Practice rally run for IRC’s Irish privateers

Irish privateers Daniel Barry and Martin Brady hope to gain an edge over their rivals ahead of the Geko Ypres Rally later this month by contesting a practice event in Belgium this weekend.

The 12 Hours of Wervick is a traditional dress rehearsal for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge qualifier, which takes place from 24-26 June.

But rather than compete in their regular Barry Motorsport Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX, Barry and Brady will drive a Group N Toyota Starlet, which they have hired from the Auto’s Dekeersgieter operation in Belgium.

“We wanted to get some miles under our belt before Ypres and get a feel for what Belgian Tarmac is like as it’s clearly a very specialised terrain,” said Barry, who last drove a front-wheel drive rally car in 2005.

Co-driver Brady added: “We are going there to learn the intricacies of Belgian Tarmac so it will be great experience for us, even though it will be a culture shock for Daniel doing it in a smaller car.”

Barry and Brady are two events into their four-round IRC campaign, which began with a 21st place finish on Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo in January.