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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Interview: Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan

Fresh from winning the Clare Stages on Sunday, Donagh and Kevin both took the time to speak to GRN. 

Name: Donagh Kelly                           Name: Kevin Flanagan
Hometown: Frosses, Co. Donegal        Hometown: Derry
Job: CEO KN Group                           Job: Self Employed
Road Car: BMW M5                            Road Car: Ford Mondeo ST
Rally Car: Ford Focus
Sponsors: Airtricity, Donnelly Group, Pirelli
and GMG Asset Management

Donagh and Kevin in action
in Donegal
Global Rally News: Firstly, congratulations on winning the Clare Stages, this isn't your first overall win but how did it feel when you crossed the finish line of the last stage, your first win in the new Focus?

Donagh Kelly: Really nice to get the first win in the Focus.
Kevin Flanagan: It was great to get the 1st win in the new car. We had a great days crack and it was a good test for the Cork 20.

GRN: What was it like to win your first rally overall?
DK: 2005 Turkey Run, GPA Evo 6, great feeling as it was a winning margin of .7 of a second over Sean Devine in a WRC Subaru.
KF: I guess everyone will remember there 1st overall win. For me it was in a Gpn Evo 9 on the Dogleap Rally in 2010. We beat Kenny Mc Kinstry by 1 second! A close one but as Kenny pointed out that day, it only takes a second. It was extra special for me as that event is organised by my home club and it was actually the 1st event I did with Donagh back in 2006.

GRN: What was your first rally car?
DK: 1300 GPN Vauxhall Nova.
KF: I did my first rally in a Gp N Honda Civic back in 2001.

GRN: What was your first event?
DK: Ingiliston Stages, Edinburgh 1995.
KF: 1st rally was Kirkistown Stages Rally.

GRN: What is your favourite rally car?
DK: My current car.
KF: My favourite car at the minute is a Fiesta WRC.

GRN: Who was your childhood hero in motorsport?
DK: Vincent Bonner.
KF: I think anyone a similar age to me who is into rallying will think on Colin Mc Rae when you ask this question. He was a real star at that time but I also remember standing watching the Irish greats like Fisher, McHale, Nesbitt etc back in the late 90's and thinking it was just unreal.

GRN: What are your favourite rallies?
DK: Donegal and Dogleap Rally.
KF: Killarney Rally of the Lakes is my new favourite event.

GRN: What was your best drive, to date?
DK: Killarney 2013
KF: Killarney this year was one of our best drives to date. We had never been to the event before and still managed to have a great race with the guys and finish up 3rd, by less than a second from memory. Great rally!

GRN: What was your most embarrassing moment on a rally?
DK: Getting lost on a road section in the Northwest of England!!
KF: Getting excluded from the 1st event I ever did by missing a time control!

GRN: What was your biggest accident?
DK: Harvest Rally 2000 – out of work for 4 months due to injuries.
KF: Biggest accident was on the Circuit of Ireland in 2004 in an Evo 6. 6 or 7 rolls into a field ! A mess!

GRN: Who would you rate as the top 3 British/Irish drivers today?
DK: Keith Cronin, Kris Meeke and Alastair Fisher.
KF: Top 3 drivers in Ireland / UK I think, Cronin, Fisher, Breen.

GRN: And in the World Rally Championship?
DK: Ogier, Neuville and Meeke.
KF: Top 3 WRC, Ogier, Neuville, Meeke.

GRN: What would you like to change in rallying (rules/admin ect.)?
DK: Have all prize giving at the finish ramp! – nobody has the time to hang about on a Sunday evening!
KF: Ban race fuel to reduce costs.

GRN: If you were handed £1,000,000 and could only spend it on rallying, what would you do
with the money?
DK: Buy a current WRC car and travel the world doing selected events for fun.
KF: If I had €1,000,000 to spend I would try and bring the WRC to Ireland again but in the summer and to good stages.

GRN: Having driven some of the best stages in Ireland, which one would you rate as your
favourite?
DK: Molls Gap.
KF: Atlantic Drive in Donegal, I always watched there as a kid, its always a good stage for us too.

GRN: What are your plans for the rest of the 2013 season?
DK: Cork 20.
KF: I'm doing the Bushwacker and Glens of Antrim Forest Rallies in a Subaru S12B and the Cork 20 with Donagh in the Focus.

GRN: And 2014?
DK: Tarmac Championship and selected events.
KF: 2014 I'd imagine we'll be back on the Tarmac Championship trail, Galway is back to 2 days next year I believe. Will do a few National events as well I'm sure.

GRN: And finally, what advice would you offer to an upcoming young driver?
DK: Think Safety at all times – never compromise and remember it’s a sport not a career!

GRN: In Kevin's case, what advice would you give to a young co-driver?
KF: I got into co-driving by joining my local motor club and helping out at events. I was lucky then to get a chance to sit on and it all went from there.

GRN: Thanks lads!

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