The European Rally Championship, as the name suggests, visits many of the countries in Europe and puts rally drivers through the paces (and pacenotes) of some of the most challenging roads. For the Circuit of Ireland Rally, that means winding through the gorgeous Northern Ireland countryside on roads that are wide enough to accommodate a car and a few shillings laid end-to-end. It must be quite a sight for the pastoral folks along the route gathered to watch the ERC’s high-powered compact cars rip past farms and pastures like snakes slithering away from the good lad Patrick.
Nowhere was that more of a challenge than on Special Stage 3, called The Glens. Why was it called “The Glens?” Well, because it winds through the valleys (Or “glens,” as the Gaelic goes), up and out of them several times across a brutal 31 kilometers. That was by far the longest stage of the whole Irish rally and as you can see from aboard the car of Scotsman Alastair Fisher, it just keeps going and going without letting up. Fisher never relents and the onboard captures the feeling of endurance, even for someone just passively viewing, from tearing through 31 kilometers of blind corners, crests, chicanes, jumps, massive berms, and deep ditches that will send a car tumbling across the downs in the blink of an eye.
Call that pucker-inducing?
That’s the easiest, slowest Irish rally stage I’ve ever seen. For real thrills watch the tight and twisty stages between ancient stone walls where RWD rules. Watch hideously powerful Mk2 Escorts get their asses out and take each corner sideways, Its unrelenting nerve-jangling insanity and certainly not a quiet drive in the country like this!
My aged mother drives faster than this on her mobility scooter…
Really? Then strap a go pro on her an show us what shes got.
She says she’s too old for strap-ons of any kind and you are a very rude young man!
Clever comeback Geordie ! LOL
They move along pretty good, not sure I follow what all the directions of the navigator mean. There sure isn’t a lot of spectators or population in those towns.
Ohhh those Mk2 Eskies
Loose is fast…..
Frank Kelly,
Simon McKinley
Ari Vatanen……….
” oh dear god ! “