“We are out. Car rolled but both OK.”

Image: Paul McIlroy

“We are out. Car rolled but both OK. Sure we had to give it a go!”

Those are the words that Coleman Hurley, navigator for Denis Cronin, posted on RallyForums.com shortly after exiting the Quality Hotels West Cork Rally on the final stage.

The crew had been embroiled in a battle for rally victory with Brian O’Mahony and John Higgins. In fact, Cronin and Hurley had just retaken the lead after the penultimate stage and headed into the final test with a 4.7 second advantage over the chasing S14 spec Impreza WRC.

But unfortunately for the Cronin crew, disaster lay in wait during those closing miles.

Under pressure to stay in front, they pushed hard to secure a prestigious West Cork win but luck was not on their side on this occasion.

Midway through the test, they lost control of their S11 specification Impreza and rolled. Organisers were forced to cancel the stage while Brian O’Mahony and John Higgins secured the rally win in their McKinstry Motorsport hired car.