Safety Direct Galway International Rally 2010 to bring €3.6 Million to Local Economy
Based on research carried out in a joint study of University of Ulster and the Sligo Institute of Technology, the average expenditure per overnight visitor and spectator of the Safety Direct Galway International Rally is €184, and €101 per day visitor. This is very significant in that the event takes place in February, well outside the tourist season.
TV coverage of the event is broadcast to an average viewership of 150,000 through national TV stations and internationally in over thirty countries. This raises awareness and profile of Galway City and County, as the event spreads itself over a large part of the county.
Speaking on the announcement, Paul Shelly President of Galway Chamber Of Commerce commented, “Galway Chamber welcomes the Safety Direct Galway International Rally to Galway and hopes that the event will be both successful and safe. We also welcome the participants and followers and appreciate the sporting and economic boost that the event will bring to Galway in February. As with any other major sporting event Galway offers the best in tourism infrastructure and ‘apres rally’ entertainment. We thank the organizers for choosing Galway and hope that everyone respects the roads, complies with stewards, officials and Gardai to make this year’s event the best ever’.
Alan Fair, Operations Manager of Safety Direct, commented “We are delighted to continue to support such an exciting event which brings thousands of spectators to Galway at a time when tourism is at a low. The logistics behind organising the event are colossal and the event takes over six months of planning. Ensuring fail safe security and safety for all involved is always the highest priority of the Galway Motor Club, and being in the business of safety we are very impressed with the measures the organisers and Club go to in these regards”.
Clerk of the Course, Gary Leonard added, “Galway Motor Club spends €250,000 in putting on the event, the biggest element of which is spent providing accommodation and subsistence for approximately 300 volunteers that are required to stage the event”. He continues, “Such is the popularity of the sport in the region, a National one day rally was added to the calendar in late August some years ago. Galway Motor Club now spends €400,000 annually running these two events”.
The event will on the 5th to the 7th of February 2010. It will again have the administrative headquarters at the impressive Clayton Hotel, Ballybrit, Galway.
Day 1 – Safety Direct Galway International Rally Report
Day 1: The first day of the Safety Direct Galway Rally proved to be a slippery affair after heavy overnight rain left the stages very wet in places. The muddy surface and patches of standing water on the opening loop of stages made tyre choice a lottery with no perfect option for the changing conditions. Most drivers reported little or no grip and severe gales and heavy rain in the afternoon made conditions treacherous over the closing stages resulting in the loss of stage seven.
Reigning Tarmac Champion Eamon Boland and co-driver MJ Morrisey opened up a lead on the first stage and they maintained their advantage throughout, setting quickest overall time on four of the eight stages that ran. They finished day one with a 13.8 second lead over second placed Kevin Lynch and Fancis Regan despite reporting launch control problems on their Subaru Impreza WRC on the penultimate stage. Lynch chose to err on the side of caution and set a steady but careful pace though the opening three stages but applied the pressure from then on. However, a spin on stage six dropped him valuable time.
Eugene Donnelly and Paddy Toner found the suspension on their Skoda Fabia WRC was too hard on the opening three stages but a steady run through the remainder of the day saw them finish the day in third place, 51.5 seconds behind Lynch. Conrad Rautenbach and Daniel Barritt are using the rally as a 'warm up' for Rally Ireland in two weeks time and they finished day one in fourth place, 42.8 seconds adrift of Donnelly after an impressive debut on Irish tarmac. Peader Hurson and Damien Connolly finished the leg in equal forth place, despite dropping time through the final stage.
Aaron MacHale and Barry Goodman brought their Ford Focus WRC back to parc ferme in sixth place having suffered a number of problems throughout the day. An overshoot on stage one, launch control problems, and fogged up windscreen made for a frustrating day for the Dublin man and he finished leg one 12.5 seconds behind Hurson and Rautenbach. Gareth MacHale arrived into service with a badly damaged driver door. He explained, "I slid into a wall at a square left on stage one. It will take a bit of time to repair it but we're OK!". Gareth and co-driver Brian Murphy were in fourth place going into stage four. However, they lost all visibility on the second loop when the windscreen wipers broke and the screen fogged up badly. They finished the day in seventh place after a disappointing opening leg.
Top retirements today included Tim McNulty who managed to make it to the end of the opening stage. However, blue smoke billowing from the Subaru Impreza proved detrimental and the Meath man arrived into the service area on the end of a tow rope. Derek McGarrity and Diarmuid falvey chose to withdraw from the event after stage six after a very frustrating day. A combination of problems including a stall on stage three and a severly misted up windscreen through the second loop sealed their fate.
In Group N, Damien Tourish and Domhnall McAlaney hold the overnight lead by 14.4 seconds from Sean Flanagan and Brian Duggan. Tourish reported an overshoot on stage three which resulted in a damaged radiator and intercooler on his Mitsubishi and a turbo problem before second service saw him in second place after stage six. However, the retirement of Kevin Kellegher on stage eight saw the Donegal man take the overnight lead. Despite AnthonyO'Halloran forgetting to switch on the differentials on his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 on one of the opening stages, he and co-driver Charlie McEnerny finished the day in third place in GpN, 8.3 seconds behind Flanagan.
In class two, David Quigley and co-driver Des Sherlock lead the way in their Honda Civic, with a near two minute advantage over Eamon Dervan and David Gardiner, also in a Civic. Richard Whelan and Patrick Cotty lie third in class overnight, 15.7 seconds behind Whelan. Class three sees Ross and Aaron Forde leading with a two minute advantage over Kieran Marshall and Mark Horgan whilst Billy Hayes and Pierce Doheny lie in third place in class.
German driver Aaron Burkart and co-driver Michael Koelbach brought their Suzuki Swift into parc ferme with a commanding lead in class six. The junior world championship crew are doing the event in preparation for Rally Ireland in two weeks time and they both found the going tricky and slippery. Frank Byrnes and Paul Horan in a Peugeot 206 were in second place, over four minutes adrift of Burkart and one minute 39.3 seconds ahead of the Opel Corsa of Daragh O'Riordan and Sean McCarthy. Tommy Doyle and Tony McDaid are the only remaining crew in class seven after David Randles and John Young retired their Nissan Almera on stage six.
In the National section of the event, Paul Gallagher and Karl Reid lead overnight despite a spin on stage six, with Wesley Patterson and Martin McGarrity in second place, 38 seconds adrift. Tom Flaherty and Patrick Curley occupy third place overall, one minute and forty seconds ahead of the Toyota Corolla of John Hendy and Donal Falvey. Eugene Ferry and Derek Heena
Alastair Fisher won the Fiesta Sporting Trophy section of the event, despite reporting a slow time through stage one. He and co-driver Barry McNulty set an incredible pace through the remaining stages and crossed the finish line of the final stage forty-four seconds ahead of Craig Breen and Andrew Purcell. Paul Quinn and Jason Harron were third, Mark Donnelly and Paddy Robinson fourth, and Garrett Loughran and Gary McElhinney fifth.
In the Historics section of the event, Derek and Roisin Boyd lead in their Porsche 911, 9.1 seconds ahead of Ray Cunningham and Richard Hyland. Noel Conroy and Keith Sheppard lie in third place, ahead of Tim Lenihan and Noel McCarthy.
Overall after SS3
1st Eamonn Boland/MJ Morrissey 1:06.44.2
2nd Kevin Lynch/Francis Regan 1:06.58.0
3rd Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner 1:07.49.5
4th Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt 1:08.32.3
5th Peadar Hurson/Damian Connolly 1:08.32.3
6th Aaron MacHale/Barry Goodman 1:08.44.8
7th Gareth MacHale/Brian Murphy 1:08.49.1
8th Damien Tourish/Domhnall McAlaney 1:13.31.0
9th Sean Flanagan/Brian Duggan 1:13.45.4
10th Anthony O'Halloran/Charlie McEnerny 1:13.53.7
Day 2: Eugene Donnelly Victorious at Safety Direct Galway International Rally 2009
The first stage of day two of the Safety Direct Galway International Rally brought a few shocks, with overnight leader Eamon Boland retiring his Subaru with mechanical problems. Kevin Lynch suffered the same fate with his Subaru and brought an early end to his rally. Eugene Donnelly was quick to take advantage and sure in to the lead after stage 11. Conrad Rautenbach was running late on the road after having some engine problems in his Citroen Xsara WRC and finally failing to finish the rally. Aaron Burkhart also retired his Suzuki early. Both crews intend to compete on Rally Ireland which opens the 2009 World Rally Championship in 2 weeks time.
Eugene Donnelly came in to first service and reported being very happy, following some overnight adjustments to his Skoda Fabia WRC. Gareth MacHale and Peadar Hurson were hard on Donnelly’s tail over the remaining stages. On the local scene, the battle for The Brian Thornton Memorial Trophy was between Mike Bird and Tom Flaherty. The two crews swopping seconds all day. The end of stage 15 saw Bird who was co-driven by Kevin Keane, move up to 7th overall with a total of 1hr 58 min and 59 secs. The Galway battle would change slightly with a strong charge by David Quigley and Des Sherlock in a Honda Civic. The pair couldn’t hold out, but finished the day 11th overall and first in class 2 , in 2hrs 4 mins and 3.4 secs
Tom Flaherty and Patrick Curley finished second overall in the national rally in 2 hrs 16mins and 3 secs. Mike Bird and Kevin Keane went on to win the Brian Thornton Trophy finishing 8th overall in the International rally, in 2hrs 14 mins and 24 seconds.
Anthony O Halloran and Sean Flanagan did battle for group N honours until the last stage. Flanagan who was co-driven by Brian Duggan in an Impreza, went into the stage 3 seconds faster but O Halloran pulled out all the stops to record a time almost 9 seconds faster to take the Group N victory.
Local Galway driver Ray Cunningham won the Historic rally, with Richard Hyland in a Morris Mini Cooper S. Noel Conroy and Keith Sheppard also finished the Historic rally in 1 hour 45 minutes and 15 seconds.
Craig Breen and Andrew Purcell recorded an impressive 10th overall finish in 2 hours 17 minutes and 25.8 seconds. Liam Higgins and Derrick Feeney were delighted to finish 15th overall in 2 hours 24 minutes and 4 seconds
Eugene Donnelly was delighted to be back on the podium in Galway, his co driver Paddy Toner winning his first International rally. Second placed Gareth MacHale said “ it’s a case of what might have been but still great to get a second place in Galway” Third placed Peadar Hurson said “ the last stage was scary but its great to finish a rally again let alone 3rd”
Safety Direct Galway International Rally 2009 overall results
1st. Eugene Donnelly and Paddy Toner ( Skoda Fabia World Rally Car)
2nd. Gareth MacHale and Brian Murphy ( Ford Focus World Rally Car)
3rd. Peadar Hurson and Damian Connolly ( Subaru Impreza World Rally Car)
Galway Motor Club and Safety Direct would like to thank everyone who helped with the 2009 Safety Direct Galway International Rally.
The official launch of the Safety Direct Galway International Rally 2009, was held in the Clayton Hotel, Ballybrit, on Friday November 21st. A large number of guests from the local Galway area and the world of motorsport, were in attendance to hear Gary Leonard, the Clerk of the Course and Alan Fair of title sponsors, Safety Direct announce details of the upcoming event.
The rally takes place over the weekend of January 16th,17th and 18th 2009 and will have its administrative headquarters in the Clayton Hotel, Ballybrit, Galway. The rally gets underway with a Ceremonial Start in Eyre Square on Friday night, which is always a fantastic occasion and a great opportunity to see the top 20 cars and teams before they hit the stages on Saturday. A new feature for the 09 rally will be a single location for centralised service during both days. The Deerpark Industrial Estate in Oranmore will be the location, where mechanical scrutiny and parc ferme will also be held over the weekend. The organisers are confident that a single location will lead to a considerable reduction in traffic movements over the weekend.
There are 17 challenging and demanding stages awaiting the competitors. The rally will visit North Galway on Saturday the 17th, with 9 stages in the Abbeyknockmoy area. The stages will each be run 3 times, with 2 visits to service in Oranmore during the day. Sunday the 18th will see the competitors tackle 8 stages in the South Galway area, around Gort before the winning car returns to the finish ramp in Eyre Square on Sunday evening.
Derek McGarrity attended the launch and confirmed his intention to enter the rally. Derek also stated that he hopes to have a new car from Pro- Drive ready for Galway in January. When asked if he would win, Derek replied “ I’m going to have a good go at it”
The MacHale brothers, Gareth and Aaron will also be competing in Galway. We hope to see Gareth in the Opel Corsa Super 2000. Tim McNulty has also confirmed that he will be back on the Galway stages in January.
What a fantastic line-up to start the 2009 season. A full entry list will be published after entries have closed in December. To run an event of this size needs a huge number of volunteers and one lucky Marshal will win a day in Rally School Ireland to complete the Rally Licence Course. The prize is very kindly sponsored by Securitec Security Systems, Galway
View Photos from the Launch Night
Safety Direct Galway International Rally 2009 to bring €3.6 Million to Local Economy
Based on research carried out in a joint study by University of Ulster and the Sligo Institute of Technology, Galway City and County can look forward to an injection of €3.6m to the local economy. This is particularly significant in that the event takes place in January, well outside the traditional tourist season.
TV coverage of the event is broadcast to an average viewership of 150,000 through national TV stations and internationally the programme is broadcast in over thirty countries. This raises awareness and profile of Galway City and County, as the event spreads itself over a large part of the county.
Speaking on the announcement, Paul Shelly, President of Galway Chamber Of Commerce commented, “Galway Chamber welcomes the Safety Direct Galway International Rally to Galway. We also welcome the participants and followers and appreciate the sporting and economic boost that the event will bring to Galway in January. As with any other major sporting events Galway offers the best in tourism infrastructure and ‘apres rally’ entertainment. We thank the organizers for choosing Galway to make this year’s event the best ever’.
Alan Fair, of Safety Direct stated, “This is a very exciting event for Safety Direct to be involved with. An occasion of this scale is wonderful for Galway city and county and we are only too happy to be a part of it bringing so much revenue to the area and local businesses ”.
Clerk of the Course, Gary Leonard added, “It costs Galway Motor Club €250,000 in putting on the event, the biggest element of which is spent providing accommodation and subsistence for approximately 300 volunteers that are required to stage the event”. He continues, “Such is the popularity of the sport in the region, a National one day rally was added to the calendar in late August some years ago. Galway Motor Club now spends €400,000 annually running these two events”.
The event will run on new dates in 2009, from 16th to the 18th of January. It will again have the administrative headquarters at the impressive Clayton Hotel, Ballybrit, Galway. The Ceremonial start will take place in Eyre Square on Friday 16th January with competitors returning to Eyre Square for the finish ramp on Sunday 18th January.
The Saturday stages (January 17th) will run in the North Galway area while the stages on Sunday the 18th will move to South Galway. A new feature for the rally in 2009 will be a single centralised service and re-fuelling area at Deerpark Industrial Estate, Oranmore on both days. The premises, a short drive from Rally HQ will also be used as the location for mechanical scrutiny and parc ferme. The organisers are confident that a single Service Park will help to reduce traffic movements over the 3 days of the event.
Galway International Rally Announces Major Sponsorship Deal and 2009 Rally Dates
The Galway Motor Club is delighted to announce the return of Safety Direct as the title sponsor of the Galway International rally for the next three years. The Galway based safety equipment supplier began it's association with the event in 2008 and the success of the rally encouraged them to return for the 2009 and future events. The sponsorship will see Safety Direct provide invaluable resources, an extensive range of safety equipment and financial backing until 2011 in this exciting three year sponsorship deal.
 
Speaking at the announcement Alan Fair, Operations Manager of Safety Direct, commented “We are delighted to support such an exciting event which brings thousands of spectators to Galway at a time when tourism is at a low. The logistics behind organising the event are colossal and the event takes over six months of planning. Ensuring fail safe security and safety for all involved is always the highest priority of the Galway Motor Club, and being in the business of safety we are very impressed with the measures the organisers and Club go to in these regards”.
 
Gary Leonard, Clerk of the Course for the 2009 event, stated “This year will be a unique Galway rally as it will showcase some exclusive cars and drivers ahead of the Irish round of the World Rally Championship, opening round of the 2009 series. We can expect some thrilling competition as professional drivers test run their motors and amateur drivers contend their positions. We are delighted Safety Direct is onboard for what should be a highlight in the Irish international rally calendar”.
The event , traditionally a February event, will run on new dates in 2009, from 16th to the 18th of January. It will again have the administrative headquarters at the impressive Clayton Hotel, Ballybrit, Galway. The Ceremonial start will take place in Eyre Square on Friday 16th January with competitors returning to Eyre Square for the finish ramp on Sunday 18th January.
The Saturday stages (January 17th) will run in the North Galway area while the stages on Sunday the 18th will move to South Galway. A new feature for the rally in 2009 will be a single centralised service and re-fuelling area at Deerpark Industrial Estate, Oranmore on both days. The premises, a short drive from Rally HQ will also be used as the location for mechanical scrutiny and parc ferme. The organisers are confident that a single Service Park will help to reduce traffic movements over the 3 days of the event.
The official launch night will be held in the Clayton hotel on Friday the 21st of November at 7.30pm, all are welcome. |
