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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?

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. At the Sligo Pallets Border Championship awards ceremony in the Sligo Park Hotel on Saturday night last, Arthur and Mac thanked everybody who made it possible for them to retain their title this year. The Monaghan pair were pushed all the way as Class 9 frontrunner Barry McGill from Donegal, 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. It was a double celebration for Arthur as he recently won 1st overall navigator in this years Valvoline Irish Forestry Championship with driver Colin Britton who finished 2nd overall.

            There were many local class winners in this years championship and a full report on this years championship and class award recipients can be viewed in an extensive report, compiled by championship PRO Evin Hughes on Monaghan website http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net. Well done to all local’s who participated in this years championship and thankfully it was announced at the awards ceremony that Sligo Pallets will continue their sponsorship for another 3 year term.

 

Drumlin Navigation Trial

All roads lead to Latton GFC centre this Saturday night as Monaghan Motor Club host their annual Drumlin night navigation trial. CoC for the event is Sean McCaffery and as always help is badly needed so all intending marshals are requested to be in Latton for 8.00pm latest. This years drumlin is the third counting round of the national night navigation championship following rounds in Birr and Cork. It is also the opening round of the Squealing Pig Border navigation championship. However, and maybe more importantly for some it is the final counting round of this years club traders championship and Gary Nesbitt club navigation championship.

            Andy Mackarel has a 16 point lead in the traders championship but can still be mathematically caught by either Daniel McKenna or Damian Connolly. For this to happen Andy would have to have a non-finish and both contenders would need to win the drumlin. Maybe a long shot but in this infamous Drumlin event, anything can happen.  The Gary Nesbitt club navigation championship is a much closer affair however with a number of contenders still in with a big shout. Andy Mackarel has a 12 point lead over Donegal’s Gary McElhinney with Michael Carbin, Sean McKenna and Michael Tynan all in with an outside chance should Andy fail to finish. The navigators section is much tighter as Damian Connolly has a two point lead over Liam Higgins and both navigators are sure to be contending for the overall event win so all is to play for.

            The class awards are also far from decided with no more than 3 points separating any of the top three in any class from expert to beginners. Saturday night is surely not going to be for the faint hearted as Sean McCaffery and his team have laid on a challenging 110 mile route with route card 1 published at 7pm and route card two at 8pm with first car away at 9.30pm. Keep an eye on club website for further information and full report next week. 

 

Cork Startrek Navigation Trial

Two Monaghan crews made the long journey South to contest the Cork startrek navigation trial on Saturday night last with mixed fortunes. Richard Cassidy and Paul Phelans night was over, almost before it began with a broken drive as early as the first time point. Not for the first time Richards determination saw him get a new drive shaft fitted on the roadside and they continued with the event having only dropped five time points. This ultimately cost them dearly at the finish as they finished 20th overall. Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin had better luck however and finished in 6th overall as they continued their good start to this years national navigation championship.

            The event was won by Cork natives Dermot Whelton and Barry O’Sullivan with David Beamish and Daire Hayes in second. 3rd overall also stayed within Cork as Johnny Keneally and Ken Carmody had a 2 penalty win from Gerard O’Connell and Denis O’Donovan.

 

Donegal Navigation Trial

Monaghan novice navigator Fintan Clerkin made a very worthwhile trip to Donegal recently as he navigated Donegal man Paul Reid to 1st overall in Donegal’s Lottie Reid navigation trial. This tough event saw 18 starters and it was Reid/Clerkin who managed to figure out the many plot and bash sections first to take a 3penalty win from Dermot McGroarty and Eamon Doherty. Paul Doherty and Ciaran Coyle were 3rd ahead of Monaghan October navigation winners Gary McElhinney and Damian Connolly. Macartan Kierans also made the trip Northwest worthwhile with a novice class win, navigating for Donegal driver James Greenan.

 

Glens of Antrim Forestry Rally

Gary Jennings is the new Valvoline Forestry Rally Champion after he finished ninth overall (and fifth of the Valvoline registered crews) on the recent Glens of Antrim Rally. However this doesn’t tell the full story. Arthur Kierans has made it a year to remember as he has been crowned champion forestry navigator following a successful year in the navigator’s seat with Colin Britton. Prior to this event it was a 4-way tussle for the championship although Jenning’s did hold the upper hand when dropped rounds were taken into account. Vincent & Jp McAree’s day was short lived with an off road excursion to end their title hope’s on the first stage. Vincent and Jp’s good overall results through the early rounds meant they had still done enough to finish 3rd on this years Valvoline Forestry championship. Stephen and Suzanne Wrights consistent year paid off when they finished fourth on the day and fourth in this years championship after some great results. Paul Sheridan won class 6 in this years championship along with driver Enda McNulty after finishing 6th overall in this event. Colin Britton and Arthur Kierans finished seventh on the day which consolidated his 2nd overall in this years championship but with Gary Jennings not having a regular navigator throughout the series, Arthur Kierans was promoted to 1st overall navigator. A tremendous feat considering he also lifted the 2012 Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship title.

            The event was won by NI rally champion Derek Mc Garrity in a Subaru S14 WRC. Second place was claimed by Martin Cairns in a Subaru WRC ahead of the Mini WRC of Derek Mc Geehan with Monaghans Damian Connolly on the notes. Josh Moffatt and Jason McKenna finished a tremendous 7th overall and won the battle of the Moffatts ahead of Sam and James O’Reilly who finished 11th. David Smith and Austin Hamill got their EVO back on all fours and finished 41st overall. This event also saw the return of Robert Moffatt to the rally scene in an EVO 9. Robert along with Ciaran McPhillips on the notes had a troubled day but set some credible times through the early stages.

 

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

Birr MC Navigation Trial ends in a Tie

Birr Motor Club’s night navigation trial on Saturday night last signalled the start of this years National night navigation championship. Running from the Co. Tipperary town of Nenagh and with Eoin Longworth as CoC it was sure to be a challenging event. Although the first half was to be cut short at the last minute it was still a good event by all accounts. At the finish it ended in a tie as both expert crews of Joe/Greg Shinnors and Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston finished on 1 penalty which they both dropped at the same time point in a similar spec car! 3rd overall also was a tie-breaker but was separated by semi-experts over expert ruling and went to the midlands crews of Pakie Duffy and Nigel McCloughry.

There were three Monaghan crews who made the trip to Tipp with Richard Cassidy driving the veteran navigation man Paul Phelan to 4th overall and winning the expert class award on the night. Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin continued their good start to the year with 6th overall and 2nd in novice class, just 1 penalty off the class win. Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly finished up in 3rd semi-expert. Next round is Monaghan’s Drumlin Navigation Trial on 10th November and CoC Sean McCaffery requests as much help as possible on the night and would urge all marshal’s available to contact him or any committee member asap.

 

BIRR  MC NAVIGATION TRIAL TOP 10

1 (tie) Joe Shinnors Jnr/Greg Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) & Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 1 mark,

3 Pakie Duffy/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Impreza) 5m,

4 Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 5m,

5 David Forde/Sean Henehan (Subaru Legacy) 7m,

6 Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 8m,

7 Trevor O’Callaghan/Iarla McCarthy (Vauxhall Vectra) 11m,

8 David Beamish/Daire Hayes (Toyota Carina) 11m,

9 Andrew Stewart/Robert Howard (Peugeot 205) 12m,

10 Sean Daly/Niall Murphy (BMW 318) 19m,

 

Glens of Antrim Rally

Best of luck to all local travelling competitors on this weekends Glens of Antrim Rally which is the final round of this years Valvoline Forestry Rally Championship. With one round to go its all to play for as three of the top four crews have Monaghan connections. As things stand, Stephen and Suzanne Wright are top of the leader board with Arthur Kierans who is navigating for Colin Britton in 2nd. Vincent and JP McAree are in 3rd overall with one round to go. The in-form Gary Jennings is in 4th at present but following this weekends event and taking dropped scores into account its very tight and all is to play for in the Antrim Forests.

 

Dates to Remember

Busy few weeks coming up in local rally circles so just a few dates to keep in mind. Saturday 3rd November, Sligo Pallets Border Rally prize giving in Sligo Park Hotel. Saturday 3rd November, Valvoline Forestry Championship prize giving in Clonmel Park Hotel. Saturday 10th November, Monaghan MC Drumlin Night Navigation Trial in Latton. Saturday 17th November, Dunlop National Rally Championship prize giving in Hudson Bay Hotel, Athlone. Saturday 24th November, Midlands MC Night Navigation Trial in Drumlish. Saturday 1st December, Monaghan Motor Clubs Annual Dinner Dance and Awards Ceremony in Hillgrove Hotel.

 

Sympathy

Monaghan Motor Club wishes to express its deepest sympathy to the Conlon family, Castleblaney on the passing of Mickey Conlons (MC Blinds) father, Michael senior.

All roads led to Donegal town last weekend for the final rounds of the 2012 Dunlop National and Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championships. With both the National and Border Championships still up for grabs and a bumper entry list this was sure to be an action packed event. Gary Jennings and Neil Doherty were number one seeds, the first of nine WRC cars to start the event and lived up to their billing as they led from start to finish in their Subaru Impreza. Local cousins Declan and Brian Boyle finished in 2^nd overall on their second event in a WRC spec machine and were almost two minutes ahead of their nearest rivals. Cork’s Brian O’Mahoney and John Higgins were 3^rd overall and despite a few scares throughout the day this result mean’s they lifted the Dunlop National Rally title for 2012.   Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry were on a great pace all day and finished in 4^th overall and won class 8. They also won the Sligo Pallets Drive of the day award for their efforts. Kerry men Thomas Fitzmaurice and Fionn Foley were the third crew in contention for the National title but had to settle for 5^th overall in Donegal.

            Donegal man Declan Gallagher was first in the two wheel drive category in a class 13 starlet with Camillus Bradley 2^nd twd in his class 14 escort. Dessie Keenan and James McCarville had a fantastic drive through the tricky Donegal Stages and were easily the entertainers of the day in a class 11 escort. Dessie hasn’t rallied competitvley on tarmac in over two years and to bring this class 11 escort home to 10^th overall amongst strong opposition was a tremendous feat. Frank Kelly and Liam Brennan had a somewhat subdued day by their high standards and finished 12^th overall and 2^nd class 14. Frank and Liam were counting themselves lucky as they were in the scenery on stage 4, but got back on track with the help of spectators and went on to claim the 2012 rally.ie two wheel drive title. Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle and Martin Byrne had another good run to finish 3^rd in class 13 in their immaculate escort. Emmett Sherry was navigating for the ultra quick Damian McCarthey in a class 11 civic but despite their best efforts they simply couldn’t reel in the hard charging Keenan and McCarville and had to settle for 2^nd in class and 15^th overall.

            Arthur and Macartan Kierans claimed their second Border Rally Title in as many years with a measured drive to finish in 18^th overall. Despite a few moments early on Arthur and Mac held their nerve through the narrow Donegal lanes and with three previous class wins under their belts a 2^nd in class on this occasion ensured the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Trophey stays in Aghabog for another year.

            Michael Conlon and Darragh Mullan were on a steady pace throughout the day and finished in 24^th overall in the MC Blinds escort. Class 10 was a tight battle throughout the day as Barry and Jonathan Treanor were early leaders on the opening loop but a big moment on stage 4 saw them drop back to 2^nd in class, which they held on to for the remainder of the day. Cavan’s Patrick Kiernan and Darren O’Brien won class 10 as Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes were forced into retirement in their 205 while in contention for class honours. Maudabawns Damian O’Reilly and Damian McCabe were winners in the highly competitive class 9 ahead of Donegal men Barry McGill and Derek Heena who co-incidentally finished 2^nd overall in the Border Championship. 3^rd class 9 went to Justin Smyth and Gregory McQuillan who had a troubled day despite leading class 9 early on. The Lisnalong crew were forced to stop on stage as a fuel line became dislodged and had it not been for the help of fellow crews in lending them petrol for the final stage Justin and Gregory may have been forced into retirement. 

            Gary McPhillips was sporting the ex-Declan Boyle escort in Donegal and along with his Newbliss navigator Sean Mc Phillips finished 5^th in class. They were forced to stop on stage with manifold issues, which cost them almost seven minutes dropping them well down the leaderboard. Sean was navigating for Gary by merit of buying the navigators seat at an auction in aid of the Jack and Jill foundation almost two years ago and enjoyed his day in Donegal despite their mechanical problems. Martin Donnolly and Paul Sheridan finished 6^th in class 4 and may have encountered problems along the way. Michael Carroll and Martin Connolly finished 2^nd in class 3 in a fiesta.

            Josh Moffatt and John Rowan continued their bad run of luck in recent events as they were forced into retirement as were Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity with gearbox issues. Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor’s day ended spectacurely with a visit to the scenery, whilst Seamus Connolly and Gary McCrudden’s good run of results came to an end with what sounded like a broken manifold. David Smyth and Mark Deery also failed to make the finish in their class 11 twin cam.

            The historic Rally was won by Donal Connolly in an escort with Philip Kibbon 2^nd in a cortina and Andrew Harvey 3^rd in a sunbeam. The junior rally was a titanic battle as Honda civic’s took the top 5 places. Bernard Foley had an 11 second winning margin from Kevin Mc Laughlin with Damien Boyle 3^rd, 5 seconds further adrift.

            So that’s it for the National and Border Championships for 2012. Well done to Arthur and Mac on retaining the Border title. Also well done to Niall and Enda for pushing the National Championship to the wire and also congratulations to all local crews who picked up class awards in this years championships. Keep free Saturday 3^rd November for Sligo Pallets Border Championship prize giving in Sligo Park Hotel and also the Dunlop National prize giving is on Saturday 17^th November in Hudson Bay Hotel, Athlone.

 

DONEGAL MC HARVEST STAGES RALLY TOP 10

1/ Garry Jennings/Neil Doherty (Impreza WRC) 78m 06s

2/ Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Impreza WRC) 78m 17s

3/ Brian O’Mahony/John Higgins (Impreza WRC) 80m 06s

4/ Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 80m 11s

5/ Thomas Fitzmaurice/Fionn Foley (Impreza WRC) 80m 45s

6/ Kevin Kelleher/John McCafferty (Impreza WRC) 81m 32s

7/ Declan Gallagher/Ronan Murrin (Starlet) 82m 42s

8/ Martin Doherty/Damien McCauley (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 83m 25s

9/ Camillus Bradley/Crawford Henderson (Escort) 83m 50s

10/ Dessie Keenan/James McCarville (Escort) 83m 55s

 

GSMC Mini Stages Rally

Garda Siochana Motor Club hosted the final round of the Midlands East Rally Championship on Sunday last. The County Wicklow town of Baltinglass was a hub of activity with 75 starters crossing the start ramp for this popular six-stage event. Frank Kelly made the quick dash from Donegal where he competed the day before to take a memorable win with navigator Martin Brady.

The slippery Wicklow roads made Franks win all the more special, ahead of a trio of Evos as Eugene Meegan and Brian Sharkey finished 2^nd overall, 53seconds adrift. Number 1 seed’s Danial Barry and Gordan Noble were aiming to make it three wins in a row but had to settle for 3^rd overall on this occasion.

                 As always there were a number of local crews in contention as Damian Connolly navigated Liam Bowhan to 7^th overall and a class 13 win in the ultra quick starlet. Incidentally Lloyd Hutchinson had an incredible run to finish in 6^th overall in his now infamous class 9 Austin mini. Jonathan Treanor also made to overnight trip from Donegal to navigate for midlands east championship leader Adrian Cannon and they had a perfect run to finish 18^th overall and take the class 2 victory in a civic. This result ensured Adrian Cannon lifted the Midlands East title for 2012.

                 Paddy O’Reilly and Jim Casey took their escort G5 to the slippey Wicklow roads and finished 4^th in class 13 and 28^th overall. Barry McKenna and Daragh Mullan were seeded 11^th in the New Holland Agri Escort but unfortunately they left their luck at home with an off road excursion on stage 1 to end their day. Patrick Connolly and Stefan McCann also failed to finish in their class 4 impreza as did John Kelly and Niall Kelly in their class 10 twin cam.

 

Sympathy

Monaghan Motor Club wishes to express its deepest sympathy to the Hagan family, Threemilehouse on the recent passing of Vincent Hagan. Vincent is survived by his wife Madge and sons Damian, Paul and Stephen

 Club member Enda Sherry is realising he is living the Irish rallying dream, as the Ballinode co-driver and his driver Darren Gass have been crowned 2012 Irish Tarmac Rally Champions. Along with the title comes history in the making, as Enda becomes the first ever Monaghan man to score victory on the international championship, the duo’s Subaru Impreza S10 ran without fault all season.
           The opening round of the year brought the crews to the Galway international rally back in February and Darren and Enda entered the event as somewhat underdogs, the opening loop of stages saw them close to the leaders in fourth place and with a good push over the middle loop they jumped into second place, a momentous push on the last loop saw the fight go between the Gass car and multiple tarmac champion Eugene Donnelly, Gass held a healthy 16 second lead over the chasing pack, however Donnelly showed his capabilities by taking 15 seconds back to allow Darren and Enda to take their first victory and into the bargain Enda claimed the first ever international victory for a Monaghan man.

The next round of the championship saw the contender’s head to the Circuit of Ireland a counting round of the internationally renowned irc European championship. The Gass team entered the event buoyed by their Galway result and their times reflected this as they set numerous fastest times to lead the event, a position they held to the end with a winning margin of one minute twenty seven seconds.

 The third counting round was the Killarney rally of the lakes an event which Darren hadn’t personally contested before, a steady approach saw the duo take a healthy second place behind a hard charging Daragh O’Riordan it was this result which really strengthened their title bid.

 Round four brought the crews to Donegal and with it a battle royal the opening day brought its dramas, The Gass crew where languishing in tenth place after the opening day and their main championship rival Garry Jennings commanded from the front of the rally. However in a never say die spirit Darren and Enda never gave up and battled with tooth and nail to climb back up the leader board as high as they possibly could over the remaining two days. Eventually Jennings was awarded victory and Gass climbed to a creditable fifth place and with it a haul of points to keep the championship dream alive.

The penultimate round of the championship was staged on the lanes and roads of the Ulster Rally, With the championship now at a crucial stage it was evident that the title race was basically down to the crews of Jennings or Gass, the scene was set for an epic battle. On this occasion it was Gass who proved to be the pacesetter and really stepped up to the mark setting a string of fastest times with Derek McGarrity and Garry Jennings both breathing down his neck it was nail biting to say the least. Eventually the picture became clear it was to be Gass and Sherry’s names to be etched on the winners trophy having led from the outset it was possibly the sweetest victory yet as they now had one hand on that elusive tarmac championship crown.

 The final counting round took place at the weekend on the Cork ’20’ rally and with the championship basically now a two horse race between Darren Gass and Garry Jennings it was looking to be a scintillating finish to the season as it was a scriptwriters dream, unfortunately for Jennings the dream was over before the event began as a last minute problem to source a suitable car for the event ditched his hopes of any title bid, and with it a jubilant Gass and Enda Sherry crossed the start ramp as 2012 Irish Tarmac Champions something which obviously delighted them beyond their wildest dreams. They continued on in the event however their one and only mechanical failure came on the final round when the power steering failed on the car and they where forced to retire, they where very mindful this could have painted a very different picture to the title, and the end of the rally they both thanked the organisers of the championship and the individual rally organisers, all the sponsors and every one of their families, friends and supporters for their help encouragement and belief every step of the way. Its a new chapter for the boys something they will cherish for ever