| Category | Rallying |
|---|---|
| Country | Ireland |
| Inaugural season | 1978 |
| Drivers' champion |  Cathan McCourt (2019) |
| Official website | Website |
The National Forestry Rally, Motorsport Ireland National Forest Rally is a rallying series in the Republic of Ireland. It consists series of events, organized by a different motor club representing the region.
The championship is regulated by Motorsport Ireland who are the governing body of Motorsports in the Republic of Ireland.
With COVID-19 restrictions effectively being lifted, full event calendar has been announced. Killarney Forestry Rally returned to the calendar after 15 years. Midland Forest Rally is scheduled for a debut, and the round 7 details are yet to be announced. [1] Limerick Forest Rally, Lakeland Stages Rally and Sean Conlon Memorial Forestry Rally have been dropped this year.
| Round | Dates | Event | Rally HQ | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 February | Killarney Forestry Rally | Castleisland | Killarney and District Motor Club |
| 2 | 10 April | Willie Loughman Forest Rally | Carrick-on-Suir | Carrick-on-Suir Motor Club |
| 3 | Midland Forest Rally | Drumshanbo | Midland Motor Club | |
| 4 | 2 July | Moonraker Forest Rally | Ballyvourney | Munster Car Club |
| 5 | 14 August | Jim Walsh Forest Rally | Mallow | Cork Motor Club |
| 6 | 17 September | Bushwhacker Rally | Omagh | Omagh Motor Club |
| 7 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Round 1 of the event was stopped after rally driver Eoin McCarthy crashed heavily on stage 4. The competitor was transferred to the hospital, where he died from his injuries. His co-driver Daniel O'Brien only suffered minor injuries. [2] [3]
Round 3 of the event was cancelled 16 days before the rally as the organizers lost access and use of tracks of up to 1/3 of the rally mileage. [4]
| Round | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1 | Desi Henry / Paddy Robinson (Ford Fiesta Rally2) |
| 2 | Patrick O'Brien / Stephen O'Brien (Škoda Fabia R5) |
| 3 | Cancelled |
| 4 | Keith Cronin / Mikie Galvin (VW Polo GTI R5) |
COVID-19 pandemic continued into 2021, and all motorsports events remained suspended. The Irish Forest Rally Championship was by default cancelled, although no announcement was made. As the vaccinations were progressing, at the end of May Motorsport Ireland announced that motorsports events can resume from 7 June, subject to local restrictions. [5] There was no championship, but some of the Irish Forest Rally event dates were announced. Bushwhacker Rally and Lakeland Stages Rally were also announced by Northern Ireland's motor clubs.
| Event | Proposed date | Organizer | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moonraker Forest Rally | Munster Car Club | Postponed indefinitely on 6 July. [6] | |
| Bushwhacker Rally | 18 August | Omagh Motor Club | Entries opened 26 August. Starting grid consisted of 114 starters. [7] |
| Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally | Cork Motor Club | Cancelled on 4 July. [8] [9] | |
| Lakeland Stages Rally | Enniskillen Motor Club | Cancelled on 26 August. [10] | |
| Sean Conlon Memorial Forestry Rally | 23 October | Tipperary Car Club | Not planned originally, announced on 25 September. [11] [12] |
The 2020 calendar included two changes, round 4 Cavan Forest Rally has been dropped in favor of Sean Conlon Memorial Forestry Rally, and round 7 Lakeland Stages Rally replaced by Bushwhacker Rally. [13] [14]
The Moonraker Forest Rally was initially scheduled 18 April, but later rescheduled to 28 March. Limerick Forest Rally on 1 March was postponed on the day due to snowfall, the new date proposed is 18–19 April. [15]
On 12 March all motorsports events were postponed in the light of the coronavirus pandemic. [16] [17] On 20 March, Motorsport Ireland issued a statement that all motorsport events are suspended until 1 June 2020. [18] After the government released a road map on easing the COVID-19 restrictions on 6 May, [19] Motorsport Ireland released a statement same day that in line with Phase 4 of this road map the suspension of all motor sports events is extended until the 20 July 2020. Rally events fall under Phase 5 of the guidelines and will not be considered until after the 10 August 2020. [20] On 19 May Motorsport Ireland cancelled the 2020 championship. [21] Clubs might still be able to run events if they wish but it won't hold championship status.
Only the round 1 took place before rounds 2-6 were postponed, and eventually all remaining rounds were cancelled.
| Round | Dates | Event | Rally HQ | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 February | Willie Loughman Forest Rally | Carrick-on-Suir | Carrick-on-Suir Motor Club |
| 2 | 1 March cancelled | Limerick Forest Rally | Rockchapel | Limerick Motor Club |
| 3 | 28 March cancelled | Moonraker Forest Rally | Ballyvourney | Munster Car Club |
| 4 | 17 May cancelled | Sean Conlon Memorial Forestry Rally | Tipperary | Tipperary Car Club |
| 5&6 | 25–26 July cancelled | Jim Walsh Forest Rally | Mallow | Cork Motor Club |
| 7 | 26 September cancelled | Bushwhacker Rally | Omagh | Omagh Motor Club |
The calendar consisted of seven events, with a reserve Bushwhacker Rally on 21 September, which ended up not being included as a championship round.
The overall champion: Cathan McCourt, Ford Fiesta R5 [22]
| Round | Dates | Event | Rally HQ | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 [23] | 20 January | Willie Loughman Forest Rally | Slieverue | Carrick-on-Suir Motor Club |
| 2 [24] | 3 March | Limerick Forest Rally | Rockchapel | Limerick Motor Club |
| 3 [25] | 13 April | Moonraker Forest Rally | Ballyvourney | Munster Car Club |
| 4 [26] | 18 May | Donegal Forest Rally | Bundoran | Donegal Motor Club |
| 5&6 [27] [28] | 27–28 July | Jim Walsh Forest Rally | Mallow | Cork Motor Club |
| 7 [22] [29] | 7 September | Lakeland Stages Rally | Enniskillen | Enniskillen Motor Club |
Top 10 drivers overall:
|
The calendar consisted of seven events. Round 4 was pushed forward by two weeks.
The overall champion: Josh Moffet, Ford Fiesta R5
| Round | Dates | Event | Rally HQ | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 [30] [31] | 3 February | Willie Loughman Forest Rally | Slieverue | Carrick-on-Suir Motor Club |
| 2 | 4 March | Limerick Forest Rally | Rockchapel | Limerick Motor Club |
| 3 | 14 April | Moonraker Forest Rally | Ballyvourney | Munster Car Club |
| 4 | 14 July | Cavan Forest Rally | ? | Cavan Motor Club |
| 5 | 29 July | Jim Walsh Forest Rally | Mallow | Cork Motor Club |
| 6 | 1 September | Lakeland Stages Rally | Enniskillen | Enniskillen Motor Club |
| 7 | 22 September | Bushwhacker Rally | Omagh | Omagh Motor Club |
Top 10 drivers overall:
|
The calendar originally consisted of seven events, however round 2 was cancelled. The best 5 results counted towards championship points.
The overall champion: Sam Moffet, Ford Fiesta WRC
| Round | Dates | Event | Rally HQ | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 February | Willie Loughman Forest Rally | Slieverue | Carrick-on-Suir Motor Club |
| 2 (cancelled) | 4 March | Sean Conlon Memorial Forestry Rally | Tipperary | Tipperary Car Club |
| 3 | 8 April | Moonraker Forest Rally | Ballyvourney | Munster Car Club |
| 4 | 13 May | Donegal Forest Rally | Bundoran | Donegal Motor Club |
| 5 | 30 July | Jim Walsh Forest Rally | Mallow | Cork Motor Club |
| 6 | 2 September | Lakeland Stages Rally | Enniskillen | Enniskillen Motor Club |
| 7 | 23 September | Bushwhacker Rally | Omagh | Omagh Motor Club |
Top 10 drivers overall:
|
The main event sponsors are the Coillte - the national forestry company, and Valvoline - the overall title sponsor.[ citation needed ]
The TV coverage is captured by On the Limit Sports. The viewers can view the series on TG4 and RTE Player in Ireland, as well as on satellite channel and Motorsport.tv.
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