NEWCOMERS Raymond Conlon and Darren McCague from County Monaghan in Ireland are among seven crews with Irish connections entered for the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) Sol Rally Barbados later this year.
Although it would be the crew’s debut in Barbados, they are already familiar with the event, having seen the TV coverage aired in recent years in Ireland.
Conlon and McCague will be competing in a 270-horsepower two-litre Conlon Travel Toyota Corolla, prepared by KMS Motorsport and Powertune, and pointed for SuperModified 10.
Their participation brings to 21 the number of international entries already received for the June 9 and 10 event through the event’s official website.
Conlon started competing in a standard production 1 600cc Corolla and won the Junior Event at the Killarney Rally of the Lakes in 2005, with four out of five stage wins. He is now a regular overall Top 10 finisher and class winner in events north and south of the border.
Since then, his best finishes include third overall with the class win on the toddsleap.com Ulster National Rally in 2008, and a similar placing in the UTV Drive Circuit of Ireland National Rally in 2010.
Other Irish entries confirmed are popular Celtic entertainers Glenn Campbell, in his Nissan Micra Kit Car, and Allan Mackay from Brora in the north of Scotland. Mackay’s unique Ford Anglia WRC is prepared by Mark Greer Motorsport in Northern Ireland, where Mackay’s co-driver for the event, Mo Downey, is also based.
Sol Rally Barbados chairman Barry Gale told SUNSPORT there is little doubt that the major increase in media coverage the event has enjoyed over the past couple of years has helped enormously, especially during the global recession.
He said the rally magazine Pacenotes “has certainly played its part in keeping Sol Rally Barbados at the forefront of competitors’ minds.”
Last year, in conjunction with the Tourism Development Corporation, the BRC and Pacenotes ran a hugely successful competition with a prize trip to the event for two readers.
This year, the winners of Rallye Sunseeker National will win free entry and shipping to the Sol Rally Barbados, with flights and accommodation for driver and co-driver, plus rental car.
