Tulla teenager wins in rallying debut

Last Sunday Tulla teen Robert Dwane won his first rally sprint, around the karting track in Watergrasshill in Cork, an event promoted by the Cork Motor club.

Robert developed an interest in rallying at a very early age and, for as long as he can remember, he wanted to get a licence to race.

To be eligible for a licence, one has to be 16-years-old and, for his birthday on St Patrick’s Day, he got the licence he had dreamed about.

“I have had a huge interest in cars and rallying  since I was a toddler. I have always been a round cars with my father and this is something I have always wanted,” the transition year student at St Joseph’s secondary school in Tulla told the Clare Champion this week.

“This was a rally spring around the track. There are six runs plus one practice run and the winner is decided on accumulated time over the six runs. We are competing against the clock in these events.  I went down to Cork with the aim of  bringing the car home safely. I would have been happy just to finish. I was really thrilled to win,” Robert explained.

Robert is a member of Clare motor club. “I do a lot of photography and I do a lot of photographs for the Clare club. I have been doing a bit of karting for a few years having learnt to drive a car in the Pallas Karting Track in Tynagh in Galway,” he said.

Speaking about the future, robert said he hadn’t made any plans so far.

“I wanted to do this one and see how I would get on. I hadn’t made any other plans. We might do a few events during the year,” he said.

Hillclimb a great success
Clare Motor club hosted a very successful hill climb last Sunday on the Corkscrew Hill. This was also Round 3 of the National Hill Climb/Spring Championship.

The winner was Simon McKinley (Lant RT2 Warrior) from Joe Courtney (OMS-Suzuki) 50.60s, with third spot filled by Ballyvaughan’s Sylvie Mullins (Gould GR37-Judd).

They were followed by Frank Byrnes (Pilbeam MP45 Rover V8), Adrian McCallion (Normandale-Suzuki), Donal Griffin (Delta T74) 53.16s, Rory Stephens (Radical SR8 Hayabusa), Deirdre McKinley (Reynard GM), Simon McKinley (Escort) and Dermot Nolan (Reynard 913-Peugeot).

Class winners were Nigel Bryson (Uno), Jim Doherty (Starlet), Peter Bogan (Escort), Rory Stephens, Mick O’Shea (MGB GT), Gerard O’Connor (Sheane VW), Joe Courtney, Sylvie Mullins, Francis Kelly (Civic) and Pat Spain (Escort).

Motor club’s autocross on Sunday
Clare motor club will be back in action this Sunday with the running of the club’s annual loose surface autocross, which is returning to Glasshouse quarry in Shinrone, Offaly. Clare Motor club previously held the event in this venue in 2011.

There are two types of autocross events; those held on a grass surface and those that take place on a loose surface like dirt tracks or quarries.

In either case, a circuit is laid out and cars compete individually against the clock. If the circuit is long enough cars may be started at intervals so that more than one car is on the track at any one time. However, as the event is against the clock, no passing is allowed.

A competitor will usually get four to six attempts to set his or her best time and the result is decided by the total time taken in loose surface events, or by the best time for any one run for grass surface events.

In autocross events there are generally three types of cars catered for, specials, saloons and rally cars. These are further sub-divided into classes by reference to the engine size of the car.

The event is a counting round of the 5 Star Catering National Loose Surface Autocross Championship and also the Waves Munster Autocross Championship.

Regulations and entry forms are available to download on www.claremotorclub.com or by contacting  event secretary Carrie Moroney. Clerk of the course for the event is Gerry O’Brien.