Tough starts and epic endings – what to expect in West Cork
The Irish Tarmac Rally Championship is set for another classic West Cork Rally encounter in Clonakilty’s beautiful countryside.
The two-day international rally continues Ireland’s theme of top-level entries of cars and crews in 2023.
Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes will face a tough task to defend their maiden West Cork Rally win 12 months ago. Meirion Evans and Callum Devine have stolen an early march on the Monaghan pilot with wins in Galway and Longford already this year.
Moffett racked up ten wins against two runner-up finishes in the first seven months of 2022. After two rallies this year, he is yet to spray the winners’ champagne.
Whether or not Moffett’s ageing Hyundai i20 R5 is still capable to convert his committed driving into a victory is just one story to follow in West Cork this weekend.
Meanwhile, championship leader Evans is excited to take on one of his favourite events on the Irish Tarmac calendar.
“West Cork is a rally that I look forward to every year,” said the Welshman. “It has some of the fastest stages of the season.
“The weather is going to be tricky but that is part of the challenge of rallying at this time of the year.
“We felt comfortable in Galway’s difficult conditions so hopefully that will translate into our pace this weekend, allowing us to fight at the front again.”
Cathan McCourt, Jonny Greer, and Desi Henry are all chasing maiden international rally wins in a trio of Citroen C3 Rally2s. Henry was in explosive form last year, his pace often untouchable aboard the Ford Fiesta Rally2. It will be very interesting to see what the Kilrea pilot can do in Citroen’s well-received challenger.
2011 West Cork winner Robert Barrable, and past champions Sam Moffett, Declan Boyle, and Gareth MacHale are all poised to push the frontrunners on Irish Tarmac’s second round.
A host of local contenders and championship regulars complete West Cork’s brimming Rally2 entry. The international package continues with Junior WRC leader William Creighton’s Ford Fiesta Rally3 and the hotly fought Rally4 category.
Kevin Eves and Gary Kiernan will aim to bounce back from their round-one disappointments while Jason Black can build on positive runner-up finishes in both last year’s West Cork Rally and last month’s Galway International Rally.
There is no shortage of modified maniacs heading to West Cork. A certain Craig Breen and Paul Nagle will feature in Class 15 showcasing the ex-Frank Meagher Ford Sierra Cosworth.
Meirion Evans and Neil Williams share a win apiece after the first two Historic ITRC rounds. Two strong results for the Ford Escort RS1800 pairing of Duncan Williams and Guy Weaver have given them an early lead in the championship standings, though.
All three are heading to West Cork with Mark Falvey and Sebastian Ling completing the series’ top five.
30 Historic crews are set to take on West Cork with Ford Escorts, BMWs, Porsches, and Subarus creating a delightful mix of machinery.
The bountiful entry will sample some of Ireland’s best asphalt rallying roads over the 14-stage itinerary. The Saint Patrick’s weekender will be no holiday, though, as Onthepacenote’s Killian Duffy explains.
Clogagh (18.35 km), SS1/3
This is a very hard West Cork stage to start with. Honestly, Ring would be a much easier stage to bed into – Clogagh is going to be a really challenging start.
The surface is quite slippery because of the agricultural traffic that these roads seem to get. If it is wet on Saturday morning this opener could be a real struggle for crews to find any confidence in.
The stage is demanding as well. From start to finish, it is a tough 18 kilometres.
Ballinascarty (17.50 km), SS2/4
The stage will be a bit more forgiving. The first half of Ballinascarty is very fast before finishing on narrower roads.
The 17.5-kilometre test is perhaps a more traditional West Cork stage – fast, flowing, and committed.
Ring (14.50 km), SS5/7
The West Cork classic kicks off Saturday afternoon. Ring has plenty of grip with a good flow and is relatively smooth.
This is probably an easier version of Ring than previous versions. It has fewer tricky corners and we can expect times to be close when the crews arrive at the end of the 14.5-kilometre test.
Dunworley (14.15 km), SS6/8
Saturday’s final stage was run in 2019 in an almost-identical layout. It will be an interesting way to end day one – tricky and narrow, crews will be busy inside their cars.
They will be in the thick of tight, twisty corners right from the start-line so it is a challenge in itself to build any sort of confidence.
It feels much longer than 14 kilometres and marks the end of a demanding opening day.
Shanaway (16.30 km), SS9/12
Shanaway is another top-level West Cork stage. It is mostly wide and flowing, particularly at the start.
The stage characteristics change between seven and ten kilometres. It is very narrow and bumpy through these three kilometres before opening back up to fast roads.
Like Saturday’s opener, this will be a hard stage to start day two. But as with any difficult stage, there will be time to be made for a crew that nails it. Will we see a repeat of Galway’s leaderboard turnaround on Sunday morning?
Sam’s Cross (18.10 km), SS10/13
A stage everyone will recognise as a West Cork staple. It may be a classic test but it is a difficult one to master.
The first half of Sam’s Cross is bumpy while the second half is much faster. A true Clonakilty challenge.
Ardfield (19.35 km), SS11/14
Have the organisers left the best to the last? We’ll let you debate that one.
The 19 kilometres of Ardfield will decide who is crowned 2023’s West Cork Rally winners.
It is a monster of a stage that starts with the same four kilometres as 2022. It is then mostly a reverse of last year’s test, finishing at the Dunmore Hotel.
Ardfield is a beautiful stage, the second half is extremely fast and committed. Everyone who makes it to the end of the rally will be finishing on a high after the adrenaline rush of this coastal classic.
Photos by Roger Dawson
