Tourish no tourist driver on Skibbereen West Lodge Hotel Fastnet Rally (Bantry)

Oct 29, 2018

Donegal pair Damien Tourish and Domhnall McAlaney made their long trip to West Cork well worthwhile when their two wheel drive Escort scored a rare victory over four wheel drive opposition in the Skibbereen West Lodge Hotel Fastnet Rally based in Bantry. They finished 21 seconds ahead of the Fiesta World Rally Car of Welsh visitor and former Irish National Rally champion Melvyn Evans and his local co-driver Sean Hayde.

Last year’s rally winner Daragh O’Riordan’s Fiesta set the early pace but soon retired, with Daniel Cronin from Ballylickey topping the order after stage two in his similar car, but he too dropped out. This left Tourish leading from Evans for the rest of the day, with the Stafford cousins from Wexford finishing third in their Darrian.

Killarney’s Colin O’Donoghue was the clear winner of the Junior class, more than two minutes ahead of Barry Archer from Ballycotton.

SKIBBEREEN & DISTRICT C C WEST LODGE HOTEL FASTNET STAGES RALLY AT BANTRY (ROUND OF PLASTICBAGS.IE SOUTHERN 4 RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP):

1 Damien Tourish/Domhnall McAlaney (Escort) 60m 50s,

2 Melvyn Evans/Sean Hayde (Fiesta WRC) 61m 11s,

3 James Stafford/James F Stafford (Darrian T90 GTR) 61m 53s,

4 Vincent McSweeney/Michael Kearney (Lancer Evo) 62m 30s,

5 Vincent O’Shea/Alistair Wyllie (Escort) 64m 08s,

6 Brian Brady/Leonard Tuite (Civic) 64m 13s,

7 Martyn England/Dawn England (Fiesta) 64m 52s,

8 John McHugh/Brian Boyle (Corolla) 65m 39s,

9 Jason Ryan/Peter Keohane (Civic) 65m 46s,

10 Seanie McGrath/Ger Clancy (Civic) 65m 55s.

Historics: 1 Denis Cronin/Helen O’Sullivan (Escort) 68m 32s,

2 Declan Jackson/Barry McCarney (Escort) 70m 55s,

3 Adrian Kermode/Jon Hawkins (Porsche 911) 74m 00s.

Juniors: 1 Colin O’Donoghue/Lianne O’Sullivan (Civic) 46m 02s,

2 Barry Archer/Eugene Cronin (Civic) 48m 09s,

3 David Kelleher/Jack Corcoran (Civic) 48m 41s.

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