate is available to competitors and fans attending the event by referencing Kerry Winter Rally when contacting The Rose Hotel direct.
Regulations and entry forms will be available shortly, with entries officially opening on Friday, May 22.
Incredible late drama on the final stage of the Seven Oaks Hotel Carlow Stages Rally saw a thrilling victory for Donegal’s Michael Boyle and Dermot McCafferty. Kevin Eves and Chris Melly suffered heartbreaking luck on the ninth and final test, failing to finish after leading the event into the closing loop.
The third round of the Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship was contested over nine demanding stages covering 104 kilometres along the Carlow, Kilkenny border. Damp and slippery conditions made the going treacherous, with nearly all of the top finishers reporting excursions into ditches and banks as they struggled for grip.
Boyle, who opened the rally by leading after stage one, safely guided his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 through the final slippery kilometres to secure his second career National Rally Championship event win and his fourth overall career victory. He capped off a brilliant drive by also taking maximum points on the power stage. His last triumph in the national series came at the final round last season at the Fastnet Rally in Bantry.7
Cathan McCourt and Barry McNulty finished in second place in their Skoda, just 4.5 seconds behind the winners after a late, day charge. Early rally leader Josh Moffett, who was fastest on stages two and three, climbed his way back up the order to claim the final spot on the podium in his Toyota Yaris. He finished 13.5 seconds adrift of the win after losing time earlier when he clouted a bank.
Three rounds into the season, the Triton Showers National Championship has now produced three different winners. Moffett is the only driver to have appeared on the podium twice this year, allowing him to maintain his lead in the title race as the championship heads to Limerick for round four for the Circuit of Munster over the June Bank Holiday weekend.
The rally was filled with drama from the outset, with the lead changing hands constantly. After Moffett’s early run, Meirion Evans took over at the front to lead through stages four, five, and six. A massive showdown then developed by stage seven, where Eves moved into a microscopic 0.3, second advantage over Michael Boyle, with Welsh visitor Evans and Ger Conway breathing down their necks in third.
On stage eight, Eves stretched the gap to 0.9 seconds over Boyle, while McCourt jumped into third. The final stage shook up the leaderboard completely. While Eves retired from the lead, Evans and Conway, who had been leading at the midday break, saw their podium ambitions vanish when they overshot a square junction, sliding to sixth place overall.
Other top drivers faced serious challenges in the slippery conditions. Shane Quinn and Stephen Reynolds set a few fastest overall times during the day but could not repeat their previous podium form, finishing a strong fourth overall. Tommy Doyle and Liam Moynihan struggled all day with tyre choices in the changing weather, bringing their Hyundai home in fifth.
Gary Kiernan and John McCabe delivered a solid performance to claim seventh overall in their Ford Fiesta. They were right in the mix for a podium finish too, but a high, speed spin on the final test ended that fight. Right behind them, Keelan Grogan secured another impressive finish in eighth. Grogan partnered with a new co, driver this weekend, Stephen Joyce, who stepped in as a late replacement while regular navigator Ayron Sherlock was away attending a wedding.
The revised final standings saw Joseph Kelly and Paddy McCrudden climb into the top ten to secure ninth overall in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, finishing just ahead of John Warren and Ruthann O’Connor who brought their Ford Fiesta Rally 2 home in tenth. Jonathan Pringle and Pierce O’Callaghan finished just outside the top ten in 11th overall, which also secured them top honours in the highly competitive O’Brien Cement Ford Escort Mk2 Challenge section. They were followed in the MK2 standings by Gary McPhillips and Enda Sherry, with Johno Doogan and Paul Lennon completing the podium positions. Meanwhile, Seamus Leonard and John McCaffrey rounded out the top international runners in 12th overall after using the tricky event as a high, speed test for the upcoming Donegal International Rally. Matthew Boyle and Gary Byrne were less fortunate, triggering a red flag on stage six after an accident, though the crew escaped unhurt.
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Historic, Junior and Dacia Sandero Action
The battle for Class 2 honours saw great pace throughout the day, with Jack Harris and Aaron O’Regan steering their Ford Fiesta to the class victory. They finished just ahead of the Peugeot 208 Rally4 of Oran England and Darragh Mullen. While England took second on the day, his performance was enough to secure the Stellantis Cup element of the rally, marking his second maximum, points haul from two rounds.
In the Historic category, Robert Falvey and John Doody took a dominant class victory in their Ford Escort RS1800, comfortably finishing ahead of Malcolm Pedlow and Ivor Ferguson in their BMW 2002. Meanwhile, the Junior class went the way of Patrick Doherty and Patrick Durning in their Honda Civic, with Mark and Declan Smith taking second. In the Dacia Sandero Challenge, Evan Stapleton and Eddie Byrne took top honours ahead of Cillian and Lauren Doherty.
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Class Round, Up
Elsewhere in the classes, Aine Lonergan and Ciaran Dermody secured the Class 1 victory in their Honda Civic EK4. In Class 2A, Oisin McShane and Niall Myers claimed the spoils in their Peugeot 208 R2, finishing ahead of James McShea and Kevin Duggan. Ruairi and Martin McGarrity drove a great rally to take the Class 3 win in a Citroen DS3 R3. In Class 4, Adrian Jnr Quinn and Des Sherlock took top honours in their Renault Clio.
Lloyd Hutchinson and Willie Fitzpatrick brought their distinctive Austin Mini Cooper S home to a fine victory in Class 9. In Class 11F, David Healy and Martin Byrne went fastest in their Honda Civic EG6, while Class 11R went the way of Dáire Gleeson and Shane O’Mahony in a Ford Escort Mk2. The Class 12 trophy was collected by James Cassidy and Gerard McKenna in their Ford Escort Mk2, and Barry McLaughlin and Barry McBride took home the Class 13 win in a Ford Escort Mk1. In Class 15, Richie Dalton and Kevin Price took the top spot in a Subaru Impreza N11, while Gareth Deazley and Oisin Joyce conquered Class 20 in a Mitsubishi Evo 9. Finally, Ed Colton and Enda Shiels completed the weekend’s achievements with a Class 17 victory in their Hillman Avenger.
