Author: monaghanmotorclub

Please be advise that Club AGM has been rescheduled to January 25th same venue same time. This was deemed to be a more preferable for many club members as original schedule meeting clashed with Cavan Motor Club event. We apologise for any inconvience and look forwrad to seeing you on the 25th. 

This Saturday night, 1st December 2012 see’s Monaghan Motor Club host their annual awards ceremony and ladies night. Following on from last years success this is sure to be a night not to missed as we honour all of our award winners throughout our eight events during 2012 as well as Gary Nesbitt navigation championship winners and our 2012 traders club champion, Andy Mackarel. Once again there will be a special emphasis on the ladies, all of whom are the unsung heroes of our sport. MC for the night is our very own club member and mister Northern Sound himself, Sean McCaffery. Dinner will be served at 8pm sharp with awards ceremony and disco following afterwards.

Club navigation points will be available on website shortly at http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net

There will be spot prizes galore and all members are asked to support with tickets readily available from all committee members. Hope to see you there!

 

Midlands Night Navigation Trial

Midlands Motor Club held the first of their two night navigation trials on Saturday night last. Drumlish, Co. Longford was the venue and in keeping with tradition it was a frosty night in the Midlands. Coc was Colin Duffy, who along with Sam Johnston and their team laid on a tight, intricate route which caused major problems for all competitors. Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins continued on from their Drumlin win with a convincing victory, 144 penalties off their nearest rivals. Michael and Ciaran Tynan were 2nd after a disappointing result on the Drumlin with Joe & Greg Shinnors from Cork taking 3rd over-all and picking up a valuable points haul towards their National campaign.

Crews were under severe pressure as early as time point 5 with a plot and bash section through one of the many bog lanes, dropping a minimum of 3 penalties. Time points 6 and 7 were on trace plot and bash and once again the terrain left many crews floundering as it became apparent that time points would have to be skipped. By time point 7 the route had passed over some lanes three times with convoys of cars on the same lanes heading to their various time points. By tp20,  which was at the now infamous Fearglass chapel only 4 crews managed to navigate the

anticlockwise tulip to the time point without incurring wrong approach or double visit penalties. By petrol halt it was Andy and Liam already well out in front on 19penalties from the Shinnors brothers in 2nd on 41 penalties. Local men Packie Duffy and Nigel McCloughry were in 3rd overall at the petrol halt in Drumlish.

Anything the first half lacked, the second half certainly made up for it with lanes coming thick and fast once again, and proving impossible to meet the times. Only two crews within the 31 starters managed to make tp34 and 35, albeit with some considerable time lost and through the next 6 time points to the end it was a case of get whatever time points you can! A huge sigh of relief to get to the end of this demanding event which saw 11 non-finishers from 31 starters! Andy and Liam were out on their own on this event which leaves them with two wins from two in the Border Championship. Michael and Ciaran Tynan were best of the rest and had to skip an incredible 10 time points throughout the night but it paid off with 2nd overall and an expert class win. The Shinnors brothers were forced to skip 10 time points alone through the 2nd half but once again their perseverance paid off with 3rd overall and 2nd expert. 3rd expert went to Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall.

Locals Packie Duffy and Nigel McCloughry won the closely fought semi expert class ahead of Ashley McAdoo and Francis Keenan. Ciaran Coyle and Kevin Gallagher had done enough to secure 3rd, despite being off and having to skip 5 time points in a row to get back on time. On a tough night for novice and beginners there was only 3 crews to finish in the novice class as Arthur and Mac Kierans lifted the winners trophy. Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin, who were seeded No.1 on the road following their recent results in the National had a troubled night and skipped the entire 2nd half but made the controls and took 2nd novice. Eoghan Corr and Brendan Treanor were 3rd novice, only 2 penalties off Tynan/Clerkin. Local Roscommon men Gerry Kelly and Seamus McTigue were sure to find the going tough also but were convincing winners of the beginners class. Peter and Shane Farrell were 2nd beginners ahead of Shane Sorohan and James Canning.

So that’s it for the first half of the navigation season, indeed the second half will be much more intense with 4 rounds of the Border series within 7 weeks and 6 navigations including the national series within 8 weeks.

 

MIDLAND M C NAVIGATION TRIAL TOP 12

1/ Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 121marks

2/ Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 265m

3/ Joe Shinnors Jnr/Greg Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) 295m

4/ Pakie Duffy/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Impreza) 317m

5/ Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 320m

6/ Ashley McAdoo/Francis Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 332m

7/ Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 344m

8/ Gerry Kelly/Seamus McTigue (Subaru Impreza) 367m

9/ Ciaran Coyle/Kevin Gallagher (Subaru Impreza) 372m

10/ Arthur Kierans/Macartan Kierans (Toyota Celica) 374m

11/ Sean McKenna/Garry Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 419m

12/ Johnny Kenneally/Ken Carmody (Subaru Impreza) 427m

 

Donegal Mini Stages Rally

Well done to Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly who were 4th overall on last weekends Donegal Mini Stages Rally and won the Group N class. Sam had been 2nd fastest on the opening test but the local men’s knowledge seems to have been a major factor as they were relegated to 4th throughout the remaining 5 stages. The event was won by local man Martin Doherty and Damien McCauley in and EVO9 ahead of the entertaining Declan Gallagher and Ronan Murrin in the class 13 starlet with Columba Henna and Ryan Moore 3rd o/a in their twin cam.

Other locals to make the trip include Patrick Brides navigating for Gareth McMonagle to finish 3rd in class 11 in their civic. Jonny Treanor was in the navigators seat with Simon Devlin in a class 11 twin cam and finished 36th overall.

 

DONEGAL M C CLOSED MINI STAGES TOP 5

1 Martin Doherty/Damien McCauley (Lancer Evo 9) 43m 26s,

2 Declan Gallagher/Ronan Murrin (Starlet) 43m 54s,

3 Columba Heena/Ryan Moore (Corolla) 43m 59s,

4 Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (Lancer Evo 9) 44m 06s,

5 Stuart Darcy/Eamonn Walsh (Lancer Evo 6) 44m 21s,

Saturday night, 1st December 2012 will see Monaghan Motor Club host their annual awards ceremony and ladies night. Following on from last years success this is sure to be a night not to missed as we honour all of our award winners throughout our eight events during 2012 as well as Gary Nesbitt navigation championship winners and our 2012 traders club champion, Andy Mackarel. Once again there will be a special emphasis on the ladies, all of whom are the unsung heroes of our sport. MC for the night is our very own club member and mister Northern Sound himself, Sean McCaffery. Dinner will be served at 8pm sharp with awards ceremony and disco following afterwards. Club navigation points will be available on website shortly at http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net There will be spot prizes galore and all members are asked to support with tickets readily available from all committee members. Hope to see you there!

 

Dunlop National Rally Championship Awards Night

Hudson Bay Hotel, Athlone was the venue for the 2012 Dunlop National Rally Championship Awards Night on Saturday night last. Following a fantastic dinner the awards ceremony was held with numerous locals up to collect their awards.  This years championship was a close fought battle and ended with the Cork pairing of Brian O’Mahoney and John Higgins lifting the Dunlop title for 2012. 2nd overall went to Kerry men Thomas Fitzmaurice and Fionn Foley. Monaghan’s Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry finished the series in 3rd overall after a very consistent year for the Ballinode men. Frank Kelly and Liam Brennan won the two-wheel-drive category in their now infamous baby blue Mark II escort. The limerick/Cork pairing of Colm Murphy and Don Mongomery lifted the group N national title for 2012.

In the class awards Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity ended a fine year with 2nd in group N. 2012 also saw Shane take an overall win on the Sligo Stages Rally. Josh Moffatt and Domhall Lennon’s troubled year ended on a high as they claimed 3rd in group N on the National Championship. Michael Carbin had a memorable year also, taking the trusty Peugeot 205 to a class 10 win in this years Dunlop National Championship. This coupled with a class win in the top part championship and 3rd in the border championship is a great reflection of Michael’s year. Cavan’s Patrick Kiernan and Darren O’Brien were 3rd in class 10. Class 11 was also well represented with locals as James McCarville took an outright class win in the navigators section, whilst is driver Ryan Loughran was 2nd. Seamus Connolly and Gary McCrudden ended their year on a high taking 3rd in class 11 in the twin cam. This crew surely seemed to enjoy their season, taking every opportunity to entertain the spectators along the way! Baileboro’s Jonathan Pringle and Martin Byrne lifted the class 13 title after a string of good results in this years championship. Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor finished 2012 on a high also, finishing 2nd in class 14 in the Dunlop Championship.

 

Upcoming Events  

Best of luck to all local crews heading for Drumlish, Co. Longford this Saturday night to contest the fourth round of the National Night Navigation Championship. This is also the second counting round of the Squealing Pig Border Navigation Championship. Donegal Closed Mini Stages Rally is also on this weekend with a number of locals on the entry list. Full reports next week. Don’t forget Monaghan Motor Club annual awards ceremony and ladies night on Saturday week, 1st December in Hillgrove Hotel at 8pm sharp. Book your tickets early!

Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins notched up another Drumlin night navigation win on Saturday night last with a three penalty winning margin over the novice pairing of Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin. CoC Sean McCaffery laid on a challenging 120 mile route covering a wide area surrounding Latton,  Ballybay and into the outskirts of Monaghan town. A near full entry of 48 starters left the Latton GFC complex at 9.30pm to tackle this marathon event. Time point 9 was the first of three on plot and bash which saw all but 14 crews missing the time point completely, missing their slot right and ending up at the next time point only 100 yards further up the road. It was more or less plain sailing from there up to mid point petrol halt as Ashley McAdoo and Francis Keenan were clear leaders on a clean sheet. Next up at mid point were Andy and Liam, down 1 penalty with Daniel McKenna and Stephen Hagan 3rd on 2 penalties. Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly were leading the semi-experts ahead of Donegal’s Ciaran Coyle and Kevin Gallagher. The novice class was very close throughout the night with Arthur and Mac Kierans tied with Tynan/Keenan at midpoint and lying 4th o/a. Its fair to say the beginners would always struggle on this marathon Drumlin event but Jonathan Treanor and Seamus McTigue were on the ball and lying 6th overall, only down 5 penalties through the first half with Trevor O’Connell and Ruaidhri Nash in 2nd beginner.

            The second half of the event headed east from Monaghan town towards Clontibret and things started to tighten up considerably with a number of plot and bash sections proving difficult for most competitors. Time points 26 & 27 were in the Scotch Corner area with only 2 crews managing to get both time points without time penalties. The second of these tp’s was a quick spin through Maurice Moffatt Engineering premises with numerous double visit penalties incurred. Time points 28 to 40 saw the event move South of Ballybay with lanes coming thick and fast and the odd farmyard for good measure. Tp’s 41 & 42 were also tulip diagram plot and bash sections with only 1 crew managing to clean it and numerous wrong approaches to tp42.

            First car was back in Latton at approx 2.45pm after a long night and the soup and sambo’s were well earned by all competitors. With results taking some time to verify it finished up with Andy and Liam taking the overall win which in turn resulted in Andy Mackarel being crowned 2012 Monaghan Motor Club traders champion. Andy and Liam also win the 2012 Gary Nesbitt club Navigation championship. Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin had a fabulous run all night to finish in 2nd over-all and indeed could of had the win but for a plot and bash section being scrubbed. This result promotes them to the head of the National Navigation leader board after 3 rounds. Donegal men Ciaran Coyle and Kevin Gallagher were the only other crew to incur time penalties which was good enough for 3rd o/a.

            With Mackarel/Higgins taking the overall win, Daniel McKenna and Stephen Hagan received 1st expert award ahead of the ever trying Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall in 2nd with Richard Cassidy and Paul Phealan 3rd expert. Coyle/Gallagher were 1st semi-experts ahead of Ashley McAdoo and Francis Keenan who had led at mid-point. 3rd semi-experts were Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly with two wrong approaches costing them dearly. Tynan/Clerkin were miles ahead on the night in the novice class with Arthur and Mac Kierans 2nd which was enough to give the Aghabog duo a novice class win in the Gary Nesbitt club championship. 3rd novice on the night went to Donegal’s Paul Reid and Ciaran Geaney. Andrew Stewart and Robert Howard brought their 205 home to a beginners class win ahead of Cathal McKenna and Darragh Kelly in 2nd. Derek Mackarel’s navigation skills are rapidly improving as Noel Lappin drove him to 3rd beginner on only his 2nd event.

            So thats it from the Drumlin for another year, well done to Sean Mc Caffery as CoC and Martin McGuigan along with their many helpers. Sean would like to thank his entire team for their help, Latton GFC for there ideal facilities, residents, marshals, results teams and everybody who helped out in any small way.

            As this was the final round of 2012 club navigation championship, all competitors are asked to keep an eye out on club website over next fortnight for final results and please make the effort to support our annual awards ceremony where all navigation awards will be presented on Saturday 1st December in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan.

 

Co. Monaghan MC Drumlin Navigation Trial Top 12

1/ Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 5 marks

2/ Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 8m

3/ Ciaran Coyle/Kevin Gallagher (Subaru Impreza) 11m

4/ Daniel McKenna/Stephen Hagan (Subaru Impreza) 20m

5/ Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 23m,

6/ Ashley McAdoo/Francis Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 39m

7/ Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 39m

8/ Sean McKenna/Garry Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 42m

9/ Patrick Connolly/Daire Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 43m

10/ Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 48m

11/ Mickey Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 52m

12/ Johnny Kenneally/Ken Carmody (Subaru Impreza) 62m

 

Monaghan Motor Club Annual Awards Ceremony and Ladies Night

Saturday night, 1st December 2012 will see Monaghan Motor Club host their annual awards ceremony and ladies night. Following on from last years success this is sure to be a great night as we honour all of our award winners throughout our eight events during 2012 as well as navigation championship winners and our 2012 traders club champion, Andy Mackarel. Once again there will be a special emphasis on the ladies, most of whom are the unsung heroes of our sport. There will be spot prizes galore and all members are asked to support with tickets available from committee members.

 

Gerry McNamara Award

This perpetual cup will be awarded at Monaghan Motor Clubs annual awards ceremony in the Hillgrove Hotel on Saturday 1st December. All club members are urged to nominate a person for the Gerry MacNamara Memorial Award for 2012. The award is presented to a person who consistently works for the club or for motorsport in general. Competitors are eligible for the award but it will not be presented for event results. We would encourage you all to contribute by recognising those who work for the good of the club. Please send your nomination with your reason for the nomination to Malcolm Totten before Friday 16th November. Malcolm can be contacted at: totten@eircom.net

 

Arthur & Mac Kierans have created history by becoming the first crew to win successive overall titles in the Border Rally Championship. The Monaghan father and son team have been the dominant force in class 12 for the past two years. This year, three class wins and one 2^nd place finish proved enough for them to retain the title.

 

The Sligo Pallets-sponsored Championship was well supported at each round once again, demonstrating its position as the leading clubman championship in the country. No fewer than 10 competitors were still in contention for overall honours entering the final round of the series in Donegal, indicating the competitiveness that the unique class-based structure brings to the championship. Despite late problems, Arthur and Mac successfully retained the title with a 2^nd place finish in class 12 in Donegal just one second behind the winners. The Monaghan pair were pushed all the way as Class 9 frontrunner Barry McGill, was always in close contention and finished as the 2^nd overall driver after a strong run of results in his class. Paddy McCrudden finished as 2^nd overall navigator after a consistent season in class 2 with his driver, Adrian Cannon. Pakie Duffy’s consistency in class 3 paid off as he finished 3^rd overall driver, whilst Championship sponsor Andrew Mullen finished 1^st in class 4 and navigator Elaine Doherty was the 3^rd overall navigator.

 

The year was also tinged with sadness following the deaths of Joe Lane and Caroline Cleary while spectating at the Cavan Stages Rally. The event was immediately cancelled as a mark of respect to the deceased, the injured and their families. Both Joe and Caroline were well known and respected within the rallying community and they are greatly missed.

 

The battles for class honours were intense throughout the year with the majority of classes only decided on the final round.

 

Class 2:           1^st Driver        Adrian Cannon         1^st Navigator  Dean O’Sullivan

 

Adrian Cannon/Paddy McCrudden made a statement of intent by taking class honours in Mayo as they took a start to finish victory from Pauric McGee/Dean O’Sullivan. Both were driving Honda Civics. Cannon/McCrudden continued their winnings way on Round 2 in Monaghan but they were pushed all the way by Stephen Bradley/Graham Henderson.  In Sligo, they had to settle for 2^nd place as Pauric McGee/Dean O’Sullivan edged them out by just 5 seconds. David Kelleher/Noel O’Donnell took a handsome win on a one-off outing in Donegal. In the Championship, it was Adrian Cannon who secured the class 2 win, while navigator Paddy McCrudden finished 2^nd overall navigator. This promoted Dean O’Sullivan to 1^st navigator in the class.

 

Class 3:           1^st Driver        Johnny Leonard        1^st Navigator  Dermot McCafferty

 

Dara Leonard/Matthew McKenna took victory in class 3 in Mayo in their Ford Fiesta ST. In Monaghan, Donegal’s Mark Ewing/Rachel McConnan came out on top after a close battle with Pakie Duffy/Micheal Reilly. However, Duffy/Reilly got their revenge by emerging victorious in Sligo. In Donegal, Declan Leonard/Dermot McCafferty flew through to class honours from the similar Fiesta of Darragh Kelly/Gerry Hughes. With Pakie Duffy moving up to 3^rd overall, Johnny Leonard had just enough points to top the driver’s standings while Dermot McCafferty’s top placing in Donegal earned him the top navigator’s position.

 

Class 4:           1^st Driver        Andrew Mullen         1^st Navigator  Martin McGarritty

 

Championship sponsors Andrew Mullen & Elaine Doherty had an excellent year taking two top three overall finishes as well as some other useful results which proved enough for Andrew to top the Drivers in class 4, while Elaine was 3^rd overall navigator. Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan took the class win in Mayo before moving up to class 8 from Monaghan on. Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly took class honours in Monaghan from Shane Maguire/Martin McGarritty. Andrew Mullen/Elaine Doherty were top of the pile in Newry, while Maguire/McGarritty took not only the class win in Sligo but also first overall after a titanic battle with Trevor & Kenny Bustard. Local men Martin Doherty/Damien McCauley secured class victory in Donegal from Strabane’s Pat Kirk/Peter Ward. Despite a non-finish in Donegal, Martin McGarritty had enough points in the bag to finish as the top class 4 navigator.

 

Class 6:           1^st Driver        Liam Branley             1^st Navigator  Samantha Branley

 

Regular Border campaigners, Liam & Samantha Branley claimed victory in class 6 thanks to an excellent finishing record. Joe McGonigle/Ciaran Geaney opened the season with back to back class wins in Mayo & Monaghan, before moving up to class 7. Ian Henry/Colin Goulden won the class in Sligo but the Branley’s 2^nd place all but secured the class for them in the championship. Steve Wood/Johnny Baird claimed class honours in Donegal, but no one was happier than Border class 6 champions Liam & Samantha Branley who had done enough to clinch the class title.

 

Class 7:           1^st Driver        Roger Kennedy         1^st Navigator  Wendy Blackledge

 

Roger Kennedy put another Border class trophy on the mantelpiece as he and regular navigator Wendy Blackledge triumphed in class 7. A couple of class winners at the beginning of the year put them on course for Championship success. Despite a non-finish in Sligo, a 2^nd place in Donegal secured them the title. John Duffy/John Egan and Joe McGonigle/Ciaran Geaney also took class 7 wins in Sligo & Donegal respectively.

 

Class 9:           1^st Driver        Justin Smyth              1^st Navigator  Gregory McQuillan

 

One of the biggest battles of the year was in class 9 between Justin Smyth/Gregory McQuillan and Barry McGill/Derek Heena. Barry & Derek came out on top in Mayo after a daylong battle and along with stand-in navigator Paul Clarke, McGill made it two wins from two rounds in Monaghan. Smyth/McQuillan got their revenge with a dominant class win in Sligo. A 3^rd place class finish in Donegal was enough for them to secure class honours, while Barry McGill moved up to finish 2^nd overall in the driver’s section.

 

Class 10:         1^st Driver        Patrick Kiernan        1^st Navigator  Darren O’Brien

 

There was plenty of excitement in class 10 too, as Cavan newcomers Patrick Kiernan/Darren O’Brien emerged as the class 10 champions. Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes took the class win in Mayo from Martin Ewing/James Ewing in a similar Peugeot 205. In Monaghan, Kiernan/O’Brien opened their account with victory from the previous year’s Border runners-up, Aaron McQuaid/Aiden Coyle. Martin & James Ewing profited from an early off road excursion for Kiernan/O’Brien to take a home class win in Sligo. Kiernan/O’Brien wrapped up the championship with another class win in Donegal from the hard charging Barry Treanor/Colm Connolly after the Ewings retired.

 

Class 11:         1^st Driver        Seamus Connolly       1^st Navigator  Gary McCrudden

 

Monaghan duo Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden secured the class 11 title. Starting off in Mayo, Anthony Hand & Emmet Sherry took the class 11 win but that would be their only outing of the year. In Monaghan, Johno Doogan & Padraig Doogan won the class despite numerous problems. By Sligo, Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden had moved into the class lead in the series after a fine class win. Despite a problematic run in Donegal, they had done enough to clinch the class 11 title. Dessie Keenan/James McCarville, on a one-off appearance, were the dominant class 11 winners on the day.

 

Class 12:         1^st Driver        Hugh McQuaid          1^st Navigator  Chris Melly

 

Arthur & Mac Kierans dominated class 12 en route to their overall championship success. Behind them, Hugh McQuaid/Chris Melly were promoted to class winners after a consistent year, with 3^rd in class in Monaghan being their best result. Arthur & Mac Kierans took class honours in Mayo, Monaghan and Sligo, but Enda Haran/Patrick Corcoran snatched the class 12 win in Donegal by just 1 second after late problems hit the Monaghan pair. This crew had previously finished 2^nd in class in Sligo and could emerge as real challengers to the Kierans’s next year.

 

Class 13:         1^st Driver        Daniel Conaghan      1^st Navigator  Terence McGee

 

Regular border competitors, Daniel Conaghan & Terence McGee secured victory in the ultra-competitve class 13. The importance of consistent finishing was once again evident, as despite not winning the class on any round, their results were still sufficient to take the class in the championship. Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne took victory in Mayo, before Kieran McCarra/Colm Murphy took victory in Monaghan after setting some amazing stage times. Alaister Cochrane/Johnny Carleston took the class win in Sligo from Conaghan/McGee before Declan Gallagher/Ronan Murrin rounded off the year with the class win in their home round of Donegal.

 

Class 15:         1^st Driver        David Leonard         

 

Sligo’s David Leonard was the Class 15 winner in his Mitsubishi Lancer despite a troubled year with retirements in Mayo & Sligo and a problematic run in Monaghan. Roy White/James O’Brien won the class in Mayo, Jim Sharp/Stephen Hagan won in Monaghan and William Vance/Bob Vance were victorious in Donegal.

 

The success of the 2012 Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship with over 150 competitors registering this year continues to highlight the popularity of the championship as it grows from strength to strength. The 2013 Championship will consist of five events in Mayo, Monaghan, Cavan, Sligo and Donegal with competitors counting their best four scores. Can the Kierans’s complete a hat trick or will we have first time winners of the Border Rally Championship in 2013?