Niall Maguire and Conor Foley came out on top last weekend on the 2014 Kilmore Hotel Cavan Stages Rally with just under two minutes to spare over Rodney Wilton and Conor McMahon. This event was the third counting round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship and this win is Nialls sixth outright win in Cavan whilst Conor finally got his hands on the overall cup after almost twenty years of trying. Ballyjamesduff man Rodney Wilton kept the pressure on the Ballinode pairing throughout the day but following overnight rain the slippy and greasy conditions left it almost impossible for Wilton/McMahon to maximise the potential of their escort against the four wheel drive advantage of Maguire/Foley. Donegal men Trevor Bustard and John McCafferty took 3rd overall in their group N Evo. Michael Carbin and Emmett McCooey stormed up the leader board throughout the day to finish an excellent 4th overall. Arguably the drive of the day must go to Paddy Boyle and Martin Sherlock. They brought their class 13 escort home to 5th overall with some top 3 stage times to boot. The Cavan men seemed at home on these stages and their times proved just that in tricky conditions.
Wet and slippy was the order of the day for all competitors over the first two loops of the Cavan Stages Rally last Sunday. This years stages consisted of a compact loop surrounding the Bunnoe, Kill and Castletara areas. Its been over 15 years since the rally traversed the Kill area in its entirety taking in the famous lanes like the stoney trough, lung lane and Knobbies Jumps which just like old times claimed quite a few retirements along the way. Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly were on their usual good pace to finish in 8th overall and 2nd in class to the flying Cavan men, Paddy Boyle and Marty Sherlock. Other locals to fair well included Stephen Wright and Karl Atkinson who finished top front wheel drive car and 11th overall. Jack Maguire and Andy Hayes finished 2nd in class 14 behind Adrian Hetherington and Gary Nolan. Johnno and Padraig Doogan finished 15th overall in their hired class 13 escort. Brian Armstrong and Mark Tierney took the class 12 honours ahead of James Cassidy and Declan Smith. Arthur and Mac Kierans had a tough day at the office with fuel pressure problems before the opening stage, plug lead woes on stage 3 and a puncture on stage 7 meant the Aghabog men were happy to make the finish at all! David Moffett and Fintan Sherry came out on top in the highly competitive class 11R in the Moffett Engineering backed starlet. Martin McPhillips and Ciaran Tynan were counting their blessings to make the finish with 2nd in class after their twin cam developed driveshaft/gearbox issues on the final loop and nursed the McPhillips Engineering backed corolla to final control in 26th overall. Barry Treanor and Colm Connolly also had a testing day but managed to secure 3rd in class and 30th overall, making it a Monaghan top 3 in class 11R. Cootehill’s Darren O’Brien and John McCabe had been as high as 12th overall in their class 11F civic but a puncture on stage 8 dropped them back to 25th overall. 11F was won by Chris Snow with Adrian Cannon 3rd. Class 10 went the way of Carrickroe brothers John and Niall Kelly with Ballyhaise men Adrian and Anthony Foley in 2nd. Cathal Sheridan and Evin Hughes finished 3rd in class 10, after surviving a big moment at the chicane on Knobbies Cross Roads with the Nova bearing all the haul marks of good quality Cavan round bales!
Class 9 was won by Gene Callan and Sean Brunton with Gene McDonald and Kevin Reilly in 2nd and Declan Connolly and Alison Hughes 3rd. Class 15 which is for Group N production cars out of homologation went to Martin and Declan Tynan in their EVO 8 and they too had a testing day with a puncture and a broken drive shaft but nevertheless they managed to finish and take the class win. South Monaghan men Martin Swinburn and Keith McConnon had an excellent debut in their 1600 twin cam to take the overall win on the Junior Rally. Martin only acquired the car last Tuesday from Donegal and it surely was a baptism of fire to take a 3second win from Adrian Sweeney and Gary Lockart.
So that’s Cavan Stages finished for another year, well done to all locals who finished, never mind win crystal in what was easily one of the toughest events for years with the slippy conditions. Next up in the Sligo Pallets Border Championship is Sligo Stages Rally on 13th July.
- Cavan MC Hotel Kilmore Stages Rally Top 10
1 Niall Maguire/Conor Foley (Impreza WRC) 80m 37s
2 Rodney Wilton/Conor McMahon (Escort) 82m 24s
3 Trevor Bustard/John McCafferty (Lancer Evo 9) 83m 08s
4 Mickey Carbin/Emmet McCooey (Lancer Evo 4) 83m 23s
5 Paddy Boyle/Marty Sherlock (Escort) 83m 26s
6 David Leonard/Darragh Mullen (Lancer) 83m 37s
7 Pat Kirk/John McElhinney (Lancer Evo 9) 83m 41s
8 Richard Moffett/Martin Connolly (Starlet) 83m 58s
9 Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Escort) 84m 04s
10 Russell Woods/Gary Gallagher (Escort) 84m 11s
County Monaghan Motor Club 