Rally

The best of Northern Ireland’s rally talent is gearing up for this weekend’s Pacenotes Rally Magazine Stages Rally, round one of the 2017 McGrady Insurance MSA Northern Ireland Rally Championship!

The team behind the world famous Circuit of Ireland Rally is staging a totally new event this year, the Circuit Festival 2017, supported by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. Running from the 4th to 8th April and based in Ballymena Showgrounds

With fifty starters, the clubman event was well supported throughout most of the classes and at the top of the entry list saw a trio of Ford Fiesta WRC’s a brace of Subaru Impreza WRC’s and a DS3 R5 so there was to be amazing battles all day.

When ŠKODA Motorsport lines up at this season’s Rally Monte Carlo, it will remember the brand’s legendary triumph at the same race 40 years ago.

The iconic Circuit of Ireland Rally played host to the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Championship last weekend and the third round of the series has certainly shaken things up in the overall scheme of things. Heading into this round Keith Cronin had taken maximum points from both events to date and held a six point lead over Sam Moffett with Josh Moffett back in third place.

Irishman Josh Moffett and co-driver John Rowan won the second round of the MSA British Rally Championship today (April 8), after a weekend of attrition on the famous Circuit of Ireland. No fewer than four drivers held the lead during the two-day event, but the 23-year-old mastered the Belfast-based event in his Ford Fiesta R5 to claim a 27 second margin over Jonathan Greer and Kirsty Riddick in their Citroen DS3 R5. David Bogie and Kevin Rae made it three marques in the top three as they rounded out a Pirelli podium clean sweep in their Skoda Fabia R5.

Leading ever since a sublime drive on the longest stage of the rally on SS3, Breen had over half a minute in hand at service on Friday evening, but a spin on the subsequent Newtownards TT street stage was followed by further time losses at the start of leg two when the decision to run super-soft tyres left him unable to match the times of his 2015 ERC title rival Kajetanowicz.

With just five weeks to the 85th Circuit of Ireland Rally, top international drivers Neil Simpson and Chris Ingram took a break in their preparation schedules and travelled over to Northern Ireland to help officially launch this year’s Circuit which takes place from 7-9 April.

The restored 17th century formal gardens and parklands at Antrim Castle Gardens will be the majestic setting for the 2016 Circuit of Ireland official Qualifying Stage on Thursday 7th April ahead of two days of competitive rallying around Counties Antrim and Down on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th April

Circuit of Ireland Rally stalwart Kenny McKinstry has hailed the Circuit stages as the best in Ireland. One of Northern Ireland‘s most popular drivers, 62 year old Kenny has completed many Circuit of Ireland events over the years and has no intention of hanging up his overalls.