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Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Irish Examiner
Controversy continues over Galway rally rescheduling in busy October calendar
The saga surrounding the Galway International Rally that was postponed last February due to the damage caused by Storm Éowyn took another twist this week, further to the Galway Motor Club's request to run a mini stage rally (six stage/one day) event on October 12th next. It appears that the Motor Sport Council took an e-vote on the matter last Tuesday night but due to objections and other issues, the MSC will discuss the matter further when they meet in person next Tuesday night. As reported in the Irish Examiner in recent weeks, senior MI and Galway Motor Club officials discussed the matter with the latter, then holding a club meeting. It's not clear how the decision was made to apply for the mini stage event, that, in reality, is - given the change - in effect a new event. MI had previously informed GMC that any single-day event (at that time understood to be a multi-stage event) would not have international status. Some clubs, particularly those that could be affected by the latest move actually knew nothing about the Galway plan. Two Cork clubs have events on either side of the October 12 date. The Cork '20' Rally, the final round of the NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Rally Championship is fixed for October 4/5 and the Fastnet Rally, the final counter in the Triton Showers National Rally Championship, is scheduled for October 26. In addition, the Laois Rallysprint is slated for October 18. Even with the adoption of the biennial calendar, it is obvious that October is already a congested month. The Irish Examiner understands that the Munster Car Club (organisers of the Cork '20') had already made their concerns known to those at the top echelon of Motorsport Ireland while the Skibbereen and District Car Club weren't even aware of the issue until after e-vote, although they have since objected to the event being given the green light. So, where's or what's the missing link? Is it unreasonable to suggest that Motorsport Ireland are still keen to have GMC host an event so as to lessen the impact of the financial losses from February? Is an additional rally at this time of the year respectful to the other clubs hosting events? Are GMC going to be refunded the monies already paid to MI if they don't host an event? A point worth considering (that seems to occur annually after the Donegal International Rally) is that entry numbers are already dropping off. Last Sunday, the Sligo Rally didn't attract a capacity entry and the same is true for Sunday's Imokilly Rally. It's not rocket science to suggest that an additional event is only going to further reduce entries on the remaining rallies. It's time for someone to take a stance, but the question is, who? Meanwhile, the number one decals mean a lot to Killarney driver Rob Duggan (Ford Escort). Indeed, it's the principal reason that he is contesting Sunday's CDE Components Imokilly Rally that is based in Midleton in east Cork. "It will be the first time that I have the #1 decals on the door, I've never had that before, it's an honour and that's really why I'm going down there," Duggan said. Armagh's Jason Black (Toyota Starlet) is the only other driver in the top ten from the event two years ago where Duggan took a start-to-finish victory. He added: "Yes, new faces this time but it doesn't diminish the challenge. I'm hearing that the stages are very fast and James Stafford (Darrian T90 GTR) will go hard and it will be a tough job to stay in front of him." The format (two stages repeated three times) is something that suits many competitors and is less pressurised than multi-stage rallies. Others on the entry are Monaghan's David Moffett (Toyota Starlet), Cavan's Johno Doogan (Ford Escort), Black and Cavan's Gary Kiernan (Ford Escort). Ladysbridge driver Cian Walsh in the Tom Randles Ford Escort is the top local entry. Limerick's Ed O'Callaghan (Ford Escort) could be re-seeded from the No. 14 spot. The first stage is at 10.03am.
Irish Examiner
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Examiner
Motorsport calendar is still experiencing uncertain conditions
The impact of Storm Éowyn, which brought widespread damage with its record-breaking wind speeds with gusts reaching 184km/h in Co Galway late last January, has led to some unfinished business within Irish rallying, particularly in the Tribal city. The Corrib Oil Galway International Rally and the Donegal Forest Rally were amongst those hit, and both were postponed. Now, almost six months on and in the midst of a heatwave, the Irish motorsport calendar is still experiencing uncertain conditions as the possibility of rescheduling the Galway event is fraught with indecision and lack of comment, except when sought. The Donegal Forest Rally was rescheduled for early November, ironically on the same day as the awards ceremony for the NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. As for the Galway International, there has been a still silence with the exception of a statement from the Tarmac Rally Organisers Association (TROA) while the organising Galway Motor Club was due to hold a meeting to discuss the matter last night (Thursday). Communications between Motorsport Ireland, the governing body of Irish motorsport and the Galway Motor Club have been somewhat truncated, so far, neither has made a decision. The toing and froing hasn't been good for Irish motorsport. Indeed, relationships between the governing body and the club have not always been straightforward and whilst they're not akin to Storm Éowyn, they led to court proceedings some two years ago that forced Motorsport Ireland to do a u-turn on a decision not to allow Galway Motor Club to run rally events in 2024/2025. Earlier this week, the TROA, through its championship manager Sean Hayde, advised its competitors that the "Galway International Rally 2025 will not be partaking in the championship this year." At least that was some initiative and may propel the long-awaited and much-needed decision on the rally itself. As per the championship regulations, competitors can count their best five scores from the six rounds with the Ulster Rally (August 15/16) and the Cork '20' Rally (October 4/5) to complete this year's series. Recently, a spokesperson for Motorsport Ireland told the Irish Examiner that they had informed the Galway Motor Club that only applications for a two-day event would have international status. GMC has requested MI to provide a date as their previous requests were turned down because of objections from other clubs. The entire situation has dragged on for over four months and is unacceptable. Motorsport Ireland has a duty to govern the sport responsibly, provide leadership and show respect to all parties and in this context that includes the TROA. It should never be forgotten that those within organising clubs are volunteers, who need the co-operation of residents along the rally routes to hold their events. That was key last February for clerk of the course Joe O'Donoghue and his team. At the time, he said: "Our principal concern is for the residents and farming communities along the rally route in the Headford, Tuam and Monivea region." He underlined the great relationship the club has with all the people involved and the desire to continue that into the future, emphasising that such will always be the case. The general consensus is that the event will not be rescheduled, so why the delay in bringing a conclusion to the matter with MI reimbursing GMC for their outlay (suggested to be around €25,000) - hopefully that is not a factor in the delay.
