Ed SynanAction from the

2014 Circuit of Kerry

Report and Photos

 

 

Limerick Motor Club Members Report

The 2014 Fels Point Hotel Circuit Of Kerry Stages Rally got off to a very wet start with very heavy down pour as the crews got ready to head to stage 1. First Limerick Motor Club member over the finish on stage 1 was Keith Moriarty calling the notes for Welsh man Steve Wood in the Subaru World Rally Car. Keith reported a mixed day on the stages “We were only getting into it today when we lost 3rd gear. It made the last few stages very hard”. Steve and Keith finished 8th overall and 1st in class 8. They are contesting the 2014 Dunlop National Rally Championship so there next event will be Carlow in a few weeks time.

Donal Balfe and Kerry man Mike Quinn were next over the line lying in 14th overall and 2nd in class 14. We caught up with Donal after the event “Had a good day battling with Ed Murphy ,Tommy Doyle and Frank Kelly. 9th overall and winning the 2wds and broke a half shaft on last run through ss8. Disappointed but you have to take the good days with the bad”.

Ed Synan

 Ed Synan and Denis O’Connell finished stage one 17th overall and third in class 14. We caught up with Ed after the event “clutch went on stage 2 but kept going but lost time getting off the line each stage after that, exhaust manifold came off on stage 8 and dropped 1 minute but fixed before start of last stage, we had brill drive but lost minute and half.Have not drove like that in long time” . Despite this Ed has scored well for the 2 championships he has entered “ still 3rd in class but we would have been 2nd and 11th overall only for the trouble we had but happy to finish and get points for The Dunlop National and Top Part West Coast Rally Championships”

Kenneth Ryan/Keith McCarthy

Kenneth Ryan and Keith McCarthy ended stage one 41st overall and 2nd in class 9. After a long and tricky day the crew finished a fantastic 30th overall and won class 9.

Mike Walsh and Gerard Ryan ended stage one 42nd overall and 2nd in class 12. Unfortunately stage one was the last we would see of the pair as they retired from the event on stage 2.

Denis and Donal Dineen were the next Limerick crew over the line on stage 1 lying in 44th overall and 3rd in class 12. The crew lost a lot of time on stage 6 and soon after retired from the event with a broken fan belt and oil pump problems , again it was unfortunate to see another crew retire from the event so early!.

Gerard Dineen and John Nugent completed stage 1 next and were lying 45th overall and 4th in class 12. Despite the tricky conditions and a big class 12 entry the boys went on to bring home some crystal. Gerard said “The day went very well. We were in class 12.very good entry in the class today. We finished 3rd in class and 47 overall. We were more than happy as we had a lot of problems Saturday and were lucky to make the start of the rally.”

Tadhg O’Connell and Frank Curtin finished stage one 48th overall and 3rd in class 11R. The crew went on to finish the event 42nd overall and 5th in class.

Declan Gannon and Alan Leonard were lying 55th overall and 10th in class 8 after stage one. But unfortunately the crew retired from the event after stage 6. Alan told us the car suffered with engine trouble going through stage 6.

 Aileen Shanahan called the pace notes for Cork man Dan Kelleher and after stage one the crew were lying in 57th overall and 10th in class 13. The crew retired from the event after some issues with the car. Aileen told us the ECU gave up near the end of stage 5.

Joe McCarthy and Jason O'Brien

Joe McCarthy and Jason O'Brien were next on stage one and after a tricky start the crew ended stage one leading class 3 and lying 58th overall. After a good clean run for the rest of the day the lads finished up as class 3 winners and 38th overall.

 Eddie Kennelly and Jonathan Keane ended stage one 72nd overall and 3rd in class 10. The crew went on to finish the event 44th overall and 2nd in class 10.

 Matt Behan and Ed Walsh ended stage one 77th overall and 5th in class 10.This was the last we would see of the pair as unfortunately the crew retired after stage 3

 The Junior Rally consisted of the first 6 stages and Limerick MC members Ger Lyons and Stephen O’Brien are doing The Dunlop National Junior Championship this year and kept it clean to end stage one 6th overall in the juniors. We caught up with Stephen after the event “ We had a good clean run, Still getting used to the new car and getting the right setup. Good points for the Dunlop and we cannot wait until our next event Rally Of The Lakes which will be a bit of fun and then we are back Carlow for the championship”. The crew finished 5th overall.

Andrew Ryan and Kilcommon man Tommy Hayes finished stage one 8th overall in the Junior Rally. The pair retired from the event after stage 4. We caught up to Andrew after the event “Ah we stopped on stage 5 at Headlys bridge with a blown engine .. We started off slow and cautious with the first stage and slowly built up our pace.. Enjoying  the day after service until trouble struck but that's rallying I suppose ha.. Tommy was on the ball all day and cheers to OCM services for the pre rally set up of car and help throughout the rally”

Although some crews had better luck than others here’s some that didn’t even make it out of stage 1.

  • Sean and Katrina Liston retired after an impact with a ditch, All ok thankfully and no mechanical damage.

  • Sean Moran and Mark O’Sullivan retired with electrical problems.

  • Eamonn Barrett and Ken Kenneally retired in stage 1.

Just like any rally it is not just about competitors. We want to thank all that went and helped on the club’s behalf and we hope to see ye at the next one!. We caught up with Breeda Ryan to see what she got up to I did start timekeeping with Kieran Ambrose and Cathal Mansell who were the stage commanders of Mount Eagle. Day started off wet but dried up into a lovely sunny day, we had no problems and had a very enjoyable day out and good banter”

We would like to congratulate those who won trophies and want to wish those who are fixing cars for their next event the very best of luck and as they say better luck next time.

Report by David Ryan Limerick Motor Club PRO

Thanks to Jesse Doherty for the photos.

Lots more photos in the Gallery 

Full results from Shannon Sports IT