Valvoline Forest rally Championship leader Garry Jennings has drawn top seed for this weekend’s Moonraker Rally, writes Austin Shinnors.
Based in Lismore, the Moonraker is counting round three of the 2012 Valvoline Forest rally Championship. Competition will be intense as 2011 champion Owen Murphy starts at two behind Jennings, while the 2010 winner Pat O’Connell is seeded at three. Neither former champion has registered a finish this season, and both of them need a top place by Sunday afternoon.
Colin Britton is currently second in the championship and he starts at four. The swift Ian Cochrane is next ahead of the Impreza WRC of Martin Cairns. Monaghan drivers Stephen Wright and Vincent Mc Aree are at seven and eight ahead of Ger Lucey and Peter Mc Cullagh who is making a return to the championship.
The Moonraker is hosted by the Munster MC and the COC Colin Fitzgerald has laid on a challenging 65km course that traverses 8 stages in total. There are four locations in the Tallow/West Waterford area used twice, with centralized servicing. The Rally is based in Lismore as usual, with the first car leaving the town at 0900 and the winner is expected on the finish ramp at 1645.
TOP SEEDS FOR MOONRAKER RALLY
1.Garry Jennings/TBA, Impreza Group A
2.Owen Murphy/James O’Brien, Evo9
3.Pat O’Connell/Mark Wylie, Evo9
4.Colin Britton/Arthur Kearins, Evo9
5.Ian Cochrane/Ray Fitzpatrick, Evo9
6.Martin Cairns/TBA, Impreza WRC
7.Stephen/Suzanne Wright, Evo6 GroupA
8.Vincent/JP Mc Aree, Evo9
9. Ger/James Lucey, Evo8
10.Peter Mc Cullagh/Alan Dolan, Evo9
11.Desi Henry/Niall Burns Citroen, DS3
Valvoline Championship positions after round 2:
Garry Jennings (Fermanagh) heads the leaderboard with maximum points thanks to a win in Donegal and second in Carrick behind the unregistered Craig Breen. Jennings is driving his venerable but competitive Group A Impreza to great effect and he has a useful six point lead ahead of Colin Britton. Driving an Evo9, Britton (Tyrone) was third in Donegal and fourth in Carrick where he would have finished higher but for a road penalty in service.
Third spot is occupied by Stephen Wright (Monaghan) two points adrift of Britton. Wright was second in Donegal and in a rich vein of form coming to Carrick. An off on the first stage cost of Carrick cost him a total of four minutes and while he drove competitively for the rest of the event, he had to be content in seventh overall in his Evo6.
Niall Henry is fourth overall (and second in Group N) in his Subaru Impreza N12b , the Antrim man a newcomer to the Valvoline series. Henry has 27 points and is five ahead of Adrian Mc Elhinney (Donegal) in the Peugeot 206 who also leads the 2WD section.
G. Jennings 42, C. Britton 36, S. Wright 34, N. Henry 27, A. Mc Elhinney 22.V. Mc Aree 20,
