Donegal Rally 2017: Day one summary
Day one of the Joule Donegal International Rally is in the bag. Here’s a rundown of what happened in stages 1-6.
It was a balmy and cloudy day in Letterkenny, the official starting point of the rally. Hundreds of enthusiasts showed up to the An Grianan theater to admire the cars just before they set off. More of the cars were waiting in a lot not far away, as the theater pavilion could only hold a fraction of the entrants.
After the drivers’ briefing inside the theater, the crews game out and mingled with the fans while doing last checks on their cars. It was amazing how relaxed they all seemed.
Then at 12:00, the race began.
Race summary
Today was almost a perfect day for the race. There was no rain, it wasn’t too hot and there was plenty of visibility. Happily, I can report that there were no major accidents.
Local man Donagh Kelly held the lead through the first six stages of the International section. Reigning champion Manus Kelly remained in second place all day, only 11.7 seconds behind the leader.
Kevin Eves took the lead in the National category during stage five, edging out Damien Gallagher. Gallagher and co-driver Mac Walsh had lead all day until the second to last stage of the day.
See the full list of results here.
Several of the teams talked about how difficult it is to actually win the rally. Some of the courses are so hazardous that just finishing is the main challenge. It’s still a battle, but sometimes the competition isn’t so much with the other drivers as it is with the road and with yourself.
Former Tarmac Championship winner John Coyce was spotted driving a Porsche 977 GT3. He said that he realized that at 67 he was going to have a hard time winning. He figured he might as well bring something fun. The Irish driver currently lives in Laguna Seca, California and is listed as an American driver.
Observations
Here are a few of my disjointed thoughts from the first day:
It’s always interesting when a race happens in the middle of a city. The police and race wardens had to stop traffic to let the racers drive through. It was sort of surreal to see normal, everyday vehicles weave in between the rally cars.
The amount of Ford Escorts speak to the way that car resonated with fans in the “the car my dad drives is winning races” kind of way. It still holds that power 36 years after it won its last major rally.
It was good to see so many young fans out. Sometimes, these kinds of events can get rowdy, but it’s been a good environment for everybody so far.
In addition to the drivers, most of the sponsors are local as well. Even Joule, the sponsor for the rally overall, is an Irish heating company. The only non-Irish sponsor I spotted was McDonald’s.
Tune in tomorrow to catch up on more of the action.
Next: Chip Ganassi Racing’s Global Rallycross team becomes Loenbro Motorsports
Helpful Links:
Watch Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plCZfb02hUI&app=desktop
Official Website: donegalrally.ie