Irish Champions to clash at Galway International Rally

Four former Irish Tarmac Rally Champions will take to the roads of Galway this weekend to contest the first major event of the 2012 motorsport calendar, the Safety Direct Galway International Rally.  This year’s event, which takes place over one day as opposed to the traditional two day format, will see a record entry of over 150 cars.   

Tim McNulty, Gareth McHale, Derek McGarrity and Eugene Donnelly will all be on the starting line on Sunday for the first round of the Irish Tarmac Championship.  McNulty made history in 2012 by becoming the first Irish driver to win both the Irish Rally Championship and the Tarmac Rally Championship in the same year, which included a four minute victory margin in this event last year. 

The Meath man took advantage of the absence of a couple of Ireland’s top drivers last year in Eugene Donnelly and Gareth McHale, who both return to the action on Sunday.  McHale, who was the Irish Tarmac Champion in 2010, took a year out from rallying last year because of work commitments.  Donnelly is a five-time Irish Champion and he will be debuting the Mini Cooper works WRC car on the Galway roads this weekend. 

Derek McGarrity will also be looking to make his mark in the City of the Tribes.  The two-time Irish champion will be driving a Ford Focus WRC and will be keen to renew his rivalry with McNulty from last year.

The Galway International Rally will begin with a spectator stage in Galway City at the Dyke Road at 9.30am on Sunday with the finish at Ayre Square at 5pm that evening. For more information on the event you can log on to www.galwayinternationalrally.com or you can also download the Galway Rally 2012 App from the App Store for iPhone.