Four former winners have entered the event, namely Michael Barrable, Denis Cronin, Liam McCarthy and Bob Fowden. Tim McNulty who ran Barrable so close in 2007 is also entered to shake the car down before the Circuit of Ireland at Easter. Also WRC mounted are J.J. Fleming and Hugh Hunter who cannot be discounted from the eventual shake-up. Hunter was last in West Cork in 1995 in a Gp N Sapphire Cosworth where he proved to be very quick.
The modified entry is no less competitive, with the likes of John Dalton, Washington James, Des Moore and Neil Williams all likely to be on a serious pace over St Patricks Weekend. As usual there are a large variety of makes and models to keep spectators interested. The Honda Cup first round is in Clonakilty and this brings Honda Civics from different parts of the country to do battle. The event is also the first round of the Southern 4 Rally Championship, where defending champion Denis Cronin will be looking to get off to a good start.
The classic Group B cars in the shape of Slowly Sideways will also be back in Clonakilty in 2010 after their successful appearance last year. This brings a sense of nostalgia to the proceedings and provide the rally fan with a glimpse of the top cars from years gone by. The Slowly Sideways cars will be in action on eight of the even's 16 stages over rally weekend.
There will be a ceremonial start in the town of Clonakilty on Friday night 19th March at 7pm. This will involve the top ten cars in the main field as well as the Slowly Sideways cars. The cars will parade through the town which will add to the atmosphere in Clonakilty over the weekend.
Accomodation may still be sourced by contacting the Quality Hotel on 023 8836400, (00 353 23 8836400 from the UK) or logging onto their website at www.qualityclonakiltyhotel.com. For more rally details please log onto www.corkmotorclub.com or www.westcorkrally.com.
Kevin O’Driscoll
Press & Media Officer
Tel: 00 353 86 2866 256
