Rovanpera to star in magical Killarney Historic Rally

The year just wouldn’t be complete without the end-of-season trip to Killarney’s festive Historic Rally. And Christmas truly has come early to Ireland’s rally fans as two-time World Rally Champions Kalle Rovanpera and Jonne Halttunen prepare to tackle Killarney’s famous stages on Saturday 30th November.

Rovanpera is seeded second in Killarney’s modified category, one place behind local master Robert Duggan. That duel alone would be worth the trip but a host of modified contenders have snatched at the chance to face Rovanpera’s Toyota Starlet borrowed from Irish rally regular Jason Black.

Kevin Eves, Gary Kiernan, and Ryan Loughran have switched back from Rally2 cars to challenge Rovanpera in a Toyota Corolla and a pair of Ford Escort Mk2s.

I am only scratching the surface when I mention Conor Murphy, Declan Gallagher, Colin O’Donoghue, Daniel McKenna, and Jonathan Pringle as further top-line drivers featured in Killarney’s modified category.

As for the Historic Rally, which marks the opening round of the 2025 Historic Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, two-time Killarney Historic Rally winner Jonathan Greer has once again swapped his usual Citroen C3 Rally2 for his classy Ford Sierra to defend the end-of-year classic alongside co-driver Niall Burns.

Greer’s Killarney crown will come under threat from Donagh Kelly and Rory Kennedy who have finished fourth, sixth, and second in their last three Killarney attempts aboard the Bastos liveried BMW M3.

Local favourites Alan Ring and Adrian Deasy are seeded third in their Subaru Legacy and will be looking to go one better than their runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2022.

Historic ITRC’s three most recent championship winners have entered 2025’s opening round. Wales’ Tomas Davies will start the defense of his drivers’ title, seeded eighth in Killarney aboard his Ford Escort RS1800. Davies is a Killarney Historic Rally winner – taking the 2011 edition ahead of Denis Moynihan’s Ford Escort RS1600. Moynihan who has made no fewer than 10 Killarney Historic starts, winning in 2015 and 2018, is seeded eighth for this year’s event.

2023 and 2019 Historic ITRC champion Duncan Williams will make his 10th Killarney Historic Rally start, his first event with Cork co-driver Iarla McCarthy calling the pacenotes.

The 2022 championship-winning duo of Neil Williams and Anthony O’Sullivan are seeded within Killarney Historic’s top five. O’Sullivan claimed 2024’s co-drivers’ title while Williams has put in pacey performances on the Cork 20, West Cork, and of course Killarney Historic Rally in the past couple of years.

Cathan McCourt, Eamonn Kelly, and Eddie Doherty join Greer as homologated stars switching to historic machinery on 30 November. All three will be bidding to emulate Greer’s Killarney Historic success and will undoubtedly put on a show in the process.

Tom Clark, Ray Breen, and John O’Donnell have proved their Historic ITRC potential and start 2025’s opener in a Ford Escort, Subaru Legacy, and BMW M3 respectively.

Fergus O’Meara completes the top 12 with a certain Irish Tarmac Champion co-driver, Mikie Galvin, joining O’Meara on his BMW M3 debut.

Moll’s Gap (17.7 km) – SS1/4

What a place to kick it all off. Moll’s Gap is the Mecca of Irish Rallying. Some may question the senses of those travelling in the early hours to save their spot on that famous rock face – well, you just have to be there.

It is a special sight and this year will be no different with a tantalising entry taking on Killarney’s opener.

The stage itself needs no introduction. Winding and weaving its way through Kerry’s rugged terrain. It is still an epic challenge even though the road keeps getting wider.

We can’t wait to see what Kalle Rovanpera has to make of it.

Ballaghbeama (11.9 km) – SS2/5

Another all-time great of a stage. The ridiculous landscape beggars belief how a road can squeeze its way through the mountains let alone how rally cars can tackle it with their drivers’ feet pinned to the floor.

Unsurprisingly it is an intense stage to take on with a lot of driving required from start to finish. The second-half descent requires a bit of manners as the road narrows.

Caragh Lake (13.0 km) – SS3/6

A super stage which generally has a nice level of grip. The 13-kilometre test features nice sequences of corners with a few crests thrown in for good measure.

It is fast and committed with a good flow overall. Caragh Lake may lie in the shadow of its preceding stages but it has been the scene of costly mistakes in the past so one thing is for sure – it cannot be taken for granted. It is far more than a pretty postcard.

Kilcummin (12.1 km) – SS4/8

Killarney has capped off its one-day itinerary with another busy stage. Away from the lakes, Kilcummin is home to more agricultural traffic which has generated a bit more debris than the Moll’s Gap tourists. As a result, grip levels will be demanding on the winter’s eve event.

Combined with its slippery nature, Kilcummin holds a couple of sudden corners up its sleeve too. A stage to watch out for as crews are within touching distance of the finish on Saturday evening.

---