Rally returns to Bishopscourt

Rally returns to Bishopscourt

8 March 2017

THE McGrady Insurance Bishopscourt Stages Rally returns to the local calendar this Saturday with a full entry and plenty of local interest. 

Following an opt out year in 2016 due to event rotation, the rally returns to the McGrady Insurance MSA Northern Ireland Rally Championship with a full entry list featuring crews from all parts of Ireland along with visiting crews from Scotland and England.

Championship leader Carryduff’s Jonny Greer will be absent as he prepares for the start of the British Rally Championship. However, his first round winning co-driver, Brian Crawford, is clerk of the course of this rally. 

Seven-time Northern Ireland champion Derek McGarrity, who is expected to be a front runner in a Ford Fiesta WRC, is paired with Nigel Magee and they will be chased by former Irish national champion Newry’s Peader Hurson and Damian Connolly, also in a Ford Fiesta WRC. 

Making his championship driving debut is Cormac McGrady, who is driving a two litre Ford Escort with John Magilton in the passenger seat. 

Cormac has co-driven for NI Historic champion Drew Wylie on several recent rallies, as well as fulfilling team management and co-driving duties in the family rally team, and this will be his chance to put it all into practice on his local circuit. 

Class rivals include James and Heather Kennedy (Ford Escort) Andrew McCormick (Crossgar), Niall Braniff (Ballynahinch) and Robert Erwin/Ciaran Carey in their unique Honda-engined MR2. The McGrady Rally Team leader, Fintan McGrady, is paired on this occasion with Ballynahinch man Conor Lavery in his potent 2.5 litre Escort and is expected to be among the leaders in his hotly contested class with last year’s championship runners-up Camillus Bradley/Crawford Henderson and former Ulster Rally winner Dessie McCartney (Groomsport, Darrian) with Geraldine McBride among the early entries. 

Local pairings hoping to go well include Brian Vance/Ciaran McNamara (Portaferry, Toyota Corolla); Mark Robinson/James Holland (Downpatrick, Honda Civic); Ian Green/Amanda Green (Ballynahinch, Peugeot 205GTi); William Herron/Geoff Patterson (Castlewellan, Mitsubishi Evo) and Gary Rodgers/Fraser Mulholland (Ballynahinch, BMF Mitsubishi Evo). Other interesting entries come from Pacenotes Rally magazine editor Jonathan MacDonald (Evo), Drew Wylie (Saintfield) and Andrew McCormick (Crossgar).

The action gets under way at Bishopscourt Racing Circuit at 9.30am on Saturday with six action packed stages. Spectator facilities are available, including wheelchair access and onsite catering.

Admission is £10 for adults (under 16 free) and unfortunately pets, drones, bicycles and off-road motorbikes are not allowed within the circuit for health and safety reasons.