KA CHALLENGE FINALE -Carlow MC Rallysprint @ Mondello - 2 Dec 01

Posted: December 3, 2001 4:46 PM

John in the Barry Pender Motors Ford KA has been the dominant driving force in the 2001 Ford Ireland KA Challenge winning six out of the eight rounds and winning the South East Stages Championship outright in the process. John has been the class of the field with his incredibly smooth and effective driving style. Victory on the final round was a fitting end to a highly impressive year before he heads to the UK to further develop his driving career.

"It is always good to win but I wanted to go out on a high on the final round, Barry Barrable gave me a good run for my money today as he lead after the first run however I knew where I had made my mistake and I rectified it for the next three runs. It has been an incredible year, everything really came together for me this year. My Ford KA was amazing, 100% reliable, it never missed a beat. Pirelli Tyres were excellent and they definitely helped me to achieve the results that I got." Said John

Barry Barrable (Dublin) secured second position and with it third place in the 2001 Ford Ireland KA Challenge, Trevor Harding (Cashel) returned to his previous form to secure third position.

"The closeness of competition is testament to the drivers ability and the fairness of the competition" says Eddie Murphy, Managing Director, Henry Ford & Son Limited. "All the drivers, competing under the same conditions, with identically prepared and powered Ford KA Rally Cars, means it was the best driver who won.

The 2001 Ford Ireland Ford KA Challenge is the first, one make; manufacturer supported Challenge in the history of Irish Rallying. Designed to promote young Irish rallying talent, the Challenge is part of Ford's stairway to success that sees the Ford Motor Company providing young drivers with competitive machinery throughout their racing careers.

• Full Results and times from Mondello