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The Ford Focus which was used in the World Rally Championship by the Ford M-Sport Team back in 2006-2008.
AN ex-World Rally Championship Ford Focus – in full-factory livery is one of the star attractions already confirmed for a car show in Tralee on February 13th.
The show is organised by Kerry Motor Club members to raise funds for the James Quinlan Recovery Fund.
James, originally from Waterville, suffered a major brain haemorrhage on December 19th and remains in the intensive care unit in a Manhattan Hospital.
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His family estimates that it will cost more than €250,000, possibly as much as four times that figure, to get James the treatment he needs, and the car show is just one of many fundraisers planned to help the Kerry Motor Club member.
The Ford Focus that will go on display in Tralee in February was used in the World Rally Championship by the Ford M-Sport Team (the same team that won the opening round of this year’s world rally championship – the Monte Carlo Rally) between 2006 and 2008.
It was used by world-class drivers like rally Finnish legends Marcus Gronholm, Norwegian Mikko Hirvonen, Henning Solberg (brothers of 2003 world rally champion Petter) and Jari Matti Latvala, the current boss of the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team.
After its world rally championship career, the car went to Belgium where some of the country’s top drivers like Pieter Tsjoen, Melissa Debacker and Bernd Casier used it in international events there.
It eventually found its way to private hands, and it is now owned by an Irish rally enthusiast who uses it for show events.
He had car restored into the same livery as used by Hirvonen during the World Rally Championship’s first of two visits to Ireland in 2007. The Finnish driver finished fourth in the Sligo-based event.
Kerry Motor Club’s John Liston is a close friend of the Quinlan family.
“We are delighted with the response so far, we only started looking for cars to go on show a week ago and already we have confirmed cars from the two motor clubs in the county, most of the classic car clubs are on board,” he said.
“We will have well over 100 cars, but this Ford Focus will be one of the star attractions.”
Donations to the fund can be made via: https://gofund.me/2d8d612a
More cars are welcome to register for the event by contacting any member of the committee.
John Liston: 087 689 8530
Richard Talbot: 087 268 0732
Senan Raggett: 087 259 9657
Ger O’Brien: 087 274 8936
Sean Moriarty: 087 677 1019
Or via email: jamesquinlanfund@gmail.com
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