Sam & Josh Moffett brought their respective Ford Fiesta WRC’s to 3rd and 4th place overall on last weekend’s Galway International Rally. The event was the opening round of the 2015 Tarmac Rally Championship. Sam & co-driver Karl Atkinson were involved in a rally long battle with the BMW Mini WRC of Eugene Donnelly & Paul Kiely which saw Donnelly come out on top by 0.7 of a second! Josh & his navigator John Rowan shadowed Sam on day one and despite a puncture on day two, they held on to a very encouraging 4th place in their new car.
Reigning champion, Declan Boyle took an early lead on Saturday but a 3 minute road penalty after his Subaru failed to fire up before the start of the fifth stage dropped him to 6th overnight. Fellow Donegal man, Donagh Kelly ended the day in the lead from Eugene Donnelly with Sam Moffett close behind in 3rd. Josh Moffett was 4th just 13 seconds behind his older brother. Monaghan native Pauric Duffy was in 7th place and leading class 5 in his Ford Fiesta.
As Kelly manintained his lead on day two, Donnelly & Moffett had a mighty battle for 2nd place which saw Donnelly snatch 2nd on the final stage by less than a second. Josh Moffett maintained 4th place despite a puncture on stage 10. Pauric Duffy & Kevin Glynn lost their class 5 lead after a problem on stage 11 which dropped them to 16th overall and 3rd in a class by the finish. Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan O’Kane finished 2nd in class 4 and 9th overall in their Subaru after being edged out by Aaron McHale/Paul McGee on the last stage.
Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips had a great run in the National section to finish in 2nd place overall behind Donegal’s Declan Gallagher/Ryan Moore. Kieran McCarra/Mark Hamaill had been running in the top 10 in the Nationals before retiring early on day two. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden retired early on day one but were able to get their Escort back out on the stages before the end of the day under ‘Super Rally’ rules. The pair went on to set many fastest class times on day two. The next round of the Tarmac Championship is the Circuit of Ireland Rally at Easter which is again a round of the European Rally Championship.
Open Forum
Monaghan Motor Club will host an Open Forum for marshals and competitors on Thursday 12th February in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan commencing at 8pm. The Chairman of the Rallies Committee has confirmed he will attend and it is hoped that the Chief Executive, President and Immediate Past President of Motorsport Ireland and members of the Rallies Committee will also be present. The agenda is as follows:
The Future of Rallying:
– safety
– competitor input to future rule changes
– marshal recruitment and training
– communications
This forum is not confined to Monaghan club members and members from our neighbouring motor clubs are also invited to attend
Midland Navigation Trial
Midland Motor Club are hosting a Night Navigation Trial this Saturday night in Drumlish, Co. Longford. COC Pakie Duffy has laid out an 80 mile route with the 1st car away at 9.01pm. The event is a round of both the National & Border Night Navigation Championships which should attract many local competitors who are contesting these series. Full report will be published next week.
Club Autotest
Monaghan Motor Club host their annual Autotest in Wright’s Quarry, Swans Cross this Sunday February 15th. The event is a round of the National Hewison Championship as well as a round of our Club Trader’s Championship. The Hewison Championship section gets underway at 11.00am, with the club championship competitors starting at 11.30am. Marshals are required for this event and anyone able to help should contact COC Brendan Flynn.
Upcoming events:
February 21st Five-mile-town Forestry Rally
February 22nd Birr Stages Rally
February 28th Cavan Navigation Trial
February 28th ALMC Endurance Trial
March 1st Carrick-on-Suir Forestry Rally
March 8th Mayo Stages Rally
County Monaghan Motor Club 