Donegal International Rally
 | |
| Category | Rally |
|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 1972 |
| Drivers' champion |  Manus Kelly |
| Co-Drivers' champion | Donall Barrett |
| Irish Tarmac Rally Championship | |
 Current season | |
| Donegal International Rally | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 21, 2019 - June 23, 2019 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | County Donegal |
| Country | Ireland |
| Most recent | 2019 |
| Organised by | Donegal Motor Club |
| Sponsor | cartell.ie Joule |
| Website | Website |
The Donegal International Rally is an annual sporting event held in County Donegal, Ireland. It is one of Ireland's oldest annual rally competitions and is a top event in the Irish Rallying calendar.[1] It has a reputation for being one of the country's most challenging rallies.[2] Organized by the Donegal Motor Club, the annual event begins and concludes in Letterkenny.[3]
Donegal International Rally has been one of the rounds of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship for a number of years.
History
The event began in 1972 with Cahal Curley the first winner. When the event began in 1972, it was based in Downings, but, afterwards, it moved to Letterkenny. The event was postponed for the two consecutive years of 2001 and 2002 due to the Foot-and-mouth disease[4] and a serious accident. The rally was abandoned in 2008 after a spectator was hit by a driver.
The rally attracts approximately 120,000 spectators each year. The event is estimated to be worth over €20 million to the Donegal economy each year. The event was previously sponsored by Shell and Topaz Energy. The current sponsors of the Donegal International Rally are the Joule Group and The Mount Errigal Hotel.[1][failed verification]
1985 event
At the 1985 event there was just a one second-difference, between the top two finishing cars.
2002 event
At the 2002 event two marshals were killed. The two 22-year-old men, one from Moville, the other from Crossmaglen, died when a car crashed into spectators at around 2.00 pm. Three men were also injured. The remaining stages of the event were cancelled after the serious accident on Stage Two.[5] Andrew Nesbitt was announced as winner as he led the rally at the time of the accident.
This led to the Motorsport Commission to inspect safety at all future events.[6]
2008 event
At the 2008 event an 18-year-old spectator died after being hit by a competing car, at 3.30 pm. The accident happened at Ballyare, about four miles from Letterkenny. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.[7][8][9] The road was closed and did not re-open for some time. Organisors cancelled the rally for the rest of the day and later announced that the 2008 event would be abandoned as a mark of respect[10][11] Eugene Donnelly was announced as winner as he led the rally at the time of the accident.
2010 event
On Saturday Afternoon 19 June 2010, a co-driver died after the car he was in crashed on the Knockalla stage, south of Portsalon, of the event shortly after 3 pm. Thomas Maguire, Aged 26, from Longwood, County Meath was killed and his driver, Shane Buckley, critically injured. As a result, the final stage of the rally was cancelled. This was the first time in the rally's history that a competitor was killed during the rally.[12]
2019 event
On 23 June 2019 at approximately 12:30 IST, three-time and defending champion Manus Kelly crashed during a stage on the Fanad Head loop. His Hyundai i20 R5 went through a hedge into a field and was extensively damaged. Gardaí confirmed that Kelly had died in the incident. His injured co-driver Donall Barrett was taken to hospital and the remaining stages of the rally were cancelled. A 41-year-old father of five and a prominent local businessman, Kelly had been elected to Donegal County Council less than a month before his death. Numerous politicians and representatives of the Irish motorsport community expressed sympathy to his family and paid tribute to the late champion, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar calling him a "phenomenal motorsportsman."[13][14][15] At his funeral, 2014 champion Declan Boyle drove Kelly's Subaru Impreza S12B WRC before the funeral cortège, with Kelly's son in the passenger seat.[16] Following the funeral mass, Kelly's brothers and friends carried his coffin across the Donegal International Rally ramp.[17]
Winners
References
- ^ a b Donegal International Rally – Topaz Sponsorship Secures Future of Donegal International Rally[failed verification] Archived 10 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Jardine attempts vertical climb on Donegal. | Rally UK News
- ^ Donegal geared up for International Rally – RTE News
- ^ Shell Donegal International rally postponed – RTE News Archived 20 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Two marshals killed at Donegal Rally – RTE News[permanent dead link]
- ^ Governing body to inspect safety at rally events – RTE News
- ^ Spectator dies in rally collision – RTE News
- ^ Tragedy halts Donegal Rally – RTE News
- ^ Spectator dies in rally accident BBC News
- ^ Rally ended as a mark of respect to deceased spectator – Highland Radio[permanent dead link]
- ^ Donegal Rally cancelled after 18-year-old man killed – Irish Independent
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Taoiseach pays tribute to Manus Kelly". Highland Radio. 25 June 2019. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019.
- ^ McNulty, Chris (23 June 2019). "County councillor Manus Kelly killed in crash at Donegal rally". Irish Times. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
- ^ "Man killed in Donegal International Rally crash named as Manus Kelly". RTE News. 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
- ^ "Rally car leads cortege at Manus 'Mandy' Kelly's funeral". Irish Times. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ^ "Manus Kelly touched so many people's hearts, mourners told". RTE News. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.