Monaghan Motor Club

Carbin and Hughes Win in Donegal

monaghanmotorclub — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:52:31 +0000

Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes made their trip North to Churchill in Donegal worthwhile when they came home with the over-all win on Donegal Motor Clubs counting round of the Squealing Pig border navigation championship on Saturday night last. There were 11 Monaghan crews amongst the 28 starters and indeed it could be fair to say that the event was dominated by Monaghan crews as they took all three podium places. CoC and regular navigation competitor James Greenan and his team laid on a fantastic route which took competitors into North Donegal through some famous Donegal International stages such as Garrygort and over Loughsalt mountain.

This event had some 80 miles of tough competitive terrain, which had it all, jumps, crests, through rivers, across mountains and over fields. Event winners Carbin and Hughes didn’t have it easy by any means and only won the event by the narrowest of margins from Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins. Early leaders Garreth Beagan and Stephen Thornton were in control up to time point 27 but they slid off a narrow gravel lane onto a steep hill where they found themselves stuck. Unfortunately for them they were forced to drop 4 time points, which put them out of contention. Michael and Ciaran Tynan finished 3^rd over-all on the night, a welcome result considering they had 3 non-finishes on the past few events although they had no 2^nd gear for the last 30 mile. Donegal men Conor Harvey and Kevin McDaid took 3^rd in the expert class and 6^th over-all. Once again the midlands competitors weren’t very far away as Packie and Colin Duffy took the semi-expert class honours and 4^th over-all, closely followed by Chris Kelly and Sam Johnston in 5^th. Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly rounded off the top 3 in the semi class. Cork woman Muireann Hayes confirmed her dedication to the sport of night navigation as she made the long trip North to Donegal and came away with the novice class win, driven by Monaghan’s Stephen Wright. Midlands’s men Shane Dalton and Nigel Cloughrey were 2^nd in novice ahead of Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin in 3^rd.

Trevor McConnell and Ruaidhri Nash topped the beginner’s class ahead of Ivan Simms and Charlie Gallagher. Other locals to make the trip included Arthur and Mac Kierans but their luck had to run out sometime when their gearbox gave up at time point 12. Shane Maguire and Enda Sherry were also another crew not to finish and ended up doing taxi back to HQ for Maudabawn men Damian O’Reilly and Thomas Wedlock who ended up sliding off into a bog. James McCarville and Fintan Sherry also left their luck in Monaghan as their clutch gave in. Dara Kelly was navigating for Donegal local Caolan Gaffney but they ran out of road heading to time point 16. Well done to James Greenan, Aidan Friel and all their helpers in Donegal for a challenging and competitive event.

So with two rounds of the Squealing Pig border navigation championship left, things are very much still wide open for over-all and class honours with Andy and Liam holding the advantage but anything can happen over the final two rounds. Next up is Cavan on 3^rd March, running from Gallonreagh House in Maudabawn. Regs and entry form on Cavan Motor Club website.

Donegal Motor Club Navigation Top 10

1/ Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 5 marks

2/ Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 6m

3/ Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 13m

4/ Packie Duffy/Colin Duffy(Subaru Impreza) 25m

5/ Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 28m

6/ Conor Harvey/Kevin McDaid (Subaru Impreza) 42m

7/ Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 45m

8/ Stephen Wright/Muireann Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 51m

9/ Sean McKenna/Gary Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 66m

10/ Shane Dalton/Nigel McCloughery (Subaru Impreza) 72m

Ferguson Wins Hewison Autotest

Monaghan Motor club held their annual club autotest on Sunday last. Once again Wrights Quarry at Swanns Cross was the ideal venue and CoC Brendan Flynn set out some difficult and demanding tests for both Hewison and Clubman competitors. The weather conditions were ideal as the slippey concrete surface dried out throughout the day. Top Hewison competitor and reigning champion Stephen Ferguson added another win to his trophy collection in Monaghan with a 7 second winning margin in his mini special. These high-powered pocket rockets are indeed a sight to behold as they handbrake and slide around the tight tests set out. This win leaves Stephen almost certain to retain the hewison autotest championship. Sam Bowden in a more familiar looking mini was 2^nd with David Thompson 3^rd in a nova. Prize giving followed the event in Aghabog Gaa complex where Stephen thanked the club for a well-organised event in an ideal location. There were 5 other class awards up for grabs on the day amongst the hewison competitors with Sam Bowden winning class A. Class B was won by Robin Lyons in a mini special with Trevor Ferguson winning class C . David Thompson was the winner of class D and Jamie McMillan won class E&F.

There were 11 starters for the clubman’s class with separate tests to the hewison competitors. Coc Brendan Flynn certainly upped the ante this year with 3 separate tests, all of which were more complex than previous years. Winner on the day was Andy Mackarel in his “slightly” modified Toyota starlet to leave him with two wins on the opening two rounds of this years traders club championship. Daniel McKenna swapped his high powered escort for the slightly more reserved Nissan micra but still managed to make the Scanbitz/Halls Cows backed micra slide round the tests to take 2^nd over-all. Last year’s winner, Richard Cassidy was 3^rd in his micra, which was co-driven by Stephen Wright. Kieran McCarra made a return to the autotest this year having won it in the past and finished a creditable 4^th. Ciaran Tynan was double driving the scanbitz micra and took 5^th over-all with Stephen Wright in 6^th. Young Mac Kierans got behind the wheel for the first time and without doubt showed great car control on the first time of trying to finish in 7^th. Garreth Beagan finish in 8^th place, double driving Andy’s starlet with the Peugeot 205 of Michael Carbin finishing 9^th followed by Robert Moyna in 10^th also in the 205. Mark Hamill was also a first timer at the auto test and enjoyed his day in the corsa to finish 11^th.

Once again, well done to all the award winners and to Coc Brendan for a well run event. Brendan would like to take the opportunity to thank all hewison and club members for their support. To David Wright of Wrights Quarry for the use of his premises, which is popular with all the competitors. Also a big thank you to event sponsors, the Northern Standard for their continued support. Brendan would also like to thank the many marshals who turned up on the day, the rain may have stayed away but it was a cold day to be standing around nonetheless. Also a big thank you to Aghabog GAA and the ladies who made the soup and sandwiches, they were much appreciated! Thanks also to Cora doing results and to anyone else who helped out in any way prior to and on the day of the event.

Hewison Autotest Championship Top 5

1/ Steven Ferguson (Mini Special) 641.8secs

2/ Sam Bowden (Mini) 648.2s

3/ David Thompson (Nova) 678.8s

4/ Robin Lyons (Mini Special) 678.8s

5/ Guy Foster (Mini) 681.1s

Traders Club Members Class

1/ Andrew Mackarel (Starlet) 376.62secs

2/ Daniel McKenna (Micra) 379.39s

3/ Richard Cassidy (Micra) 395.77s

4/ Kieran McCarra (Corsa) 401.78s

5/ Ciaran Tynan (Micra) 402.45s

6/ Stephen Wright (Micra) 404.12s

7/ Mac Kierans (Micra) 404.24s

8/ Garreth Beagan (Starlet) 410.43s

9/ Michael Carbin (Peugeot) 413.50s

10/ Robert Moyna (Peugeot) 422.07s

11/ Mark Hamill (Corsa) 455.75s

Monaghan Crews at Midland Navigation Trial

monaghanmotorclub — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:39:20 +0000

Local knowledge seems to have paid off once again as Midland Motor Club men Chris Kelly and Sam Johnston took their third midlands navigation win in a row on Saturday night last. CoC Michael Reilly and his team set out a compact and very demanding 80 mile route with both competitors and cars tested to the max. The midlands men had a 17 penalty winning margin from fellow club men Packie and Colin Duffy with veteran navigation men Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins 3^rd.

With weather conditions a far cry from the snow and ice of last year’s trial in the same area, confidence was high amongst the 32 strong entry, which departed the “Marquee in Drumlish” at 9.01pm. Time points 3, 4 and 5 saw the same lanes traversed twice with what can only be described as the narrowest entrance to a cow shed ever ensuring vital time loss for all crews. Kelly and Johnston took the early lead by only dropping 3 through this section and a further 2 at tp8 but Packie and Colin Duffy took over a the top at tp12. The Duffy’s held the lead up until tp26 where they found themselves stuck and required tractor assistance to get back on solid ground. Andy and Liam were consistent throughout the night and were forced to drop time points, like everyone else but their persistence paid off with 3^rd over-all and an expert class win. The ever competitive Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes were in 4^th and second expert ahead of the ever trying Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall. Border championship leaders prior to this event were Garreth Beagan and Stephen Thornton but they had to settle for 4^th expert and 9^th over-all on this tough event. Michael and Ciaran Tynan were forced to drop 12 time points through the middle part of the event after their Subaru beached on a grassy lane and required the help of back markers to get back on the road, eventually finishing 5^th expert.

With Chris and Sam taking the over-all win, Colin and Packie Duffy lifted the semi-expert class award. Damian Treanor and Jonathan McGovern continued their good form of late to take 2^nd in semi and 10^th over-all ahead of Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly, both of these crews loosing time coming to the aid of the stricken Tynan’s. The novice class was a much closer affair with Arthur and Mac Kierans taking a slender win and 5^th over-all ahead of Ciaran McElroy and Maudabawn man Damien McCabe. Stephen Wright once again teamed up with Cork woman Muireann Hayes and battled the elements to take a fine 3^rd in novice class and 8^th over-all.

On what was probably a night to forget for any beginner, Cootehill’s Gerry and Aaron McIntyre led the field home with their first class win ahead of Jeremy O’Connor and Garry Hughes with midlands men Sean Mullervy and Seamus McTiegue 3^rd.

That’s midlands done and dusted for another season and it’s off to Donegal next weekend for the 5^th round of this popular Squealing Pig Border Navigation championship.

Midlands Motor Club Navigation Top 12

1 Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 67 marks

2 Packie Duffy/Colin Duffy (Subaru Impreza) 84m

3 Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 112m

4 Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 164m

5 Arthur Kierans/Macartan Kierans (Subaru Impreza) 171m

6 Ciaran McElroy/Damien McCabe (Subaru Impreza) 179m

7 Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 195m

8 Stephen Wright/Muireann Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 201m

9 Garreth Beagan/Stephen Thornton (Subaru Impreza) 279m

10 Damien Treanor/Jonathan McGovern (Subaru Impreza) 280m

11 Karl Reid/Ciaran Geaney (Subaru Legacy) 285m

12 Francis Keenan/Martin Swinburne (Subaru Impreza) 288m

Monaghan Motor Club Autotest

Sunday next sees Monaghan Motor Club host their annual Autotest. This is a counting round of the Hewison Trophy as well as the 2^nd round of the club trader’s championship. Proceedings will get under way with sign-on from 11 o’clock and tests starting at 11.30 sharp. Prize giving will follow straight after the event in Aghabog GAA complex. CoC Brendan Flynn would ask that any marshals available on the day to please make contact with him as soon as possible. Once again the venue for this years auto test is Wrights Quarry at Swanns Cross and the event is also kindly sponsored by the Northern Standard. Regs and entry forms are available on the club website at www.monaghanmotorclub.net All club members are reminded that this is a counting round of the Traders club championship and you must be registered prior to the event to get points. So why not come along and enjoy the spectacle of seeing the hewison trophy competitors handbrake their purpose built specials through the tight tests, as well as have a laugh at our club members pretend they know what there at in all sorts of modified cars.

Donegal Motor Club Navigation Trial

All roads lead to Churchill, Co. Donegal this Saturday night for round 5 of the Squealing Pig Border navigation championship. CoC James Greenan and his team have been hard at work planning a 110 mile route, which is sure to test both man and machine. With this years championship still wide open and 3 rounds remaining its sure to be competitive from the off, with the local Donegal men certain to be in contention amongst the border championship front runners. Full report next week.

Today FM Shave or Dye Charity

Club member Adrian Flynn is taking part in this year’s Today FM backed shave or dye charity event. Proceeds of this fundraiser go towards the Irish Cancer Society. If you would like to help Adrian raise funds for this worthy cause just log onto mycharity.ie and click the sponsor a friend link.

Enda Sherry co drives way to victory Galway International Rally

monaghanmotorclub — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:11:09 +0000

Armagh driver Darren Gass, navigated by Monaghan’s Enda Sherry took a memorable win on last Sundays Galway International Rally. Based around the sleepy North Galway town of Headford this event attracted large crowds, due to the quality of men and machines on display. After what can only be described as a dramatic finish it was Gass and Sherry who took a slender 1.3 second win in their S10 Impreza ahead of the hard charging Eugene Donnelly and Paddy Toner in the all new and impressive Mini Cooper WRC. Tim Mc Nulty had to settle for 3rd a further 5 seconds in arrears having led for most of the event. Last years double Rally champion McNulty led the field away for the first stage on the Dyke road in Galway city. Then it was on to Headford for 9 demanding stages through the stone walled roads of North Galway. McNulty drew first blood and led the event by 22 seconds at first service after stage 4 with Donnelly 2nd and Gass 3rd. The mini picked up a puncture through stage 6 and dropped almost a minute to its rivals but it was McNulty who made the ultimate mistake sliding into a stone wall and bending the steering. This mistake cost him valuable seconds through the final loop of three stages and with Gass and Sherry posting some serious times they duly obliged and went through to take the lead on ss9. Taking a cautious approach to the final stage Darren and Enda almost slacked off too much as Donnelly’s mini posted a time almost 16 seconds quicker than the Subaru. But the Armagh youngster had done just enough and they were crowned Safety Direct Galway International Rally winners for 2012. In the group N category it was Gary Jennings and Rory Kennedy who dominated the class finishing in 4th over-all ahead of this years Billy Coleman award winner Sam Moffett with James O’Reilly on the notes. Donagh Kelly took 3rd in group N but just behind was a mini battle between young Josh Moffett and Stephen Wright, both in Evo 9’s. Josh, with Ardee man Domhall Lennon navigating just edged through with a 9 second margin over Stephen and Suzanne Wright who had hired the EVO 9 for the day. Both these young Monaghan crews showing great signs for the future. In the national section of the event its was Monaghan crews who started as number 1 and 2 seeds with Daniel McKenna and Andrew Grennan leading off the field ahead of Gary McPhillips with Martin McGarrity on the notes. Unfortunately the large crowds who turned out to watch these entertaining and highly powered escorts were to be left a little disappointed as the greasy Galway roads were to account for many a victim. For McPhillips/McGarrity the rally was over before it really begun as their escort slid wide and a resulting burst fuel tank meant the escort was sidelined for the day. Mc Kenna and Grennan were posting top two wheel drive times but an over shoot into a junction on ss5 saw the Scanbitz escort hit a stone wall. At stage finish it became apparent that the oil cooler was damaged and while they managed to by-pass it they were late to next control, picking up a 2-minute penalty, which ultimately dropped them to 4th over-all in the national by the end of the day. The national section of the rally was eventually won by Donegal’s Declan and Brian Boyle, only 2.5 seconds ahead of Tom Flaherty in a similar escort. The hard charging John Hendy and Alan White were 3rd in a class 13 twin cam corolla. It was a case of pick up where we left off last year for Aghabogs Arthur and Mac Kierans as they had a superb run to finish 5th over-all in the national , almost 3 minutes ahead of there nearest class rival. Indeed worth noting that this finish was 13th over-all when all results were grouped together for both national and international competitors. A great start to the new season for the Border Champions. Jim Mc Kenna and Thomas Treanor were on a steep learning curve on this event in their all new black escort. As Jim made the transition from starlet to escort his times improved with every stage and is sure to be at one with the immaculate escort after a few more events. 2nd in class 14 and 12th over-all a great start to the year for Jim and Thomas. Martin Connolly was navigating for Donegal’s Gary McElhinney in a class 13 escort and slid their way to 18th over-all and 3rd in class 13. Although had it not been for a puncture on ss9 this result could have been a whole lot better. Next up was Barry McKenna and James McCarville in the New Holland backed escort, finishing 18th over-all, although they battled with the stone walls of Galway along the way and could have been higher up the pecking order! Brendan and Vincent Mc Aree were amongst the historic runners in their powerful Porsche RS and seemed to have a great day out. This car must be one of the top historic cars in Ireland at present and the distinct noise of the Porsche through the Galway lanes was unique. Brendan and Vincent had a great run to 3rd over-all in the historic’s and winners of class C4. That’s Galway over for another year and as the old saying goes once Galway springs into action, the rally season is well and truly started for 2012. Well done to all local crews who made it to the West. Wright’s on the Money in Donegal Brother and sister pairing of Stephen and Suzanne Wright had a superb first outing of the New Year on the recent Donegal Forestry Rally. Stephen had a faultless drive all day in the EVO 6 to finish in 2nd over-all ahead of more powerful and experienced competitors. Stephen and Suzanne were just edged out of top spot by the formidable Gary Jennings in a hired Subaru WRX. This was the first round of the Valvoline Irish Forestry championship and this result bodes well for the forthcoming season for the Wrights. Aghabog’s Arthur Kierans swapped seats for this event to sit with Colin Britton in his EVO 9. They too had an excellent run to finish 3rd over-all, just one second ahead of the hard charging Donegal man Conor Harvey in his new EVO 9. Unfortunately that’s where the luck ran out for the travelling Monaghan competitors as number 1 seed’s Vincent McAree partnered by Damian Connolly failed to finish with mechanical woes. Paul Sheridan who was navigating for the competitive Enda Mc Nulty in a Subaru WRX and seeded at number 2 also failed to make first service with mechanical problems. Andrew Grennan headed for Donegal to sit with Seamus O’Connell in his new high-powered escort but their charge faltered before it even began with a broken half shaft en route to the first stage. Brendan Cumiskey with Conor Foley on the notes failed to make it out of stage 7 while lying seventh over-all.

Carbin and Hughes Joint Winners in Cork

Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes got their National navigation title charge back on track in Skibbereen on Saturday night last. The pairing managed to keep a clean sheet throughout the night to tie for the win with local Cork men Alan and George Shinnors. Regular national contenders, Richard Cassidy and Paul Phelans bad run of luck continued with suspension problems resulting in two flat wheels. Despite Richards best efforts and driving almost 30 miles of the event on a flat front wheel they were forced into retirement. With two rounds remaining in this competitive championship it’s the Midlands novice pairing of Darren Quinn and Nigel McCloughery who hold a 12-point lead ahead of fellow midlands pairing of Packie and Colin Duffy. Michael and Evin are now up to 3rd over-all but with dropped rounds and bonus points to come into effect, all is to play for over the remaining rounds. Skibbereen and District CC 100 Isles Navigation Top 12 1 (tie) Alan Shinnors/George Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) and Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 0 marks, 3 Ger Fitzgerald/Daire Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 1m 4 David Beamish/Muireann Hayes (Toyota Carina) 2m 5 Darren Quinn/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Legacy) 3m 6 Brian O’Mahony/David Swanton (Vauxhall Vectra) 9m 7 Steven Clarke/Michelle McCarthy (Opel Corsa) 20m 8 Joseph Shinnors/Greg Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) 25m 9 Andrew Beamish/Eoghan McCarthy (Nissan Sunny) 29m 10 Alwyn White/Adrian Tobin (Mazda 626) 34m 11 Jason Coulter/Diarmuid O’Donovan (Peugeot 205) 40m 12 Dermot Whelton/Barry O’Sullivan (VW Golf) 47m

Midlands Navigation Trial

All roads lead to Drumlish, Co. Longford this Saturday night for the second midlands navigation trial of the season. This event is co-promoted by Midlands and Westmeath motor clubs and is the fourth counting round of the Squealing Pig border navigation championship. Coc for the event is Micheal Reilly and is sure to lay on a testing route. Full report next week.

Monaghan Motor Club Autotest

Once again the time is near for Monaghan Motor Clubs annual Autotest. Yet again Brendan Flynn has stepped in as CoC with the ideal surroundings of Wrights Quarry at Swanns Cross the venue. The Northern Standard will kindly sponsor this event and Brendan would ask that any marshals available on the day to please make contact with him as soon as possible. Regs and entry forms are available on the club website at www.monaghanmotorclub.net All club members are reminded that this is a counting round of the Traders club championship and you must be registered prior to the event to get points. Sign on is from 11 o’clock with competition starting at 12 noon sharp. All competitors are urged to send their entries in early.

Today FM Shave or Dye Charity Club member Adrian Flynn is taking part in this year’s Today FM backed shave or dye charity event. Proceeds of this fundraiser go towards the Irish Cancer Society. If you would like to help Adrian raise funds for this worthy cause just log onto mycharity.ie and click the sponsor a friend link.

Shane Maguire 2nd over-all

monaghanmotorclub — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:54:51 +0000

Ballinode’s Shane Maguire 2^nd over-all in the 2011 West Coast Rally Championship on Saturday night last at the Woodlands Hotel, Adare, Co. Limerick

Mackarel & Higgins off to Winning Start

monaghanmotorclub — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:08:37 +0000

Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins got their 2012 navigation campaign off to the best possible start on Saturday night last with a 3 penalty winning margin on Monaghan Motor clubs January navigation trial. Headquarters for the trial was Ardaghey Community Centre with Monaghan Town man Martin McGuigan taking on the role of CoC ably assisted by Brendan Treanor. Ideal weather conditions coupled with a compact 75-mile route made for a great start to the 2012 Gary Nesbitt club navigation championship with 42 cars crossing the start ramp.

Event winners Mackarel and Higgins were pushed all the way on the night as no fewer than 12 crews managed to keep a clean sheet up to time point 21 of the 27-time point route. As the trial traversed through the north Monaghan countryside from its base in Ardaghey towards Clontibret and Castleshane and then Northwards to the scenic village of Glaslough the competition was fierce in all classes. It was evident from the map that there was always going to be a sting in the tail as 3 of the last 6 time points were plot and bash sections, all located in the infamous Brianlitter area of Clontibret. Indeed Mackarel and Higgins only took over the lead at the fourth last time point when trial leaders Garreth Beagan and Stephen Thornton dropped a massive 4 penalties but still held on for 2^nd over-all. An eventful night could be a good way of describing the Drumlin organiser’s night as they were forced to call on the services of Janice Mackarel’s car for the night at the twelfth hour. 2011-club champion Michael Carbin with regular navigator Evin Hughes on the maps were 3^rd on the night and sure to be in the hunt on every round of the new campaign.

The new pairing of Stephen Wright and Damian Connolly took 3^rd place in the expert class and a creditable 5^th over-all. Michael and Ciaran Tynan’s hope’s of going one better in this years championship were dealt a serious blow on the way to time point 16 as their gearbox threw in the towel while on a clean sheet also. Jonathan McGovern was on the maps for Damien Treanor and took a fine win in the semi-expert class, ahead of the Balinode brigade of Bob Moyna and Shane Maguire. It could have been a much better result for Moyna/Maguire in the ex-Carbin Legacy except for a fault with the breaking system which saw them pick up a 50 for a stop sign! Indeed they were not alone as 15 crews were caught out at a deceptive stop sign junction. New pairing of Donal McArdle with Richard Cassidy on the map were 3^rd semi-expert.

The Christmas lay-off didn’t do the dynamic duo of Arthur and Mac Kierans any harm as they took the novice class and an excellent 4^th over-all ahead of Cootehills Damien O’Reilly and Thomas Wedlock who were 6^th over-all. Think its fair to say both of these young navigators are sure to come out on top sometime in the near future. Darren Babbington was back in the drivers seat for this event and steered Laurence Keenan to 3^rd in novice and 10^th over-all. Girl power shone through in the beginners class as Susan McGuinness guided Enda McMahon to a class win and 9^th over-all ahead of the Cootehill father and son team of Gerry and Aaron McIntyre who are climbing the leader board with every event. Aaron Duffy and Michael McCluskey rounded off the top three in beginners.

So that’s the navigation season back up and running, well done to first time CoC Martin McGuigan and his team for a challenging event with an ideal venue. Next up is Midlands and Westmeath co-promoting the 4^th round of the Squealing Pig border navigation championship on 11^th February with Donegal running their round of the border the following weekend, 18^th February.

Monaghan January Navigation Trial Top 12

1 Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 3 marks

2 Garreth Beagan/Stephen Thornton (Subaru Impreza) 6m

3 Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 8m

4 Arthur Kierans/Macartan Kierans (Subaru Impreza) 25m

5 Stephen Wright/Damien Connolly (Subaru Impreza) 36m

6 Damien O’Reilly/Thomas Wedlock (Honda Civic) 46m

7 Damien Treanor/Jonathan McGovern (Subaru Impreza) 54m

8 Daniel McKenna/Stephen Hagan (Subaru Impreza) 60m

9 Enda McMahon/Susan McGuinness (Toyota Corolla) 64m

10 Darren Babbington/Laurence Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 72m

11 Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 73m

12 Cathal McGlone/John Hetherington (Subaru Impreza) 77m

Celebration Night for Arthur & Mac Kierans

A celebration night for Aghabog locals – and indeed father and Son team of Arthur and Mac Kierans, was held recently in the Aghabog clubhouse. It was a community-focused celebration for the lads as they were recently crowned the 2011 Border Rally Champions. A fun night was had by all with excellent entertainment from local drama experts Patrick McArdle and Brendan Finan followed with music from top DJ Sean McCaffery. Such was the success on the night; the many contributions resulted in additional funds being collected. To this effect, the organizing committee has donated the remaining funds of €1200 to the local Aghabog Defibrillator fund. Furthermore, a celebration DVD of the night has been produced by Richard Cassidy and Gerard McCarron and is now on sale in local shops in the area. All proceeds from this DVD will again go towards the De-Fib fund.

Arthur and Mac would like to take the opportunity to thank the organising committee of this night as well as the Aghabog GFC club who laid on a fabulous spread of food and to everyone who helped in any way. Arthur would also like to thank all of his past drivers and navigators who turned up on the night, too many to mention.

Monaghan Motor Club Ltd AGM

Monaghan Motor Club will hold their annual general meeting this Friday night, 20^th January in Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan starting at 8.30 sharp. All members are asked to attend as this is your chance to contribute to the running of the club and all new ideas and suggestions would be greatly welcomed.

Monaghan Motor Club Ltd AGM

monaghanmotorclub — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:55:36 +0000

Monaghan Motor Club will hold their annual general meeting on Friday 20^th January in Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan starting at 8.30 sharp. Committee would urge members to send in nomination forms which are available on club website and must be with the secretary before Tuesday 17^th January. All members are asked to attend as this is your chance to contribute to the running of the club and all new ideas and suggestions would be greatly welcomed.

January Navigation

Monaghan Motor Club kick off the 2012 navigation season on Saturday night next, 14^th January. Coc is Martin McGuigan with the event running from the Ardaghy Community Centre. All marshal’s available on the night are asked to be there no later than 8 o clock.

Sam Moffett wins major Rally Award

monaghanmotorclub — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:18:39 +0000

Once again Monaghan Motor Club has been cast into the limelight with the exciting news that club member Sam Moffett has been selected as this years Billy Coleman young rally driver of the year. The Dunlop Motorsport Ireland Champions of Irish Motorsport Awards were held in Dublin on Tuesday 13^th December last at the Crown Plaza hotel in Santry, Dublin. Sam was presented with his award by Billy Coleman as RTE’s John Kenny announced his selection on the day.

A large Monaghan contingent were present at the awards ceremony as Scotshouse lad Daniel McKenna was also in the running for the Billy Coleman award. Gracious in defeat Daniel wished Sam all the best for the forth-coming season and congratulated him on his success. Arthur Kierans and Ashley McAdoo were also presented with their awards as National Navigation Champions on the day.

Sam with regular navigator James O’Reilly started off the year with no firm intentions of contesting the National or Tarmac Rally championships but after some great results over the first few events they found themselves in the running for both championships. As the season progressed Sam and James’ results became even more consistent with numerous top five places. They finished up 2^nd over-all in the Dunlop national rally championship behind double championship winner Tim McNulty and took the group N honours in their EVO 9. The finished 3^rd group N in the Tarmac championship behind Gary Jennings and Alan Ring.

This award includes a €50,000 package towards Sam’s 2012 rallying season. Sam has hinted that he intends to compete in some international and over sea’s events in the coming season as well as gaining some experience on gravel events Monaghan motor club would like to congratulate Sam on his success and wish him all the best for next year. Sam joins a unique list of Monaghan club members who have received this prestigious award in the past with Eamon McElvaney and Dessie Keenan winning it in 2004 and 2003 respectively.

Monaghan Motor Club Annual Awards and Ladies Night

monaghanmotorclub — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:16:42 +0000

Monaghan Motor Club hosted their annual awards presentation on Saturday night last in the splendid surroundings of the Hillgrove Hotel. This year’s event also had the added attraction of honouring the ladies of our club. A large crowd gathered for what was a truly enjoyable night as stories and banter of the year gone past rang around the ballroom.

Proceeding’s kicked off with a fabulous dinner followed by the club chairman Paul Hughes’s address. Through his speech the chairman acknowledged the achievements of our club members at competition level. These included Arthur and Macartan Kierens winning the Border Rally Championship, Arthur and Ashley McAdoo winning the national night navigation championship as well as Sam Moffatt and James O Reilly winning the group N category and 2^nd over-all in the National Rally Championship. Paul also recognised the success of the younger generation of competitors within Monaghan as South Monaghan brother’s Johno and Padraig Doogan won the national junior rally championship. He highlighted the fact that five of the seven nominee’s for this years prestigious Billy Coleman award were from Monaghan with Sam Moffatt and Daniel McKenna being short listed for the final three which would be announced on Tuesday 6^th December. He also congratulated all award winners within our club championships and followed on with an extensive list of thank-yous rangeing from the clubs main sponsor, the Hillgrove Hotel along with the Gardai and Monaghan County Council to name but a few.

Following on from the chairman’s address last year’s stages CoC Conor Maguire took over at the microphone to announce the Gary Nesbitt club navigation award winners. The display of crystal for this championship along with all of the awards was second to none. Award winners in navigation circles include Niall Kelly and Mac Kierans winning the beginners class, Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly winning the novice class. Damian Treanor and Jonathan McGovern were top of the semi-expert class while Michael and Ciaran Tynan took the expert class honours. Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes were over-all club navigation champions and indeed both club members had a path worn to the stage to collect crystal by the end of the night!

Club member, MC and DJ for the night Sean McCaffery then took over at the helm to announce the remainder of the award winners. These included Janice Mackarel winning the ladies award, Karl Moen winning the perpetual McElvaney cup for his exploits in this years gravel surface autocross. Perpetual cup winners for our stages rally included Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry winning the Maguire International cup while Daniel McKenna and Andrew Grennan won the Keenan Stainless Steel cup for 2.4ltr class. The squealing Pig cup went to Damian Hagan and Fiona Boa with Darren and Nicola McKenna lifting the JG Kelly supplies cup. Sam Moffatt and James O’Reilly won the Combi-lift cup. The Gerry McNamara award was also presented on the night with Cora Maguire as the worthy recipient. This award is in recognition of the trojan work Cora carries out not only in her role as club and events secretary but also in promoting Monaghan Motor Club outside of events.

The climax of the awards ceremony came as Michael Carbin was crowned over-all traders club champion. After competing in all eight of the events the club ran this year Michael clinched the 2011 traders club championship by a single point on the final round, the Drumlin navigation trial. On the night Michael thanked everyone who helped him achieve this goal, especially is navigator Evin Hughes.

During the course of the awards ceremony spot prizes were awarded with all of the ladies in attendance hoping to win some of the magnificent prizes on offer which included spa treatments, beauty makeovers and vouchers to name but a few. Monaghan Motor club would like to take the opportunity to thank everybody who sponsored prizes for our ladies night. These include the Hillgrove Hotel, Hi-Maintenance, Magill’s, Cavan Crystal, Phyllis Moffett, Beauty Box & Ward’s Chemist and everyone else who helped out in anyway. The night concluded with a disco into the early hours to the sound of Sean McCaffery. A full array of photographs of the night can be viewed on the club website at www.monaghanmotorclub.net All in all an excellent night and well done to the organising committee as well as all award winners and especially our new club champion, Michael Carbin.

Monaghan Motor Club Annual Awards and Ladies Night

monaghanmotorclub — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:17:19 +0000

All roads lead to the Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan this Saturday night 3^rd December for Monaghan Motor Clubs Annual Awards and Ladies night. This year’s awards ceremony has a little twist as the club has decided to recognise the unsung heroes of the club. These are the people behind the men who are always there to support the boys when things go well and there with a shoulder to cry on when they may not go according to plan. These are the LADIES of the club. We want to show the club’s appreciation to the wives and girlfriends of the competitors. There will be lots and lots of spot prizes on the night. Spot prizes for the ladies only will include: €200 spa voucher for the Radisson Hotel in Cavan, €100 spa voucher for the Hillgrove Hotel, €100 voucher for Hi-Maintenance. There will also be vouchers for Lingerie, Hair & Jewellery. Only ladies present on the night will be eligible to win any of the prizes. MC and DJ on the night is the one and only Sean McCaffrey. Club championship results and a list of all award winners are available on the club website at www.monaghanmotorclub.net Tickets for the night are available from any committee member or text 0877827918. So why not come along for what promises to be a good night of ceoil agus craic and remember to bring all your lady friends!

Locals Kelly & Johnston win Midlands Navigation

Foxfield in Fenagh, Co. Leitrim was the venue for Midlands Motor Clubs first navigation of the new season on Saturday night last. CoC was Enda McLoughlin, who along with his assistant Alan Gibbons laid on a tough and testing trial for man and machine. On a rain drenched night 43 starters faced into 38 time points and 2 via’s around the Leitrim town of Balinamore. It was a night for the local men as new Midlands club champion Chris Kelly along with his navigator Sam Johnston won by a slender margin of 6 penalties from another local crew of Packie and Colin Duffy. Ashley Mc Adoo proved for the second night running that he is just as good in the drivers seat with Francis Keenan on the maps as the finished 3^rd over-all. Francis’s regular driver Darren Babbington was forced to sit this event out due to work commitments so Ashley duly obliged.

The first 7 time points of the night were just south of Foxfield with tp’s 2,3 and 4 all plot and bash sections. Only three crews managed to clean this section as the semi-expert crew of Kevin Keenan and Barry Garvey emerged as early leaders but would later be forced into retirement. Time points 8 to 15 headed north and into the Benbrack forest area of the Cuilcagh mountains. Time points 13 and 14 were very tricky with multiple wrong approaches to 13 and a slot right through a hole in the hedge to 14 saw 28 crews miss this time point completely. Results sheets show that event winners Kelly/Johnston were in the lead at Control B as they led on “semi over expert” ruling from Michael and Ciaran Tynan, both crews on 3 penalties. Packie and Colin Duffy were still very much in the hunt on 5 penalties along with Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes. In the novice class Darren Quinn and Nigel McCloughry were well ahead while another midlands crew Shane Dalton and Michael Reilly had a clear lead in the beginners class.

There was no let up in the tightly timed lanes through the 2^nd half of the event which stayed North of Balinamore with twisty and testing lanes to every time point. The leader board changed numerous times throughout the 2^nd half but it was the midlands men who held station as they had their personal battle for the club championship. Towards the latter end of the event almost all crews were forced to skip a time point or two as they were over the maximum 15 minutes. Incidentally the eventual top 3 finishers were the only crews not forced to skip time points, testament to how well they were going. Drumlin winners and national championship leaders prior to this event, Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes were forced into retirement in the second half as their car bared all the hallmarks of inhaling water along the flooded midland lanes. Michael and Ciaran Tynan also dropped out of the top 5 and into retirement after their car drifted wide on a fast but narrow lane to clip a rock and bend both back wheels. These two high profile retirements demonstrate how demanding navigation trials can be.

With these retirements the top 3 were confirmed as Kelly and Johnston went on to claim a start to finish win and ensure Chris Kelly lifted the 2011 Midlands club champion title. The Duffy’s did all in their power to overturn Kellys bid but unfortunately it wasn’t enough on this occasion and had to settle for 2^nd on the night and 2^nd in the club championship. Ashley and Francis scored a memorable 3^rd over-all; maybe Darren Babbington will have a job getting the keys back off Ashley next night out! Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins were 4^th over-all and 1^st in expert class ahead of Cork’s Colin Fitzgerald and Daire Hayes with Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall 3^rd after a tough night. With the top 3 over-all coming from the semi-expert class Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly took 3^rd in class behind the Duffy’s and McAdoo/Keenan, albeit a long way back for their high standards.

Results sheets suggest the novice class was more or less a one horse race as Darren Quinn and Nigel McCloughry took a convincing win on 102 penalties. This crew showing all the signs of moving up through the ranks very quickly with some recent good results. Arthur and Macartan Kierans are down as 2^nd in the novice class on the night. Having set a very high benchmark over the past number of events Mac may be a little disappointed with this result but on a tough night for any beginner/novice they still finished 8^th over-all. Ciaran McElroy and Cootehill’s Damian McCabe took 3^rd in the novice class. Andrew Stewart and Robert Howard led the field home in the beginner’s class ahead of the ever trying Eoghan Corr and Gary McCrudden. Early beginners leaders Shane Dalton and Michael Reilly seem to have hit major trouble through the second half of the event as they were forced to skip 13 consecutive time points but managed to hold on for 3^rd beginners award.

So after a tough first half to the navigation season the Squealing Pig Border navigation championship is still wide open with almost all of the top 10 sporting a bad score. With the well-deserved Christmas break impending next local event is Monaghan club navigation trial on 14/15^th January. Best of luck to any local crews travelling to Skibbereen, Co. Cork on 10/11^th December for the reserve round of the National Navigation Championship.

Midlands Motor Club Navigation Trial Top 12

1 Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 46 marks

2 Pakie Duffy/Colin Duffy (Subaru Impreza) 52m

3 Ashley McAdoo/Francis Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 54m

4 Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 76m

5 Darren Quinn/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Legacy) 88m

6 Colin Fitzgerald/Daire Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 105m

7 Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 171m

8 Arthur Kierans/Macartan Kierans (Subaru Impreza) 192m

9 Garreth Beagan/Stephen Thornton (Subaru Impreza) 197m

10 Dave Fitzgerald/Glyn Gaffney (Subaru Forester) 198m

11 Joe Shinnors Jnr/Greg Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) 202m

12 Sean McKenna/Garry Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 225m.

Conlon & Boyle 2nd in Gullion

monaghanmotorclub — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:54:01 +0000

Michael Conlon and Aidan Boyle brought the infamous MC Blinds escort to Newry on Saturday last for the Newry and District Motor Club Gullion Stages Rally. After a daylong battle with Damian Toner/Paddy McCague they were edged out of the over-all win by nineteen seconds after 7 demanding stages. Weather conditions made the famous Gullion and Camlough stages even more challenging by virtue of thick fog in places coupled with the slippy forest tarmac. Local men David Armstrong and Damian Fleming were 3rd, also in an escort. Micky and Aidan started off with two stage wins but by stage 3 they were level with Toner, both their stage times never more than a second apart. By stage 5 Toner had pulled out a 5 second lead, albeit in a more powerful car. Over the final two stages Micky and Aidan kept the pressure on but Toner didn’t let up and went on to take a deserved win. They final stage of the day, big gullion was cancelled due to the thickening fog with visibility at a minimum. Clones man Raymond Conlon with Adrian McCrudden on the notes also made their annual pilgrimage to Newry and had a great run to 6th over-all. This result also merited 3rd in class for the Conlon Travel backed twin-cam. Martin Connolly was on the notes for Barry Greer in the fiesta and they took a 13-second class win and 9th over-all. Cootehill’s Mervin Wedlock and Damian McCabe also made the trip northeast to Newry and finished 19th over-all. Last minute entrants Laurence Sherry and Jonathan Treanor had an enjoyable day through the Gullion and Camlough mountain stages to take 3rd in their class. Well done to all the travelling Monaghan men.

Dunlop National Rally Championship Prize giving

The 2011 Dunlop National Rally Championship Awards Presentation was held on Saturday night last in the Clayton Hotel Galway. The series was won by Meath’s Tim McNulty and Paul Kiely after 10 rounds throughout the country. Monaghan’s Sam Moffett and James O’Reillys consistency paid off as they finished 2nd over-all and took the group N honours. Maynooth’s Kevin Barrett and Sean Mullally were 3rd over-all. A host of Monaghan crews collected class awards on what was an enjoyable and entertaining night in Galway. Shane Maguire and Damian Connolly took the class 4 honours, Damian navigating for Robert Barrable. Ballinodes Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry won class 8 in their Subaru. Aaron Mc Quaid was 2nd in class 10 with his navigator Aidan Coyle going one better and taking 1st in class 10. Gerard McQuaid finished 2nd in class 11 while his navigator Gareth Quinlan took 1st in class. Arthur and Macartan Kierans were once again on the winner’s podium, taking the class 12 honours with a win on the final round in Skibbereen. John McQuaid and Seamus O’Connor finished 2nd in class 14 in their powerful escort. Carrickmacross men Johno and Padraig Doogan were also presented on the night for their over-all junior rally championship win. David Moffett finished 2nd in class 16 in the junior rally championship while his navigator Patrick Brides took the class 16 win. Once again well done to all club members who picked up awards on the night. Monaghan Motor Club Annual Awards and Ladies Night Keep free Saturday 3rd December for Monaghan Motor Clubs annual Awards ceremony in the ideal surroundings of the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan. This year’s awards ceremony has a little twist as the club has decided to recognise the unsung heroes of the club. These are the people behind the men who are always there to support the boys when things go well and there with a shoulder to cry on when they may not go according to plan. These are the LADIES of the club. We want to show the club’s appreciation to the wives and girlfriends of the competitors. There will be lots and lots of spot prizes on the night. Spot prizes for the ladies only will include: €200 spa voucher for the Radisson Hotel in Cavan, €100 spa voucher for the Hillgrove Hotel, €100 voucher for Hi-Maintenance. There will also be vouchers for Lingerie, Hair & Jewellery. Only ladies present on the night will be eligible to win any of the prizes. MC and DJ on the night is the one and only Sean McCaffrey. Club championship results are available on the club website and tickets for the night are available from any committee member. Hope to see you all there as this promises to be a night to remember. More information next week.

Midlands Navigation Trial

All roads lead to Foxfield, Fenagh, Co Leitrim this Saturday night for Round 3 of the Squealing Pig Border navigation championship and Round 4 of the National navigation championship. Full Report next week.