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Monaghan Motor club ran  its  biggest event of the year with the Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally
on Sunday last 17^th April and what a day it was. Months of  preparation for Clerk of the Course Conor Maguire and his many helpers came to  a head when a sun- drenched mid-Monaghan came to life with the sound of some of  the best rally cars in the country with 138 cars taking to the stages in style.
There was to be a close battle at the front but it was Meath’s Tim McNulty and Sligo’s Paul Kiely in a Subaru S12B who brushed off the  challenge from Ballinode’s Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry in an older
specification Subaru to take their first Monaghan win. The victors had a 43  second advantage after 9 stages totalling almost 110 stage miles. Dublin’s  Robert Barrable with Monaghan man Damian Connolly had a fabulous drive to take  the 3^rd podium spot in their Skoda Fabia S2000. Cork’s Darragh ’Riordan/Tony McDaid finished 4^th ahead of Daniel McKenna and Andrew Grennan who rounded
off the top 5 and claimed the two wheel drive category in the process.

Conditions  couldn’t have been more favourable from an organiser’s point of view, with the  sheer volume of spectators testament to the high regard this annual event is  held. However the dry conditions also took their toll on a number of cars with  just 79 finishers. There were 23 casualties on the first loop of three tages  alone. McNulty led the event from the start, pulling out a 14sec lead after the  first stage and setting fastest times on 6 of the 9 stages with Maguire taking  2 fastest stage times and Barrable fastest on stage 7 by 4 seconds. The two  wheel drive battle was intense with Tydavnet’s Gary McPhillips and Mark Tierney
having a slender advantage over Daniel McKenna after the first 3 stages but  that was where his challenge would end as the dry conditions finally took its  toll on Gary’s  engine as it cried enough over the finish line of ss3. This left Daniel McKenna  well out in front in the race for two wheel drive honours and he duly  0bliged  with some fantastic stage times to finish inside the top 5 with Wesley  Patterson his closest rival back in 14^th and Donegal’s Declan and  Eoin Gallagher 3^rd in 15^th overall.

There  were many fine battles for class honours throughout the day with Donegal’s  Stephen Bradley taking class 2 honours in a Honda Civic. There was one finisher  in class 3 as another Donegal man Stirling Taylor survived the elements to  bring his Civic home to a class win. The group N production cars running in class
4 were next up and some great individual drives here as Barrable’s 3^rd  overall result promoted Sam  Moffett and James O’Reilly to a class win and 8^th o/a in their EVO with a 53second victory over Balinode’s Shane Maguire and  Charlie McEnery in his Impreza although Shane had to contend with differential  and brake problems throughout the day. There was only 1 finisher in class 5 as  Donegal’s Shane Timony made the finish ramp in his Ford Puma. Class 6 had 7  finishers with the Citroen C2R2s making up the bulk of them. Dublin’s Peter Barrable took a 20 second  class win ahead of Rodger Donnan in a Puma with the Citroens of Samantha Thom  and Sean Agnew 3^rd and 4^th respectively. Monaghan’s  Jonathan McKenna finished 5th with David Smith and Austin Hamill 6^th in class, both in Peugeot 106s. The latter ran into difficulties on the first  stage to end their hopes of crystal early on. Class 7 saw Peter Taylor in a Clio
finish just over a minute ahead of Cavan’s Cathal and Gerard O’Reilly. With McNulty and Maguire in the overall awards it was  Cork’s Daragh  O’Riordan/Tony McDaid who lifted the class 8 award 32 seconds ahead of Adrian  McElvaney and Paul Kelly with the Triton Showers-backed Impreza of Kevin
Barrett and Sean Mullally 3^rd in class . The super quick Mini of Lloyd  Hutchinson/Kevin Flanagan took class 9 honours ahead of Cootehill’s Damian  O’Reilly and Gene Mc Donald with Pa Bellew 3^rd, both in Escorts.  There were only 2 finishers out of 11 starters in class 10 as Aaron McQuaid and
Aidan Coyle’s persistence finally paid off on the Monaghan Stages as they  brought their Escort home to a convincing win ahead of Sean and Fintan Sherry. Class  11 featured 13 finishers with the brother and sister pairing of Darren and  Nicola McKenna having what could be considered their best result to date with a
29 second victory over Peter Wilson and Karen Kelly, but more importantly were also  21^st overall for their efforts. Other Monaghan men to make the  finish ramp were Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor in 4^th, Martin  McPhilips 6^th in his twin cam while Damian Sherry and Janice  Mackarel rode their luck, running out of petrol at the service in control to  eventually finish 8^th in class. David Smith and John G Hamill
finished 10^th. With 7 finishers out of a possible 10 in class 12 it  was Arthur and Macartan Kierans who led the way with a 36 second lead from  James Cassidy with Noel O’Donnell 3^rd in a 205. After the disappointment of 2010 it’s probably fair to say this was a sweet victory for  these men on their home turf.

The ever competitive class 13 didn’t disappoint as Donegal’s Declan and Eoin Gallagher had a massive push on all day to take a  minute and 16 second win from Tyrone’s Aidan Caldwell with Threemilehouse man  Damian Hagan 3^rd, a further 7 seconds in arrears but still 20^th  overall showing that they weren’t hanging about either. Raymond Conlon finished  6^th in class and 29^th overall. The powerful Escorts of
class 14 were next up as the Scotshouse/Aghabog duo of Daniel Mc Kenna and  Andrew Grennan in the Scanbitz Escort took advantage of McPhilips’ dismay to  take an incredible 5 minute win from Wesley Patterson with Damian Gallagher and  Mac Walsh 3^rd. Class 15 had 2 finishers as Cork’s Liam McCarthy took  their Corolla home with a class win and 9^th overall with Monaghan’s  Cathal McGlone 2^nd in class 15.

The  Monaghan Junior Stages Rally took in the final 6 stages of the main event and  it was number 1 seeds David Moffett and Patrick Brides who didn’t disappoint,  taking a 50 second win in their immaculate starlet ahead of Christopher Snow  with Justin Smyth and Gregory McQuillan showing great pace on their maiden  voyage on tarmac to finish 3^rd, despite only having 1^st,  2^nd and 5^th gear for the final two stages. Castleblaney’s  Johno and Padraig Duggan failed to finish the junior event after setting some  good stage times early on. The all-female team of Claire McAree with Laura  Moffett calling the notes hit trouble early on with electrical difficulties  forcing them over their time limit, effectively removing them from the final
results but did manage a finish and looked to be going very steady throughout  the day.

Unfortunately  not everyone competing had as good a day with 49 crews failing to make the  finish of the event for one reason or another. The title of first casualty of  the day must surely go to Kieran McCarra (Bilko) and Mark Hamill as they broke  a drive shaft while warming tyres at the control to the start of stage 1.  Reigning Border champions Declan and Brian Boyle over stepped the mark on stage  1 ending their challenge in the hedge. Emyvale’s John McQuaid was stopped on  ss2 while Michael Conlon and Aidan Boyle broke a strut after a heavy landing on  ss2 following relay switch problems on ss1. Mac McKenna and John Loughran’s  charge came to an end as an excursion to the scenery resulted in a broken  window screen and oil cooler while lying high up in the overall rankings.  Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly had a close shave with a tree resulting in  2 punctures, thus ending their day after putting up some impressive times.  Jack Maguire and Emmett Sherry’s day came to  a sudden stop on stage 3 when they hit a bank . Monaghan Motor Club extends  best wishes to Jack for a speedy recovery. Andy Mackarel and Richard Cassidy’s  day ended on ss 8 with a broken differential not far from Andy’s house while  the Tynans also left their luck at home as Michael and Declan stopped on ss4  with clutch trouble and Martin and Ciaran were forced to retire on ss8 with  engine abnormalities. Josh Moffett and Domhall Lennon retired in service as  their engine also cried enough. Adrian Fox and Ciaran McPhillips couldn’t have  timed their retirement any better as their engine ceased on Ciaran’s front  doorstep! Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes’ day ended on ss6 as the wee Peugeot  engine gave up the ghost while pushing for the class lead. Barry Treanor and  Colm Connolly failed to make first service while Joe Shrimpton and Ciaran  Geaney put their C2R2 off the road on ss8 also. Cathal Sheridan didn’t make first service either  while Barry and Jason McKenna’s immaculate Escort dropped a valve on the first  loop. Ryan and Gary McKenna along with Donal Crossan and Damian McCabe also  succumbed to the dry grippy conditions with mechanical woes. Conor Foley  encountered head gasket trouble while Ryan Loughran who had James McCarville on
the notes picked up 2 punctures to end their day. Other Monaghan men who also  failed to finish include Ciaran Marron in an EVO, Ballybay’s Paddy Connolly and  Stephen McElroy along with Paddy O’Reilly and Steven Rushe. The travelling Welsh  brigade didn’t bring much luck with them either. Washington James picked up 2  punctures, forcing their retirement, with John Stone in a Skoda Fabia visiting  the scenery at the start of stage 5 while Mark Jasper pulled in at the end of  ss3 with mechanical trouble in his Hyundai Accent.

So that’s the story from the 2011 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally. Well done
to all finishers and award winners, to the CoC Conor Maguire and his team on running a safe and enjoyable event for both competitor and spectator. Conor thanked everyone for their dedicated efforts and assistance to make this event happen with such great success: “I extend thanks to Monaghan County
and Town Councils who have helped the club to promote and facilitate this event, which has grown greatly over the past number of years. I would like to thank An Garda Siochana for their help and assistance over the course of this event. Their presence was very evident as traffic through the town and surrounding areas flowed seamlessly under their guidance – again many thanks.
To all the residents along the route we thank you for your welcome, co-operation and support to help make this rally one of the best supported and largest in the country. To all the many doctors, ambulances, fire ervice and civil defence personnel who worked long hours during the event, we extend a warm thanks for all this great assistance. Over 300 marshals lined the rally route during the course of the day and they deserve a special note of thanks, as their role is very demanding, as they had to organise the vast numbers of spectators from early morning to evening. Special thanks must go to the entire organizing committee and their teams who have worked tirelessly on this event over recent weeks and months. Indeed a special word of thanks to you all for supporting my role as COC over the past 4 years, and as always it has been a
pleasure working with you. Your dedicated efforts ensure this event runs smoothly and this was very oticeable on Sunday past. Finally a special word of thanks must go to the Hillgrove Hotel. The Hillgrove Hotel has been the main sponsor of the event over many years now and provides excellent facilities to
the club for the running of one of Monaghan’s largest sporting events each year. To Colm & Audrey Herron and their efficient staff, we extend our thanks once again.” As a result of the efforts of all, the Monaghan  tages Rally was another resounding success.

Top 10 overall:-

1/ Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 87m 48s,

2/ Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 88m 31s,

3/ Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly (Skoda Fabia
S2000) 88m 56s,

4/ Daragh O’Riordan/Tony McDaid (Impreza WRC) 89m
18s,

5/ Daniel McKenna/Andrew Grennan (Escort) 89m 38s,

6/ Adrian McElvaney/Paul Kelly (Impreza WRC) 89m 50s,

7/ Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 90m 32s,

8/ Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 92m
14s,

9/ Liam McCarthy/Denis O’Mahony (Corolla WRC) 92m
46s,

10/ Shane Maguire/Charlie McEnery (Impreza Gp N) 93m 07s.

Motorsport Safety Team Group N Production class:

1/ Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly,

2/ Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly,

3/ Shane Maguire/Charlie McEnery.

Rally.ie Two wheel drive class:

1/  Daniel
McKenna/Andrew Grennan

2/ Wesley Patterson/Martin McGarrity (Escort) 94m
13s,

3/ Declan Gallagher/Eoin Gallagher (Starlet) 94m
35s.

Juniors:

1/ David Moffett/Patrick Brides (Starlet) 65m 16s,

2/ Christopher Snow/Jonathan Treanor (Civic) 66m 06s,

3/ Justin Smyth/Gregory McQuillan (Escort) 70m 44s.

Post event Rally Video Show

Don’t forget to come along to the Aghabog GAA centre
tonight, Thursday 21st April at 8pm for the post event video show. Plenty of
action from the rally will be screened including many exciting in-car footage
shots. This is an excellent opportunity to meet and greet the many competitors
in action in the rally and indeed, for the many residents to enjoy the footage
over the entire event. Food and refreshments will be served on the night.

The time is nigh as this weekend brings the spectacle that is the Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally. The culmination of months of planning and dedicated hard work by CoC Conor Maguire and his team comes to a head on Sunday next as the rally departs the Hillgrove Hotel from 9am onwards for round 2 of the Dunlop National Rally Championship and Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship.

A full entry of 140 cars will see some of the finest examples in the country do battle over the 3 stages run 3 times format, totalling almost 160 km. Stage 1 is a whole new stage running along the main Monaghan/Clones road passing the Bailinode area towards Seloo, approximately 18 km in length, it is considered the fastest stage of the event with straights and sweeping corners. Stage 2 takes in the Killeevan, Magherarney and Greenans Cross areas, again just over 18 km in length, this stage has a mix of everything with tight and testing sections opening to fast flowing straights. Once again this stage will pass the now famous Magherarney junction at the chapel, which is a popular junction for spectators with excellent viewing. Stage 3 visits the Threemilehouse, Corcaghan and Aghabog territory and is the longest stage of the event at just over 19 km. This too is a testing stage with some very tight sections leading to open fast flowing roads. Yet again the latter half of this stage passes the very popular Aghabog complex junction towards the finish with some good vantage points also.

            There will be some great individual class battles on the day as classes 2 & 3 sees a host of Civics go head to head while the popular class 4 has no fewer than 17 entries, all group N Evos and Imprezas. Colm Murphy and Don Montgomery will head this class at No 8 with notable names such as Brendan Cumiskey 19, Sam Moffett  20, Shane Maguire  21, Stuart Darcey and Donegal’s Trevor Bustard all capable of achieving class awards amongst others. Martin and Ciaran Tynan along with Josh Moffett and Domhall Lennon are running at 65 and 66 respectively in this class in there newly acquired EVOs and would probably hope to be on the pace towards the end of the day as they get acquainted with their new cars. Class 6 sees Sean Agnew and Seamus Connolly in a C2R2 with Dublin’s Peter Barrable behind in a similar car with Joe Shrimpton and Ciaran Geaney at 78 also in a C2R2. They are closely followed by Monaghan’s David Smith and Austin Hamill at 80 in a 106 with Jonathan McKenna and Matthew Skinnader next up at 81, also in a 106. Once again class 8 looks like a real humdinger with the top 7 entries all listed in WRC spec cars. Ballinode’s Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry are top seeds with Tim McNulty at 2, Kevin Barrett at 3, Derek McGarrity 4, Robert Barrable and Damian Connolly 5 in their S2000 Fabia, Adrian McElvaney and Paul Kelly 6 and Darragh O’Riordan 7, all in WRC Imprezas. Should the conditions suit it would be hard to pick a winner out of this group. Class 9 sees the quick Mini of Lloyd Hutchinson at number 49 followed by Cavan’s Damian Reilly at 103 with Laurance Sherry listed at 122 in his Escort. The ever popular class 10 sees Baileboro’s Paul Clarke lead off a host of  Monaghan crews with Adrian Fox making a return to the stages at 74, Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes slot in at 76 with Barry Treanor and Colm Connolly at 77, both in 205s with Aaron McQuaid at 82 and Cathal Sheridan at 83. These men are sure to have a great battle throughout the day. Class 11 sees 21 entries with Darren and Nicola McKenna top seeds at 54 ahead of Cootehill’s Mark Wedlock (55) with Corcaghan’s Martin McPhillips 56 and Donegal’s Paul Gallagher at 57. Club members Damian Sherry and Janice Mackarel at 88 are sure to be in the mix along with a host of others, too many to name! Class 12 sees 7 entries with Aghabog’s Arthur and Macartan Kierans top seeds at 40 with James Cassidy at 46 and Noel O Donnell at 47 in a 205. Class 13 has 17 entries with Michael “The Blind Man” Conlon leading off at 35 followed by Damian Hagan at 36 and Raymond Conlon and Darren McCague at 37 with Mac McKenna 38 and Frank Kelly 39. Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly slot in at 43 and are sure to be on the pace following some good stage times in the Midlands recently. Other Monaghan men in contention in this class include Jack Maguire and Emmett Sherry at 52 with Kieran McCarra and Mark Hamill at 58. The ever popular class 14 is sure to provide some spectacular entertainment as top seeds Gary McPhilips and Mark Tierney are at 11, followed by Daniel McKenna and Andrew Grennan at 12, Donegal’s Declan Boyle at 14, Cavan’s Rodney Wilton at 15, Manus Kelly 16 and Wesley Patterson 17, all in immaculate Escorts. Others sure to feature are Trevor Mulligan at 29, Damian Gallagher at 30 and Brian Brogan at 31. Other Monaghan men in this class include John McQuaid at 34 and Paddy O’Reilly at 100. Class 15 accommodates cars out of homologation and includes Cork’s Liam McCarthy at 10 in a Corolla with England’s Mark Jasper at 26 in a Hyundai Accent. Next up are Andy Mackarel and Richard Cassidy at 61 in their EVO 4 followed by Michael and Declan Tynan at 62 in their EVO 5, this being Michael’s first tarmac stages event in 15 odd years. Cathal McGlone slots in at 64 in an Impreza.

            The junior category has approximately 10 entries and is Round 1 of the National Junior Championship. Anthony Finnegan is once again CoC of the Junior Rally, which takes in the final 6 stages of the main rally, an extra stage added this year giving real value for money to these young competitors. Clontibret’s David Moffett with Scotshouse man Patrick Brides on the notes are car J1 in their pristine Starlet followed by Johno Doogan at J2 and Chris Snow at J3. Justin Smyth makes his stages debut with Gregory McQuillan on the notes at J6 whilst an all-female team of Ballinode’s Claire McAree and Clontibret’s Laura Moffett take to the stages in a 206 at J10.

            Service will be in the main car park at St. Peter’s Lake, behind Fleming’s Super Valu throughout the day on Sunday and with large crowds expected to gather. Patrons are urged to exercise extreme caution in the area, especially with children. Parc Feirme will be based at the rear of the Hillgrove on Saturday evening between 3pm and 9pm where you can get a chance to view the spectacle of top cars on show and whilst there, why not call to the Hillgrove and join in the party atmosphere of a rally weekend. Sunday evening will see the finish of the event around 5.30 back at the hotel with prizegiving to follow around 8pm.

            The Clerk of the Course Conor Maguire has appealed to all spectators to obey the marshals at all times. In his statement he added: “Marshals will be briefed on their locations and are best placed to guide spectators to safer and more suitable vantage points. I would urge that spectators stand well back from competing cars and be alert at all times. Please respect your surroundings and ensure that no damage is caused to private property and that all litter is brought home. Finally, I hope you enjoy the event and please join us afterwards in the Hillgrove Hotel for prizegiving.”

Top 25 Seeded Entry List

1/ Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 8

2/ Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 8

3/ Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 8

4/ Derek McGarrity/James McKee (Impreza WRC) 8

5/ Robert Barrable/Damian Connolly (Fabia S2000)

6/ Adrian McElvaney/Paul Kelly (Impreza) 8

7/ Daragh O’Riordan/ Tony McDaid (Impreza) 8

8/ Colm Murphy/Don Montgomery (Impreza) 4

9/Seamus Leonard/John McCafferty (Impreza) 8

10/ Liam McCarthy/Dennis O Mohoney (Corolla) 15

11/ Gary McPhillips/Mark Tierney (Escort) 14

12/ Danial McKenna/Andrew Grennan (Escort) 14

14/ Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Escort) 14

15/ Rodney Wilton/Conor McMahon (Escort) 14

16/ Manus Kelly/Donall Barrett (Escort) 14

17/ Wesley Patterson/Martin Mc Garrity (Escort) 14

18/ Washington James/TBA (Darrian) 14

19/ Brendan Cumiskey/TBA (Lancer) 4

20/ Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (EVO) 4

21/ Shane Maguire/Charlie McEnery (Impreza) 4

22/ Stuart Darcy/Eamonn Walsh (EVO 8) 4

23/Thomas Fitzmaurice/Fiona Foley (EVO 9) 4

24/ Trevor Bustard/Kenny Bustard (EVO 9) 4

25/ John Stone/Rob Fagg (Fabia) 8

 Marshal’s Training Night

All marshals willing to help out at this year’s event are kindly asked to attend a short training night tomorrow Friday 15^th April in the Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan at 8.00pm sharp. This is necessary to maintain a high standard of safety on our event, which is imperative for the future of the sport. All sector marshals already appointed are expected to attend along with his or her respective teams, as well as anyone else available to marshal on the day. 

  Two Monaghan Crews on Podium at Moonraker

Two Monaghan crews made their long journey to Lismore in Co Waterford worthwhile on Sunday last 10^th April. Cousins Vincent and JP McAree finished 2^nd overall on Munster Car Club’s Moonraker forestry rally with the brother and sister pairing of Stephen and Suzanne Wright taking 3^rd on the podium with a fine drive in their relatively new EVO 6. Winners on the day were Tipperary’s Liam Ryan and Aidan Burke but the McArees pushed them all the way beating the southern pair on three of the eight stages to finish 9 seconds in arrears. The Monaghan duo had to overcome problems throughout the day as they struggled early on with changes in road surface, coupled with a puncture on stage 5 which almost unravelled their challenge. Stephen and Suzanne Wright reported an enjoyable day and their confidence is certainly on the up in this car after some recent good results, a spin on stage 5 their only trouble of the day. Top seeds John Reid and Enda Shields hit trouble on stage 2 dropping almost 6 minutes while Craig Breen and Gareth Roberts finished 5^th in their Ford Fiesta.

This result for the McArees leaves them joint leaders of the Valvoline Irish Forestry Championship as they grow in confidence with every event, next round being Donegal in July. Their position in the championship means that they have had to withdraw their entry for their local event, the Monaghan Stages Rally on Sunday next as they set their sights on the forestry championship, but they would like to wish the club the very best of luck on Sunday.

 New National autotest champion Stephen Ferguson carried on his winning ways on Sunday last as Monaghan Motor club hosted the final round of the Hewison National Autotest championship in the ideal surroundings of Wright’s Quarry, Swanns Cross. As always Brendan Flynn stepped in as CoC with 3 very demanding tests as the sun shone brightly over the venue with 19 drivers on the start list. Ferguson in a mini special posted 8 fastest times out of the 12 tests to take the win from Robin Lyons who won class A in a mini with Eamonn Byrne second and Christopher Byrne 3rd. Ferguson’s win promoted regular navigation competitor Sam Johnston to a class win also in a mini special with Patrick Power 2nd and Paul “Felix” Phelan 3rd. Class C was won by Simon Echlin while Mark King took the class E honours. In the popular and ever competitive club members category, Richard Cassidy pulled out all the stops to win by 2.5 seconds in his micra ahead of Andy Mackarel in his starlet special with Martin Tynan 3rd in their micra, one of four drivers to put this car through its paces! Declan Tynan was 4th with Ciaran Tynan 5th. Michael Carbin fought with the handbrake on his Peugeot throughout the day but managed 6th with Michael Tynan taking 7th in Mackarel’s starlet. An enjoyable day for all these guys but even more importantly some valuable points gained for the club championship. Well done to Brendan on another flawless event. He would like to extend his thanks to the generosity of David Wright for the use of his premises, the Northern Standard who sponsored the event, Aghabog GFC for refreshments and venue for prize giving and to all the marshals who turned up and anybody else who helped out in any way

Circuit of Kerry Stages Rally

 Experienced Monaghan navigator Enda Sherry guided Enniskillen man Darren Gass to an excellent win on the recent Circuit of Kerry stages rally last Sunday in his Impreza WRC by a slender 4 seconds. Things didn’t go their way for the entire day however as a fuel problem on stage 7 lost them 20 seconds to move Kevin Barrett into the lead but a super time on the penultimate stage meant they regained the lead where they remained through the final stage. This victory was made all the sweeter by the fact that Darren made a late decision to enter the event, his first since Cork last year, which sets him up nicely for the Circuit of Ireland on Easter weekend. Barrett finished 2nd ahead of teammate Niall Maguire and Barry Goodman both in WRC Imprezas. Shane Maguire also made the trip South but seems to have left his luck at home as an uncustomary visit to the scenery ended his assault on stage 3 although to Shane’s defence brake failure seems to have been a contributing factor. Smithboro man Anthony Hand with Laura Furey on the notes took his Escort out for a trial run ahead of the Monaghan stages and didn’t disappoint as he led the field home in the junior category of the event, 29 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals. A good clean run reported by Anthony who is now contemplating an attack on the National Junior championship.

Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally

 With the final week approaching ahead of the biggest event in the clubs calendar its all shoulders to the wheel as final preparations are put in place by CoC Conor Maguire and his band of merry men and women! The weather is the only thing not in his control in the lead up to the big day on 17th April. The entry list certainly hasn’t disappointed in what could be described as possibly one of the strongest in many years, surely a testament to the high regard this event is held among the top rally drivers in the country. A full entry of 140 cars has been received with local men Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry leading the event off from the ideal surroundings of the Hillgrove Hotel as number 1 seeds ahead of Tim McNulty and Paul Kiely with another Triton Showers backed Subaru 3rd in the form of Kevin Barrett and Sean Mullally. Derek McGarrity and James Mc Kee are at 4 with Billy Coleman award winner Robert Barrable and Damian Connolly rounding off the top 5 fresh from their win in Cork. Adrian McElvaney makes a return to the Monaghan stages at 6 with Paul Kelly on the notes with Daragh O’Riordan at 7, all of the above in class 8 WRC spec cars. Colm Murphy and Don Montgomery lead the group N challenge, a class that sees an incredible 17 group N entries with Brendan Cumiskey, Sam Moffett and Shane Maguire all sure to be in contention for class honours. Gary McPhillips and Mark Tierney head the two wheel drive category in their powerful class 14 Escort at no. 11 but an array of Escorts behind are sure to entertain the crowds. Daniel Mc Kenna and Andrew Grennan are at 12 with the likes of Declan Boyle, Rodney Wilton, Manus Kelly and Wesley Patterson all inside the top 20. Washington James is sure to set the stages alight in his famous Darrian at no. 18. With large crowds expected for this event, a counting round of the Motorsport Ireland Dunlop National Rally Championship and Sligo Pallets Border Championship, anybody willing to help out in any way are asked to come forward and make themselves available. No fewer than 150 marshals are required for the 3 stages alone. Full preview of 2011 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally will be in next week’s edition.

 Top 25 Seeded Entry List

 1/ Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 8 2/ Tim McNulty/Paul Kiely (Impreza WRC) 8 3/ Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 8 4/ Derek McGarrity/James McKee (Impreza WRC) 8 5/ Robert Barrable/Damian Connolly (Fabia S2000) 6/ Adrian McElvaney/Paul Kelly (Impreza) 8 7/ Daragh O’Riordan/ Tony McDaid (Impreza) 8 8/ Colm Murphy/Don Montgomery (Impreza) 4 9/Seamus Leonard/John McCafferty (Impreza) 8 10/ Liam McCarthy/Dennis O Mohoney (Corolla) 15 11/ Gary McPhillips/Mark Tierney (Escort) 14 12/ Danial McKenna/Andrew Grennan (Escort) 14 14/ Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Escort) 14 15/ Rodney Wilton/Conor McMahon (Escort) 14 16/ Manus Kelly/Donall Barrett (Escort) 14 17/ Wesley Patterson/Martin Mc Garrity (Escort) 14 18/ Washington James/TBA (Darrian) 14 19/ Brendan Cumiskey/TBA (Lancer) 4 20/ Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (EVO) 4 21/ Shane Maguire/Charlie McEnery (Impreza) 4 22/ Stuart Darcy/Eamonn Walsh (EVO 8) 4 23/Thomas Fitzmaurice/Fiona Foley (EVO 9) 4 24/ Trevor Bustard/Kenny Bustard (EVO 9) 4 25/ John Stone/Rob Fagg (Fabia) 8

 Marshal’s Training Night

All marshals willing to help out at this year’s event are kindly asked to attend a short training night on Friday 15th April (Friday night before the event) in the Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan at 8.00pm sharp. This is necessary to maintain a high standard of safety on our event, which is imperative for the future of the sport. All sector marshals already appointed are expected to attend along with his or her respective teams, as well as anyone else available to marshal on the day.

Daniel Mc Kenna and Andrew Grennan got their rally season off to the best possible start on Sunday last with a 17second win on the Midlands Moto Stages Rally based around the Roscommon/Leitrim town of Rooskey. This win was made all the more difficult given that Daniel hasn’t sat in his now famous blue Scanbitz escort for almost 7 month’s and coupled with the tricky gravel strewn stage’s they led the event from start to finish pulling out a nine second lead after the first stage alone. Not to be outdone Donegal men and current border rally champions Declan and Brian Boyle kept the pressure on McKenna and Grennan all day, ready to capitalise on any half spin but their efforts were only enough for 2^nd overall after 9 demanding stages, followed in 3^rd by Wesley Patterson and Martin McGarrity, all in class 14 escorts.

            A host of other Monaghan men made the start ramp but they all seemed down on their luck a little. Raymond Conlon and Emmett Sherry had a steady run through the gravely stages to finish 10^th and 3^rd in class 13. Maurice Moffett and Jason McKenna got caught out on a series a gravel bends to slip off the road momentarily on the 1^st stage, dropping a minute or so but managed to soldier on and finished 14^th and 2^nd in class, Maurice the first of 5 Moffett’s on the entry list with the rest not having much luck either!  Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly finished back in 28^th overall but this is not quiet a true reflection of his day. Electrical problems on the first stage cost them 7 minutes but from stage 2 onwards they set about climbing the leader board with some very impressive times, some of which were inside the top 5 so the omens are good for Richard and will surely be one to watch out for in the highly competitive class 13.

            Sam Moffett and James O’Reillys rally came to an end on stage 6 with engine trouble while lying 5^th overall. Sam’s brother Josh hit trouble on stage 2 to end his day. David Moffett with Patrick Brides on the notes held a comfortable lead in the Junior rally almost a minute ahead of his nearest rival’s but hit trouble on the road section with a broken drive to end their good run. Martin Tynan and JP McAree also made the trip but their luck was short lived too with differential trouble on stage 3 just as they were getting used to the new EVO 8.

Circuit of Kerry Stages Rally Preview

Niall Maguire with Barry Goodman on the notes head to Kerry this weekend for round 2 of the West Coast rally championship, seeded at number 2 behind close rivals Kevin Barrett and Sean Mullally. Current champion Shane Maguire is at no. 7 with Clare native Charlie McEnery calling notes. Anthony Hand gets his rally season underway in Kerry with Laura Furey navigating in his escort while Enda Sherry will make the trip to navigate for Enniskillen man Darren Gass in his S11 WRC Impreza. Report next week. 

 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally
The annual Hillgrove Hotel Stages Rally gets under way on the 17^th April – which is fast approaching. The club are currently receiving a large number of entries but competitors are reminded that entries are due to close on 4/4/11 – which is next Monday.

Once again, we are delighted to be associated with our long-term sponsors the Hillgrove Hotel, who have provided us with tremendous support over the past years, not to mention one of the finest Rally Head Quarters in the country.

This year’s event promises to see one of the best entry lists the club has published in years. With competitors travelling from as far a field as Wales with WRC spec cars we are sure to see some top class competition, not to mentions those rare Darrian RWD cars!

The event will boast a quality field including many local crews, and competition between these chaps will certainly be worth watching. For 2011, the club are also adding an extra stage for the junior category, which will bring their total stages up to 6.

The scheduled timetable for entering for the event includes:

• Entries Open 07/03/11
• Border Championship Priority Closing 21/03/11
• Entries Close 04/04/11 Final Instructions Posted 08/04/11

 Autotest Preview

Monaghan Motor Clubs annual Autotest will run this Sunday at Wright’s Quarry, Swanns Cross with Brendan Flynn as CoC. This is a counting round of the Hewison National Autotest championship so a large entry is expected. This event also has a popular club members section so great days entertainment is guaranteed with valuable points up for grabs for the club traders championship. Sign on is from 11 o’clock with competition starting at 11.30 sharp. Entry forms available on club web site.

New names appeared on the Squealing Pig Border navigation trophy for the second year running as Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes’ 2^nd place result on last Saturday night’s Cavan Motor Club Navigation Trial handed them the coveted prize just pipping Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins at the post while Arthur Kierans and Ashley McAdoo’s 10^th place was just enough to clinch the Motorsport Ireland National navigation championship for a 4^th consecutive year by 2 points after 8 demanding rounds. Deserved winners of the event were Declan Tynan and Andrew Grennan with the only clean sheet of the night to end on a high after a somewhat subdued season by their standards. The Errigal Country House Hotel in Cootehill was an excellent HQ for this the final event of the 2010/11 navigation season with Domnic McArdle, ably assisted by Mervin Wedlock and their team laying out one of the best routes of the year with smiles all round at event finish.

            The first half of the event headed west from Cootehill straddling the Monaghan border towards Trehoo cross and Scotshouse then back again through the Drung and Lisnageer areas to Tullyvin. Border series contenders Chris Kelly and Sam Johnston dealt themselves a massive blow at time point 6 with a wrong approach while National championship leaders Arthur and Ashley lost 5 minutes at tp7 with a jammed gearbox, indeed this was their only penalties of the night but it was heart in mouth stuff to the end as only a top 10 finish would ensure them the National title once again.  Tp12 known locally as Gillespies lane saw some time loss but Kinkades lane out to tp 15 was essentially where the event was won and lost as Declan and Andrew cleaned this tightly timed section while everyone else in contention dropped time.

            The second half of the event headed south up through the famous Knobby’s junction towards the Mountain Lodge windfarm with lanes coming thick and fast. Little changed at the front through the final 10 time points and it was back to the finish ramp down through the Kill area. Once the results sheets went up the calculators were out in earnest to figure out overall and class awards in both championships. Andy and Liam’s efforts weren’t enough on the night to take the Border Championship and they had to settle for an expert class win on the night and 2^nd over-all in the Border. Carbin and Hughes took the semi-expert class win on the night ahead of Darren Babbington and Francis Keenan with Longford’s Kelly and Johnston in 3^rd. Kevin Keenan and Barry Garvey had a great run to finish 4^th over-all and take the novice class award ahead of local Cavan men Warren Carleton and John Hetherington with the Scotstown duo of Gerry Cassidy and Paul Sheridan 3^rd. Midlands men Peter Hagan and Michael Reilly made their trip to Cavan worthwhile with a beginners class win from father and son team Jim and Thomas Wedlock with Darren Quinn and Nigel Cloughry 3^rd. Once again well done to Cavan Motor Club and especially Bart, Mervin and all there helpers on a good, entertaining and straightforward navigation trial.

So that’s it for another season on the night navigation scene and well done to Arthur and Ashley on their National title and Michael and Evin on their Border navigation success. Also well done to all class award winners in both championships. Keep an eye out over the next few weeks for final championship results, which will be posted on the net, and also the dates for prize giving for these two popular championships. You made the effort to go to the events, please try and make it to the prize giving nights, even if there is no crystal to be lifted!        

 Cavan Motor Club Navigation Trial Results

1 Declan Tynan/Andrew Grennan (Subaru Impreza) 0 marks

2 Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes (Subaru Legacy) 1m

3 Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 1m

4 Kevin Keenan/Barry Garvey (Subaru Impreza) 2m

5 James Greenan/Ciaran Coyle (Nissan Almera) 2m

6 Ray O’Neill/Stephen O’Neill (Ford Mondeo) 2m

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

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

9 Warren Carleton/John Hetherington (Toyota Carina) 5m

10 Arthur Kierans/Ashley McAdoo (Subaru Impreza) 5m

11 Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 6m

12 Gregory McQuillan/Conor Maguire (Vauxhall Vectra) 9m

 Semi-experts:

1 Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes

2 Darren Babbington/Francis Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 10m

3 Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 16m

Novices:

1 Kevin Keenan/Barry Garvey

2 Warren Carleton/John Hetherington

3 Gerry Cassidy/Paul Sheridan (Subaru Impreza) 20m

 Beginners:

1 Peter Hagan/Michael Reilly (Proton) 12m

2 Jim Wedlock/Thomas Wedlock (Vauxhall Vectra) 19m

3 Darren Quinn/Nigel McCloughry (Toyota Sprinter) 23m

West Cork Rally

Monaghan man Damian Connolly guided Dubliner and Billy Coleman award winner Robert Barrable to an exciting victory in the West Cork Rally last weekend. After 2 days and 18 stages they took a slender 1 second win in their Skoda Fabia S2000 from Darragh O Riordan and Tony McDaid in a Subaru WRC with Colm Murphy and Don Montgomery 3^rd in a group N Impreza. Club member Thomas Treanor also made the trip south to navigate for Graham Kelly in his G4 Escort but their rally ended on Stage 6.

Midland Moto Stages Rally Preview

Sunday next sees Midland Motor Club host their annual stages rally based around the town of Rooskey on the Roscommon/Leitrim. With this being considered a local event, a host of Monaghan crews are on the entry list, using it as a shakedown for our upcoming Monaghan Stages Rally and are sure provide excellent entertainment on one of the first local tarmac events of the year. Donegal men and last year’s winners Declan and Brian Boyle head the field with Daniel McKenna and Andrew Grennan at 2 in their trusty Scanbitz Escort. Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly are 4^th with Maurice Moffett sure to provide some sideways action at 5. Martin Tynan with JP McAree on the notes is at 8 and out to test the water in his new EVO 8 while Raymond Conlon and Emmett Sherry are 9^th in their twin cam. Damian Hagan and Janice Mackarel are next up in 14^th with Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly at 24. Josh Moffett and Domhnall Lennon are in 39^th in there 106 while David Moffett and Patrick Brides are 2^nd on the road in the junior category. Full report next week. 

Autotest

The recently postponed Monaghan Motor Club autotest has been re-scheduled for Sunday 3^rd April at Wrights Quarry, Swann’s Cross. Entry forms available on club web site.