Motorsport: McKinstry waiting game

Kenny hoping for more Manx thrills

Saturday, May 03, 2008

He has won the Manx National Rally a record five times and he's favourite to make it six next weekend. But only if he has a car!

A former Irish Tarmac champion, British national champion and three-times Northern Ireland champion, McKinstry concentrates on running his thriving Banbridge-based rally hire business these days, only making occasional appearances in the driving seat when time - and cars - permit.

The one exception being the Manx National which he rarely misses. He just loves those fast Isle of Man stages.

But, like he says, customers come first.

"At the moment I don't have a car for next week and I won't know until we get back from the Rally of Lakes on Monday what the situation is going to be," he explained.

"Donie O'Sullivan and Johnny O'Sullivan are using two of our cars this weekend and those two cars are also booked for the Isle of Man next week.

"We have another S9 but it has been partly stripped to make sure we have everything we need for the two cars on the Rally of the Lakes.

"It will depend on how the two cars come back from Killarney. If they come through unscathed then we would have time to get the other S9 ready for the Isle of Man - but if they need a lot of work, then I may have to miss out. In this business the customers have to come first."

There is no doubt the McKinstry team will move heaven and earth to get Kenny into the Manx National where Englishman Jon Ingram will drive their S11 Impreza, the car in which Kris Meeke won the Lakes rally last year.

Interesting, Derek Boyd, winner of the Ulster International way back in 1977 in a Porsche Carrera, is scheduled to drive the McKinstry S9, his first time in a WRC car.

Having been away from rallying for more than a decade, Boyd has shown renewed interest of late with appearances in a Group N Mitsubishi and, more recently, has acquired a Porsche 911 for historic events.

But now he's moving up to a different level with the Subaru for the Isle of Man where he now lives.

The Manx National has, as always, attracted a big Irish contingent including Tim McNulty who clearly has an eye on the Manx International later in the year.

It, of course, is a round of the Tarmac championship and McNulty is looking to gain experience of the Manx stages.

Irish forest champion Stephen Moore is in the entry list, too, and will be hoping to make up ground in the British national championship after a disappointing second round on the Border Counties Rally.

But much interest will centre on the Mitsubishi Evo Challenge section in which Daniel Barry, Richard Cathcart and Neil McCance are strong contenders.

Barry leads the series overall but Cathcart, following his Borders win, is just two points behind and McCance is in fifth place but he was the Evo winner in the Isle of Man last year.

Jonny Greer, Errol Clarke and Keith Cronin are also among the Mitsubishi runners as is young Scot David Bogie who won the first round.

AFTER the success of last year's inaugural event, the North Armagh Club are to repeat their Loughgall Festival of Motorsport. It will take place on July 5 in Loughgall Country Park.

Organised in conjunction with Armagh Lions Club, this year's Festival will once again feature an historic rally car challenge, the Apple Blossom Autotest as well as static displays of historic and classic cars.

And it's all in the aid of charity, with proceeds being donated to Northern Ireland Children's Hospice Care and other Lions charities.

This year's historic challenge will be run to MSA Historic Rally regulations, but a select number of spaces will also be provided for modified rally cars. The total number of entries will be limited to 60.

THE Maiden City Club are running a three-day festival of motorsport at Shackleton Barracks, Ballykelly, on July 18-20.

Sponsored by former Northern Ireland champion Kevin Lynch's KPL Utilities company, it will involve rallying, racing, supermoto, karting, drifting and 'bowler racing' - whatever that is!

Lynch himself is expected to be there to demonstrate his S12B Subaru.