Category: Uncategorized

Conor Mohan followed on from his Drumlin Navigation Trial win with yet another outright victory on last weekend’s March Navigation Trial, this time back with his regular driver Michael Carbin.

The event was the final round of the National Navigation Trial Championship and attracted no less than 45 starters. With seven rounds already completed there were still a number of crews fighting it out for the championship honours.

Ballinode Community Hall was the venue and David McCrudden, assisted by Martin Tynan, organised an 85 mile event covering the area between Tydavnet and Clones. 

The event began with a straight forward run through Sherlock’s farm in Ballinode to reach TP2. From there, competitors had to travel via Feebaghduff to reach TP3 at Shee. The night’s first plot and bash section was on the cards here as navigators had to first get the correct departure from TP3 before finding the location of TPs 4 and 5. A box tulip diagram brought competitors via Tydavnet Community Centre to a grey muddy lane at Mullantimore for TP4. There, navigators had to follow an intermediate distanced herringbone tulip diagram to TP5. The tulip diagram brought crews back via the community centre to behind a house along the Tydavnet Road which was also in the townland of Mullantimore. The difficulty of this section was evident from almost the entire field of competitors dropping at least some time. In fact only two crews, Shane Dalton/Ryan Treanor and Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston, escaped this section penalty free.

Carbin/Mohan only dropped two penalties for being two minutes late to TP5. Championship hopefuls James Fitzgerald/Ken Carmody fared poorly here as they took a wrong departure at TP3 and failed to reach both TP4 and TP5 thus incurring 55 penalties. A relaxed section was up next between TP6 and TP7 at Rafeenan where competitors could make up lost time and continue on with the event on their original schedule. TP8 was located at Larkin’s Garage at Tullybryan and the second blot and bash section began here. A box tulip was received that brought crews to TP9 at the end of a new lane at Maurice Moffett’s at Ballinode village. This section also proved to be difficult as 13 crews failed to show up. TP10 was located in McMahons farm in Drumacaslan. TP11 was located at the end of a farm lane in Brandrum before heading to the second relaxed section and the start of the ITC section.  The ITC section went to the outskirts of Corcaghan before turning back towards Threemilehouse and finishing at the main Clones Road at Killydonnelly. It was a return to farm lanes for TP14 as it was located in Hughes’s farm in Tattindonagh, the approach and departure was by using two gravel farm lanes. A number of crews took a wrong approach here as they entered the farmyard too early.

The third plot and bash section began at TP21 and the box tulip brought crews to TP22 in a farm at Legnakelly. The route from TP24 to V5 was also on a plot and bash box tulip. The last plot and bash section of the night was received at V5 and it was a clock faced herringbone tulip that included all entrances and gates along the route to show the direction of travel and the location of TP25. Navigators here relieved at this point as they knew that no tough plot and bash sections lay ahead. This did not indicate that the event got any easier as at TP29 in particular, even overshooting the approaching by just a car length would lead to a wrong approach or worse, that if the crew realised they overshot the turn and reversed and went the correct way, they would escape the wrong approach but would be hit with a double visit penalty. Just two more TPs lay between here and the finish Control. The first was located at the end of Murray’s farm lane at Killatten before heading through Aghaboy South to Hamill’s farm and TP31 at Killygrallan.

At the finish Control back in Ballinode hall Carbin/Mohan were declared winners after picking up just four penalties, two for being two minutes late at each of TPs 5 and 25. They were comfortable winners as 2^nd overall went to the Novice crew of Shane Maguire and Adam Langan on 16 pens. Derek Mackarel/Conor Boylan took third on 19 penalties after taking a wrong departure at TP3.

Class winners on the night were, Mackarel/Boylan 1^st Expert, Declan Tynan/Aaron McElroy 1^st Semi Expert, Shane Maguire/Adam Langan 1^st Novice and Sean McCaffrey/Caolain McCaffrey 1^st Beginner.

Provisional points were calculated up immediately after the event and Stonebridge man Andy Mackarel along with his navigator Greg Shinnors are provisional national champions.

After the event David, the Clerk of the Course, thanked everyone who made the trial an enormous success. Including all the people who helped him setting up the event, all the land owners who gave permission for the event to pass on their property and a special mention was gave to all those who provided refreshments after the event and to the huge number of marshals who helped with the smooth running of the event.

Gretchen does Rally Jameel

Monaghan navigator Gretchen Swinburne represented county and country when she took to the startline of Rally Jameel in Saudi Arabia. Rally Jameel is a navigation off-road rally for women organised by the Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation (SAMF). The event started on 4 March and ran over four days through desert dunes and mountainous terrain, covering 1600 km with the finish on International Women’s Day on 8 March in Jeddah on the Red Sea.

She and driver Patricia Denning took second on class after the event. Gretchen followed this up by taking part in the Monaghan navigation trial just hours after getting off the plane, where she took another second in class. This time with husband Martin behind the wheel.

Sam Moffett along with James O’Reilly scored the outright victory on the Mayo Stages Rally, the opening round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship, Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship, Top Part West Coast Rally Championship and the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series.

The event got off to a very surprising start as a heavy rain shower left the stages, particularly the opening test, treacherous. It caused a lot of carnage as multiple drivers in the top ten had issues resulting in them failing to complete the stage. Included in this mayhem were top seeds Josh Moffett/Keith Moriarty who suffered a damaged radiator after sliding into a round bale on a square left. They continued onwards momentarily but had to eventually stop before completing the stage to prevent any major damage to the engine of the new Citroen C3 Rally2. The crew were eventually able to rejoin later, but unfortunately had to eventually retire for a second time.

Amazingly, second on the road Desi Henry/Stewart Loudon also went off the road. That left the third crew on the road Moffett/O’Reilly as the first team to cross the finish line of the opener. Both Declan Boyle and his son Michael had offs on the stage, but luckily Michael was able to continue with just some damage to the rear of his VW Polo R5. Daniel Cronin had a poor start also as he had two small offs, which included getting the car stuck on some grass on the outside of a sharp left-hand corner. Michael Carbin, out in his new Mk2 Ford Escort, had a spin on the stage and Johno Doogan had to stop not long into the stage to wipe steam off the window to give himself some visibility.

SS2 wasn’t as dramatic, but it still claimed a few crews. After that it was into service for a check over of the cars and a chance to change tyres. At this point Moffett/O’Reilly held a 19.8s lead over Cronin who was recovering well from his earlier troubles.

A repeat of the opening stage ran as SS3 and thankfully it wasn’t as punishing as the first run. Moffett/O’Reilly made some setup changes to their Hyundai i20 Rally2 during service and it was immediately evident that the changes were working as they went fastest again – they beat Cronin’s time by a full 14 seconds. They were again fastest on SS4, stopping the clock this time by the smallest of margins, 0.1 of a second. At second service Moffett now was in the lead of the event by 33.9s, Cronin still held second.

SS5 was cancelled so the rally restarted with SS6 and once again Sam Moffett was fastest leaving that there was no change in the leaderboard heading into final service. Two stages remained before it was time to go through the finish ramp and Sam and James held onto their lead over the remaining 20.26kms to emerge victorious by 43.5 seconds. Eddie Doherty and Tom Murphy rounded out the podium in their Skoda Fabia.

Darragh Kelly guided Paul Barrett to eighth overall and fourth in Class 5. Niall Maguire, who holds the record for the greatest number of starts and also the number of wins in Mayo, finished one place further back after struggling with a misfire in his Citroen Rally2 during the early part of the day.

Just 25 seconds split the top three cars in two wheel drive. Pierce O’Callaghan guided Jonathan Pringle to 10th OA, 1st in Class 14 and 1st Modified. Johno Doogan/Paul Lennon finished 11th OA and 2nd in Class 14, while Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan had their new Ford Escort out and came home in 12th OA and 3rd in the same class.

Ryan Farrell was navigating for Dylan Eves. They won Class 2 in their Fiesta Rally4. They were less than seven seconds ahead of Michael Conlon and James McEneaney who took Class 12 honours. Defending border champion Justin Smyth took 3rd in Class 12 with Sean Mitchell on the notes.

Cathal Sheridan and Coel Leonard were the winners of Class 10.

Taking 2nd in Class 11F were Anthony Hand and David McCrudden. Martin McPhillips and Peter Farrell would guide their Twin Cam home to 7th in class as they picked their way through the leaderboard in the afternoon after what was described as “an eventful morning”.

In 11F, Ashling McArdle guided Des Lyons to 2nd in class.

Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden finished 30th OA and 5th in Class 13.

Tommy Moffett and Domhnall Lennon gave their new Fiesta Rally4 a tarmac debut. They had to avail of superrally rules to finish but got miles under their belt and set a third fastest class time on the final stage.

Michael Carbin’s first stage trouble would be the sign of worse to come as he was forced to retire after an off on the third stage. James McCarville/Conal McNulty were another team to retire from the event after having an off which involved sliding through a hedge and into a field. Adam Langan failed to make the finish calling notes for Francis Rafferty. Their 11F Civic lost power and they could go no further.

Monaghan Navigation Trial

The final round of the National Navigation Trial Championship and the penultimate round of the Squealing Pig Border Navigation Trial Championship takes place this weekend hosted by Monaghan Motor Club. David McCrudden assisted by Martin Tynan are organising an 85-mile event based out of Ballinode Community Hall. Any people available to marshal at the event are asked to make themselves known to David. The event is expected to take in the areas surrounding Ballinode, Scotstown, Tydavnet and Knockatallon. Any residents in that area should expect some extra traffic on the roads after 9pm. The roads are not closed for the duration of this event. Andy Mackarel/Greg Shinnors are the current leaders of the national championship, but with two dropped scores allowed, its still all to play for.

Monaghan Stages Rally

Over 140 entries have already been received for the 2024 Ronnie Hawe Monaghan Stages Rally. Entries remain open until 22 March.

The rally takes place on 7 April 2024. The launch of the stages will take place on Friday 22 March at Rally HQ – the Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan town.

Monaghan Motor Club will also be running its usual charity draw for a free entry, with the winner being picked out on the evening of the launch. More details on the draw will follow.

Through rain, mist and an afternoon of scorching sunshine, and being chased by one of the most impressive and talented fields in quite a number of years on a loose-surface event, Jordan Hone and his father Paul delivered a cool and calm masterclass to claim a very first rally victory on the Killarney Forest Rally and leave with maximum points in the hunt for the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship title.

With ninety cars starting the event, the buzz was real in the build up, but a lot of crews will have been surprised to wake up to misty rain for the opening loop on what was forecast to be a drying affair.

By the end of the rally there would be an 11.2 second gap to Vivian Hamill & Gary Nolan, with third going to a rather surprised Niall McGonigle & Caolan McKenna who leave the Killarney Forest Rally with a stage win and podium finish on what had been intended as a shakedown for next weekend Fivemiletown event.

Just 13 seconds off a podium spot was Derek Mackarel and Eamonn Creedon. They took 4th OA in their Fiesta R5 and had 3rd fastest stages times on the final two stages as the Stonebridge driver continues to adapt to the car.

In the 2WD battle, it was a tricky day with many of the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship frontrunners reporting issues throughout the day, although for the late entrant pair of Shane McGirr & Denver Rafferty it was a successful trip south for the Lada pair as they claimed victory.

Ten seconds behind McGirr was back-to-back 2WD Forest Champion Micky Conlon & James McEneaney, the MC Blinds Ford Escort looking worse for wear following a dramatic meeting with a chicane on the opening stage when they got caught out with cold brakes. They lost a considerable amount of time but still finished the stage 2nd 2WD and just 7.2 seconds down on McGirr.

The gap opened slightly more on the second stage due to a stall on a junction but a very clean run through the third test and McGirr’s tyres going off gave them a 1.7 second lead in the 2WD section at service.

Although no major drama was reported on the final loop, the stages were badly cut up and McGirr managed to claw back the time to demote Conlon/McEneaney to 2nd 2WD and tenth overall.

Ryan Farrell was alongside Dylan Eves. They were second in Class 2 and sixth 2WD by the end of the day. In the same class, Tommy Moffett made his Rally4 debut. He and co-driver Domhnall Lennon finished sixth. The former J1000 champion proving the benefits of the Junior series with some instantly competitive stage times.

Reigning Irish Forest Rally Champion co-driver Arthur Kierans returned to the driver’s seat in his Subaru Impreza. His navigation trial partner Shane Maguire made his stage Rally debut on the event. Unfortunately transmission issues halted their run after just one stage. 

Killian McArdle was,on the notes for Peter McCullagh. They’d also fail to finish, as would James McCarville and Conal McNulty.

The Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship returns on 14 April with the Carrick-on-Suir Willie Loughman Forest Rally.

Monaghan Motor Club member Gretchen Swinburne who has been named as part of the Irish crew to take part in a Saudi Arabia-based off-road navigation rally next month.

Motorsport Ireland, the National Governing Body for four-wheeled motorsports in Ireland today announced that Patricia Denning and Swinburne will represent Ireland at Rally Jameel in Saudia Arabia. Rally Jameel is a navigation off-road rally for women organised by the Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation (SAMF).

The event starts on 4 March 2024 and continues over four days through the desert dunes and mountainous terrain, covering 1600km with the finish on International Women’s day on 8 March in Jeddah on the Red Sea.

Swinburne takes on the role of navigator – an equally demanding role given this is a navigation rally and not a speed event. She started out her motorsport career in 2015 as a navigator in stages rallying.

An impressive start with which she won the Junior Border Championship in her first year. Some highlights of navigating in stages includes a win the Laois Heartlands Twincam Challenge and a class win in Donegal International Junior Rally. Adding to her collection, she also won the Monghan Motor Club’s Combilift Perpetual Cup two years in a row.

In the 2022/2023 season Swinburne then switched her focus to navigation trials and in her first year successfully won her class in the Motorsport Ireland Navigation Trial Championship.

Taking to the driver’s seat, Denning is one of the top female motorsport drivers in Ireland with a wealth of driving experience having competed in over 150 events in her career to date. With a very impressive motorsport CV she is a double Ladies Forestry Rally Champion, and holds the unique accolade of being the only female in the world to have won a FIA Rallycross Super Final.

Commenting on the announcement, Motorsport Ireland President Aiden Harper said: “We are thrilled to have Patricia and Gretchen represent Ireland at Rally Jameel and offer our sincere gratitude to the Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) for this incredible invitation. 2024 has been an incredibly exciting year for Irish Motorsport so far with the WRC bid and this event invitation only solidifies how well regarded Irish motorsport is on the world stage. Wishing Patricia and Gretchen the very best of luck!”

Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Eamonn Kelly Monaghan’s Conor Mohan got their second season of the Junior World Rally Championship off to a perfect start by taking third place in Rally Sweden at the weekend.

The result matched their Acropolis Rally Greece performance last September and sets them up nicely for round two in Croatia in April – an event they won in 2023.

One of a record 19 entrants, Kelly and Mohan found themselves in a battle with eventual winner, local ace, Mille Johansson and FIA Rally Star program member Romet Jürgenson as the Donegal/Monaghan pairing completed the podium in the category for identical Ford Fiesta Rally3s run equipped with Pirelli tyres.

“It was really good to be on the podium in Sweden this year. It is a fantastic start for our championship to  finish third [amongst 19 drivers]  is something we can be really happy with,” said Kelly

“We came here this year with a plan,” he added.

“We knew what we were up against in terms of the scale of the event. We were able to show what we had learned and then back it up and it is something that I am personally happy about.

“It was a good a good weekend in general. We showed speed in places and then we were maintaining a fairly consistent pace for the rest of the time.”

 Kelly and Mohan won the junior element of Rally Croatia last season and the focus for the months ahead is preparation for the first tarmac rally of the season

“I would like to go there this year and show some speed. I want to go there and try and be much much faster and closer to the top position in the table. That is going to be the main focus over the next two months.”