Gordon Bennet Rally 2006

This weekend once again celebrates the famous Gordon Bennet Race which was held in Ireland in 1903, and in which Kilcullen was a pivotal part of the course. The weekend venue for the event is The Stand House, the Curragh.



And though the official start is tomorrow morning at the Stand House, the event was hosted to its customary pre-rally lunch by Mercedes Benz in MDL, Dublin, and the participants were this afternoon seen safely off by Mercedes-Benz Ireland's Chief Executive Stephen Byrne.

The race was sponsored by the founder/editor of the New York Herald, James Gordon Bennet, and was first run in 1900 in France, between Paris and Bordeaux.

The 1902 race was won by English driver S F Edge, which meant that the following year's event was to be held in England. But because of a ban on closing roads for racing there, the race was transferred to Ireland.

Starting at Ballyshannon, down the Athy Road, the 347-mile course took in Old Kilcullen, then went down the Carlow Road and from there via Maganey went to Athy and back to Ballyshannon.

The next loop took in the Curragh, Portlaoise, Stradbally, Ballylinan and back through Athy to Ballyshannon.

Drivers from four countries took part -- representing Britain, France, Germany and the UK. A strong Kilcullen connection was Bardon's Hotel, where the winning driver and some of his entourage stayed. A plaque now marks that fact.

The race was won for Germany by Camille Jenatzy, actually a Belgian, in the time of 6 hours, 39 minutes at an average speed of 49mph.

In the past six months or so, a set of markers have been erected along the course by Failte Ireland.

The memorial rally each year has become one of the most popular of its kind, attracting vintage cars and their owners from many parts of the world.

Brian Byrne.