Michael and Ciaran Tynan led the field home on Saturday night last after a mammoth Drumlin navigation Trial which lived up to its billing as one of the most demanding trials of the navigation season. Coc’s Noel Hall and Trevor Farrell along with Gary Hall and their team set out a route of over 100 miles and 50 timepoints which covered an area from Analore to Scotshouse, Treehoo Cross, Bunnoe, Drum, Rockcorry and Swanns Cross before arriving back to the Acorn Centre, Newbliss after almost five hours of competition.
Midlands men Colin Duffy and Sam Johnston led the event for the whole of the first half, managing to keep a clean sheet up to timepoint 25. Timepoint 16 was the first to claim some of the expert crews with a wrong approach on the cards as up to 17 of the starting 38 crews slotted in a lane too early for a wrong approach. Duffy and Johnston were to slip down the leader board at time point 25 where a wrong departure in a tricky farm yard cost them dearly. Incredibly only four crews managed to depart in the correct way and this would ultimately narrow the field down to a winner. After timepoint 25 it was a two horse race as Michael and Ciaran Tynan, along with Packie and Colin Duffy were both on four penalties but there was still a long way to go. Things went a little ward ward for the Tynan duo through the middle third , dropping a costly 7 minutes from tp 18 to 30 with the Duffy/Hughes pairing going into the lead, only dropping 3 minutes in the same section.
But through the last third of the event the Tynans managed to settle themselves and record a clean sheet to finish on 8 penalties with Duffy and Hughes dropping 3 more in the run for home to finish on 8 also but it was Michael and Ciaran’s win on a furthest cleanest ruling. Incredibly this was Michaels first Drumlin navigation victory in 31 years of trying as the pairing were second overall on three of the last four Drumlins.
The race for the traders trophy also went to the wire as Damien Connolly, driven by Fintan McGorman managed to take the slenderest of wins from Martin Tynan and Stephen Thornton. Prior to the event it was a two horse race with a winner takes all scenario but Connolly did just about enough to take the traders title, finishing in 6th overall on 29 penalties, with Martin Tynan and Stephen Thornton just behind in 7th overall and on 33 penalties. This is Connolly’s 2nd traders win in as many years.
Packie Duffy and Evin Hughes 2nd overall merited them the expert class win ahead of Colin Duffy and Sam Johnston with Richard Cassidy and Paul Phelan in 3rd, all in subaru’s. Ashley McAdoo and Laurence Keenan are the dominant force in the semi-expert class and once again had a good run through the Drumlins to finish 3rd overall and a another convincing class win. The Donegal/Cork pairing of Trevor McConnell and Eoghan McCarthy were 2nd semi followed by another Donegal/Cork Pairing of Bobby Sharkey and Muireann Hayes in 3rd.
The novice class was also a tight affair as the Cavan cousins Thomas and Andrew Wedlock held off stiff competition from Michael Carbin and Darragh Kelly to take a well deserved class win from Carbin
/Kelly. Derek Mackarel and Seamus McTigue paired up again and took 3rd in novice and 15th overall. On what is generally a tough night for the beginners class it was Donal McArdle and Alan Cullinan who persevered to take the class win ahead of Paddy and Oisin Sherlock in 2nd. Colm and Conor Mohan took third place crystal in the beginners class, and more importantly for all beginners the accolade of a drumlin navigation experience under their belts.
That’s the Drumlin done and dusted for another year, midlands motor club is next up on Saturday week, 22nd November with their first navigation trial of the season. Well done to all involved in running such a big event as the Drumlin and CoC Noel Hall would like to thank his organising team for all their help, too many to name along with all residents along the route, especially those who offered up their private lanes and property, all marshal’s who helped out on the night, Acorn Centre Hall committee, results teams and the tea ladies who all did a great job.
MOFFETT TAKES SECOND ON GLENS FORESTRY RALLY
A fantastic three way battle lay in store for the eager spectators in Derry today as the Glens Forestry Rally played host to the final round of the Valvoline Irish Forestry Rally Championship. Josh Moffett led the series coming into the event with Desi Henry and Owen Murphy also in contention for the win. With drop scores still to be taken into account it couldn’t have been closer! The event consists of two stages repeated three times with service after each loop being held at the event sponsors’ premises, the “River Ridge Recycling” complex in Ringsend.
It was Strabane’s Martin Cairns navigated by Peter Ward who set the pace on the opening 5.2km test in their Subaru Impreza S14 setting a time of 5:49.4 to lead the event from Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna who were 2.5 seconds behind in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. Rallying regular Kenny McKinstry and Noel were a further 0.2 seconds adrift in third in their S14 with championship contenders Desi Henry / Liam Moynihan and Owen Murphy / Anthony Nestor 3.7 seconds and 5.2 seconds off the lead respectively, both in Mitsubishi s.
Into the second stage and in was bad news for Cairns, a tough stage dropped the Northern Irishman to fourth overall. Desi Henry set a time of 7:28.6 to win the stage and take the lead of the event. Moffett trailed in second but only by a mere 0.3 seconds with McKinstry in fourth 3.6 seconds off the lead. In Group N it was Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly in their Evo IX who held an eleven second lead over Colm McFall and Paddy McCrudden in a similar machine.
Forestry Rally regulars Marty McKenna and Martin McGarrity were involved a frightening off on stage 2 but thankfully the crew escaped with minor injuries.
After the break and it was Josh Moffett who went on the attack snatching the lead from Desi Henry who lay just 1.7 seconds behind in second with the recovering Martin Cairns in third 5.8 seconds behind. However on stage four Henry retook the lead by winning stage four setting a time 8.2 seconds faster than Moffett who was 5.7 seconds behind in second. McKinstry was third with Owen Murphy moving up to fourth, another tough stage for Cairns had dropped him to fifth.
Heading into the final service it was Sam Moffett who lead Group N by 22.6 seconds from Niall Henry and John Rowan. The last two stages saw Desi Henry maintain his lead to win the Glens Forestry Rally by 5.9 seconds from Josh Moffett. Martin Cairns recovered from his early dramas to take third. McKinstry took fourth while Owen Murphy took fifth which, with drop scores taken into account, was enough to seal the Valvoline Irish Forestry Rally Championship.
Sam Moffett took the Group N win while Shane McGirr was able to hold off the charge of Frank Kelly to win the modified section by a mere 0.3 of a second. Andrew Greenan navigated Seamus O’Connell to second in class 5A in an Escort.
Josh will now swiftly change his focus to his WRC debut on the final round of the championship this weekend, Wales Rally GB.
- Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan 38:08.0
- Josh Moffett/Jason McKenna +5.9
- Martin Cairns/Peter Ward +41.0
- Kenny McKinstry/Noel Orr +43.2
- Owen Murphy/Anthony Nestor +53.5
Monaghan Motor Club Night of Champions
Monaghan Motor Club will host their annual night of champions awards dinner dance on Friday night, 5th December in the Hillgrove Hotel so keep it free! More details to follow.
MCKENNA AIMS FOR JWRC SEASON IN 2015
The 2014 British Rally Champion Daniel McKenna has set his sights high for his 2015 season by announcing he is aiming to tackle the Junior World Rally Championship next year. The 2012 Billy Coleman Award winner says he wants to aim big for the next stage of his rallying career.
Speaking last week the Monaghan man has said he has spent the last few months trying to secure the funding to attack the JWRC next year. “I’ve been working very hard over the last while talking to people and trying to convince them to back me for the championship next year. It would be a fantastic challenge to compete against some of the best young talent in the world. Securing the funding is going to be my main focus for the next few months.
When you look at the likes of Keith Cronin, Robert Barrable and Alastair Fisher you can see that the level of funding required can be sourced and there are people out there willing to back you. I just have to try and convince them now.”
The BRC champion was speaking ahead of the final round of the World Rally Championship, Wales Rally GB, which he and Arthur Kierans are to compete in. “It’s important to put in a good performance in Wales as a good result could prove important for our 2015 plans. We’ll be on the attack.”
McKenna will compete in Wales in the Citroen DS3 he and Arthur Kierans win the BRC title in and the Monaghan man is feeling confident he can put in a performance. ” We haven’t been able to have a pre-event test but I’m very happy with my gravel set up for the car, we managed to perfect it on the gravel rounds in the BRC this year. We are going to give the car a hard run on the shakedown before the event to make sure it’s just right. Arthur and I will be going over the notes from the last year and DVD ahead of the recce at the start of next week just to make sure we are totally prepared so we can have a clear mind for the event itself. ”
Speaking about his preparation for the event McKenna says he has learned from last year and is ready to attack the rally. “Last year when we did the event our preparation was very rushed as we weren’t guaranteed the entry until we knew we had the Pirelli Star Driver Award so we were caught off guard with certain things on the event but we got through it in the end, this time we are going into the event in a better place mentally so our confidence is higher.”
So with a round of the World Rally Championship on the horizon and some exciting plans on the horizon McKenna will be a busy man ” I’ve been working hard over the last couple of months and I’ll have to work as hard over the next few months to try and get the funding in place. We have a number of fall back plans in place just in case we don’t secure enough funding for the JWRC. It’s an important point in my career and I’ll be doing everything I can to progress in the right direction.
KERRY MINI STAGES
Well done to David Smyth who took third in class 11R with Leitrim’s Johnny Rooney on the notes in their Corolla.
County Monaghan Motor Club 