Gareth MacHale sealed his maiden Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally Championship trophy with victory at last weekend’s Cork ’20’ International Rally! In what transpired to be a thrilling finale, the Dubliner followed in his father’s footsteps by securing the prestigious title with victory at the Cork event alongside navigator Brian Murphy.
It was in 1983 that Gareth’s father, Austin, claimed his maiden Irish Tarmac Championship trophy by winning the Cork ’20’ International Rally. 27 years later, Gareth has managed to achieve the same feat and bring the 2010 Citroën ITC crown back home to the MacHale dynasty.
Gareth only needed to finish third to secure the title, so he was relatively happy to let Tim McNulty and Paul Kiely lead from the start in their Impreza WRC. Then disaster struck the McNulty crew, as an altercation with a bank just a few stages from home resulted in McNulty losing almost 30 seconds to his pursuers.
Sniffing potential victory, MacHale capitalised on his rival’s misfortune. He entered the final stage 5.8 seconds adrift of the leaders, but he was determined to win the Championship in style and he finished the test 1.9 seconds in front to win the event!
For experienced navigator Brian Murphy, it is his third Irish Tarmac Championship success, having sealed the 1997 and 1998 titles alongside Austin MacHale.
A disappointed Tim McNulty had to settle for second in the event, while third overall for Craig Breen in his Super 2000 Ford Fiesta propelled him to second in the championship standings ahead of Alastair Fisher.
Fisher finished fourth on the event and an excellent third in the Championship standings, having already secured the 2010 Group N title at the Ulster Rally.
In the Modified Trophy, fifth overall in the Cork ’20’ National Rally was enough for Mervyn Wedlock and Damien McCabe to seal the championship win in their superbly prepared Ford Escort.
And in the historic category, Ray Cunningham had already wrapped up the historic title in his Mini Cooper ahead of the Cork event while Aidan O’Connor secured both the Classic and Post Historic Titles with a very fine drive.
The final chapter of the 2010 Citroën Irish Tarmac Rally Championship has been written after a thrilling year long battle which was only concluded on the final round, and a new name has been etched on the series trophy.
It has been another exciting year, and the Tarmac Rally Organisers Association is already looking forward to more success in 2011!
– Credit: www.rallybuzz.com