CORK MOTOR CLUB
Over 30 years of motorsport
Bad CMC news from Galway International
"Unfortunately we had a big moment on SS2 when the brakes locked at the end of a long straight. Spectators were standing on the escape road so I had to attempt the corner. We went off. Rally over," said Keith.
Scotland didn't provide the best result for some of the Irish
News from the first real stage (first on Friday) was not what the Irish supporters wanted. The official communique read: "Keith Cronin has stopped in the first 10km of the stage with the Abarth Punto S2000, and it seems he might be out of the rally."
Keith takes up the story. "On the first stage we got a puncture and spun off. No damage but the car was beached. No reverse and spectators eventually got us out. We lost 44 minutes here."
"It's not really been our rally," the 2009 British champion said. "It's been tough. When we went into the ditch, there were no spectators around, we had to run down the road to try and get a few. It took a long time." And the misery continued on stage two where Keith and Greg suffered another puncture.
And if things weren't bad enough already, the misery was further compounded on stage five at Errochty when they got further delayed when they got stuck behind a slow-moving car coming through the stage.
The newly-crowned British Rally champions suffered what can only be described as a miserable opening day culminating with the pair rolling their hired Abarth Punto five miles into the notorious 11-mile test at Drummond Hill.
"The car was handling badly all day. We had a number of spins and no reverse gear not working. On stage 6 we spun off the road, but this time the car rolled, lightly. That was our rally over."
But the rally also had a further kick in the teeth for the Irish. While Keith and Greg were struggling at the back of the field, Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle’s Peugeot 207 S2000 was dominating at the front having a comfortable lead when the final stage was cancelled due to an accident. A win on the final round of the 2009 IRC. But no.
After post event scrutiny, Skoda UK driver Guy Wilks was declared the winner after a stewards’ hearing found that the front subframe of Kris and Paul’s car was lighter by than it should have been 150 grams.
Stage Time in the car will be the plan for Rally Scottish
Stage times in the car as opposed to stage times from the car will be the priority for Keith and Greg on Rally Scotland.
Speaking after his win on the Kerry Mini Stages, his third in a row, Keith said "The most important thing for me in Scotland is to get mileage in the car to get used to the different driving style and then build my speed and hopefully set some competitive times."
Keith said he welcomes the opportunity to compete at this level. "I know that it will be a steep learning curve as the pace in these cars is much faster than the regular Group N cars," he stated.
Since early in the year plans were being made to contest Rally Scotland so that the team could test their pace against the regular IRC competitors. The original intention was to contest the event in their regular Mitsubishi. However, as the Cronin Motorsport team intend to contest a number of rounds of the IRC next season, it was decided that having won the British Rally Championship, they should get a taste of S2000 action prior to next year.
It took 10 days to get an acceptable deal put together for the hire of the PROCAR run Abarth Punto. A short testing session in Italy at the end of October was curtailed due to very heavy rainfall, so the crew will welcome another test before having to press into action against the current IRC champions.On Wednesday evening they hope to get a further short test in the Abarth Punto that has been hired for Rally Scotland.
Keith was unable to collect his 1st place prize in Banna on Sunday evening last as he still had some preparations to attend to in advance of Rally Scotland. The British Rally Champion left his Ballylickey home early on Monday morning heading for Perthshire where he and Greg spent Tuesday and part of Wednesday doing their reconnaissance of the stages.
IRC champions Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle, in their Peugeot, are the number one seed. Seeded at number two is Guy Wilks, who was British Rally Champion in 2007 & 2008. He will drive a Skoda. Both of these will be very much the pacesetters as they have been competing in S2000 cars all season. Keith and Greg are seeded at number 3 in the Punto, just ahead of Adam Gould who was awarded the BF Goodrich drive in a sister car to Meekes Peugeot.
Irish scoop honours at BRC Awards
Scrub up well: Greg and Keith changed from race suits to dress suits to collect
their awards as British Rally champions for 2009.
Saturday’s (Oct 31, 2009) MSA British Rally Championship awards night was dominated by the Island of Ireland, topped of course by the crowning of the 2009 Champions, Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors.
The young County Cork driver and his experienced co-driver took top billing at the formal ceremony near Warrington and the pair’s presentation of the overall trophy and Privateers Cup was greeted by a standing ovation by the 220 attendees.
In addition to the overall, class and BRC Challenge awards, Northern Irish youngster Alastair Fisher won the BRC’s Outstanding Performance Award, Championship manager Mark Taylor explaining the reason for the popular choice.
“Alastair competed for the first time in a four wheel drive this year and is one of only two drivers to start and finish every event. To take third place in such a competitive year and finish on the podium twice, without a mark on the car shows true talent and potential.”
Living just over an hour away in Carryduff, Jonny Greer was delighted to add his name to the Northern Irish success, as he took not only the International Rally Drivers’ Club Most Improved trophy, but a cheque for £500, presented by former World Rally Champion Nicky Grist, who also hosted the IRDC table at the black tie awards ceremony.
It was not just drivers and co-drivers from across the Irish Sea who took to the stage either. The Toddsleap.com Ulster International Rally, which had moved its base and stages from 2008, proved popular with organisers and competitors alike, scooping the British Rally Championship Rally of the Year award.
There was room for some other countries though, Australia’s Molly Taylor visiting the stage three times and taking the Greenlight Television Award. Director Richard Nichols made the presentation for a great first season which so nearly saw the British Ladies Rally Champion take the Swift Sport Cup too.
The awards drew to a close at around eleven, but the hotel bar was reportedly still busy at past 6am; no prizes for guessing which country was best represented….
Keith & Greg to sample IRC rallying in Scotland
"The deal has been on the table with over a week as the final details had to be worked out and is has now been confirmed that is will go ahead. Abarth have been competitive this year and it will be exciting to see Keith and Greg out in a competitive IRC car," a team spokesperson said.
"They will travel to Northern Italy early next week to have a testing session in the car. This is a fantastic opportunity for the lads to move a step up from the BRC and was made possible by support from Cremin Coaches, Cronin Motorsport Supporters Club and Pirelli, who have agreed to supply tyres for the event".
Speaking about the development, today, Keith stated that he was very excited about the prospect and that since the deal was first tabled nearly two weeks ago he has been in daily negotiations about the finer details and that he now can't wait to drive the car.
He was involved in testing a Proton Satria S2000 earlier in the year and although he did not get to actually drive that cat he said that the car felt much more balanced and responsive than the Mitsubishi.
Keith and Greg may have it all to do over again in BRC
Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors have added to their British Rally championship titles by also winning the 2009 MSA British Rally Championship Pirelli Star Driver final shoot-out, which took place over a two mile stage in the Sweet Lamb rally complex in mid Wales on Wednesday and Thursday, October 7/8 2009.
The newly crowned British champions will now receive a fully-funded drive in the 2010 MSA British Rally Championship.
Speaking about his plans now for 2010, Keith said: "We will drive the Pirelli backed Subaru in next year's British Rally Championship."
Newly crowned British Rally Champion, Keith Cronin has added the 2009 Pirelli BRC Star Driver prize drive to his portfolio in what has been an astounding year for the 23 year old Irishman.
The popular West Cork youngster and his co-driver Greg Shinnors impressed the panel of judges sufficiently that their decision to award the fully funded drive in the 2010 MSA British Rally Championship was unanimous after the two day assessment.
Seven drivers attended the shootout which was held for the first time at the Sweet Lamb Rally Complex in mid Wales, one nominated from each of the six rounds of the 2009 BRC, plus the Swift Sport Cup Junior Champion.
The two day event provided a mix of tests including an assessment on their pacenote making skills, TV interviews, knowledge of the FIA regulations but the predominant spotlight focused on their driving performance using both a two wheel (Suzuki Swift) and four wheel drive rally car (Subaru Impreza).
BRC Manager and non voting chairman of the judging panel, Mark Taylor “The two mile stage was a fabulous mix of corners and terrain, add to that the spice of recent torrential rain, the changeable Welsh surfaces, made for a very fitting and demanding test.”
“Giving consideration that if any of the finalists had slide off the road, or had crashed the car they would be have been instantly excluded from the competition, the pressure was on each of them was immense. With that in mind, all of the competitors presented themselves extremely well. They were an excellent bunch of finalists, the standard of drivers was the best yet in the three years we have run this competition and all of them should be extremely proud of their performances. I wouldn’t be surprised to see many of this year’s finalists back here again in 2010.”
In the end, the Panel of five judges comprising Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Manager Worldwide, Wayne Nickless and Martin Pallot from Pirelli UK, Phil Mills WRC co-driver and Risto Laine, Rally Finland Manager, voted unanimously for Keith Cronin who impressed them as an all round driver, a clear winner of a tough two day final shootout.
Gap of 35 years bridged with win in Yorkshire
Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors set a blistering pace on the 2009 International Rally Yorkshire to not only take their third gravel victory of 2009, but with it secure the MSA British Rally Championship at their first attempt.
They led after stage one and overcame
a challenge from Gwyndaf Evans and Chris Patterson, who led for a while.
Congratulations to Keith and Greg bridging the gap from 1974 to 2009.
Congratulations also to Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle who are the
Intercontinental Rally Challenge champions for 2009.
Newly crowned British Rally Champions Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors were jumping for joy on Saturday after taking the title and their third overall victory on the championship.
CMC will be cheering for Keith and Greg on BRC finale
All the previous results on this year's British Rally Championship can now be put to the back of their minds. For Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors next Saturday's International Rally Yorkshire is all that matters now. Finish in the top three ahead of Mark Higgins and Bryan Thomas and the championship title goes to the Irish crew. It's a tough task but one that a lot of people in Irish rallying feel they can achieve.
Speaking about the final rally, Keith was his usual calm self. "Whilst I need to win the Trackrod to be BRC champion, I will still start cautiously as I usually try to do," said Keith. "If this is good enough after the first stage I will continue like that; if it is not, then I will have to push a bit harder. I know that Mark will be out in a newer car and may have an extra turn of speed.”
And the triple British rally champion is worried also that Keith and Greg can take victory on Saturday. Mark Higgins, who starts at 1, will switch to the faster Impreza N15 for the event hoping that this move will keep the Irish pair behind. His team mate Adam Gould has used the car this year and has offered it to Higgins for the final test. But changing horses (so to speak) in mid stream, may not always be the right move.
Keith and Greg have had experience of the stages on this event having finished third here last year 39 seconds behind Higgins who was fighting for the championship with Guy Wilks. And Keith has had his accident for this year on the Ulster. That will now be fully behind him.
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 has been completely rebuilt following their round five Ulster accident. “We acted as ‘course car’ at the Lakeland stages in Enniskillen recently and were happy with the performance of the car,” explained Keith. “Whilst we had to be conscious of the role we were playing as rally officials, our times were very satisfactory. We would have preferred to have been in the event as competitors but we would have had to use the notes provided. As officials on the event, we able to traverse the route beforehand to make our own notes. This was as important as testing the car.”
Nine stages over a route of 92 stage miles in the ultra fast North Yorkshire forests will decide the outcome. Based at the Pickering Showground, the venue for the start, finish, service park, rally show and spectator stage, this compact event offers 92 miles of classic North Yorkshire stages over one day.
With a shakedown scheduled for Thursday, the recce, scrutineering and documentation is held on Friday. The rally starts early Saturday morning and finishes in the evening with a ceremonial finish inside the Northern Events Arena.
Rally Yorkshire is the only event allowed to utilise the famous, fast flowing stages in the Dalby complex this year. To celebrate, the event organisers from the Trackrod Motor Club have arranged a stunning 16-mile stage over the classic forest tracks and will be tackled twice by the top competitors.
"We're calling it the 'mega' stage," said clerk of the course Rod Parkin. "Last year, we split the Dalby section into two stages, but this year we are giving competitors a huge challenge with one 16-mile stage including the famous 'wood yard'. It will be a big test for everyone and this will be a unique opportunity for crews to sample one of the best-known forest stages in Britain," said Parkin.
Keith and Greg, in their first full season of the British Championship, have won the opening two rounds on gravel, the Bulldog Rally North Wales and Pirelli International. Mark Higgins and Bryan Thomas have won the three tarmac rounds, the Ulster only after Keith and Greg crashed out while leading.
Success for Mark Higgins would make him the joint second most successful driver in the 51-year history of the British Rally Championship, level on four wins with the legendary Roger Clark and just one behind Jimmy McRae.
For Keith the reward will be greater. A British Rally Championship title would see him follow in the footsteps of his rally hero Billy Coleman.
British Rally Championship finale on RallyFM: The final round of the 2009 MSA British Rally Championship will benefit from exclusive coverage on RallyFM, the internet based radio broadcaster.
Coverage from Rally Yorkshire will commence at 7am this Saturday, continuing right through to 7.30pm. John Horton, Bob Milloy, Nicola Parker and Chris Morford will bring you every twist and turn of this championship deciding cliff hanger.
First non finish for Keith and Greg on British championship
The bad news from Torr Head 2, SS6, of the Ulster International, was that Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors had crashed their Lancer Evo9 out of the event. “It was near the finish of the stage. The car understeered and we hit a bank. Damage was minimal but we are going no further,” said Keith. “Five rounds out of six to count for the championship. I think we will be dropping this one.”
The Rally, day one.
On the opening stage of the rally, Tardee 1, it was Keith and Greg fastest by 5.4 secs from Alastair Fisher Rory Kennedy Evo 9 and Mark Higgins Bryan Thomas third another second slower. They set 6th fastest time overall.
Keith had reported a small overshoot on SS1 where they ran slick tyres on the front and a cut slick on the rear of the car. The overshoot on SS1 saw Keith and Greg go a bit cautious on the second test, Glendun 1. Higgins was best 5.9 secs up on them but they still held the lead, albeit by just 0.5 seconds from Mark Higgins with Gwyndaf Evans/Chris Patterson, Evo10, third, 0.6 seconds back. Keith said. “I wasn’t so confident and found it difficult over the bumps. I didn’t push as hard as I could have”. 7th fastest OA
Torr Head 1, SS3, it was back to normal quickest by 10.3 secs from Higgins with Fisher third 27.8 secs slower on that test alone. It was here they they set the 3th fastest overall behind McHale and McGaritty with Donnelly 1.2secs back in 4th place. Gareth MacHale said after: “Yes we had a good run on that 3rd stage. I bedded myself in on the first two. I have to hand it to young Cronin, he’s a very talented driver. Torr Head is not a group N stage”. Mark Higgins said. “I was careful on the hairpins but went OK and was surprised at Cronin’s time”. Keith told us. “It just came together, just clicked on Torr. I was too casual on Glendun”.
After service crews headed for SS4 Tardee 2 where Gwyndaf Evans was quickest of the GpN cars with Higgins next 0.4 secs back and Keith and Greg third, down 5.3 secs. and 8th fastest overall on the test, but still hold onto their c/ship lead by 5.0 secs and 5th overall on the rally.
Keith and Greg were back in form again on SS5, Glendun 2, setting 4th overall time increasing their advantage over Higgins to 12.8secs. and taking it to 50.3secs over third place Fisher. They were still in 5th place overall.
Unfortunately it all went wrong on stage 6, Torr Head 2. Keith and Greg, who were jointly leading the British Championship starting this event, were 5th overall after the Tardree stage and in really top form. Speaking to Brian Patterson, he said then “I’m feeling more confident although intermediate tyres have turned out to be wrong as the roads are bone dry up here.” Keith and Greg were fastest Group N through that 5th stage, 8s up on Mark Higgins and were well in control. The most important thing is that they are both reported to be OK and the way the points are structured the British Championship is not beyond their grasp.
Keith & Greg tackle Ulster this weekend
Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors make the trip from the South West to the North East for one of the most important events of their careers so far. And while the Ulster International Rally is a round of the Irish Tarmac championship, it is probably fair to say that rally fans in the South will be more interested in the British championship part of the event. Cork fans certainly will.
Keith and Greg are seeded at 6,,and their main opponents, Mark Higgins/Bryan Thomas, will start at 5. Both crews now have two wins and two second places apiece, jostling for the British title on 76 points each in what has been described as “one of the most entertaining scraps in the British championship’s recent history.”
This year’s Ulster Rally has a new base in Antrim and it features six timed special stages on Friday evening. Cars restart early on Saturday morning to contest another eight stages before the finish at 6.00pm, over a stage distance of 127 miles.
A win this weekend would obviously ease the final path to the title for Keith and Greg. But a second place would not be the end of the world as the final round in North Yorkshire in September will have all points scored multiplied by 1.5.
Here’s wishing them all the best from Cork Motor Club.
No joy in Finland, so Keith and Greg look to Ulster
Unfortunately, Keith Cronin was not chosen at the Pirelli Shoot-out for Northern Europe at Jyvaskyla, in Finland on July 29-30.
"Despite being amongst the fastest times, we failed to be selected for progression. Yet again, it appears that speed alone is not enough," said Keith.
While disappointed, the 22-year-old was not down hearted. "We could have been outright fastest if we brought our own car," he commented, "but I wonder if that would have been of any benefit. Roll on the Ulster rally."
Keith and Greg are joint leaders of the 2009 British Rally Championship with Mark Higgins and Bryan Thomas after 4 rounds with two rounds left, the Ulster Rally on August 21/22 and Rally Yorkshire on September 26.
Keith & Greg take second overall on Rally Isle of Man
Keith's interview at finish Mark's interview at finish
An historic victory looked to be on the cards for Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors on day two of the International Rally Isle of Man when the Irish pair clawed back a defecit of 1 min and 2 seconds to just 4.6 seconds with four stages to go. But a puncture on SS18 ultimately cost them their chance of victory after two days of trading blows with Mark Higgins and Bryan Thomas over 20 stages in total. Each crew took 10 stage wins each.
From the start on Friday it became quickly evident that this was going to be a two horse race. Mark Higgins was on home ground, he was looking for a record breaking fifth win on the event and was going to be very hard to beat. But Keith and Greg were also intent on putting on a good show despite being unfamiliar with the stages and also only getting two runs over each stage on recce.
Mark was fastest on Stage 1, setting a time 5.8 seconds faster than Keith and Greg in dry and sunny conditions but on SS2 and SS3 it was Keith & Greg fastest, first by 7.3 secs and then by 16 secs to give them a lead of 17.5 seconds going into service. By this point Alistair Fisher and Rory Kennedy were 1 minute and 4 seconds behind in third.
An accident on Stage 4 saw just the two leaders through with Mark taking 3.9 seconds back from Keith. Then on SS5 Keith experienced a loss of power in in the Mitsubishi when the rear diff burst after a heavy landing and they dropped 1 minute and 9 seconds to Mark. But some trojan work by TTEC at service had the damaged item changed in just 12 minutes and Keith and Greg were back to full momentum. Stage 6 saw them drop1.6 seconds and the gap was now 54.2 seconds to the leader. Fisher was still third but the gap here was now 2 mins and 45 secs.
Stage 7 went to Higgins by just 0.6 seconds. On the following stage Keith was back in the groove with a 3.5 second win, but Mark returned to take a 5.4 second win on Ss9.
Stages 10 and 11 were Castletown and it was here that the close battle between the Corkman and the Manxman showed. Mark powered through the test to win by 0.3 seconds and on the second run, with both improving on their first time, it was Keith who won the battle by ... yes 0.3 seconds.
Mark took victory on the final stage of the day and the crews headed to the night halt with Higgins leading Keith and Greg by 1 minute and 2 seconds with Fisher third on a gap of 3 minutes 48 seconds.
On Saturday morning Keith & Greg had a big job to do to catch Mark Higgins, but they set about it in the ideal way taking 5.7 seconds on SS13 and 6.6 seconds on SS14 to lower the gap to 50.1 seconds. SS15 saw Keith & Greg reduce the margin again this time by 30 seconds after Mark had an off. But despite the fierce battle, rallying camaraderie shone through when some of Keith & Greg’s army of followers pushed Mark Higgins off a bank after struggling round a tight hairpin with no clutch. On SS16 the gap came down again, this time by 14.4 seconds to leave Mark Higgins just hanging on by 4.6 seconds.
Then on SS17, Keith & Greg made one of their very rare mistakes when on the 21 mile Newtown stage they hit a bank after missing their braking point and dropped 11 seconds, giving the lead back to the Manx driver.
But then a puncture on Stage 18, the 13.6 mile Cringle test, was the blow that finished the battle. A loss of 1 minute 39.5 seconds gave Keith & Greg an impossible mountain to climb with just two stages remaining. Fastest times on the last two stages, plus 8.2 seconds on SS19 and plus 4.9 on SS20 lowered the final amount but it was Mark Higgins who took the win.
Higgins’ win makes him not only the most successful driver in the event’s history, the only person to have won five times, but it puts him and Keith level at points at the head of the British Rally Championship points standings.
“It has been the most difficult and hard fought event I can remember,” Mark Higgins said at the Douglas TT Grandstand finish. “Keith is a great opponent and I’ve been amazed at his pace on my Island!”
On the Manx Keith has shown his outright speed and accuracy plus an extra talent that is possibly more important, that is his ability to recover quickly and fight back no matter what the problem. With two rounds to go in the British championship Keith & Greg are on equal points with Mark Higgins and Bryan Thomas.
Both crews are in a class of their own. One might say that it would be a pity for either to lose the championship. But that's not us. Best of luck to Keith and Greg and their back-up crew. Keep up the good work. Ye can go all the way.
The next round of the MSA British Rally Championship, the Toddsleap.com Ulster International Rally takes place on August 21 and 22. This rally is based in its new Antrim home from where new stages will effectively present a blank canvas for the continuation of battle for the 2009 British title.
For those of you who have it, check out Sky Sports Xtra for review of the rally.
Keith and Greg return to the BRC this Friday & Saturday
The 2009 MSA British Rally Championship’s second half continues on the Isle of Man this Friday and Saturday, July 10th & 11th, and the second of three straight tarmac events for the crews. Here's wishing Keith and Greg the best of luck.
Back in March when the season began, it was unclear whether the battle for supremacy would be as interesting as the last few years, since the majority of competitors signing up for the Championship were youngsters with little experience of the pressure at the top.
At Bulldog Rally North Wales, a new opening event for the BRC, triple Champion Mark Higgins looked like being the favourite, since reigning champ Guy Wilks was seeking a return to the World stage.
But it was 22 year old Irishman Keith Cronin who astonished old and new alike, setting a pace that was equal to Higgins’, the pair even tied to the tenth of a second after the first two stages. And as the event drew to a close Cronin held his nerve when Higgins bent his suspension, snatching victory on the final stage to lead the Championship.
By the time of the Pirelli International Rally the sense of anticipation was tangible at the new Carlisle Racecourse Rally HQ, as Guy Wilks returned to the series in a Proton Super 2000. Having won all the BRC gravel rounds in 2007 and 2008, the reigning champion set about picking up where he left off, immediately building a gap to Higgins. Phillip Morrow briefly held third with some good times on his one-off return to the BRC, but Cronin was elevated to third when he crashed out.
Cronin’s pace was stunning though, forcing an error from Wilks after setting a pair of fastest times on his debut Pirelli. Wilks minor excursion ultimately proved his undoing when the car caught fire soon afterwards, halting the stage as the following cars stopped to help extinguish the blaze. Wilks’ departure left the way clear for Cronin to continue reeling in Higgins for the lead, a feat he managed on the final stage for the second event in a row.
The Jim Clark International saw a change in surface, for the first of three asphalt events in the BRC season. Higgins not only needed a win to put his title hopes back on track, but there was the small challenge of winning the event for the fifth time in succession, a feat never before achieved on any BRC event in its 51 years.
After the second stage it looked like it may be an easy ride for the Manxman, as Cronin punctured and lost two minutes. But problems with Higgins’ Impreza and an impeccable drive from Cronin saw the gap closed to less than three seconds with just three stages remaining. It was Higgins who held his nerve this time though, the misfire and differential problems resolved just in time for him to defend his lead.
Higgins’ eventual winning margin was just over eleven seconds, astonishingly the largest gap so far this year. It was enough to put him back in the title race, the fifth consecutive Jim Clark BRC win an added bonus under the circumstances. Two points split the pair as they travel to Higgins’ home event, his wish to repeat last year’s trio of tarmac victories more pressing than ever.
It would be a foolish gambler who bet against Higgins taking victory on his home Manx lanes, particularly as he could take overall honours for the second year in a row.
But Keith and Greg's win on the Ravens Rock on tarmac against some of the top Irish national championship competitors has not gone unnoticed by Higgins. The pressure is going to be on him to win on home ground and at present Keith and Greg hold a two point lead in the British series.
International Rally Isle of Man is based entirely at the TT Grandstand facility overlooking Douglas, from where cars will start at 10am on Friday July. 100 stage miles later they return at 9pm for a well deserved overnight halt, before a 9am Saturday re-start.
A whisker over 80 miles then separates the remaining crews from the champagne finish at around 4.15pm; a total 20 stages deciding the outcome of what will undoubtedly be a thrilling event.
National championship round win for CMC
Proof of the driving ability of Keith Cronin, (if any more proof was really needed), was again shown by the 22 year old when he and Greg Shinnors donimated the 2009 Ravens Rock Rally on Sunday, June 29.
Fastest on all but one of the nine stages, Keith and Greg took victory by 1 minute 21 seconds over former National champion Nial Maguire, with current National champion Patrick Elliot a further 47 seconds back in third. The margin would be considered pretty good even if all were in equal machinery, but considering the winners were diving their GpN Evo 9 (on BRC fuel and used tyres), and the two runners up in Subaru WRCs, (Maguire S11 and Elliott S12 B), the victory is all the more outstanding.
The rally was run in the old format of three stages run three times. Keith and Greg really caught the opposition napping on the opening test at Slievenamon taking a 15 seconds lead, although Keith said he felt the car was down on boost. Kenny McKinstry at stage finish was heard to say: “I wouldn’t like to see his time if everything was right!”
Elliott responded on SS2, taking fastest time by just 2 seconds but Keith and Greg answered that with a joint fastest time on SS3, although Keith admitted they didn’t have a great run through stage 3, that he could smell gear oil and he found it distracting. But this was the last time they would be challenged for victory. They returned to service with a 13sec lead over Elliot and 36 seconds ahead of Maguire.
When rain started to fall as the competitors left service, the rally leaders capitalised and extended their lead on each of the six remaining stages. The closest Gp N car at the end was 3m 40s behind. And I'm told this is the first time a GpN car has won a round of the National Rally championship.Keith and Greg now head for the Isle of Man International Rally this month. (Thanks to Ger Leahy for the pics www.rally.pro.ie)
Meanwhile, on the same event, other CMC members John Quill and Alan Hartigan finished 52nd overall in their Citroen C2 R2.
After the opening stage was cancelled due to an accident and another stage was halted due to a blockage, their event looked to be over after stage 6 when the clutch went as they made their way to service.
But some trojan work by fellow club member Sean Hogan, Gyn Thomas and the service crews of other Citroen competitors saw the two lads back in the event.
Seems like its not only on World Rally Championship events that Citroen Citroen competitors help other Citroen competitors.
Fellow Citroen competitors helped John and Alan finish the Ravens Rock
Corkman takes on Europe
Motorsport Ireland Media Release 26.6.09
Motorsport Ireland, the governing body of motorsport in Ireland, has selected Keith Cronin, the 2007 Billy Coleman Award winner, as its candidate for the Pirelli Star Driver competition, which will give a number of young rally drivers the opportunity of competing in a series of six World Championship Rallies in 2010.
Cronin, aged 22, is from Bantry in West Cork, and drives a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9. He is contesting this year’s British Rally Championship, which he currently leads, having won the first two rounds.
Ten Northern European countries have been invited by the FIA to send a driver to the Pirelli Shoot-out for Northern Europe at Jyvaskyla, in Finland on July 29-30. A panel of judges will select five of these drivers who will go forward to the European Shoot-out at Freistadt in Austria on September 18-20, where they will compete with drivers from other FIA regions for the 2010 Pirelli Star Drives.
The five successful drivers, who must have been under the age of 27 on 1st January 2009, will use identical Group N cars in the six World Championship events in 2010, supplied and serviced under an FIA agreement.
Keith Cronin said: “I am delighted to be representing my country again and it is a fantastic opportunity that could ultimately result in a paid drive in the World Rally Championship”.
Alex Sinclair, Chief Executive of Motorsport Ireland, said: “Last year, Keith came very close to winning one of the drives on offer and with the experience gained since then and his outstanding performances in the British Rally Championship, we are expecting great things from him this time around”.
Keith & Greg second on Jim Clark but maintain BRC lead
[Listen to Keith's interview on the podium]
Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors have finished the Jim Clark International Rally in seventh place overall and second to Mark Higgins in the BRC section.
A causious the rally 4.8 seconds down on Mark Higgins after Stage One. After a puncture on Stage Two it looked like it was Higgin's event. And then with the gap rising to 1 min 56.5 seconds after Stage three and down in ninth in cateory it didn't look great for them.
Then with a string of fastest times on Stages Four, Five and Six, they moved back up the leaderboard finishing Friday night fifth in BRC category and the gap to Higgins down to 1min 20.9 secs.
Keith and Greg started Saturday with determination. Sixth fastest on SS7 and SS8 and fifth quickest on SS9 saw them enter service in second place to Higgins and and gap down to 44.2 secs. keith said he was still pushing at his own pace and is sure there is more to come. Second place is better than I could have expected last night. Car seems to under steer today and thinks loosing turbo boost.
Back on the stages they continued quickest BRC competitors on all stages setting times either fifth or sixth fastest overall. When they entered service after SS14 the gap to Higgins was now just 2.6 seconds with three stages to go. But Keith was not letting the pressure effect him. Plan is to keep doing my own thing, for rest of the event.
But on Stage 15 it was then that Higgins came back. "We went out on slick tyres and it rained and we spun at one junction," said Keith.For the first time on Saturday he took fastest time, 5.6 seconds ahead of Keith and Greg. It was still wet on Stage 16 and Higgins managed another top time, adding 4.1 seconds.
A final stage surprise victory for Keith and Greg was not to be on this event. Although they were fastest, the 1.2 mile length was not long enough and they settled for second 11.4 seconds behind Higgins.
So half way through the 2009 British Rally Championship they continue to lead and now prepare for their next outing which will be the Isle Of Man International Rally on July 10/11 next.
Overall winners were Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner. The Jim Clark International round of the British rally championship will be shown on Sky Sports 2 on Tuesday May 26 at 7pm (Ch 402).
Keith and Greg head for Jim Clark
Keith and Greg's two wins were both taken on the very last stage of rounds one and two. This must be having an effect on the reigning champion Mark Higgins who must be wondering if there is any way of beating the young contender. The change of surface and his experience on this event, may give him some hope.
Keith will be sampling the Berwickshire lanes for the first time, but Greg should have sufficient experience to help being so nearly a winner in 2006 alongside Rory Galligan, beaten on a tie break after equalling Higgins to the tenth of a second at the finish. Keith’s experience on tar should stand him in good stead too, whilst not an asphalt-only driver at home, the ability to make notes on sealed surface should help.
Despite the pressure Keith has a good mental attitude to the job ahead. "We head to the Jim Clark Rally this weekend and it is definitely going to be another very tough rally. It is the first tarmac round of the championship and it will also be my first time competing on the event. This won’t be too strange as the first two rounds of the championship were also new territory for me. Therefore, I will approach this event in the same manner I approached the first two rounds, that is to try and start the rally at a fast and comfortable pace and build my speed up throughout the rally. If I find myself in a position near the end of the event that enables me to fight for the win then I will definitely do just that," said Keith on Tuesday.
"The competition again will be very tough here; I know Mark Higgins is very fast on the tar as he won all three sealed surface rounds of the championship last year and he will be especially hard to beat here as he has won this event numerous times in the past. As this is the first time the championship takes to the tar, I don’t really know how fast we will have to go if we want to stay with Mark or some of the other competitors for that matter. I have done other tarmac rallies before and the first two rallies I won were on tarmac, but it’s hard to know just how fast we will have to go here to be on the pace. I won’t be long finding out though and that’s for sure."
"From what I’ve heard about this event and from what I’ve seen of it on TV it is incredibly fast with some very big jumps. The surface over there also looks different to the tarmac roads that we rally on in Ireland therefore it will probably take a few stages to learn just how much grip there is for cornering and braking. Whenever it rained there it looked especially tricky. It is also the first event this year that will be incorporating some night stages. I haven’t done a lot of stages in the dark but I am looking forward to them all the same."
"All in all, it is going to be a very tough event as there are a lot of unknowns. It is another new event for me and as it is the first tarmac round of the championship it is hard to know what the level of competition will be like. This is the BRC however so no doubt it will be tough, but, we had a good tarmac test as ‘00’ on the ‘Lakes’ and I am confident that the car is in good shape. The rest is up to me!"
The rally has its HQ at Kelso racecourse, Scottish Borders and will involve 250kms of stages. As well as being round 3 of the British championship it is also part of the Irish Tarmac championship and is returning to a Friday evening / Saturday event with a high profile start in the centre of Edinburgh.
Day one is centred around Duns and a stages in the Lammermuir Hills and will finish with two stages run in the dark. Day two sees the event tackle over 100 mile of competition in the fast lanes of the Merse where the stages are famous for their big jumps. However they can have a very changeable surface if it becomes wet.
In a first for the rally, there will be a 1.2 mile sprint through the streets of Duns - the market town just a few miles from what was the family home of the late double world motor racing champion this event commemorates. The stage will be run twice on Friday night, and once more on Saturday afternoon, and is surely bound to provide an exciting spectacle.
Keith and Greg prove pace with second win
Interview with Keith after his win, click [AUDIO]
Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors took their Mitsubishi Evo 9 to another dramatic British Rally championship win with victory on the Pirelli International Rally on Friday and Saturday (April 17/18). For the second time they snatched the lead from Mark Higgins/Bryan Thomas (Subaru) on the very last stage after over 100 miles of a hard driven rally.
Having triumphed over triple champion Mark Higgins on the opening round in North Wales in March, the second round seemed to be even more daunting, as Champion for the last two years, Guy Wilks, was also on the entry as was former Evo Challenge champion Philip Morrow. Richard Cathcart, who was so rapid on last years Evo Challenge, was also listed to start albeit in a Subaru.
Before the event Keith openly admitted that he would not be trying to win the rally, as it was more important at this juncture to consolidate his position with a good points haul.
As things transpired on the first stage on Friday evening, Keith felt that for some reason he did not settle into his rhythm properly and consequently on the first stage he dropped over 16 seconds to rally leader Wilks and was only 5th fastest on that opening test. He was happier on the second stage and was only beaten by Wilks and Higgins. In overall terms, the Cork/Limerick pairing were 4th overnight, some 35 seconds off the early leader, Wilks.
The early part of the rally had been dominated by the new Proton Satria of Guy Wilkes/Phil Pugh who were fastest on the first four stages but then Keith and Greg, after a cautious start, set the fastest times.
On Saturday's first stage they settled in well and despite the car suffering a slight power loss due to turbo problems, they were beaten only by Wilks. Philip Morrow was second to Wilks on the following stage with the Cronin Motorsport crew third, again trimming a couple of seconds from Higgins.
Stage 5 saw a different name at the top of the timesheet, when for the first time on this rally somebody beat Wilks. It was Higgins who was fastest, but the Munster crew were only 3.9 seconds slower and they too, beat Wilks on the stage. This stage also saw the demise of Philip Morrow, who crashed out of the rally.
Stage 6 saw the Irish crew topping the time sheets and having already moved into third position because of Morrow's departure, they were steadily nibbling away at Mark Higgins advantage. On stage 7 they were again fastest followed by Wilks and Higgins and had the time differential to Higgins down to 10.2 seconds.
At this point Keith was very upbeat about his chances as all the remaining stages were repeats of the earlier ones. Never having
competed on them before he was confident that on his second run he could improve on his first times over them.
On stage 8 Wilks, who was running first on the road, had a problem with the car and when he pulled over, a fire took hold and although all the following cars stopped and used their extinguishers on the fire, his car was completely gutted. As none of the lead cars now had fire extinguishers, it was decided that the following two stages be cancelled to allow the competitors get replacements.
So with two stages remaining Mark Higgins led the rally from Keith and Greg. Certainly a sense of déjà vu as that was also the scenario entering the final pair of stages in North Wales on the opening round.
That time the pair were separated by 9.5 seconds, this time it was 10.2. History was about to repeat itself as Keith and Greg's second run over the second last stage saw their stage time improve by 22sec and they trimmed Higgins' lead to just 2.4 seconds.
On the last stage Higgins improved on his previous time by 11 seconds, however Keith and Greg trimmed their first time by 18seconds to beat Higgins by 4.4seconds on the stage and by 2 seconds on the rally.
Fastest stages times: Wilks 1, 2, 3, 4. Higgins 5. Keith/Greg 6, 7, 11, 12. Stages 8, 9, 10 were cancelled due to Wilks' fire.
Cronin ahead as Wilks joins the chase
The second round of the 2009 MSA British Rally Championship takes place this weekend, just three weeks after the opener in Wales, and Keith Cronin and Greg Shinnors will be keen to keep up the momentum. They are seeded at 2 for the Pirelli International Rally on Friday and Saturday, (April 17 & 18). This will be a trip into un-chartered waters for the pair as they have never competed on this event before.
Their overall victory on round one, the Bulldog Rally in Wales on Saturday, March 28 last has given the pair a huge boost. Keith and Greg driving their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, took fastest times on three of the six stages, beating Mark Higgins in his Subaru Impreza N11. The pair have certainly made an impression with Higgins himself commenting that he could not believe the pace of the of the 22year old, former Billy Coleman Award winner.
Absent from the tussle at the top between Keith/Greg and Mark Higgins/Bryan Thomas, was reigning BRC Champion Guy Wilks, but he and Phil Pugh will be back this weekend to try and secure their own hat-trick of wins on the Carlisle based rally. Wilks’ switch to a Proton S2000 will mean an unfamiliar package for the Durham driver.
Seeded at car one as the winner of both the 2007 and 2008 Pirelli International and British Rally Championships, Wilks should add even more spice to the action at the front, the ultra fast Cumbrian stages suiting his smooth yet attacking driving style.
Iceland’s Daniel Sigurdarsson takes the place of Stuart Jones in a Team JRM Lico evolution 10, the 32year-old former Icelandic Rally Champion and BRC newcomer making the move from his regular Evo 9 for the Cumbrian event.
2008 Pirelli Star Diver Adam Gould and Seb Marshall will benefit from previous experience on the event, as will Andreas Sjölander and Håkan Jacobsson, both crews expected to go well after impressive UK 4WD debuts in Wales.
Two Scottish Davids; Bogie and Weston Junior, with co-drivers Kevin Rae and Neil Shanks respectively, will battle for Celtic honours against two Northern Irishmen, the four taking fifth to eighth points on round one. The Irishmen in question come in the form of Alastair Fisher and Jonny Greer, former BRC and Irish Champion co-driver Rory Kennedy alongside Fisher, with another Corkman, Antony O'Conaill, who will again navigate for Greer.
The new base for the Pirelli International Rally will be Carlisle Racecourse; close to the City centre and with excellent facilities, this is coupled with new stages in the infamous Kielder forest complex. Starting and finishing from Carlisle Racecourse, the Pirelli Tour of Cumbria features eight timed special stages and a competitive distance of just under 70 miles. The Pirelli International Rally runs over the weekend of 17th / 18th April and the action gets underway at the racecourse, with cars leaving from 4:30pm on Friday with 2 evening/night stages before a return to
Keith is also in second place after four rounds of the 2009 Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Ireland while Greg leads the navigator's section.
Cronin scores first win on British Rally Championship
Greg and Keith on the podium for the Bulldog International
Listen to Keith's interview after his victory [AUDIO]
Cronin and Shinnors win Bulldog rally
For the second time in as many weeks there was an historic Irish Victory on Welsh soil. Last week it was the rugby heroes who overcame their Welsh counterparts to claim their first grand slam for 61 years. This time it was the turn of a young West Cork rally driver to triumph over adversaries from throughout
Their victory in Bala in
At just 22 years of age, Keith has been acknowledged for some time, as
It was decided that this year he would contest the entire BRC in an effort to hone his driving skills further. On the opening stage of the rally, and the Championship, he was a mere 1.1 seconds off the pace of Mark Higgins, who is on a quest for his fourth British title. He quickly cancelled out this deficit by taking the same margin from Higgins on the second stage, so when the entered the first service the pair were jointly leading the rally. This was already shaping up to be a two horse race as there was nearly a twenty second gap to third placed driver Andreas Sjolander.
On the next test Higgins eked out a two second lead. He further extended this lead on stage four where he beat the Ballylickey driver by 7.5 seconds to lead by 9.5 seconds as they entered the second service. By now, the gap to third had extended to over two minutes, and it was Stuart Jones who now occupied that position. Cronin was optimistic that he could beat Higgins on stage 5, which was a re-run of stage 3. He thought however, that the final stage was more suited to the Subaru of Higgins.
Back out on the stages it was the Irishman who was quickest on the penultimate test when he took 6.5 seconds from Higgins to let the gap at 3 seconds entering the final stage. Cronin was worried about a rear wheel that he had bent on that fifth stage, but he did not share these concerns with Higgins, who he was hoping would push hard on the last stage and make a mistake. Higgins did indeed have an incident on that final stage where he bent a suspension when he hit a deep rut. Ironically, Keith too, damaged his car in the same place, but he did not drop much time as a result and arrived at the stage finish 12 seconds faster that Higgins to take victory by 9 seconds.
Speaking at the finish, Keith said, “It’s not quite sunk in yet but I couldn’t really ask for more at the start of the season.” When it was pointed out to Keith that Billy Coleman and Austin McHale were the only other Irishmen to lead the championship, he quipped “ I’d prefer to be leading at the end of the year like Billy was!”
Results
1. Keith Cronin/
2. Mark Higgins/Bryan Thomas (Subaru Impreza N11) 1:21.08.7
3. Stuart Jones/Andy Bull (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 1:23:20.3
4. Adam Gould/Sebastian Marshall (Subaru Impreza N14) 1:24:09.9
5. David Bogie/Kevin Rae (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10) 1:24:30.6
Leaders After
SS1 Mark Higgins/Bryan Thomas (Subaru Impreza N11)
SS2 Mark Higgins/Bryan Thomas (Subaru Impreza N11)
& Keith Cronin/
SS3-5 Mark Higgins/Bryan Thomas (Subaru Impreza N11)
SS6 Keith Cronin/
Stage Winners:
SS1 Mark Higgins/Bryan Thomas (Subaru Impreza N11)
SS2 Keith Cronin/
SS3 Mark Higgins/Bryan Thomas (Subaru Impreza N11)
SS4 Mark Higgins/Bryan Thomas (Subaru Impreza N11)
SS5 Keith Cronin/
SS6 Keith Cronin/
