Details of this year’s Donegal International Rally have been released this week.
The Rally which is the single biggest sporting event in the upper half of Ireland will see the competitors tackle 20 stages over 3 days with the field leaving Letterkenny on the morning of Friday 21st June from the An Granian Theatre and returning to the Mount Errigal Hotel on the Sunday evening for the finish ramp.
2012 winners Garry Jennings and Neil Doherty will be the first to tackle the stages as the top seeds. The Fermanagh Donegal partnership will be in the Impreza WRC S12b which carried them to victory on the Rally of the Lakes a few weeks ago.
The first all Donegal crew on the entry comes at number 2 with Declan and Brian Boyle taking on the 3 day challenge for the first time in their world rally Subaru.
The rest of the top 8 is filled by the wrc’s of Derek Mc Garrity, Darragh O’Riordon, Darren Gass, Donagh Kelly, Seamus Leonard and Sam Moffett. Martin Doherty and Damien Mc Cauley will be in with a shout of the Group N category seeded at number 10 just behind Josh Moffet.
Defending Champion Garry Jennings won the event for the first time last year and this time round he finds himself in a different position – mark as the man to beat at the head of the pack…
In the National section, Ireland’s current International rallying star Craig Breen will be showing off his skills in a Mk2 Escort. Breen will be hoping for better luck on the Donegal roads having crash out in Fanad on his last appearance in a Super 2000 Fiesta. The likes of Manus Kelly, Gary Mc Philips, Rodney Wilton, Frank Kelly and Phil Collins will all be hoping to keep chase with Breen who has been competing the ERC this year.
The major change to the format is the day one action which sees the crews race through the Breenagh, Carrick Mountain and Letterleague area’s on the outskirts of Letterkenny. The rest of the weekend will include the classics of Knockalla, Glen, Atlantic Drive and Fanad.
Clerk of the Course Eamon Mc Gee gave a run down on the weekend to Oisin Kelly…
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