Irish Rallycross Championship
Irish Rallycross Championship, IRX, PartsforCars Irish Rallycross Championship is a Rallycross championship in the Republic of Ireland.
| Category | Rallycross |
|---|---|
| Country |  |
| Inaugural season | 1982 |
| Classes | Supercars, Modified, Production, Rallycars, Buggy, Fiesta, Junior |
| Drivers' champion | Derek Tohill (2019) |
| Official website | Website Facebook Page |
The championship is regulated by Motorsport Ireland who are the governing body of Motorsports in the Republic of Ireland.
History
The Irish Rallycross Championship was formed in 1982, all rounds running in Mondello Park. The event attracted a round of European Rallycross Championship to Ireland in the early 1990s.[1]
2020 Season
On 12 March all motorsports events were postponed in the light of the coronavirus pandemic.[2] On 20 March, Motorsport Ireland issued a statement that all motorsport events are suspended until 1 June 2020.[3]
Calendar
| Round | Track / Event | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mondello Park Rallycross - Clockwise | 8 March 2019 |
| 2 | Mondello Park Rallycross | 19 April 2019 suspended |
| 3-4 | Mondello Park Rallycross | 18–19 July 2019 |
| 5 | Mondello Park Rallycross | 4 October 2019 |
| 6 | Mondello Park Rallycross | 8 November 2019 |
Results
The Rallycars class was absent this season. There were total of 48 cars on the grid for the round 1, with Modified being the largest class - 12 cars. Last year's overall champion Derek Tohill did not start in his Supercar Fiesta, but rather in a 2 wheel drive Fiesta in Modified class, and finished third.
| Class | Round 1[4] | Round 2 | Round 3-4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | 2020 Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superfinal | Tommy Graham | |||||
| Supercar | Tommy Graham | |||||
| Modified | Willie Coyne | |||||
| Production | Keith Kershawe | |||||
| Buggy | Robbie Allen | |||||
| Fiesta | Ben Mullins | |||||
| Junior | Loughlin Farrell | |||||
| Retro RX | Keith Kershawe | |||||
2019 Season
The official 2019 championship media launch took place on 17 February 2019 in Mondello Park. Leo Nulty started the proceedings, stating that the championship is in its best position in many years.[5] PartsforCars was announced as the main championship sponsor, along with sponsorship from Diamondbrite, IPRS, Rigs 4 Gigs and MRCM Roofing.
Round 1 event on 3 March was cancelled in the afternoon after the first semi-finals race due to adverse weather conditions (snow).[6] However, the results were to stand.[7]
On October 15 Mondello Park have announced that the penultimate two rounds scheduled for 19-20 of October will not take place because participant entry numbers are too low for the championship event to go ahead. The entrant numbers have been dropping throughout the season despite organizers' efforts to revive the championship. The Motorsport Ireland Rallycross Commission met the following week in order to make a decision in relation to the final event of the season on 24 November.[8][9] On 7 November Motorsport Ireland announced that the last round of the season will go ahead, incentivized by lowered entry fees, and the first time ever “race into the night” as the finals would run under floodlights.[10]
Calendar
| Round | Track / Event | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mondello Park Short Circuit Rallycross | 3 March 2019 | Event cancelled mid-way, but results stand |
| 2 | Pallas Karting Track - Rallycross @ Tynagh[11] | 7 April 2019 | |
| 3 | Mondello Park Reverse Short Circuit Rallycross | 19 May 2019 | |
| 4 | Mondello Park Modified Reverse Short Circuit Rallycross - "Retro Mania" | 20–21 July 2019 | |
| 5-6 | Mondello Park Short Circuit Rallycross | 19–20 October 2019 | Event did not go ahead, numbers too low |
| 7 | Mondello Park Short Circuit Rallycross | 24 November 2019 | |
Results[12]
The Production Class featured three cars in Round 1, one car in Round 2 and none from Rounds 3 onwards.
| Class | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5-6 | Round 7 | 2019 Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superfinal | Derek Tohill | Noel Greene | Derek Tohill | Derek Tohill | Cancelled | Derek Tohill | Derek Tohill |
| Supercar | Derek Tohill | Noel Greene | Derek Tohill | Derek Tohill | Cancelled | Derek Tohill | Derek Tohill |
| Modified | Michael Coyne | Willie Coyne | Peter McGarry | Padraig Leeson | Cancelled | Willie Coyne | Willie Coyne |
| Production | - | David Gibb | - | - | Cancelled | - | - |
| Rallycars | Thomas O'Rafferty | David James | Thomas O'Rafferty | Patricia Denning | Cancelled | Shane Stanley | Thomas O'Rafferty |
| Buggy | Padraic McHale | Padraic McHale | Russel Woods | Russel Woods | Cancelled | Pat Bellew | Padraic McHale |
| Fiesta | Denis McCrudden | David Maher | David Maher | David Maher | Cancelled | Mark Meenehan | Denis McCrudden |
| Junior | Jack Byrne | Brendan McCaughan | Jack Byrne | Brendan McCaughan | Cancelled | Michael Ryan | Jack Byrne |
| Retro RX | - | - | - | Barry McCardle | Cancelled | David Crockett | Barry McCardle / David Crockett |
2018 Season
The season consisted of 6 rounds, 3 different track layouts and 9 main championship classes.[13]
| Class | Class Description[14] | Winner | 2nd place | 3rd place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superfinal | Derek Tohill | Pearse Browne | Michael Coyne | |
| Supercar | Modified 4WD cars with unlimited capacity | Derek Tohill | Michael Coyne | Declan Kelly |
| Super Modified | Peter McGarry | Michael Coyne | Lloyd Spendlove | |
| 3A Modified | Modified 2WD cars with forced induction and Modified 2WD, normally aspirated cars with engine capacity exceeding 2150cc | Peter McGarry | Michael Coyne | Lloyd Spendlove |
| 3B Modified | Modified 2WD, normally aspirated cars with engine capacity up to 2150cc | Chris Grimes | Willie Coyne | David Aitken |
| Super 1600 | Modified 2WD, normally aspirated cars with engine capacity up to 1650cc | Kieran Curran Andrew Twomey |
||
| 16V Production | Standard 2WD normally aspirated cars up to 1650cc and standard 2wd normally aspirated production cars from 1650cc up to 2050cc | Ciaran Murphy | Derek Lenehan | Damien Farrell |
| Rallycar Class 9 | Rallycars up to 1650cc | Patrica Denning | ||
| Rallycar 9A | Rallycars over 1650cc up to 2050cc | Jack Deegan | David Griffin | Jason Keogh |
| Rallycar 9B | Rallycars over 2050cc, 4WD Cars and Turbo Charged Cars | Joe Downey | Peter O'Brien | PJ Doyle |
| Buggy | Russell Woods | Owen Skelly | Robbie Allen | |
| Zetec | as per Motorsport Ireland yearbook appendix 48 | David Maher | Denis McCrudden | Brian Matthews |
| Junior | 14-16 year olds driving standard 1 litre cars | Jack Byrne | Conor Kehoe | Michael Ryan |
Sponsors
PartsforCars has renewed the main sponsorship for another year. PartsforCars were be joined by new sponsors Diamondbrite, IPRS ltd, Morris Roofing & Cladding Maintenance and Rigs 4 Gigs.
References
- http://irx.ie/?page_id=148
- "Motorsport Ireland Statement on Covid-19". Motorsport Ireland. 2020-03-12. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
- "MOTORSPORT IRELAND STATEMENT ON COVID-19". Motorsport Ireland. 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
- https://www.timing.ie/events/irx-round-1-mondello-park-4/
- "rally.ie - Stories - 2019 Irish Rallycross Championship". www.rally.ie.
- "rally.ie - Stories - Carlow Rallycross - 3 Mar 19". www.rally.ie.
- http://irx.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IRX-Championship-Points-2019.xlsx
- "Mondello Park Rallycross Championship events cancelled". mondellopark.ie. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- "Mondello Park Rallycross Championship events cancelled". www.facebook.ie. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- "Irish Rallycross to "Race Into The Night" at Mondello Finale!". Motorsport Ireland. 2019-11-07. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
- "Events at Pallas Karting, Co Galway". www.pallaskarting.com.
- "Rallycross – Timing.ie".
- "2018 STANDINGS – Irish Rallycross Championship".
- "CLASSES – Irish Rallycross Championship".