 time in 2021 we're going to discuss rallying on Highlands Sports and I'm delighted to say Gary Jennings has joined us to look ahead to the return to action. Gary, a very good afternoon, it's good to see you Gary. Yeah, it's good to talk to you again, it's been a long break now. It's been a long break Shirley and I'm sure you're itching to get back at it and you're looking forward to next Monday. Hi, looking forward to getting away I think. It's not as much as rallying, we're going to wait for a bit of a holiday as well. I think if you get away somewhere out of the county for a change it's been good and it's great to get the go-ahead to go across. How much of you must rallying Gary? I think I bring, I think it's like I think I can ask an alcoholic how much does this drink you know it's one of them things, it's always there, it's always niggling at you and it's yeah I think it's a chance now to go and get do something a bit different and hopefully not as much pressure as usual. Yeah, why the BRC then Gary? Oh no, I've seen it go back a long time, I've done it before and now we want to go back and I think we don't go back now I think we'll be we'll be beaten the age a wee bit so also you know my thoughts on right hand drive cars and right hand drive cars are eligible to do the BRC so that's really what the final swing to make make us go and I say we phoned the BRC and I think within 15 minutes they would have made it come so yeah look we're looking forward to going over now and they're welcoming us with open arms and I think there's been a great influx of Irish drivers going now since we announced we were going. Yeah I see the likes of Sam and Josh Moffat on the entry list, Donegalma and Joseph McGonagall's on it as well. This is our five car, tell us a wee bit more about it because normally we're used to seeing you in the S12B Gary that's not going to happen now when you go to the BRC so how did the whole Fiesta right hand drive or five car come about? It came back, it went back to November time it was a simple business conversation between ourselves and Don Buckley about something completely irrelevant or alien and it happened to come up at the end of the end of a business venture so yeah we put the car back in November we had it we'll have it now obviously from then but didn't use it much obviously lockdown there wasn't much testing or nothing to get but I've been to Mandela there a couple of weeks ago when it opened up and we were in Ahadouay there on duty hey I can't I can't fault the car I think it's real drivers car you have to drive it they come back to the old Super 1600 cars and I can't look forward to getting it I don't expect to be that quick again all these regulars but hey I really enjoyed it and it put a smile back on my face. How's the car set up for the Irish Tarmac Championship? It's not homologated is it for the Irish Tarmac Championship Gary? Yeah that's right that's the problem they're not homologating right hand drive but look we've been asking a lot of questions with it we've been speaking to a couple of people since our last podcast and hopefully we can get in the right direction. The simple thing I put about it is when Austin McKeil and the Great Barrier Fisher were rallying they always had right hand drive cars that weren't homologated on the world championship or European but they're homologated for Irish championships so hopefully if we could convince or get whatever authorities over the board now and let us go right hand drive in Ireland I think the problem I have is that everybody here drives right hand drive cars and I can't see why we're forced to drive less hand drive cars when we don't feel that comfortable so look if we can get this over the line maybe once and for all hopefully you'll see us all back in the Irish Tarmac Championship as well. Yeah I said it wasn't too hard to convince Rory Kennedy to take on the British Rally Championship again, was it Gary? I think the British Rally Championship was the simplest decision I had to make because Rory was for going to Barbados, he was for going to Portugal and France and I think I got the best option was just to go across the Irish Sea and do the British Rally Championship. Yeah Rory would like to go traveling that's for sure and get a bit of the sun so we would. Alton Park is the venue for this so it's taken on parts of the Circa tell us about the Neil Hart Memorial Stages Gary. Completely new to me, I'm not a circuit racer, I haven't done much of these ah-ha-do-ies or anything I guess are shackling these edges, I haven't done them and I've done them not really but to start the championship you must do the first round so it'll be a good shake down for the car as well in myself obviously around a track there's no big stone ditches or big trees so we can hopefully slide it about a bit but look we're not sure we're not going there to be the competitive, we hope to be there there about but it's probably a good way to start the championship as well but I know a lot of them top six or seven drivers from the BRC have all been there before and won there before so it's going to be hard to compete again but yeah we're looking forward to it. You have of course competed in the BRC before and we have to go back maybe 18 years nearly 20 years Gary to when you were a young club sitting in the Pugel. What rounds are you looking forward to this year and what rounds actually do you know of that you've tackled before? I think I'm looking forward to getting the forester over there I really like the forester in England big wide roads and you can chuck the car about I'm looking forward to them but then obviously if you can get the get our foot on the board and get some scores obviously we'll come back to Australia then towards the end of the championship and that could leave it very exciting if we were up there or thereabouts. Is it a case we're going to see a lot more of the Irish guys cross the water now for various other rounds of rallying given that there's nothing here at the moment? I think we have the doubt actually now it's been the topic a lot of conversation we've had over the last few weeks I think just the influx of drivers that's gone over there I think we'll have to also mention that the two young Kelly's they're one from Mount Charles and one from Dunagold Hound going as well and the Fiesta so like all these younger guys too is making the switch across to the BRC and I think that's the time to do it when they're young now and I always said it and I always believe that all the young people should go out there and stop their stuff and then come back and enjoy themselves in the Irish Tournament Championship and I think they're doing the opposite way about there for a couple of years they're all battling at home and then and not making the switch across the Irish scene I think we need to get noticed to get the drivers you have to be over there in the British Championship and yeah I think there'll be a lot more younger drivers heading over there and it's great to see it as well. Is the British Rally Championship still seen as one of the prestige championships in Europe like what I did Gary almost 20 years ago because it was huge and you see in the likes of Colin McRae and Richard Burns and different drivers they got all coming through the British Rally Championship and it was held so highly back then is it still the case with it? Yes without a doubt I think that Chris Meek was the one of my generation we were over there to make it out of the British Championship you've out of an avalanche you made it the word championship you were Craig Braindor in the British Championship I think that's the staff and stone that they have British Championship European and then World so yeah I think that's one of the first steps in the ladder and I think these boys are definitely making the right decision to start over there now this year. Just a note on Irish Rally and just before we finish up Gary I know amongst club men and I've been talking to them this over the last number of weeks that looks like it's going to cost somewhere in the region of possibly a thousand euro to do a one day rally for a club man here in Ireland later in the year come September, October, November time and we may get a one day event here in Donegal. A lot of them are very very unhappy with motorsport Ireland as to how much it's going to cost them to do an event and then their home event actually. What's your feelings on it Gary are you very much of the same sort of thinking as these club men? Yes I should know that you know for two years I'm really a club man as well I know like I pay for all my own motorsport all around Rally and it's funded by ourselves you know surely we get some sponsorship in there but all that core expense is all absorbed by ourselves and I think because I know you wouldn't you wouldn't mind a ten or fifteen percent hike in fees but like this 100% hike is on rail and I mean we've just priced an even to go and do some pretty challenging events we have a boat to pay for but the entry fee is a quarter what is here in Ireland and we take it into consideration we'll probably jump on the boat and do the rally for the same as entry fee in Ireland. I know it's hard for the clubs and I know but I don't think it's very hard to make the the competitors pay for it I think that's the killer you know obviously you can't get any money at gates or any charges for people to come and watch and that's the killer in Irish motorsport we're obviously this rally in England next week again there'll be closed gates so anybody has to come and watch it they'll be paying where it'd be five or ten pound a head still that brings revenue to motorsport we just haven't got that in Ireland and they're truly dependent on the entry fees and that's what's killing us definitely a club man. Yeah it's something we're going to have to look at then in the common years Gary because the club men are not able to sustain a thousand euro every 10 there's a day rally. Yeah and actually that's one of the entry fee you know people don't realise the expense to go and do their rallies and like for the general public when you tell somebody for winning a rally for instance even in an Irish rally there's no prize money you know and people don't realise that people are thinking you win the rally when you're last you get thousands and there's no there's no prize money in Irish rallying so yeah it's very very hard it's very hard for everybody to sustain and it's just we want to do it because it's something we love. Yeah just back to Monday you're looking forward to it what would be a good result then for you and Rory where would you like to be come Monday evening? Oh yeah but the 20th person has asked me this week I have no expectations I'm going to enjoy myself if I can go home on the boat on Monday and have a couple of beers and have a good weekend it's fun I think that's what it's all about definitely we'll get in the top ten yeah I forget on the edge of top five would be a fantastic result we went to the British Championship before with with the outside of hope and we've come away very well on the first couple of rounds I think we'll have to finish we know mistakes around the Salton Park to get a score on the board and hopefully stay on there towards the end of the championship. Okay listen Gareth good to talk to you good to see you and the best of luck to you and Rory and the rest of the guys that are making the trip over for the BRC event Monday. Thanks Arshen thanks very much.