Author: monaghanmotorclub

There is just over one week to go until Monaghan’s biggest annual sporting event, the Monaghan Stages Rally. The event is one of the most popular and competitive events in the Irish sporting calendar and 2017 is set to be another Monaghan epic. The Triton National Rally Championship returns this year alongside the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship. Josh Moffett has taken the last two Monaghan wins but will face serious opposition in the pursuit of a hat-trick.

 

It’s all new for 2017 with Thomas Treanor taking over the reigns as Clerk of the Course from Brendan Flynn who has served as COC for the last three years. We also return to the Four Seasons Hotel for the first time since 1995 and we thank Frank McKenna and his team for welcoming us back with open arms. Three challenging new stages have been selected in the Stranooden, Scotshouse and Smithborough areas which are sure to be both challenging and enjoyable. Each will be completed three times.

 

The rally has been dominated by local drivers in recent years with the Moffett brothers Sam & Josh splitting the last four wins between them. Josh, who has Stephen Thornton due to navigate, faces a serious battle to complete a hat-trick of Monaghan wins. This feat has only been completed once before by Niall Maguire between 1998 and 2000. His main opposition will be his brother Sam. Sam has dominated the opening two rounds of the Triton National Rally Championship and will be determined to end Josh’s three in a row bid as Josh did to him back in 2015!

 

Another top competitor is Donegal’s Donagh Kelly and his Ballinode navigator Conor Foley. This pair recently won the West Cork Rally and are former National & Tarmac Champions. Their 2 litre Focus WRC might have the edge over the fast Monaghan Stages. They will be aiming to become only the second non-Monaghan crew since 2003 to win the rally.

 

Other top entries so far include Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble, who will be using the event as a shakedown for the Killarney Rally of the Lakes, and Aghabog’s Stephen Wright & Arthur Kierans who also compete in a Fiesta R5. Seven times winner Niall Maguire returns once again for his home event with four time winner Enda Sherry on the notes. Maybe this pair can get the best out of their Subaru and take it to their rivals!

 

Entries are still flooding in for the event with around 100 received so far. Aiden Wray, Shane Maguire & Paul Barrett are the leading Group N entries to date while Adrian Hetherington, Maurice Moffett, Vivian Hamill, John Bonner, Damien Gallagher and Raymond Conlon are amongst a very competitive two wheel drive field. Entries remain open with plenty of room for a few late surprises which could put a spanner in the works.

 

The action gets under way at 11.00am on Sunday 23^rd April where competitors leave the Four Seasons Hotel for the opening loop of stages. Service once again takes place in the Courthouse Car Park after stages 3 and 6. The first car is due back at the Four Seasons Hotel for 5.30pm where the 2017 Monaghan Stages Rally winner will be crowned!

 

 

 

Moffetts on Moonraker Podium

 

Round 2 of the 2017 Irish Forestry Rally Championship took place last weekend with the Ballyvourney, Co. Cork-based Moonraker Forestry Rally. The eight stage event attracted a strong entry and Monaghan crews were once again well represented. Josh Moffett returned from the Azores rally and took the wheel of his brother Sam’s Fiesta R5 as his own car made its way back home. Sam drove the ‘Family’ Fiesta WRC instead, which he has used to win the opening two rounds of the Irish National Rally Championship.

 

After eight stages, Josh and navigator Stephen Thornton secured a strong 2^nd overall place behind multiple British Champion Keith Cronin. Sam who had James Fulton on the notes claimed 3^rd overall just 4.3 seconds behind his younger brother. American-based Barry McKenna debuted a Mini WRC on this event. He and Donegal navigator Leon Jordan finished 10^th overall and 1^st in class. Michael Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips had to settle for the runner-up spot in the two wheel drive race, coming home 14^th overall and 2^nd in class 13. Derek Mackarel’s disappointing start to the year in the woods continued with another non-finish.

 

 

 

 

 

The Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan town was the place to be last Friday 31^st March, where the 2017 Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally was officially launched. The huge crowd of rally enthusiasts that attended were treated to a programme of varied attractions.

First up was a display of rally cars outside the hotel ranging from the humble clubman specification to the all-powerful WRC cars. The evening commenced inside the spacious hotel with club member and local DJ/MC Sean McCaffrey interviewing some of the organising team.

New Clerk of the Course Thomas Treanor welcomed all and provided some insight into the characteristics of the stages that have been selected for this year’s rally, which takes place on Sunday 23^rd April. New club chairman Conor Maguire thanked everyone for their attendance and he made particular mention of the support received from Frank McKenna and his team at the Four Seasons Hotel, who are the main sponsors of the rally this year.

A number of leading drivers and co-drivers then participated in an open forum with MC Sean McCaffrey leading the show. The proceedings were streamed live to Facebook and can be accessed through the official Monaghan Motor Club Facebook page. The evening concluded with a film show featuring many of the previous Monaghan stages rallies.

 

Moffett Lights Up The Azores

2016 Billy Coleman Award Winner Josh Moffett got his European Rally Championship (ERC) campaign off to a superb start with an amazing 3^rd overall on the Azores Rally. The ERC Junior series sees competitors under the age of 28 competing in R5 cars counting four scores out of six in events all across Europe. Josh finished in 2^nd place in this category. The Clontibret man was joined by Cavan’s James Fulton in the Navigators seat. Josh had previously competed on this event in 2015, which features some spectacular stages overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Josh made a solid start to the gravel-based event, surviving an early spin to finish the opening leg in 10^th position. They made steady progress on day two moving up to 6^th place. Stage 14 was to be a dramatic one as local ace Ricardo Moura went out of second place and Jan Cerny dropped out of 4^th while under pressure from Moffett. This promoted Josh to a brilliant 3^rd overall. Their next planned event in this series is the Rally Islas Canaries on the 4th and 5th of May.

Circuit of Kerry Rally

 Anthony Hand & Peter Deery were the sole Monaghan representatives on last weekend’s Circuit of Kerry Rally. They brought their Escort home to a fine 11^th overall and 1^st in class 11R.

 

 

Sam Moffett continued his superb start to the 2017 Triton National Rally Championship with another start to finish victory on the Midland Stages Rally on Sunday last 26^th March. The Longford-based event consisted of nine stages in the West Longford area. Karl Atkinson joined Sam for this event and the pair put in another stunning performance, setting fastest times on every stage to finish over a minute clear of their nearest rivals.

 

The writing was on the wall from the opening stage when Moffett/Atkinson were seven seconds quicker than their nearest rivals. After three stages they were already 33 seconds clear. On Stage 4, Declan Boyle was just 0.1 second slower but that was as close as anyone got to them all day. Moffett/Atkinson had a steady run through to the finish whilst their rivals hit problems. Championship rival, Declan Boyle crashed out of 2^nd place on Stage 7 while Manus Kelly/Gareth Doherty dropped from 2^nd to 3^rd after a spin. In the end, reigning National Champions Roy White/James O’Brien claimed 2^nd overall. They finished 1 minute 9 seconds behind the charging Moffett. Kelly/Doherty completed the podium.

 

Triple National Champion, Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry finished a steady 4^th. Their only issues during the day were having the wrong compound tyre fitted for the opening loop. Andrew Grennan guided Adrian Hetherington to a fine 5^th overall and victory in the Modified Section. This was some consolation after a disappointing retirement in Cork on the previous weekend. Shane Maguire/Darragh Kelly brought their Lancer home to 11^th overall and 3^rd in the Group N category. Emmet Sherry teamed up with Tommy O’Connell in their Escort. They came home 16^th overall and 3^rd in class 13.

 

Jonathan Treanor/Adrian Foley took a dominant win in the Junior Category. They again set scintillating stage times which would have had them on the fringes of the top 10 overall once again. Jack McKenna guided Jason Black to 3^rd Junior in their Starlet. Martin Doherty/Paul Sheridan, Barry Treanor/Colm Connolly and Brendan Keenan/Sean Lynch all failed to finish.

 

The next round of the Championship is the Monaghan Stages Rally on April 23^rd where Sam Moffett will be determined to make it three wins from three on his home patch.

 

Midland Stages Rally Top 10

1 Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Fiesta WRC) 58m 05s,
2 Roy White/James O’Brien (Fiesta WRC) 59m 15s,
3 Manus Kelly/Gareth Doherty (Impreza WRC) 59m 36s,
4 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 60m 20s,
5 Adrian Hetherington/Andrew Grennan (Escort) 62m 00s,
6 Brian Brogan/Damien McGettigan (Escort) 62m 56s,
7 Gary McNamee/Dean O’Sullivan (Civic) 63m 41s,
8 David Guest/Paddy Robinson (Lancer Evo 9) 64m 08s,
9 Neil Tohill/Gerard Tohill (Lancer Evo 9) 64m 12s,
10 Barry Morris/Declan Campbell (Escort) 64m 48s.

 

 

Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally Launch

 

Sunday 23^rd April is the date for the 2017 Monaghan Stages Rally. The rally moves to new headquarters this year in the Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan town, which hosts the rally for the first time since 1994. The Hotel has hosted the Endurance Trial for the last number of years.

 

The official launch will take place on this Friday 31^st March in the Four Seasons Hotel at 8pm.

Clerk of the Course Thomas Treanor is planning to host a Rally Forum with plenty of DVD’s and rally cars on display. There will also be a raffle for a free entry among those present on the night.

 

The event is a counting round of the Triton National Rally Championship and Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship and is sure to attract a strong entry. Regulations and Entry forms are available from the club website. More information will be available in the coming weeks.

 

 

Ballinode’s Conor Foley collected another Tarmac Championship victory as he guided Donegal’s Donagh Kelly to overall victory on last weekend’s West Cork Rally. This was Kelly’s 4^th straight win on the Clonakilty-based event. It was the second round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and attracted the usual R5 brigade. Josh Moffett, guided by James Fulton, claimed 2^nd place and top championship points with his brother Sam finishing 4^th overall.

 

Kelly/Foley set the pace from the off taking advantage of their WRC car compared to the lesser powered R5 machinery. Sam Moffett, continuing his fine form from Birr, slotted into an early 2^nd place. Karl Atkinson was navigating on this occasion. The day concluded with a rare night stage, where fog was an added challenge. Overnight Kelly/Foley were over 30 seconds in the lead with Moffett/Atkinson in 2^nd place. Monaghan’s Damien Connolly was navigating for Robert Barrable. The pair gave the Hyundai I30 R5 its Irish debut. They didn’t take long to settle into their new car and held 3^rd overnight just 14 seconds off Moffett. Josh Moffett/James Fulton were just five seconds back in their Fiesta. Stephen Wright/Arthur Kierans held a steady 6^th place.

 

The race on day 2 was between Barrable/Connolly and Moffett/Fulton for 3^rd place. The gap was down to just two seconds when major drama happened on Stage 13. This stage certainly was a case of ‘unlucky 13’ as three of the top six crews all clipped a rock puncturing tyres. Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson missed out on top championship points having to stop and change the wheel. Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly suffered the same fate but a broken brake disc meant they were unable to continue. Stephen Wright/Arthur Kierans were also forced to retire after hitting the same rock.

 

Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley avoided all the drama to ease home to a 1min 16 sec win. Josh Moffett/James Fulton profited most to climb to 2^nd place securing top points for the Irish Tarmac Championship. Alaister Fisher/Gordon Noble took 3^rd with Moffett/Atkinson a disappointed 4^th. Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan O’Kane finished in 7^th place while Darragh Kelly guided Aaron McHale to 8^th overall. Pauric Duffy/Kevin Glynn finished 9^th. This meant that there was a Monaghan man in six of the top 9 finishers.

 

There was small number of Monaghan crews in the National rally. Maurice Moffett/Martin Connolly were in 20^th place until their event came to an end on the ‘unlucky’ Stage 13. Andrew Grennan switched to navigating for Adrian Hetherington this weekend. They were a strong 3^rd overall overnight but retired on Sunday’s opening stage. Barry McKenna/Emmet Sherry & James McCarville/Michael Gibney also retired here. McCarville/Gibney had been leading class 11R at that point.

 

West Cork Rally Top Ten

 

1 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC) 1h 55m 35s,
2 Josh Moffett/James Fulton (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 57m 20s,
3 Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 57m 43s,
4 Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 59m 06s,
5 Joe McGonigle/Ciaran Geaney (Skoda Fabia R5) 2h 01m 51s,
6 Tomas Davies/Eurig Davies (Ford Fiesta R5) 2h 02m 32s,
7 Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan O’Kane (Skoda Fabia R5) 2h 03m 16s,
8 Aaron MacHale/Darragh Kelly (Citroen DS3 R5) 2h 06m 16s,
9 Pauric Duffy/Kevin Glynn (Ford Fiesta R5) 2h 06m 34s,
10 David Guest/Paddy Robinson (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 2h 08m 36s.

 

The Tarmac Championship continues with the Killarney Rally of the Lakes on the May Bank Holiday weekend.

 

 

Boylan/Kierans Take First Win as Duffy/Hughes Clinch National Title

 

 

Rockcorry was the venue for last weekend’s Monaghan Navigation Trial. The event was the final round of the National & Border Navigation Championships. COC Sean McCaffrey laid out a challenging 80 mile route taking crews from Aghabog to Lough Egish with multiple farm lanes and challenging roads along the way.

 

The National & Border Championships were down for decision between Derek Mackarel/Muireann Hayes & Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes. Plot & Bash at TP2 and TP4 would prove decisive. A clever switch of the approach and departure references for this timepoint caught out all but three crews including both championship hopefuls. Mac Kierans/Conor Boylan sorted the trick and dropped 1 penalty here. Beginner’s Andrew Gould/Trevor Cassidy and Conor Brannigan/Kyle Brannigan also correctly deciphered the trick which caught out every Expert and Novice crew.

 

The majority of the crews were down 15-20 penalties at this point. The next section of the event was fairly straight forward. More plot & bash was to come at V2 and TP28 which were both within a half a mile of each other on herringbone tulip diagram. All crews dropped time here with Kierans/Boylan remaining in a clear lead. Derek Mackarel/Muireann Hayes had climbed to 2^nd place just ahead of Duffy/Hughes but there was more drama at TP34 which was again on plot & bash. A wrong approach here dropped Mackarel/Hayes to 7^th.

 

When the results were counted it was Kierans/Boylan who were clear winners on 8 penalties. Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes finished in 2^nd on 24 penalties. This result was enough for them to retain their National Championship title. Aiden Sherry/Oisin Sherlock recorded their best result to date to take 3^rd overall and 1^st in the Novice class. They also won their class in the National Championship. Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan edged out Ashley McAdoo/Laurence Keenan for 4^th overall on a tie-break.

 

In the classes, Matt & Enda Hume won the Semi-Expert class. Mark Deery/Patrick O’Leary were 2^nd Novice with Colm Mohan/Conor Mohan 3^rd. Emmet McCooey/Christopher McMahon took victory in the Beginner’s class from Aaron Dixon/Dylan Lennon and Andrew Gould/Trevor Cassidy.

 

Results

1 Mac Kierans/Conor Boylan (Subaru Impreza) 9 marks,
2 Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 24m,
3 Aidan Sherry/Oisin Sherlock (Subaru Impreza) 32m,
4 Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 33m,
5 Ashley McAdoo/Laurence Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 33m,
6 Mark Deery/Patrick O’Leary (Subaru Impreza) 35m,
7 Derek Mackarel/Muireann Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 41m,
8 Keith McConnon/Micheal McCluskey (Subaru Impreza) 42m,
9 Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 49m,
10 Damien Treanor/Jonathan McGovern (Subaru Impreza) 55m,
11 Emmet McCooey/Christopher McMahon (Subaru Impreza) 60m,
12 Ray O’Neill/Stephen O’Neill (Subaru Impreza) 79m.

 

 

Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally Launch

 

The 2017 Monaghan Stages Rally is set for Sunday 23^rd April. The rally moves to new headquarters this year in the Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan town which hosts the rally for the first time since 1994. The Hotel has hosted the Endurance Trial for the last number of years.

 

The official launch will take place on Friday 31^st March in the Four Seasons Hotel at 8pm.

Clerk of the Course Thomas Treanor is planning to host a Rally Forum with plenty of DVD’s and rally cars on display. There will also be a raffle for a free entry among those present on the night.

 

The event is a counting round of the Triton National Rally Championship and Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship and is sure to attract a strong entry. Regulations and Entry forms are available from the club website. More information will be available in the coming weeks.

 

 

 

Australia-based Castleblayney man, Pauric Duffy, was the top Monaghan finisher on last weekend’s Mayo Stages Rally. Duffy had his usual navigator, Kevin Glynn, alongside. The pair got off to a fantastic start where they led early on but they dropped significant times on stages 3 & 4 which demoted them to 4^th place by the finish.

 

The five stage event was the opening round of the 2017 Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship. For the first time, the event was entirely based on the island of Achill. Duffy/Glynn set the early pace in their Fiesta R5 with fastest time on Stage 1 and they led by 6 seconds after stage two. Donegal’s Joseph McGonigle then mounted a charge to take the lead on stage 3 which he would hold until the finish. Duffy/Glynn had to settle for 4^th after their time loss on the second loop.

 

Mickey Conlon with new navigator, Martin Byrne, swapped the loose surfaces of the forests for Tarmac. The Castleblayney man finished 6^th overall and 1^st in class 13. Andrew Grennan guided Tyrone’s Vivian Hamill to 7^th overall and 2^nd in class 14 as they continue to build confidence following their big off in Donegal last year. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden got their Border title defence off to the perfect start with a brilliant run to 8^th overall and 1^st in class 11R.

 

Maurice Moffett/Jason McKenna made a welcome return to the stages and finished 10^th overall and 3^rd in class 14. Barry Treanor/Colm Connolly took 14^th overall and 3^rd in class 11R. Jack McKenna guided Jason Black to 18^th overall and victory in the Junior class in their Starlet. Mickey & Ryan Brennan finished 22^nd overall and 1^st in class 10 in their Nova. Johnny Treanor/Adrian Foley showed a great turn of speed early on and had been as high as 8^th overall in their 1600cc Civic but a long delay on stage four dropped them to 38^th overall and 3^rd in the Junior class at the finish.

 

Martin Doherty/Paul Sheridan retired from 6^th overall on stage three in their Escort. Adrian Cannon/Kaine Treanor and Jack Maguire/Andy Hayes also failed to finish. The Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship continues with our own Monaghan Stages Rally on April 23^rd.

 

Bishopscourt Stages Rally

 

The Northern Ireland Rally Championship continued with round 2, the Bishopscourt Stages Rally on Saturday last 11^th March. Peader Hurson debuted his new Fiesta WRC in the event with Scotstown’s Damien Connolly as usual in the navigator’s seat. They finished in a steady 6^th place. Ballinode’s Michael Carbin & Conor Mohan had a troubled run in their Lancer but made it home in 43^rd overall. The rally was won by current NI champion Derek McGarrity,co-driven by Nigel Magee.

 

Monaghan Navigation Trial

 

St. Mary’s Hall, Rockcorry is the venue for this weekend’s Monaghan Navigation Trial. COC Sean McCaffrey hopes to have an 80 mile route through the Mid-Monaghan area. The event is a counting round of the National, Border & Club Navigation Championships as well as the Trader’s Championship. First car away is at 9pm. Marshals are required for this event and those available to help should report to St. Mary’s Hall for 8pm.