The 2011 Valvoline Forest Rally Championship kicks off with this weekend's Sean Conlon Forestry rally, hosted again by the Tipperary M.C. based in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, with the HQ at the Firgrove Hotel, writes Austin Shinnors, PRO Valvoline National Forest Championship.
Clerk of the Course, Tom Dunne, has planned a route of 66 competitive kilometers in a compact route of 200km. It will be a six stages event - three stages repeated. The service area, park ferme and trailer park, will be based in the former Dairygold Bacon factory. The first car leaves parc ferme at 9.30am on Sunday.
The forty strong entry includes a mixture of forestry regulars and newcomers. Owen Murphy, Ger Lucey, Patsy Keenan, Enda McNulty, Sarah Moynihan and Colin Britton will start in their Mitsubishi Evo's while the challenge from the Impreza brigade will be lead by Mark Murphy and Jeremy Drislane.
The Ford marque is well represented as ever by the Escorts of Frank Kelly, Adrian Hetherington and James Coleman. Local honour is upheld by Trevor Hutton, Ger Connors and Andrew Fanning, winner of the 2010 South East Stages Championship in the Ford Ka.
The 2011 Forest rally Championship is sponsored by Valvoline - the Global oil company. It will be a six round series with the same counting rounds as 2010. In a bid to make the series more competitive and user-friendly, the forest sub-committee under chairman John Quill have made a number of important modifications.
* The bonus points for competing in every round are dropped;
*Class 2 cars will join Classes 1 and 9 and traverse the stages before the main field;
*The winner of each class on each round will receive a €75 tyre voucher. These prizes are supplied thanks to Ears Motorsport, Bill Adair, Christy Carey, Tom Halliday, Kumho, Dunlop/Pirelli, Hankook and D-Mack;
*Drivers who finish first and second in the Junior class will be eligible for the Billy Coleman Award, last year won by Robert Barrable.
2011 Valvoline National Forest Championship Rounds:
1. 13 February Tipperary LCC Sean Conlon
2. 6 March Carrick-on-Suir MC Wm. Loughman
3. 10 April Munster CC Moonraker
4. 23 July Donegal MC Forestry Rally
5. 13 August Cork MC Jim Walsh
6. 22 October Rathfriland MC Down Rally
Clerk of the Course, Tom Dunne, has planned a route of 66 competitive kilometers in a compact route of 200km. It will be a six stages event - three stages repeated. The service area, park ferme and trailer park, will be based in the former Dairygold Bacon factory. The first car leaves parc ferme at 9.30am on Sunday.
The forty strong entry includes a mixture of forestry regulars and newcomers. Owen Murphy, Ger Lucey, Patsy Keenan, Enda McNulty, Sarah Moynihan and Colin Britton will start in their Mitsubishi Evo's while the challenge from the Impreza brigade will be lead by Mark Murphy and Jeremy Drislane.
The Ford marque is well represented as ever by the Escorts of Frank Kelly, Adrian Hetherington and James Coleman. Local honour is upheld by Trevor Hutton, Ger Connors and Andrew Fanning, winner of the 2010 South East Stages Championship in the Ford Ka.
The 2011 Forest rally Championship is sponsored by Valvoline - the Global oil company. It will be a six round series with the same counting rounds as 2010. In a bid to make the series more competitive and user-friendly, the forest sub-committee under chairman John Quill have made a number of important modifications.
* The bonus points for competing in every round are dropped;
*Class 2 cars will join Classes 1 and 9 and traverse the stages before the main field;
*The winner of each class on each round will receive a €75 tyre voucher. These prizes are supplied thanks to Ears Motorsport, Bill Adair, Christy Carey, Tom Halliday, Kumho, Dunlop/Pirelli, Hankook and D-Mack;
*Drivers who finish first and second in the Junior class will be eligible for the Billy Coleman Award, last year won by Robert Barrable.
2011 Valvoline National Forest Championship Rounds:
1. 13 February Tipperary LCC Sean Conlon
2. 6 March Carrick-on-Suir MC Wm. Loughman
3. 10 April Munster CC Moonraker
4. 23 July Donegal MC Forestry Rally
5. 13 August Cork MC Jim Walsh
6. 22 October Rathfriland MC Down Rally
