Keith Cronin and co-driver Mikie Galvin are the Samdec Securities Irish Tarmac Rally champions after they finished second to outgoing champions Callum Devine/Noel O’Sullivan on the O’Connell Group Cork ‘20’ Rally, the seventh and final round of the series.
Remarkably and with the ITRC based on the best five score from seven rounds, Cronin and Devine both ended up with 100 points (three wins and two second places) with Cronin winning on a tie-break as he had the best result (win) on the opening round.
The event was to have featured eight stages but amidst safety concerns and deteriorating weather conditions, the event was curtailed after six stages with the results based after S.S.5.
Devine (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) and Killarney’s O’Sullivan finished 12.1s ahead of the Ford Fiesta Rally2 of Ballylickey’s Cronin and Killarney’s Mikie Galvin, who took the title for the second time in eight years. Welsh ace Matt Edwards (Ford Fiesta Rally2) and Mallow native David Moynihan were 25.2s further behind in third.
Devine had a moment on S.S.6 that saw him lose the front of his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, and while he ended the stage 9s ahead of Cronin, it mattered little as the organisers stopped the event on safety grounds as conditions worsened. Results were based on those at the end of S.S.5 with all the competitors in total agreement with the decision of the organising Munster Car Club.
Tyrone’s Frank and Lauren Kelly (Ford Escort), who were tenth overall, won the Modified category in the event and the McEvoy Motorsport backed Modified Tarmac series after edging out Damien Toner & Aodhan Gallagher in the finale.
The Historic category was won by Welsh driver Neil Williams (Ford Escort) and his West Cork co-driver Anthony O’Sullivan; victory in the Junior category went to the Cork crew of Darragh Walsh/Gary Lombard (Honda Civic) where second place for another Cork crew Barry McIntyre/Brian Keohane (Honda Civic) was enough to clinch the category with the Tarmac series.
