Recently crowned Irish Tarmac Champions, Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin, head to Wales this weekend for the Cambrian Rally, the final round of the British Championship, where they will be one of four crews in with a chance of claiming the 2024 title. It would be a remarkable double if the Killarney and District Motor Club crew could bring home the Irish and British championships in the same year, it is a feat that has only been achieved once previously, when Jimmy McRae took both drivers' titles in 1981, but in reality, the possibility of them pulling it off is slim. They currently lie joint third in the standings in their M O’Brien Group of Companies/Lyons Motor Group/Shane Casey Electrical Services Ford Fiesta, 21 points off the lead.
Going into the finale, it is William Creighton and Liam Regan who head the standings in their Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy backed Fiesta. They are on a total of 96 points, just one ahead of the Toyota GR Yaris crew of Chris Ingram and Alex Kihurani, but the picture is altered somewhat when the best five scores from seven rounds rule comes into play. Ingram and Kihurani have had two non-finishes so far, while Creighton and Regan have finished five rounds and must drop a score if they complete the Cambrian, with their current worst result standing at thirteen points. There are a myriad of permutations which could unfold, and the situation is further complicated by the fact that Creighton and Regan have not yet utilised their 'Joker', which awards additional points if the crew finishes between first and fifth places. Additionally, the Cambrian, being the final round, is worth 50% extra points for all crews, therefore everyone's calculators will be working overtime as the rally progresses. Creighton and Regan must finish ahead of Ingram and Kihurani to take the BRC crown, and in some instances, one place ahead will not be enough.
The fourth crew in the mix is Osian Pryce, a former champion, and Rhodri Evans, who are also Fiesta-equipped. They are on the same total as Cronin and Galvin, but are in a stronger position, as they will also be nominating the Cambrian as their Joker round, while Cronin and Galvin have already availed of theirs. The business end of the season has been one of contrasting fortunes for the Ballylickey driver, and his Killarney co-driver. They finished second to Ingram and Kihurani on the first leg of the Rali Ceredigion BRC double-header, but then rolled out on the opening stage of the second leg, where Ingram and Kihurani also crashed. Later, at the end of September, they claimed the 2024 Irish Tarmac Championship honours at the Cork '20' Rally.
"Our chances of taking the British title are remote, to say the least," concedes Cronin. "It would require Will, Chris and Osian to all have really bad days in the office on the Cambrian, and that's not going to happen. We're going there with a view towards 2025 or some other year, so that we'll have a set of pacenotes to work off if we return. While the route will not be exactly the same every time, there is usually some degree of continuity." He also says that a bad start scuppered his BRC ambitions early on. "You could say that we'd be in a very strong position now if we had stayed on the road on the Sunday morning in Ceredigion, that we would have capitalised on Chris non-finishing, and that is true to an extent, but in reality we lost this championship at the beginning of the year. We had spins and punctures on the North West Stages and the Severn Valley, I think we got only ten points from the two of them. In a year as competitive as this has been, with three other strong contenders there to take advantage when you have a poor outcome, you can't have results like that and expect to get away with it. I thought we might be able to turn it around during the season, but it stayed just out of reach."
The Cambrian Rally is based in Llandudno, and will consist of seven forestry stages in north Wales. The Ceremonial Start at Llandudno Promenade will take place from 8am on Saturday, with the crews tackling four stages during the course of the morning. After Service in Ruthin, three of the same stages are repeated in the afternoon, and the Finish Ramp celebrations will take place back in Llandudno shortly before 5.30pm.
Keith Cronin and Mikie Galvin are supported by M Group of Companies, Lyons Motor Group, Shane Casey Electrical Services, Molson Equipment, Pirelli, EARS Motorsport Ireland, Cronin’s Centra (Ballylickey, Union Hall, Leap, Millstreet and Dundrum), Cronin’s HomeValue Hardware, Westlink Service Station and Daybreak Shop, Cremin Coaches, Keohane Seafoods, M-Sport and Wurth Ireland. Their Ford Fiesta Rally 2 is prepared and run by Tom Gahan Motorsport.
Cambrian Rally 2024
Top Ten Seeds
1: Tom Cave/Dale Furniss, Volkswagen Polo GTi R5
2: Russ Thompson/Stephen Link, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9
3: Chris Ingram/Alex Kihurani, Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2
4: Osian Pryce/Rhodri Evans, Ford Fiesta Mk II Rally 2
5: Keith Cronin/Mikie Galvin, Ford Fiesta Mk II Rally 2
6: William Creighton/Liam Regan, Ford Fiesta Mk II Rally 2
7: Garry Pearson/Daniel Barritt, Ford Fiesta Mk II Rally 2
8: Meirion Evans/Jonathan Jackson, Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2
9: Jonathan Greer/Niall Burns, Citroen C3 Rally 2
10: Matthew Hirst/Declan Dear, Skoda Fabia Rally 2
Cambrian Rally 2024
Timetable
Friday 25th October
Mechanical Scrutiny, Victoria Centre, Llandudno: 14:00 - 18:30
Saturday 26th October (First Car Due)
Start Ramp: Llandudno Promenade, 08:01
Stage 1: Elsi, 08:54
Stage 2: Clocaenog, 10:14
Stage 3: Brenig, 11:20
Stage 4: Alwen, 11:36
Regroup - In: Ruthin, 12:29
Regroup - Out: 13:01
Service - In: Ruthin Livestock Mart, 13:11
Service - Out: Ruthin Livestock Mart, 13:56
Stage 5: Clocaenog, 14:17
Stage 6: Alwen, 15:28
Stage 7: Brenig, 15:56
Finish Ramp: Llandudno Promenade, 17:19
