Curley’s Carrera Wins

This report by Mike Greasley appeared in Autosport April 25, 1974. Photos by Esler Crawford.

Folk heroes are few and far between in current day rallying. England has Roger Clark, Finland has Timo Makinen and Hannu Mikkola whilst Stig Blomqvist is the man in Sweden. Undoubtedly heroes every one. But not folk heroes in that they have not had pop songs written and recorded about their exploits. And have you seen any T-shirts proclaiming “Porky for President”? In Ireland there is one man who has all these trappings of popular acclaim, but strangely had been unable to pull off that Big Win. But the persistence finally paid dividends over Easter weekend, when with more than a little help from Austin Frazer and the ex-Harold Morley lightweight Porsche Carrera RS, Derry garage owner Cahal Curley finally fulfilled his ambition – to win the International Circuit of Ireland.

Curley, known simply as “CB” in Ireland, and partner Frazer averaged 54.36 mph over the 49 special stages which made up this year’s Benson and Hedges sponsored Circuit. In so doing Curley took victory by just over 5m from fellow Porsche Carrera driver and garage proprietor Ronnie McCartney with Peter Scott. But don’t let this five minute margin fool you. In the opening stages, Curley had to fight hard for every second with pressure coming hard and strong in the form of Billy Coleman/Leo Whyte with the ex-Sclater Escort RS. An excursion on the Sunday Killarney Run put Coleman out of contention, but he fought back to third overall in an Escort which had all but reverted to component form by the Tuesday morning finish at Newcastle, Co Down.

But what of the visitors? At one point, RAC Rally Clubman’s Rally winner Brian Evans with David Marston in the Express TV Services of Malvern Porsche Carrera had been fourth. Transmission failure saw their creditable effort come to a premature end, and the honour of highest placed visitors go to last year’s winners Jack Tordoff/Phil Short who were fifth in a customer’s Carrera. Oh yes, if you want to get ahead on the Circuit, get a Carrera. No less than six finished in the top ten.

Undoubtedly the man to cause most upset was young Will Sparrow having his first outing in the DTV Magnum. With Rodney Spokes co-driving, Will managed to blow-off the Irish Group1 experts to come 11th overall in the Vauxhall, being bumped out of the top 10 in the closing stages by another visiting hard charger, Eric Aaby in his private Group2 Opel Ascona. With nothing better to do over Easter, Aaby and co-driver Bjorn Lie decided to tackle the Circuit. For the Norwegians it was a new experience, but one which they mastered quickly. At one point they were sixth overall, but a puncture plunged them down the classification. As Aaby commented “sometimes it is more like a drag race than a rally.”

The Circuit this year did contain 60 percent new stages, one of which was pure forest and a large number were “dirty” – Irish for twisty, narrow and muddy! This was a determined effort by clerk of the course Malcolm Neill and the organising Ulster AC to toughen the rally and reduce the number of finishers. However, the number of finishers wasn’t drastically reduced, a fact which can be contributed to the exclusion of the rather fragile Group5 specials. The Circuit attracted well over 50 Group1 entries, another contributing factor to the comparatively high proportion of 75 crews out of 136 starters who completed the 1,200 mile route.

Although the arrowing was once or twice a little indifferent, the organisation was generally first class with spot-on timing and no stage cancellations. For any international rally this is something to be justifiably proud, but when you consider the background of political strife under which shadow the Circuit is run, and also the current fuel crisis it is all the more creditable. The UAC had to make a number of concessions to the fuel situation, and the planned 1650-mile route had-to be trimmed by 450 miles at the cost of such regular Circuit entertainment as the Donegal stages. But this could well have been a blessing in disguise. The organisers were determined that there should be no illegal use of pace notes, and the Circuit of Donegal does, of course, allow notes; a temptation which would have been too much for some. The UAC did not, however, let the pace note matter lie there, and carried out at least one thorough search of competing cars during the rally. It is pleasing to report that none of the top competitors were found “guilty,” although one crew in the early 100s was caught. Trouble was, the discovered notes were apparently for a different event !

Also in view of the fuel crisis, each competing car was limited to one official service car but, of course, there was no restriction in the number of unofficial service vehicles. Next year one can expect much more stringent servicing restrictions !

Scrutineering was split into two sessions, the first being for Northern crews in Belfast on Thursday, April 11, and the other on Friday at Enniskillen from when the first car was due to depart at 18.01. The Belfast-based teams such as the Lombard and Ulster/R. E. Hamilton outfit and the Chrysler Dealer Team (Ulster) equipe took advantage of the early scrutineering sessions. Lombard and Ulster were fielding two cars, the mainstay being Adrian Boyd, re-united with Beatty Crawford who had returned from America for a couple of weeks holiday. Their ex-Ford France Escort RS was virtually full racing specification, sporting David Wood 2-litre BDA with fuel injection and a great deal of horse power. Immaculately presented, the Escort unfortunately proved to be too much of a racer, and with Watts linkage rear suspension was to cause Boyd/Crawford much head-shaking. Derek Boyd was partnered with Frank Main in the other Lombard and Ulster entry, the famed LVX 942J, now with a new body shell following a recent roll, and Wood BDA. Engine builder Wood was himself in Ireland to see that his engines ran true to form, and it is worth noting that he had more trouble coping with Irish hospitality than with any engine problems!

Sampling the delights of Group1 motoring for the first time was Robin Eyre-Maunsell with his Chrysler Dealer Team (Ulster) Hillman Avenger GT with 1498cc engine, and not the latest homologated 1600. As usual, Robin had Neil Wilson in the co-driver’s seat, the Welshman taking a certain amount of stick from his driver over his recent “superstar” appearance on the TAP. Two similar Avengers were entered by the Dealer Team for John L’Amie/Ernest McMillen and Billy Ferguson/David Gray. Contrary to what was said in Special Stage last week, it was not Robin Eyre-Maunsell who rolled his new charge, but John Gemmell/Iain Knox in the Maconachies of Kilmarnock Avenger GT. The Scotsmen had been quite a distance ahead in the class, but a bad yump saw their car literally disintegrate. With a bent axle and various bits hanging off they were able to get going again thanks to assistance from Maunsell’s service crew. But later in proceedings they rolled, and the class was therefore firmly handed over to Maunsell/Wilson who only had one very minor excursion during the event.

Main problems at scrutineering centred around the old perennials of laminated windscreens and towing eyes, but people managed to meet the demands of the scrutineer. However, John Patterson/Maxwell Horne from Scotland in the Bellway Holdings ex-Boyd Escort RS1800 were thrown out with glassfibre doors and perspex windows. Somehow they managed to rebuild the car to Group2 specification in time for the start.

The start itself was some way out Enniskillen at the Manor House Hotel where crews and cars had to report two hours before the off. Naturally first off the ramp were Tordoff/Short who had managed to find a replacement for the Ziebart Carrera written off on the Firestone. This was one of Jack’s customers Carrera’s in completely standard trim, even down to no roll cage and limited slip differential. Boyd/Crawford and Curley/Frazer followed, the latter being the Morley Porsche with which CB was delighted. CB went as far as saying that it was the best car he had ever driven, the most impressive feature being the tremendous braking.

Millstreet’s Billy Coleman and Leo Whyte followed in the ex-Sclater Escort RS with Boreham 2-litre BDA and ZF 5-speed gearbox. Coleman had expected to use a brand-new Boreham car, but when he discovered this wasn’t ready he fitted new engine and gearbox into the old Sclater shell. At five were Ronnie McCartney/Peter Scott in the same yellow Carrera RS which they used on the Firestone, followed by Aaby/Lie in their 185 bhp Group2 Ascona.

Rounding off the top 10 were David Lindsay/Duffy Cunningham in the smart Northern Excavators-Lindsay Cars Rally Team Escort RS1600, John Keating/Nicholas Condon in an 1866cc Escort RS, David Agnew and Robert Harkness in a BMW 2002Tii with 1998cc Group2 power, and finally Lindsay teammates Sean Campbell/Brendan McConville in their Escort RS1600.

Besides the battle for outright victory, the pundits were predicting action aplenty among the Group1 classes, particularly in the direction of Russell Brookes and Eammon Cotter. Brookes originally intended to appear in a newly homologated RS2000 with John Brown, but as it was he turned out in his old faithful Brooklyn Mexico with Stuart Grey. Cotter, who was second last year In a Group2 BMW, did have a new RS2000 with Mike Healey co-driving. Cotter was shocked to say the least at the speed of Brookes, exclaiming at one stage that the Englishman apparently took every blind brow flat-out! But with time-consuming excursions for the Brooklyn Mexico and 5m of road penalties for Cotter/Healey, it was left to Bertie Fisher/Tony Anderson in their RS2000 to sneak up and snatch victory in this class.

However, the large-engined Group1 category never appeared in doubt, and the Sparrow/Spokes Group1 DTV Vauxhall steamed away into the distance. A newly homologated exhaust emission kit allows recirculation of exhaust gases, a wilder camshaft and free-flow manifold pushing the Group1 2.3-litre engine output up from 128 to 147 bhp. More than enough to take overall Group1 honours.

Crews from “over the water” were present in quite respectable numbers, and there was even a fair sprinkling of continentals to add some more colour. Notably from France came Phillipe Farjon/Jacques Jouvin in an 1800cc Alpine-Renault, Francis Gourreau/Michael Rousseau in a Daf Marathon which seemed to spend most of its time ‘aff the road, and ladies Anne Marie Pedelahore/Danielle Minier in another Alpine which had no service and one set of tyres, yet still finished. Backing up the Aaby entry were fellow Norwegians John Haugland/Arild Antonsen in their indecently quick Group2 Skoda S120S entered by Neville Johnston (Garages) Ltd. Following the demise of Alec Poole/Mike Greasley with the ex-Mehta RAC Group2 Datsun Sunny into an evil-smelling bog on the first night, the Norwegians were literally able to cruise to victory. But that doesn’t mean to say they weren’t trying, and like Brookes on the very last stage they had an argument with a tree. They still finished, with Haugland blushingly stating that after all the tarmac, he had forgotten how to drive on the loose!

For openers, the rally consisted of 11 stages along Ireland’s West Coast before breakfast in Galway. The majority of these opening stages were new, and the very first was for spectators, being a one-mile dash around St Angelo airfield. With long straights, this was obviously a Carrera benefit with Curley quickest from a tying Boyd and McCartney. The first stage of any rally inevitably brings niggling problems, and this one-miler was no exception. Noel Smith/ Ricky Foott apparently ran out of fuel in their Escort RS1600, only to discover after a couple of more stops on other stages that the pump wouldn’t pick up fuel unless there was eight gallons in the tank. They also had
the master cylinder go on the start ramp, so it was a rather fraught opening. But at least they were still running, which was more than could be said for Vic Carlisle/Mike Rayner who put their Dealer Team BMW – Surbiton Rally Centre Alpina into a wall on the first real stage, Mullaghmeen, and were out with bent suspension.

The first stages weren’t at all satisfactory for BMW as while Carlisle was busy with the wall, Robert Ward/Chris McNally were hobbling to finish with differential failure on their ex-Wendy Markey Penthouse G1 BMW 2002. The BMW is still resplendent in the black and gold Penthouse colours, and hopes that the frilly knicker brigade would turn out were unfortunately unfounded. Instead, competitors upon reaching Killarney were treated to the sight of a streaker — unfortunately male – who rushed out of a hotel into the arms of the police! However, we digress. Ward did make it to the end of the stage, and his service crew managed to get the BMW mobile again. The diff proceeded to make terrible groaning and growling noises until] Killarney when Ward decided to retire after bending a front crossmember, the engine consequently suffering a bad attack of dropsy.

Following the 4.28-mile Mullaghmeen stage there was a very long and slackly timed road section – in deference to the 50 mph limit, road average speeds were calculated at 25 mph — over the border into the South and then via Sligo to Ladies Brae, an eight-miler of which 30 per cent was loose. The relaxed road section allowed competitors to take up to 2 hours for an evening meal in Sligo, where originally the organisers had planned an hour’s halt.

Obviously it was going to be a long hard night before breakfast at Galway. Up front Curley, Coleman and Boyd were slugging it out, although the latter was becoming more and more disenchanted with the car and/or the stages. Most were very narrow, twisty, slippery affairs and the majority included loose surfaces, particularly the 7.75-mile Belville which was 85 per cent loose. The Watts linkage rear suspension on Boyd’s car was in effect offering too much grip, and Adrian was finding it extremely difficult to set up the Escort for corners in the approved Boyd style. Then on top of it all the rear brakes weren’t operating near efficiently, and the throttle was sticking and he had lost 3 m on the third stage when the throttle linkage broke. No wonder Beatty Crawford was shaking his head whenever the Escort came to a service point!

In contrast the Carreras appeared to be running like the proverbial clockwork trains. Tordoff’s car was giving one problem – it was so quiet that spectators couldn’t hear him coming. These Carreras pose a very real threat to rally reporting, as nothing seems to go wrong. And if nothing goes wrong, there is nothing to write about!

By the early hours of Saturday, the Circuit had already claimed one front-runner, the luckless Sean Campbell with broken timing gear. Other retirements included John Price/Brian Brophy in the former’s immaculate and unusual Group2 Renault 17TS which blew a head gasket, and Tommy McAloon/Edward Winters in the ex-McCartney RS1600, entered by Tunneys Ford Motors, Trillick. A drive-shaft had broken, but they tried their hands at the unofficial Killarney Sunday Run and took the trophy. Price/Brophy also went out on the Sunday, but a repeat of the head gasket failure set the seal on a frustrating weekend.

With only 15 m maximum lateness, crews couldn’t afford to hang about and at times the slightest problem meant road penalties (10s for every minute late). Aaby/Lie had already dropped 1m on the road, and had to borrow rear brake drums from the retired Group1 Ascona of Scots Ian Wilson/Peter Anderson who earlier had been battling with a sticking throttle. Frenchmen Farjon/Jouvin also had problems and a broken driveshaft, plus its subsequent replacement, meant they had just 59 s from being OTL. They had also received a 2m penalty for exceeding the 40 mph average and Castrol’s Frnch-speaking Eric Silberman had his work cut out explaining the whys and wherefores of average speeds and lateness on rallies in the British Isles.

By breakfast at Galway, Curley had opened a lead of just under 1m from hard-charging Coleman, this pair being well ahead of McCartney/Scott and David Agnew: who once again was again showing considerable talent. Fifth spot was held by Lindsay/Cunningham who were something like 10 s ahead of Tordoff/Short. Boyd at this point was well out of the hunt, and unofficial estimates put him as low as 15th. Brother Derek wasn’t that far behind in an unofficial 18th, but whereas Adrian had trouble with too many horses under the bonnet, Derek had big problems with two real live horses which he and Frank Main had chased for a mile along one stage. One car which was causing considerable attention, from the younger element was the Roger Davies/Derek Tucker Escort RS, sponsored by Louis Marx & Co Ltd. Why all the interest? The sponsors make a Lone Ranger cowboy toy, and with ample samples on hand the “Hi-Ho Silver” Escort was a natural target.

Only five stages remained before Killarney and the overnight stop, and with most crews wanting nothing more than a good rest there were to be no real fireworks during this Saturday morning section. Weather conditions were perfect, and enthusiastic crowds lined most stages. However, Killarney was Undoubtedly the place to be over Easter week-end. The town was literally bursting at the seams by the time the cars started arriving from 14.00 at the overnight parc ferme. But, despite the comparatively short run, a number of crews were still experiencing trouble. Farjon/Jouvin had a puncture in their Alpine and were very worried about the car wearing away. Sparrow/Spokes were upset after some baulking on the nine-mile Sugar Hill stage, Geoff Shepherd/“Harry” in their Alpine were reported to be having engine problems, while Derek McMahon and Starrit Graham were having engine problems with their Group1 Avenger GT with latest 1600cc engine. It was big “D’s” first outing in the Avenger and he was more than a little disgruntled with the lack of power.

Positions at Killarney were:

1. Curley/Frazer, 18m 40s;
2. Coleman/Whyte, 19m 31s;
3. McCartney/Scott, 23m 54s;
4. Evans/Marston, 26m 04s;
5. Agnew/Harkness, 26m 09s;
6. Lindsay/Cunningham, 26m 58s;
7. Tordoff/Short, 27m 03s;
8. Aaby/Lie, 28m 00s;
9. Forde/Phelan, 28m 21s;
10. Sparrow/Spokes, 29m 13s.

Just more than 1m behind the flying Sparrow (!) was an equally determined Adrian Boyd who was gradually getting the Lombard and Ulster Escort sorted, and promising fireworks on the famed Killarney Sunday run.

This year’s Sunday run consisted of 11 stages, most of them Irish classics with such heart-stoppers as the 12 miles of Moll’s Gap, the 12-mile Lough Caragh, the picturesque and treacherous Slea Head and, to round off proceedings before the return to Killarney, almost six miles of the Conor Pass. It was going to be a long hard day as the first car left at 07.01 in perfect conditions. Right from the start ex-racing driver Brian Nelson in his G2 BMW 2002 had been looking forward to the Sunday run. Co-driver Drexel Gillespie was to be in for some ride. This was Brian’s first major rally, after having caught the “bug” on last year’s Circuit when he drove a course car. By the time the event reached Killarney for the first time he was 18th overall. A broken engine mounting and various dramas later he was placed seventh in the final classification. And talking about entering the Manx!

It was the dramatic, yumpy Moll’s Gap which got rid of any hangovers on the Sunday morning. It was now or never for Coleman, and just to prove he meant business the Millstreet farmer set fastest on Moll’s Gap and took three more BTDs during the day. Curley took three stages, as did Boyd, whose Escort was now suffering fuel problems. The BDA engine would intermittently go onto three cylinders mid-way through stages, dirty fuel being suspected. However, Coleman’s hard driving came to naught on stage 26, Slea Head, when on the first right hander the Escort slid-off the road and the crew lost at least 6 m. Sufficient to drop them to third behind the consistent McCartney/Scott and leaving Curley/Frazer in a fairly safe first place, some seven minutes ahead.

Coleman’s Escort was now in a bit of a state with various bits and pieces hanging off. The situation was so bad that once when Malcolm Neill opened the co-driver’s door to carry out a pace note check, the shell literally caved-in! The disappointment was equally obvious on the faces of Evans/Marston who had cracked a wheel rim on Lough Caragh, and then on the road section ground to a halt with a broken driveshaft coupling. Lough Caragh gave a lot of people a considerable amount of aggravation, and amongst the large numbers to have punctures were Forde/Phelan, Ward/McNally and Charlie Wood/Keith Brennan (Normans of Slough/Competition Car Avenger GT). Spins were aplenty, and Ron Neely/Roy Kernaghan managed to revolve their Avenger on three separate occasions. It was also on Lough Caragh that Gemmell/Knox handed the class to Eyre-Maunsell when they went off, to emerge again with binding brakes, bent axle and a boot lid which would not shut.

The Killarney run does bring out the best in competitors, and after a perfect day’s rallying those left in — or for that matter those left out — were in the mood to celebrate everything and nothing. The Circuit is big business in Killarney, and the traders therefore happily club together to provide a generous special prize fund for the best performances over the Killarney stages. A special prize-giving is arranged at a suitably late hour on Monday before the re-start. After all what is a few trophies when one considers that last year during the rally one hotel was said to have taken more than £15,000 in bar takings alone.

After Killarney 22 stages remained, some of which were to be the hardest and most demanding of the whole event. With a comfortable leading margin, Curley could afford to ease off somewhat, but behind there could be no respite. McCartney, Coleman, Lindsay, Boyd and Agnew were all in close proximity on the leader board, so ‘anything could happen’. And happen it did. Only five stages from Killarney, David Lindsay/Duffy Cunningham were out of the running when they went off the road in their Escort. On the previous stage, Lindsay’s brother Nick with David Sanford co-driving had rolled his Escort.

The six stages before supper at Kilkenney were causing no end of problems, even to the clockwork-like Porches. The Tordoff/Short example had boiled its brake fluid on the 18 mile Moan Vaun, and even Curley was looking a bit hot and sweaty after this one. Porschemen Forde/Phelan also ran out of brakes whilst Brookes/Grey clobbered a bridge, modifying the rear off-side wing of the Mexico. The Shepherd/“Harry” Alpine came to a premature stop on the 18 miler with a rod through the side, whilst the Farjo example had already departed the fray with a smashed petrol terminal. This left only one Alpine, that of ladies Pedelahore/Minier who were still plodding on without service and behind ladies award winners Sue Sinclair/Phyllis Thompson in the TRV Rentals Opel Ascona.

On the Opel front, Aaby/Lie had dropped out of the top 10 after losing 7m through a puncture. Fellow Norwegians Haugland/Antonsen were still well ahead in their class with a Skoda which was giving little trouble although the rear suspension was coming in for regular scrutiny.

Before supper, Coleman had lost more time when he had a rear tyre go down and had to struggle for seven miles. And so it went on through a beautifully clear night. There were lucky escapes and excursions aplenty amongst the lower numbers, but the leader board remained stable. The leading class contenders were also travelling without too many dramas, although Eyre-Maunsell/Neil Wilson had a lucky escape in their Avenger. They arrived at the end of one stage with a broken throttle cable spindle and their service crew out of sight. Robert McBurney/Norman Smith shot off in their VW Passat and found the mechanics. The Avenger lost 2 m on the roads, whilst the Passat was having its own troubles with a broken rear trailing arm.

However, history was made on Tuesday morning when in the early hours, not one but six crews managed to clean the infamous 16.41 miles Sally Gap. This stage with its sweeping comers and featureless landscape has been “on” for some time, but always the weather has been diabolical. This time conditions were just right, and Sally Gap will never be quite the same ever again.

With dawn and the crossing back into the North, the Circuit was drawing to a close. It had been a tough night, and one could have been forgiven for thinking that the major dramas were over. But, that isn’t what rallying is about. Coleman was still trying with his gradually disintegrating Escort, and above the dawn chorus you could hear his Escort howling and screaming around corners in an attempt to make up for delays. But he had to be content with third overall, particularly when his gearbox lost reverse and the dash board fell out, knocking off the internal master switch.

Boyd/Crawford were fourth in an Escort which was still not right. And on Tuesday morning, a manifold gasket started to go, after one vicious yump the crossmember wrapped itself round the steering rack, leaving the Boyder with no left lock and sitting in a ditch. Somehow he managed to get off the stage, and his service crew could free the rack by cutting out a section of the crossmember. What one might call an eventful rally. However, at least they were able to make it to the finish. The unfortunate David Agnew/Robert Harkness saw a certain fifth place slip away when their BMW left the road after a rear Bilstein shock absorber had apparently exploded. Agnew had been in suspension trouble for much of the first part of the rally, and during the Killarney Run had replaced the racing system with a rally set-up.

The sting in the Circuit’s tail was the very last stage, a 3.97 mile forestry section the outskirts of Newcastle with the finish 200 yards from pare ferme. Televised live by the BBC and with thousands of spectators it was a devilish way to finish a rally. A number of crews went off into the undergrowth, none the least of which were Brookes/Grey who did the Mexico no good at all, and Haughland whose Skoda had a brush with the same tree. These two were thankful that the finish was such a short—downhill—distance away, as were Joe Pat O’Kane/Tommy Tennant whose Carrera collected something very solid and crossed the finish line literally on three wheels.

The Cahal Curley/Austin Frazer camp was justifiably ecstatic at the Derry man’s victory. CB had driven a first-class rally, maintaining his cool whilst all those about him lost theirs. It was a victory well worth waiting for on an excellent Circuit. Next year the organisers intend to make it even tougher, and as it is Malcolm Neill’s last year as Clerk of the Course we can certainly expect something.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. C. Curley/A. Frazer (Porsche Carrera RS) 51 m 51 s;
2. R. McCartney/P. Scott (Porsche Carrera RS) 57 m 03 s;
3. B. Coleman/L. Whyte (Ford Escort) 57 m 55 s;
4. A. Boyd/B, Crawford (Ford Escort) 62 m 38 s;
5. J. Tordoff/P. Short (Porsche Carrera RS) 67 m 27 s;
6. G. Forde/P, Phelan (Porsche Carrera RS) 70 m 48 s;
7. B. Nelson/D. Gillespie (BMW 2002 Tii) 73 m 02 s;
8. J. Tansey/R, Inglis (Porsche Carrera RS) 74 m 14 s;
9. O. Hadden/C. McCaul (Porsche Carrera RS) 75 m 32 s;
10. E. Aady/B. Lie (Opel Ascona) 75 m 48 s;

Best Group1 car: W. Sparrow/R. Spokes (Vauxhall Magnum Coupa), 77 m 58 s. (11th Overall)