Heroic Victory for STAFFORD & STAFFORD on 2012 Ravens Rock Rally

A WEEK AGO last Saturday, James Stafford called his co-driver James F. Stafford asking “Will we do the ‘ROCK’?” Push the clock ahead a week and the two Wexford men exit their Darrian T90 GTR on the finish ramp as winners of the 2012 RAVENS ROCK RALLY. The two Stafford’s had to battle all the way through but gave an incredible display to take a start to finish win. The win being even more remarkable as their Darrian is rear wheel drive and their arch rivals John Joe Fleming and Kevin Barrett were driving four wheel drive WRC machinery. With grins from ear to ear both Stafford boys were ecstatic with their victory. Driver, James Stafford said “We grabbed an early lead on the first loop and from there battled to stay in front. We are both delight with the win, the weather played a major part in our success. Yesterday afternoon (Saturday) when it started to rain it looked like we were in for a tough event but I was grateful this morning to see the grey clouds had blown away and the sun had returned. The stages were dry and John Rafter and the Carrick Motor Club had organised a great event.”   

Ravens Rock Results: Starters                       

Ravens Rock Results: Starters By Class

Ravens Rock Results: Final Results Overall

Ravens Rock Results: Results By Class

Ravens Rock Results: Times by Stage

Ravens Rock Results: Fastest on each Stage

Ravens Rock Results: Road Penalties

The Ravens Rock Rally rolled into the Marble City last weekend for the third year in succession and the culmination of the events stay in the Black and Amber County. This was the grand finale of three years of hard work for Threecastle’s man John Rafter as Clerk of the Course and his battle hardened team. The rally did not disappoint as there were hotly contested battles throughout the various classes but the event was tinged with a notable air of sadness as the week prior Gareth Roberts, co-driver to Carrick Motor Club member Craig Breen lost his life in a tragic accident on the Targa Florio Rally in Sicily. 

Welshman, Roberts had been taken to the hearts of Irish rally fans and particularly Carrick on Suir Motor Club members after striking up a partnership with Breen in March 2009. The pair hit the winning formula on their first weekend together claiming a class win at the Sunseeker Rally in the UK and then raced back across the Irish Sea to compete in the Willie Loughman Forest Rally, which they duly came away from with another class victory. This was the start of what will now go down in history for the Irish/Welsh crew. In 2009 a Triple Crown of Fiesta Sport Trophy Championship including the Irish, UK and International Series, the Irish National Junior Rally Championship and for Breen the Fiesta Sport Trophy International Shootout. Craig and Gareth or the name he is more widely known as ‘Jaffa’ moved to the Fiesta S2000 for 2010 and the success continued to snowball. Debuting the car in both the Irish and UK they took their first International win on Rally Northern Ireland and ended the year finishing second in the Irish Tarmac Championship but the sweetest victory came in Spain where Breen and Roberts clinched the Pirelli Star Driver Global Shootout, securing a fully funded drive in the inaugural running of the FIA WRC Academy, 2011 season. 

2011 was to be another roller-coaster ride has the duo took on the Academy. Irish rally eyes were glued to the World Rally Championship (WRC) as the two traversed stages in Portugal, Italy, Finland, Germany, France and finally Great Britain. The season did not begin well and by round three in Finland Craig and Gareth were in catch up mode. Second place overall got thing back on track and the luck really began to turn when their first victory came on Rallye Deutschland. A non-finish in France meant the championship would go to the wire on Rally GB and this is where Breen and Roberts cemented their names in WRC folklore, winning fourteen of the seventeen event stages, the rally and the inaugural WRC Academy Championship. 

The next step in what looked like a truly divined plan for the two was taken last January when they entered the Super 2000 Championship within the World Rally Championship. The Midas touch looked to be on hand again when on the opening round in Monte Carlo Breen with his half pint sized magician calling the notes claimed the opening round of the season. They backed up that performance with second in Sweden and after round three in Portugal held the championship lead. Their notable results attracted the focus of French Team, Sainteloc Racing and in early March it was announced that they would contest four rounds of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC). The pair acclimatised to their new drive (Peugeot 207 S2000) with encouraging results at the Circuit of Ireland and Tour de Corse (Corsica). Last weekend the Craig and Gareth made the trip to Sicily for IRC Targa Florio Rally in a one off drive with HRT Motorsport. The fatal accident that claimed one of the brightest talents in rallying happened on stage eight early on Saturday morning (June 16).

Upon entering the ‘Rally Office’ for the first time last Saturday morning I was greeted to the usual banter as recce sign on for the competitors was about to start, then out of the corner of my eye I noticed a small table to the side of the room. On the table lay a photograph of a blond haired lad in his rally suit with a resonating smile. Beside the photo sat an opening condolence book with the first page already full. As the day passed by each driver, co-driver, event official and rally fan that entered the room their first port of call was to that little table, that book, drawn by the huge grin gleaming from the image. During the day I wondered near to the table from time to time, listening to the individual stories about the Welsh Wizard and with ever tale I realised how great a loss Jaffa is. 

Gareth ‘Jaffa’ Roberts will be laid to rest on Wednesday June 27^th in his home of Carmarthenshire, West Wales. 

The rally kicked off on Saturday with the now usual ‘Ceremonial Start’ on Main Street at 7pm. Over the previous two years the ‘Rock’ was blessed with sunny shine and blue skies but on Saturday the clouds rolled in and the rain began to fall. COC John Rafter was quick to make the decision that he and the club was not going to be deterred by the inclement weather. Dougie Hughes, the Voice of Irish Motorsport was on hand to declare the 2012 Ravens Rock Rally officially live. Dougie began with a tribute to Gareth Roberts, detailing the Welsh co driver’s victory a year ago in the hot seat of the Kel-Tech Fiesta S2000 with Craig Breen. Instead of a minutes silence Dougie called for a round of applause in recognition of Gareth or as he calls him ‘The Pocket Rocket’, as a mark of respect to Gareth a special commemorative sticker was designed for each of the competing cars to carry in honouring the co-driver. The tribute resonated throughout the rallying world over the weekend, in Belgium at IRC Rally Ypres a sticker was also placed on the competing cars and this was echoed on the other side of the globe in New Zealand on the latest round of the WRC, where at the ceremonial start a minute’s silence was also acknowledged. 

In total over 30 crews braved the wet weather to drive over the ceremonial start ramp. Top of the list were Kevin Barrett and Sean Mullally with their Subaru Impreza WRC S11, they were followed by number three seeds James Stafford driving his Darrian T90 GTR, James stated to Dougie in his interview, “I’m definitely hoping for the wet weather to clear overnight as the two-wheel drive Darrian would not have a hope of competing against the likes of Kevin in the rain.” Local cars seen on the night included Johnny Murphy, 

Moving to Sunday morning and the rain had cleared and as Gareth ‘Jaffa’ Roberts would have done if he was taking part the first business of the day was drivers briefing and as Clerk of the Course, John Rafter emphasized the importance of safety and the tribute to Jaffa in the rally office was carried out onto the stages in the form of a sticker which was on each of the competing cars. 

Before the first gear was chosen there was a news flash from service as Car No. 3 Denis Cronin was a NON starter. The word out on the stages was even though the rain from Saturday night had cleared and the sun was out but there were damp and slippy patches on the roads. James Stafford in the Darrian set the pace on stage one, with a time of 5 min 31 sec, Fergus O’Meara (Ford Escort Mk11) was 10 second 10sec away and there was a flock of crews tying for equal third on 5:42 including top seed Kevin Barrett who said, “The car felt a bit sluggish but everything else ok”, John Joe Fleming in the WRC Ford Focus and a great time from Damien McCarthy in the Honda Civic, setting a great time. On stage two Stafford was again fastest. This time pulling out another seven second faster than John Joe Fleming on the test and 18s Overall. Fergus O’Meara took third on his own but was only is ahead of Kevin Barrett in fourth. Damien McCarthy with Sorcha Kelly calling the notes was fifth 26sec off the pace. Top club member after stage two was Shay Power in the Escort Mk11 who held 8^th O/A with his daughter Katie in the co-driver’s seat. Moving to stage three Stafford est his third fastest time in a row but was equalled on this occasion by John Joe Fleming in the Focus. Kevin Barrett moved up to third ahead of Damien McCarthy who now held fourth. Fergus O’Meara dropped time on the final stage in the loop when he had a minor off and hit bales near a bridge. Shay Power in 8^th continued to uphold club honours but on reaching service reported a clutch problem and was unsure if he could repair the problem. Looking down the classes after the first loop, class 2 Club members James Dunphy and JP Ruth held the lead from Jason Roycroft by just 1 sec. Class 6, Keith Power, another club member and Des Moran from Wexford on the notes held a 35second advantage over Dean Raftery/Aileen Kelly. In class 10 John Forde was out in front with a 21 sec lead over Jimmy Doyle. Mullinavat’s Pascal O’Shea in the Buckstown Motorsport Ford Mk11 was in 8^th in the class 29 seconds in arrears. Class 11, front runner Damien McCarthy was in the lead with Barry Ryan in second and club member Enda O’Brien (Mk11) in third position. 

On to the Second Loop: James Stafford in the rear wheel drive Darrian T90 GTR extended his lead by another 7 seconds over John Joe Fleming to lead by 25 on stage four. The Subaru of Kevin Barrett was third 11 sec down on Fleming and 25 behind Stafford. Damien O’Meara was just off the top three in the Mk11. There was high praise for Co. Cavan’s Chris Armstrong in another Mk11 Escort who was in 7^th O/A and leading class 13. Club member Shay Power was a non-starter as the clutch trouble he reported in service were terminal, this elevated Enda O’Brien to head the club brigade. After setting fastest time of the opening four stages Stafford had to be sissified with second quickest on SS5. The WRC Focus of JJ Fleming set the pace over the test, taking back 12 seconds in the process, the gap between the top two now was only 13sec. Kevin Barrett in the Triton Showers Subaru competed the top three. Fourth, fifth and sixth in Mk11 Escorts were Fergus O’Meara, Barry Ryan and Chris Armstrong respectively. Lloyd Hutchinson was doing a giant killing job in 8^th in O/A driving his Austin Mini Cooper S. The second loop was completed with stage six and after losing time on the previous test James Stafford was back on the top of the time sheets. He took the stage by 2 seconds from Fleming and his lead extended back out to 15 seconds. Barrett remained in third but now over a minute. The Honda honours continued to be upheld by Damien McCarthy in fourth and then the three Escorts of Fergus O’Meara, Barry Ryan and Chris Armstrong in 5^th, 6^th and 7^th. Class update after SS6. Class 2; James Dunphy continued to lead but was feeling a little weary after completing six stages and being in Dublin to see the ‘West Life’ concert. Class 4; Graham Scallan was in a class of his own and leading group N. Class 6; Keith Power was having a fine drive in the Clio Super 1600 and held a 1:12 minute lead. Class 7; Kilkenny’s Noel Coogan was over a minute and a half ahead of Edward McNamara. Class 9; Lloyd Hutchinson in the Mini held a clean advantage of over 4 min to Shane Stanley. Class 12; Eamonn McGuigan held a slender lead of only 2 seconds from father and son team of Alan and James Commins, Alan stated at the end of stage “I’m  trying to get used to a new sequential gearbox and it’s taking a while to bed in.” Class 15; John Hickey lead the way in the class with Jer Connors and Gemma Kerley in third. Class 16A; Both 16A and 16B were the ‘Junior classes and this was their first loop of the day. In 16A, Eamonn Bates held a commanding lead of 2 minutes over Tonya Fortune, with Alison Levis in third. The battle was much closer in 16B, James Bradley (Honda Civic) topped the class but only had 6 seconds of a lead on Rob Duggan in another Civic and in yet another Civic in third was Vincent McSweeney.

Final Loop: Praying that the weather would stay kind Stafford extended his lead on stage seven to pull out the advantage over Fleming to 47 seconds this was helped by virtue of Fleming’s SS5 time being amended to 5:44, 17sec slower than what was originally posted on the results. In third, Barrett was relaxing and after stating in service “I have a new engine and we changed to a harder tyre compound but the two in front have a nice lead.” The battle roared on during the penultimate test as Stafford and Fleming set equal fastest time. But it was the Wexford man who held the advantage going into the final test. With the top two fighting for the win, Barrett was content to hold station and remained in third. Outside the top three there was also a battle brewing for fourth position Damien McCarthy was holding the position but on SS8 Fergus O’Meara pulled back his 2sec disadvantage to be equal on time going into the final test. So on to the final stage and JAMES STAFFORD, partnered by JAMES F. STAFFORD win the 2012 Ravens Rock Rally taking fastest time yet again. John Joe Fleming never gave up but ended the day 34 second down in the Ford Focus WRC and finally rounding off the top three was Kevin Barrett with Sean Mullally calling the notes taking third. The contest for fourth place went all the way to the wire and it was DAMIEN MCCARTHY who took the position by 1 SECOND and the class 11 victory and the SPRIT OF THE RALLY Award. With Fergus O’Meara taking fifth plus the class 14 win, it was Barry Ryan in sixth and second in class 11, Chris Armstrong/Breen McNamee rounded off a great performance  with 7^th overall and a class 13 win. As we described them earlier, giant killers Lloyd Hutchinson and Willie Fitzpatrick took 8^th O/A and class 9 honours. 9^th overall and a class 6 win went to Keith Power and Des Moran, with Keith being the first Carrick on Suir Club member home. Rounding off the top 10 were Enda O'Brien and John Butler in their Mk11 Escort. 

Class Wrap Up: Class 2 winners James Dunphy and JP Ruth, Class 4 (Group N) winners Graham Scallan and Tom Scallan, Class 5 winners Philip Jennings and Jonathon Jennings, Class 7 winners Noel Coogan and Mick Coady, Class 8 winners Seamus Flynn and Ian Munnelly, Class 10 winners Jimmy Doyle and Andrew Griffin, Class 12 Winners were club member and Father and Son team of Alan Commins and James Commins. Alan dedicated the win to his daughter Chloe who is going to Australia next Wednesday.   John Hickey and John McCarthy were just outside the top ten in eleventh but took class 15. Class (A) went to Eamonn Bates and Jason Stafford. Class (B) winners and the O/A Junior Award were James Bradley and Maria Kehoe. It was a double joy for Maria as she celebrated her birthday as well. Finally in the historic section victory went to Seamus Anderson and Lisa Knox in their Ford Anglia.

Proceedings came to a close on Sunday evening back at rally HQ in the Kilford Arms, Club Chairman Terence Kearney was first to speak, thanking all who took part in the event, the rally sponsors but most of all he congratulated Clerk of the Course, John Rafter and his team for three years of dedicated work. Kearney underlined that over three year period John has brought the Ravens Rock to new heights of professionalism. John Rafter himself was next to take the microphone and before going into the prize giving itself he paid tribute to Suirway Forklifts/Farm Machinery, The Kilford Arms Hotel and Chancellors Mill for their sustained support. Pius Phlean and the Kilford Arms has been an incredible headquarters, Pius and his team within the hotel are always on hand to help in anyway. I thank John Dalton owner of Chancellors Mill for the use of his premises. From year one John has always been eager to be involved with the rally and more than eager to give of his premises. I leave Suirway Forklifts/Farm Machinery and James Coleman to last because it’s hard to put into word what James has done for the rally. He and his company are now synonymous with the rally having been a major sponsor of the ‘Ravens Rock’ for main years. I also want to wish James well as his is sick at the moment but knowing James he won’t be out of action for long. From there he thanked his full team, not just for the last twelve months but for three years of hard work. I want to thank my ‘Stage Commanders’ and their ‘Deputies’, ‘Marshals’ from within the club and marshals from neighbouring clubs, rescue personal, time keepers, radio operators and with that the curtain came down on the 2012 RAVENS ROCK RALLY.