RECORD ENTRY FOR DÉJÀ VU NORTH WEST ‘24

 

Déjà vu North West ’24, the retro rally re-union that will take place in Sligo on 26-27-28 April has attracted a record entry of 154 crews.

 

Justine Hogan (the partner of the driver Gene McDonald) and Breda Maguire (the  wife of the co-driver Dáire Maguire), who so tragically lost their lives on the Sligo Stages Rally last July, will be involved in the great motorsporting re-union with Justine flagging off the cars and Breda sitting in the co-drivers seat of Damien O’Reilly’s Mk.II Escort, as they set out from the Sligo Retail Park start at 9.30 on Saturday 27^th. April.

 

The McDonald and Maguire families being the beneficiaries of the proceeds from the three days of motoring nostalgia which will see a hundred rally cars and a further fifty-four classic road cars taking part in the 150 mile tour over some of the famous Rally Ireland stages.

 

THE RUN

Enthusiasts will get their first glimpses of this spectacular gathering at the Sligo Retail Park on Friday 26^th. April when they start to assemble from 2.30pm and at the Saturday morning start at the same venue at 9.30am. The cavalcade of motoring history will then pass along the shores of Lough Gill, Lough Melvin and Lough Eske on its way north to the lunch halt in South Donegal.

 

There will be a further opportunity to see the cars at Quay Street Car Park in Donegal Town from 2.15pm. on Saturday afternoon before they complete their run via the Mullaghmore and Horseshoe stages on their way back to the Sligo finish in O’Connell’s Street at 4.00pm.

 

SUNDAY AT THE AIRPORT

And the excitement doesn’t stop there as the SF Planes, Cars & Coffee gathering from 10.00am – 12.30am at Sligo Airport on Sunday morning is a real Déjà vu add-on this year when the rally cars entrants meet the pilots from all over the country at the Breakfast Fly-in in Strandhill.

 

MOST POPULAR

Fords top the popularity pole with twenty-nine entrants including Ben Lamb’s rare 1994 Group B RS2000, a host of Group 4 Escorts including Ciaran Phelan’s immaculate Mk.II, and Alan Jardine’s 1971 ex-Chris Slater Mk.I, the car that finished runner-up to Adrian Boyd on that year’s Circuit of Ireland.

 

 

‘Mr. Mini’, Paddy Hopkirk will be  remembered by the fourteen Minis led by the legendry Rauno Aalton, (a former team-mate of the great Irish driver), who will be driving Beatty Crawford’s replica 1964 Monte Carlo Rally winning Mini Cooper S, and Martin Reilly’s 2021 Hopkirk commemorative version.

 

The eleven BMWs includ two of the high revving M3 Group A rally cars from 1988 and a beautiful 1960’s 2020ti which will be driven by the two-time Donegal International Rally winner John Lyons. Eight Porsches of various models and vintages will be on the run and particularly look out for Brendan McAree’s fabulous 1973 Carrera RSR.

 

Three-time Sligo Stages Rally winner Vincent Bonner heads the nine Opel entries in one of the five fabulous Manta 400s entered. Add eight Subarus including Donagh and Eamonn Kelly’s Legacy RS models that were previously owned by World Champions Colin McRae and Richard Burns and Brian Jardine’s ex Mark Higgins 1995 Subaru Impreza.

 

Seven Toyotas like Fred Ward’s special Celica and James Bearn’s 2022 Yaris GR which will be carrying a tribute to the late Ronnie McCartney. There will also be  seven Vauxhalls such as Brian Crawford’s Viva GT and Charles Milne’s Chevette HSR, and some real rarities like Jonathan Radley’s 1983 Audi Quattro and Vincent Devlin’s 1985 Quattro SWB S1, two Group B Metro 6R4s belonging to Frank O’Mahony and Barry Foley, the Saab96 belonging to Padraig Mulhall and Jerry Haye’s Saab99, and Sean Tracey’s 1970 Lancia Fulvia HF in this priceless parade.

 

SOUVENIR PROGRAMME

You can help our appeal for the RALLYING FRIENDS by purchasing copies of the 76 page Souvenir Programme (€15.00) which will be on sale from the 1^st. April at various outlets in the Sligo and Donegal area and online. Details will shortly be announced.

 

NOTE. Each adult will need a Souvenir Programme to gain entry to the SF Planes, Cars & Coffee event at Sligo Airport on Sunday morning.

 

Déjà vu North West ’24 is supported by FAAC Simply automatic, Sligo Pallets,  Devaney Recovery Services, Martin Reilly Motors and SF Engineering and jointly organised by RPM Déjà vu Motorsport Ltd. and the Connacht Motor Club.

 

RPM Dèjà vu Motorsport contacts:

Alan (Plum) Tyndall 0044 7887827150 alan@rpm-motorsport.com

Alan Graham 0044 7802875808

 

Connacht Motor Club contact:

Robert Lyttle 00353 874184993 robertlyttle52@gmail.com