Author: monaghanmotorclub

Sam Moffett & Karl Atkinson made it five wins from five rounds in the 2017 National Rally Championship with victory on the Raven’s Rock Rally. The result leaves them just win away from claiming the championship title. After taking an early lead, they survived a scare on stage three when they broke a driveshaft over a jump losing valuable time and the lead. After sorting the problem, they were able to overhaul defending National Champion Roy White into a lead they wouldn’t lose. They went on to secure their fifth win of the campaign by a margin of 18.1 seconds.

The Waterford based rally attracted a small number of Monaghan crews. Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry had been in the top three before a broken driveshaft sidelined them on stage four. Brendan Cumisky/Ronan O’Kane would go on to finish in 4th place in their Skoda Fabia R5. John McQuaid/Thomas Treanor finished 7th overall in their Escort. Shane Maguire & Paul McLaughlin took victory in Group N and 8th place overall. He held off class rival David Guest by 11 seconds in the end. Shane was also the Triton Showers Drive of the Day.

Shane Farrell was navigating for UK driver, Christopher Sinclair-James. They came home 26th overall and 4th in class. Jonathan Treanor/Stephen McElroy had another disappointing retirement from the Junior rally. The next round of the National Rally Championship is the Sligo Stages Rally in a fortnight’s time.

Monaghan Motor Club members put in starring roles in this year’s Donegal International Rally. The event is Ireland’s only three day rally and attracted a full field of crews competing in the International, National, Historic and Junior Categories. The event was the fourth round of the 2017 Irish Tarmac Championship.

In the International section, Sam & Josh Moffett led the Monaghan crews while Conor Foley was navigating for local man Donagh Kelly. The Kelly/Foley combination led the event from the off and held a 12 second advantage after Friday’s six special stages. Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson were involved in a closely fought battle with Alaister Fisher for top R5 and trailed the Fermanagh man by less than 3 seconds. Josh Moffett/James Fulton continued to build speed after their Monaghan accident and held 3rd R5 just 17 seconds adrift of Sam.

Kelly/Foley continued to lead on day two but were coming under increased pressure from Manus Kelly/Donal Barrett who had closed to 7 seconds behind at the end of the day. There was an equally absorbing battle between Fisher & Moffett for top R5, less than 10 seconds separated them going into Sunday’s final leg. Josh Moffett/James Fulton held a solid 6th place. Pauric Duffy/Kevin Glynn were 8th overall in another R5 Fiesta.

The fight between the two Kelly’s for the overall win went right down to the wire. Manus Kelly took the lead on stage 16 but a brilliant run through the Glen Stage allowed Kelly/Foley back ahead. Going on opposite tyres for the final loop it was hard to see who it would come out on top. Manus was on the better rubber for the Fanad Stage and slashed 15 seconds off Kelly/Foley to retake the lead. Kelly/Foley tried to pull it back on the following Atlantic Drive Stage but were caught out three corners from the finish, rolling their car. The damage sustained unfortunately forced them into retirement.

Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson were unable to challenge Fisher/Noble on the final leg. They secured 4th overall and 2nd placed championship points, maintaining their overall lead in the Irish Tarmac Championship. Josh Moffett/James Fulton and Pauric Duffy/Kevin Glynn came home 5th and 6th respectively. There was early dissapointment for Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly who retired their Hyundai on stage five. Aaron McHale/Darragh Kelly also retired their Citroen on Friday.

The National Rally was well represented with Monaghan men. Gary McPhillips was the top seed with local man James McNulty on the notes. They finished the opening leg in 4th place but their event came to an end on the Carn Hill stages on Saturday. Gary’s former navigator Paul Sheridan was navigating for Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle. They made steady progress over the weekend to come 4th overall. Andrew Grennan guided his regular driver Vivian Hamill to 5th overall in their Escort.

Michael Carbin/Conor Mohan had a great run in their Lancer to take 10th overall and 1st in class 20. Emmet Sherry guided Tommy O’Connell to 11th overall and 2nd in class 13. Matthew McKenna guided Liam McFall to 28th overall and 1st in class. John & Niall Kelly completed the great Donegal adventure in 36th overall and 1st in class 10. They would like to thank their service team, sponsors and Lorraine & Moira for their support all weekend.

Gerard McQuaid/Gareth Quinlan had to resort to Rally 2 to get a finish. They came home 47th overall. National retirements included Paul Purtill/Paul Kelly, Anthony Hand/Peter Deery, James McCarville/Paddy McCrudden and Barry Treanor/Colm Connolly.

Jonathan Treanor/Stephen McElroy held an incredible two minute 30 seconds lead in the Junior Category but suffered a heart-breaking final stage retirement. Martin Swinburne/Paul Lennon didn’t make it that far, retiring on the opening stage. Gary McKenna/Calum Maguire also failed to finish. Shane Farrell was at least able to make the finish with his driver Colette Rooney, taking an 8th place finish.

Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes were presented with their trophies as overall winners of the 2016-17 National Night Navigation Championship on Saturday night last in Portlaoise. The Longford-Monaghan duo had a tremendous battle all year with the Monaghan-Cork pairing of Derek Mackarel & Muireann Hayes with only one point separating them at the end of the season. Mackarel/Hayes had the consolation of winning the Munster Navigation Championship, where Duffy/Hughes were the runners-up.

The prizegiving was preceded by the annual Forum on Navigation & Endurance Trials, where rule changes for the coming season were discussed. This was followed by the Munster Navigation Championship prizegiving and then by the National prizegiving. Monaghan crews were very successful in both series. Richard Cassidy was 3rd overall in the National Championship while Mac Kierans/Conor Boylan won the Semi-Expert class. Aiden Sherry/Oisin Sherlock won the Novice class with Aaron Dixon/Dylan Lennon winning the Beginner’s class.

Mackarel & Hayes were winners of the Munster Championship with Duffy/Hughes in 2nd. Mac Kierans was the top Semi-Expert Driver and Christopher McMahon was the winning Beginners navigator in this series.

Donegal International Rally

The 2017 Donegal International Rally takes place this weekend and once again has attracted a quality entry, with plenty of local crews making their way to the North-West. Conor Foley will be gunning for overall honours alongside Donagh Kelly in their Focus WRC. Sam Moffett & Karl Atkinson will be looking to maintain their lead of the Irish Tarmac Championship. Damien Connolly joins forces with Robert Barrable in their Hyundai. Josh Moffett/James Fulton are also amongst the top ten seeds in their Fiesta R5.

National Rally interest is headed by twice winner Gary McPhillips who has local man James McNulty navigating. His previous navigator Paul Sheridan teams up with Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle and they start right behind Gary. There are a plethora of other Monaghan competitors and crews looking to make an impression on Ireland’s biggest rally of the year and we wish them all the best of luck.

Iontas Exhibition

The Iontas Theatre in Castleblayney is currently featuring the Monaghan Motor Club photographic exhibition in recognition of the club’s 60th anniversary. The extensive exhibition includes photographs and articles covering the foundation of the club in the late 1950s and chronicles the development and activities of the club and its members throughout the intervening decades up to the turn of the century. This is a special opportunity for those who have not yet seen this compelling work. The exhibition continues until 29th June. For details of opening hours check out http://www.iontascastleblayney.ie

Moffett Mops Up in MunsterThe Triton National Rally Championship continued with last Sunday’s Circuit of Munster Rally. The Rathkeale-based event consisted of nine stages in total. Variable weather conditions meant a headache for crews to pick the correct tyre. Sam Moffett with stand-in navigator Keith Moriarty took the overall win. This was Sam’s 4th win from 4 rounds in the 2017 series and leaves him with a healthy lead at the top of the standings as the championship reaches its halfway mark.

This proved to be the most hard-fought win of the year. After taking the lead on the opening stages, Donegal’s Donagh Kelly with Ballinode’s Conor Foley navigating surged ahead on stage two and led until stage five where a brace of fastest times allowed Moffett/Moriarty back into the lead. They held just a 2.1 second advantage going into the final loop and charged through the last three stages to secure the win by a margin of 12.4 seconds. Moffett also won the Power Stage and Triton Showers Drive of the Day. Kelly/Foley took 2nd to remain firmly in contention for the championship. Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble were almost two minutes adrift in 3rd in their R5 Fiesta.

Josh Moffett & James Fulton had a steady run to 8th place as Josh acclimatised himself again following his accident in Monaghan. Niall Maguire, with Anthony Nestor navigating, overcame a first stage stall to take 9th. Shane Maguire & Paul McLoughlin took 2nd in Group N and 12th overall. This promotes Shane into the lead of the Group N championship after rival David Guest retired. John McQuaid/Thomas Treanor brought their Escort home 20th overall and 3rd in class 14 on John’s first event in almost a year. Emmet Sherry guided Tommy O’Connell to 28th overall and 3rd in class 13. Jonathan Treanor & Stephen McElroy took victory in the Junior class in their Civic. They once again set times which had them on the fringes of the top 10 overall.

The next round of the Triton Showers National Championship is the Waterford-based Ravens Rock Rally at the end of the month.
Border Navigation Championship Prizegiving

The Squealing Pig Border Navigation Prizegiving took place last Friday in the Squealing Pig in Monaghan town. Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes were presented with their prizes as overall winners for the second successive year. They paid thanks to Championship sponsor Raymond Aughey, the organisers committee and the clubs and officials who ran the events. The prizegiving was once again well attended and a good night had by all.

National Navigation Championship Prizegiving
The National Navigation Championship prizegiving takes place this Saturday in the Gandon Inn in Emo just off Junction 15 on the M7. The annual Forum takes place beforehand which allows competitors and organisers to have their say on the running of Endurance Trials and Night Navigations. The forum commences at 8pm. This will then be followed by the Munster Championship prizegiving which was won by the Monaghan/Cork pair of Derek Mackarel & Muireann Hayes. They were also runners-up in the National Championship where Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes recorded a third win in a row.

Iontas Exhibition

The Iontas Theatre in Castleblayney is currently featuring the Monaghan Motor Club photographic exhibition in recognition of the club’s 60th anniversary. The extensive exhibition includes photographs and articles covering the foundation of the club in the late 1950s and chronicles the development and activities of the club and its members throughout the intervening decades up to the turn of the century. This is a special opportunity for those who have not yet seen this compelling work. The exhibition continues until 29th June. For details of opening hours check out http://www.iontascastleblayney.ie

Cavan played host to the third round of the 2017 Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship on Sunday last. Based out of the Kilmore Hotel in Cavan town, the event consisted of nine stages. Leading the Monaghan charge were Stephen Wright & Arthur Kierans in their Ford Fiesta R5. The pair were using the event as a warm-up for the Donegal International Rally next month. They held a steady 4th position throughout the day securing class 5 honours.

Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips brought their Escort home in 8th overall securing class 13 honours. Reigning Border Champions, Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden won class 11R taking 12th overall to boot. Gerard McQuaid/Gary Quinlan finished 16th overall and 3rd in class 13. Christopher Brennan/Martin Hughes finished 43rd overall and 2nd in class 11F. Mickey & Ryan Brennan lost out on class 10 honours after a long delay on stage 8. They came home 54th overall and 3rd in class 10. Meanwhile a stage six delay cost Jason Black/Jack McKenna Junior class honours which dropped them to 3rd in class.

John Stone/Emmet Sherry, Wayne Feeley/Peter Farrell, Colette Rooney/Shane Farrell and Stefan McCann/John Hughes all failed to finish.
Border Navigation Championship Prizegiving
The Border Navigation Championship prizegiving takes place this Friday 26th May in the Squealing Pig Bar & Restaurant in Monaghan. Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes retained their title after a close battle during the season with Derek Mackarel & Muireann Hayes. Dinner commences at 8pm, all welcome.

Tommy Hughes Trophy

Congratulations to club member Brendan Flynn who was presented with the Tommy Hughes Memorial Award for commitment to Irish Motorsport by volunteers. Brendan has been a long time committee member of Monaghan Motor Club, co-ordinator of the Sligo Pallets Border Championship and involved in many events and committees throughout the country. He is a worthy recipient of this award.
Iontas Exhibition

The Iontas Theatre in Castleblayney is currently featuring the Monaghan Motor Club photographic exhibition in recognition of the club’s 60th anniversary. The extensive exhibition includes photographs and articles covering the foundation of the club in the late 1950s and chronicles the development and activities of the club and its members throughout the intervening decades up to the turn of the century. This is a special opportunity for those who have not yet seen this compelling work. The exhibition continues until 29th June. For details of opening hours check out http://www.iontascastleblayney.ie