Hughes and Duffy take Midland Win
Round 2 of the Motorsport Ireland Navigation Trial Championship, and the opening round of the 2026/27 Squealing Pig Monaghan Border Navigation Championship took place in County Roscommon on Saturday night last.
Clerk of the Course Joey Finneran assisted by Gerry Kelly laid out the 85-mile Midland Motor Club event based out of Kilbride Community Centre located halfway between Tulsk and Roscommon town.
The 2025/26 national champions Evin Hughes and Pakie Duffy lead the thirty-one strong competing crews away from HQ at 21:01.
Indeed, this would be the way the event would finish up as Hughes and Duffy would take the victory on the night on 14 lateness marks.
They finished 27 marks the better of 2nd placed Patrick O’Leary and Trevor O’Callaghan.
2023/24 national champions Gregory Shinnors and Andrew Mackarel finished 9th overall.
Oisín Sherlock navigating for Brian Oakes finished 11th overall.
Seán Marron/Aidan Keenan finished right behind them in 12th place and took 2nd semi-expert.
Stefan McCann who was the steering wheel attendant for Eoin Longworth finished 14th overall and took 3rd in the semi-expert class.
Ray and Stephen O’Neill finished 15th overall and Aaron and Ciaran McGorman finished 17th overall.
Ben Mohan/Damien Hagan took 3rd in the novice class.
Abraham Dixon drove Darragh Kelly to 2nd beginner
Larah Connolly guided Justin Smyth to 3rd in the class.
Francis McElvaney/Ryan Farrell finished 23rd overall.
Nicole Connolly/Michael Conlon and Dermot Mallon/Raymond McMahon finished 26th and 27th overall respectively.
The national and border navigation championship will continue with the Monaghan Drumlin navigation in a fortnights time.
Regulations and entry will be available very soon.
The Irish stage rally scene is beginning to wrap up for 2026.
Last weekend saw GSMC Motor Club host their mini-stage event. In this two by three stage event, totalling six special-stages,
Johno Doogan and Paul Lennon finished a fantastic 3rd overall in their Ford Escort MkII. Paul Kelly navigated Paul Purtill to 10th overall and 1st in class 13.
Ciaran Sherry and Adam Langan finished 49th overall and 3rd in class 12.
Paul McPhillips, in the driver’s seat for a change took his Ford Escort MkII to 52nd overall and 1st in class 11R.
The Tarmac Rally Organisers Association, NAPA Auto Parts Irish Tarmac Rally Championship awards night took place in the Loughrea Spa Hotel, Galway on Saturday.
At the awards night Josh Moffett and Andy Hayes were crowned the 2026 champions by taking a 7.5-point win.
ahead of 2nd placed Eddie Doherty and Tom Murphy.
Andrew Mackarel and Richard Cassidy took 4th and 3rd overall respectively in the modified section having taken Wilber the Opel Ascona out of hibernation. They both finished 2nd in class M2. (class 13 in national rallys).
The 2026 Motorsport Ireland Triton Showers National Rally Championship awards take place this Saturday night in the Seven Oakes Hotel, Carlow. Once again, Josh Moffett will be crowned national champion.
This will be Josh’s fifth national rally championship title and is his second of three overall titles that he will collect in 2026.
He is due to collect his third title, the Motorsport Ireland Trailer Parts & Spares Irish Forest Rally Championship on November 21st in the Talbot Hotel Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
