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
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| 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!
Frank Kelly and Liam Brennan
Frank Kelly, a man who needs no introduction. Forever spectacular, there isn't one corner he doesn't go all out into. And very sideways out of. Armed with his unique co-driver, Liam Brennan, he goes as fast sideways as he does forwards.
Find GRN's interview with Frank and Liam below.
Profile
Name: Frank
Kelly
Hometown: Moy
Job:
Alarm Engineer
Road
Car: HSV R8
Rally
Car: 2.5 Mk2
Co-Driver:
Liam Brennan
Sponsors:
Bathshack.com, Campbell Contracts, PH Shotblasting, DMS Ireland, 1st
Alert Alarms, Kuhmo, Elite Transmissions, Panta Fuels
Name: Liam
Brennan
Hometown: Cork
City
Job: Bodyshop
Owner
Road
Car: Mitsubishi Pajero
Sponsors: I
sponsor myself
Global
Rally News: When did you first start driving?
Frank
Kelly: 7/8
years old. In a mini, round a field
Liam
Brennan: 10 or 11 around my father's yard and garage
GRN:
What was your first rally car?
FK: Mk2
Fiesta
LB: Vauxhall
Nova night nav car
GRN:
What was your first event?
FK: Enniskillen
Clubman Stages (gravel)
LB: Fastnet
Rally 2003
GRN:
What is your favourite rally car?
FK: Mk2
(Stupid question!)
LB: Metro
6R4
GRN:
Who was your childhood hero in motorsport?
FK: Ari
Vatanen
LB: Bertie
Fisher
GRN:
What are your favourite rallies?
FK: Gravel
– Cork Forestry, Bushwhacker, Fivemiletown
Tarmac
– Carlow, Ravens Rock, West Cork
LB: Killarney
Rally of the Lakes or Bushwhacker Rally
GRN:
What was your best drive, to date?
FK: Carlow
Mk2 Challenge 2012 or Ulster National 2012
LB: Winning
the 2012 Carlow Mk2 Challenge, or maybe Cork Forestry 2011, setting
fastest time on the final stage to gain 3rd O/A
GRN:
What was your most embarrassing moment on a rally?
FK: Putting
my friend's Evo upside down in Fivemiletown this year!
LB: Galloway
Hills Rally 2005, giving Raymond Donnelly a wrong note and he wrote
off the Mk2!
GRN:
What was your biggest accident?
FK: Killing
the Fiesta in Antrim 2001, it was a big one!
LB: Hard
to pick one...Dogleap 2008 with Frank or maybe Ravens Rock 2005 with
my good friend Greg McCarthy in the Nova
GRN:
Who would you rate as the top 3 British/Irish drivers today?
FK: Keith
Cronin, Daniel McKenna and Amy Cox
LB: Keith
Cronin, Kris Meeke and Daniel McKenna...Oops, and Frank Kelly too!
GRN:
And in the World Rally Championship?
FK: Sebastian
Loeb, Jari-Matti Latvala and Gigi Galli
LB: Sebastien
Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala and Theirry Neuville
GRN:
What would you like to change in rallying (rules/admin ect.)?
FK: Ban
recce. Save time and money, we are clubmen!
LB: Pretty
happy with rallying at the moment. Unhappy about some of the proposed
changes in Irish Rallying
GRN: Question for Frank, what was your spin out in the Evo for the Omagh Spring Rally like?
FK: The
Evo was a revelation! The drifts you can carry in them is unreal!
GRN:
If you were handed £1,000,000 and could only spend it on rallying,
what would you do with the money?
FK: Buy
an '08 Ford Focus WRC, a state of the art motorhome/mobile workshop
and travel the world rallying. Could you make it £2,000,000?
LB: I
would buy an '08 Ford Focus WRC for Frank, I think he would like
that!
GRN:
What are your plans for the 2013 season?
FK: Go
as fast as I can for as long as I can, same as usual!
LB: I'm
getting married in July 2013 so that had severely restricted my
programme but I will be doing selected events with Frank, and the
Southern Forestry Championship with James Coleman.
GRN:
And finally, what advice would you offer to an upcoming young driver?
FK: Don't
buy the fastest car, buy the most reliable one. Then do as many
rallies as possible. The speed will come with experience and then
you'll be ready for a faster car.
LB: Buy
a common car that parts will be readily available and cheaply,
because you will need them!
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| Ulster Rally 2012 |
Tom Cave
Below is an EXCLUSIVE interview with up-and-coming young British driver Tom Cave. But first, a little bit about him.
Tom has been around rallying for as long as he can remember. With his Dad, Peter Cave, competing himself, it would not be long before Tom was involved one way or another. He began with cleaning wheels or polishing the car at service, then he would head out to see his Dad, and some of the best in the sport, come flying past.
Tom's motorsport career began after he enrolled in Martin Rowe's Ice Driving School in Norway. From there he progressed to rallying in Latvia, where youngsters can begin from the age of 14. He began in an MG ZR, before moving to a Ford Fiesta. He progressed to the Latvian National Championship, where after two years in the Latvian National Championship he gained his International licence. On gaining his International licence, he entered Wales Rally GB. Tom dominated his class, N3, to win by 15 mins.
Profile
Hometown: Aberdovey, West Wales
Job: Assistant Manager at our family hotel, the Trefeddian Hotel
Road Car: VW Golf TDi
Rally Car: Proton Satria Neo S2000
Co-Driver: Craig Parry
Sponsors: Trefeddian Hotel, Jim Blackstock Communications, Evo Magazine
Global Rally News: When did you first start driving?
Tom Cave: I first started driving around the grounds of our house and the hotel, when I was 12 in a Fiat Panda 4x4, the old-school classic model, brilliant little off-roader and brilliant for driving around and doing handbrakes everywhere, much to everyone's annoyance!
GRN: What was your first rally car?
TC: The first rally car I drove in which I learned to practice the trade of rallying in was an MG ZR 1.8 Grp N, most of parts on the car were from the MG rally team who ran Gwyndaf Evans in the British championship, we were luckily to have allot of spares and a shell!
GRN: What was your first event?
TC: My first ever event in competition was out in Latvia
GRN: What is your favourite rally car?
TC: Favourite rally car, Audi Quattro S1, what a monster!
GRN: Who was your childhood hero in motorsport?
TC: I guess it was Colin McRae, I grew up watching the era when he was in his last couple years at Ford, defiantly a crowd pleaser on the stages.
GRN: What are your favourite rallies?
TC: Favourite rallies, the ones I have done got to be the Monte Carlo rally which we did this year, I think the Dakar rally is up there with my favourites, one day would like to win Rally GB, I think if you win that some point your rallying career even if its in 10 years, you would be respected by many British fans.
GRN: What was your biggest accident?
TC: I haven't had any big smacks yet, had numerous incidents when ending on the roof and having big moments down ditches this year with PROTON, but on the whole my accident rate record if fairly low!
GRN: What would you like to change in rallying (rules/admin ect.)?
TC: For the MSA to run a scheme for young drivers like the French sport federation (FFSA) is doing, which has supported the likes of Sebastien Ogier financially, there is so many talented drivers in the UK but just don't get the chance and backing to make it somewhere in the sport and given the opportunity.
GRN: What are your plans for next year?
TC: Our plans are firmly set on the British championship, I said to myself at the end of this year we need to win a championship, and the British championship is good proving ground. I think we can be competitive, but we need to have the right car and backing behind us to go all the way next year, there is no point doing a championship half heartily if you want to win it!
GRN: What advice would you offer to an upcoming young driver?
TC: When your young you just want to prove yourself to everyone that your best driver, but if you believe in your own ability to drive a rally car fast, keep holding the belief, and one day your chance will come. Set your goals high and achieve them!
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| Alistair McRae, Chris Atkinson and Tom Cave (L-R) The PROTON team |
