Getting all revved up for Galway International Rally

IT’S that time of the year again when the sound of the engine fills the early spring air and motor sport enthusiasts arrive in their tens of thousands for the annual Galway International Rally. Two young men who will be hoping to make their mark at this year’s prestigious event, which takes place around the county between February 5th and 6th, are local drivers, Ross Forde and Jonathan Folan.

Gathered for a press day at Pallas Karting track in Tynagh last week, both Forde and Folan were in high spirits. Back in the driving seat after the festive break, their handling of their respective rally cars around the testing track demonstrated they had lost none of their skills in the winter hibernation.

Indeed, both men couldn’t be more at ease behind the wheel, with Forde hailing from a family seeped in success, while Folan’s father, John, has been rallying for 30 years. For both men, it was almost inevitable that they would pursue such a sporting endeavour.

“With me anyway, it is a family affair,” said Forde. “I have been going to rallies since I remember, and I have been driving since I was 16 or 17. So, I have been doing it for a while. All my uncles do it, Ray Cunningham, Frank Cunningham. So, it was fate really that I was going to have a go at it.”

Indeed, Forde’s uncle Frank won the USA rally championship on numerous occasions, both as a driver and co-driver, while his other uncle Ray has won the famous Killarney Rally stages. In fact, it was with Frank that Forde began his career, competing – and winning his class – in an Autocross event at the age of 16.

Since then, Forde – Galway Motor Club’s 2010 Rally Driver of the Year – has graced the podium at a variety of events in Ireland, winning international rallies both north and south of the border, and in Great Britain. His finest year to date though was undoubtedly 2008 when the Carnmore driver won one of the most prestigious prizes in motorsport – the Billy Coleman award.

Forde beat off stiff competition to take the Young Rally Driver of the Year accolade at the Dunlop Champions of Irish Motorsports Awards. On his way to the title, Forde won the Suzuki section of the Ulster International Rally in Belfast, while he also won his class in the National Junior Rally Championship.

Those successes secured Forde a fully funded drive, worth over €50,000, with the Ford World Rally team the following year, and, throughout 2009, he competed in a Fiesta in the British Championships. “That [deal] ended last year. We had a good few podiums – we had a great year – but it was more of a learning curve than anything else,” said the 27-year-old.

In recent times, though, Forde, like most involved in the sport, has had to deal with serious funding issues. “Money is hard to get,” continued Forde, who drives a Mitsubishi Evo9. “Sponsors have been good, but we are constantly looking for them.

“Instead of buying a car, we are hiring out for each event this year,” he explained.”It works out a little bit better. James Foley (Foley Rally Sport, Meath) looks after the car and he does a super job. He always turns out a good car. He turned out the car for us at Galway Summer at the end of last year and we managed 11th overall, first time ever in a four-wheel drive. We were over the moon.”

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.