Mixed fortunes for Kenny and Emma McKinstry on the Circuit at Easter

Kenny McKinstry on his way to winning the National B category of the Larsen Circuit of Ireland Rally 2009. Photograph courtesy Roy Dempster (www.roydempster.com)

MIXED FORTUNE FOR MCKINSTRYS AT EASTER

There were mixed fortunes for Kenny McKinstry and daughter Emma on the Easter weekend Circuit of Ireland. Things went well for Kenny who led the National B event from start to finish, despite a last minute scare with gearbox troubles over the last two stages. For Emma and co-driver Kenny Hull however, things didn’t go so well.

Day one saw Emma put in consistent times and spend most of the day in fourth position overall, setting third fastest time on her local stage. The last two stages of the day saw heavy rainfall, caught out on the wrong tyre, Emma had no choice but to back off and get through the stages. The time loss would see Emma drop back to sixth overall at the overnight halt, but only five seconds off Denis Biggerstaff, there was still a lot to play for on day two.

Day two started in sunshine, using the more technical stages in south Armagh, Emma was in confident form and was determined to try and claw her way back up the leader board.

However, it wasn’t to last as less than a mile into the first stage of the day, Emma was caught out on a wet patch of road on cold tyres and slid off the road and out of the event, “when we hit this damp patch of road the back of the car snapped away from me, I corrected the slide, but it seems this pushed my front wheels onto some gravel on the road, as soon as my tyres caught the grass on the side of the road I was a passenger”. The car slid down a steep bank and was wedged against a tree in a small stream, “it’s so frustrating”, commented Emma, “it seems that other people had problems on this stage which may have pushed us further up the leader board, but it’s just one of these things”.

Emma and Kenny would like to thank all the people who made it possible for them to enter this event, regular sponsors Triton Showers, Dunlop Tyres, McGaffin Contracts, Tom Geraghty Tyres, Sunoco race fuels and ID graphics. And a special thanks to all the local businesses who lent their support for this event, Nicholl Transport, Shoefair Sports, The Windsor Bakery, The Downshire Arms Hotel, Fred Elliot Butchers and William Bell Limousine Hire, without all these peoples support it would not have been possible.

Disappointed with the result but encouraged by their pace, Emma and Kenny now move their attention to the remaining seven rounds of the championship and hope for better luck to come.

Press Release