Rally of the Lakes
| Category | Rally |
|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 1979 |
| Drivers' champion | Republic of Ireland Callum Devine |
| Co-Drivers' champion | Republic of Ireland Noel O'Sullivan |
| Irish Tarmac Rally Championship | |
| File:Motorsport current event.svg Current season | |
| Rally of the Lakes | |
|---|---|
| Dates | May 1, 2026 - May 3, 2026 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location | County Kerry |
| Country | Ireland |
Most recent | 2026 |
| Organised by | Killarney and District Motor Club |
| Sponsor | Assess Ireland Gleneagle Hotel |
| Website | rallyofthelakes.com |
The Rally of the Lakes, known as the Assess Ireland International Rally of the Lakes, is an on-road rallying event held in the south-west of Republic of Ireland. It takes place each year on May bank holiday weekend. Organised by Killarney and District Motor Club, the rally has been running since 1979.[1] Traditionally, it starts in Killarney and runs across County Kerry. For a number of years it has been the third/fourth round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. The Killarney and District Motor Club also organises the Killarney Historic Rally. This takes place each year at the end of November.
History
2020-2021
The event was planned to take place on 2–3 May 2020. On 12 March, all motorsport events were postponed in the light of the coronavirus pandemic.[2] On 20 March, Motorsport Ireland issued a statement that all motorsport events were suspended until 1 June 2020.[3] [4] On 28 April, the Tarmac Rally Organisers' Association announced that the 2020 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship is cancelled.[5] The event can still go ahead anyway, but will not be a counting round of the ITRC. No further announcements came from the club, the event did not take place.[6] Due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 event was also cancelled.
Previous winners
| Year | Driver | Co-Driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Republic of Ireland Billy Coleman | Brendan Neville | Ford Escort RS |
| 1980 | Republic of Ireland Ger Buckley | John Caplice | Vauxhall Chevette HSR |
| 1981 | Republic of Ireland Demi Fitzgerald | Leo Whyte | Vauxhall Chevette HSR |
| 1982 | Republic of Ireland James Doherty | Michael Curley | Vauxhall Chevette HSR |
| 1983 | Republic of Ireland Billy Coleman | Con Murphy | Opel Ascona 400 |
| 1984 | Republic of Ireland Billy Coleman | Ronan Morgan | Opel Manta 400 |
| 1985 | Republic of Ireland Billy Coleman | Ronan Morgan | Ford Escort G3 |
| 1986 | Republic of Ireland Austin McHale | Christy Farrell | Opel Manta 400 |
| 1987 | United Kingdom Mark Lovell | Roger Freeman | Ford Sierra RS Cosworth |
| 1988 | Republic of Ireland Austin McHale | Ronan McNamee | Opel Manta 400 |
| 1989 | United Kingdom Russell Brookes | John Brown | Ford Sierra RS Cosworth |
| 1990 | United Kingdom Bertie Fisher | Rory Kennedy | BMW M3 |
| 1991 | United Kingdom Bertie Fisher | Rory Kennedy | Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth 4x4 |
| 1992 | United Kingdom Bertie Fisher | Rory Kennedy | Subaru Legacy RS |
| 1993 | United Kingdom Bertie Fisher | Rory Kennedy | Subaru Legacy RS |
| 1994 | United Kingdom Bertie Fisher | Rory Kennedy | Subaru Impreza 555 |
| 1995 | Republic of Ireland Frank Meagher | Pat Moloughney | Ford Escort RS Cosworth |
| 1996 | United Kingdom Bertie Fisher | Rory Kennedy | Subaru Impreza 555 |
| 1997 | Republic of Ireland Austin McHale | Brian Murphy | Toyota Celica 4WD Turbo ST185 |
| 1998 | United Kingdom James Leckey | George Millar | Subaru Impreza 555 |
| 1999 | United Kingdom Ian Greer | Dean Beckett | Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 |
| 2000 | Republic of Ireland Stephen Finlay | Rory Kennedy | Ford Focus WRC |
| 2001 | No Rally - Foot-and-mouth disease outbreak | ||
| 2002 | Republic of Ireland Andrew Nesbitt | James O'Brien | Subaru Impreza WRC |
| 2003 | Republic of Ireland Eugene Donnelly | Paul Kiely | Subaru Impreza WRC |
| 2004 | Republic of Ireland Derek McGarrity | Dermot O'Gorman | Subaru Impreza |
| 2005 | Republic of Ireland Andrew Nesbitt | James O'Brien | Subaru Impreza |
| 2006 | Republic of Ireland Tim McNulty | Anthony Nestor | Subaru Impreza WRC |
| 2007 | Republic of Ireland Kris Meeke | Jonas Andersson | Subaru Impreza WRC |
| 2008 | Republic of Ireland Eamonn Boland | Damien Morrisey | Subaru Impreza WRC |
| 2009 | Republic of Ireland Tim McNulty | David Moynihan | Subaru Impreza WRC S12 |
| 2010 | Republic of Ireland Denis Cronin | Helen O'Sullivan | Subaru Impreza |
| 2011 | Republic of Ireland Daragh O'Riordan | Tony McDaid | Subaru Impreza WRC S12 |
| 2012 | Republic of Ireland Daragh O'Riordan | Tony McDaid | Subaru Impreza WRC S12 |
| 2013 | Republic of Ireland Garry Jennings | Neil Doherty | Subaru Impreza WRC S12B |
| 2014 | Republic of Ireland Sam Moffett | James O'Reilly | Ford Fiesta WRC |
| 2017 | Republic of Ireland Conor Murphy | Damien Fleming | Honda Civic WRC |
| 2018 | Republic of Ireland Manus Kelly | David Gleeson | BMW E30 |
| 2019 | Republic of Ireland Craig Breen | Paul Nagle | Ford Fiesta R5 |
| 2020 | Cancelled, COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | |||
| 2022 | Republic of Ireland Callum Devine | Noel O'Sullivan | VW Polo GTI R5 |
| 2023 | Republic of Ireland Callum Devine | Noel O'Sullivan | VW Polo GTI R5 |
| 2024 | Republic of Ireland Callum Devine | Noel O'Sullivan | VW Polo GTI R5 |
| 2025 | Republic of Ireland Callum Devine | Noel O'Sullivan | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 |
| 2026 | Republic of Ireland Callum Devine | Noel O'Sullivan | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 |
Partners and sponsors
- Killarney and District Motor Club
- The Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney
- Ordnance Survey Ireland
- Rentokill Initial
- Aherns.ie Motor Group
References
- ↑ History of Rally Of The Lakes
- ↑ "Motorsport Ireland Statement on Covid-19". Motorsport Ireland. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ↑ "MOTORSPORT IRELAND STATEMENT ON COVID-19". Motorsport Ireland. 20 March 2020. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ↑ "Circuit of Kerry Rally 2020 – POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE". Kerry Motor Club. 14 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ↑ "2020 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship Cancelled". Motorsport Ireland. 28 April 2020. Archived from the original on 19 May 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ↑ "News". Rally of the Lakes. Retrieved 7 May 2020.