Offaly man makes competitive return to rally racing in Spain

Tralee-based Tullamore man Mark Kane returns to active competition this weekend at the Rallye de La Nucía Mediterráneo – Costa Blanca, a round of the Spanish Superchampionship based near Benidorm.

A member of a well known Tullamore family and a former student at Tullamore CBS, Kane did his Leaving Certificate in 1990 and was a prolific rally driver on the midlands and Irish circuit for several years. A very successful business man, he has been living in Kerry in recent years.

The Spanish event marks Kane’s first event as a driver since the 2015 Birr Stages Rally, where he competed in a Ford Escort Mk2. This time, he will pilot a Hyundai i20 R5, prepared and run by Spain-based Irish outfit PCRS Rallysport.

The two-day tarmac event begins on Friday afternoon and runs into the night, with the second leg starting just after 9 a.m. on Saturday and finishing around 6 p.m. Crews will tackle 12 stages, covering 161 kilometres of closed public roads.

Kane’s co-driver will be Jeff Case from Laois, who will mark his 100th rally start at the event. It will also be Kane’s first competitive outing in a left-hand drive car and his first rally outside Ireland as a driver.

Speaking before the start, Kane admitted he was both excited and surprised at his high seeding position of 15.

“They’re either missing a one off the start or the end of our number,” he joked. “A de-seed is what we will need! At least we can say we were going well at the start and were up to 15th overall.”

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Other Irish representation in Spain includes Phillip Allen from County Tyrone, who is competing in a Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo with Welsh co-driver Craig Drew.