The Kerry Winter Stages Rally has been officially launched at the Rally HQ in the Rose Hotel, Tralee.
The event will be held in the Castleisland area on Sunday, November 3, with a centralised service area in the North Campus of the Munster Technological University in Tralee.
Organisers Kerry Motor Club confirmed that a capacity 140-car entry will contest the event and released the seeded entry list.
Returning to defend his crown is Richard Moffett, who won the last staging of the event back in 2022.
Top local crews who will be attempting to win bragging rights include the 2023 Killarney Historic Rally modified winner Rob Duggan and the 2024 Rally of the Lakes modified winner Colin O’Donoghue.
The top Kerry Motor Club seed is Conor Murphy in another Ford Escort Mk2 but he will face stiff competition from the likes of Rob Duggan and former winner Mike Quinn while Limerick’s Chris O’Callaghan could also be in with a shout following the day’s six tricky stages.
Interesting entries include Declan Wilmott, who won the event in 1991, and returns to the Kingdom for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Three generations of the Costello family from Ballybunion will tackle the event. Joe Costello will mark his first start since the 1985 Rally of the Lakes in the same Ford Escort he parked up 39 years ago.
His son Jason is also on the entry list and Jason’s son and daughter, Mossie and Megan, are also competing.
Kerry Winter Stages Rally Clerk of the Course Sean Hegarty said: “We are now in advanced preparations for the event time. There has been a lot of work put into the event for a large number of people and I’m grateful for everyone’s help in putting the rally together.
“It should be a great day’s motorsport, with a tricky route that should test driver and machine.”
The rally is a counting round for the Top Part West Coast Rally Championship, Moriarty’s Central Car Sale Kingdom of Kerry Rally Championship and the Ace Signs Southern 4 Rally Championship.
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