Justin Smyth & Gregory McQuillan are the overall winners of the 2023 Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship.
The Monaghan pair were the class of the field in Class 12 winning the category on each of the four rounds of the series.
They faced a huge battle each event to do that and only once were more than 30 seconds ahead of their pursuer.
The pair have been competing together for over a decade and this is their biggest Motorsport success to date.
Conor Smith also reached the forty point margin but missed out on the title on countback.
He guided Michael Cahill to the Class 11R win in Midland and then guided Craig Rahill to class wins in Cavan, Sligo and ALMC.
Fermanagh brothers, Ruari & Martin McGarritty took 2nd driver and 3rd navigator thanks to one win and three second places in Class 3.
3rd overall driver was Donegal’s Ryan McHugh who racked up four 2nd place finishes in Class 2.
Among the class winners were Gary Cassidy and Killian McArdle in Class 11F, Peter Farrell was the top navigator in 11R.
Brian Comiskey and Declan Campbell took Class 15 and Michael Carbin won Class 20 with navigator Dean O’Sullivan.
Jack McKenna and Damien Doherty were Class 16 Junior winners.
Midland, Cavan, Sligo and ALMC hosted rounds this year running their first events since 2019 and 2017 in the case of ALMC.
At the prize-giving, the championship team thanked all the supporting organisers for running the events and remembered Gene McDonald and Daire Maguire who passed away after an accident on the Sligo round.
Class 1 Champion Simon Love & Deirdre Brosnan
Simon Love and Deirdre Borsnan claimed the class 1 title after scoring consistently throughout the year.
Class 2 Champions Cian Caldwell & Declan Boyle
Declan Boyle navigated Ryan McHugh to four second place finished in class 2 to be the winning navigator. Cian Caldwell/Liam Egan with a win in Sligo and 3rd in ALMC claimed 1st driver and 2nd navigator respectively. Matthew Boyle/Gary Byrne were 2nd driver/3rd navigator thanks to three fourth places with Dylan Eves 3rd driver.
Class 4 Champions Tomas O’Rourke & Tomas Scallan
Wexford’s Tomas O’Rourke and Tomas Scallan dominated class 4 in their Lancer to take their class for the second successive year.
Class 5 Champions Jason Mitchell & Shane Buckley
Shane Buckley was the winning navigator in class 5. His best result was guiding David Kelly to 2nd in class in Cavan. Jason Mitchell/Paddy McCrudden were 1st driver and 2nd navigator with Sligo producing their best result. Gareth Sayers/Gareth Gilchrest were 2nd driver and 3rd navigator with Kevin Wilson 3rd driver.
Class 9 Champions Lloyd Hutchison & Willie Fitzpatrick
Lloyd Hutchison/Willie Fitzpatrick won the class 9 title with a win in ALMC and 2nd in Cavan their best results. Sean Og Cahill/Ryan Graham finished runners-up.
Class 10 Champions Brian Rudden & Eamon Rudden
Brian & Eamon retained their title through consistency fending off Cathal Sheridan & Peter Deery whose retirement in Cavan dropped them to 2nd.
Class 11F Champions Gary Cassidy & Killian McArdle
Gary Cassidy & Killian McArdle took the hotly contested class 11F with wins in Sligo & ALMC and 2nd in Cavan. Reigning champion, Sam Johnston had to settle for 2nd in class winning in Midland. 2nd navigator was Aisling McArdle. 3rd driver was David Healy and 3rd navigator was Keith McConnan.
Class 11R Champions Craig Rahill & Peter Farrell
Craig Rahill proved to be one of the stars of the year as he claimed three class 11R wins from three starts to take the title. Martin McPhillips/Peter Farrell were 2nd driver and winning navigator respectively. 2nd in Cavan was their best result. Paul Crosby/Eoin Lennon were 3rd driver and 2nd navigator with 2nd in class in ALMC their best result. Andrew Wedlock was 3rd class 11R navigator.
Class 12 Champions Ryan McArdle & Conor McLoughney
Ryan McArdle & Conor McLoughney won class 12 after Justin Smyth/Gregory McQuillan moved into the overall awards. They edged out James Cassidy/Domhnall Lennon on a tie-breaker. Declan Campbell/Kevin Creighon placed 3rd.
Class 13 Champions Tim Flood & Anthony Smith
Tim Flood & Anthony Smith scored consistently and often to take the class 13 championship title. Aaron McIntyre/Paul McPhillips were runners-up with a win in Sligo their best result. John Warren/Ruthann O’Connor placed 3rd overall.
Class 14 Champions Kevin Gallagher & Ryan Moore
Donegal Engine Builder Kevin Gallagher & navigator Ryan Moore took the class 14 trophy with wins in Sligo and ALMC. Chris Armstrong/Darren Curran finished 2nd with Richard Moffett/Paul Lennon placing 3rd overall.
Class 15 Champions Brian Comiskey & Declan Campbell
Brian and Declan retained class 15 honours in their Subaru.
Class 20 Champions Michael Carbin & Dean O’Sullivan
Championship regulars, Michael Carbin & Dean O’Sullivan won class 20 with three class wins to their name. His old car now in the hands of Gerry McIntyre/Paul Clarke finished as runner-up.
Class 18 (Historic) Champions Paul McDevitt & Ray Fitzpatrick
Paul McDevitt/Ray Fitzpatrick won the Historic title from championship regulars Malcolm Pedlow/John Henderson.
Class 16 (Junior) Champions Jack McKenna & Damien Doherty
Jack McKenna & Damien Doherty had some scintillating drives to take three class wins and the Junior class title. Jack Kelly was 2nd overall driver.
Team Champions Campbell Contracts Rally Team
It was a family affair in the Teams Championship with the Campbell Contracts Rally Team taking the title from Trees or Trophies and Anti-lag Association.
Malton Forest Rally
Over in Yorkshire, UK, Arthur Kierans was alongside Barry McKenna in the Malton Forest Rally in a historic spec Ford Escort RS1800 MK2. There was stiff competition, with many using it as a shakedown for the RAC Rally at the end of the month. Barry and Arthur had a strong run to claim 3rd in the H2 Class.
County Monaghan Motor Club 