If it's St Patrick's weekend, then it's the West Cork Rally, one of the fastest and best of all Irish rallies, and taking part will be one of the best teams in recent national rallying history.
Go on, which team?
Slattery's Garage, the main Peugeot dealer in Puckane, near Nenagh Co. Tipperary, is making a return to rallying action, having previously won the 2014 National Tarmac Championship title in the R2 class with the Peugeot 208 R2. The winning team from 2014, Andrew Slattery and Shaun Forde, are now set to return after eight years away in the latest Peugeot rally weapon, backed by Peugeot Ireland and Eurorepar (Stellantis multi-brand automotive spare parts supplier).
Who will they be up against?
Over the three days and 18 special stages of the West Cork Rally, Slattery and Forde will have to compete with 179 other cars for the win, 15 of them in the same RC4 category as their 208. Indeed, 11 of the cars entered are Peugeot 208 Rally4s. To add to the pressure, the West Cork is also the opening round of the Stellantis IRL & UK Rally Cup, making it a key contest for teams competing in the championship.
How does the team feel about coming back after so long away?
Andrew Slattery, Aftersales Manager at Slattery's Garage, Main Peugeot Dealer in Puckane, shared his enthusiasm ahead of the event: “It's great to be back in a Peugeot 208 Rally4 after eight years away from the sport. We have a lot to learn and consider in West Cork, but we're really looking forward to the challenge. The car is fantastic and really nice to drive. I'd like to thank Des Cannon, Managing Director of Peugeot Ireland for getting behind us and making this happen.”
If you have any petrol in your veins, get yourselves down to West Cork this weekend - the stages are fast and tricky, and the action should be epic.