[anto]

Gareth MacHale, the surprise points finisher at the Corona Rally México, has signed an agreement with with M-Sport to contest the entire 2007 FIA World Rally Championship. With his sixth place finish in Mexico, MacHale breaks a 21 year Irish-drought with a points finish at a WRC event. Earlier this week, WRC.com interviewed MacHale, and it was still unclear at the time if he would contest the entire 2007 season in a Focus RS WRC 04.

"The plan for this year is to try and get into the WRC full time. We can only set the goals event by event, this year that's the way it's going on. We have our budget to do this year, and hopefully we'll get a good result and keep going on the way we've been going on. Hopefully, we'll extend our program, but its sort of down to how we'll get down this year. But my main goal is to become a professional rally driver in the WRC," MacHale told WRC.com earlier this week. "

Ireland's Gareth MacHale

MacHale impressed fans last weekend by taking points in only his second WRC event. His first, this year's Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo, gave MacHale a 16th place finish. MacHale's next outing will be this weekend's WRC candidate event Rally Ireland. The Irishman will be driving against the likes of Daniel Carlsson, Chris Atkinson, and a host of Irish rally drivers looking to win their home event.

so it looks like willson has smelt the coffee


[Edited on 11-3-2006 by anto]

 

[rallyfan]

thats what i like to hear..go MacHale!!! you deserve it!!!!!

 

[rallyfan]

where did you find that article??

 

[jake]

excellent news, well done.
The article is on wrc.com

 

[Black Mariah]

Brill.

2008 or 2009 will see Wilson and McHale to be works Ford Drivers ??

 

[Damien Fullen]

theres only gonna be 6 or 9 rounds in 2007.

 

[fatboymotorsport]

i read on another fourm that this might be hype it was posted by ciara so no doubt ill be told off by her if i am wrong hope its not thou it would be great to have some irish intrest in the wrc.

 

[anto]

its off WRC.com fatboy so its real and true

 

[Darren Harvey]

He could well win his first WRC rally on these shores next year.
What a weekend that would be.

 

[fatboymotorsport]

Originally posted by anto
its off WRC.com fatboy so its real and true

well im only repeating what i read elsewhere

 

[fidgy]

DOES CIARA WRITE FOR WRC.COM AS WELL

 

[CiaraC]

No SHE doesn't Fidgy

 

[fidgy]

YOU COULD BE THE IRISH CORESPONDENT WITH ALL THE GOSSIP FROM THE FORUMS:idea:

 

[CiaraC]

Originally posted by anto
its off WRC.com fatboy so its real and true

Is crash.net a reliable source then anto ??

Crash.net article

People jumped on something that Gareth said in Mexico. They got the wrong end of the stick and blew it out of proportion. Some members of the team were quite baffled as to where the initial article came from.

I don't do gossip fidgy

 

[fidgy]

APOLOGIES CIARA, BUT LOOK AT HOW MUCH WE NEED AN HONEST REPORTER TO AVOID STORIES LIKE ABOVE MCHALE STORY