Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino at the starting line of Rally New York 09.

Photo: Neil McDaid

Forestburgh, New York (January 16, 2010) Earlier this week, the Town Council of Walton, New York approved the special use road permits for the 2010 edition of Rally New York USA. Together with the three-year contract with the Town of Thompson that encompasses the Village of Monticello, Rally New York, Ltd. has road permits for the event in place.

Rally New York USA, a two-day tarmac rally, is unique in that it is the only National Championship event in North America that is run entirely on tarmac roads. Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino won Rally New York USA in two previous years. Ken Block recently announced the formation of Monster World Rally Team and its participation in the 2010 World Rally Championship.

2010 Rally New York USA will be entirely based and headquartered in Walton, New York. The rally is a round of the United States Rally Championship (www.usrallychampionship.com) and allows full reconnaissance of the rally route and pace notes. Each of the two days is a separate round of New York Rally Championship (http://www.rallynewyork.net/nyrc.htm).

The program is as follows:

Thursday, April 15 – afternoon/ evening: Registration and scrutineering of competition vehicles
Friday, April 16 – morning: Reconnaissance of special stages in Walton
Friday, April 16 – afternoon / evening: Reconnaissance of special stages in Monticello, Ceremonial Start at Sullivan County Center in Monticello, racing at Concord Resort in Monticello, return to Walton in the evening
Saturday, April 17 – all day: Restart in Walton, racing in Walton, Ceremonial Finish at Delaware County Fairgrounds in Walton, post-event party and dinner in Walton
Sunday, April 18 – morning: Awards Ceremony

Rally New York, Ltd. is headquartered in Forestburgh, New York located ninety miles northwest of New York City in spectacular southern Catskill Mountains of Sullivan County. It is dedicated to furthering the sport of stage rallying in the United States.

The United States Rally Championship will continue its bold steps to make national competition in 2010 more affordable and accessible to a larger number of rally teams. The Championship structure minimizes or, for many teams, eliminates the need for repeated cross-country travel during the Championship season by providing competition on each side of the country. The final round of the Championship at the end of the year counts both in the Atlantic Division and the Pacific Division and together with the results from all previous rounds decides the top spots in the Championship. As a result, 207 competitors, drivers and co-drivers, participated during the 2009 USRC season, nearly twice as many as in any other championship series in North America.

Atlantic Division teams will be again competing for coveted cash travel subsidies that will be awarded to top six teams in the Division. The total of $12,000 in subsidies will be distributed to Atlantic Division teams to assist them with travelling to the final round of the 2010 United States Rally Championship in Prescott, Arizona.

The Championship season consists of a combination of snow, gravel and tarmac events. Rallies in the United States Rally Championship allow for reconnaissance and pace notes. Tarmac events, full reconnaissance and pace notes make the United States Rally Championship unique in North America as no other series in North America encompasses all these features.

Source: Rally New York Media.

Rally New York 2009

Ulster County Legislative Representative, Susan Cummings (R-C-I) Starts Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino @ Rally New York 2009

"The Excitement is Back" Rally New York, 2009
Report and pictures by Neil McDaid

Ellenville, New York - After a long and snowy winter rally fans in the Northeast finally got back out onto the stages for the 2009 running of Rally New York. This was round one of the United States Rally Championship. Despite the wind, a couple of torrential downpours and a few snow flurries for good measure, rally fans were treated to some high speed action and a front row seat to some big moments over the two day event. The 2008 Rally New York champion, Team Subaru USA driver Ken Block, and co-driver Alex Gelsomino were back seeking a repeat. And repeat they did in dominating style.

Despite the still struggling economy [in case you needed reminding] Rally New York enjoyed a healthy entry with 39 cars set to take to the stages on day one. Much excitement, anticipation and speculation swirled in the weeks and days leading up to the rally with this very competitive lineup in place.
After a ceremonial start in Kerhonkson, NY, the rally finally got underway on Friday morning. The first stage was just a few miles from Rally Headquarters, which was at the newly renovated Honor’s Heaven Resort in Ellenville. SS1, named once again in honor of wounded gulf war veteran Sgt. Eddie Ryan, would give the crews a taste for the conditions that lay ahead.
As returning champions Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino would lead the charge. Block would drive his 2007 car, as his new style ‘09 spec Subaru was already on its way to the Olympus Rally on the west coast.

Subaru Rally Team USA Drive Ken Block at full tilt on ss14

Block was followed on the road by the Donegal duo of Seamus Burke and Eddie Fries in their Mitsubishi Evo 9. Third on the road, coming out of a semi-retirement from rally, representing the Co Louth, "Lawless by name and lawless by nature" - Tom Lawless. He had big hopes, or should I say big predictions, for his newly developed Mitsubishi. Otis Dimiters, flying the colors of his native Latvia, would start fourth on this opening day. Rounding out the top five was the promising newcomer to rally, Joseph Burke.

Unfortunately for Joseph and co-driver Ole Holter in their Kearney Motorsport Subaru, their Rally would come to a spectacular and sudden stop just several miles into the very first stage. Joseph has had some very successful outings on gravel, but the tarmac and SS1 at Rally New York are definitely proving a challenge for the young gun. Not 200 yards from where he rolled in 2007, Joseph went off hitting several large trees. Thankfully, both driver and co-driver walked away unharmed.

As most slipped and slided through the first stage, struggling for traction on cut slicks, Ken Block and Team Subaru had clearly made the correct tire choice and ran on full wets. They were rewarded with the stage victory, some 7 seconds faster than Tom Lawless who claimed second.
At the first service stop of the day, with six stages complete, Block had already put a 25 second gap between him and the rest of the competitors. Otis Dimiters was sitting second, with Tyrone man Charlie Donnelly in third.

After an impressive start, Seamus Burke would limp into service with a mangled right
front corner on his Mitsubishi. Burke had been caught out on a slippy crest near the end of SS6, where he got up close and personal with a section of Armco barrier at over 95mph! Burke dropped to fourth. Tom Lawless and Brian Sharkey rounded out the top five.

Robert Martai became the second victim of the rally, when he slid wide in his brand new Evo 10 on SS4 and relocated an outhouse. Thankfully, the facility was vacant at the time. Robert was able to make repairs and return under the super rally rules later in the day.
Rain and thunder continued to pummel the undaunted fans as they lined up on SS7 for one of three passes for the very popular and exciting "stone pillar hair pin." Again, Block would set a blistering pace on the short 4.1 miles stage, Block was a second a mile faster than Dimiters who was stilling on the 2nd place.

Brothers Josh and Jeremy Wimpy had been dominating the pace among the two drive cars in their VW Golf, but late use of the hand brake on SS9 ended their rally as they demolished two of the stone piers resulting in a broken axel.

With the rain finally letting up the teams would make the transit to Monticello for the final four stages on day one, a high speed attack down the service road that ran through the middle of Concord Golf Course. Block would take three of the four stages in Monticello, with Otis Dimiters eking out a .06 advantage to take the stage victory, SS15, which was the last stage on day one.
As crews returned to Ellenville for the overnight halt, it was clearly Ken Block’s rally to lose. He was now ahead of Dimiters by 51 seconds. Despite their hair rising moment on SS6 and turbo problems on SS7, Burke and Fries fought and scratched their way back to third. Further down the field Dan Brosnan and Shane McCann in their Mayo Group sponsored Nissan were taking control of the 2WD class.

Day one would also see the retirement of Charlie Donnelly and Barry Smyth despite being well in the hunt early in the day and setting the fastest time on SS9. Rally New York is Charlie’s Achilles Heel, as he just can’t seem to finish the event.

Tom Lawless, getting back in form after being missing from competition for some time.

Day-two, with the sun making a brief appearance, drivers were quickly awakened with the steep and twisty challenge of SS 16-17 "South Gully." Tom Lawless, with the bit between his teeth, managed to better Block by a few ticks of the clock on the first test. Keeping things in check, Block took the second charge up the hill, to claim his 14th stage win of the rally.
The rally would then move some 70 miles northwest to the town of Walton for the final six stages. Rally New York lost a great member of their team earlier this year to a medical condition, Steve Bogart. In his memory three of the six stages in Walton were named in his honor.

As the crews started the first of the Walton stages, the weather again rapidly deteriorated. Winds gusted to 30mph with rain and occasional snow. These were some of the fastest tarmac stages seen at Rally New York in years, and they were made even more treacherous by the mud and gravel pulled onto the roads with each pass, as the front runner cut the corners to shave time. Average speeds were well in access of 80mph.

Otis Dimiters and co-driver Dominik Jozwiak had a heart stopping spin on SS18. The
car would aquaplane on some standing water and rotated 360 degrees, at well over 110mph. They mowed down several small pine trees before coming to rest on a grassy lane. Somehow the cars sustained only minor damage and were able to continue. The entire moment was caught on in-car video and is making the rounds on YouTube. Tom Lawless set a blistering time on SS21, Houck Mountain 2 to take his second stage win of the rally.

After two very challenging days Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino were joined on the podium by Otis Dimiters and Dominik Jozwiak in second and Seamus Burke and Eddie Fries in third. Daniel O’Brien [Kerry] and Paddy Brennan [Cavan] took fourth and fifth to round out the top five.
Dan Brosnan and Shane McCann had the tri-color flying as they celebrated taking the win in the2WD category. Another great time @ Rally New York was in the bag.
Next up: Block heads west to continue his pursuit of his first Rally America Championship. For the Irish it’s onto round two of the USRC @ Rally Tennessee in May, Block has also confirmed he will attend this rally, and will debut his newly prepared Mk11 Escort, I hope he got a few spare taillight and bumpers.

Niall McShea is locked in for XGAMES 14

“Mission accomplished” we heading to the XGAMES, Niall McShea [r] along with co-driver Marshall Clarke celebrate their first American rally victory and their place at the games. Picture Neil McDaid.

McShea Takes Victory at New England Forest Rally USA

By Neil McDaid

Newry, Maine, July 13, 2008. In what can only be described as a fantastic display of skill behind the wheel of a rally car, Ireland’s Niall McShea drove a very calculated rally and claimed the overall victory at the 2008 New England Forest Rally. By winning the event McShea also lands one of the much sought after spots at the 2008 X-Games 14 in Los Angeles, California.
Niall, who hails from Co. Fermanagh but now makes his home in Donegal, was the 2004 PWRC Champion [Production World Rally Championship]. He has competed all over the globe but until this point had not tackled the vast gravel stages in the USA.

“The men behind McShea” Far left, Sponsors Gerry Coffey and Enda McCormack, co-driver Marshall Clarke, the man himself, Niall McShea with car owner and sponsor Martin Donnelly. Picture Neil McDaid

The deal to have McShea come to the America came together rather quickly over the past few months when several Irish New York businessmen got together and hatched a plan to supply the car and sponsorship. Tyrone man Martin Donnelly supplied Niall with his fully rebuilt open class Mitsubishi EVO 8, while Enda McCormack and Gerry Coffey would offer additional financial sponsorship.
A slight change to the rules meant that Niall was not able to take advantage of any pace notes that were available from prior years but would basically have to write his own notes on a one pass recce.. As McShea’s regular co-driver Gordon Noble was not available, Marshall Clarke was called upon to call the notes for McShea on this event. It was not the first time that this duo had charged to victory; Clarke and McShea took top honors in GPN at WRC Rally Ireland last year.
Although the entries were greatly down from the prior years in Maine, the top 10 cars were all of top caliber. All had raced many times in Maine before, no doubt giving them an edge over McShea.

Subaru USA driver Ken Block had McShea in his sights throughout out the rally, but unfortunately Block would make a costly mistake on SS8 that ended his run. Picture Neil McDaid

Team Subaru USA was there in full force with their new 2008 Subaru STI’s. Travis Pastrana, the defending Rally America and New England Forest Rally Champion, was teamed up with Subaru’s second driver Ken Block who has been on fire throughout the 08 season for Team Subaru. You could be sure that they both had McShea locked in their crosshairs.
Rock Star Energy Drink’s Andrew Pinker would definitely be looking to claim the final spot at the X-Games 14 by finishing well in Maine. US based Irish driver Seamus Burke would be looking to be in the hunt if he could manage to shake the monkey off his back. Burke has had unbelievably bad engine management problems in 2008.
As Maine can be a tough rally for spectators to gain access to the stages, rally organizer John Buffum put on two spectator stages to open the rally. The first was at the Sunday River resort [the rally headquarters] and the second in the town of Mexico.
Andrew Pinker would claim the first short stage at Sunday River and Ken Block would take the run around the part in Mexico to claim victory on SS2. Seamus Burke will have to continue to feed the monkey as once again he would retire after one stage with engine failure.

Aussie, Andrew Pinker turned on the heat Saturday, but it was not enough to catch McShea. Picture Neil McDaid.

SS3 “South Arm S” would be the first true test on the event. Pinker would set the pace by 2 seconds over McShea with Ken Block rounding out the top three.
SS4 “South Arm N” would be a reverse of SS3. McShea must have liked what he saw on the way in as he set a tire warping pace on the way out taking the stage win by 15 seconds over Ken Block, and 34 second over Andrew Pinker. From there the cars would head back to Mexico for service before tackling the stage that has been dubbed “the co-drivers nightmare,” SS5 “Blind Pond”. Although Blind Pond is a short stage at only 5.6 miles it is very fast with a several hair-raising jumps - not for the faint of heart.
Ken Block laid claim to this stage in 2007 by setting the fastest time ever recorded for this test, this after having a disastrous off in 2006. Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino would again set the mark on Blind Pond, but only by 1.6 seconds over McShea. At the close of business on Friday McShea had taken full advantage of his fourth place seeding on the road in day-one, pushing hard where needed to make time. He managed to eke out a 9 second advantage over Ken Block to put himself in first place heading into Saturday.

“O mother” Eamonn Sweeney who was calling the notes for Joseph Burke, was praying for a soft landing on one of the infamous jumps on Concord pond. Picture Neil McDaid

Day-Two

Now running first on the road, McShea would have to deal with sweeping off the loose surface gravel on the stages, but he would not have to contend with the linger dust.
SS6 “Dillon Success” was the first of five stages on the slate for day two. After having to run first on the road on Friday, the Canadian duo of Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard, now running third on the road, found their pace and stopped the clocks 6 second ahead of Block and McShea who almost had the same time for the stage. The advantage went to Block who claimed second.
SS7 “Success Dillon” was a turnaround of SS6, and as he did on day one McShea would take full advantage of the line and take the stage win by 5 seconds over L’Estage. The rally caravan would then head northwest for the final three stages of the rally, and the final showdown.
With hundreds of rally fans, many with the tri-color flying lining the stage, McShea would tackle SS8 “South Mountain.” But, all was not well under the hood of the Mitsubishi. McShea’s car started to overhead and he was experiencing brake fade. For the first time in the event Travis Pastrana finally showed up and tied stage times with Andrew Pinker for the stage victory. In all honesty it was a massive feat for Pastrana to be even in the car, as he had just had knee surgery a few weeks back. L’Estage would take third and McShea would be a massive 13 seconds off the pace of Pastrana and Pinker.

Unfortunately, SS8 would claim Block and Gelsomino who had been running neck and neck with McShea. Block slide off the road and damaged a control arm, ending his rally.
Back at the final service of the day the concern in the McShea camp was obvious. It appeared that the water spray unit for the intercooler had failed, the exhaust had been damaged and the brake pads were steel on steel. It was all hands on deck as McShea rushed out to make the time control, more drama ensued! The exhaust had not been clipped in place correctly! In an instant Niall was under the car, made the repair and just about made the time control.
With only two stages remaining in the rally, even the Moose were holding their breath. With the uncertainty surrounding the condition of McShea’s car it was still all up for grabs. Anton L’Estage was a mere 15 seconds off McShea for the victory. Would we see the tri-color or the maple leaf fly on the final podium?

By the end of SS9 McShea had managed to hold the Canadian off by just one second, and Andrew Pinker in third by 6.9. Feeling more confident with the car McShea would throw caution to the wind and charge hard on the final stage, SS10 “Middle Dam Out.”
Niall would again roast the field, taking the stage win by almost 26 seconds over Andre Pinker, and whopping 50 seconds over Pastrana. Unfortunately, the only thing that Anton L’Estage would roast was his engine; he would not make it out of the final stage on his own power. McShea had claimed victory in his first US rally, and also claimed a place in the X-Games 14. Andrew Pinker would slot into second and the wounded Pastrana would claim the final spot on the podium.

Congrats all round, Joseph Burke congratulated Travis Pastrana on his podium finish, and likewise Travis gives Joseph the thumbs up on taking second in his class. Picture Neil McDaid

Early word is that McShea is going to pilot a partially backed Vermont Sports Car Subaru at the X-Games 14. Let’s hope he will find the additional sponsorship to make up the difference as he would surely be in mix for a medal.

Picture from Maine can be found here

http://AbhusAnseo.smugmug.com/gallery/5441329_wBWZR/1/332681364_CxXpW

Ken Block dominates at Rally New York

By Neil McDaid

Ellenville, New York, April 4, 2008. Subaru Rally Team USA driver Ken Block, with co-driver Alex Gelsomino, claim top honors at Rally New York, effectively stripping the Irish of their grip on the rally from its onset. The victory now puts Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino ahead in both the United States Rally Championship and the Rally America National Championship, a position that has never been achieved before.
With the entry of Ken Block in this very popular east coast event there was clearly a heightened sense of excitement Thursday evening as legions of Subaru-driving rally fans began to descend into the quiet little Catskills town of Ellenville. The rally would be run over two days; each day would count as a separate rally. The total overall positions for both days combined would be scored as points towards the United States Rally Championship for 2008.

Drivers and co-drivers were given the opportunity Thursday to take a two pass recce over the special stages which were to be contested throughout Ulster and Sullivan Counties. Although the weather conditions for the recce were bright and sunny the forecast for day-one of the rally was bleak, to say the least. By 8pm on Thursday evening the local forecast was calling for overnight snow and rain. You could see a mild panic sweep through the service area as crews scrambled to make extra cuts in their tires in a bid to compensate for the unknown conditions that their drivers would face the next day.

As the first glimmers of morning light crested the Catskills it would reveal some very unpredictable conditions for the crews. Although it had only snowed lightly at rally headquarters, with the vast elevation changes in the Ellenville area it was anyone’s guess what surprises the stages would hold for the first cars out.
Just a few minutes before 9am on Friday morning, the first of some 35 cars were at the starting line. SS1 would be named in honor of Sgt. Eddie Ryan a local veteran injured in Iraq. As victor of the prior running at Rally New York in 2007, it would be the defending United States Rally Champion, Seamus Burke that had the daunting task of running first on the road. Unfortunately the wet, slick stage conditions would be the least of Burke’s troubles. This was the first time out in his open class Mitsubishi after it had been repaired following his big off in Laughlin last Fall. Based on Burke’s pace on the first test it was clear that all was not well with the car.

As if sensing Burke’s troubles, and despite the slick conditions, fellow Irish driver Charlie Donnelly attacked hard on the first stage, bettering Burke’s time by two seconds. But it would be Team Subaru driver Ken Block, seeded third in the start order, who would make his presence known early. Block would stop the clock 4 seconds faster than his nearest rival. He then went on to set fastest times on all but one of the first six stages of the opening day. Despite putting in a great run to match times with Block on SS3, Charlie Donnelly was down by 25 seconds at the end of section one. Polish driver Otis Dimiters would round out the top three. Ivor Wigham would be the first retirement of the rally after going off the road and hitting a stone wall on SS4.

As the crews set out for section 2 of the rally, things would really start to unravel for the Irish drivers. SS7 was the last we would see of both Seamus Burke and Charlie Donnelly. Their Mitsubishis would be sidelined with mechanical problems. A failed front differential would send Donnelly’s car to the trailer and a failed gearbox would end Burke’s hopes of retaining his Rally New York title. The abrasive tarmac stages would also take their toll on Enda McCormack’s Mitsubishi; Enda also retired with differential problems on SS7. Despite the loss of some of his top rivals, Block would not lift. Taking full advantage of his first full tarmac outing, he would continue to push and test his pace on the black stuff. A hard launch off the start line on SS9 would break a front axle on Paddy Brennan’s Subaru knocking him out of the running on day one.

At the end of section two and the completion of 10 stages, like an old tarmac pro Block was holding a one minute advantage over Otis Dimiters in second. Representing the Irish hopes, Martin Donnelly and Stephen Duffy were holding onto the final podium spot in third.
The rally would complete two additional stages in Ellenville before moving west to Monticello for the final 4 stages of day-one. Block would, again, dominate by setting the fastest times on all stages on section three.

It was quickly becoming apparent that unless Ken Block made a mistake or encountered a mechanical problem on stage, he was going to be all but impossible to reel in. At the conclusion of the first day’s competition, the top three were Block, Dimiters and C. Donnelly.
Day two would see the competition move to the township of Neversink for the first of six special stages. Some of the competitors that had dropped out on day one took advantage of the rally format and would re-enter. Irish drivers Enda McCormack, Seamus Burke and Paddy Brennan were all back. But for Burke it was all too short lived as he would retire after only one stage with continued gearbox problems.

Otis Dimiters set the pace on the opening test of day two, eking out a two second advantage over Block. As the morning stages progressed it was a repeat of day one - a total domination by Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino. Despite a spin and a flat the Subaru team would go on to take the overall victory by over four minutes ahead of Otis Dimiters. Martin Donnelly and Stephen Duffy would manage to salvage the final podium place for the Irish bringing their Mitsubishi home third.

Block was clearly pleased with his first outing on a full tarmac event. “I really enjoy the tarmac form of rally because it is so different and more technical than gravel. You have to be so precise, but that challenge is what made it such an amazing experience,” said Block. “We were here primarily to get some more reconnaissance experience but I have wanted to run a full tarmac event for a long while now. I adapted better than I expected to the tarmac and I am looking forward to racing some more tarmac events again sometime in the future.”

He has also shown interest in competing on some of Ireland’s world famous tarmac events. Both Donegal and Killarney had been mentioned, but at this time no confirmed plans are in place.
Other notable finishes for the Irish, from the New York area, were Gerald Coffey and Dave Dooly who managed to capture sixth overall despite multiple problems on day one. Brothers Michael and John O’Leary captured seventh overall and were definitely a big hit with the spectators with their “never a dull moment” driving style. Michael Cosgrove and Seanie “Legend” O’Reilly would claim first overall in pre-mod AWD on day one. Keeping the lights on for the Boston Irish was “Broslan” (Dan Broslan), who would take 3rd overall on day two in the 2WD open class. Next up for the Irish will be Rally Tennessee in May.

Rally New York

RALLY NEW YORK SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH NEVERSINK
AND OPENS ENTRY FOR RALLY NEW YORK USA



Neversink, New York (February 15, 2008) Rally New York organization signed an agreement with the Town of Neversink in Sullivan County New York, which makes available new special stages within the Town of Neversink, and opened the entry for Rally New York USA to be held on April 4 – 5, 2008. The entries for Rally New York USA have already started coming in (http://www.rallynewyork.com/).

This development comes on the heels of the three-year contract Rally New York organization signed with the Town of Wawarsing for the roads in the Wawarsing/Ellenville area of Ulster County, New York with a new special stage in the area of the historic Mt. Cathalia hillclimb and with the Town of Thompson in Sullivan County, New York that covers the spectacular special stage at the Concord Resort in Monticello.

In a related development, Ellenville Regional Hospital received a donation from Rally New York in appreciation of the community support for Rally New York events.

Rally New York USA on April 4 – 5 is the first round of the United States Rally Championship (http://www.usrallychampionship.com/). It is an all-tarmac event. Tarmac rallies, which are popular elsewhere, are rather rare in the US. The United States Rally Championship Competitors have the opportunity to participate in two tarmac events in two successive months – Rally New York USA in April and Rally Tennessee in May – with the same tarmac equipment. These two rallies are the only all-tarmac events in the Nation. Competitors from the western part of the Unites States may be able to make one trip to the East to participate in both events. Rally New York would store their vehicles for the second event.

Rally New York organization also presents the International Rally New York on October 31 – November 1, 2008. It is a gravel event that is the final round of the United States Rally Championship. All Rally New York events are conducted according to the international rules with three-pass reconnaissance on Thursday and two days of racing on Friday and Saturday.

RNY Media

International Rally New York

Burke takes rally Victory at International Rally New York
By Neil McDaid

Ellenville NY, September 7, 2007. It has been many years since Ulster County has heard the sound of race engines roar through the Catskill Mountains. The last official event was back in the seventies when racers attacked the historic Ellenville Hill Climb. International Rally New York (IRNY) would bring motorsports and rally fans back to Ellenville for round seven of the United States Rally Championship, which was run in conjunction with the Rally New York Championship.
The rally would be contested over two days, combining some fantastic tarmac stages on day one with some proven gravel tests on day two. For the defending USRC champion, Seamus Burke, it was an opportunity to avenge his disastrous showing in the Catskills earlier in the year. The headquarters for IRNY was located at Nevele Grande Resort just outside of Ellenville, a majestic property which is also making a comeback after some tough years.
Charlie Donnelly and co-driver Noel Gallagher would come into IRNY as the 2007 points leaders in the USRC and therefore would start number one on the road Friday. As the teams set out to tackle the 15 tarmac stages, Mitsubishis would make up the top five starting positions in the rally and were all piloted by Irish crews.
SS1, “Wintish 1,” a short 2.9 mile test would offer up a few hairy moments for those a bit rusty on their tarmac skills, none more so than Joseph Burke and co-driver Jeremy Wimpy. Joseph would roll his Acura in spectacular style about half way into SS1. Both driver and co-driver would walk away unharmed apart from a bit of bruised pride that is.

Joseph Burke, [left] would walk away unharmed from his big roll on SS1 [Piture: Neil McDaid]

Despite having some problems selecting forth gear Seamus Burke would set the fastest time on SS1 by some eight seconds over Charlie Donnelly. Enda McCormack charged to within one second off Donnelly’s time for third. Over SS2, Old “Greenfield 1,” Burke would again set fastest time, but the gap had narrowed as Charlie closed the stage time to three seconds. In one of his rare showings, New York publican Gerard Coffey took a break from pulling pints and set some very respectable times on the early tarmac stages in his Evo 8. He would set the fastest time over SS 3.

Enda McCormack had a great drive on day-one before gearbox problems arose. [Picture: Neil McDaid]

At the end of the first leg of the rally, which covered six stages, Seamus Burke had eked out a 32 second lead over an excellent drive from Gerard Coffey and Dave Dooley who moved up to second. Enda McCormack and Bernard Farrell held their starting position in third. Flying the flag for Poland, Maciej Przybysc and Constantine Mantopoulos in the Impreza held forth. Despite a big moment on SS5 Martin O’Flynn and Damien Treanor would round out the top five in their Mitsubishi Eclipse.
Trouble for the championship leader Donnelly as he rolled into the first major service of the day, almost a minute down to Burke. Charlie’s Mitsubishi was only running on three cylinders. Rally leader Burke was also having some mechanical issues; he had all but lost forth gear over the early stages.
On to leg two, SS7 “Tempaloni 1”. Those expecting to see Charlie Donnelly running first on the stage were somewhat surprised to see Burke running first. We would later learn that Donnelly returned to service with continuing problems.

A hairpin turn on SS7 would prove a little difficult for some. O’Flynn slid wide and leveled a section of stone/wood fence. Not to be outdone, Arkadiusz Gruszka would better the Irishman as he took out two sections. The rally would move from Ellenville to Monticello for the fast sweeping stage through the Concord Resort and Golf Course. It would be run four times to make up the final stages on day one. Despite missing forth gear Burke controlled all but one stage on the opening day to stay ahead of the pack. Despite a great effort on the tar Gerald Coffey would not enter the gravel section of the rally on day two.
The first of the gravel stages on day two, SS16 “Rogues Harbor 1,” would start just outside of Ellenville where the local residents turned out to get a stage-side seat for all the action. Running first on the road, Burke would roll to a stop at the spectator area suffering continued issues with gear selection. After a few frustrating moments, Seamus managed to get a gear and was off again. Maciej Przybysc would not get away as easily. Pushing hard through Burke’s dust trail, Maciej would lose control of his Impreza and collide hard into a tree ending his event. Charlie Donnelly would make a return on day two under the super rally rules but it was short lived. Donnelly would blow his engine on SS17.
With Burke still leading the charge, crews would make the long transit over to Narrowsburg for 8 stages, which were run utilizing two sections of forest roads. At the first short service on Saturday with Przybysc and Donnelly out, Enda McCormack was settling into second; Cyril Kearney held third. McCormack would begin to report gear selection problems on SS20 and things went quickly downhill from there. Coming into the only major service of the day, Enda had no clutch and could not engage 4th or 5th gears.

Finton Seeley and Carrie Wilburn were in the hunt until their retirement on day-two [photo: Neil McDaid]

Despite taking full advantage of McCormack’s problems and moving to second, things were not all rosy over in the Kearney service area. Cyril had clipped a rock and cracked the casing on his rear differential. Luckily he had a spare and his crew made the swap within the time limits. Leaving service for the final three stages of the rally, McCormack would have to get the car rolling using the starter. It was questionable if he could hold onto third or even finish the rally.
In the end McCormack would hold onto third despite a late objection from another competitor. A delighted Cyril Kearney would claim second some eleven minutes adrift of overall rally winners, the Donegal crew of Seamus Burke and Eddie Fries.
Rafal Liptopad whose VW Golf stalked the injured Mitsubishi of Enda McCormack through the final stages would claim top honors in two wheel drive.
Unofficially, this victory moves Burke ahead of Charlie Donnelly in the point’s race for the USRC. Enda McCormack sits third. With only one event left on the east coast, the Eastern States Rally Championship is wide open and will be decided at Black River Stages at the end of the month.
From there it will be onto Laughlin, Nevada for the final showdown in the desert to the decide the USRC title.

*Some video footage from the Rally can be found at

www.youtube.com/Abhusanseo

Burke Takes Round Five of the United States Rally Championship

Burke and Fries storm to victory at Rally West Virginia [Photo Neil McDaid]

By Neil McDaid

Elkins, West Virginia - August 3, 2007. Seamus Burke takes maximum points at Rally West Virginia in his bid to retain the United States Rally Championship title. Round five of the USRC took place in the high hills of the mountain state. The rally would not go down without its fair share of drama and excitement along the twisted back roads of Randolph County.

Rally West Virginia also counted as round three of the Eastern States Rally Championship, along with the added bonus of been a part of the 2007 Max Attack Triple Crown Series.

Day one would see the 38 crews tackle the first of the very technical all gravel mountain stages. Lined with hairpin turns and incredible drop offs, crews were given both written and verbal warnings of several triple cautions on the Friday stages.
As expected, Seamus Burke and Eddie Fries in the Shamrock Building Systems sponsored Mitsubishi would push the early pace setting the fastest time over SS1, “Turbodawg Long”. Some 34 seconds off the pace of Burke, fellow Irish driver Charlie Donnelly would claim second.
Justin Pritchard and Kyle Sarasin would lock bumpers for third.

Before the end of the first stage several crews would fall victim to the tough twists and turns of the tight country roads. Tyrone man Martin “the other” Donnelly out of NYC, who has been away from the sport for a few years, was out for the first time in his new Mitsubishi Evo 8. Martin would be first to explore the West Virginia scenery. Brake failure on a nasty downhill section into a tight hairpin turn at the bottom would be the demise of Donnelly and co-driver Stephen Duffy’s Friday stages. Luckily for the crew the car came to rest against a large tree only sustaining minimal damage. With some donated parts and a great effort by their service crew they would be back in action for day two.

Donnelly and Duffy would make a return Saturday after their off stage adventure on Friday [Photo NeilMcDaid]

Unfortunately, Carrie Wilburn’s Subaru Impreza would not come off as lightly. Carrie would leave the road and land hard on the front of the car then collided with a tree, eventually ending up on her roof. Thankfully both Carrie and navigator Damian Treanor managed to escape unharmed.
Brian Rutledge would also damage a ball joint on his Impreza, forcing him to retire. He would make repairs and return Saturday

Charlie Donnelly and Noel Gallagher, the current point leaders in the USRC, would get within 6 seconds of Burke’s pace on SS3, but trouble loomed for Donnelly on SS4. They would break a front drive on their Evo 2. Unfortunately, the car was not repairable and their rally was over. At the end of day one Seamus Burke held a two minute advantage over Justin Prichard in his Subaru. Putting in a fantastic drive teenager Kyle Sarasin was holding down third in his Ford Focus.

Day two saw crews hit the road bright and early heading south of Elkins for the first of 13 special stages. Not using the conventional continuation of stage numbers from day one, rally organizers would start the first stage on Saturday as SS1, a little confusing for some.
SS1 “Adolf Expressway” could have been more appropriately named the “eye opener.” The rally organizer suggested that this stage could possibly have more turns per mile that any other stage in the country. It would be another rerun of the Burke and Fries show; they would set fastest times over the first four stages of the day. Justin Pritchard would hold his ground maintaining second over Charles Sherrill in third.

All two wheel drive cars entered in the rally were eligible to contest for the Max Attack cash prizes. The two wheel drive competition, at times, was more exciting that the battle for the overall rally lead. The top six finishers in two wheel drive would all receive cash ranging from $800- $2,000. Mere seconds separated the top contenders throughout the rally.
Little did Seamus Burke know entering SS5 that his 4 minute advantage over the field would be erased. About half way through the stage, Burke’s gear selector would jam leaving the car stuck in high gear. Burke pulled off the stage to make repairs. After losing some six minutes he managed to get going again, his rally lead gone.

Heading into SS6, Burke was now down almost two minutes to Pritchard. He would throw caution to the wind and set a blistering pace over “UberDeustchland 3.” Burke was some 25 seconds faster than Enda McCormack who also obviously liked the conditions and found his form taking second. More importantly Burke was some 29 seconds faster than rally leader Justin Pritchard.

Justin Pritchard found himself in first if only for a while due to Burke's gearshift problems [Photo NeilMcDaid]


After setting the fastest time on SS6 over his fellow Max Attack competitors, a ruptured gas tank would be the end of the road for Seamus Burke’s son Joseph. In only his second rally “Young” Burke in his G2 Acura, with Boston’s Eamonn Sweeney guiding his way on the notes, would catch and pass several cars throughout the rally. Obviously, the apple did not fall far from the tree. We expect to see some great stuff from Joseph in the future. We would also lose Greg Healy in the Datsun 280Z. Greg would slide off the road into a field of cattle.

The elder Burke would continue to claw back time on SS7 but the cancellation of SS8 due to communication problems piled the pressure on Burke as stage miles dwindled. Burke could not afford to lose the rally or his hopes of retaining the championship title would be gone.

SS9 “Boney Turk,” a high speed challenge on smooth fast small gravel with a few hairpins and crests to make things interesting, scores high as a driver’s favorite. Again it was Burke that threw down a time of 4:07 over the 6.61 mile test; Charles Sherrill could only manage 4:20 to claim second.

Burke would continue his domination over the final stages to reclaim the lead and ultimately the overall victory. Justin Pritchard claimed second with Charles Sherrill taking third. Continuing his fantastic drive, Kyle Sarasin claimed forth in the FWD Focus beating out many more powerful all-wheel drive cars. Kyle would also claim the top prize in the Max Attack.

Up next for the east coast will be round seven of the USRC, International Rally New York, September 6-8th. This year the rally headquarters will relocate to Ellenville. With Donnelly still well ahead in the points Rally New York is shaping up to be a great battle. I expect to see strong entry from the Irish teams for this local event. For more information: http://www.rallynewyork.com/

Round six Rally America Championship

Pastrana Takes Top Spot in Maine
By Neil McDaid
New England Forest Rally - Newry Maine, July 13, 2007. Defending Rally America Champion Travis Pastrana gets back to his winning ways as he takes top honors in round six of the ‘07 Rally America Championship. It would be no easy victory for Pastrana as he was pressured all the way to the last stage by the defending Canadian Rally Champion, Antoine L’Estage.

Just two days before the rally a massive rain storm hit the Newry area, resulting in scattered flash flooding which took out some sections of road around the rally headquarters. Despite the damage to the main roads there was little or no damage to the forest stages.
The rally would get underway on Friday afternoon with a super special format run twice around the ball park in the town of Mexico. For the second year the rally organizers built a massive clay jump along the back straight of the ball field. It would give spectators and locals a great opportunity to get a ring-side seat to all the high flying action.

Amy shows the boys how it's done [photo Neil McDaid]

After some big air antics last year, most drivers were somewhat cautious over the jump with the exception, that is, of the only lady driver in the event. Amy BeberVanzo would charge the jump hard and launch her Mitsubishi high in the air. Speaking with Amy later in service she commented, “I gave it a little too much power.”
With the super special being only a half a mile long there was very little difference in times between the cars. Nonetheless, Travis would set the fastest time the first run through while his Subaru team mate Ken Block would claim the fast time on SS2.

SS 3-4, “South Arm,” was run as a turnaround stage. At 9.9 miles it would be first true test of the rally. With intermittent rain falling, Pastrana would push his #199 Subaru hard over slippery conditions. He was rewarded with fastest times on both SS3 & 4. L’Estage, in the aging Libra Racing Tiburon, would edge Ken Block out for second on both stages. Multiple time SCCA National Pro Rally Champion Paul Choiniere, in the second of the Libra Racing Hyundai Tiburon’s, would suffer a small fire on SS3, which resulted in his early departure from the rally.

The last stage on day-one, SS5 “Concord Pond,” was a redemption of sorts for Team Subaru driver Ken Block. On this same stage last year, Block had a big moment on this short 5.6 mile technical test that almost ended his rally. Obviously, the memory of last year’s off had little affect on Block as he and co-driver Alex Gelsomino charged the stage setting the fastest time. Just one second separated L’Estage and Pastrana for second and third.
At the end of day one it was Pastrana, L’Estage, Block and Matt Iorio in fourth. Seamus Burke, the top seeded Irish driver was just about holding onto fifth. Once again mechanical problems plagued the Donegal man. This time the gremlins had worked their way into the gearbox; the car was not staying in gear. Burke had to hold the car in fifth through the last two stages on Friday.
In a massive effort by Burke’s service crew, and a few helping hands, they managed to swap out the gearbox and get the car back to Parc Ferme. Unfortunately, the car was checked in a little later than the allotted time, for which Burke was given a two minute penalty.

Day one proved very challenging for Pinker [Photo Neil McDaid]

No joy either for Aussie Andrew Pinker. Pinker, who had just claimed a fine victory in round five of the championship in Pennsylvania in June, was definitely not having the same luck in Maine. 2 punctures along with some damage sustained from clipping a hidden rock slowed the charge of the very quick Jack Daniels sponsored car. At the end of the first day, Andrew found himself back in eighth place.

The River Valley Regional Rally, which was run in conjunction with the national event, would be contested over the first 5 stages on Friday. Mainer Christopher Duplessis would drive the door handles off his GTI Golf to take the overall victory besting out the more powerful all wheel drive cars along the way. John Cassidy and Dave Getchell would take second in their open class Subaru with the O’Leary brothers, Michael and John, taking third overall in their Mitsubishi.

On day two the rally would move west to Berlin, New Hampshire. SS6-7, “Dillon Success,” was again another turnaround stage.
Antoine L’Estage would attack hard on the opening stage on Saturday. His time on SS6 would be good enough for the stage win posting a time 5 seconds faster than Pastrana over the 15 mile test. Block managed third while maintaining his third overall position. Day two was proving to be no better for Andrew Pinker as he was some 29 seconds slower than L’Estage on SS6.
Despite the change of gear box Seamus Burke and co-driver Eddie Fries would park the Mitsubishi on SS6. Things were just not working correctly; sadly it was ‘game over’.
Otis Dimiters and Alan Ockwell, who had moved up from GPN to open class in a hope to be more competitive in their bid for an X-Games spot, also gave up the ghost on SS6 as they lost all gears in their Subaru STI.

A Roll on SS6 would also be the end of the rally for the up and coming team of Kyle Sarasin and Mikael Johansson in the G5 Focus. Fortunately, they both walked away unharmed.
Drama ensued on SS7. Pastrana, running first on the road, would meet a course worker’s car as they tried to remove a lost sump guard not knowing that the stage had started. Pastrana and Edstrom followed protocol and stopped at the first radio point and stopped the stage. After some back and forth the stage was eventually cancelled. With mere seconds between the top three cars the rally would now be decided over “Middle Dam,” one stage road that would be run four times in slightly different configurations to make up SS,8,9,10 and 11.
Pastrana would show massive commitment to the notes as he carved a fine line through SS-8 in an effort to hold off the hard charging L’Estage. Most thought that L’Estage was in Maine to grab the last X-Games spot, but it was obvious by Antoine’s pace that he was gunning for the overall victory as a priority.
Block would struggle through SS-8 & 9 with his Subaru clearly down on power. Rolling in to the final service all three top cars were showing the strain of a tough Maine Rally. Pastrana’s car was spewing fluids, L’Estage was concerned about overheating, and Block would just like to get back on four cylinders.

Pressure all the way from L'Estage [Photo Neil McDaid]

In one final attack L’Estage would push the Tiburon to the max, taking fastest times on SS10 & 11. Despite his great effort it would not be enough to unseat Pastrana who took the overall rally victory by just 7.2 seconds. L’Estage’s podium finish in Maine unofficially secures him the wildcard spot at the second X-Games rally competition.
Despite Block’s problems on the final stages he had done enough early in the rally to secure third. Matt Iorio almost did not make it to the final control as his motor let go on the transit back to the finish. In a fine show of sportsmanship Andrew Pinker and Patrick Moro took turns pulling Iorio home to claim his forth place.
I am sure that Andrew Pinker would rather forget Maine but, nonetheless finishing in 5th keeps him in the championship running. Pinker stays just nine points ahead of Pastrana in the race to the championship. Ken Block’s third place finish leaves him just 12 championship points behind Pinker. With only three rounds left, it looks like this year’s championship is going to be contested right down to the wire.

The Bethel Rally, the second of the regional events, was run over the Saturday stages. It was won by Allen Downs and Bernhard Obry, a great result for them considering that they broke an axle on the practice stage forcing them to miss the Friday stages. Duplessis slid the wee Golf into second with John Cassidy claiming third.
Further down the overall leader board, Michael and John O’Leary would claim the top finish for the Irish in 21st overall. The O’Leary’s would also claim 4th overall in the Bethel Regional Rally which, in all was a great weekend for the Cork men.

In only his first outing, seventeen year old Joseph Burke, the son of Seamus Burke, managed to put his G2 Acura on the podium with a well earned 3rd in his class. Joseph pictured here with his co-driver for Maine Chrissy Beavis. [Photo Neil McDaid]

From here it’s off the X-Games in early August for Rally America’s top drivers. They will be joined by WRC Champ Colin McRae and a few mystery drivers yet to be named. For more details check out http://www.rally-america.com/

Additional pictures from the event will be posted to gallery soon!

STPR 2007

Pinker puts Jack Daniels Back on the
Top Shelf
By Neil McDaid
Wellsboro, PA. June 2, 2007. Australian Andrew Pinker, along with his English co-driver Robbie Durant, powered their Jack Daniels sponsored Subaru STI to victory in round five of the 2007 Rally America Championship. This victory pushes Pinker to the top of the championship points standings and also qualifies him for a place in the second running of the rally at the ESPN X-Games in L.A. this August.
The Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally or, as it’s known to most, STPR is now in its 31st year. It is definitely one of the fastest gravel rallies run in the USA. With its many long straights, speeds can get up in access of 100mph. Throw in multiple tricky hairpin turns along the tree lined stages and the occasional thunder shower, it generally makes for a challenging, and at times, a treacherous rally. The surface varies between hard packed clay surfaces that can become very slick when wet to sections of small to medium stones that roll like marbles under the tires.

Although the rally did not officially start until Saturday, standing on the practice stage on Friday evening one would be hard pressed to tell it from an actual competitive stage. The pace was ballistic.
There is a slight crest at the end of the practice stage where there have been some hairy moments in the past. Ken Block, with co-driver Alex Gelsomino, had a narrow escape there in 2005, when they landed in the middle of a swamp after taking the jump at full tilt. They were lucky to land on their wheels not their roof.

Close call for Block and Gelsomino on the shake down stage, as they have a Monster of a wreck. [Photo/ Neil McDaid].

This year the crew of Car #43 would not make it as far as the jump. A little over a mile into the practice stage they would slid wide and connect hard with a large tree, resulting in heavy damage to their open class Factory team Subaru. Alex would suffer a mild concussion; Ken was shaken but unharmed. Making every effort to preserve his slight lead in the Rally America Championship, Subaru USA Rally team opted to send to Vermont for the back up car . Because of Alex’s concussion, Block would also have to locate another co-driver to get back into the rally.
Step up veteran US Rally Champion Driver, and sometimes co-driver, and also multiple winner of STPR, John Buffum. With a great effort by the Subaru service crew that ran into the wee hours, Block and Buffum were ready to roll from the green in Wellsboro on Saturday morning.

Down from previous years, some 52 teams were scheduled to start the rally. Despite the lower entry the quality of equipment had improved greatly over prior years, STPR would also enjoy one of the largest number of spectators ever.
The action got going on SS1, “Asaph Run.” Andrew Pinker, behind the wheel of his black Subaru STI, would throw down the early marker. Running first on the road, he set the fastest time for the stage with Canadians Antoine L'Estage, in the Hyundai, in second and Andrew Comrie-Picard flying the Mitsubishi colors, at full of rack through the spactator area in third.

Seamus Burke, with Eddie Fries on the notes, would lead the attack for the Irish in their Evo 8, starting seventh on the road. Unfortunately for Burke, about half way through the first stage he would catch Otis Dimiters who had lost time due to a slight off. Battling the dust and stones from Dimiters, Seamus could only manage tenth quickest over the 9.8 mile stage. He would also suffer a severely cracked windscreen from the rocks.

Charlie Donnelly and Noel Gallagher would set fastest time for the Irish on SS1, posting a time good enough for ninth overall. Despite the great effort by the Subaru service team throughout the night, fuel problems would force the retirement of Ken Block and John Buffum on SS2.
Without question the most popular stage for spectators at STPR is the “Subaru Water Splash.” In the past this stage had been run as the first stage, but this year the organizers would change it to SS4. It gets its name from the dramatic flying finish in the middle of a small river which has been notorious over the years for ending the event early for some.
The large number of spectators in attendance at the Subaru Water Splash were not disappointed with the nonstop action. Antoine L'Estage would set the fastest time by some four seconds over Andrew Pinker. Seamus Burke would set the sixth fastest time but would have a few tense moments after crossing the water as he struggled to keep his partially drown Mitsubishi running.
With 4 of the 10 scheduled stages complete, teams would return to Wellsboro for the lunch

break and the longest service of the day.

Donnelly takes the victory in the Sherwood Forest rally, before it would all come to a suddent stop on SS9.[Photo/ NeilMcDaid]

In conjunction with the main Rally America national event, two regional rallies are also run on the same stages. Competitors can opt to enter one or all three events. Stages 1-4 would make up the Sherwood Forest Rally. Charlie Donnelly and Noel Gallagher would take the top honors. Taking second overall would be fellow Irish driver Paddy Brennan with Barry McCann. It would be the highlight for the Irish at STPR as trouble loomed ahead.
Under heavy skies, the competitors would make the long transit to SS5 and the beginning of the evening section of the rally.
SS5 “Twelve to Lebo 1” would be the first stage victory by the defending Rally America Champion, Travis Pastrana, who had struggled to get on the pace all day. Pastrana had just returned from Ireland where he took first place in the motorcycle technical freestyle competition in the Red Bull X-Fighters Tour, which was held in front of 35,000 at Slane Castle.
Ramana Lagemann would take his second stage of the day setting the fastest time on SS6 “Francis Lee 1.” Andrew Pinker would take second and the Donegal duo of Burke and Fries would find their pace to take third. Pastrana would capture fourth, after a close encounter with a

ditch.

"Don't cut".Travis cuts a little to much on ss6,

Paddy Brennan and Shane McCann would approach our location about 8 miles into SS6, with smoke billowing from the car from a suspected blown turbo. To avoid further damage, Paddy pulled his Subaru aside and retired from the event.
SS7 would be canceled due to spectators problems. At the final service of the day, with three stages remaining, Andrew Pinker had a firm hold on the overall lead with a 17 second advantage over Ramana Lagemann. Pastrana would hold third and Seamus Burke was holding down fourth.
Defending STPR Champion Matt Iorio would not come out of the last service. A mishap in fuel filling earlier in the day left Iorio battling gasoline fumes in the cockpit and ultimately forced them to retire with a damaged transmission.

Lagemann, holds down second, to seal his spot in the X-GAMES [Photo/ NeilMcDaid]

SS8, “Twelve to Lebo 2” would see Lagemann putting pressure on Pinker setting the fastest time by a mere 2 seconds.

SS9 “ Francis Lee 1” would prove to be a disaster for the remaining Irish drivers in the hunt. Two miles into the 10 mile stage, Seamus Burke would clip something on the road and puncture a front wheel. Rather than loosing the three minutes it would take to change the wheel, Burke would drive the remain 8 miles on the rim. By the end of the stage the flapping tire shred and the disintegrating rim tore the front fender [wing] to pieces. Burke would be 2:38 off the pace of Andrew Pinker, who set the fastest time for the stage.

For Charlie Donnelly and Noel Gallagher their rally would come to a sudden and spectacular end on stage 9. “We slid wide just before we wrecked,” said Donnelly. “I think we must have damaged a rear control arm. The car just became uncontrollable and we went off. I think we rolled three times; we were lucky to walk away.”

Charlie had a bit of a stiff neck but apart from a bit of bruised pride, he and Noel were just glad to be walking around. For the car, that might be a different story as it sustained heavy damage.
There are two major rally championships in the USA; Rally America and the United States Rally Championship. Charlie set out in ‘07 to focus on the United States Rally Championship and, up until this point, things were going according to plan. He is still currently well ahead in the points. This was his first and only planned rally in the Rally America series. Hopefully the car is repairable and Charlie can get back on track for the championship.

The final stage of the rally was also canceled due to continued spectators issues. In the end it would be all Andrew Pinker, collecting his second outright victory of the year, which moved him to the top in the Rally America Championship. Ramana Lagemann was second and Travis Pastrana third overall. Seamus Burke and Eddie Fries would have to settle for fifth overall after the puncture on SS9. They were also the only surviving Irish team left in the event.

Seamus Burke and Eddie Fries approch the water crossing on SS4[Photo/ Neil McDaid ]

After STPR, the nine drivers expected to secure an X-Games invitation are: Travis Pastrana, Ken Block, Colin McRae -- the three medalists from last year's race -- and Tanner Foust, Andrew Pinker, Matt Iorio, Paul Choiniere, Ramana Lagemann and Andrew Comrie-Picard. All but Pinker competed at last summer's X-Games.Round six of the Rally America series moves to the northeast in July for the New England Forest Rally, formally known as The Maine Rally. One more top finishing driver is expected to earn a last-chance invitation which will be decided in Maine. Can Seamus Burke step up and grab a place in the X-Games to represent the Irish? Rally America also plans to extend two more special invitations but there are no indications yet as to who those final drivers might be.

Between now and Maine we are off to the Donegal International Rally. The organizers are expecting to see the largest turnout in the rally’s history. There’s not a bed or a shed available for miles. All this is due to the entry of WRC Champion Sebastian Loeb, who will come to Donegal to test for Ireland’s first WRC event. Look for a full report in the coming weeks.

Rally Tennessee

The old dog for the hard road

Still looking for a trouble free run, Seamus Burke would have

to dig deep to keep Donnelly at bay.

By Neil McDaid

Linden, TN. May 5, 2007. Coming back as Rally Tennessee’s defending champion, Seamus Burke was looking to just finish the 2007 event. Burke, who has been plagued by mechanical issues in his last two outings, came into Rally Tennessee trailing his fellow Irish driver Charlie Donnelly in the 2007 United States Rally Championship.

Rally Tennessee is one of very few all tarmac tests in the USA. It is known as a fast technical rally;definitely not for the faint of heart. The rally got underway at 8.20am from the Perry County High School in Linden, TN.

Charlie Donnelly, with co-driver Noel Gallagher in the ex-Lawless Mitsubishi Evo8, would set off first on SS1. Donnelly stopped the clocks on the 5.85-mile stage with a time of 4mins 50secs. Running second on the road, the defending USRC Champion, Seamus Burke, with co-driver Eddie Fries, was determined to set the pace early on SS1, “Tree Farm Stage”.

By the end of the first test, Burke had placed his Shamrock Building Systems sponsored Mitsubishi in first with a time of 4mins 44secs.

Third fastest on the opening stage was the defending Eastern States Rally Champion, Danny O’Brien. Dominick Jozwiak would be charged with calling the notes for O’Brien in his newly built Subaru STI. O’Brien would set a time of 4mins 54secs. Eoin McGeogh and Stephen Duffy would set a time of 4mins 58secs to put them fourth overall in their Evo IV.

They were followed by Charles Sherrill, in a similar Mitsubishi, with a time of 5mins 5secs to put him fifth quickest.

Enda McCormack and co-driver Bernard Farrell would fall victim to a high speed spin in the first loop of stages. McCormack’s Evo would get light over a fast crest. Despite the best efforts of Enda the car would go off into a ditch with some large embedded rocks causing enough damage that the team could not continue.

Stage 2, Owl Hollow, would see Burke extend his margin by 5 seconds over Donnelly to lead by 11 seconds. Never one to hold back, Donnelly would charge back and take a full 6 seconds off Burke on SS 3, Tree Farm.

Eoin McGeogh would be the second of the seven Irish teams entered to retire with a broken half shaft in his Mitsubishi on SS3.

Burke responded on SS4, Owl Hollow. He was quickest by just 2 seconds to end the first loop of stages with a 7 second lead over second placed Donnelly. Danny O’Brien would hold on to third but was beginning to suffer from overheating problems. He decided to save the motor and pulled out of the rally.

On the second loop of stages Burke’s Mitsubishi would develop a fuel problem causing the car to run on three cylinders. Donnelly would take full advantage of Burke’s mechanical issues to claw back some time, narrowing the gap to just 5 seconds after eight stages.

While Burke and Donnelly battled it out for 1st and 2nd, Charles Sherrill was having a battle of his own keeping the Wimpey brothers, Josh and Jeremy, at bay for third.

Josh once again drove the door handles off his M2 VW Golf, staying within mere seconds of the faster Evo4 on several stages.

Thanks to his hard working service crew Burke’s Shamrock Building Systems car would leave the service area to tackle what was to be the final loop of stages, running on all four cylinders.

A cautious run by Burke on SS 9, Short Cree, in a time of 1min 28secs, would open the door for Donnelly to narrow the gap when he posted a time of 1min 26secs. Burke still held the overall lead but the gap to Donnelly was just 3seconds.

There was high drama for Burke on SS10, Hohenwold. About 9 miles in to the 11.5 mile stage, Burke’s brake paddle would go to the floor. Miraculously, he somehow managed to continue to the end of the stage posting a time of 9mins 9secs over the tricky 11.5 mile stage.

Despite his lack of stopping power, Burke was faster by 9 seconds over Donnelly, who would post a time of 9mins 18secs.

Burke had again widened the gap to maintain an overall lead of 12 seconds with two stages remaining. Knowing that Donnelly would charge all the way to the finish line, Burke would push his pace a little too hard on SS11, Short Creek, resulting in a hairy high speed off road excursion through some trees. Luckily for Burke and Fries they managed to get back onto the road unharmed, but lost about 5 second on their time. Heading into the final stage of the day SS12,Hohenwold, there was a mere 7 seconds separating first and second, Burke and Donnelly.

To add to the tension on the final stage, the skies would open and rain would begin to dampen the roads. With most drivers running on dry slick tires, nerves were on edge. Burke would put to good use his many years of experience on Ireland’s wet tarmac stages. He drove his Mitsubishi to victory on the final stage, setting a time of 9mins 31secs; a blistering 13seconds faster than Donnelly.

Seamus Burke and co-driver Eddie Fries won the 2007 Rally Tennessee. Burke covered the 70.96 stage miles in a time of 57mins 44secs, beatingDonnelly’s time of 58mins 04secs.

Unfortunately for Donnelly he would be handed a 5 minute penalty for a chicane infraction, relegating him to third overall. Charles Sherrill would take second place. The Wimpy brothers put in a fantastic drive to grab 4th overall, also taking 1st in the G2 Class.

Rally Tennessee counts as round two of the [ESRC] Eastern States Rally Championship and round four of the [USRC] United States Rally Championship.

Donnelly still holds a commanding advantage in points in the overall race to the 2007 United States Rally Championship.

Rounding it out for the Irish in seventh overall, brothers Michael and John O’Leary were very satisfied with their achievement. Making the long trek down from Boston, Larry Duane and Eamon Sweeney brought their Sea-Biscuit Racing Corolla home in eighth overall and third in G2 Class.

Roll on STPR!