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Farming background: “I grew up farming all my life but veered more towards the machinery side of things. I work with McHale in Ballinrobe in the research development department on electronics. We are farming beef and sheep at home in Co Sligo alongside a contracting business. Every day off is spent back home, there is always work to be done.”
Rally driving: “In 2011 I got into rallying, myself and my fiancée were spectating at a rally in Roscommon. We would go to 20 rallies a year. We were standing near the service area where the cars were being loaded and I just got chatting to a guy. He had a Toyota Corolla car and just in conversation I said it was a nice car and he said, ‘If you want it you can buy it’. I came back the next day with a trailer and bought the car.”
Competitions: “We have had a few top 10 finishes. In Mayo, we finished in the top 10 overall, the class that we are in is a two-litre class. To get a top-10 finish in the car we have is a good achievement. The car is a Toyota Corolla Twin Cam rear-wheel drive with a two-litre engine and the class we compete in is class 13.”
Preparation: “Preparing for a rally Ruthann would do a lot of the paper work. She has a checklist and makes sure everything is ready. My job would be all on the car set up. When you are paying a massive entry fee into a rally you don’t want the car breaking down in the first few minutes.”
The buzz: “When you get a good result, a good finish and you have a good day, it is a great feeling going home in the evening with a car that is fully intact and a trophy in the backseat. It is hard to be explain the buzz.”
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