With both rallies so far in this year’s Evo Challenge calendar being two-day affairs and therefore hosting two-rounds each, the Cavan rally is the first one-day, one-round event of the season.
The first Mitsubishi crew to leave the start line will be one of Ireland’s leading Group N crews, John McGlaughlin and Crawford Henderson, who will be making their Evo Challenge debut this weekend. They are almost certainly going to battle with the next Mitsubishi crew of Neil McCance/Sean Ferris who are looking for a repeat of their result last time out, when they topped the Evo Challenge timesheets in both rounds three and four on the Circuit of Ireland.
Next in line is the current championship leader Liam Egan, who again makes the trip all the way from New York to compete in the Irish Mitsubishi series. Egan is joined by Mary O’Kane and will look to deliver another consistent performance to continue his run at the top of the series standings.
Fourth Mitsubishi seed on this occasion is Brendan Cumiskey. Co-driven by Conor Foley, the 2008 Evolution Challenge Ireland Champion will be hoping for a better run this time around, having retired on the second stage last time out when a heavy landing split his car’s radiator. They are followed by Stanley Ballantine/Donnacha O’Callaghan who are another crew aiming for a trouble free run, having been sidelined in rounds two and four with mechanical issues.
A little further back in the entry list are William Mavitty/Keefe Kilcoyne who delivered a strong performance in rounds three and four and are now looking to make an impression in this year’s Evolution Challenge. They are followed by Thomas White/Robert Murphy who have had their car repaired following an off on the Circuit of Ireland and are therefore hoping for a less dramatic weekend.
Rounding off the Evo Challenge entries are Michael Murray/Brian Daniels, who are making their return to the Mitsubishi series having contested a full season last year.
The Hotel Kilmore Stages Rally starts and finishes in Cavan and features nine stages – three stages ran three times - on Sunday, the total of which provides a competitive distance of 135 kilometres (84 miles).
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