Bumper overseas entry for Towers Hotel Killarney Historic Rally

This weekend’s Towers Hotel and Leisure Centre has attracted a sizeable overseas entry. Top seed and defending champion Jonathan Greer from County Down, has made a last-minute co-driver change. He will be reunited with co-driver Kirsty Riddick from Scotland for the event. Riddick has only contested one event this year, The Carlisle Stages, after an extended layoff from the sport.

Greer and Riddick were always a formidable pairing and have won several rallies together Their last visit to Killarney was for the 2019 Historic rally but they retired the Ford Sierra Cosworth early in the event. Together they finished fifth in the 2018 Rally of the Lakes in a Ford Fiesta R5. Belgian rallying legend Paul Lietear is set to return to the Killarney Historic Rally for the first time since 2019.

The Belgian motorsport legend last competed in Killarney in 2019 when he finished 14th in an Opel Manta 400. In June he drove an Opel Ascona 400 to victory in the historic section of the Ypres Rally in his home country. He will start at number 20 in the same Manta 400 he drove in Ypres last June. He contested last weekend’s Kortrijk Rally in Belgium where the car suffered engine problems but he has since confirmed that it is repaired and will be in Killarney this week.

The London Irish Motor Club is represented by Paul McDevitt, the recently crowned Triton Shoers National Historic Champion in his Ford Escort. Former winner, Welsh man Melvyn Evans and his Cork-based Sean Hayde will compete in a Ford Escort. The London-based Graham family are best known for competing in FIA European Historic Rally Championship events. Ernie Graham and Anna Graham have entered a Ford Escort RS while Will Graham and Karen Graham will drive a BMW E30 M3.

Former Dakar Rally competitor, Londoner, Harry Hunt, and his Welsh co-driver Steve McPhee return for a second year in another Ford Escort. England’s Les Allfrey has been coming to Killarney since the mid-1980s and he and co-driver Keith Fellowes return in their Austin Mini Cooper S. Welsh drivers Berian Richards and Tomas Davies are familiar faces too around Killarney and both will drive Ford Escorts.

Defending Irish Tarmac Rally Champion Duncan Williams, also from England, returns and leads a large overseas contingent preparing for the 2020 championship. They include Alan Watkins, Welsh man Wayne Evan, England’s Neil Williams and Tom Clark. Others include Welsh drivers Philip Rogers and all Welsh crews of Martin Rossiter Ian Davis and David Pritchard/Emyr Hall. David Goose (England) is another on international driver on the entry list.

 

TOWN CENTRE START RAMP

The traditional town centre start ramp, always the first event in the Christmas in Killarney Festival, will be placed directly outside the town centre hotel on Friday evening.

For the first time, the cars will approach the ramp from the opposite side meaning the pre-ramp holding area will extend into Main Street to where the ramp used to be previously located.

As a result of the Christmas in Killarney Festival, the finish ramp will be located in the same area but only the top three crews in each category will be presented. The first cars are expected just before 6 pm on Saturday evening.