Gary Milligan, the Clerk of the Course of the John Mulholland Motors Ulster Rally, says he is delighted with the quality entry for the 2016 event which takes place in Derry/ Londonderry on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 August.
Gary, who heads the team responsible for the move to the Maiden City, is especially excited by the level of local young talent entered in the Rally, which has also been boosted by the late entry of 13 times TT winner Michael Dunlop in a Ford Escort.
He said: “I’m delighted with the class of entries we have received for this year’s event, which includes more than 25 R5 and S2000 cars, and I know the combination of the British, Irish and Northern Ireland Championship contenders will provide a real spectacle for the fans over the two days. Local drivers like Alistair Fisher, Desi Henry, Martin McCormack and Jonny Greer are on the top of their game right now, and we have a few new drivers coming up through the ranks like Callum Devine, William Creighton, Adam Bustard, Kyle White and Marty Gallagher who are really getting noticed this season. They now have a fantastic opportunity to make their mark on home turf”.
MSA British Rally Championship leader Elfyn Evans will lead the John Mulholland Motors Ulster Rally away from the Guild Hall Square at lunchtime on Friday 19 followed by Irish Tarmac Rally Championship contenders Alistair Fisher and Keith Cronin. Norway’s Fredrik Ahlin makes his debut on the Ulster at number 4 ahead of David Bogie, Josh Moffett, Desi Henry and Martin McCormack. At number 9 is three times Ulster winner Garry Jennings who has entered in a development Mitsubishi Mirage and rounding out the top 10 is Sam Moffett.
Other notable entries in the top 20 include 2010 winner Derek McGarrity, Jonny Greer, Joe McGonigle, Tom Cave and Stephen Wright. Other drivers to look out for include Wesley Patterson, Camillus Bradley and Alistair Cochrane who are expected to be at the head of the 2 wheel drive battle in their MkII Escorts and we can also expect a fantastic battle among the Opel Adam’s of Robert Duggan, Callum Devine and Norways’s Mattias Adielsson. Also keep an eye out for our event sponsor John Mulholland who wheels out his Skoda S2000 on his home event.
This year’s event in its new home with brand new stages promises ultra-close action, and with 140+ entries, there will be cars to please every generation. Get all the information on drivers, timings and where to see the action in the Official Ulster Rally Programme, available to pre-order online or in your local newsagents from Friday 12 August from outlets throughout NI. Check out www.ulsterrally.com for more details.
You can also tune in and listen to all the live action as it unfolds from this year’s two day event with online live Rally Radio. Supported by John Mulholland Motors, the British Rally Championship and the Clonakilty Black Pudding Irish Tarmac Championship, this new radio service is free and easy to use, just log onto any one of the following websites and click on the ‘John Mulholland Motors Ulster Rally Listen Live’ radio: Ulster Rally Ulsterrally.com, John Mullholland Motors Johnmulhollandmotors.com, MSA BRC msabrc.com and TROA irishtarmac.com.
The 2016 John Mulholland Motors Ulster Rally gets underway from the Guild Hall Square in Derry/Londonderry on Friday 19 with an Autograph Session ahead of the official start at 12:30. The event will be based at Ebrington Square during the weekend