Emerald Isle shines for vintage rallyists

The fifth edition of Rally the Globe’s popular Vintage Shamrock rally (6-9 May) was won by the 1937 Jaguar SS100 crewed by Stephen Owens and Nick Bloxham. The victory came after four days and more than 500 miles of new route that ventured further north than previously.

The event kicked off after the capacity entry of 60 vintage cars gathered at the Johnstown Estate just outside Dublin. The oldest entry was a 1924 Vauxhall 30-98 while Alvis, Bentley, Frazer Nash, Lagonda, MG, Riley and Talbot were well represented.

At the end of day one, which motored through County Meath and enjoyed speed tests at Athboy Karting Centre and the Swainstown Estate, the field was led by the 1925 Bentley 3/4½ of Clint and Dawn Smith from the Owens/Bloxham Jaguar and wih the 1940 Ford Coupe of Manuel and Irene Dubs from Switzerland in third.

A busy and testing second day had four tests and four regularities on a 182-mile route. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the Bentley and Jaguar still vied for the lead with the locally entered 1937 Riley 12/4 of Shane Houlihan and Richard Pain then in third.

The scenic 165-mile route on the third day – with four more regularities and three tests – saw the Bentley slip to fourth to leave the Jaguar leading the way from Andrew and Philippa Bailey’s 1938 Triumph Dolomite and the Irish Riley.

And that was how it stayed to the end of the rally. ‘It has been a great couple of days and a very competitive event which kept us on our toes,’ said Bloxham.

Rally the Globe’s Clerk of the Course Mark Appleton said: ‘There are few better places on Earth to go rallying than in Ireland – the welcome we get around the route is second to none. We love working with Irish Racing Green and take immense pleasure from creating what is certainly a very special event both in terms of competition and camaraderie. Plans for 2025 are already moving on at a pace, and we can’t wait to do it all again!’