The Mc Elvaney Pitwood Quarry on the outskirts of Baileboro was the scene for Monaghan Motor Clubs annual gravel surface autocross on Sunday last. With the trader’s club championship narrowed to a three horse race and 3 rounds remaining, competition was sure to be fierce. Once again it was the motorbike-engined buggy’s which dominated proceedings, albeit not by as much as previous years. Karl Moen in a buggy set a great time on the first run, 4 seconds up on Andy Mackarel in his EVO 4 with Martin Tynan 3rd. Indeed these top three remained the same throughout the course of the day. Andy took a fastest time on the second loop with Martin fastest on the third loop.
Michael Tynan, double driving with Martin in the EVO 5 kept his championship hopes alive with 4th over-all while Cootehills Damian Reilly took 5th over-all and a class win. Worth noting that only 11 seconds separated the top 6 at the end so even the smallest of slip up’s was guaranteed to cost a few places. Michael Carbin is also in the thick of the club championship race and was 4th registered on the day and 8th over-all in his peugeot. Richard Cassidy in the white astra was 9th and 2nd in class, despite not doing the last run due to mechanical trouble.
An enjoyable days rallying was had by all who attended. Coc for the day was Enda Sherry, ably assisted by Gary McPhillips and they would like to extend their sincere thanks to all the competitors who turned up, Mc Elvaneys for the venue, the small number of marshals who offered their help, and anybody else who helped out in any way in the lead up and on the day of the event.
With two rounds remaining in the trader’s club championship this event only managed to bring the top three even closer together! Michael Tynan now leads by the narrowest of margins on 81 points with Andy Mackarel & Michael Carbin tied for 2nd on 80 points. All three men are considered night navigation experts and the final two rounds are the October and November Drumlin night navigation trials. This year’s trader’s club championship is surely going down to the wire!
Monaghan Loose Surface Autocross Top 10 Results:-
1/ Karl Moen (Buggy Special) 11:25.86
2/ Andy Mackarel (EVO 4) 11:28.20
3/ Martin Tynan (EVO 5) 11:32.01
4/ Michael Tynan (EVO 5) 11:35.17
5/ Damian O’Reilly (Escort) 11:36.17
6/ Dominic McCaffery (Buggy Special) 11:36.34
7/ Anthony Masterson (Civic) 11:39.82
8/ Michael Carbin (Peugeot) 11:41.61
9/ Richard Cassidy (Astra) 11:43.97
10/ Gerry Reilly (Civic) 11:53.79
Jim Walsh Cork Forestry Rally
Vincent and JP McAree resumed their challenge on the Valvoline Irish Forestry championship on Saturday last in Cork. They were joint leaders of the series prior to this event but unfortunately the God’s weren’t with them in Cork. They picked up a puncture which in turn damaged the wiring loom, forcing them into retirement on the 7th stage. The rally was won by Tipperary’s Pat O’Connell and Mark Wiley in an EVO 9. McAree’s title challenger, Owen Murphy was interested in collecting championship points and settled for 2nd overall early on with the super quick Frank Kelly 3rd in his infamous escort. Frank commenting at the end that it was the best forest event he has done for a long time, possibly ever.
This year’s format was slightly different in that the lesser-powered cars were first on the road with the top crews joining in after approximately 20 cars. There were three Monaghan crews who made the long trip South. With the McAree’s demise its was the Spanwright EVO 6 of Stephen and Suzanne Wright who flew the Monaghan flag highest, another superb run to 6th over-all. Stephen and Suzanne set top five stage times on 5 of the days 8 stages and collected a class win to boot. Paul Sheridan was navigating for Tyrone’s Enda McNulty and they too had a great days rallying, finishing 8th overall in their impreza. The MC Blinds backed escort also made it to Cork but their luck ran out 3 corners from the end of the penultimate 16km stage with a broken half shaft. Although they did make it back to service and despite the best efforts of their service crew, they just couldn’t release the broken shaft which forced Michael Conlon and Aidan Boyle into retirement. These guys were also on a charge up to their demise, holding 3rd two-wheel drive and 10th over-all. Nevertheless Michael and Aidan reported a very enjoyable day. Well done to all who made the trip.
Night Navigation Classes
In preparation of the navigation season ahead, the club will once again host a series of Navigation classes for anyone interested. If you have a motor sport interest of any kind, then the Navigation Trials are the best form of obtaining the correct foundation and introduction to this sport. The classes will cover the full range of topics including map reading, timing and car regulations. Starting next Thursday 25th August in the Sean McDermott’s GAA centre, Threemilehouse, the classes will take place over 6 weeks and will be presented by experienced competitor and club member Damien Connolly. To register, please contact Damien on 086 8095113
County Monaghan Motor Club 