A large overseas entry has been received for the 2022 Kerry Winter Rally, including one very special driver who will be traveling all the way from Killarney – in South Africa.
This year’s rally, on October 30, is one of the main events in An Turas Mór – Homecoming Kerry festival which is well underway across the county.
Kerry Motor Club promoted the Kerry Winter Rally abroad and, as a result, received entries from members of the London Irish Motor Club and Welsh drivers who are either returning to Kerry or are making their debut here in three weeks’ time.
Entries include Sean Walsh, a Galway man based in Wembley London, who will drive a Ford Fiesta in the rally while Welshman Lyr Jones returns to Kerry after his maiden appearance here last year. His compatriots Berrian Richards (Ford Escort) and Ian Davies (BMW M3) are also making the trek across the Irish Sea.
However, the exciting news comes from South Africa from where Ashley Haigh-Smith, a driver with a wealth of international rally experience, will travel make his Irish rally debut in Kerry – subject to both Motorsport Ireland and South African Federation approval.
He will drive a Peugeot 208 R2 and his appearance in Kerry is a prelude to a full season of Irish rallying in 2022.
Haigh-Smith’s international experience includes starting five rounds of the World Rally Championship in 2011 and 2012. He has also contested seven French championship events and was a regular in South African rallies.
His home race track, just outside his native city of Cape Town, is called Killarney International Raceway so he will feel very much at home Kerry.
Aside from our overseas entries, organisers have a full house with almost every county in Ireland represented on the 140-strong entry list.
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