RtG The Daily Dispatch - Shamrock - Complete - web - Flipbook - Page 2
8 to 11 May 2023
Day 1
Scrutineering Faithlegg - Kiltorcan loop (78 miles)
8 May 2023
As we excitedly announced last year, Irish Racing Green have partnered with Rally the Globe for the
fourth running of the highly regarded Vintage Shamrock. And today we have reached the starting grid
of our first collaboration and are delighted to be here on the Emerald Isle, the undoubted jewel in the
crown of the Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór.
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
Out on the lanes, David Long and Byron Ferguson, 1934 Talbot AV105
Cornering hard the 1947 Morris 8 of Steven Wilson and Trina Harley
Over the last few months Clerk of the Course, Mark
Appleton, has been hard at work with Irish Racing Green
founders, Shane Houlihan, Mickey Gabbett and Michael
Jackson, to deliver another stunning four day event. The
emphasis is split equally between driving a competitive
rally through some beautiful landscapes and having as
much fun as possible along the way.
The Shamrock has never been short of high quality
entries and this year is no exception, almost sixty crews
have signed up for the event. This morning they, and their
cars, are assembled in the grounds of the Faithlegg Resort
for scrutineering and signing on under the watchful eyes
of the IRG and RtG officials. Appropriately, from the land
of Dana, and with another song contest looming large, we
find that there are indeed all kinds of everything on the
entry list although with a slightly wider range than the
usual Eurovision offerings. All pre-war and all exquisite,
with examples from the ultra rare American Kurtis Comet,
a MG K3 and a beautiful voiturette, a French Salmson VAL3,
to very healthy representations of Frazer Nash, Bentley and
Talbots.
In the car park over the course of the morning the legendary
spanner man, Peter Banham, saw to whatever last minute
troubles these old cars had brought with them alongside Andy
Inskip, Jack Amies and Russ Smith. The cars were checked
for safety and compliance and just the right amount of boom
bang a bang. There were brakes to be adjusted, trip meters
to be calibrated, and all manner of minor electrical gremlins
to be dealt with before the cars were awarded the coveted
sticker which declared that they had passed scrutineering.
Meanwhile, Karen and Ted Gaffney, Jane MacEwan,
Jo and Richard McAllister, Sue Vincent and Gill Cotton
were hunkered down indoors dealing with the necessary
paperwork and documentation. After a quick pep talk and
www.rallytheglobe.com
