County Monaghan Motor Club

The Irish Tarmac Championship kicks off this weekend with the Corrib Oil Galway International Rally. The fifteen stage two day event begins this Saturday and is based out of Loughrea. Defending champions Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes will be hoping to get their campaign off to a perfect start seeded number one in their trusted Hyundai i20 R5. Number two on the road will be the Welsh pairing of Meirion Evans/Jonathan Jackson who will be determined to push for the win after securing their first ever triumph on Irish tar on the last round of the 2022 Tarmac Championship, the Modern Tyres Ulster Rally.

Callum Devine/Noel O’Sullivan will be back this year seeded number four, with Sam Moffett/Keith Moriarty seeded number 5 in what’s reported to be a brand new Hyundai i20 Rally2 car. Arthur Kierans will be in the navigators seat for Garry Jennings seeded number eight in a Fiesta R5 and Damien Connolly will be on the notes for Robert Barrable and seeded number 12 in a Citroën C3 Rally2.  Brendan Cumiskey with Damien’s brother Martin Connolly are seeded right behind with number 14 on the door of their VW Polo GTI R5.

2022 Irish Forestry Championship winner and 2022 Billy Coleman award nominee Patrick O’Brien with brother Stephen on the notes are seeded seventeenth in their Skoda Fabia R5.

Other Monaghan entries include Conor Foley, Ashling McArdle, Piaras O’Ceallachain, Ryan Farrell, Paul McPhillips and Keith McConnon all in navigators seats while Mickey Conlon and Jack Maguire sit behind a steering wheel.

There is only one Monaghan entry in the junior section and it is number 1 seed Jack McKenna with Damien Dougherty calling the notes to him.

ALMC Endurance

Evin Hughes was the highest placed Monaghan entrant in the ALMC Winter Endurance Trial which took place last Saturday. Evin along with regular Dublin driver Karl O’Donoghue finished the sixteen selective event in 2^nd overall, two minutes in arrears of the Westmeath pairing of Robert Howard/Claire Murtagh. Championship runners up last year Andrew Wedlock along with Stranooden navigator Ciaran Maguire finished the event in 4^th OA and 1^st in class A2M. Robert Graham took a step out of the drivers seat for this event and navigated Dublin man Michael Connolly to 11^th OA and 2^nd in class A2N. Warren Carleton navigated Mervyn Wedlock to 13^th OA and 1^st in class F. Shane Maguire/Nichola McGuigan finished 14^th OA and 3^rd class A2N in their Mitsubishi Colt. Imants Ignatjevs/Luiza Ieremie finished 16^th OA and 1^st in class A2B. Unfortunately, Cathal McGlone/Dara McGlone failed to make the finish in their Ford Focus.

PRO: Oisín Sherlock oisinsherlock97@gmail.com