The Rose Hotel Circuit of Kerry Rally has received a massive boost of confidence as leading competitors are supporting the club’s drive to keep entry fees affordable.
Entries for the April 5 event, a counting round of Triton Showers National Championship, The Top Part West Coast Rally Championship and The Moriarty’s Centra Kingdom of Kerry Rally Championship, opened last week.
Kerry Motor Club were able to offer the same entry fee as 2019 – €725 – after careful budget consideration and planning.
Before entries opened last week, clerk of the course Eoin Duffin said: ““I am delighted to offer an entry fee of €725 for main field, the same as last year, our committee has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to cut back running costs without taking from the standards drivers would expect from Kerry Motor Club,”
It seems his plan is paying off and already one Donegal driver has said he will enter the Tralee-based rally because of the local club’s efforts to keep costs down.
JF Shovelin, the current Irish National two-wheel-drive champion said he will contest a reduced number of events this year.
Speaking to Rally Insight, the Ford Escort Mk2 driver told journalist Adam Hall:
“The cost of doing a full championship is a problem but I see Kerry has its entry fee cut back to the same as last year so I am sure all the other events will do the same.
“I’ll just pick and choose odd rounds of the National Championship and of course I’ll be doing Donegal International when it comes around.
“You wouldn’t know, I could do the championship yet. I’ll see how Kerry goes first and see from there. Carlow is a round this year too so I’d like to do that.”
The Rose Hotel-based event will be a round of four major rally championships as the Triton Showers National Rally Championship returns to Kerry for the first time since 2018.
The junior entry fee is set at €475 and new for this year is the event’s inclusion in the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Championship. This series will include tarmac events for the first time and the Rose Hotel Circuit of Kerry has the honour of being the first closed-road rally to welcome the rising stars of Irish rallying.
Kerry Motor Club’s main event is also a counting round of the Top Part West Coast Rally Championship and the Moriarty’s Centra Kingdom of Kerry Rally Championship.
The Rose Hotel is considered the best rally base in the country, the outstanding facilities at the hotel, as well as the ample space in the hotel’s grounds means that every aspect of the rally from the administration checks, drivers’ briefing, service park, parc ferme and the trailer park are all within the same complex.
Entries for The Rose Hotel Circuit of Kerry Rally opened Last week and entry forms and regulations are published on http://www.kerrymotorclub.com in the run up to the event.
Adam Hall’s original article is here:
Kerry Motorsport News 