Alex Summers arrived in Belfast last Friday with his DJ Firestorm for scrutiny at Campbell College along with 19 other competitors from the Avon Tyres Motorsport UK British Hill Climb Championship (BHC) to entertain us all on Patterson Electronics Hytera Craigantlet Hill Climb, kindly supported by Belfast City Council. Alex was runner up to Wallace Menzies BHC battle here at Craigantlet in 2022. He wasted no time in getting to grips with the slippery surface on the hill in his practice runs. Alex set the fastest time of the day, 39.97 seconds on his first timed run, just 0.85 seconds…
Author: Graham Baalham-Curry
The Mazda CX-60 is a new SUV by Mazda UK that offers both plug-in hybrid and diesel options. It is the first PHEV model by Mazda and it features a range of new technologies and design elements that aim to create a fantastic experience for the driver and their passengers. The PHEV version of the CX-60 has a 2.5-litre petrol engine and an electric motor that work together to deliver a combined power of 327ps. The battery can provide up to 39 miles of pure electric driving when in Normal or EV mode, and it comes with a guarantee of…
Cars and Coffee is a global phenomenon that has gripped the local car scene in recent years. Gone are the days of heading out at midnight to catch up with your friends in the local car park until the wee hours, replaced today with a leisurely lie in before tagging onto a convoy to wherever the Sunday morning cars and coffee event might be held. The Thoroughbred Sportscar Club of Northern Ireland I believe kick started this trend here in Northern Ireland, with its regular event held at Down Royal Racecourse. Various other car clubs, Facebook groups of like-minded enthusiasts…
When it comes to pick-up trucks many manufacturers offer them somewhere within their line-up of passenger vehicles but for Isuzu pick-up’s are all they do. Self-named the pick-up professionals, Isuzu has been the go-to for hard-working fleets for many years. Focusing solely on just one vehicle, their multi award winning D-Max offers something for everyone. The range starts with a utilitarian model which suits the needs of a farmer or the likes of Northern Ireland electricity perfectly. D-Max then offers progressively more as you move up the range towards a nicely styled family-friendly model with much more tech. If budget…
Samdec Security International ITRC Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan successfully defended their Rally of the Lakes crown to take their second Irish Tarmac win of the year by a well-managed 25.1 seconds. The Volkswagen Polo R5 crew fought back from a puncture on Killarney’s Moll’s Gap opener to grab the rally lead on stage four. Despite continued threats from Robert Barrable and Rob Duggan, Devine’s grasp on first was unrelenting as he showed the same class that clinched his Circuit of Ireland win earlier this month. Hometown hero Rob Duggan set a blistering time through stage one to grab an…
GREER EXTENDS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD WITH VICTORY AT RACE AND RALLY BISHOPSCOURT STAGES! Jonny Greer and Niall Burns claimed a start to finish victory at today’s Race and Rally Bishopscourt Stages, round two of the McGrady Insurance Motorsport UK Northern Ireland Rally Championship. Driving their Citroen C3, Greer laid down the marker from the outset, quickly edging out a lead over the chasing VW Polo GTi belonging to Derek McGarrity and Graham Henderson. McGarrity’s only glimmer of hope came on the third of six stages when he set fastest time, reducing the gap to less than three seconds. However, it soon…
There has been an outpouring of grief from around the world after one of Ireland’s leading rally drivers, Waterford’s Craig Breen, was tragically taken from us after an accident during testing ahead of the Croatian round of the World Rally Championship. Craig’s co-driver, Cavan man James Fulton, was uninjured. My thoughts are very much with James, Craig’s family, friends, and all within this tight knit community at this very sad time. Aged just 33, Breen’s smile was nothing short of infectious. His eyes glistened with joy at even the thought of driving a rally car. A shining light of Irish…
When introduced to the market seven years ago the self-charging Kia Niro hybrid became a frugal baby Sportage, thanks to its SUV stance and the fact that it was larger than the Korean brands Ceed. A year later, plug-in hybrid technology was added. And in 2019, a fully electric Kia E-Niro was made available. This trio of power-trains remains today, within what is a very different looking Niro. The all-new Kia Niro is, without doubt, a family friendly mode of transport. Its bold design may not appeal to the masses. But with a 7-year warranty, is worthy of being on…
Mark Donnelly and Stephen O’Hanlon claimed victory at today’s Samsonas Rally Fivemiletown, round one of the McGrady Insurance NI Forest Rally Challenge! It was a start-to-finish success for the Fiesta R5 crew but the Greencastle driver was never able to relax as the chasing pack hunted him down throughout the eight-stage Omagh Motor Club event. Going into the final stage, Donnelly’s advantage had been whittled down to just one-tenth of a second but he pulled out all the stops over the closing miles to secure the win by 1.7s. “We had a big push on the final stage and had…
After a slightly reduced championship last year due to ongoing government restrictions at the start of the season, the 2022 SW Adair Tyres Northern Ireland Sprint Championship returned to its full calendar this year. With over 130 registered competitors battling it out across 19 classes on a total of 9 events, with 7 of these counting towards the final championship points table, it looked set to be one hell of a racing season. Despite only visiting two venues, different circuits within these, as well as variations of these circuits gave drivers a new challenge each and every round. Here is…
Over the last decade the Northern Ireland Rally Championship has become a shadow of its former self, for the spectator’s that is, as with no use of forestry gravel roads the championship focuses on sealed surface events only. I am old enough to remember five or six of the nine or ten round championship being hosted in the woods, but I am young enough to understand that a vast percentage of today’s machinery is built specifically for tarmac, or gravel, and that it is hard to make them work on both. The costs involved with top level rallying today are…
WRIGHT WINS CLOSEST BATTLE IN MCGRADY INSURANCE NI RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY AT THE EUROCABLES BELFAST KIRKISTOWN STAGES! Stephen Wright and Ger Conway emerged victorious at the Eurocables Belfast Kirkistown Stages Rally after one of the closest finishes in the history of the McGrady Insurance Motorsport UK Northern Ireland Rally Championship! The Ford Fiesta R5 powered crew held off a hard-charging Jonny Greer and Brian Crawford to win the event by just one-tenth of a second after six hard-fought stages around County Down’s Kirkistown Race Circuit. Organised by North Armagh Motor Club, the event attracted more than 70 entries from some…