EXCELLENT START FOR EXCEL RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP!
The Midland Stages Rally marked the first milestone in the new Excel Rally Championship. After months of preparation, deliberation and negotiation the series was flagged off by none other than Kris Meeke, starting at number one in the Excel Clio. Kris was trying Silverstone Tyres for the first time and was well pleased with the rubber, finding a better compound for the afternoon stages, as he quipped. “The Silverstone tyres were a huge surprise, massive grip.” Excel’s Paul Roche was also keen to see how the package would work. “At the start of the day, we sent him out on the wrong compound for Kris’s type of driving, but he was delighted when we changed and got the compound right. It was good to get feedback on the tyres, and we learnt a lot from this.” For Kris however the event presented its fair share of little niggles, with Paul Nagle having to take over the co- driver’s seat at the eleventh hour as Kris didn’t have the necessary IRDS insurance for between the stages in Ireland. The ultra fast stages didn’t suit the Clio’s gearing either, the car topping out at 104 mph, when the top crews where geared for 135 mph on the long straights. Clipping a chicane and damaging a CV joint also cost some valuable time, but Kris thoroughly enjoyed the Clio, and it was fitting to have the Rally Brazil winner on the stages. He finished ninth overall on the event and first in class ahead of another Excel Rallying machine.
The new Championship received 31 driver registrations, and 28 co driver registrations for its very first round, and this new class based championship is very simple in its design. But Paul knows there’s a lot more work to do.” We were pleased with the registrations, and that’s why we made registration free to encourage the series until people can see what it’s about. Obviously with 6 of the 8 rounds counting, it’s early days yet for registrations, and there is still time for anyone wishing to do the series. It’s a simple series, based on class points. There is no overall leader, it is all worked out on class positions in our 19 classes. This gives a wide range of drivers in the different classes the opportunity to contest the end of season shootout where the big prizes will be awarded. If you win your class you are guaranteed an entry to the shootout, and there will be a few wildcards also we can pick out.” Sometimes simple is better, and also the series announced that it would also allow Hankook tyres to be used, bought from the Excel truck, therefore catering for every size of rally tyre throughout the nineteen classes.
In the classes, David Quigley and Des Sherlock in their Honda Civic where victorious in class 2, taking 19th place overall. Stephen Wright and Paul McGee where the top Excel finishers in class 3 with their Fiesta ST, in 23rd place. The top Excel registered competitor in the overall results was Adrian Quinn with Alister Wylie on the notes in their Evo 9, finishing a fabulous fourth overall and first in Group N. Another Excel crew James Foley and Andrew Cullen took fifth overall in their new Evo 10, which has to be the most recent car in the series.
Terrence O’ Shaugnessy had been the leading Excel driver in his rapid 2.5 Millington, Corolla. The rear wheel drive ace was running as high as second overall, before retirement. Trevor and Tristan Hutton took the Group A up to 1400cc class in their Puma on the rally and in the Excel points tally. Young 19 year old Limerick driver, John Byrnes and Kenneth Shields had an exceptional run and took maximum points in class 6 in the Excel Rallying hire C2 R2, and also were second in the class on the event behind Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle in the Clio S1600. Colin Flanagan and Ollie O’ Grady took the class 8 honors in their modified Evo 8. David Quinn and Enda McGonagle took maximum points in class 9, the modified up to 1400cc in their Nova, whilst Enda McLoughlin and Michael Reilly took the class 10 trophies on the event and maximum Excel points. James Culliney and Eddie McLoughlin took the class 11 maximum score. The Excel website is due to be updated with profiles of all the registered crews, offering further exposure for those registered competitors.
It’s been a successful start to the series which had On the Limit Sports covering the event, and World Championship co-driver Nicky Grist, who had to step aside after the recce in the Clio, got in front of the cameras to provide his insight into the new series. For the Excel team the Midland Stages marked the beginning of their new concept, a successful beginning. “It was a good start for us before the next round in Monaghan .The Excel Championship and the Silverstone tyres proved a huge success at the weekend, and we really welcome competitors to give it a go.”
On The Limits coverage Rd 1 Excel Rally Championship
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