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 Monaghans infamous Drumlin night navigation trial was the place to be on Saturday night last as a full entry of 50 starters faced the 110-mile route through the drumlin hills of North Monaghan. Sean Mac Dermotts GAA centre in Threemilehouse was the ideal venue as CoC Stephen Thornton and Garreth Beagan laid on fabulous route to test man and machine to the max. Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes had an almost faultless night to take the event win on a total of 9 penalties. In doing so they also clinched the Gary Nesbitt club navigation championship from Michael and Ciaran Tynan, both crews finishing on the same points but 2 event wins for Carbin and Hughes give them the outright win. For Michael Carbin it was double success as he lifted the traders club championship trophy for the first time. 2^nd over-all on the night went to the Tynan’s finishing on 13 marks. Any other night 2^nd over-all on the drumlin would be a great result but not this time as they missed out on the traders and gary nesbitt championships by the slenderest of margins. Kevin Keenan and Barry Garvey had an excellent run to take 3^rd over-all on the night on 15 marks, although their car had some battle scares to prove how hard they were trying.

            The first 10 time points of the event were fairly straightforward although an inviting lane to time point 4 caught out 26crews for a wrong approach. Time points 11 and 12 also caused some confusion for a lot of crews. Known locally as Corr’s lane, a slot right between two turkey houses and then a lane round the farm to 12 saw all but 5 crews drop time. Time points 13 to 20 were in the Aghabog area with absolutely no time for error, even the slightest slip up would surely result in dropped minutes. Tp 21 & 22 was plot and bash sections with muddy and flooded lanes coming thick and fast. Event winners Carbin and Hughes only dropped a single minute through this section, as did Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall leaving them joint leaders at petrol halt. Kevin Keenan and Barry Garvey were on 2 pens and leading the semi experts ahead of midlands men Packie and Colin Duffy. Arthur and Macartan Kierans were using their local knowledge to great effect as they were also on 2 penalties and 3^rd over-all at mid point. Midlands men Shane Dalton and Michael Reilly were streets ahead in the beginners class by mid point on 38 penalties. Expert crew of Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins were forced into retirement at mid point with a burst fuel tank.

            The second half of the trial snaked Southwards again from Monaghan to the outskirts of Ballybay and then west towards Aghabog and Corcaghan. If the first half of the trial lacked anything, then the second half surely made up for it. Lane after lane mean’t the times were very hard to make up. Tp’s 32 and 33 saw all crews dropping time, the same lane being used twice with two different departures. There was always going to be a sting in the tail on this event as tp 40 to 42 were all plot and bash sections. The approach to tp 39 was very tricky as miss your slot right deemed you inside 50 yards of the time point and the reward was 15 for a wrong approach or 30 for double visit penalties. The following plot and bash sections could only be described as going “round the world for a short cut”. A lot of thought went into this by the CoC’s as 3 of the time points plotted within a quarter of a mile of each other, while two more time points on the approach roads left figuring out the route very difficult. With precious minutes ticking away it eventually became apparent that two lanes had to be traversed three times each just to make the time points in the correct order without going through other time points which were all within close proximity. All sounds very confusing and indeed it was even for the experts but all that remained was to get the time points without any more time delays. Event winners Carbin and Hughes were now first on the road and dropped 6 minutes through this section while the Tynan’s dropped 7 and with the short run back to Threemilehouse they finished 1^st and 2^nd respectively. Keenan and Garvey dropped a massive 12 penalties from tp’s 38 to 43 but still did enough to hold onto a well deserved 3^rd over-all.

            Arthur and Macartan Kierans rounded off a great months rallying with 4^th over-all, a great result considering Mac is only on the maps for less than a year. A wrong approach to tp39 meant they could have been 2^nd over-all but nevertheless a great result for the Aghabog men. Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall rounded off the top 5 on 33 penalties and 2^nd expert, another victim of the approach to tp 39. Donegal brothers Rory and Ciaran Coyle took 3^rd expert on 39 pens. Keenan and Garvey took the semi-expert class win with Packie and Colin Duffy 2^nd, Colin picking up a massive 50 for an early clock in to Control D, dropping him from 4^th to 11^th over-all. Another midlands crew Chris Kelly and Sam Johnston were 3^rd in class but a long way back on 108 pens, a poor result by their high standards. Ciaran Mc Elroy and Damian McCabe took 2^nd novice award behind the Kierans’ with Brendan Ward and Sean Kelly 3^rd.

            On a tough night for a beginner it was Keith McConnon and Martin Swinburne who held their nerve to take the class win on 129 pens. Another midlands  crew in the form of Shane Dalton and Michael Reilly took 2^nd beginner on 159 pens with Paul McKenna and Gary McCrudden 3^rd beginner on 224 pens.

            So that’s the Drumlin done and dusted for another year and well done to

Stephen and Garreth on an excellent, tough, tricky and well-run event. Also thanks to Stephen Hagan and Fintan along with anyone else who helped out in any way. Next up is Midlands navigation trial on 26^th November in foxfield, approx 6 miles outside Ballinamore. Well done to Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes on winning the Gary Nesbitt club navigation championship and also to Michael on winning the 2011 traders club championship. Keep an eye on Monaghan club website for club navigation results with all awards being presented at our annual dinner dance on Saturday 3^rd December in Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan. Hope to see you all there, more information next week.

 

Monaghan Drumlin Navigation Trial top 12

1 Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 9 marks

2 Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 13m

3 Kevin Keenan/Barry Garvey (Subaru Impreza) 15m

4 Arthur Kierans/Macartan Kierans (Subaru Impreza) 25m

5 Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 33m

6 Ciaran McElroy/Damien McCabe (Subaru Impreza) 39m

7 Rory Coyle/Ciaran Coyle (Subaru Impreza) 39m

8 Brendan Ward/Sean Kelly (Subaru Impreza) 48m

9 Stephen Wright/Muireann Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 48m

10 Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 61m

11 Pakie Duffy/Colin Duffy (Subaru Impreza) 68m

12 Donal McArdle/Thomas Wedlock (Subaru Impreza) 74m.

 

Banna Beach Stages Rally

Shane Maguire and Sean Mullally made the trip south on Sunday last to contest the Banna Beach Kerry Mini Stages Rally. This event was the final round of the Top Part West Coast Rally championship. Shane was in 2^nd over-all prior to this event but unfortunately the Gods weren’t with them on this occasion as a turbo fire put an end to Shane’s rally at the start of stage 2. The Ballinode man had set a great time on SS1, which was 4^th fastest and only 8 seconds off the rally lead. But disaster struck as the turbo caught fire on SS2. Luckily for Shane at least 6 cars behind stopped and helped extinguish the blaze with their own extinguishers. Were glad to report that Shane’s group N Subaru is not much the worse thanks to the quick actions of all competitors involved.  Despite the drama there was a silver lining as Shane managed to hold on for 2^nd over-all in the Top Part West Coast Championship.

            The rally was won by Barry Meade and Liam Moynihan in a class 14 escort followed by Mike Quinn and Grainne McEnery who take the West Coast championship win. Brian O’Mahony and Richard Talbot were 3^rd over-all in the unique sounding Metro 6R4. Monaghan’s John McQuaid and Seamus O’Connor were just edged out of 5^th over-all on the final stage but are sure to be satisfied with 6^th over-all. This result rounds off a fantastic season for the Emyvale men who have consistently climbed the leader boards this year.

            Gerard McQuaid and Gary Quilan had a great run in class 11 to take 3^rd and 22^nd over-all just ahead of fellow Monaghan competitor Anthony Hand with Laura Furey on the notes. 24^th over-all for Anthony and Laura is also a good result considering he hasn’t competed regularly this year due to work commitments but the pace is obviously still there.

 

Motorsport Ireland Young Rally Driver of the Year

The nominees for the 2011 Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman award have been announced and incredibly 5 of the 7 nominees are Monaghan motor club members, highlighting the calibre of young drivers within Monaghan at present. The Selection Panel for the Billy Coleman Award will meet on Thursday 17 November to interview the seven candidates for the title of Motorsport Ireland Young Rally Driver of the Year 2011.

The drivers who have qualified for the interview stage are: Gerard McQuaid, Glaslough, Co Monaghan (Highest Placed Junior driver overall in Dunlop National Rally Championship). Derek Butler, Mallow, Co Cork (Highest Placed Junior driver overall in National Forest Rally Championship). Douglas Stewart, Churchtown, Dublin (2nd Junior driver overall in National Forest Rally Championship). Johno  Doogan, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan (Winner of Junior Category of Dunlop National Rally Championship). Vincent McAree, Ballinode, Co Monaghan (Wildcard). Sam Moffett, Clontibret, Co Monaghan (Wildcard). Daniel McKenna, Scotshouse, Co Monaghan (Wildcard)

            The Billy Coleman Award is presented annually to the most outstanding young Rally driver during the current year. The award consists of a support package for Rally competition in 2012 to the value of €50,000.  Funding for the award is provided jointly by Motorsport Ireland, its affiliated clubs, and the Irish Sports Council.  The formal presentation of awards to the Champions of Irish Motorsport will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry, Dublin on Tuesday 6^th December 2011. Good luck to all the lads and hopefully Monaghan Motor Club will have another Billy Coleman award winner this year.

Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship

 The Sligo Park Hotel was the venue on Saturday night last as the awards ceremony for the 2011 Sligo Pallets Border Rally championship took place. A large crowd attended this popular event to see the father and son team of Arthur and Macartan Kierans lift the 1^st over-all award. Class wins for the Aghabog men in Monaghan, Cavan, Sligo and Donegal gave them a maximum score of 40 to take the over-all win of this popular and competitive championship. Arthur and Mac had also made the trip south to Cork the previous week and wrapped up a class win in the national rally championship.

Arthur and Macs prizes included Sligo Pallets rally jackets, crystal, a rally action portrait of their season personally signed by rally legend Carlos Sainz and also a paid entry for next years Mayo Stages Rally. This dynamic duo are also on the starters list for this weekends upcoming drumlin navigation trial and are sure to be in contention for class and indeed top ten honours on home territory. All in all a perfect rally season for the KES motor sport team. Arthur and Mac took the opportunity of thanking the Border Rally committee and host clubs for running an excellent championship, which is competitor friendly in every aspect. They also thanked Sligo Pallets who were main sponsor for the series. Arthur also paid tribute to Sharkey Motor sport for their trojan work in having the car perfectly ready and reliable for every event. He also thanked Hugie McElvaney for his support throughout the year and finally to everyone else who played a part during the year, no matter how big or small.

Second over-all honours also befell a Monaghan crew as Aaron McQuaid and Aidan Coyle’s three class wins and a second place saw them finish on 39 points. Class wins in Monaghan, Sligo and Donegal with 2^nd in Cavan and Newry suggests a good campaign for the McQuaid Tyres backed escort team. Cootehills Damian O’Reilly had lead the series through the early rounds but slipped back slightly through the latter stages to finish on 38 points and take 3^rd over-all driver.  Donegal’s Derek Henna took the 3^rd over-all navigators award as he co-piloted for Adrian Cannon in a class 2 civic.

The night kicked off with a fabulous dinner followed by the awards

ceremony. There were many other Monaghan and local crews in attendance to collect their trophies for the season past. Shane Maguire collected his award for 2^nd in class 4 following a tough but consistent year for the Ballinode man in his group N Subaru. Sean Agnew and Seamus Connolly were the class 6 winners in their citroen  C2R2 pocket rocket. David Smith and Austin Hamill were 3^rd in the same class in their Peugeot 106 and considering they only had 3 finish’s coupled with numerous gremlins along the way, 3^rd in class is surely welcomed. Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry led the class 8 field home in their Subaru, ahead of good rival and friend Kevin Barrett and Sean Mullally. Indeed Niall and Enda were in contention for over-all honours through mid-season but a class win and three 2^nd places were enough for the class 8 win. Worth noting also that Niall/Enda, Kevin/Sean along with Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes in their class 10 205 were the recipients of the team award for this years Border Championship. Championship sponsors Andrew Mullan and Elaine Doherty of Sligo Pallets were 3^rd in the competitive class 8 in their EVO 8.

Cootehills Damian “Junior” McCabe took the class 9 navigators award just ahead of local rival Gene McDonald who collected 2^nd in class 9. With McQuaid and Coyles promotion to 2^nd over-all the class 10 honours went to the father and son team of Sean and Fintan Sherry. Two 2^nd and a 3^rd in class  rounded off a great year for this crew in their McAree Eng backed escort. The MC Blinds backed escort was also at the top of its class as Mickey and Aidan collected their class 13 awards. A class win and three 2^nd places rounded off a successful campaign for this experienced crew who showed a tremendous increase of speed in all competitions this year. John McQuaid took 2^nd in class 14 honours whilst his navigator Seamus O’Connor was 3^rd in class. There were many other Monaghan crews who were just outside the class honours or who didn’t compete in the minimum four rounds of the six round campaign so maybe next year is their year.

            Andrew Mullan and Elaine Doherty (Sligo Pallets) also took the opportunity of thanking the six host clubs Mayo, Monaghan, Cavan, Newry & Mourne, Sligo and Donegal for the excellent events they ran, all of the marshal’s who voluntarily helped on each event, County Councils, Gardai and anyone else who helped in any way to make the 2011 Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship such a resounding success. The night concluded with a disco and celebrations, which lasted into the early hours to round off what was an exceptional year for crews flying the Monaghan flag in the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship.

Cork Startrek Navigation Trial

Richard Cassidy and veteran Paul Phelan made their long journey south to Cork worthwhile on Saturday last with an overall victory on the Cork Startrek Navigation Trial. Following a 130-mile route they finished on 7 marks in Richards trusted vectra. Their closest rival’s Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes finished on 12 marks to take the expert class win. With no further results available on going to press it seems that some regular national campaigners must of hit trouble in the Cork countryside. Midlands men Chris Kelly and Sam Johnston were outside the top 10 while local Cork men Colin Fitzgerald and Daire Hayes were also missing from the top 10 finishers.

Cork Startrek Navigation Top 12

1 Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 7 marks
2 Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 12m
3 Darren Quinn/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Legacy) 22m
4 Johnny Kenneally/Ken Carmody (Opel Vectra) 31m
5 Joseph Shinnors/Greg Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) 34m
6 James Fitzgerald/Pat Cashman (Subaru Impreza) 36m
7 David Beamish/Muireann Hayes (Toyota Carina) 40m
8 Derek Butler/Olivia McCarthy (Honda Civic) 62m
9 Alwyn White/Adrian Tobin (Toyota Carina) 75m
10 Brian O’Mahony/David Swanton (Vauxhall Vectra) 79m
11 Alan Shinnors/George Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) 79m
12 Ger O’Connell/Denis O’Donovan (Subaru Impreza) 89m

Monaghan Drumlin Navigation Trial

The Drumlin hills of North Monaghan will once again be alive this Saturday night 12^th November with the running of the infamous Drumlin Navigation Trial. Coc for the event is Stephan Thornton, ably assisted by Garret Beagan and their team with Sean McDermotts GAA complex in Threemilehouse the venue for plotting and results. No doubt Stephen and Garreth have laid on a tough route, which is normally associated with the Drumlin and are appealing for all marshals to make themselves available and be at HQ by 8.00pm latest. This years event is the 3^rd round of the National and Squealing Pig Border navigation championships but more importantly for some its is the final round of the traders and Gary Nesbitt club navigation championships. As it stands things couldn’t be much tighter as Michael Carbin and Michael Tynan are tied on points with Andy Mackarel only 2 points adrift for the coveted traders trophy. All three would be considered as potential winners along with their respective navigators of Evin Hughes, Ciaran Tynan and Liam Higgins. So with a maximum of 18 points up for grabs all is to play for through the drumlin hills of Monaghan. Many class awards are also up for grabs on the night in the club championship. Watch this space for full report next week.

 Stephen and Suzanne Wright ended there 2011 rally season in style on Saturday last with a 3rd over-all finish on the Down forestry Rally. This event was the final round of the Valvoline National Forestry Championship. Corks Owen Murphy has already claimed the outright win in the series and opted out of this event. With 7 tough stages around the Castlewellan area of South Down it was Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan who took a 14 second win from veteran Kenny McKinstry and Kenny Hull in 2nd. Indeed McKinstry/Hull led the event entering the final four mile stage but slid their impreza off the road briefly to allow Kelly in for the rally win. Stephen and Suzanne Wright consistently moved up the leader board throughout the 7 stages and were eventually rewarded with 3rd over-all. Yet again Stephen setting some fine stage times to cap off a great year for the young Swanns Cross team. The McAree engineering backed Evo 9 of Vincent and Jp McAree were not as successful however. Vincent and Jp, who were joint leaders of the forestry championship through the early stages of the campaign, really were down on their luck over the last few events. A broken centre diff last time out while a burst sump on this event forced them into retirement on the road section to ss4. Worth noting however that the McAree Evo was lying in 3rd over-all when they were forced to withdraw, only 10 seconds off the rally lead after the opening two tests. Hopefully Vincent and Jp can find a better run of luck in next years campaign but well done to the lads on 2nd over-all in the 2011 Valvoline Forestry Championship. Stephen and Suzanne Wright were just one point off claiming 3rd over-all in the series but are sure to be happy with 4th over-all and a class 6 win.

 Cavan Autocross Once again it was Mickey Conlon who led the field home at Cavan Motor Clubs Latton based quarry cross on Sunday last. Wet weather conditions left the track very slippy on the day with numerous cars picking up punctures along the way. Indeed the MC Blinds escort picked up two punctures on the one run but Mickey managed to take the win on his other two timed runs. Once again it was young Cootehill man Darren O’Brien who kept the pressure on Mickey throughout the day in his Honda civic to take 2nd over-all. No results sheets were available at going to print but Monaghans Conor Maguire had a good run in is MK1 escort to take a class win while Richard Cassidy was 4th in class following a puncture.

Upcoming Dates Keep free Saturday 5th November for the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship Prize giving in Sligo Park Hotel.

 Valvoline National Forestry Prize giving also takes place on 5th November in Clonmel Park Hotel. Dunlop National Rally Championship Prize giving takes place on Saturday 19th November in Clayton Hotel, Galway.

 Monaghan MC Drumlin Navigation Trial takes place on 12th November in Threemilehouse.

 Cavan Motor Club kicked off the 2011/12 Squealing Pig Border Navigation campaign in earnest on Saturday night last.  Cootehill man Mervin Wedlock once again took on the role of CoC, ably assisted by Dominic “Bart” McArdle. Tullyvin Community Centre was the ideal venue for the event as 47 starters prepared for a tricky trial through the windmill strewn mountain lodge countryside. Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins came out on top of a very close battle as 4 penalties separated the top 9 crews. Arthur Kierans was re-acquainted with regular navigator Ashley McAdoo and finished 2^nd over-all. Garreth Beagan and Stephen Thornton proved their win last time out was not a fluke as they took 3^rd over-all ahead of the upcoming drumlin navigation trial which sees them take on the role of CoC’s. 

            Lanes came thick and fast from the off and as early as time point 2 only eight crews were on clean sheets. The now infamous Kinkades lane accounted for the majority of this time loss. The event then moved South towards the mountain lodge area over the famous “nobbys jumps”. The fast flowing gravel lane out to tp5 past under 3 windmills, an amazing sight as spot lights lit up these massive structures for split seconds at a time. Tp 6 was a slot left around a farm, which saw only six crews manage to make the time point in the allotted time. Results sheets suggest time points 9 and 10 also saw many top crews drop precious minutes. A slot left off the lane to tp10 was hard to find and the majority of crews slipped past this resulting in massive time loss. Only 6 crews managed to visit these two time points without incurring penalties. By time point 11 event winners Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins were in the lead but only on furthest cleanest from Garreth Beagan and Stephen Thornton with Arthur and Ashley in 3^rd. Packie and Colin Duffy were leading the semi-experts ahead of another midlands crew Chris Kelly and Sam Johnston. Novice pairing of Donal McArdle and local lad Thomas Wedlock were in top form and would have been leading the event by mid-point but picked up stop sign penalties to drop them out of contention. James McCarville and Fintan Clerkin were flying in the novice class and only down 2 penalties by mid point with Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly a point behind. Cootehill father and son team of Gerry and Aaron McIntyre were having a great run in the beginner’s class with a commanding lead on only their second event by mid point.

            The second half of the trial moved northeast again towards the Drung and Lisnageer areas before a final run over “nobbys jumps” and back to Tullyvin.  Most expert crews managed to complete the second half on clean sheets although Garreth Beagan and Stephen Thornton dropped a minute at the last time point to drop them from 2^nd to 3^rd. This promoted Arthur and Ashley to 2^nd with Mackarel/Higgins cleaning the second half also to take the clear win by 1 penalty. Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall had a consistent run through the Cavan lanes to finish on 2 penalties and 3^rd in expert class. Once results sheets went up it became apparent that a number of crews had passed by “No” board, which merits an automatic 100 penalties, which re-shuffled the leader board a little. Midlands men Chris Kelly and Sam Johnston came out on top in the semi-expert class. James Logue and Hugh Kelly had a great run to 2^nd in semi ahead of Packie and Colin Duffy. The latter’s night could have been much better as they finished with 4 time penalties but were awarded the dreaded 100 as they were adjudged to pass a “No” board.

            In the novice class Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly had a tremendous run to finish on 3 penalties, another crew to clean the second half. Darren Quinn and Nigel Cloughery finished the event on a respectable 7 penalties, 5 of these at tp10 alone to take 2^nd in novice ahead of Ciaran McElroy and Damian “junior” McCabe on 11pens.

The beginners class had a bit of a re-shuffle through the second half as the McIntyre Subaru missed 4 time points to drop them out of the top three. Connor Meehan and Brendan Keenan took the class win, a wrong approach at tp2 accounting for 15 of their 27penalty total. Fintan Sherry and Darragh Kelly made a big mends for their wrong approach and missed time point as they only dropped 4 minutes through the second half to take 2^nd in beginners class. Declan Tynan decided to try out the passenger seat for this event with cousin Martin driving and managed to take 3^rd beginners.

So that’s it from Cavan for the time being, well done to Mervin and Bart on an enjoyable event. Next up in the Squealing Pig border championship is the Monaghan Drumlin on 12^th November while Cork MC host the next round of the National championship on 5^th November.

 Cavan MC Navigation Trial Top 12

1/ Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 1 mark

2/ Arthur Kierans/Ashley McAdoo (Subaru Impreza) 2m

3/ Garreth Beagan/Stephen Thornton (Subaru Impreza) 2m

4/ Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 2m

5/ Sean McKenna/Garry Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 3m

6/ Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 3m

7/ Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 4m

8/ Kevin Keenan/Daire Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 4m

9/ Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 4m

10/ Darren Quinn/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Legacy) 7m

11/ Ciaran McElroy/Damien McCabe (Subaru Impreza) 11m

12/ Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 11m

 GSMC Mini Stages RallyWell done to JP McAree who was navigating for Jack Newman on last weekends Garda Siochana Mini Stages Rally. They finished 12^th over-all and 3^rd in the competitive class 11 in their Honda civic. Barry McKenna and Seamus Connolly also made the trip South to Baltinglass, Co Wicklow and had a great run to 17^th over-all in their blue class 13 escort.

Aghabog’s father and son team of Arthur and Macartan Kierans were crowned 2011 Sligo Pallets Border Rally Champions on Saturday last. Donegal Motor club hosted the final round of this popular championship from the Oceanfront Golf & Spa Resort in Redcastle on the Inishowen Peninsula. 125 starters in the main field braved the elements of a wet October morning, many of whom were in pursuit of class awards in the border and national championships. Tim McNulty and Paul Kiely had already claimed the national championship with 2 rounds remaining and choose to sit this one out. Top seed’s Gary Jennings and Rory Kennedy in their group N EVO 9 revelled in the wet conditions and pulled out a 12 second lead after the first stage. Jennings’ nearest rival’s were Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry who took 4 fastest stage times but despite this Jennings had done enough to take the rally win by a mere 5 seconds. The two-wheel drive battle was equally as entertaining but it was the red escort of Gary McPhillips and Donegal’s Gary McNern who led their challenger’s home in style. A winning margin of 48seconds and more impressively 3^rd over-all showing just how hard this crew were trying on the slippery Donegal stages.

            15 Monaghan crews in all were on the starters list for this popular event known as the Donegal Harvest stages Rally. With Maguire/Sherry and McPhillips/McNern in the top 3 over-all it was a mixed day for the remaining crews. John McQuaid and Seamus O’Connor closed their season in style with an excellent 11^th over-all amongst some tough opposition. Shane Maguire and Ciaran Geaney battled numerous mechanical gremlins throughout the day and rectified a turbo problem in service, which cost them valuable time on the middle loop. They managed to soldier on however and finished 13^th over-all and 2^nd in group N behind the hard charging Donegal EVO of Trevor and Kenny Bustard. Michael Conlon and Aidan Boyle had a massive battle with Frank Kelly and Liam Brennan, trading stage times throughout the day but had to settle for 2^nd in class 13 on the day.  Michael and Aidan are however class 13 champions in the border series.

            Next up and success story of the day must surely go to Arthur and Macartan Kierans. The Sharkey Motorsport, KES engineering backed white escort has performed impeccably on each outing of this year with 4 class wins and a maximum 40 points. Arthur and Mac are this years Sligo Pallets Border Rally Champions finishing 20^th over-all on the day amongst more powerful machinery. Prior to the event the Aghabog men had to win their class and they duly obliged, winning by almost 3 minutes from James Cassidy and John Norris. Great to see the border rally championship trophy back to Monaghan once again and well done lads. Arthur and Mac would like to thank everyone who helped them achieve this success, especially Sharkey Motorsport and their service crews. Rumour has it the celebrations are on-going in the Aghabog area!

            Young Ryan Loughran once again had James McCarville on the notes and they had an enjoyable run to 34^th over-all and 4^th in class 11.  James did report some close calls with the bales but they managed to keep it together and get the finish. Balinode’s Barry Garvey teamed up with Donegal’s James Greenan in the ex-Stephen Wright corsa to take 2^nd in class 9 and 51^st over-all.  David Smith and Austin Hammil had a mixed day to eventually finish 56^th over-all and 4^th in class 6. A bad stage time on ss2 cost them dearly but they still managed to take 3^rd in class 6 in the border series. Barry and Jonathan McKenna were another crew to battle with the elements but are sure to be happy with a finish considering the treacherous conditions. Aaron McQuaid and Aidan Coyle finished off their border campaign in style despite a last stage scare. Prior to this event they were leading the border campaign but the Kierans’ class win would always demote them to 2^nd in the series. They managed another class win on the day but a puncture on the final stage nearly derailed their good work. Luckily for this crew they had amassed a good lead in the class, which allowed them to stop and change the puncture. 2^nd over-all in the border championship for this crew so well done lads. Sean and Fintan Sherry also ended their season on a high with 2^nd in class 10 in Donegal. With McQuaid/Coyle taking 2^nd over-all in the border, Sean and Fintan move up to take a well deserved class 10 win in the championship as their efforts throughout the year finally pay off.

            Darren and Gary McKenna were having a good run in class 11 through the Donegal hills and were lying in 3^rd before they were caught out on a slippy left hander where they clipped a fence and were forced into retirement. Martin McPhillips and Ciaran Tynan were also in contention in class 11 but their day was short lived when the clutch gave in on the way to stage 4.

As the 2011 season draws to a close well done to all the award winners in Donegal, especially to our new Border champions, Arthur and Mac Kierans. Also to Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry and Gary McPhillips/Gary McNern who were both in the top 3 over-all. Gary would like to thank his service crew for their efforts throughout the year and on Saturday last, especially Francis, Cathal, Emmett and Declan and also to the tea ladies Debra, Jennifer and Siobhan. This years Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship Prizegiving will take place on Saturday 5^th November in the Sligo Park Hotel.          

Donegal Harvest Stages Rally Top 10

1 Garry Jennings/Rory Kennedy (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 70m 45s

2 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 70m 50s

3 Gary McPhillips/Gary McNern (Escort) 72m 22s

4 Manus Kelly/Donal Barrett (Escort) 73m 10s

5 Brian Brogan/Mac Walsh (Escort) 73m 45s

6 Trevor Bustard/Kenny Bustard (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 73m 50s

7 Camillus Bradley/Crawford Henderson (Escort) 74m 02s

8 Wesley Patterson/Martin McGarrity (Escort) 74m 02s

9 Rodney Wilton/Conor McMahon (Escort) 74m 16s

10 Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Escort) 74m 29s

Doogans are crowned Junior Rally Champions

Last weekends Donegal Harvest Stages Rally was also the final round of the 2011 junior rally championship. Carrickmacross men Johno and Padraig Doogan were leading the series going into this final round but they still had to finish this event to lift the title. With weather conditions nothing short of monsoon a finish was easier said than done! Chris Snow and Sean Brunton took the rally win on the day ahead of David Moffatt and Patrick Brides in their starlet. Moffatt and Brides did think they had done enough to win the junior section but scratch times were enforced after the event for certain stages which unfortunately relegated them to 2^nd over-all. Johno and Padraig Doogan seemed to do all in their power to unravel their years good work with an off on ss1 followed by an even bigger one on ss3. Thankfully they survived both scares to finish in 4^th over-all and take the title of 2011 Irish junior Rally Champions. Well done lads and another success story for Monaghan rally circles.

Birr Night Navigation Trial

Saturday night last saw the national night navigation campaign kick off in earnest. Birr and District Motor Club were hosts with well known midlands man Eoin Longworth taking up the reigns as CoC. A wet and windy night greeted a depleted entry of 27 starters for this event. Donegal’s Harvest stages Rally possibly accounting for some of the regular national navigation competitors. However Eoin laid on a demanding route centred around the Roscrea area, which included many time points through the local forest complexes. Cork novice pairing of David Beamish and Muireann Hayes took a surprise win on the night on 38 minute’s. 2^nd over-all on the night went to Colin Fitzgerald and Daire Hayes on 52 minute’s. A good night for the Hayes household as Muireann and Daire are brother and sister. 3^rd over-all went to midland men Packie and Colin Duffy with Chris Kelly and Sam Johnston 4^th. Monaghan’s sole representatives were Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes but they had a difficult night in the forests and eventually finished in 11^th over-all. 

Cavan Night Navigation Trial 

Cavan Motor Club will kick off the 2011/12 Squealing Pig Border Navigation Championship this Saturday night. Tullyvin Community Centre outside Cootehill is HQ with Mervin Wedlock and Bart McArdle in charge of the maps as CoC’s. Route cards are available from 6.30 and anybody available to marshal are asked to be there by 8pm. Full Report next week.