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The Mc Elvaney Pitwood Quarry on the outskirts of Baileboro was the scene for Monaghan Motor Clubs annual gravel surface autocross on Sunday last. With the trader’s club championship narrowed to a three horse race and 3 rounds remaining, competition was sure to be fierce. Once again it was the motorbike-engined buggy’s which dominated proceedings, albeit not by as much as previous years. Karl Moen in a buggy set a great time on the first run, 4 seconds up on Andy Mackarel in his EVO 4 with Martin Tynan 3rd. Indeed these top three remained the same throughout the course of the day. Andy took a fastest time on the second loop with Martin fastest on the third loop.
Michael Tynan, double driving with Martin in the EVO 5 kept his championship hopes alive with 4th over-all while Cootehills Damian Reilly took 5th over-all and a class win. Worth noting that only 11 seconds separated the top 6 at the end so even the smallest of slip up’s was guaranteed to cost a few places. Michael Carbin is also in the thick of the club championship race and was 4th registered on the day and 8th over-all in his peugeot. Richard Cassidy in the white astra was 9th and 2nd in class, despite not doing the last run due to mechanical trouble.
An enjoyable days rallying was had by all who attended. Coc for the day was Enda Sherry, ably assisted by Gary McPhillips and they would like to extend their sincere thanks to all the competitors who turned up, Mc Elvaneys for the venue, the small number of marshals who offered their help, and anybody else who helped out in any way in the lead up and on the day of the event.
With two rounds remaining in the trader’s club championship this event only managed to bring the top three even closer together! Michael Tynan now leads by the narrowest of margins on 81 points with Andy Mackarel & Michael Carbin tied for 2nd on 80 points. All three men are considered night navigation experts and the final two rounds are the October and November Drumlin night navigation trials. This year’s trader’s club championship is surely going down to the wire!

Monaghan Loose Surface Autocross Top 10 Results:-
1/ Karl Moen (Buggy Special) 11:25.86
2/ Andy Mackarel (EVO 4) 11:28.20
3/ Martin Tynan (EVO 5) 11:32.01
4/ Michael Tynan (EVO 5) 11:35.17
5/ Damian O’Reilly (Escort) 11:36.17
6/ Dominic McCaffery (Buggy Special) 11:36.34
7/ Anthony Masterson (Civic) 11:39.82
8/ Michael Carbin (Peugeot) 11:41.61
9/ Richard Cassidy (Astra) 11:43.97
10/ Gerry Reilly (Civic) 11:53.79

Jim Walsh Cork Forestry Rally

Vincent and JP McAree resumed their challenge on the Valvoline Irish Forestry championship on Saturday last in Cork. They were joint leaders of the series prior to this event but unfortunately the God’s weren’t with them in Cork. They picked up a puncture which in turn damaged the wiring loom, forcing them into retirement on the 7th stage. The rally was won by Tipperary’s Pat O’Connell and Mark Wiley in an EVO 9. McAree’s title challenger, Owen Murphy was interested in collecting championship points and settled for 2nd overall early on with the super quick Frank Kelly 3rd in his infamous escort. Frank commenting at the end that it was the best forest event he has done for a long time, possibly ever.
This year’s format was slightly different in that the lesser-powered cars were first on the road with the top crews joining in after approximately 20 cars. There were three Monaghan crews who made the long trip South. With the McAree’s demise its was the Spanwright EVO 6 of Stephen and Suzanne Wright who flew the Monaghan flag highest, another superb run to 6th over-all. Stephen and Suzanne set top five stage times on 5 of the days 8 stages and collected a class win to boot. Paul Sheridan was navigating for Tyrone’s Enda McNulty and they too had a great days rallying, finishing 8th overall in their impreza. The MC Blinds backed escort also made it to Cork but their luck ran out 3 corners from the end of the penultimate 16km stage with a broken half shaft. Although they did make it back to service and despite the best efforts of their service crew, they just couldn’t release the broken shaft which forced Michael Conlon and Aidan Boyle into retirement. These guys were also on a charge up to their demise, holding 3rd two-wheel drive and 10th over-all. Nevertheless Michael and Aidan reported a very enjoyable day. Well done to all who made the trip.

Night Navigation Classes

In preparation of the navigation season ahead, the club will once again host a series of Navigation classes for anyone interested. If you have a motor sport interest of any kind, then the Navigation Trials are the best form of obtaining the correct foundation and introduction to this sport. The classes will cover the full range of topics including map reading, timing and car regulations. Starting next Thursday 25th August in the Sean McDermott’s GAA centre, Threemilehouse, the classes will take place over 6 weeks and will be presented by experienced competitor and club member Damien Connolly. To register, please contact Damien on 086 8095113

Stonethrowers Stages Rally

Tipperary Motor Club hosted their annual Sepam Stonethrowers Stages Rally on Sunday last. With a three stages three times format the scene was set for a classic battle among the front runners as wet weather conditions made the task all the more difficult. Derry’s Conor McCluskey in an impreza led a field of 103 starters off into the Tipperary countryside. Kerry men Alan Ring and Eamonn Daly, both in Evo’s were next on the road. McCloskey meant business from the start and by first service pulled out a massive 47 second lead over the struggling Evo’s. This lead meant he could coast to the finish eventually taking a 49 second win from Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy in second. Robert Barrable with Monaghan’s Damian Connolly calling the notes opted to leave the Skoda Fabia at home and take their older Citreon C2 but were equally as impressive taking 3rd overall, loosing out on 2nd overall on the last stage by a mere second.
Fresh from some recent excellent results Josh Moffatt and Domhall Lennon started the day seeded in 14th but punched in some great times to rapidly climb the leader board and eventually finish up in 5th overall and first in class 4. Indeed they had a second fastest stage time on ss4 behind the flying Barrable. Emyvale’s Barry McKenna acquired the services of Scotstown’s James McCarville and continued his run of recent high finish’s to take 16th overall and 4th in the highly competitive class 13. Conor Foley and Matthew Brennan took their Mark I escort home to 43rd over-all and 4th in class 12. Thremilehouse man Damian Sherry with Mark Deery calling the notes were having a great run, lying in 35th overall after stage 5 but hit trouble on 6 relegating them to 67th over-all. Damian’s luck must surely return shortly. Shane Maguire teamed up with James O’Reilly to make the trip to Tipp but his event finished on ss5 with a broken shaft in the gearbox while lying in 4th overall despite a spin.
The junior category was won by Galway’s Damian and Joseph Boyle with Kerry men Darren Young and Kenneth Quirke 2nd and Wexford’s Leon Galvin and Gerard Foley 3rd.

2011 Sepam Stonethrowers Rally Top 10
1 Connor McCloskey/Francis Regan (Impreza WRC) 58m 20s
2 Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 59m 09s
3 Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly (Citroen C2) 59m 10s
4 Mark Donnelly/Barry McNulty (Clio) 59m 26s
5 Josh Moffett/Domhnall Lennon (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 59m 34s
6 Craig Breen/Martin Brady (Fiesta) 59m 42s
7 Shay Power/Derek Gibbs (Escort) 59m 51s
8 Paddy O’Dwyer/Davy Byrne (Nova) 59m 55s
9 James Coleman/Michael Haley (Escort) 60m 19s
10 Kieran Daly/Darragh Mullen (Citroen C2R2 Max) 60m 23s.

Monaghan Loose Surface (Gravel) Autocross

All roads lead to the McElvaney Pitwood quarry complex this Sunday 14th August as Monaghan Motor Club run their annual gravel surface Autocross. The McElvaney Pitwood quarry is located between Baileboro and Virginia. This event is a counting Round of the trader’s club championship and should see many good class battles. Coc for the event Enda Sherry urges all club members to show there support for this event and asks competitors to phone or post their entry as early as possible. Standard forestry tyres are permitted for this event but no mud rough-cut tyres are allowed. Scrutiny starts at 10 o’clock with practice run starting at 11 o’clock sharp.

Night Navigation Classes
Its that time of year again and with the night navigation season less than two months away Monaghan Motor Club will once again be holding night navigation classes in the coming weeks. Maybe you are out of the sport for a few years and are making a big comeback or if you are only starting off and want to learn the discipline of night navigations well then these classes are for you. Watch this space for further details but it is anticipated that these classes will start around Thursday 18th or 25th August.

Two Monaghan crew’s made the trip North on Saturday last to compete in the spectator friendly Lurgan Park Rally. Michael Conlon with young 17-year-old Cork girl Aileen Kelly on the note’s made the short trip to Lurgan as did father and son team of Arthur and Macartan Kierans. Armagh’s Darren Gass won the event in an S11 Subaru from Kenny McKinstry in 2nd and Dennis Biggerstaff 3rd, both in S8 Impreza’s.
With 8 short tests around the demanding Lurgan Park estate there was no room for error with numerous unforgiving trees ready to catch out even the most experienced crews around this famous circuit. The event consisted of a Mark II challenge section with all competing cars in the one class. Michael Conlon and Aileen Kelly had brake trouble over the first few runs but did manage to take the MC Blinds escort home in 18th over-all and 3rd in class, only 15seconds off the class winners. Arthur and Mac were disadvantaged from the start in their 2 litre pinto against the more powerful 2.4’s. Nevertheless they set about enjoying their runs, sliding the Kierans Engineering Services (KES) backed escort around the gravel and tarmac surfaced stage. Despite the more powerful machinery in their class they finished a respectable 28th over-all.

Monaghan Loose Surface (Gravel) Autocross

Sunday 14th August see’s Monaghan Motor Club run their annual gravel surface Autocross. Once again this event will be based at the McElvaney Pitwood quarry between Baileboro and Virginia. This event is a counting Round of the trader’s club championship and should see many good class battles. Coc for the event Enda Sherry urges all club members to show there support for this event and would ask competitors to send in there entry as early as possible. Standard forestry tyres are permitted for this event but no mud rough cut tyres are allowed.

Birr Multi Venue Autotest

Well done to Andy and Stephen Mackarel who competed on the Birr MC multi venue auto test last weekend. This type of autotest differs from the standard autotest by the fact that a navigator is needed to guide drivers around the course. In this event there were 11 tests to negotiate, two in farmyards, farm lanes, gravel yards, a sand pit and two on concrete at the HQ, garaghy’s garage. Andy and Stephen reported a very enjoyable day out in there corsa. This form of motor sport would be highly suited to anyone who wanted a day’s crack while at the same time experiencing competitive motor sport.

Night Navigation Classes

Its that time of year again and with the night navigation season less than two months away Monaghan Motor Club will once again be holding night navigation classes in the coming weeks. Maybe you are out of the sport for a few years and are making a big comeback or if you are only starting off and want to learn the discipline of night navigations well then these classes are for you. Watch this space for further details but it is anticipated that these classes will start around Thursday 18th or 25th August.

 Fine sunny weather conditions greeted a total of 32 starters for last Sundays annual running of Monaghan Motor Clubs grass surface autocross. Once again young Ballinode man Shane Maguire took charge as CoC and along with his group of helpers laid on a fine course in ideal surroundings overlooking Hollywood lake on the outskirts of Ballinode. From the off it was clear that the motorbike engined buggy’s had a clear advantage with both power and grip in the dry conditions. The format for the day was three runs over the course with two fastest times to count. Gerald Doherty set the benchmark on the first run with a time of 2.12 and maintained his lead throughout the day, taking another fastest time on the 3^rd run to win the event by 0.77 of a second from Joe McHale in a buggy special with Paul Barrett 3^rd also in a buggy special.

            There were some great class battles throughout the day with quarry expert Tommy Donlon in a 106 taking a comfortable 9 second win in class 1 from Philip Grall in 2^nd with Paul Barrett 3^rd, both in corsa’s. James Huddleston was the sole finisher in class 1a on a time of 5.18. There was a great battle in class 2a with the Carbin Carpentry backed 205 of Michael Carbin taking a 3 second win after the three runs from young mountain lodge lad Darren O Brien in a civic. Cathal Sheridan in his trusty nova was 3^rd a further 5 seconds adrift. This result gives Michael Carbin a good points haul towards his club championship bid, having competed in every round thus far.

            Class 3a was a one-man show with Anthony Masterson winning in his Honda Integra, as Paul Sheridan was the only other entrant taking 2^nd place but had mechanical trouble on his 2^nd and 3^rd runs. Class 4a was for the single seater motorbike engined buggy’s and the top 3 over-all awards went to the aforementioned Gerald Doherty, Joe McHale and Paul Barrett.  Midlands men Sam Johnston and Chris Kelly also made the trip to Ballinode with their buggy special’s but the results sheets suggest they had a troubled afternoon, presumably mechanical after setting top 5 times on the opening run. Amy Faughan had an enjoyable run and her times improved dramatically over the three runs to take the class 5a win in her civic, which is geared towards 16-18 year olds. The youngest but nevertheless closest class of the day was class 5b for 14-16 year olds. Young Carrickmacross lad Gavin McGivney in a mk2 escort took an incredible 0.01 second win from Aidan Lang in a fiesta with Ronan Corr in a nova just over a second adrift after there two best runs.

            Class 6 was for club members with unlimited cc. Michael and Martin Tynan in their Evo 5 with Andy Mackarel in his older Evo 4 were in this class with Richard Cassidy completing the four entrants to class 6 in his white astra. Indeed it was Richard who held the early advantage after the first run, as the EVO’s were subjected to a 5% time penalty for their 4-wheel drive status, which would amount to an approximate 7-second penalty per run. However Cassidy hit trouble on the second run with a broken drive shaft to allow Michael Tynan take the class win with Martin 2^nd and Richard 3^rd. This result also leaves Michael in a strong position in the club championship with the loose surface autocross next on the club calendar on 14^th August.

            Coc Shane Maguire would like to express his sincere thanks to all marshal’s for their help on the day as well as results team and anybody who helped out in any way on the lead up to the event or on the day itself. The field for the event was kindly offered by the Maguire family and many thanks to them for that. Shane along with all the Monaghan Motor Club committee and members would like to wish Dessie Brady a speedy recovery. A special word of thanks must also go to Ciara Heasty as well as the members of the Redcross ambulance who were present on the day for their prompt response and the professionalism they showed.

 Armagh’s Darren Gass and Andrew Cullen won the 2011 Aer Lingus Motor Club Stages Rally on Sunday last based at the City North Hotel on the M1 motorway. This event was a counting round of the Reis MSA British Rally Championship and saw no fewer than 14 crews make the trip across the water to test their skills on Irish soil. Last years welsh winners Damian Cole and James Morgan had to settle for 2nd on this occasion in his Focus WRC with English men Simon Mauger and Brian Cammack 3rd in their rapid class 14 escort. With a three stages three times format this event took in a wide area around the Slane and Collon areas with centralised service in Drogheda. Overnight rain coupled with scattered showers left tyre choice a lottery and indeed caught out many drivers on the first stage alone with 3 travelling British crews not making it off the first stage for one reason or another. Pre event favourite Robert Barrable and Monaghan’s Damian Connolly hit trouble on the first stage also with a broken spark plug forcing their early retirement. Gass took the early lead with fastest time’s on the opening two stages in his ex-Niall Maguire S10 Subaru WRC. As usual Monaghan was well represented with a number of crews making the short trip South to tackle the roads of Louth and Meath. Josh Moffett with regular Ardee man Domhall Lennon on the notes had a fantastic run all day, posting top 5 times and eventually finished 5th over-all, taking the competitive group N class for their efforts. Maurice Moffett with daughter Laura on the notes had an enjoyable day in the starlet and were 3rd two wheel drive car home in 6th over-all and 2nd in class 14. Next up were Stephen Wright and Martin Connolly in 8th over-all. A great run for this crew and once again Stephen proves he has come to grips with the EVO 6 on tarmac following some recent excellent results. Raymond Conlon acquired the services of Declan Tynan as navigator and they surely enjoyed their day with a top 10 finish and a class 13 win to boot. They did survive a late scare however with a burst oil pipe towards the end of the last stage almost ending their rally but luckily they got to stage finish before having to stop. Next up were Jack Maguire and Emmett Sherry in their class 13 escort, a steady run from this crew resulting in 12th overall and 2nd in class 13. Martin McPhillips had young Aghabog lad Macartan Kierans on the notes in the McPhillip’s Engineering backed twin cam and scorched their way through the stages to take a 22 second class win and 14th overall. Barry McKenna and Raymond Knox continued their recent good form to finish 15th overall and 4th in class 13 in the McKenna Agri backed escort. Martin and Ciaran Tynan finally had a run of luck to finish in 18th overall and 4th in group N, gaining some valuable experience in their new EVO 8. Suzanne Wright was navigating for Co. Downs Barry Greer in a class 6 fiesta and finished a creditable 21st overall and 2nd in class. Cathal Sheridan and Darren O’Brien took their class 10 nova home to 2nd in class and 35th overall. Stephen Rushe and Gary Reid had led class 10 after the first loop of stages but a bad stage time on ss4 dropped them back down the leader board to eventually finish 3rd in class 10. Johno and Padraig Doogan also made the trip South but unfortunately for them they came home with the title of only Monaghan crew not to finish. At the top Darren Gass had done enough through the opening loop of stages to ensure he could nurse his Subaru home to take the win, trading stage wins with Damian Cole throughout the day. Once again well done to all club members who finished and thanks to the club members who turned up to marshal on the day. Top 10 Result’s on 2011 ALMC Stages Rally 1 Darren Gass/Andrew Cullen (Impreza WRC) 69m 41s 2 Damian Cole/James Morgan (Focus WRC) 70m 11s 3 Simon Mauger/Brian Cammack (Escort) 72m 27s 4 Jay Stanley/Paul Williams (Escort) 73m 39s 5 Josh Moffett/Domhnall Lennon (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 74m 08s 6 Maurice Moffett/Laura Moffett (Starlet) 74m 35s 7 David Armstrong/Damien Fleming (Escort) 74m 47s 8 Stephen Wright/Martin Connolly (Lancer Evo 6) 74m 57s 9 Paddy McVeigh/Stephen O’Hanlon (Impreza Gp N) 75m 02s 10 Raymond Conlon/Declan Tynan (Corolla) 75m 22s

Monaghan Grass Surface Autocross

Sunday next 24th July sees Monaghan Motor Club host their annual grass surface autocross. For the second year running Shane Maguire takes on the role of CoC and with his team of helpers is sure to set out a demanding route. The venue is ideally located on the shores of Hollyrood Lake just outside Ballinode adjacent to Shane and Niall’s house. Competitors are urged to send in their entry as soon as possible as the club need an idea of start numbers to aid the smooth running of the event. Regulations and entry forms are available on the club website at http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net . Prize giving will follow the event in Maggie’s Bar, Ballinode. Once again the proceeds of this event will be donated to charity and this year Shane has picked the Co. Monaghan Branch of the Alzheimer’s Society. This is a very worthy charity that provides an excellent service and is based at the Drumkill Day Care Centre in Threemilehouse. Your support on the day would be greatly appreciated.