Peeling Out at 100 MPH with Ken Block

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.

FIESTA TAKES ON ESPN’S X GAMES

Dearborn, Mich. — The new Fiesta Rallycross cars have already created plenty of buzz in the enthusiast community with word of their North American motorsport debut in July’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado.
Now, the anticipation will be even greater as the Swedish Olsbergs Motor Sport Evolution team has announced it will compete in ESPN’s X Games 15 in Los Angeles, Calif., July 30 – Aug. 2. Olsbergs MSE is entering the race with the famous Swedish driver Kenny Brack. The team will also field Ford Fiestas with Rockstar Energy Drink for drivers Tanner Foust and Brian Deegan. All three Fiestas will comply with Rally America Open Class specifications.
Olsbergs Motor Sport Evolution will utilize BFGoodrich Tires at both the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and at ESPN’s X Games 15.
“The new Fiesta is already creating headlines around the world,” said Brian Wolfe, director of Ford North America Motorsport. “The announcement that it would compete at Pikes Peak was greeted so positively by enthusiasts everywhere. Now, to back it up with competition at the X Games will just create even more buzz for the car.”
The X Games, considered the premier action sports event in the world, features athletes from across the globe competing in a variety of sports, ranging from skateboarding, motocross, BMX and rally car racing. X Games 15 will be covered live on ESPN's family of networks, including ABC, as well as across ESPN's many digital media assets, including Xgames.com and ESPN360.com.
The three Fiestas will be driven by an all-star lineup, which includes an Indy 500 winner, a former X Games rally champion and a 10-time X Games medalist.
The 1999 Indianapolis 500 winner Kenny Brack, who will drive the 2009 Fiesta 3-door hatchback, is making his X Games debut. Brack was the ‘98 IndyCar Series champion and was a factory driver for Ford Racing’s Champ Car entry Rahal Letterman Racing. Brack sustained significant injures in a major accident at Texas Motor Speedway in ‘03 while driving for RLR, but he returned to the car at the Indy 500 in ‘05, subbing for the injured Buddy Rice and posting the fastest qualifying speed (227.598 mph) of the field. Brack has been retired since ‘06, pursuing his music career, but still drives competitively in special events. Olsbergs and Kenny Brack have had a long-term partnership and at present Kenny and Olsbergs are acting as mentors for a new promising Swedish racing star, 17-year old Markus Eriksson.
Rockstar Energy Rally driver Tanner Foust will drive a race-prepared ‘09 Fiesta 5-door hatchback. He is a winning competitor in rally, drift, ice racing and time attack with a proven track record of multiple podium placements and national championships. Foust has seen success in Drift and Rally in the last few seasons. In addition to winning the both the ‘07 and ‘08 Formula Drift Pro Drift Championship, he also took the Silver medal as runner-up in the 2008 Summer X Games Pro Rally race.
Foust won the ‘07 X Games Gold Medal in the Pro Rally for the Rockstar Energy Rally team. He was selected to represent Team USA in the annual Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium in London, UK this past December. He teamed with Ford Racing NASCAR star Carl Edwards to do battle with the world's fastest drivers and riders from Formula One, World Rally Championship, Superbike and Touring Car racing.
Joining Foust will be Moto X star Brian Deegan, a 10-time medalist at the X Games, including three gold medals for Moto X Best Trick (‘02, ‘03, ‘05). Earlier this year, Deegan launched a Pro-Lite class off road truck team in Championship Off-Road Racing under a newly formed Rockstar/Metal Mulisha/Caffaro Motorsports banner. Named one of the Top 100 Action Sports Stars by ESPN in ‘04, Deegan has competed at every X Games rally event and will drive a ‘08 Fiesta 3-door hatchback.
This will be the first time a Ford race car has been part of the X Games’ Rally competition.
"We are very excited to see the Fiesta competing not only at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, but also at the X Games in LA,” said Jost Capito, director of Ford Global Motorsport Business Development. “The competition will be extremely strong in both events, but we’ve put together a strong team with the Rockstar/BF Goodrich Tires Fiestas and our all star drivers. The Olsbergs Motor Sport Evolution race team is doing an outstanding job in preparing the cars for both of these world famous events."

Ford tightens its grip on leading places in dramatic day in Italy

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team strengthened its one-two position at the head of the leaderboard in Rally d'Italia Sardegna today. Overnight leaders Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila retained top spot in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car despite enduring the worst of the dusty and slippery road conditions.

The Finns are 9.9sec ahead of team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and the Ford pair extended the advantage over their nearest challenger to more than a minute. The second leg of this sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship was one of attrition. While the Focus RS WRCs ran free of problems, five leading drivers were sidelined as the rocky gravel roads and temperatures, which topped 30ºC, took a heavy toll on the entry list.After an early morning start from the rally base in Olbia, competitors tackled two identical loops of speed tests south-west of the town covering 130.74km.

The loops were split by a return to the service park in Olbia at lunchtime.Latvala faced the unenviable task of leading the 53 starters through the special stages, sweeping the roads clear of loose gravel to leave a cleaner and faster line for those behind. However, the 24-year-old delivered a superb performance over the three morning tests as he preserved much of his lead, his 39.8sec advantage only reduced to 27.0sec.

A trio of third fastest times this afternoon enabled him to stay ahead of a charging Hirvonen. "Today was almost perfect, apart from a small spin at a junction in an asphalt section of the penultimate stage," said Latvala. "I drove as well as I could in those conditions and expected to lose more time.

It was hard to judge the braking points this morning because as first car into the stages, there were no marks to help me. Running first was good for my experience and I needed to learn how to drive in those conditions."The gap to Mikko is very small and it will be hard for me to hold him off tomorrow as I will again open the stages.

I would have liked a lead of about 25sec tonight, or to be behind Mikko and force him to do the cleaning role that I had to do today. But if I can drive like I have today then a win isn't out of the question," he added.Hirvonen, second overnight, was equally impressive behind the wheel of his Focus RS WRC in both fighting off closest challenger Sébastien Loeb and closing in on Latvala.

He was fastest on the opening test of each loop and widened the gap to Loeb before the Frenchman lost a minute with a puncture on the penultimate stage. He then sliced almost 10sec off Latvala's lead in the final test to close on his fellow countryman. "I'm going for the win tomorrow," said 28-year-old Hirvonen, who has shaken off the effects of the fever which hampered him yesterday. "The situation looks good now. I took time from Jari-Matti today and he must clean the roads again tomorrow. It has been a great rally so far, but tomorrow won't be straight forward and it's easy to make a simple, but costly, mistake here. "My day was very constant and my only problems came in stage eight this morning when I twice had to slow to allow wild horses to cross the road.

On the first occasion there were about seven or eight and then I came upon two more, about 8km further on. It was like the Wild West!" he said. Abu Dhabi's Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr enjoyed a good day to climb from 10th to seventh in their Focus RS. They enjoyed a close fight with Conrad Rautenbach this morning, swapping positions on every stage, before overcoming a lack of power steering this afternoon to move up the order. "The problem started on the liaison section after lunchtime service. I

contemplated retiring, but persevered and it was worth it – although my arms feel very tired now," said Al Qassimi. BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson praised the efforts of both Latvala and Hirvonen. "It has been the best performance of the year so far. Both have driven fantastically well, especially given the disadvantage of their start position, and stayed out of trouble on the rough stages.

It will be hard for Jari-Matti to stay ahead of Mikko as he must sweep the roads again, but the most important thing is to retain first and second," he said. News from other Ford teams Stobart drivers Matthew Wilson and Scott Martin had a troublefree day to climb from ninth to sixth in their Focus RS WRC. Team-mates Henning Solberg and Cato Menkerud climbed to fifth on the opening stage, but a right rear puncture in the morning's final stage cost more than a minute and three positions. The Norwegians were sidelined this afternoon with broken front right suspension in the penultimate test and will restart tomorrow in 10th.

Munchi's drivers Federico Villagra and Jorge Perez Companc restarted under SupeRally rules after retiring yesterday but retired again at the lunchtime service when Companc felt ill. They will not restart tomorrow. Tomorrow’s Route The final day is the shortest of the event. After leaving Olbia at 06.00, drivers face two loops of stages, split by a return to the town for service. Two stages south of the town feature in both laps, with a single run in the second loop through a test to the north, near the Costa Smeralda coastline.

The finish is in Porto Cervo at 14.15. Leaderboard after Day 2

1. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 58min 03.5sec

2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 58min 13.4sec

3. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Citroen Xsara 2hr 59min 16.1sec

4. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 2hr 59min 18.3sec

5. E Novikov/D Moscatt RUS Citroen C4 3hr 00min 49.5sec

6. M Wilson/S Martin GBR Ford Focus RS 3hr 03min 06.3sec

7. K Al Qassimi/M Orr UAE Ford Focus RS 3hr 05min 01.4sec

8. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 3hr 07min 22.3sec

9. M Østberg/V Engan NOR Subaru Impreza 3hr 10min 32.5sec

10 H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 3hr 10min 33.6sec

#fiestamovement :New 2010 Ford Fiesta R2 Rally Car launched

An all-new Ford Fiesta R2 rally car, based on the top-selling Ford Fiesta road car launched last year, was unveiled at the Rally d'Italia Sardegna this evening.

Designed to replace the hugely successful Fiesta ST rally car, the new vehicle is targeted at competitors in the Fiesta SportTrophy series around the globe, as well as in regional rally championships.

The Fiesta R2 will conform to the latest FIA regulations and satisfy strong customer demand for an exciting yet affordable point of entry into rallying. While the car will not compete in Sardinia, it will be driven as a course safety car ahead of the main entry by FST International Shootout winner Matthias Boon (BEL) and co-driver Massimiliano Bosi (ITA).The development bodyshell for the R2 project was revealed by M-Sport at the Autosport International Show in the UK in

January 2009.

As one of Europe’s biggest motorsport shows, the project generated great interest and excitement from potential competitors and the public alike. Work on the base design of the car, the result of successful engineering co-operation between M-Sport and Ford, is now almost complete and engineers are undertaking a comprehensive test programme in readiness for a proposed homologation date of 1 July 2009. The five-speed Fiesta R2 rally car is based on the Ford Fiesta Sport (Zetec S in the UK and Ireland) using the 1.6L Ti-Vct 120PS (1598cc) base engine as in regular production. It is built from a standard conversion kit developed by M-Sport.

The kit to convert the car to rally specification includes engine parts to increase the engine performance including pistons, conrods, camshafts, valve springs, injectors, airbox, air filter, spark plugs and a sump baffle kit. The gearbox has been replaced for a sequential shift unit with a limited slip differential, along with upgraded brakes and Reiger suspension. Beyond these specific items, the intention is for the car to use many standard components from the Ford Fiesta and other Ford road vehicles to reduce costs for the competitor. Standard conversion kits will be available from M-Sport or an appointed national sales outlet.

The knowledge gained from the world-title winning Ford Focus RS WRC has been transferred to the creation of the Fiesta R2 under the leadership of M-Sport’s Principal Engineer Chris Williams, who was also responsible for the success of the Fiesta ST, which sold in 27 different countries. Last month M-Sport announced the development of a Super 2000 Fiesta for competition at the sport's highest level. These two vehicles, the Super 2000 and the R2, will create a complete ladder of opportunity for rally competitors to graduate from grass roots level to WRC using Ford vehicles.

M-Sport Managing Director Malcolm Wilson said:“The development of this car has created a lot of excitement over the past few months and I’m delighted that we have now been able to unveil the Fiesta here in Sardinia. There’s no doubting that the R2 has large boots to fill: the GpN Fiesta ST is still achieving frequent class wins around the world and has finished as high as 25th overall in the WRC, an amazing feat for a small car.

The experience and knowledge that our engineers have gained with the ST has been key in developing the R2 into a more ‘sophisticated’ car, whilst it has inherited the basic strength and reliability that made the ST so popular – and all at a lower cost than other competing manufacturers.”Ford of Europe Motorsport Director Mark Deans said:"The continued commitment of M-Sport to its Fiesta SportTrophy series is great news and we are eager to see the new Fiesta in rallying. The road car has deservedly received huge acclaim since its launch last autumn and will provide the perfect base vehicle. I'm confident the R2 will play a key role as the ideal entry-level car.

The development of this car is a product of enthusiastic collaboration between Ford and M-Sport and, allied with the recently-announced Super 2000 Fiesta, offers a complete ladder of opportunity to guide ambitious and talented drivers from the sport's base level through to the very top in Ford vehicles. While Ford of Europe's principle motorsport activity remains the FIA World Rally Championship, we will do everything we can at a local level to support the Fiesta SportTrophy in individual markets and we wish M-Sport every success with their new Fiesta projects."

Fiesta R2 SpecificationDonor vehicle: Ford Fiesta 1.6 Sport / Zetec S. Model dated from September 2008 for purchase from any source.

Promotional price available from M-Sport. Engine: 1.6 Zetec 16V – 1598cc – Ti-VCT; 4 cylinders in line; DOHC; 16 valves; alloy cylinder head and block; variable cam timing. Power: 163 PS @ 7,500 rpmTorque: 182 Nm @ 5,700 rpm

Transmission: Five speed sequential gearbox developed by Sadev with plated limited slip differential and uprated driveshafts.

ECU developed by Pi with flat shift feature with full throttle closed loop control shift.Suspension: Reiger adjustable dampers with Eibach springs, spherical jointed top mounts front and rear. Front dampers adjustable for bump and rebound.

Standard rear beam with uprated mounts. 2-bolt clamped front upright. Adaptor pin mounted in uprights with spherical bearing connecting the lower arm. Five stud hub.Brakes: Gravel (front): 285 mm AP ventilated discs with four piston competition calipers. Asphalt (front): 310 mm AP ventilated discs with four piston competition calipers.

Rear: 280 mm AP ventilated discs with single piston calipers.Hydraulic handbrake.Steering: Electric power-assisted steering.Wheels: Gravel: OZ 6”x15” GravelAsphalt: OZ 6.5”x16” AsphaltBodyshell: Welded T45 steel multipoint rollcage. Optimised seat position and integrated dash bar.

Jacking points optional and seam welding is permitted.Electronics: Bespoke instrument cluster by Visteon in the same style as the standard series cluster.Dimensions: Length: 3953mm. Width: 1722mm. Height: 1481mm. Wheelbase: 2490mm. Weight: 1030kg.

Stobart improve in heat-soaked Sardinia

Friday May 22nd 09: Stobart VK M-Sport Ford drivers Henning Solberg and Matthew Wilson overcame early problems to put themselves in a powerful position going into day two of Rally d’Italia Sardenga, the sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

With tactical driving strongly in evidence on day one as crews jostled for the best position on Saturday’s rough, dusty stages, Solberg is lying in sixth place while Wilson ended the day in ninth. Following the ceremonial start which attracted huge numbers of fans to the town hall in Olbia on Thursday night the rally got underway 70kms to the south-west of Service Park this morning with two loops of three stages.

High temperatures meant that the roads were dusty while the hard, rocky base provided a big challenge for the 58 starters.Wilson and co-driver Scott Martin had the worst possible start to their rally as they were struck by hydraulic problems less than a kilometre into the opening stage. The hydraulic failure meant that Wilson was forced to use the manual gear shift and lost a lot of the Ford Focus RS WRC’s handling as the centre diff was affected. The young Briton did well to keep his composure and make it through to the end of the morning loop but was trailing the leaders by nearly two minutes in 13th place.

However, the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team mechanics worked hard to fix the problem during the midday service and Wilson was able to push harder in the afternoon, picking up four places over the course of three stages to finish the day back inside the top ten and with good road position for day two.After posting an excellent time in shakedown on Thursday, Solberg failed to find his rhythm during the early stages today and fell down the field behind young chargers Evgeny Novikov, Sebastien Ogier and Mads Ostberg. The team made some small changes to the set-up of the car before the second loop to try and improve grip and handling, and these paid off in the afternoon as the Norwegian and co-driver Cato Menkerud moved up the leaderboard.

A loose catch meant that Solberg lost his bonnet during SS5 Loelle 2. But despite the handling issues that this caused he still managed to post the fourth fastest time on the final stage of the day SS6 Crastazza 2 leaving him in a tactically strong sixth position going into Saturday’s stages.With temperatures on the Mediterranean island soaring, the second pass of the stages was particularly hard on the tyres, but the Pirelli Scorpion rubber stood up well to the conditions.Day two will present an extra challenge for the drivers as they face two completely new stages. SS7 Sa Linea which follows a disused railway line is expected to be very rough and rocky. From there the crews move on to the 22.02km Fiorentini through the forests of central Sardinia before tackling Monte Lerno, the longest stage of the rally.

The Italian rally fans are expected to be out in force there to see one of the most famous jumps on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar. With weather conditions expected to remain dry and hot throughout the whole weekend, dust will continue to be a problem while drivers’ concentration will be tested to the maximum as they contest 130.74kms of special stage action.Other rally newsBP Ford Abu Dhabi drivers Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen are leading the rally at the end of day one. Latvala holds a 39-second lead over his team mate who lies just ahead of Citroen’s Sebastien Loeb.

The Frenchman slowed on the final stage of the day in order to gain better road position on day two. Petter Solberg showed good pace throughout day one and is fourth in his updated Citroen Xsara just ahead of Russian youngster Evegeny Novikov who rounds of the top five.But it was a hard day for Loeb’s Citroen team mate Dani Sordo who picked up a time penalty after arriving late to SS1. Meanwhile Munchi’s Ford driver Federico Villagra is in danger of losing his 100 per cent points scoring record so far this season after suffering a mechanical failure on SS5.

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Matthew Wilson said: “It has been a difficult first day of the rally for us. Obviously we had our problems this morning when we lost hydraulic pressure and the paddle gear shift. That put us on the back foot. But everything went fine this afternoon on the second pass, although it was difficult on the last stage as the rough conditions affected the tyre wear and the car was moving around a lot. We also struggled to make pace notes on that stage during the recce so they weren’t precise enough.

But we’re in a good road position for tomorrow. Those stages are also very difficult but we’ll just concentrate on having a good drive.”Stobart VK M-Sport Ford driver Henning Solberg said:“I am still trying to get the correct feeling with the car. There’s no major problem with it but I just don’t have full confidence at the moment.

The stages are very difficult, narrow but fast, and you have to be committed and have a good feeling with the car to push hard on them. We changed the springs during the day which helped and we will also make some minor changes in service tonight. Nothing major but hopefully it will help me to push harder tomorrow.”

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team principal Malcolm Wilson said:“It has been a difficult day for both Stobart crews today, but both cars are now in an ideal position to do well tomorrow, especially Henning. We have seen today that road position is quite important so hopefully it’ll help both crews to be starting where they are tomorrow.

Matthew suffered some problems on the first three stages today but he put that behind him and had a strong finish to the day. Both crews are currently in the points and they’re in a prime position to build on a good start tomorrow.”

Leaderboard at end of day one1.

J-M Latvala/M Anttila (FIN) Ford Focus RS 1h24m14.5s2.

M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen(FIN) Ford Focus RS +39.8s3.

S Loeb/D Elena (FRA) Citroën C4 +42.8s 4.

P Solberg/P Mills (NOR) Citroën Xsara +46.4s5.

E Novikov/D Moscatt (RUS) Citroën C4 +1m04.7s6.

H Solberg/C Menkerud (NOR) Ford Focus RS +1m08.2s7.

Mads Ostberg/V Engen (NOR) Subaru Impreza +1m16.6s8.

D Sordo/M Marti (ESP) Citroën C4 +1m37.3s9.

M Wilson/S Martin (GB) Ford Focus RS +2m33.8s10.

K Al Qassimi/M Orr (UAE) Ford Focus RS +2.59.9s

ACP set to defend Rally America Championship lead.

April 17th 2009, Aberdeen, Washington — Rally driver Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard is set to defend his lead in the Rally America national championship at the challenging Olympus Rally in Aberdeen, Washington this weekend (April 18-19).
“We’re looking forward to a strong performance at this technical event,” said Comrie-Picard. “These are the kinds of roads that really suit our team.”
The team took back-to-back podium finishes in their NOS Energy Mitsubishi during the first two events in the season and are now tied with Rockstar Energy’s Tanner Foust for the championship lead.
The rugged course this weekend promises to test competitors’ range of skills, with roads that transition between twisty and tree-lined, to fast and flowing – with daunting drop-offs always a possibility should drivers end up off-course. The rally will be based in the ocean-side community of Aberdeen, with day-long Service Parks in Taholah on Saturday, April 18, and South Bend on Sunday, April 19.
“The NOS Energy car is in terrific condition, and we found 30 horsepower more on the AMS Performance dyno last week with fairly simple mods,” said Comrie-Picard. “We’re looking forward to continuing our championship charge.”
With fairly cool weather and the possibility of rain, this event could be especially challenging, particularly for the leading teams who will claw tooth-and-nail for fractions of a second advantage over the two-day contest.
The event will see Robbie Durant return to the co-driver’s seat after his podium debut with the team in Missouri.
In addition to Foust, Comrie-Picard will also be looking to ward off a challenge by the factory Subaru Rally Team USA drivers – Red Bull’s Travis Pastrana and Monster Energy’s Ken Block -- who are tied for second place overall in the championship.
Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover hundreds of miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.
The sport is also featured in the annual X Games, the premier action sports event on the globe, featuring athletes competing for medals and prize money in sports including BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, and Rally. Comrie-Picard has been among the dozen invited drivers every year since the rally discipline was introduced to the contest, and he has already secured an early invitation to return in 2009.
Driver Comrie-Picard is also slated to begin running select events in the prestigious Formula D drifting series in the coming months.
“The two sports are awesome demonstrations of car control and I’m looking forward to this new kind of competition,” said Comrie-Picard. “It’s a different kind of driving, but there are a lot of complimentary skills and it’s an exciting challenge for the team.”
The Rally America national championship includes nine events in a cross-continent season that extends from January to late October. The Canadian Rally Championship has six events from coast to coast. ACP Rally will contest a busy season, with rally events on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, select drift events -- and the X Games.
End
Source: ACP Rally

GRAPPLE AGAINST AUTISM

GRAPPLE AGAINST AUTISM
May 9 in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (April, 15, 2009) – Jonathan Cimins, nephew of Grapplers Quest founder, Brian Cimins, was diagnosed with Autism at only 18 months of age. For the last five years, the Cimins family has supported Autism Awareness and created, “Jonathan’s Team,” to help raise funds for education, treatments, and, hopefully, a cure at each Grapplers Quest Submission Grappling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament nationwide.

Grapplers Quest --“The World’s Largest Grappling Competition” -- is celebrating its 10th anniversary by bringing the 15th West Submission Grappling and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championships to The Sports Center (121 East Sunset Road) in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 9 (10:30 AM--6:30 PM).

One dollar from each spectator ticket or competitor fee purchased will be donated to help support the founder’s nephew, Jonathan’s alternative Autism Biomedical Treatment, by Dr. Neubrander, of Princeton, New Jersey. For tickets to Grapplers Quest go to http://www.grapplersquest.com/store/content.cfm?product_type=ticket

Submission Grappling is the ground fighting art of Mixed Martial Arts, combining the throws of Olympic Judo, takedowns of Greco-Roman and/or Freestyle Wrestling, leg locks from Russian Sambo, and various other submissions loke arm-bars and chokes from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Grapplers Quest organizes the official National, Regional, North American and World competitions for Submission Grappling, the submission style ground-fighting sport.

“Grapplers Quest will crown the Best Submission Grapplers and Jiu Jitsu fighters in the West in all age groups and skill levels in the largest grappling tournament in the history of the sport on May 9,” Brian Cimins explained. “It is an event not to be missed. Grapplers Quest draws some of the best fighters and grapplers in the world, plus you’ll meet tons of MMA Superstars in attendance. MMA and wrestling fans will love the sport of Submission Grappling, as well as support Autism Awareness by attending this event. See you mat-side, May 9th.”

Grapplers Quest will host the 2009 Grappling World Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony for Ultimate Fighter, Season 2 Champion and Las Vegas favorite, Joe “Daddy” Stevenson, who will be there coaching his team, meeting fans, and accepting the prestigious Hall of Fame Award.


About Autism:
Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships as well behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 150 children in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called Autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown. For more information on Autism, visit: www.AutismSpeaks.org

About Grapplers Quest:
Grapplers Quest is the world’s largest submission grappling organization with 300,000+ competitors worldwide since 1998 and owned by The Grapplers Company. Grappling Events feature divisions for men, women, and children of all ages and skill levels with events in major metropolitan cities throughout North America and Europe. For more information, go to: www.GrapplersQuest.com
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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.

Manfredo calls out John Duddy

Manfredo goes back to the future
Fights Walid Smichet Saturday in Montreal

PROVIDENCE (April 15, 2009) – Former world title challenger Peter Manfredo, Jr., free from his promotional contract ties with the Tournament of Contenders, has gone back to the future, hooking-up with his original promoter, Jimmy Burchfield, and fighting against Walid “Tempete de Sable” Smichet this Saturday afternoon at Montreal Casino.

Manfredo (31-6, 16 KOs), 28, faces Schmidt (20-5-3, 14 KOs) in the10-round co-feature that has career-determining implications for both fighters. Manfredo, star of The Contender, Season I, plans to work his way down to the middleweight division, although this bout is at 168-pounds.

“I only had three weeks to get ready for this fight, so making it for 168 is a trade off, I guess, for fighting this guy in his backyard,” Manfredo explained. “I feel good about dropping my weight to 160. I was too small as a super middleweight and I’ll be just right at middleweight. I won’t be a huge middleweight like Kelly Pavlik, but look at Sergio Mora. I beat him our second fight (Mora won a controversial decision); he beat me the first fight. He won a world title at 154 and now he’s fighting Pavlik for the middleweight title. I see myself as better, or at least the equal of Mora. I know I can be world champion. I have to rebuild but I’m a fighter and that’s what we do….fight! Walid may not be a world champion, but he’s a tough competitor who can fight. Everybody saw what he did to (John) Duddy (Smichet busted-up Duddy, who received 30-plus stitches and lost out on a $1.45 million fight against Pavlik).”

Burchfield, president of Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES), signed Manfredo in 2000 and masterfully moved Peter to 21-0 in 3 ½ years, including wins against former world champion Frankie Randall and The Contender III eventual winner Grady Brewer, as well as The Contender I star Anthony Bonsante, before agreeing to release “The Pride of Providence” in order to participate in The Contender, in which, Manfredo reached the season finale against Mora. For the past three years, CES worked in association with the Tournament of Contenders, outside of the television reality series, on behalf of Manfredo.

“We’re picking-up where we left off,” an excited Burchfield said about getting back with

(More…..)

2 – Manfredo-Smichet

Manfredo. “Peter is still one of the most marketable fighters in the world. He’s only 28 and wants to be world champion There’s a lot of upside. We had just signed a 3-year promotional contract and passed the CES ceremonial torch from Vinny Paz to Peter, when he asked for permission to fight on The Contender. He was the NABO champion and No. 3 in the WBO, but Peter’s like a son to me, and I couldn’t stop him from getting a shot at a $1-million prize for his family. That experience helped him become a household name in boxing circles. Our plan now calls for him to fight outside of New England for awhile, possibly one time in Italy, before fighting back at home. We have targeted (John) Duddy at middleweight.”

Nothing happens for Manfredo, however, unless he gets past Smichet, the former Canadian middleweight title-holder who has knocked-off previously unbeaten Matt O’Brien, fought a draw with Donny McCrary, and been in tough against Sebastien Demers and Duddy.

“He is a tough, hard-nosed, come forward fighter,” Manfredo’s father/head trainer Peter Manfredo, Sr. broke-down Smichet. “He is easy to figure out. Peter needs fight smart – box, angles, double-up on his jab, and work behind it. He can’t stand in front of him or it’s going to be a much harder fight. Everyone saw what this guy did to Duddy. You can’t get in too close with him because he has a nice right hand. I give a lot of credit to his trainer, Otis Grant.”

All of Manfredo’s pro losses have been to world champions or world-class fighters --Joe Calzaghe, Mora (twice), Jeff Lacy, Sakio Bika and Alfonso Gomez – and half were of them super middleweight. Peter is on his way down to 160 pounds with Duddy clearly in his sights.

“Duddy’s a great guy, unbeaten contender and a big draw,” Manfredo concluded. “We could make a lot of money for each other, Italian versus Irishman, in a great fight for fans like (Arturo) Gatti and (Micky) Ward. If that fight doesn’t happen there’s guys like Demers and others, but I have to take care of Smichet first and show people I still have it.

“I’m glad to be back with Jimmy. He’s a great guy, like family. I started with him and trust him. I can talk to him about what’s on my mind, vent if I have to, and he’ll always send me in the right direction. I believe he can take me to the place I want to be – world champion. I have the name and he has the connections. Together we can make one last run. I’m taking it one fight at a time and we’ll see where it takes us.”

Go to www.cesboxng.com for more information about Classic Entertainment and Sports and Manfredo.

-CES-

CONTACT: Bob Trieger, Full Court Press, 978.64.4482, bobtfcp@hotmail.com

Petrol bombs fly again in Northern Ireland

BELFAST, Ireland, March 15th 2009(AFP) — Gangs of youths threw petrol bombs at police in Northern Ireland on Saturday after a prominent republican was among three people arrested over the murder of two British soldiers.
The troubled province's police chief, meanwhile, warned that hundreds of dissidents, whom he described as "very dangerous", were aiming to derail its fledgling peace process.
The three men, aged 21, 32 and 41, were being questioned by police over the shooting of the soldiers at Massereene Barracks in Antrim, on March 7.
According to a police source, the 41-year-old was Colin Duffy, who has distanced himself from Republican party Sinn Fein since it agreed to share power with pro-London unionists.
In the aftermath of his arrest, gangs of masked youths threw stones at police near Duffy's home in Lurgan, and petrol bombs were later thrown at vehicles belonging to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), a police spokesman said.
"Missiles including petrol bombs and stones have been thrown at police at a number of locations in Lurgan," a PSNI spokesman said, adding that no one had been injured and no petrol bombs had been thrown since around 7:00 pm (1900 GMT).
The spokesman estimated that the youths had numbered around 20, and said that a male in his late teens was arrested but later released, while a male in his early teens had also been arrested.

Colin Duffy arrested

Belfast Ireland, March 14th 2009, Eirigi spokesman Colin Duffy has been arrested by the PSNI police following a series of early morning raids across the North of Ireland.

PSNI teams in forensic suits have been searching Mr Duffy's house in a private estate in Lurgan, County Armagh.

Two other men have also been arrested in Lurgan and Bellaghy, County Derry, in connection with the 'Real IRA' attack on Massereene Army base last Saturday.

Local republican youths clashed with PSNI personnel deployed to the area.

Mr Duffy is a prominent republican in the area and has endured a lifetime of RUC/PSNI arrests and harassment.

Mr Duffy was released from prison in 1996 when a conviction for murder was quashed by the Appeal Court following three years of false imprisonment,

The prosecution case collapsed when it was revealled that their key witness, screened from view during the trial, was a loyalist gunrunner.

He was the most prominent client of human rights lawyer, Rosemary
Nelson, who was assassinated in 1999 by a unionist death squad. The
RUC/PSNI is widely believed to have colluded in the killing, currently the subject of a public inquiry.

The arrest of Mr Duffy is being viewed as part of a potential 'securocrat' backlash against republican hardliners in the wake of last week's attacks, in which two British soldiers and a PSNI man was killed.

A massive operation is currently underway by British forces in the north Armagh area. A total of six men have so far been arrested in the raids. and further disturbances are expected.

Meanwhile, the political group connected to the 'Real IRA' has warned that "if the conflict in Ireland is to end once and for all, so too must the illegal British claim to sovereignty over the Six Counties.

source: Irish Republican News

Sinn Fein runs risks in handling Northern Ireland violence

By Carmel Crimmins - Analysis
BELFAST (Reuters) -March 12th 2009, Republicans in Northern Ireland's power-sharing administration have reassured their Protestant partners by denouncing guerrilla killings this week, but they risk losing support from hard-line nationalist backers.
Sinn Fein, political ally of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), won plaudits from Protestants who want the province to stay part of the United Kingdom by branding pro-Irish splinter groups as "traitors" for their attacks on security forces.
Two British soldiers were shot dead last weekend and a policeman was killed on Monday in attacks by dissident minority republican guerrillas who seek to reunite Ireland by military means.
The comments by Martin McGuinness, once a senior IRA commander fighting British soldiers in the 1970s and now Deputy First Minister of the province, have angered some nationalist hardliners.
"Sinn Fein and the British forces would want to be careful that they don't inflame the situation by their response," said Jim McAllister, who was a Sinn Fein councilor during the 1980s and 1990s but is no longer a member of the party.
"I think Martin McGuinness has gone some way toward inflaming it."
The attacks by the Real IRA and the Continuity IRA, the deadliest in Northern Ireland in over a decade, come after a number of botched attempts to kill members of the security forces.
McGuinness's comments were designed to reassure Sinn Fein's sometimes reluctant Protestant partners in a power-sharing assembly that they are serious about a 1998 peace deal, which ended the IRA's decades long campaign against British rule.
But in his use of language - the word "traitor" is one of the worst insults in the pro-Irish nationalist camp - McGuinness was also sending a signal to hardliners that he will freeze them out to protect the path Sinn Fein has taken.
Former foes have applauded him and his words have helped cool temperatures in Protestant areas, reducing the threat of tit-for-tat violence which once gripped Belfast.
"When we heard Martin McGuinness speak the other day he spoke from the heart," said Frankie Gallagher, of the Ulster Political Research Group, an organization close to the Ulster Defense Association (UDA), a pro-British paramilitary group.
"Once that leadership was shown, I think it dissipated a lot of anger within our communities."
TESTING TIMES
The Continuity IRA and the Real IRA have warned their operations will continue until Northern Ireland is no longer part of the United Kingdom.
More violence could yet trigger retaliation from Protestant groups, potentially putting Sinn Fein under pressure from Catholic communities who traditionally look to it for protection rather than the police.
For now, that is a remote possibility.
The Continuity IRA and the Real IRA have a tiny support base and most nationalists support Sinn Fein's stance.
But beyond the television cameras, the party will have to put its tough words into action by encouraging supporters to give information to the police -- a practice still considered taboo in some areas.
During three decades of bloodshed between minority Irish Republicans and pro-British Protestants, the police were viewed by many Catholics as a partisan extension of British rule.
Passing tips to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), as the police was then known, was a dangerous business and so-called "informers" or "traitors" risked execution by the IRA.
The RUC was disbanded and relaunched as the Police Service of Northern Ireland in 2001 in a bid to provide a more impartial force.
Sinn Fein's nationalist credentials mean that it is the only party that can encourage Catholics to talk and isolate the extremists.
"If in a year's time, the threat of dissidents has been contained then people will say that Sinn Fein faced a test and they came through," said Richard English, a professor of politics at Queens University in Belfast.
"The new Northern Ireland might turn out to be something which is more secure than people had feared."
(Additional reporting by Jonathan Saul)
(Editing by Richard Balmforth)

Cork and overseas drivers battle for success in West Cork Rally

By Martin Walsh Saturday March 14th, 2009

CLONAKILTY becomes the centre of attention for motorsport this weekend with the Quality Hotels West Cork Rally that, essentially, is a battle between Cork and overseas drivers. Double winner, Donie O'Sullivan heads the entry for the sixteen-stage event.

The Cullen-born driver will pilot a Proton Satria S2000 car that gave a great performance on the opening stages of Rally Ireland where it was driven by former Production World champion, Niall McShea. O’Sullivan, who won the Clonakilty-based event last year onboard a McKinstry Subaru WRC, also won the 2006 rally in a Ford Focus WRC.

He will be co-driven by Killarney’s Paul Nagle, who partnered Kris Meeke to victory in the Rally Internacional de Curitiba in Brazil, the second round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. Welshman, John Dalton in the nimble Darrian, is seeded at number two and should conditions remain dry over the two days, he will pose a real threat and victory for the Lampeter man would not be surprising.

Liam McCarthy spearheads the West Cork challenge in his Toyota Corolla WRC. The Dunmanway driver has led the Clonakilty based event on numerous occasions; however, so far, victory has eluded him. There is little doubt that 2005 was the closest he came to a maiden victory. He led another West Cork driver, Denis Cronin, but lost out on the closing stages. McCarthy won the Fastnet Rally last October and that should act as a confidence booster. British driver, Jim Harrison, who made a return to the sport on the recent Nenagh Rally, will drive a McKinstry prepared Subaru WRC.

Londoner, Harvey Bell will call the notes for the Macclesfield driver. Like McCarthy, Harrison is also a Fastnet winner and there’s no doubt he has the potential to win the Clonakilty event. Former West Cork winner, Denis Cronin, is another possible winner.

His recent third place in the Mitchelstown based Tipperary Forest Rally will stand him in good stead. Whilst it’s the same car that he drove to victory in 2005, the car has the benefit of newer specifications in the engine compartment. West Cork regular, Phil Collins in his Mk. 2 Ford Escort should provide the usual spectacle for the fans and is well capable of keeping his seeded position.

Much will be expected from Ballylickey’s Keith Cronin in his Mitsubishi Evo9. A winner of the opening round of the Irish Forest Championship in Mitchelstown, Cronin can be expected to match the more powerful cars on the 16-stage encounter. Last season, Group N cars performed admirably in some rounds of the Irish Tarmac series and Cronin’s talent should ensure something similar in Clonakilty. Indeed, it would not be that surprising if both Denis and Keith Cronin finished on the podium. Alan Ring (Subaru) has withdrawn his entry.

The original top ten also features Wexford’s James Stafford (Darrian) and Carrigaline’s Brian O’Mahony (Renault Clio S1600). Stafford should be very prominent, much like Dalton, while O’Mahony, who was the top two-wheel drive competitor in Mayo last week, should also figure well. LOCALS Meanwhile, Ashley Field (Darrian) is seeded at eleven ahead of a plethora of Ford Escorts driven by Kevin O’Donoghue, Adrian Hetherington, Manus Kelly, John O’Donnell, Fergus O’Meara, local Ballineen driver, Fintan Canty, Ed O’Callaghan and Leonard Downey.

Those drivers should provide plenty of entertainment. Other Cork drivers in the top thirty are Lissarda’s Philip Cross (Escort Cosworth), who is seeded at 24 and Niall Guinevan (Ovens) in a Subaru, who will occupy the number 27 berth. One of the most popular features of the event is the class battles involving local West Cork drivers. In Class 11, three locals, Damien McCarthy (Barryroe), David Guest (Clonakilty) and Jason McSweeney (Dunmanway) will also battle for honours in the Honda series where Youghal’s Jason Ryan is also competing.

The Toyota Corolla trio of Lyre’s Michael McKennedy, Rossmore’s Vinny Bennett and Dunderrow’s Shaun Quin are also amongst the Class 11 entries and competition is likely to be intense. Class 13 features Ardfield’s Eoghan Calnan and Diarmuid Keohane (The Pike) both in Ford Escorts while Drimoleague’s Martin Lordan (Ford Escort), the Vauxhall Nova trio of Leap’s James Collins, Bandon’s Peter Desmond and Ray O’Sullivan from Durrus will battle in Class 9.

Elsewhere, another class with a strong local content is Class 10 with Stephen Sheehan (Coachford), Victor Beamish (Bandon), David Jennings (Clonakilty) and Jerry O’Mahony (Rosscarbery) flying the local flag. Other local entries are Bandon’s Sean O'Donovan (Subaru); Rossmore’s John Buttimer (Subaru); Dunmanway’s Ger O'Connell (Escort), Clonakilty’s Steve Roberts (Escort), Skibbereen’s Bernard O’Brien (Escort) and Innishannon’s John O’Shea (Honda). The cars leave Parc Ferme (Model Village) on Saturday morning at 9.45am.

The first stage, Ballinascarthy, is scheduled to begin at 10.23am. Servicing at the Darrara Agricultural College complex follows throughout the day at 11.43am; 1.43pm; 3.28pm and 5.30pm. A stage at Clogagh completes the opening pair of stages that are repeated after service.

The afternoon stages are at Ring and Dunworley. On Sunday, the opening stage Sam’s Cross (S.S. 9) is at 10.54am. This is followed by a stage at Rossmore, both are repeated after service. Ardfield and Hayes’ Cross are the afternoon stage locations. Servicing after S.S. 10 takes place shortly after noon, the other service times are at 2.06pm and 3.45pm. The finish ramp celebrations in Clonakilty are scheduled for 5.45pm, prizegiving takes place at the Quality Hotel later in the evening.

source: The Southern Star

2009 MaxAttack!(tm) Rally Series to Feature New Format and New Events

After two successful years of bringing the best of two-wheel-drive rally action to the United States, the MaxAttack! Rally Series is evolving it’s format for 2009 to better serve its competitors, increase competition, and increase the value of the series.

While the per-event cash payout for each event will remain the same, there will be a format change in the chase for the coveted Jake Himes Cup. Rather than have to contest all three events in the season, competitors will run either a western or eastern qualifying event, with all teams contesting a central “shootout.” The highest point total from the two events will be the winner. The per-event payout will again be available to all two-wheel-drive entrants, regardless of how many of the series events a team may contest.

The new format addresses the challenges of competing in a national championship in such a large country during a struggling economy. It will serve to make the competition better at all of the events and will actually enhance the value of the championship to competitors, events, and sponsors alike, as more of North America’s top two-wheel-drive rally competitors will find the series within reach.
“We are very grateful for the support we have received from the rallies that have been part of our series for the last two years. This change of venue is in no way related to the quality of the events,” explains Eric Burmeister of the Rallysports Group of America. “We just wanted to try some new events so we could use our positive influence to help even more rallies. The switch to a Shootout from a Triple Crown format allowed us to experiment a little, and it is destined to keep the fight for the Jake Himes Cup a nail biter to the end!”
The three events that will constitute the 2009 MaxAttack! Rally Series are:* Rally Idaho, July 9-11, Mountain Home, ID, http://www.idahorally.com/* New England Forest Rally, July 17-18, Bethel, ME, http://www.newenglandforestrally.com/* Ojibwe Forests Rally, August 28-29, Bemidji, MN, http://ojibweforestrally.com/
Rally Idaho and the New England Forest Rally will be the qualifying events for the Jake Himes Cup, and Ojibwe Forests will be the central Shootout event.
The MaxAttack! Rally Series, presented by the Rallysports Group of America, consists of three events across the country, and each event will feature a $5,000 prize fund to be distributed among the top two-wheel-drive teams, as well as a season championship.
For more information about the MaxAttack! Series and the Rallysports Group of America, please visit http://www.max-attack.com/.
About Rallysports Group of AmericaRallysports Group of America, Inc. (RSGA) was formed as an organization in 2006 to advance the sport of performance stage rally in the United States. By providing education on performance driving, car preparation and safety, and by fostering the growth of meaningful competition, RSGA seeks to provide a sustainable and competitive arena for the advancement of North American performance rally that promotes increased value for rally competitors, organizers, and sponsors alike. For more information, please visit http://www.max-attack.com/.

Northern Ireland in silent protest against IRA dissidents

People from the four major church denominations, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Anglican and Methodist, turn out for a peace rally at Belfast's City Hall, Northern Ireland, Wednesday, March, 11, 2009. Labor union leaders called on workers across Northern Ireland to come together for a silent protest Wednesday against Irish Republican Army dissidents responsible for killing three people and wounding four others. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

By SHAWN POGATCHNIK

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — Several thousand Irish Catholics and British Protestants united in a silent protest Wednesday against IRA dissidents who gunned down two soldiers and a policeman since the weekend, attacks threatening to plunge Northern Ireland into sectarian bloodshed once again.
More than 2,000 people gathered at lunchtime in front of Belfast City Hall to oppose Northern Ireland's worst dissident Irish Republican Army violence since 1998, the year both sides' politicians struck the Good Friday peace deal that sought lasting compromise through a Catholic-Protestant government.
Thousands more gathered in the predominantly Catholic border cities of Londonderry and Newry, where dissidents remain active in the shadows despite overwhelming public opposition. "No going back," read placards at all the protests.
In Belfast, as a lone bagpiper played a lament, the crowd — among them firefighters and postal workers, former paramilitary convicts and child-cradling mothers — fell stone-silent for five minutes. Some openly wept.
As the crowds dispersed, many shook hands with police officers and offered their condolences over the latest fatality, a 23-year police veteran shot through the back of the head Monday. Others said they wished they could do more to ensure that Northern Ireland's next generation never experiences what they endured through four decades of conflict that left 3,700 dead.
"I'm a Catholic. I grew up in an area where the police were the enemy. Now things have changed so completely for the better," said Aidan Kane, a paramedic who came to the rally with his 6-year-old boy on his shoulders. "If my wee lad here wants to be a policeman when he grows up, I'd be proud. I shouldn't have to worry that some nut might shoot him for serving his community."
Patricia McKeown, president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, chief organizer of Wednesday's protests, said she hoped the silence of the crowds would "be a silence that thunders around the world."
"End this madness," urged a front-page editorial in the Belfast Telegraph alongside photographs of the three slain men: 48-year-old police Constable Stephen Carroll and two soldiers in the British Army's Royal Engineers: Cengiz "Patrick" Azimkar, 21, and Mark Quinsey, 23.
The Continuity IRA fatally shot Carroll as he sat in a patrol car Monday night. Another splinter group, the Real IRA, killed the two army engineers, and wounded two other soldiers and two pizza delivery men, on Saturday night as Afghanistan-bound troops collected a final meal at their base's entrance.
Both breakaway groups remain committed to the traditional IRA goal of forcing Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom and into the Irish Republic. Most IRA members renounced violence and disarmed in 2005, eight years after calling an open-ended truce.
In Rome, Pope Benedict XVI condemned the attacks and asked worshippers in St. Peter's Square to pray that nobody else in Northern Ireland "will again give in to the horrendous temptation of violence."
Meanwhile, the British Protestant and Irish Catholic leaders of Northern Ireland's 22-month-old power-sharing government departed Wednesday for the U.S. to seek increased American support for the peace process.
Because of the killings, they twice had canceled the start of their U.S. visit, which seeks to defend and promote U.S. business investment in their land of 1.7 million people.
The trip by First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness now was likely to attract much greater U.S. attention, aides said, but for all the wrong reasons.
The killings have already had the surprising effect of bonding Robinson, long a bitter Protestant opponent of the IRA, and McGuinness, a longtime IRA commander, more closely together than ever before.
They rarely appeared in public together before Tuesday, when they stood shoulder to shoulder with Northern Ireland police chief Hugh Orde and appealed for citizens shielding the IRA dissidents in their communities to identify them to police.
"In Northern Ireland today we are seeing a degree of unity among the political parties that some people thought they would never see in their lifetimes," British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told lawmakers in the House of Commons in London.
In Dublin, Ireland's parliament unanimously passed a motion condemning the return of dissident IRA killings and vowing to help Northern Ireland authorities hunt down the dissidents, who are largely based along the Irish border.
A 17-year-old boy and 37-year-old man arrested Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in Carroll's murder were still being questioned Wednesday. Both suspects come from a Catholic public housing project in Craigavon, southwest of Belfast, near where Carroll was killed.
Associated Press writers Frances D'Emilio in Rome and David Stringer in London contributed to this report.

Luck of the Irish for Danny O’Connor

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (March 11, 2009) – No sooner had the announcement been made that the March 16th “Erin Go Brawl II” show in New York City was canceled, Seminole Warriors Boxing informed its prize light welterweight, Danny O’Connor, of his repositioning on a show this Saturday night in Boston.

The National Guard Armory in Dorchester (70 Liberty Ave.) isn’t a long drive for family, friends and fans from Framingham to watch O’Connor (4-0, 1 KO), 2008 U.S. Olympic first alternate, fight live against Charlie Wade (4-7, 1 KO).

O’Connor is coming off of his impressive national television debut January 30, winning a 4-round decision in the opening bout on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights against light welterweight Jamar Saunders (2-1-1, 1 KO) at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

“I was disappointed when I first heard that the show at Madison Square Garden had been canceled,” O’Connor said. “I think every time I’m supposed to fight in New York something happens. This is the second time but I believe everything happens for a reason and this got me in a card in Boston. I’m so happy. It’s amazing. Now everybody from home can come watch me fight live. They wanted me on ESPN my last fight and now they can see me in person. I can’t imagine how I’ll feel when I walk into the ring with everybody there cheering for me.

“My ESPN fight was huge because a lot of people got to watch me fight for the first time. It helped build my fan-base. It was also a step-up against a tough kid. I’m a pro. This is what I do – fight! I turned in a solid performance but I’m also a perfectionist who thinks I can always do better. It was only my fourth pro fight and was another part of my learning process. I leaned a lot last fight and we’ve bee working to improve some things that I’ll bring into this fight in Boston. I want to stay busy and learn something new every fight.”

The 23-year-old O’Connor won last year’s US Future Stars National Championship, in which, he was named Most Outstanding Boxer, as well as the 2008 National Golden Gloves Tournament. The highlight of Danny’s amateur career was defeating eventual 2008 Olympic Gold medalist Felix Diaz, of the Dominican Republic, last May in a USA-Dominican Republic dual meet.

“We were very happy with Danny’s last fight against a legitimate, young fighter,” O’Connor’s head trainer and co-manager David Keefe remarked. “He used his jab very well and showed excellent speed and good overall boxing skills. We’re very happy to have Danny boxing in Boston. We accepted the opportunity right after we learned about the New York showing being canceled. This was our next best choice and we hope Danny will be fighting at Madison Square Garden in the future. When (co-manager) Rob (Valle) and I were looking for a promoter, we had a game plan for Danny to stay busy. We didn’t want only five fights a year. We believe it’s very important for a young, up-and-comer like Danny to fight a lot. It’s been that way since the first day we met Leon (Margules, Executive Director, Seminole Warriors Boxing).”

For more information about Danny O’Connor go online to

www.dannyoconnorboxing.com.

Bout Card here
-DO-

IRA dissident killings unites Northern Ireland

(AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

By SHAWN POGATCHNIK [AP]
BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — The Protestant and Catholic leaders of Northern Ireland mounted an exceptional display of unity against rising violence from Irish Republican Army dissidents — and vowed Tuesday to defeat hard-liners with the power of popular will.
Former IRA commander Martin McGuinness, who long hoped that slaying police officers would help him achieve his dream of a united Ireland, stood shoulder to shoulder with his Protestant partner atop the government, Peter Robinson, and Northern Ireland police commander Hugh Orde.
The scene itself was an unprecedented surprise. More stunning were the clear-cut words from McGuinness, whose Sinn Fein party has faced years of outside pressure to embrace British law and order. He pledged his personal support to the English police chief, and demanded that his own police-loathing supporters abandon their traditional code of silence and expose the IRA dissidents in their Irish Catholic communities.
"I have to keep my nerve, and to appeal to my community to assist the police services north and south to defeat these people," McGuinness said of the dissidents who killed two British soldiers and a policeman over the past three days — the first such killings in more than a decade.
"There is a duty on me, a responsibility on me to lead from the front, and I expect that people will follow," McGuinness said. He called the IRA splinter groups "traitors to the island of Ireland. They have betrayed the political desires, hopes and aspirations of all of the people who live on this island, and they don't deserve to be supported by anyone."
Analysts said the dissidents' dramatic escalation of bloodshed since Saturday was designed to divide and undermine McGuinness and Robinson as they embarked on their most significant foreign mission: a planned 10-day tour of the United States culminating at the White House on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, to meet U.S. President Barack Obama.
Twice, deadly shootings have obliged the power-sharing chiefs to postpone their departure. They will try again Wednesday, and still expect to meet Obama next week on Ireland's national holiday, the day when Northern Ireland leaders traditionally curry U.S. economic and political support.
But political analysts widely suggested Tuesday that the dissidents, though likely trying to exacerbate tensions between Robinson's Democratic Unionists and McGuinness' Sinn Fein, were having the opposite effect.
After their first-ever joint appearance with the police chief, McGuinness and Robinson — who have kept their distance during eight frosty months sharing power — traveled in the same car together to visit the widow of the most recent victim, 48-year-old Constable Stephen Carroll. The 23-year police veteran was shot in the back of his head Monday night when a gunman from the Continuity IRA dissident group fired on his parked police car.
Carroll had been part of a police backup unit for front-line officers investigating the home of a woman who reported that youths were smashing her windows in a Catholic part of Craigavon. Carroll's widow, Kate, said he had hugged her and told her before leaving home that morning: "Don't worry — they won't get me."
"A good husband has been taken away from me, and my life has been destroyed," she said.
Police raided several homes in a nearby state housing project Tuesday and arrested a 17-year-old-boy and 37-year-old man on suspicion of involvement in Carroll's slaying.
The Northern Ireland Assembly, the 108-member legislature that provides the bedrock for the Robinson-McGuinness administration, observed a minute's silence Tuesday in honor of Carroll's sacrifice. The day before, they did the same in memory of Cengiz Azimkar, 21, and Mark Quinsey, 23 — the unarmed, off-duty soldiers gunned down by another splinter gang, the Real IRA, outside their army base Saturday.
Both the Continuity IRA and the Real IRA are committed to unraveling the 2005 decision by the mainstream "Provisional" IRA to renounce violence and disarm, officially ending its 1970-97 campaign to force Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom after killing 1,775 people and maiming thousands more.
Politicians and police agree it has been only a matter of luck that, until Saturday, more than 20 dissident attacks against police and army bases since November 2007 have wounded just seven policemen and killed nobody.
Both groups remain small, with estimated membership ranging from 200 to 500, and their pool of recruits is restricted versus previous generations. Whereas the Provisional IRA enjoyed strong support in a largely poor and excluded Catholic minority, today's Catholics are largely middle class, comfortable and pleased to have a share of power.
Nonetheless, experts on the IRA and its dissident offshoots caution that the Real and Continuity factions are unlikely to stop in response to public pressure — because they are pursuing the same stubborn example long set by McGuinness' generation.
"The kinds of things they (dissidents) are doing now is what the Provisional IRA, which was led by Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, was doing 15 years ago," said Kevin Toolis, author of a study of the IRA and commentator on the Sinn Fein-IRA movement.
The dissidents' determination to keep killing police and soldiers is "not alien and foreign to Irish republican thinking," he said.
A fringe political party linked to the Continuity IRA, Republican Sinn Fein, forecast Tuesday that troops and police would always remain subject to attack in Northern Ireland until the territory was merged with the Republic of Ireland.
"It's always been on the cards while England remains here, and while they have their occupying forces here," said Geraldine Taylor, a former IRA prisoner who represents the party in Catholic west Belfast. "It's inevitable that you'll have young people take up arms against the occupation of this country, whether it be the armed force of the police or the British Army."

Rally New York to Honor a great volenteer.

Tuesday, March 10th 2009, Rally New York USA 2009 has named three Delaware County, New York special stages to Honor the Memory of Ham Radio Volunteer
Steve Bogart, N2UZV.

Steve passed away suddenly on February 1, 2009. He was an extremely dedicated long term Radio Operator volunteer at many Rally New York events. Steve was a big guy who often worked with Ed Jackson as a mobile operator in one of the course safety cars. When he was not doing that, you could find him helping Olga at a time control. One thing Steve was never without at the Rallies was his great big smile! He will be missed by all his fellow Radio Operators and Marshal volunteers as well as the competitors and crews.

Aside from Rally, Steve was a very active volunteer with Ham Radio groups providing Safety and Emergency Communications for many different disasters and Public Service events in the Hudson Valley. As an active member in his local Fire Company, Steve served both as a volunteer and a commissioner.

We should all be thankful that we had the opportunity to know and work together with Steve Bogart. With his passing we have all lost a good friend and volunteer.

So, on Saturday afternoon, April 4th , when you are out working or competing on the Steve Bogart Special Stages please remember Steve, N2UZV and how much he contributed to our sport!

More info on Steve:Here

www.rallynewyork.com

Bryne doesn’t get bite out of Big Apple, yet

LOS ANGELES (March 10, 2009) – Unbeaten light welterweight Dean “Irish Lightning” Byrne’s dream to fight in New York is only delayed, not shattered, after the recent announcement that “Erin Go Brawl II,” scheduled for March 16 at WaMu Theater in Madison Square Garden, had been canceled.

Byrne (10-0, 4 KOs), fighting out of Los Angeles by way of Dublin, was supposed to fight in an 8-round bout on the card headlined by his friend, Andy Lee, and featuring his hero, Wayne McCullough. Dean, who has Freddie Roach as his trainer, works out at Roach’s famed Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, where he has sparred with Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan and Juan Marquez.

“I was very disappointed,” Byrne said about not fighting Mar. 16 in New York City. “I was looking forward to fighting in front of so many Irish at Madison Square Garden in New York City. A lot of my family were coming over from Ireland and booked flights. It was a big opportunity for us because they’ve never seen me fight as a pro. Hey, that’s boxing and someday I’ll fight there. I want people in New York, all up and down the East Coast where there’s a lot of Irish – Boston and Philadelphia – to see what a good entertainer I am.

“Freddie gave me the weekend off and I was back in the gym on Monday. I’ll continue training hard and hopefully I’ll be in a fight soon, maybe the end of March or in April. Someday, though, I’ll be fighting in Madison Square Garden.”

Byrne had more than 200 amateur fights, winning an Irish National title, and he turned pro in Australia, where he captured the New South Wales State belt on only his fourth pro fight, and one fighter later added the Australian crown in a 10-rounder. On his way from Australia to relocate in Boston, Dean stopped in Los Angeles and trained at World Card, where Roach took a shine to him. “He’s a tough kid who is a really good fighter but doesn’t know it yet,” Roach spoke about Byrne. “He’s learning to sit-down on his punches and has had two knockouts since he’s been with me. Dean’s learned a lot sparring with Manny, Amir and the others. He’s a lot of fun to watch, very exciting and cleaver for a young man. Early in his career he fought 10 rounds for the Australian title, so he already has that experience. He’s one of my best prospects.”

Byrne last fought in December, when he registered a win by fourth-round technical knockout against Francisco Rios Gil (13-8) in Inglewood, California.
“One of Dean’s most important dreams is to fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City,” Bryne’s manager Steven Feder (Standing Eight Management) remarked. “Ever since we started working together, Dean has told me that coming from Ireland and traveling around the world, his dream was to fight in Madison Square Garden. He was excited about fighting in an Irish community. We feel bad for Irish Ropes. Dean was looking forward to fighting on their card with Andy and Wayne. It’s too bad things didn’t work out for that show. Dean Byrne has a clear shot at really making it big in boxing. He’s 10-0 and ready to go. He never had a 4-round fight, starting with a six and going right to eights and then tens. Fans love him and Irish fans on the East Coast will embrace him once they get to see him fight. We train in LA because that’s where Freddie is but New York is my hometown and we hope New York fight fans will make Dean their adopted son.”