The Knockalla Hillclimb was the scene of a title showdown between hillclimb experts Sylvie Mullins and Simon McKinley. Armed with a Gould GR37 and a Lant RT2, respectively, they, along with the rest of the entries, faced two days of racing up the famous and fearsome Knockalla Hillclimb.
Featuring the first 1.5kms of the infamous Knockalla stage of the Donegal International Rally, the drivers were faced with the most iconic part of this terrifying stage in lots of different conditions. Sun, extremely heavy rain, fog and a stiff wind were all present at some point in the weekend. In the rain, bravery was the order of the day, as the top runners all took to the hill on slick tyres! Incredible car control was also needed, as Mullins powered his circa. 600bhp Gould GR37 up the hill on slick tyres in the rain, closely followed my his championship rival McKinley, who powered his circa. 310bhp Lant RT2 up in his customary sideways manner!
So enjoy a selection of photos below from Day 1 of the Knockalla Hillclimb!
 |
| Championship winner Sylvie Mullins |
 |
| Dermot Nolan's crash |
 |
| Deirdre Delaney on her way up the hill, under the gaze of the photographers |
 |
| Frank Nuttall at his final hillclimb in his Graham 1955 |
No wipers on a single seater!
 |
| Rory Stephens sliding his Radical SR3 out of the chicane |
 |
| Detlef Heyer's BMW 328 Sport, an estimated €300,000 to €500,000 worth! |
 |
| Simon McKinley on his way up the hill, just before the rain came down hard |
 |
| Wet roads and slick tyres, maximum concentration needed! |
 |
| John Byrne's motorbike powered Jedi |
 |
| Barry McGill, just about the only time he wasn't on opposite lock! |
 |
| Hard charging up the hill, McKinley was on it! |
 |
| Dermot Nolan brought out the red flags when his Reynard found the ditch |
No comments:
Post a Comment