Ford motor company are no stranger to performance having provided winning cars to the sport of rallying for longer than I have been around, they have also stamped their authority across the globe in various touring car championships. As years have passed, the cars which we see and love in competition, are far removed from their road-legal counterparts which you and I could buy in your local showroom today. Take the M-Sport Ford World Rally team’s Ford Puma World Rally Car as a prime example. Embracing all that we love about turbocharged petrol engines, and combining it with all-new hybrid…
Author: Graham Baalham-Curry
More power and greater efficiency for the Mazda 3 thanks to outstanding engineering achievements within the brands latest version of its e-Skyactiv X engine. In recent years Mazda UK have been generous in giving me the opportunity to drive many of their latest models. With diesel becoming a thing of the past, one thing that struck me with Mazda was that their petrol engines were incredibly frugal. This is something the Japanese maker has worked hard on to improve, somehow, which not only helps the environment due to reduced emissions and greater economy. But it also aids drivability and retains…
For a decade now French vehicle manufacturer Renault have been at the forefront of electrification with its city car named Zoe. Not long after it was launched, I recall a deal being put on the table which was something like £150 deposit, followed by £150 per month including a free home charging port. For many commuters doing something in the region of 70 miles per day, this was a deal not to be sniffed at. In fact, when buying a diesel car from a friend who had just taken out a lease on a Renault Zoe, he essentially halved his…
Press photographer and motoring writer, Graham Baalham-Curry, is no stranger to the pages of Pacenotes Rally Magazine. In fact, some of his earliest published work was from the Paddy’s Day rally at Aghadowey Race Circuit which featured in issue number one, in April 2003… Back then, Pacenotes was a large format newspaper, and Graham was knocking on doors to help carve a career out of his passions for all things motoring and photography. Almost 20 years later, he is still doing what he loves, albeit with some middle-aged spread after two strokes left him, in his own words, Fat and…
Ulster provides exciting battles in modified and historic classes as part of the 2022 Ulster Rally. Modified Marty Toner and Ben Teggart picked up a surprise two-wheel-drive win on the Ulster Rally after Marty’s brother Damian suffered a bruising crash on the final stage. Simon Reid finished fourth in modifieds, crucially ahead of Colin Byrne, to seal the Modified Irish Tarmac Rally Championship with co-driver John Murphy. Damian Toner and Denver Rafferty were Ulster’s star attractions on Friday night when they set a series of giant-killing times in their Ford Escort Mk2. Toner rounded out the opening day’s action with…
Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes have secured their second Irish Tarmac Rally Championship title after finishing fourth on the Ulster Rally. Four rally wins through the 2022 Acesigns Irish Tarmac season put the 2018 champions in a strong position heading into the championship’s final round. Meirion Evans and Jonathan Jackson were the only crew that could take the title from them. The Welsh duo won the Ulster Rally, their first-ever international victory, but it still wasn’t enough to usurp Moffett and Hayes from the top of the championship. “We are over the moon,” said Moffett at the end of Ulster’s…
Saturday 06th August saw the 6th round of the SW Adair Tyres Northern Ireland Sprint Championship take place at Kirkistown Circuit. Our 6th round also tied in with rounds 15,16,17 & 18 Of the SBD Motorsport British Sprint Championship which ran as usual at the August round of our Championship. As always, its great to welcome our fellow sprinters from the British Championship who always bring some exotic cars to Kirkistown as well as plenty of craic over the course of the weekend. Indeed, speaking to some of the drivers on the Saturday they all love coming here to sprint…
Classic cars and even a few bikes returned to the Ards Peninsula recently to raise money for charity whilst enjoying some tremendous driving roads thanks to Carrowdore Presbyterian Church. When asked to think of the seaside, many will automatically recall the over-popular Port’s of the North Coast. However for many, the seaside and a good coastal drive, is one along the long meandering roads of the Irish Sea – me included. For me the perfect ‘milk run’ is not sitting in traffic trying to get between and around ‘The Port’s’ – but one that departs from Newtownards and hugs the…
DAY 1 – Homes & Miles at Kirkistown Just ten British Sprint competitors made the long trip to Northern Ireland for the 500 Motor Racing Club of Irelan’s traditional summer Kirkistown sprint week-end. As usual they were joined by a number of local ‘hot shoes’ keen to show the visitors that there were fast sprinters in these parts. They weren’t wrong. Using the one and a half mile ‘traditional long circuit’, qualifying for the first Run Off saw Terry Holmes (Lola Tegra) comfortably ahead of the two Mygale Ecoboosts of Pete Goulding and Championship leader, Graham Blackwell with reigning Champion,…
As part of this year’s summer festival organised by the Donaghadee Community Development Association the picturesque county down town came alive on Friday 29th July, 2022. Cars from yesteryear assembled on the hard shoulder opposite Mullaghbuoy Nursing Home on the outskirts of Donaghadee before driving through the town and parking on the harbour for viewing by the public. With huge support from the MG Car Club Ulster Centre as well as the Morris Minor Owners Club NI Branch, cars arrived hours in advance of its 7pm start time, in order to be one of the first 80 cars registered, which then allowed them…
The last weekend in June brings the greatly anticipated Cairncastle Hill Climb Festival. The two-day event set in the Mid and East Antrim Borough sees the top drivers of the Millers Oils N.I. Hillclimb Championship visit Cairncastle for an adrenaline filled weekend of motorsport. The Larne Motor Club event was once again supported by Laird Grass Machinery, APW Fire, Carey Cleaning Machines and Hawthorne Motors, and attracted sixty-four starters for the Friday and seventy-four on the Saturday. As competitors began arriving to the paddock, Larne Motor Club visited the local Cairncastle Primary School with some competition cars along with Motorsport…
If a car could tell a story, this former French 106 Cup winning pocket rocket could keep you amused for hours. Now owned by Northern Ireland’s William James, this is a prime example of 1300cc ‘90s rally history… Not only does the Lisburn man have the car’s original bill of sale but he also has all of the hand-typed Bauer Sport paperwork, along with the French motorsport authority’s log books, and even its original French number plate! What’s most fascinating, though, is that after almost 30 years, the car is still almost as it left the factory. Despite spending the bulk…