Craig Breen continued his success in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship by taking victory at the 40th running of the Cartell.ie Rally Of The Lakes. An emotional victory meant that Breen and Nagle edged closer to the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.
Breen's pace was unmatched on the first day, with the 29 year old leading by 28.6 seconds overnight. Alastair Fisher and Callum Devine dueled for second place, Fisher led by just 2.6 seconds at the end of day one. Josh Moffett was a victim of the stages, an accident in his Fiesta R5 rendered him unable to continue, while the Hyundai i20 R5 of Merrion Evans suffered a series of mechanical faults. Evans was able to rejoin the rally under the 'rally2' regulations.
The Modified section was an unsettled affair after day one with Corkman Vincent McSweeney and Chris Armstrong practically neck-and-neck, McSweeney was ahead by two tenths of a second at the end of the day while Enda O'Brien was a further 29.7 seconds back in his Class 14 MK2 Escort. Modified championship leader Damian Toner did not compete in Killarney.
This years rally featured the Lakes Fest Rally, a demonstration class featuring a newly rebuilt Group B Audi Quattro A1, a MG Metro 6R4 and a Group A Ford Sierra Cosworth among others. Hollywood star Michael Fassbender also took part in a MK2 Escort. Though my favorite from this class was Denis Cronin's BMW M3, the exact car that Marc Duez drove to victory in the 1987 Tour De Course.
The spectacular weather continued on day two as the rally headed north. Fans turned out in droves, drawing many a comparison to the golden years of the 80s and 90s. Molls Gap was first up and Breen dropped time by hitting a deer during stage.The front bumper of Breen's Fiesta R5 was damaged by the impact, but was able to continue. Alastair Fisher increased his lead over Devine to 7.4 seconds following SS12.
The battle between Armstrong and McSweeney continued until McSweeney was forced to retire with clutch issues on SS11. Armstrong took victory in the Modified Section. Damian Toner continues to lead the championship by 15.5 points.
In the international section it was an emotional victory for Breen and Nagle. Nagle became the first Killarney competitor to win the rally on it's 40th anniversary. The pair finished 14.9 ahead of Fermanagh man Alastair Fisher.
Irish Tarmac Rally Championship as it stands -
1 - Craig Breen 68
2 - Alastair Fisher 50
3 - Desi Henry 32
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