Author: monaghanmotorclub

The Moffett brothers continued their impressive performances on the Irish Forestry Championship with a 1-2 finish on the Carrick-on-Suir Forestry Rally on Sunday last 12th February. Josh Moffett & Stephen Thornton came from behind to pip Sam Moffett & James Fulton by a margin of just 0.6 of a second! The Clontibret brothers were driving identical Ford Fiesta R5s. The six stage event included the classic Gurteen forestry complex.

Sam & navigator James Fulton held the lead for the first four stages but a mistake on stage five dropped them to 2nd place, 6.3 seconds off younger brother Josh & navigator Stephen Thornton. A storming drive through the final stages saw Sam take 5.7 seconds back but they just missed out on the win by 0.6 of a second. Multiple British Champion, Keith Cronin with Mickie Galvin on the notes finished 3rd overall in their first event in a Fiesta. They were 21 seconds adrift.

Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips finished 14th overall and 2nd in class 13 in their Escort. Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan O’Kane had been holding a top 10 position before a long delay on stage five dropped them to 22nd overall and 3rd in class. Derek Mackarel/Muireann Hayes, who had travelled down from the Midland Navigation Trial the previous night, had been charging hard in their Nova and comfortably leading the Junior class until their retirement on stage four.

Carrick-on-Suir Forestry Rally Top Ten

1 Josh Moffett/Stephen Thornton (Fiesta R5) 42m 48.5s,
2 Sam Moffett/James Fulton (Fiesta R5) 42m 49.1s,
3 Keith Cronin/Mikie Galvin (Fiesta R5) 43m 10s,
4 Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan (Fabia R5) 43m 22s,
5 Marty McCormack/David Moynihan (Fabia R5) 43m 26s,
6 Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Corolla WRC) 44m 21s,
7 Pat O’Connell/Mark Wiley (Lancer Evo 9) 45m 45s,
8 Jonny Leonard/Niall Burns (Lancer Evo) 47m 17s,
9 Gerard Lucey/J J Cremin (Lancer Evo 8) 47m 36s,
10 Martin Cairns/Anthony Nestor (Fiesta WRC) 47m 39s.

Midland Navigation Trial

Colin Duffy & Sam Johnston took overall honours in the Ballinalee-based Midland Navigation Trial. The local men negotiated the 80 mile route without dropping a single penalty. National Championship leaders, Derek Mackarel & Muireann Hayes took 2nd overall on six penalties with Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan completing the top three.

COC Evin Hughes and ACOC Pakie Duffy laid out an enjoyable route consisting mostly of tarmac roads with the rare grassy lane. The top four crews cleaned the first half in the section between Ballinalee & Aghnacliff. The remainder of the event was based in the Arvagh & Ballinamuck areas. The sting in the tail was from TP25 – TP31 which included six of the plot & bash timepoints. Tulips, Herringbones & Traces were all used causing confusion for many. Duffy/Johnston were unstoppable through this section managing to keep a clean sheet. Mackarel/Hayes slotted into 2nd place with Cassidy/Phelan in 3rd with both crews dropping significant time penalties.

Mac Kierans/Conor Boylan were winners in the Semi-Expert class. Derek Butler/Andrew Wedlock took 2nd with Ted Gaffney/Karen Gaffney in 3rd. Novice class honours went to local men Shane Dalton/Robert Howard. Monaghan’s Aiden Sherry/Oisin Sherlock were 2nd with Peter Deery/David McCrudden 3rd. Andrew Gould/Trevor Cassidy took the Beginners class from the Ballybay crew of Aaron Dixon/Dylan Lennon, with Emmet McCooey/Christopher McMahon in 3rd.

Midland Navigation Trial Top Ten

1 Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 0 marks,
2 Derek Mackarel/Muireann Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 6m,
3 Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 11m,
4 Shane Dalton/Robert Howard (Subaru Impreza) 20m,
5 Mac Kierans/Conor Boylan (Subaru Impreza) 20m,
6 Aidan Sherry/Oisin Sherlock (Subaru Impreza) 28m,
7 Ray O’Neill/Stephen O’Neill (Subaru Impreza) 55m,
8 Keith McConnon/Micheal McCluskey (Subaru Impreza) 59m,
9 Peter Deery/David McCrudden (Subaru Impreza) 72m,
10 Trevor O’Callaghan/Patrick O’Leary (Subaru Impreza) 76m,

Autotest

Steven Ferguson was the outright winner of the Monaghan Motor Club Autotest based in Wright’s Quarry, Swan’s Cross. The result saw him clinch the Hewison Championship for a record seventh consecutive year. Paul Mooney finished a close 2nd with Guy Foster 3rd.

The club section of the event was won by Kieran McCarra who took a comfortable win from Martin Tynan. Ciaran Tynan, David McCrudden & Peter Deery completed the positions in the club class. COC Brendan Flynn would like to thank all the marshals for their help and to the Wright family for the use of their premises.

Monaghan Motor Club Autotest Top Ten

1 Steven Ferguson (Mini-Nova Special) 557.0s,
2 Paul Mooney (Mini-Nova Special) 559.4s,
3 Guy Foster (Mini Special) 576.4s,
4 David Thompson (Nova) 591.9s,
5 Ian White (Mini Special) 592.0s,
6 Darren Quille (Westfield) 607.6s,
7 Chris Grimes (Mini) 613.0s,
8 Tom Devaney (Westfield) 633.7s,
9 Norman Ferguson (Mini) 643.8s,
10 Liam Cashman (Westfield) 646.7s.

Pacenotes Stages Rally

Monaghan’s Martin Connolly guided Philip Allen, son of the late Glenn Allen, to a fine 8th overall on last Saturday’s Pacenotes Stages Rally based at Kirkistown. The event was the opening round of the Northern Ireland Rally Championship. Matthew McKenna guided Brian McFall to 22nd overall.

The 2017 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship got under way with the Galway International Rally last weekend. Monaghan crews again featured strongly in the R5 category and filled five of the top ten overall places. It was Sam Moffett & Karl Atkinson who led the Monaghan charge. They began an early battle with Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble over the opening loop with just 1.1 seconds between them after stage three. Josh Moffett/James Fulton were just six seconds back. All three were competing in R5 Fiestas.

Fisher/Noble steadily pulled away over the remaining stages on day 1, ending with a 29 seconds lead over Moffett/Atkinson. A stage five puncture dropped Josh Moffett/James Fulton outside the top 10 but they recovered to 8th overnight. Damien Connolly joined forces with Dublin’s Robert Barrable on their first rally in two years. They spent the day acclimatising to the car which wasn’t easy given the slippery nature of the stages. By the end of the day they were 5th overall and 3rd R5. Hot on their heels were Stephen Wright/Arthur Kierans in 6th place. Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan O’Kane in another R5 Fiesta rounded out the top 10.

Not so lucky were Dublin’s Aaron McHale with Ballinode’s Darragh Kelly on the notes as their event came to an end on stage 8. Andrew Grennan was sitting with Vivian Hamill in the National Rally. They were putting in a steady drive to hold 9th place. Barry McKenna/Leon Jordan & Darren O’Brien/Kaine Treanor were both forced to enter Rally 2 after retiring.

The final day featured six further stages. Moffett/Atkinson could make no further impression on Fisher/Noble on day two. They finished 30 seconds adrift to take 4th overall and secured 2nd place championship points. Barrable/Connolly were two minutes further back in 5th overall while Wright/Kierans and Moffett/Fulton followed home in 6th and 7th. Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan O’Kane finished 10th overall.

In the National Rally, Vivian Hamill/Andrew Grennan took 9th overall, Barry McKenna/Leon Jordan 32nd overall and 2nd in class 13 with Darren O’Brien/Kaine Treanor 34th overall.

GALWAY INTERNATIONAL RALLY TOP TEN:

1 Garry Jennings/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 40m 35s,
2 Roy White/James O’Brien (Ford Fiesta WRC) 1h 41m 34s,
3 Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 41m 43s,
4 Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 42m 13s,
5 Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 44m 23s,
6 Stephen Wright/Arthur Kierans (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 44m 37s,
7 Josh Moffett/James Fulton (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 45m 20s,
8 Joe McGonigle/Ciaran Geaney (Skoda Fabia R5) 1h 45m 21s,
9 Stephen McCann/Damien Fleming (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 48m 05s,
10 Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan O’Kane (Skoda Fabia R5) 1h 51m 16s.
Autotest

The annual Monaghan Motor Club Autotest takes place this weekend at Wright’s Quarry, Swans Cross. The event will have a class for club members as well as the Autotest regulars. COC Brendan Flynn requires a number of marshals for the day and anyone available to marshal should contact him.

Midland Navigation Trial

The National & Border Navigation Championships continue with the Midland Navigation Trial this Saturday night. The Stag’s Head in Ballinalee is the venue for the event which is being run by Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes. The event begins at 9.00pm.

Ballinode’s Shane Maguire & Aghabog’s Mac Kierans were crowned West Coast Rally Champions at last weekend’s Prizegiving. The series consisted of six events along the West Coast featuring events in Birr, Kerry, Limerick, Galway and Clare. The pair showed consistency and speed throughout the 2016 season to claim the championship for the second consecutive year. This is Shane’s 4th championship success following in the footsteps of his father, Niall, who is also a multiple winner.

Skibbereen Navigation Trial

The National Night Navigation Championship resumed with the 100 Isles Navigation Trial, organised by the Skibbereen club. A smaller than usual contingent of Monaghan crews made the trip to Co. Cork. Derek Mackarel piloted local woman Muireann Hayes to 2nd overall, strengthening their lead at the top of the National Championship points table. Reigning champions, Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes had a difficult run to 8th overall. Aiden Sherry/Oisin Sherlock were the only other crews to make the trip, taking 12th overall and 2nd in the Novice class.

The National Championship continues with the Midland Navigation Trial on 11th February.

Passing of Founding Member Des Cullen

It is with deep regret that we record the passing of one of the founding members of Co. Monaghan Motor Club, Mr Des Cullen. Des was a member of the original committee of the club. Des and his brother Jim competed in a variety of motorsport events in the 1950s and became friendly with both Kevin Sherry & Brendan Devine. Dublin-based Des was a true legend of Irish motorsport, competing successfully since 1950 on motorbikes and in cars in various disciplines of the sport. His biggest achievement was winning the 1961 Cork 20 Hour Rally and Holmpatrick Trophy Race. He maintained an interest in the club and returned to Monaghan to attend the 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner in 2006. We extend our condolences to the Cullen family on their sad loss.

There was a good attendance at the Annual General Meeting of Co. Monaghan Motor Club which was held in the Four Seasons Hotel on Friday 20th January 2017. Reports were presented by the Secretary Roisin Meenagh detailing club activities in 2016 and by Treasurer Cathal MacArtain, who presented a comprehensive report on the club’s finances.

The Chairman Paul Hughes, in a wide ranging address, thanked all who had helped and supported the club and its activities throughout 2016. It had been a special year as the club celebrated the 60th anniversary of its formation. Ronnie Hawe and Malcolm Totten received special mention for their work in organising the 60th Gala Dinner and display of memorabilia. The Chairman thanked the Hillgrove Hotel as main sponsor of the stages rally, all local sponsors, those who provided venues for events, as well as the residents and landowners along the routes of the events. He welcomed the Four Seasons Hotel on board as the main sponsor of the Monaghan Stages Rally for 2017.

It was another successful year for club members at both International and National level. The highlights were Josh Moffett winning the Billy Coleman Award as the Best Young Rally Driver of 2016 and Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden winning the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship. Other notable successes were Shane Maguire and Mac Kierans, winners of the West Coast Rally Championship, Ciaran McPhillips, winning navigator in the South East Stages Championship and winner of the 2 wheel drive category with Mickey Conlon in the National Forestry Championship. The Navigation championships were dominated by Pakie Duffy and Evin Hughes, who won the National and Border series.

The Chairman paid tribute to the work of outgoing Club Secretary Roisin Meenagh and outgoing Event Secretary Gary Hall. There was an urgent need for new volunteers to take up these and other roles within the club and he appealed to all club members to consider how each could contribute to sharing the workload.

In conclusion, the Chairman confirmed that he would not be going forward for re-election to the role and announced that he was supporting the nomination of the current Vice-Chairman Conor Maguire as Chairman for 2017. There being no other nominations, Conor Maguire was duly elected. The new chairman then thanked Paul for his long-serving contribution to the club and expressed the wish that this would continue.

The election of officers for 2017 resulted as follows:
Chairman: Conor Maguire, Vice-Chairman: TBA, Club Secretary: Paul Hughes, Event Secretary: TBA, Treasurer: Cathal MacArtain, Ast, Treasuer: Brendan Flynn, PRO: Evin Hughes, Registrar: Ronnie Hawe.
Committee: Kerry Stevenson, Thomas Treanor, Eoghan Corr, Shane Maguire, Michael Sheridan, Garry Farrelly, Ciaran Tynan, Fintan Keenan, Damien Hagan, Fintan Clerkin and James McCarville.

National Rally Championship Launch

The 2017 Triton National Rally Championship was launched at the Glen Royal Hotel in Maynooth last Saturday. The championship will again consist of eight events starting in Nenagh in February and ending in Bantry in October visiting all four provinces along the way. Our own Monaghan Stages Rally will be the third round of the series.

Defending champions Roy White & James O’Brien announced their intention to defend the title. He will be amongst four other former champions likely to contest the series. The others being Declan Boyle, Donagh Kelly, Peader Hurson & three time champion Niall Maguire. The championship gets under way with Birr Motor Club’s Nenagh based event on Sunday February 26th.

The rounds, venues and dates of the 2017 Triton Showers National Rally Championship are as follows:

1. Nenagh Stages Rally February 26
2. Midland Stages Rally March 26
3. Monaghan Stages Rally April 23
4. Circuit of Munster Rally June 4
5. Raven’s Rock Rally June 25
6. Sligo Stages Rally July 9
7. Galway Summer Rally August 27
8. Fastnet Rally, Bantry October 29

​The Navigation Trial scheduled for 7th January has been postponed on the advice of Motorsport Ireland. It is hoped to agree an alternative date for this event as soon as possible”.