Sam Moffett with local man, James Fulton, on the notes took overall victory on last weekend’s Cavan Stages Rally. The event was Round 4 of the Triton National Rally Championship and Round 3 of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship. The pair overcame the power difference between their R5 Fiesta and the World Rally Car opposition. After nine demanding stages, Moffett/Fulton emerged winners by 29.6 seconds from National Championship leaders, Roy White/James O’Brien. Josh Moffett/John Rowan completed the podium in another R5 Fiesta.

Over the opening loop of stages it was Donegal cousins, Declan & Brian Boyle, setting the pace in their WRC Fiesta. Sam Moffett/James Fulton slotted into 2^nd place in their R5 specification Fiesta with Roy White/James O’Brien in 3^rd. Josh Moffett/John Rowan were 5^th but reported their R5 Fiesta to be down on power. Moffett/Fulton set a scorching time on stage six where they were nine seconds quicker than anyone else. This reduced their deficit to Boyle to less than five seconds. On stage 7 Boyle retired, leaving Moffett/Fulton in the clear out front. They finished off with fastest times on both remaining stages despite the onset of late showers.

White/O’Brien claimed 2^nd overall to cement their lead at the top of the National Championship. Josh Moffett/John Rowan moved up to 3^rd despite being down on power for much of the day. Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry claimed 4^th in their older model Subaru WRC with last year’s winners Peader Hurson/Damien Connolly taking 5^th.

Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan took Two-wheel-drive honours in 9^th overall in their Mk2 Escort. Raymond Conlon/Darren McCague brought their Corolla home 15^th and 3^rd in class 13. Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips were just behind in 16^th overall and 4^th in class 13. Shane Maguire/Mac Kierans finished 22^nd overall and 3^rd in class 4. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden were once again victorious in class 11R finishing in 27^th overall. Martin McPhillips/Ciaran Tynan took 31^st overall and 3^rd in class 11R. Evin Hughes guided regular Night Nav driver Pakie Duffy to 48^th overall and 1^st in class 3. Padraig Connolly/Kaine Treanor took class 10 honours and 57^th overall. Declan Connolly/Raphael McCaughey finished 67^th overall and 4^th in class 9 in their Civic. Stefan McCann/John Hughes finished 70^th overall and 4^th in class 10.

Vivian Hamaill/Andrew Grennan, Robert Moffett/Emmet Sherry, Enda McLaughlin/Declan Tynan, Pauric McArdle/Gregory McQuillan, Paddy O’Reilly/David Fitzsimons and Brendan Keenan/Sean Lynch all failed to make the finish.

The National Rally Championship continues with the ALMC Stages Rally on July 3^rd while the Border Rally Championship resumes one week later with the Sligo Stages Rally.

Stephen Wright took his R5 Ford Fiesta to Belgium last weekend to compete on the Sezoens Rally. Stephen was joined by local navigator, Eddy Smeets, reprising their partnership on this event from last year. The mixed surface event consisted of five stages repeated three times varying in length from 7km to 13km. The Monaghan/Belgium partnership put in an impressive showing holding a solid 4^th overall for much of the event before being promoted to 3^rd on the final loop. This made it back-to-back 3^rd place finishes for the pair. Multiple Belgian Champion, Freddy Loix won the event from Kris Princen in 2nd. Both these drivers have made regular appearances at World and European level, making Stephen’s performance all the more noteworthy.

Cavan Stages Rally

Cavan Motor Club plays host to the fourth round of the Triton National Rally Championship and Round 3 of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship on Sunday next. Monaghan interest is high with Damien Connolly (navigator for Peadar Hurson at No.1), with Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry and the Moffett brothers, Sam & Josh also amongst the top 10 seeds. Marshals are required for this event and those available are asked to contact Kerry Stevenson, if you haven’t already signed up.

Monaghan Motor Club celebrated its 60^th Anniversary in spectacular style on Saturday night last 14^th May with a Gala Ball in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan. The event was a huge success with almost 200 people in attendance. A feature of the evening was an extensive display of photo montages, newspaper articles, biographies, cups and trophies and other memorabilia spanning the six decades since the club was formed.

Having perused the material on display, the attendance of members, former members and friends of the club, some of whom had travelled from as far as Cork and Wexford, sat down to a sumptuous five course dinner. Vice-Chairman Conor Maguire invited many of the former members to share their memories and fond stories of the club and its events in those early years on the roving microphone. Martin McKenna, a former club chairman and current President of Motorsport Ireland, complimented the club on its achievement.

Club Chairman Paul Hughes concluded the speeches by thanking all for attending and especially those from the early years of the club. He outlined the current success of the club. The Monaghan Stages Rally is one of the most popular rallies in Ireland. It is the leading Navigation club, with four well-supported events each year. Monaghan competitors have been dominant at Regional and National level, both in Stages Rallying and Navigation Trials. Several club competitors have competed successfully at International level, not least the current British Rally Champions Daniel McKenna (Scotshouse) and Arthur Kierans (Aghabog). The current success story is not unlike that of the early years, when Monaghan Motor Club was regarded as a progressive club and when it had members competing on International events such as the Monte Carlo Rally.

Paul acknowledged the foresight, dedication and commitment of all the officers, committee members and club members who had contributed to the formation and development of the club during the previous 60 years. He concluded by thanking the organising committee led by Ronnie Hawe and Cora Maguire for their hard work in preparing for the event and he had a special mention for Malcolm Totten, who prepared the impressive photo montages.

The club would like to thank the members and friends who provided video footage, photographs and memorabilia which greatly helped to make the evening such a wonderful occasion.

Michael Carbin & Darragh Kelly moved into the overall lead of the Irish Forestry Rally Championship after taking top points at Round 3, the Tour of the Sperrins Rally. The Maghera-based event consisted of stages at Banagher, Glenshane, Wolf’s Hill and Davagh. Carbin & Kelly took 3^rd overall behind non-registered crews Martin McCormick/Conor McCormick and Derek McGeehan who had Monaghan’s Arthur Kierans navigating.

Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan O’Kane brought their R5 Fiesta home to 7^th overall and 1^st in class. Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips had a busy weekend competing on both the Sperrins and Carlow rallies. They took their Escort to 10^th overall and 3^rd in class. There was disappointment for the Fermanagh/Monaghan pairing of Damien McGauren/Michaela McGinn and the Monaghan/Cork pairing of Derek Mackarel/Daire Hayes who both failed to finish. Robert Moffett & Jason McKenna also failed to finish after putting their Fiesta WRC off the road.

Maguire/Sherry Keep National Campaign on Track

Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry consolidated 2^nd place in the Irish National Rally Championship at last weekend’s Carlow Stages Rally. The pair completed the nine stage event in 5^th place but 2^nd amongst the registered competitors. Overall honours went to Manus Kelly & Donall Barrett with National Championship leader, Roy White & James O’Brien taking 2^nd place in their Fiesta WRC. Tommy Doyle/Liam Moynihan completed the top three in a one-off drive in a Subaru WRC.

Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan brought their Mk2 Escort home 13^th and 3^rd in class 14. Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips swapped the forests of Tyrone for the tarmac of Carlow and came home 14^th overall and 1^st in class 13 to cap off a good weekend. David Moffett & Martin Connolly brought their Starlet home 20^th overall and 3^rd in class 13. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden were one again victorious in class 11R in their Corolla coming home 25^th overall. Martin McPhillips with Gary McNern navigating took 36^th overall and 3^rd in class 11R.

Peadar Hurson/Damien Connolly had been challenging for the lead when they were forced to retire with an engine problem on stage 8. Shane Maguire/Mac Kierans were disappointed to retire after the first loop. Vivian Hamill/Andrew Grennan were in the thick of the fight for the Mk2 challenge trophy until their retirement on stage five. James O’Reilly was sitting with Scotland’s David Bogie. Their event came to an end on stage seven.

Tynan Takes Honours at Mayo Autocross

Michael Tynan took overall victory on last weekend’s Mayo Autocross. His son Martin also put in a good showing to take 4^th overall, both were driving Mitsubishi Lancers.

60^th Anniversary Gala Celebration

All roads lead to the Hillgrove Hotel on Saturday next 14th May when Monaghan Motor Club will host a Gala Ball to celebrate its 60th anniversary. The past 60 years will be re-lived by means of displays, videos, history of our members and various memorabilia. Attendees will include members spanning the six decades of Monaghan motorsport. Some last minute tickets are still available from Ronnie Hawe: 086-8277779 or email monaghanmotorclub@gmail.com. This is a night not to be missed!

Ballinode’s Conor Foley guided Donegal’s Donagh Kelly to overall victory on last weekend’s Killarney International Rally of the Lakes. The event was Round 4 of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and consisted of sixteen classic stages over Saturday and Sunday. Kelly/Foley continued their unstoppable form which has already claimed wins in Birr and West Cork by making it three wins on the bounce. This was also their second successive win in Killarney.

It was Gary Jennings/Rory Kennedy who set the pace on Friday holding a 30 second advantage over Kelly/Foley with the Fiesta R5 of Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble sandwiched between them. A stunning run over the classic Moll’s Gap stage saw Kelly/Foley take 16 seconds out of Jennings/Kennedy who were to go off on the following Ballaghbeama stage. This left Kelly/Foley in the clear as they maintained a comfortable margin over Fisher/Noble finishing 49 seconds clear by the end of the event.

It was a mixed weekend for the Moffett family. Josh’s rally came to an end when he went off on Saturday while Sam & co-driver Karl Atkinson finished a strong 3^rd overall. They had been putting the pressure on Fisher/Noble until a stone punctured a tyre, which came off the rim mid-stage. Stephen Wright & Fintan Sherry also put in a fine performance to take 4^th overall and secured some useful points for the Irish Tarmac Championship. Enda Sherry guided Aaron McHale to 7^th overall in their Skoda. Barry McKenna & Arthur Kierans competed in the National Rally. An early off left them running under Rally 2 regulations. They restarted on Saturday evening and came through the Sunday stage to finish 40^th overall and 5^th in class. Liam Bowhan/Martin Connolly were forced into retirement on stage three.

In the National rally contested over the same stages, Eugene Meegan, co-driven by Sarah Whelan, had an impressive start to finish victory in his BMW 1.

Results

International Event:

1 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC) 2h 03m 15s,
2 Alastair Fisher/Gordon Noble (Ford Fiesta R5) 2h 04m 04s,
3 Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Ford Fiesta R5) 2h 04m 42s,
4 Stephen Wright/Fintan Sherry (Ford Fiesta R5) 2h 07m 02s,
5 Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Ford Fiesta R5) 2h 08m 32s,
6 Owen Murphy/Anthony Nestor (Skoda Fabia S2000) 2h 09m 33s,
7 Aaron MacHale/Enda Sherry (Skoda Fabia S2000) 2h 12m 05s,
8 Callum Devine/Keith Moriarty (Opel Adam R2) 2h 15m 29s,
9 David Guest/Paddy Robinson (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 2h 16m 27s,
10 Joe Connolly/Richard Connolly (Ford Fiesta R5) 2h 20m 20s.

National Event:
1 Eugene Meegan/Sarah Whelan (BMW M1) 2h 12m 20s,
2 Jack Newman/Donal Lennon (Ford Escort) 2h 12m 55s,
3 Liam Howlett/Enda Kennedy (Ford Escort) 2h 17m 02s.

60^th Anniversary Gala Celebration

Monaghan Motor Club will host a Gala Ball in the Hillgrove Hotel on Saturday 14th May to celebrate its 60th anniversary. We plan to re-live the past 60 years by means of displays, videos, history of our members and various memorabilia. Attendees will include members spanning the six decades of Monaghan motorsport. Tickets are available from Ronnie Hawe: 086-8277779, email monaghanmotorclub@gmail.com or any committee member. This is a night not to be missed!

Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna made it back to back wins with victory on last weekend’s Monaghan Stages Rally. The pair led the event from start to finish coming home well ahead of the opposition. As in 2015, Josh’s closest challenger was his brother Sam. However, Sam & co-driver, James Fulton were always going to struggle in their R5 specification Fiesta compared to Josh’s WRC version. It didn’t stop them from trying though but they had to settle for 2^nd place. Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry completed the podium positions after another solid run on their home event.

It was Moffett/McKenna who set the pace on the opening 16.40km Tydavnet stage. They were eight seconds clear of Moffett/Fulton with Maguire/Sherry a further four seconds adrift. A light shower of rain had left some slippy patches which could catch out the unwary. Jonathan Pringle/Alan Keena set a scorching time to lead the two wheel drive cars in 4^th overall. Moffett/Fulton were fastest on the short, technical second stage but Moffett/McKenna were unbeatable over the fast flowing third stage at Ballinode.

The leaderboard at first service read Moffett/McKenna, Moffett/Fulton + 14.3 seconds, Maguire/Sherry + 32.2 seconds, Stephen Wright/Fintan Sherry + 51.8 seconds and Pringle/Keena + 54.7 seconds. There was drama in the two wheel drive race when Chris Armstrong & Chris Melly went off over the finish line of stage two and were forced to retire. Less than 20 seconds separated the top six two wheel drive cars which showed just how close the battle for supremacy was. Shane Maguire/Mac Kierans were out in front in the Group N class, opening a 20 second lead over their class rivals.

The top three positions remained unchanged over the second loop of the stages. Moffett/McKenna were fastest on each stage to extend their lead to 25.9 seconds. Jonathan Pringle/Alan Keena climbed to 4^th ahead of Wright/Sherry who were a solid 5^th overall. Dessie Keenan/Conor Foley retired after going off on stage 4 leaving hard-charging Ryan Loughran/Leon Jordan 6^th overall with Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan breathing down their necks. Maguire/Kierans maintained a comfortable Group N lead. Richard Moffett/Martin Connolly were making their first appearance in a Skoda Fabia but their event came to an end on the last corner of stage six.

The final loop resulted in no major changes at the top. Moffett/McKenna reeled off three further fastest times to secure a 2^nd successive Monaghan win. Moffett/Fulton had a great run to 2^nd place in their R5 specification Fiesta.  Maguire/Sherry had a solid run to 3^rd overall, Niall getting the opportunity to rally past his own home this year! Pringle/Keena took a superb victory in the two wheel drive battle. The reigning Border Champions were 30 seconds clear of their nearest rival. Stephen Wright/Fintan Sherry took 5^th overall and 1^st in class 5. Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan were glad to see the finish of their home event for the first time in six years! They came home 6^th overall after edging Ryan Loughran/Leon Jordan by just 1 second! Loughran was unlucky to lose a few seconds at the scene of Dessie Keenan’s demise. Vivian Hamill/Andrew Grennan, Adrian Hetherington/Ronan O’Neill and Damien Toner/Denver Rafferty completed the top 10, all in class 14 Mk2 Escorts.

Local Performances

David Moffett, with new navigator Ciaran Geaney, finished 12^th overall and 2^nd in class 13. Michael Carbin/Darragh Kelly brought their Lancer to 14^th overall and 1^st in class 20 showing their prowess on tarmac as well as on gravel. Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips also switched surfaces to take 15^th overall and 4^th in class 13. Raymond Conlon/Darren McCague were right behind in 16^th overall and 5^th in class 13. Shane Maguire/Mac Kierans took 17^th overall and 1^st in class 4. Roscommon- based Monaghan man, Patrick Brides guided US-based Paul Rowley to 20^th overall and 2^nd in class 5.

Gerard McQuaid/Gary Quinlan finished 21^st overall and 8^th in class 13. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden took 23^rd overall and 1^st in class 11R. Reigning Club Champion Damien Connolly guided Liam Bowhan to 25^th overall and 10^th in class 13. Barry Treanor/Colm Connolly finished 26^th overall and 2^nd in class 11R. Martin & Declan Tynan took their Lancer to 30^th overall and 1^st in class 15. Robert Moffett/Niall Tierney were 31^st overall and 3^rd in class 5 completing a great weekend for the Combilift Rally Team. Damien & Stephen Hagan enjoyed their run in the Daniel McKenna Mk2. They took 32^nd overall and 7^th in class 14.

James McCarville/Emmet Sherry flew through to 34^th overall and 4^th in class 11R. Martin McPhillips/Ciaran Tynan secured 37^th overall and 5^th in class 11R. Gary Cassidy/Paul Kelly came home 50^th overall and 2^nd in class 11F on Gary’s first event. John & Niall Kelly took class 10 honours and 55^th overall. Kevin Treanor guided Gerard Corey to 57^th overall and 4^th in class 12. Father & son team, Gerry & Gavin McGivney took their Escort to 62^nd overall and 14^th in class 13. Jack McKenna guided Terence McCabe to 72^nd overall and 12^th in class 11R. Declan Connolly/Raphael McCaughey finished 78^th overall and 4^th in class 9. Donal Crossan/Ciaran Marron also made the finish after running under Rally 2 regulations.

Martin Swinburne/Gretchen Fegan took 2^nd place in the Junior Rally which was contested over the final six stages of the event, while Shane Cassidy/Calum Maguire took 4^th overall in their Honda Civic.

Retirements

There was disappointment for the following Monaghan crews who failed to make the finish: Dessie Keenan/Conor Foley, Richard Moffett/Martin Connolly, Conor Harvey/Arthur Kierans, Barry McKenna/Evin Hughes, Gerard McFall/Matthew McKenna, Vincent McAree/Andrew Spears, Steven Corey/Declan McKenna, Cathal McGlone/Michael Sheridan, David Smyth/Johnny Rooney, Patrick Corey/Damien McKenna, Sean McCaul/Frank Clerkin, Brendan Treanor/Emmet McCooey, Padraig Connolly/Kaine Treanor, Mark Deery/Peter Deery and Johnny Treanor/Stephen McElroy.

Acknowledgments

At the well-attended prizegiving in the Hillgrove Hotel on Sunday evening, Clerk of the Course Brendan Flynn thanked all who helped make the event such a success. He thanked the residents along the route for their welcome, co-operation and support. Over 200 marshals lined the rally route during the course of the day and they received a special word of thanks a well as the Civil Defence personnel who worked long hours during the event. He had special mention for Monaghan County Council and Monaghan Municipal District who have helped the club to promote and facilitate the rally, which continues to grow in stature. He thanked An Garda Siochana for their help and assistance over the course of the weekend. Their presence was very evident in ensuring that traffic continued to flow despite the heavy volume. There was a final word of thanks to the team at the Hillgrove Hotel for their support, once again ensuring that the Monaghan Stages Rally was another resounding success.

Monaghan plays host to one of the the biggest annual sporting events in the county with this weekend’s Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally. The event has once again attracted a full entry of 130 cars plus 15 juniors and 1 historic entry. This is a notable success considering the rally is an opt out round of the National Rally Championship this year. The event is once again a counting round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship.

Clerk of the Course Brendan Flynn and Deputy COC Thomas Treanor have laid out three new tests in the North Monaghan area. The opening stage includes some classic roads around Tydavnet. Stage two is in the Knockballyroney/Scotstown areas with the third and final stage near Ballinode. Each stage will be completed three times. Centralised service is once again located in the Courthouse Car Park. A brotherly battle is expected at the top of the leaderboard as Josh & Sam Moffett will be pushing their Fiestas to the limit in pursuit of overall honours. Josh & Jason McKenna are defending their crown from last year whilst Sam & navigator Karl Atkinson hope to reclaim victory after wins in 2013 and 2014. Seeded between the two brothers is seven times winner Niall Maguire & four times winning navigator Enda Sherry. This pair are relishing the challenge of their home stages as they pursue their first win since 2010.

Kevin Barrett/Declan Tumilty & Stephen Wright complete the top five seeds in a Subaru WRC and Fiesta R5 respectively. The battle for 2 wheel drive honours is set to be the highlight of the event. Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan head the entries at no.6 but any of the top twenty seeds cannot be discounted from setting the pace. Gary Kiernan, Chris Armstrong/Chris Melly, Dessie Keenan/Conor Foley, Brian Brogan/Damien McGettigan, Ryan Loughren and Jonathan Pringle/Alan Keena have all recorded excellent results at different events and come into the event in good form.

The likes of Adrian Hetherington, Richard Moffett, Vivian Hamail, Damien Toner, David Moffett, Damien Tourish and Conor Harvey have the potential to be in the thick of the two wheel drive battle also. Shane Maguire/Mac Kierans head the Group N entries where they face a challenge from Trevor Bustard/John McCafferty & Pat Kirk/John McElhinney. Overseas entries are headed by John Stone/Jack Morton in their rare 2.5 litre 4 wheel drive Fiesta. As always there is a strong local entry who will be fighting hard to secure good results on their home event whilst competition will be fierce in each class as a Border Championship round.

Safety Message

The most important feature of the preparations for the rally is the safety of all concerned. Marshals, Stage Commanders and Officials have been trained accordingly. The Event Safety Plan has been compiled meticulously. What is required is that spectators play their part to ensure the safe running of the event. All are asked to ‘keep the race in its place’ and drive with care to and from the stages. Take time to read the Spectator Safety notice in the rally programme, which provides a guide to safer spectating. Safety is everybody’s business and there is one common ingredient that is essential: common sense.  Spectators are asked to please follow the instructions of the marshals and officials, who are working for your safety. Please also respect private property where you assemble and bring your litter home.

Monaghan Motor Club wishes all competitors and spectators a safe and successful rally.

Mixed Success for Monaghan Crews in Cork

Ballyvourney, Co. Cork was the venue for Round 2 of the Irish Forestry Rally Championship. Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan O’Kane put in a good showing in their Fiesta R5 to take 3^rd overall. Robert Moffett is getting the hang of the Fiesta WRC. He and navigator Emmet Sherry came home 8^th overall and 1^st in class. Michael Carbin/Darragh Kelly took their Lancer to 10^th overall securing some useful championship points. Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips continued their domination of the 2wd section with 12^th overall and 1^st in class 13. Michaela McGinn guided Damien McGauren to 15^th overall and 2^nd in class 13. Defending Champions, Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna retired their Lancer on stage two as did Derek Mackarel/Muireann Hayes who went out with a timing belt failure.

The Irish Forestry Rally Championship continues with the Tour of the Sperrins Rally in mid-May.

Success Here and There

Whilst, Josh & Robert Moffett were tackling the forests of Cork, Sam Moffett tried his hand in the Supercar racing class at Mondello Park. Sam produced a great performance to take 2^nd place in one of the races. Derek Mackarel overcame his disappointing retirement in Ballyvourney with 2^nd overall at the Tipperary Autocross in one of the McHale Motorsport buggies. Kieran McCarra was the top Monaghan finisher at the Connaght Multi-Venue Autotest in Sligo, taking a class win and 4^th overall. Eoghan Corr, Oisin Sherlock and Craig McPhillips also contested the event. Meanwhile in Dungannon, Evin Hughes guided Karl O’Donoghue to 9^th overall and 1^st in class in the local Lanes Rally with Fintan Clerkin guiding Graham O’Donoghue to 23^rd overall in the same event.

Clontibret driver Josh Moffett & navigator John Rowan became the new leaders of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship thanks to a 4^th place finish on last weekend’s Circuit of Ireland International Rally. The event was a counting round of the European, British and Irish Tarmac Rally Championships and attracted a quality field full of the latest spec R5 rally cars. Moffett/Rowan produced a strong showing to finish 4^th overall behind last year’s winner, Craig Breen, European Champion Katejan Kajetanowicz and Alaister Fisher who all have extensive experience at World Championship level.

The opening day comprised stages in the North Antrim area including a 31km stage through Glendun and Torr Head. Moffett/Rowan held a steady 6^th place after day one, three places ahead of brother Sam & his navigator Karl Atkinson. Stephen Wright/James Fulton held 14^th overall in another R5 Fiesta.

Day two featured stages in the Downpatrick & Banbridge areas. Moffett/Rowan kept up the pressure on the crews in front moving up to 4^th place. Sam Moffett was forced into retirement after putting his Fiesta up a bank on stage 9. Wright/Fulton also made steady progress up the top 10 eventually climbing to 7^th place by the finish. Moffett/Rowan held onto 4^th place which secured 2^nd place points in the Irish Tarmac Championship and top points in the British Rally Championship. The result leaves them leading the Irish series after three rounds and 2^nd in the British Championship with two rounds completed.

The Irish Tarmac Championship continues with the Killarney Rally of the Lakes on the May Bank Holiday weekend while the next round of the British Championship is the Pirelli International Rally.

The Circuit of Ireland National Rally ran at the back of the International section. Brendan & JP McAree brought their Porsche home to 43^rd overall. Evin Hughes was navigating for Antrim driver Rodney White but they retired with a broken differential on stage 9 after being as high as 6^th overall.

Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally

Entries are continuing to pour in for the 2016 Monaghan Stages Rally, which takes place on Sunday 24^th April. The Hillgrove Hotel-backed event is a counting round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship. Clerk of the Course Brendan Flynn and his deputy Thomas Treanor have selected three excellent stages, to be run in the usual 3×3 format with centralised servicing in Monaghan town. The official launch took place this week and local accommodation is being booked up rapidly. Entry forms can still be downloaded from monaghanmotorclub.net.

Monaghan’s Damien Connolly guided Warrenpoint driver Peader Hurson to 3^rd overall on last weekend’s Circuit of Kerry Stages Rally. The Tralee-based event was round two of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship. After seven stages it was Donegal man, Declan Boyle who took overall honours in his Fiesta from the similar car of Roy White. Hurson/Connolly took their older model Subaru to 3^rd overall securing useful championship points which leaves them 2^nd in the series.

Ballinode’s Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry finished 5^th overall in their Subaru after a trouble-free day. Emmet Sherry guided Barry Ryan to 10^th overall and 1^st in class 13 in their Mk2 Escort. They were also the third two wheel drive finishers. Shane Maguire & Mac Kierans took 13^th overall and 2^nd in Group N in their Mitsubishi Lancer. They missed out on class honours by just 13.1 seconds. Mac’s father, Arthur Kierans guided Conor Harvey to 14^th overall in the unique Toyota AE86. They were also 3^rd in class 14. Paul Purtill/Paul Kelly had been holding 2^nd in class 13 until their retirement on the final stage.

The National Rally Championship continues with the Carlow Stages Rally on the 2^nd weekend in May.

60^th Celebrations

Monaghan Motor Club celebrates its 60^th year in motorsport this year and to mark the occasion it is organising a Gala Dinner on Saturday 14^th May next. This is going to be a night not to be missed, so mark it in your diaries now!

Andrew Grennan finished as the top Monaghan club member on last weekend’s Midlands Stages Rally. The Longford-based event was on an opt-out round of the National Rally Championship this year. The 9 stage event was won by Scottish visitor David Bogie in a Skoda Fabia R5. Grennan guided Tyrone’s Vivian Hamaill to a fine 5^th overall and 1^st in class 14.

Australia-based Monaghan man Pauric Duffy with Kevin Glynn navigating finished 6^th overall and 1^st in class 5. Jim McKenna celebrated his 50^th birthday in style with 9^th overall guided by regular navigator Thomas Treanor. Meanwhile Barry Treanor/Colm Connolly took class 11R and 18^th overall in their Escort. James McCarville made his stage debut as a driver and took to it like a duck to water coming home 22^nd overall and 2^nd in class 11R in a Mk2 Escort. Emmet Sherry was the brave man in the passenger seat! Evin Hughes guided regular Night Navigation driver Pakie Duffy to 26^th overall and 1^st in class 3 in a Honda Civic.

Results

1 David Bogie/Kevin Rae (Fabia R5) 45m 26s,
2 Paddy McVeigh/Gary McElhinney (Impreza WRC) 45m 30s,
3 Chris Armstrong/Chris Melly (Escort) 46m 13s,
4 Gary Kiernan/Ryan Moore (Escort) 46m 35s,
5 Vivian Hamill/Andrew Grennan (Escort) 46m 38s,
6 Pauric Duffy/Kevin Glynn (Fiesta R5) 46m 54s,
7 Stephen McCann/Damien Fleming (Impreza WRC) 46m 58s,
8 Tommy Doyle/Liam Moynihan (Clio R3) 47m 32s,
9 Jim McKenna/Thomas Treanor (Escort) 47m 52s,
10 Paul Rowley/Patrick Brides (Fabia) 48m 02s.

Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally

Regulations are now available and entries are open for the 2016 Monaghan Stages Rally, which takes place on Sunday 24^th April. The Hillgrove Hotel-backed event is a counting round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship. Clerk of the Course Brendan Flynn and his deputy Thomas Treanor have selected three excellent stages, to be run in the usual 3×3 format with centralised servicing in Monaghan town. Entry forms can be downloaded from monaghanmotorclub.net.

Ballinode’s Conor Foley kept up his run of wins with Irish Tarmac and National Champion, Donagh Kelly, with a start to finish victory on the West Cork Rally. The event was round two of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. Kelly/Foley had already won in Birr three weeks ago and they kept up their momentum by dominating the Clonakilty-based event.

Monaghan Motor Club was further represented in the top five as Sam & Josh Moffett had a terrific battle for 4^th overall with Sam & Karl Atkinson taking the place by a mere 3.6 seconds. Their result also secured the Clontibret brothers 2^nd and 3^rd place points in the Irish Tarmac Championship which is decided on the R5 class in 2016. Newbliss driver Stephen Wright with James Fulton on the notes took 8^th overall in another Ford Fiesta R5. Enda Sherry guided Aaron McHale to 12^th overall in their Skoda Fabia with Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan O’Kane just behind in 13^th overall in their R5 Fiesta.

Paul Sheridan was the top finishing Monaghan man in the National Rally. He guided Vivian Hamill to 5^th overall in his class 14 Escort. American based Monaghan native Barry McKenna with Declan Tynan on the notes were forced to retire on stage 10 with mechanical failure.

The Irish Tarmac Championship continues with the Circuit of Ireland which this year will take place on April 8^th and 9^th as opposed to it’s normal Easter date. The event is also a counting round of the British Rally Championship for the first time in 25 years, while again being a round of the European Rally Championship.

Results

1 Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley (Ford Focus WRC) 1h 54m 14s,
2 Keith Cronin/Mikey Galvin (Citroen DS3 R5) 1h 55m 40s,
3 Garry Jennings/David Moynihan (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 56m 23s,
4 Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 57m 19s,
5 Josh Moffett/John Rowan (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 57m 22s,
6 Roy White/James O’Brien (Ford Fiesta WRC) 1h 57m 37s,
7 Daragh O’Riordan/Tony McDaid (Ford Fiesta WRC) 1h 58m 25s,
8 Stephen Wright/James Fulton (Ford Fiesta R5) 1h 59m 21s,
9 Kevin Kelleher/Gwynfor Jones (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 59m 35s,
10 Joe McGonigle/Ciaran Geaney (Skoda Fabia S2000) 2h 00m 49s.

Mackarel/Hayes win Navigation Finale

The final Night Navigation T rial of the season took place on Saturday night last, based in Newbliss. Peter Deery stepped in as COC and along with Fintan McGorman and Conor Maguire, they pulled together an excellent 80 mile route through some classic terrain in West Monaghan. Local ace Derek Mackarel with Cork woman Muireann Hayes on the maps, took overall honours with a total of just one penalty incurred over the 85 mile route. Michael Tynan & Ciaran Tynan put in another strong showing to take 2^nd overall with Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan following up their good run in Cavan to take 3^rd overall.

The opening section of the event took crews from Newbliss to Stonebridge via a Speed Regularity Section. Than it was into a plot & bash section at Killeevan and onto Clones via Stonebridge. Mackarel/Hayes and Tynan/Tynan were among a number of clean sheets at this stage but by TP19 outside Drum, they were the only crews still clean. The Tynans dropped two penalties into TP22 when they were delayed. Mackarel/Hayes were promoted into the lead which they would never lose. A sting in the tail, a plot & bash section between TP24 and TP27 on a herringbone tulip diagram caught out almost every crew. Mackarel/Hayes remained clean through this section and dropped their only penalty of the night at TP33 to take victory by a margin of two penalties.

Tynan/Tynan took a comfortable 2^nd overall on three penalties. This maintains their lead in the Monaghan Motor Club Navigation Championship with two rounds completed. Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan finished 3^rd overall on eight penalties. Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes had a steady run to 4^th overall which was enough to secure the Border Navigation Championship in addition to the National Navigation Championship title they had secured in Cavan. Peter Farrell/Shane Farrell had a great run to 5^th overall and 1^st Semi-Expert crew. They had a good battle all night with Eoghan Corr/Ruadhri Nash who finished 2^nd in class with Ray O’Neill/Andrew Wedlock taking 3^rd.

Novice class honours went to Colm Mohan/Conor Mohan in 8^th overall ending a run of bad luck which had plagued them in recent events. Mac Kierans/Conor Boylan clinched the Novice class in the National Championship with 2^nd overall on the night. Aiden Sherry/Oisin Sherlock secured the class in the Border Championship with 3^rd in class on the night. They were also runners-up in the National Championship.

Hugh McBrien/Patrick Corcoran won the Beginner’s class from Paddy Sherlock/Pamela McMahon with Anthony McDonald/Jack McKenna taking 3^rd in class on Jack’s first event.

That concludes the Navigation Trials series until the new season commences in October. Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes completed the double of the National & Border Night Navigation Championships, a feat which has only been achieved by a small number of crews. The prizegivings for both championships will take place in the coming months.

Results

1 Derek Mackarel/Muireann Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 1 mark,
2 Mickey Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 3m,
3 Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 9m,
4 Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 11m,
5 Peter Farrell/Shane Farrell (Subaru Impreza) 23m,
6 Eoghan Corr/Ruaidhri Nash (Subaru Impreza) 34m,
7 Damien Treanor/Jonathan McGovern (Subaru Impreza) 35m,
8 Colm Mohan/Conor Mohan (Subaru Impreza) 45m,
9 Fintan Larmer/Sean McCaffrey (Subaru Impreza) 46m,
10 Mac Kierans/Conor Boylan (Subaru Impreza) 61m,
11 Brendan Treanor/Garry Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 69m,
12 Damien Hagan/Damien Connolly (Subaru Impreza) 84m.

It was a great weekend for Monaghan crews on last weekend’s Mayo Stages Rally. The event was the opening round of the 2016 Triton National Rally Championship and the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship. Monaghan Motor Club had three members on the podium. Damien Connolly guided Peadar Hurson to 2^nd overall while Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry finished just behind in 3^rd overall. There was also success for Niall’s son, Shane who won Group N with his navigator Mac Kierans.

The event consisted of three stages repeated three times. The opening loop saw Gary Jennings open up an impressive lead. Maguire/Sherry were on a charge in 2^nd place, 14 seconds clear of Hurson/Connolly in 3^rd. Maguire/Kierans moved into a 15 second lead in Group N from Paul Barrett. Monaghan’s Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden were already over 30 seconds clear of their rivals in Class 11R.

The race for 2^nd overall continued on the second loop with Hurson/Connolly moving to within a second of Maguire/Sherry. Hurson/Connolly surged through on the final loop to claim 2^nd ahead of Maguire/Sherry in 3^rd. Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan took class 14 honours in a fine 7^th overall in their Escort. Shane Maguire/Mac Kierans took 10^th overall and 1^st in class 4 in their Lancer. Arthur Kierans guided Donegal’s Conor Harvey to 16^th overall in his first run in the Toyota AE86. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden flew through to 23^rd overall and 1^st in class 11R in their Escort. Padraig Connolly/Kaine Treanor were 62^nd overall and 3^rd in class 10 in their Peugeot. David Moffett/Darragh Kelly and John Kelly/Niall Kelly both failed to finish the event.

The National Rally Championship continues with the Circuit of Kerry Stages Rally on April 3^rd. The Border Rally Championship continues with the Monaghan Stages Rally on April 24^th.

Results

1 Garry Jennings/Rory Kennedy (Impreza WRC) 63m 41s,
2 Peadar Hurson/Damien Connolly (Impreza WRC) 65m 16s,
3 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 65m 57s,
4 Roy White/James O’Brien (Fiesta WRC) 65m 59s,
5 Gary Kiernan/Ryan Moore (Escort) 67m 56s,
6 Ed O’Callaghan/Ger Clancy (Escort) 68m 52s,
7 Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan (Escort) 69m 09s,
8 Frank Kelly/Paul Twomey (Escort) 69m 35s,
9 Russell Woods/Martin Byrne (Escort) 69m 42s,
10 Shane Maguire/Mac Kierans (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 69m 47s.

Moffett Top Irishman on Mid-Wales Stages

Josh Moffett & John Rowan were the top Monaghan finishers on the opening round of the revamped British Rally Championship. The Mid-Wales Stages rally contained the classic Hafren, Sweet Lamb and Myherin Stages synonymous with Rally GB.

Moffett/Rowan were on the pace on the opening night stage through Hafren slotting into a fine 5^th overall. Not so lucky was his brother, Sam and Karl Atkinson, who lost several minutes which left them 34^th overall. Josh dropped a couple of places on the next few stages but another good run through the Hafren Stage elevated him to 6^th overall by the finish. Sam set some solid top 10 times on Saturday to recover to 16^th overall.

The Moffett brothers will continue their BRC assault on the Circuit of Ireland rally in early April. Before that both are scheduled to compete on the West Cork Rally this weekend, which is Round 2 of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

ALMC Endurance Trial

Monaghan’s Evin Hughes guided Karl O’Donoghue to 2^nd overall on last weekend’s ALMC Endurance Trial based in Luttrellstown, Co. Dublin. Conor Mohan navigated for local man, Peter Barrable and they came home 5^th overall.

Results

1 Robert Barrable/Ciaran Larkin (Toyota Starlet) 2m 16s,
2 Karl O’Donoghue/Evin Hughes (Toyota Starlet) 3m 54s,
3 Alan Shinnors/George Shinnors (Toyota Starlet) 4m 54s,
4 Kevin O’Rourke/Craig O’Rourke (Toyota Starlet) 5m 56s,
5 Peter Barrable/Conor Mohan (Toyota Starlet) 6m 18s,
6 Robert Howard/Andrew Stewart (Toyota Starlet) 6m 20s.

Navigation Season Finale

Newbliss is the venue for this weekend’s Navigation Trial, which is the final round of the National & Border Night Navigation Championships. COC Peter Deery and his team are organising an 85 mile route in some classic navigation terrain in west Monaghan. The Border Championship is up for grabs between Michael & Ciaran Tynan and Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes, who are hoping to add to their National success. Marshals are required for this event and those available are asked to present to the Acorn Centre in Newbliss for 7.30pm.

Longford’s Pakie Duffy and Ballybay navigator Evin Hughes took overall victory on last weekend’s Cavan Navigation Trial, based at Maudabawn. The event was the penultimate round of both the National & Border Night Navigation Championships. The pair came home two penalties clear of the opposition after one of the toughest navigation events this season. This win was enough to clinch another National title for the pair with one round remaining.

COC Thomas Wedlock ably assisted by his cousin Andrew, laid out a challenging 75 mile route through some classic navigation terrain in East Cavan. The opening section which included a visit to Wedlock’s yard and a tricky tulip diagram at Mountain Lodge caught out a number of crews. Duffy/Hughes and Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan were level pegging on two penalties each at this point. Another tulip diagram between TP17 and TP19 also proved challenging while TP23 was missed by the majority of the field after failing to find a hidden slot to the timepoint. Cassidy & Phelan moved into a clear lead at this point from Keith McConnon/Micheal McCluskey & Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin.

The lead changed hands dramatically over the closing timepoints. Plot & Bash at TP30 & TP31 were back in Wedlock’s yard and caught out a number of crews with Cassidy/Phelan the main victims. McConnon/McCluskey dropped out of contention after going OTL. Tynan/Clerkin held the lead right to the final timepoint but missed their slot and arrived at the timepoint with a wrong approach.

So it was Duffy & Hughes who took overall honours with a two penalty advantage over Michael & Ciaran Tynan. This result kept the Tynans in the hunt for the Border Championship title with the final round in Monaghan in a fortnight’s time. Tynan/Clerkin had to settle for third overall with Cassidy/Phelan 4^th and Semi-Expert class winners, Eoghan Corr/Ruaidhri Nash in 5^th.

McConnon/McCluskey & Peter Farrell/Shane Farrell finished 2^nd and 3^rd Semi-Expert respectively. Novice class honours went to Aiden Sherry/Oisin Sherlock from Mark Deery/Patrick O’Leary and Mac Kierans/Conor Boylan. Philip & Conor Smyth won the Beginner’s class from fellow locals John Agnew/Alan Cullinan and Hugh McBrien/Patrick Corcoran.

Results

1 Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 37 marks,
2 Mickey Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 39m,
3 Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 46m,
4 Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 49m,
5 Eoghan Corr/Ruaidhri Nash (Subaru Impreza) 75m,
6 Keith McConnon/Micheal McCluskey (Subaru Impreza) 81m,
7 Aidan Sherry/Oisin Sherlock (Subaru Impreza) 107m,
8 Brendan Treanor/Garry Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 116m,
9 Dermot Whelton/Mark McCarthy (Subaru Impreza) 124m,
10 Philip Smith/Conor Smith (Subaru Forester) 126m,
11 Mark Deery/Patrick O’Leary (Subaru Impreza) 132m,
12 Mac Kierans/Conor Boylan (Subaru Impreza) 139m.

Fivemiletown Spring Rally

Omagh Motor Club hosted their annual Spring Rally based in the forests around Fivemiletown last Saturday. The clubman event was well supported with over 70 entries for the event. Sam Moffett & Jason McKenna used the event as a test session prior to their BRC Championship assault next weekend. The pair took their R5 Fiesta to a comfortable 48 second win from the Lancer of Mark Donnelly & Stephen O’Hanlon. Josh Moffett/John Rowan were forced to retire whilst leading.

Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey finished 7^th overall in their Lancer. Robert Moffett & James O’Reilly finished 13^th overall in the WRC Fiesta. Emmet Sherry guided Tommy O’Connell to 18^th overall in their Ford Escort. Arthur Kierans guided Marty McKenna to 20^th overall in his Subaru WRC on his first event since his huge off at the Glens rally two years ago. Johno Doogan/Ciaran Marron finished 23^rd overall and 2^nd in class in their Escort. Damien Hagan/Conor Hagan took 33^rd overall with Maurice Moffett/Martin Connolly in 35^th place.

Results

1 Sam Moffett/Jason McKenna (Ford Fiesta R5) 31:31.0
2 Mark Donnelly /Stephen O’Hanlon (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) 32:19.0
3 Niall McCullagh/Ryan McCloskey (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI) 32:44.0
4 Frank Kelly/Sean Ferris (Ford Escort MkII) 32:44.0
5 Frank O’Brien /Steven O’Brien (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI) 32:44.0
6 Shane McGirr/Jackie Elliott (Toyota Starlet) 32:45.0
7 Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV) 33:09.0
8 Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Ford Escort MkII) 33:12.0
9 Vivian Hamill/Paul Hamill (Ford Escort MkII) 33:17.0
10 Niall Henry/Damien Duffin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) 33:20.0

It was a great weekend for Monaghan Motor Club as three members finished in the top two places at last weekend’s Birr Motor Club Stages Rally, which was based in Abbeyleix. The event attracted an entry of approximately 90 cars, despite the fact that it was not a round of the National Rally Championship. Conor Foley joined forces with Tarmac & National Champion driver, Donagh Kelly, and the pair would score a start to finish victory in their Focus WRC.

Pushing them all the way were Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry who secured a fine 2^nd overall in their Subaru WRC. Emmet Sherry guided Barry Ryan to 6^th overall and 1^st in class 13 in their Honda – engined Escort. Jim McKenna & Thomas Treanor finished 12^th overall and 4^th in class 14 in their Escort. Just five seconds behind were Shane Maguire & Mac Kierans in the Evo 9, who took 13^th overall and 1^st in Group N. Martin Connolly guided Liam Bowhan to 23^rd overall and 5^th in class 13 in the RWD Starlet.

The National & Border Rally Championships get under way in a fortnight’s time with the Mayo Stages Rally on Sunday March 6^th.

Cavan Navigation Trial

The penultimate round of both the National & Border Night Navigation Championships takes place this Saturday night 27^th February in Maudabawn, Co. Cavan. Thomas & Andrew Wedlock are organising a 70 mile route with a start time of 9.01pm.

It was a red letter day for Monaghan crews on last weekend’s Carrick-on-Suir Forestry Rally. The event was the opening round of the 2016 Irish Forestry Championship. With reigning champions, Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna non-starting, it was left to Josh’s brother Sam & his father Robert to fly the family flag.

Sam, who was navigated by Cavan’s James Fulton on this occasion set the pace on the opening stage. Tyrone’s Niall McCullagh took the lead on stage two and the pair would be involved in a close battle for the remainder of the day. McCullagh led after four stages with Moffett 14 seconds in arrears. Michael Carbin/Darragh Kelly were on an impressive charge in their Lancer and held 4^th overall. Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips were involved in a close three way battle for 2wd honours whilst Derek Mackarel/Daire Hayes continued their incredible pace from 2015 by holding 12^th overall in their Nova by the half way stage. Robert Moffett & James O’Reilly were having a cautious run in Robert’s first rally in over a decade and for the first time behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta WRC.

The battle between Sam Moffett & McCullagh came to end when the Tyrone driver was sidelined on stage seven. Moffett & Fulton proceeded to take a one minute victory. This was also the first overall win for an R5 car in the Republic of Ireland. Michael Carbin/Darragh Kelly recorded their best ever result with 3^rd overall after a close battle with Patrick O’Brien/Aine McGuigan. Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips finished 8^th overall and 1^st in class 13. They were also the third 2wd car home. Derek Mackarel/Daire Hayes finished 13^th overall and were comfortable winners in the Junior class. Robert Moffett/James O’Reilly took their WRC Fiesta home to 15^th overall.

Round 2 of the Irish Forestry Championship is the Moonraker Forestry Rally on April 16^th.

Results

1 Sam Moffett/James Fulton (Fiesta R5) 37m 37s,
2 Patrick O’Brien/Aine McGuigan (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 38m 40s,
3 Mickey Carbin/Darragh Kelly (Lancer Evo 4) 39m 07s,
4 Liam Ryan/Keith Moriarty (Lancer Evo 8) 39m 28s,
5 Gerard Lucey/J J Cremin (Lancer Evo 8) 39m 51s,
6 Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Escort) 40m 11s,
7 John Gordon/Thomas Wedlock (Escort) 40m 23s,
8 Mickey Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips (Escort) 40m 30s,
9 Dermot Kelly/Greg Shinnors (Lancer Evo) 41m 05s,
10 Hugh McQuaid/Enda Gerety (Escort) 41m 50s.
Junior Class: 1 Derek Mackarel/Daire Hayes (Nova) 42m 14s.

McCarra Top Local on Autotest

Monaghan Motor Club’s annual autotest took place on Sunday last in Wright’s Quarry, Swan’s Cross. Kieran McCarra showed the locals the way on the club event taking a 30 seconds victory over the eight timed tests. Martin Tynan bagged some useful Trader’s championship points with 2^nd place. Damien Hagan just held off Declan Tynan for 3^rd with Ciaran Tynan in 5^th place.

In the main Hewison Trophy section of the event, Guy Foster took overall victory from Steven Ferguson, both driving Mini Specials. Darren Quille driving a Westfield was in 3^rd place overall.

Results

1 Guy Foster (Mini Special) 562.3s,
2 Steven Ferguson (Mini Special) 579.3s,
3 Darren Quille (Westfield) 584.3s,

Club Members:

1 Kieran McCarra (Starlet) 375.1s,
2 Martin Tynan (Starlet) 403.5s,
3 Damien Hagan (Starlet) 417.0s,
4 Declan Tynan (Starlet) 419.8s,
5 Ciaran Tynan (Daihatsu) 421.0s,
6 Damien Connolly (Mini Special) 427.6s.

Midland Night Navigation Trial

On a busy weekend of motorsport, Longford’s Colin Duffy & Sam Johnston made a winning return to the Night Navigation scene with overall victory on the Midland Navigation Trial, based in Ballinalee, Co. Longford. The pair came home on a clean sheet. Monaghan’s Martin Tynan & Fintan Clerkin kept up their good recent form with 2^nd overall with Michael & Ciaran Tynan just behind in 3^rd. National Championship leaders, Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes secured 5^th overall to maintain their lead in both the National & Border Championships.

COC Nigel McCloughry laid out a challenging 70 mile route which was primarily based on tarmac roads but with plenty of good navigation required. The trick of the night was the issuing of plot & bash for TP15 at TP1, which only a small number of crews were able to notice. This was the cause of the majority of crews dropping penalties.

Keith McConnan & Micheal McCluskey took 1^st in the Semi-Expert class followed home by Eoghan Corr/Ruadhri Nash. Aiden Sherry & Oisin Sherlock took 2^nd in the Novice class on a tie-break from Mac Kierans/Conor Boylan. This result secured 1^st in the Novice class in the Munster Championship for Conor with Oisin taking 2^nd in the same class.

The next round of the National & Border Night Navigation Championships is the Cavan Navigation Trial on 27^th February.

Results

1 Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 0 marks,
2 Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 2m,
3 Mickey Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 5m,
4 Dermot Whelton/Mark McCarthy (Subaru Impreza) 23m,
5 Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 24m,
6 Andrew Stewart/Robert Howard (Peugeot 205) 26m,
7 Keith McConnon/Micheal McCluskey (Subaru Impreza) 31m,
8 Alan Shinnors/George Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) 30m,
9 Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 36m,
10 Brendan Treanor/Garry Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 36m,
11 Aidan Sherry/Oisin Sherlock (Subaru Impreza) 39m,
12 Mac Kierans/Conor Boylan (Subaru Impreza) 39m.

Sam Moffett & Karl Atkinson made a promising start to the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship with a fine 4^th place overall on last weekend’s Galway International Rally. The pair were making their first appearance in a Ford Fiesta R5 having piloted a WRC version for the previous two years. The Irish Tarmac & British Rally Championships are both being decided by the R5 class this year.

Sam was expected to renew his rivalry with his brother Josh who was joined by Jason McKenna last weekend. Stephen Wright was making his debut in an Evo2 spec Ford Fiesta R5 and had a new navigator in James Fulton. Moffett/Atkinson were on the pace from the get go holding 6^th overall and 4^th in class by first service. Stages five & six were both cancelled by accidents with Moffett/Atkinson maintaining their class placing. By the end of the day they would be in 5^th place just 30 seconds adrift of the class leader, Triple British Champion, Keith Cronin.

Josh Moffett/Jason McKenna & Stephen Wright/James Fulton were having a great battle in the lower reaches of the top 10. Moffett/McKenna moved ahead in the evening stages to hold 7^th overall with Wright/Fulton in 9^th place. Enda Sherry was navigating for Aaron McHale and held 13^th overall in their Skoda. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden held a fine 9^th overall in the National Rally and held an enormous 10 minute class lead. Brendan & JP McAree recovered from a long delay on stage two to recover to 5^th in the Historic class by the day end.

A further six stages were held on Sunday. Moffett/Atkinson continued to set some impressive times posting fastest R5 time on Stage 11. The pair backed off in the closing stages as they had little to gain ahead and had a comfortable advantage to the crew behind them. They began their year in fine style with 4^th overall and 3^rd in class behind Keith Cronin & Alistair Fisher both of whom have been regularly competing on the world level.

Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna finished 6^th overall and 4^th in class after some encouraging times on the Sunday stages. Stephen Wright/James Fulton brought their Fiesta home 9^th overall and 7^th in class. Enda Sherry navigated Aaron McHale to 12^th overall and 9^th in class 5. In the National Rally, Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden retired on stage 11 after a great drive. Brendan & JP McAree brought their Porsche home 5^th in the Historic class.

The next round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship is the West Cork Rally in a month’s time.

Irish Forestry Rally Championship

Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna will begin their defence of the Irish Forestry Rally Championship on this weekend’s Carrick-on-Suir Forestry Rally. Other Monaghan names on the entry list include defending 2wd champions, Michael Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips, Damien McGauren/Michaela McGinn and the returning Robert Moffett in a Fiesta WRC.

Autotest

The annual Monaghan Motor Club Autotest takes place this weekend at Wright’s Quarry, Swans Cross. The event will have a class for club members as well as the Autotest regulars. COC Brendan Flynn requires a number of marshals for the day and anyone available to marshal should contact him.

James McCarville scored one of his best overall results to date with 2^nd overall on last weekend’s Donegal Mini Stages Rally. McCarville joined forces with young Ryan Loughren and the pair held a strong 2^nd place throughout the day. After five stages in extremely tricky conditions, they were just 16 seconds adrift of rally winner, Jonathan Pringle.

Morning snow showers had cleared by the time the event got under way. Stage 1 was cancelled due to communication issues but the remaining five stages ran as planned. A snow shower on the final stage saw an inch of snow on the road testing drivers and navigators to the limit. Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan were expected to be in the hunt for overall honours but they were sidelined on stage two after an off road excursion. Raymond Conlon/James O’Reilly faired better finishing 15^th overall and 3^rd in class 13. Mac Kierans guided Alan Smyth to 27^th overall and 1^st in class 11F. Andrew Grennan guided Vivian Hamaill to 34^th overall and 8^th in class. Arthur Kierans was sitting with Brendan McDaid but a long delay on the final stage dropped them from 12^th overall to last place.

Skibbereen Night Navigation

Skibbereen Motor Club played host to Round 5 of the National Night Navigation Championship. A number of Monaghan crews made the trip south. Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes were the top local finishers in 3^rd overall which strengthens their lead in the National Night Navigation Championship. Peter Farrell & Shane Farrell had a brilliant run on a tricky event to 7^th overall and 1^st in the Semi-Expert class. Mac Kierans travelled the length of Ireland to compete on the event with Conor Boylan and was rewarded with 13^th overall and 4^th in class. Aiden Sherry/Oisin Sherlock finished 16^th overall and 5^th Novice. Caolan & Ryan Treanor retired early on with mechanical problems.

The next round of the National & Border Navigation Championships is the Midland NavigationTrial on Saturday 13^th February.

Galway International Rally

The opening round of the Irish Tarmac Championship, two day Galway International Rally takes place this weekend 7 & 8^th February. New for 2016 is the introduction of the latest R5 category of rally cars as the premier championship class for this rally. A number of these new cars have been sourced by Irish drivers and they feature strongly among the entries, with Ford Fiestas, Citroen DS3s and Skoda Fabias being the most popular versions.

There is plenty of Monaghan interest in what is a star-studded top 20. Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna are seeded behind three times British Champion Keith Cronin at No 9 in their Fiesta R5. Sam Moffett and Karl Atkinson are at 11 with Stephen Wright and James Fulton at 12 in similar cars. Enda Sherry navigates for Aaron McHale in a Fabia S2000 at 17, while Eugene Meegan and Sarah Whelan are at 22 in a BMW M1. Seamus Connolly and Gary McCrudden continue to campaign the venerable Corolla Twin Cam at 47 in class 11R.

World Rally Car drivers include former rally winner Tim McNulty from Meath in a MINI WRC, Declan Boyle from Donegal and Roy White from Clonmel in two Fiesta WRC cars. The number 1 seed is Gary Jennings from Enniskillen driving a Subaru WRC.

Donegal Motor Club hosted round 3 of the Squealing Pig Border Navigation Championship on Saturday night last 23^rd January. The Eamon Harvey Memorial Navigation Trial was run out of Milford with 70 miles on offer. Local competitors had reigned supreme on this event in recent years but it was the Longford/Monaghan duo of Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes who took victory this year.

A tricky plot & bash section between TP14 and TP16 would be the deciding factor. Top seeds Paul Reid/Kevin Gallagher and Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan both picked up 20 penalties at TP15. Martin Tynan & Fintan Clerkin fresh from a 2^nd place finish in Monaghan were in the lead at this point. However, a ‘herring bone tulip’ on plot & bash resulted in them dropping 10 penalties which demoted them to 2^nd place. Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes had a good run throughout to come home with a total of 14 penalties, which was good enough to secure overall honours and a second consecutive win following their success in Cork.

Martin Tynan & Fintan Clerkin secured 2^nd place on 18 penalties. Paul Reid/Kevin Gallagher (29 pens) and Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (31 pens) were next up with Semi-Expert class winners, Eoghan Corr/Ruadhri Nash completing the top five.

Aiden Sherry/Oisin Sherlock made it back-to-back wins in the Novice class followed closely home by fellow Monaghan men, Kevin McCormick & David McCrudden.

The next round of the Squealing Pig Border Championship is the Midland Navigation Trial on February 13^th.

Results:

1^st Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 14 pens,

2^nd Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 18 pens,

3^rd Paul Reid/Kevin Gallagher (Subaru Impreza) 29 pens,

4^th Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 31 pens,

5^th Eoghan Corr/Ruadhri Nash (Subaru Impreza) 36 pens,

6^th Brendan Friel/Ciaran Geaney (Subaru Impreza) 48 pens,

7^th Dermot McGroary/Eamon Doherty (Subaru Impreza) 59 pens,

8^th Macartan Kierans/Andrew Wedlock (Subaru Impreza) 96 pens,

9^th Aiden Sherry/Oisin Sherlock (Subaru Impreza) 115 pens,

10^th Kevin McCormick/David McCrudden (Subaru Impreza) 120 pens,

Defending National champions Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes took overall victory on last weekend’s 1000 Shakes Navigation Trial based in Macroom, Co. Cork. The event was a counting round of the National & Munster Night Navigation Championships and attracted a strong entry of Monaghan club members.

COC Nial Murphy organised an 80 mile route through some classic navigation terrain. The opening section resulted in a number of crews dropping early penalties and a plot & bash section resulted in more penalties being dropped. By the midway point of the event, Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes had moved into the lead from their National Championship rivals, Dermot Whelton & Mark McCarthy. The pair would be evenly matched over the remainder of the event with Duffy/Hughes coming home with a five penalty advantage. 3^rd overall went to Limerick brothers Alan & George Shinnors, a further three penalties in arrears. Owen Murphy/Daire Hayes & Donal Healy/Denis O’Donovan completed the top five despite brake issues and a long delay stuck in a field respectively.

One of the performances of the event was that of Aiden Sherry & Oisin Sherlock who finished 6^th overall and 1^st in the Novice class. The pair got all timepoints during the night as they secured their best result to date. Mac Kierans/Conor Boylan also had an excellent run to 2^nd in the Novice class and 10^th overall. Keith McConnan & Micheal McCluskey finished 8^th overall and 2^nd in the Semi-Expert class. Colm & Conor Mohan finished 4^th in the Novice class and 14^th overall despite some late mechanical drama. Ryan & Caolan Treanor finished 3^rd in the Beginners class on an impressive first visit to Cork. There was disappointment for Eoghan Corr & David McCrudden who were sidelined with mechanical failure.

Results

1 Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 8 marks,
2 Dermot Whelton/Mark McCarthy (Subaru Impreza) 13m,
3 Alan Shinnors/George Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) 15m,
4 Owen Murphy/Daire Hayes (Subaru Forester) 17m,
5 Donal Healy/Denis O’Donovan (Toyota Starlet) 19m,
6 Aidan Sherry/Oisin Sherlock (Subaru Impreza) 28m,
7 Johnny Casey/Patrick O’Sullivan (Peugeot 306) 29m,
8 Keith McConnon/Micheal McCluskey (Subaru Impreza) 31m,
9 Ray O’Neill/Stephen O’Neill (Mondeo) 32m,
10 Mac Kierans/Conor Boylan (Subaru Impreza) 33m.

The National Championship continues in a fortnight’s time with the 100 Isles Navigation Trial based in Innishannon, Co. Cork. The Border Navigation Championship resumes with the Donegal Navigation Trial on Saturday next 23^rd January in Milford.

AGM

There was a good attendance at the Annual General Meeting of Monaghan Motor Club which was held in the Hillgrove Hotel on Thursday 14^th January 2016. Reports were presented by the Secretary Roisin Meenagh and by Treasurer Cathal MacArtain. The Chairman Paul Hughes, in a wide ranging address, thanked all who had helped and supported the club and its activities throughout 2015. In particular he thanked the Hillgrove Hotel as main sponsor of the stages rally, all local sponsors, those who provided venues for events, as well as residents and landowners. He reserved a special thank you for Cora Maguire who was retiring from the committee having given over 30 years of excellent service. It was another successful year for club members at both International and National level, the highlight of which was Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna being crowned National Forestry Champions, while Evin Hughes regained the National Navigator title.

The election of officers for 2016 resulted as follows:

Chairman: Paul Hughes, Vice-Chairman: Conor Maguire, Club Secretary: Roisin Meenagh, Event Secretary: Gary Hall, Treasurer: Cathal MacArtain, Ast, Treasuer: Brendan Flynn, PRO: Evin Hughes, Registrar: Ronnie Hawe, Committee: Kerry Stevenson, Thomas Treanor, Eoghan Corr, Shane Maguire, Michael Sheridan, Garry Farrelly, Ciaran Tynan, Fintan Keenan, Damien Hagan, Fintan Clerkin and Samuel Patterson.

Michael & Ciaran Tynan kicked off the new year in style with overall victory on last weekend’s Monaghan Motor Club navigation trial. COC Darragh Kelly laid out a challenging 85 mile route in the North Monaghan area. It proved to be a battle of the Tynans at the top as Michael & Ciaran faced off with Martin Tynan & Fintan Clerkin. Just two penalties would separate them at the end of the night. Damien Hagan & Damien Connolly finished just 1 penalty further adrift in 3^rd place.

The opening section of the event took crews from Ballinode to Threemilehouse. Hagan/Connolly dropped three penalties into TP2 which would prove crucial at the end of the event. A plethora of new lanes were used between TP7 and TP14. TP14 would catch National champions Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes out with a wrong approach. Plot & Bash at TP15 & TP16 caught out some crews but all but one crew were caught at TP17 for a wrong approach. Some forestry lanes near Bragan which included some straight line tulips were enjoyed by many. Derek Mackarel/Arthur Kierans, who was a last minute stand in navigator dropped out of contention after missing Via6. In the closing stages, Tynan/Tynan held off the challenge of Tynan/Clerkin and Hagan/Connolly to take overall honours. Mackarel/Kierans finished 4^th overall and victory in the Semi-Expert class with Keith McConnan/Micheal McCluskey 5^th overall and 2^nd in the Semi-Expert class. Duffy/Hughes finished 6^th overall and 3^rd in the Expert class.

Shane Maguire & Barry Garvey came home 3^rd in the Semi-Expert class. Emmet McCooey/Conor Boylan won the Novice class from Mac Kierans/Thomas Wedlock with Kevin McCormick/David McCrudden in 3^rd. But for a 50 penalty during the event, this pair could have taken overall honours. Oisin Sherlock/Pamela McMahon won the Beginner’s class from Ryan Treanor/Eimear O’Reilly.

The club would like to thank Darragh & Michael Carbin for their hard work in organising this event. The next club event is the Autotest on February 14^th. The Night Navigation Trials continue with the Cork 1000 Shakes Navigation Trial next Saturday night 16^th January based in Macroom which is a counting round of the National Night Navigation Championship.

Results

1 Mickey Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 23 marks,
2 Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 25m,
3 Damien Hagan/Damien Connolly (Subaru Impreza) 26m,
4 Derek Mackarel/Arthur Kierans (Subaru Impreza) 41m,
5 Keith McConnon/Micheal McCluskey (Subaru Impreza) 43m,
6 Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 43m,
7 Shane Maguire/Barry Garvey (Subaru Impreza) 48m,
8 Emmet McCooey/Conor Boylan (Subaru Impreza) 49m,
9 Mac Kierans/Thomas Wedlock (Subaru Impreza) 57m,
10 Fintan Larmer/Sean McCaffrey (Subaru Impreza) 63m,
11 Kevin McCormack/David McCrudden (Subaru Impreza) 67m,
12 Aaron Duffy/Laurence Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 68m.

Monaghan Motor Club AGM

The annual general meeting of Co. Monaghan Motor Club takes place  Thursday 14^th January 2016 at 8.30pm in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan.

All 2015 club members are eligible to vote in the election of the 2016 committee. All members are encouraged to attend and participate in the open discussion on the topics raised. It is hoped to have further information available on the insurance situation for 2016.

All Drivers insurance (IRDS) applications must be with MotorSport Ireland today (Monday 5th Jan 2016) before 4.30pm. IRDS letters will not be issued for 2016, instead, a list of all drivers will be registered on the MI website. This list will be first published on by Friday 8th Jan 2016. Drivers whose name is not on this list prior to this event, will not be allowed to start.

Monaghan Motor Club’s first event of 2016 takes place this Saturday night with the opening Navigation Trial of the new year. Darragh Kelly & Michael Carbin are COC and ACOC respectively. Ballinode Community Hall is the venue for the event and a route of approximately 85 miles has been put together by the organising team. The event is the opening round of the Monaghan Motor Club championships. First car is due to leave the start at 9.01pm. Marshals are required for this event and are asked to meet at Ballinode Community Centre at 8pm.

Midland Navigation Trial

The final Night Navigation Trial for 2015 took place in Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim on Saturday 12^th December. COC Seamus McTigue laid out a challenging 85 mile route around the shores of Lough Allen and Arigna village. It had been several years since an event took place in the area which presented a fresh challenge for the majority of crews.

It was the Longford/Monaghan pairing of Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes who took a start to finish victory in their Subaru. The opening section which included a trace diagram caught out a number of crews and time penalties were also being dropped due to some demanding terrain. Duffy/Hughes had pulled ten penalties clear of the opposition on the first half of the event and were able to maintain their advantage in the second half despite a wrong approach. National Championship rivals, Dermot Whelton/Mark McCarthy made their trip from Cork pay off with a fine run to 2^nd overall to maintain their points lead in the National Championship. The Novice pairing of Mark Derry/Patrick O’Leary had a great run to 3^rd overall and class honours. Shane Dalton/Nigel McCloughry were 4^th overall with Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan 1 penalty behind in 5^th.

Peter Farrell & Shane Farrell won the Semi-Expert class from Keith McConnan/Micheal McCluskey and Michael Carbin/Darragh Kelly. Eoghan Corr/Ruadhri Nash finished 2^nd Novice with Aiden Sherry/Oisin Sherlock in 3^rd. Hugh McBrien/Patrick Corcoran won the Beginners class from Gerry Kelly/Patrick Brides and Calvin Beattie/Martin Brady.

The next round of the National Championship is the Cork 1000 Shakes on January 16^th with the next round of the Border Championship in Donegal the following weekend.

Monaghan Motor Club AGM

The annual general meeting of Co. Monaghan Motor Club takes place on Thursday 14^th January 2016 at 8.30pm in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan.

All 2015 club members are eligible to vote for the 2016 committee. Nomination forms are available to download from monaghanmotorclub.net. Nominations for appointment to the 2016 committee must be returned to the Secretary Roisin Meenagh by Tuesday 12^th January 2016. All members are encouraged to participate in the nomination process.

Monaghan Motor Club’s sporting year for 2015 came to an end with the annual dinner dance & prizegiving on Friday night last. Damien Connolly was crowned the overall club champion for the third year in succession and was presented with the coveted Trader’s Trophy. Damien accumulated most of his points in the navigator seats on the night navigations, stages rally and endurance trial events while getting behind the wheel for the autotest.

Michael Tynan & Ciaran Tynan took the Gary Nesbitt Club Navigation Championship for the first time.

On the National scene, Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna were the overall Irish Forestry Champions with Josh also being a runner-up in the Billy Coleman award.

Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes won the National Night Navigation Championship. Each of the event winners and COCs were also presented with their awards on the night.

The Gerry McNamara award was won by Conor Maguire for his outstanding contribution to the club over the years.

The club would like to thank all of its event sponsors, in particular the Hillgrove Hotel for their support for the stages rally and monthly club meetings.

The Irish Forestry Championship prizegiving took place last weekend in Tullamore. Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna got their hands on the 2015 Championship trophy after an impressive season in their Lancer. Having narrowly lost out on the championship in 2014, Josh & Jason pulled it all together this year with overall victory in Mayo and consistent scores on the other rounds to claim their maiden National forestry title.

Michael Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips claimed the 2 wheel drive championship category. The pair dominated the early season with a string of class wins and regular placings in the top 10 overall. This helped secure the championship with two rounds remaining. Derek Mackarel was one of the stars of the Junior class. Derek took a superb class win in Mayo and also scored high in Carrick, Donegal and Cork to secure 3^rd in the Junior class. Michaela McGinn finished 2^nd in class 13 after a consistent season navigating for Damien McGauren.

Dinner Dance & Prizegiving

The annual Monaghan Motor Club Dinner Dance & Prizegiving takes place on Friday night, December 4^th. The event will see the club celebrate the success of their competitors at both National & International level in 2015. Some of the most notable successes includes Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna winning the Irish Forestry Championship, Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry taking runners-up spot in the National Championship, Shane Maguire winning the West Coast Championship and Evin Hughes winning the National Night Navigation Championship. Damien Connolly is the overall club champion for 2015, clinching the coveted Trader’s trophy for a third successive year, while Mickey and Ciaran Tynan are the club navigation champions.

The night begins with a motor sport reception at 8pm sharp featuring unseen video footage followed by the prizegiving dinner. Leading Northern Sound radio presenter, Sean McCaffrey, is MC for the annual motor club awards ceremony which will feature various fun surprises during the evening to make this a special night to be a part of and end an event-packed 2015 season off in style!

Tickets are available from committee members or call Conor on 086 1677446 to book your place.
 

Carbery Night Navigation Trial

Three Monaghan crews made the trip to Leap, Co. Cork for the Carbery Night Navigation Trial on Saturday night last. The event was a counting round of the Munster Navigation Championship. Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes finished 3^rd overall and 2^nd in class. Mac Kierans/Conor Boylan were 8^th overall and 1^st in the novice class despite gearbox problems. Aiden Sherry/Oisin Sherlock were just behind in 9^th overall and 2^nd novice.

Monaghan Motor Club members were again well represented at the annual National Rally Championship awards ceremony. Triton Showers were in their first season as sponsors on what was a successful year for the championship. Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry were once again at the sharp end of the series, finishing in a fine 2^nd place overall. Niall is a past three time winner and has multiple runner-up and 3^rd place finishes over the years. His son, Shane competes in the Group N category and finished 3^rd in class after an up and down season. Michael Carbin & Emmet McCooey took class 20 honours completing a Border and National championship double. Seamus Connolly & Gary McCrudden were class 11R champions. Jim McKenna placed third in class 14.

Cork Star-Trek Navigation Trial

A number of Monaghan crews made the trip to Shanballymore, North Cork for round two of the National Night Navigation Championship. Sean Daly organised an 80 mile route including some classic forestry lanes used on the Cork Forestry Rally. Best Monaghan crew on the night were Ciaran Sheridan & Conor Boylan who were a terrific 5^th overall and 1^st in the Novice class. Keith McConnan & Micheal McCluskey were 6^th overall and 1^st in the Semi-Expert class continuing their fine start to the year. Aaron Duffy/Laurence Keenan came home 8^th overall. Defending champions, Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes were a disappointing 12^th overall after an issue at TP7. Aiden Sherry & Oisin Sherlock came home 13^th overall and 4^th in the Novice class. Colm Mohan & Conor Mohan were unfortunate to retire after getting stuck aiding another competitor.

Billy Coleman Award

The club wishes the best of luck to Josh Moffett who has been named as one of the finalists for the 2015 Billy Coleman Award. The prize which is worth €50,000 to the winner is awarded to the best young rally driver in Ireland. Josh who was also a finalist last year, had another exceptional year. He won the Irish Forestry Championship outright, took 3^rd overall placing on the Circuit of Ireland, a round of the European Championship and claimed overall victory on this year’s Monaghan stages rally. Josh will now join Rob Duggan & Patrick O’Brien on the final shortlist. The winner will be announced at the Champions of Irish Motorsport awards on December 2^nd.

Dinner Dance & Prizegiving

The annual Monaghan Motor Club Dinner Dance & Prizegiving takes place on Friday night, December 4^th. The event will see the club celebrate the success of their competitors at both National & International level in 2015. Some of the most notable successes includes Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna winning the Irish Forestry Championship, Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry taking runners-up in the National Championship, Shane Maguire winning the West Coast Championship and Evin Hughes winning the National Night Navigation Championship. Damien Connolly is the overall club champion for 2015, clinching the coveted Trader’s trophy for a third successive year, while Mickey and Ciaran Tynan are the club navigation champions. Tickets are available from committee members.

Monaghan Motor Club was well represented on Wales Rally GB, the final round of the 2015 World Rally Championship. Leading Monaghan interest were Clontibret brothers Josh & Sam Moffett driving two Ford Fiesta WRCs. John Rowan and Karl Atkinson were navigating respectively. Monaghan’s James O’Reilly joined forces with Marty McCormack in their Skoda Fabia S2000 and reigning British Champion, Arthur Kierans from Aghabog teamed up with Billy Coleman award winner, Dean Raftery. Castleblayney man Pauric Duffy & Kevin Glynn were also contesting the event in their R5 Fiesta.

The Rally is well known for its tricky muddy conditions and this year’s event was no exception. Josh & Sam played themselves in on day 1 which included classic stages at Hafren, Sweet Lamb and Myherin. There was little to separate the pair with Josh 36 seconds ahead at the end of the day. There was big disappointment for McCormack/O’Reilly who retired on stage 3 when the alternator failed. Dean Raftery/Arthur Kierans’s rally also came to an end on stage three. Pauric Duffy/Kevin Glynn made steady progress to 35^th overnight.

A further seven stages were contested on Saturday including two stages in darkness. Josh & Sam continued to make steady progress and finished the day in 16^th and 17^th place respectively. McCormack/O’Reilly re-joined under Rally 2 and set some encouraging stage times despite a puncture including a top 20 time on stage 11. Duffy/Glynn retired on stage 8 but would re-join on Sunday.

The final day consisted of four short stages. Both Moffett brothers brought their cars home safely. Josh & John Rowan were an excellent 14^th overall holding off a late charge from Sam who took 15^th place just 13.2 seconds behind after over 3 hours of driving. Marty McCormack/James O’Reilly recovered to 45^th overall setting another top 20 time on the final stage. Pauric Duffy/Kevin Glynn completed the Sunday stages to secure 51^st overall.

Shane Maguire clinched his third West Coast Rally Championship title a fortnight ago on the Kerry Mini Stages Rally. The championship consisted of six events in Birr, Kerry, Limerick, Galway and Clare. Shane was among four drivers in contention going into the final round. His main rival on the day, Ed O’Callaghan was sidelined on stage two after an off. This left Shane requiring a top four points finish which he secured as well as the Group N category. Shane would like to thank his service crew, sponsors and his navigators Paul McLoughlin and Mac Kierans for their support throughout the year.

Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna became the first Monaghan crew since 1991 to win the Valvoline Irish Forestry Championship, clinching the title at the final round, the Glens Forestry Rally on Saturday last. The Limavady-based event was the conclusion of the battle between the Monaghan crew and Michael O’Brien/Liam Brennan. Former champion O’Brien in his Ford Focus WRC led on points starting the rally but Moffett/McKenna were in pole position on dropped scores in their Evo 9.

The Glens rally comprised two classic stages run 3 times each. Needing to win the rally to secure the title, O’Brien through down the gauntlet with a great run through the opening stage to take 2^nd overall behind last year’s Glens winner Desi Henry. Josh and Jason were languishing in 8^th, partly due no doubt to Josh not being on the pace, having attended his grandmother’s funeral on the previous day. However, the Monaghan pair eventually recovered to slot into 4^th place overall, despite a puncture four miles from the end of stage 4. By the start of the final stage, O’Brien was in 2^nd with the Combilift crew in 4^th, it was going to be a straight shoot-out between them. With nothing to lose, O’Brien went for it but ran wide on a corner and retired his Focus on a bank. Josh and Jason finished in a steady 4^th place overall to secure the title.

The Monaghan pair have been at the forefront of the Forestry championship for the last couple of years, narrowly losing out to Owen Murphy last year. They follow in the footsteps of Clones men Andy Mackarel & Damien Courtney who won the championship in its first year.

Michael Carbin & Darragh Kelly put in an impressive drive to take 6^th overall and 2^nd in class. Emmet Sherry guided Tommy O’Connell to 32^nd overall. James O’Reilly was navigating for Martin McCormack as a shakedown for next weekend’s Rally GB.  Their event came to an end on stage 3. Michael Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips retired on the final loop, but still finished 4^th overall in the championship. Derek Mackarel/Daire Hayes also retired but were 3^rd in the Junior category in the championship. Alan Atchenson/Mac Kierans, Damien McGuaren/Michaela McGinn, and Paul Clarke/James McCarville all failed to finish on what was a tough event for man and machine.

Tynans Triumph on the Drumlin

Michael and Ciaran Tynan claimed back to back drumlin night navigation victories last Saturday night on the infamous Monaghan Motor Club event based in Ballybay. COC Evin Hughes and his team laid on a mammoth route which saw 60 time controls over a 110 mile route through the rolling drumlins of mid-Monaghan. Hardly a lane or by-road was missed from Swans Cross to the outskirts of Castleblaney and beyond. This event was the first round of the National & Squealing Pig Border Navigation Championship and the last counting round of the Gary Nesbitt Club Navigation Championship.

The first of 32 starters left Pearse Bros GAA complex, Ballybay at 9.01pm in dry weather conditions. As early as time point 2 all crews were under pressure, dropping minutes as only two expert crews of Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall and Rory Coyle/Ciaran Coyle managed to keep a clean sheet to time point 6. Some tricky plot and bash sections from tp 17-20 saw all crews drop time with Derek Mackarel and Cork woman, Muireann Hayes taking over the lead, dropping only 1 penalty through this passage of the event. The latter time points of the first half also saw all crews drop time as the event moved swiftly through some great farm lanes in the Nart, Swans Cross area before a well earned petrol halt in Rockcorry. Donegal brothers, Rory and Ciaran Coyle were having a good night, holding the lead at the petrol halt with a 2 penalty advantage over Mackarel/Hayes (8pens) with the Tynans in 3rd place on 10pens.

The second half picked up where the first had left off with any little mistakes sure to be punished. The event move eastwards through Latton and Aghnamullen before winding its way back towards Ballybay after almost 5 hours of competition. Time points 45-48 ultimately turned out to decide the winners as some very tricky plot and bash proved difficult to negotiate. Event leaders Rory and Ciaran Coyle missed two time points through this section which knocked them off top spot. Michael and Ciaran Tynan dropped 6 minutes through these time points to move into the lead where they would remain until the end. This result ensured the Clones/Newbliss pairing also lifted the 2015 Gary Nesbitt Club Navigation Championship for the first time.

Novice pairing of Keith McConnon and Michael McCluskey had a great run to 2nd overall on what was a very difficult night for novice and beginner crews. Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall also upped the ante on the night to take 3rd place and the expert class win ahead of Fintan Larmer and Sean McCaffery in 2nd with Donegal brothers Rory and Ciaran Coyle 3rd. John Kelly and Jonathan McGovern gave a great account of themselves in the semi-expert category with a class win and a fine 5th overall finish. Michael Carbin and Darragh Kelly were 2nd in the semi class ahead of Peter Farrell and Arthur Kierans. Arthur decided to try the navigator’s seat for the night and proved he is not just a good navigator on the stages but can also read a map! McConnon/McCluskey took the novice award with their 2nd place overall which left Colm and Conor Mohan in 2nd Novice and Emmet McCooey and Conor Boylan 3rd. On a tough night for beginners it was Patrick Connolly and Stephen McElroy who just pipped Mark Sheridan and Craig McPhillips for class honours by a mere 4 penalties. 3rd beginner went to Caolan and Ryan Treanor.

So that’s the Drumlin Navigation over for another year and the National and Squealing Pig Border Navigation Championships up and running. Well done to Evin Hughes and his assistant Packie Duffy and their many helpers for a great event. Evin would like to thank the many residents and land owners along the route for their support. He also extends a big thank you to the huge numbers of marshals who turned out, the results teams, Ballybay GAA complex, PR teams and everyone else who helped out in any way, big or small.

Drumlin Navigation Trial Top 10

1/ Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 21 marks 2/ Keith McConnon/Micheal McCluskey (Subaru Impreza) 40m 3/ Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 64m 4/ Fintan Larmer/Sean McCaffrey (Subaru Impreza) 67m 5/ John Kelly/Jonathan McGovern (Subaru Impreza) 71m 6/ Rory Coyle/Ciaran Coyle (Subaru Impreza) 77m 7/ Gregory McQuillan/Conor Maguire (Subaru Impreza) 91m 8/ Derek Mackarel/Muireann Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 93m 9/ Mickey Carbin/Darragh Kelly (Subaru Impreza) 111m 10/ Dermot Whelton/Mark McCarthy (Subaru Impreza) 155m 11/ Colm Mohan/Conor Mohan (Subaru Impreza) 160m 12/ Emmet McCooey/Conor Boylan (Subaru Impreza) 169m

Maguire clinches West Coast Championship

Shane Maguire clinched the West Coast Rally Championship for a third time. The Banna Beach-based Kerry Mini Stages Rally last Sunday was the final round of the championship. Shane adopted a steady approach needing a decent finish to secure the title. He and co-driver Paul McLaughlin made steady progress from 20^th place after stage 1 to 11^th overall and 1^st in Group N by the day’s end. This was enough to secure Shane’s 3^rd West Coast Championship success, a championship that his father Niall is also a previous winner of.

Elsewhere, Paul Kelly teamed up with Limerick’s Paul Purtill and they finished 8^th overall and 3^rd in class 13. . Martin Connolly guided Liam Bowhan to 14^th overall and 5^th in class 13. Anthony Hand with Ella Ryan on the notes secured 18^th overall and 1^st in class 11R.

The Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship prizegiving took place last weekend in the Sligo Park Hotel. 270 people attended with €5700 raised for charity on the night. Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle & Martin Byrne claimed the overall championship title.

It was a successful year for Monaghan crews with numerous class winners. Shane Maguire finished 3^rd driver in class 4. Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry were victorious in class 7. Alison Hughes was the winning navigator in class 9 while her driver Declan Connolly was 2^nd in class 9. Barry Treanor claimed class 11R with Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden 3^rd driver and 2^nd navigator respectively in the same class. Mark Tierney was the first class 12 navigator. Last year’s champions, David Moffett/Fintan Sherry finished 3^rd in class 13. Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey won class 20 with Martin Swinburne/Gretchen Fegan taking the Junior class.

Drumlin Navigation Trial

Regulations and Entry form for the Drumlin Navigation Trial, which takes place this Saturday 7^th November, are available on the club website. The event is the opening round of the National & Border Navigation Championships as well as the final round of the Gary Nesbitt and Traders Club Championships. COC Evin Hughes is planning to have a 100 mile route in the mid-Monaghan area. Headquarters is the Pearse Brothers Centre in Ballybay. Sign on will be from 6pm, with the first route card issued a 6.15pm. The event commences at 9.01pm. All those available to marshal are asked to attend at the Pearse Brothers Centre by 7.30pm.

James O’Reilly was the first Monaghan man home on last weekend’s Skibbereen Fastnet Rally. O’Reilly teamed up with Cavan’s Gary Kiernan and the pair put in a storming drive to take 6^th overall and 1^st in class 13. Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans were competing in the Toyota AE86 once again and despite dropping a few minutes on stage three, the pair fought back to 13^th overall and 3^rd in class 14. Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey brought their Mitsubishi Lancer home to 17^th overall and 1^st in class 20. This result secured the class title in the National Championship for the pair. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden secured class 11R in the championship after taking their Toyota Corolla to 28^th overall and 2^nd in class. Ryan Loughren/James McCarville retired on stage four whilst holding a top ten place while Barry McKenna/Mac Kierans retired on the opening stage. Liam Bowhan/Martin Connolly made it to stage six before retiring.

Sligo Pallets Border Championship Prizegiving

The annual prizegiving for the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship takes place this Saturday night 31^st October. The Sligo Park Hotel is the venue and anyone interested in attending should contact Brenda Flynn. Monaghan crews were once again very successful in this year’s championship taking many class wins. Overall honours went to the Cavan pair of Jonathan Pringle & Martin Byrne.

Drumlin Navigation Trial

Regulations and Entry form for the Drumlin Navigation Trial which takes place on Saturday 7^th November are available on the club website. The event is the opening round of the National & Border Navigation Championships as well as the final round of the Gary Nesbitt and Traders Club Championships. COC Evin Hughes is planning to have a 100 mile route in the mid-Monaghan area. Headquarters is the Pearse Brothers Centre in Ballybay. Sign on will be from 6pm, with the first route card issued a 6.15pm. The event commences at 9.01pm. All those available to marshal are asked to attend at the Pearse Brothers Centre by 7.30pm.

Josh Moffett made the overnight trip from Wales pay off with overall victory on round six of the Valvoline Irish Forestry Rally Championship. The Mayo Mini Stages rally was based at the picturesque Crockets on the Quay in Ballina, heralding a return to forest rallying in this area after 15 years. Josh and co-driver Jason McKenna took a dominant lead on the opening stage which they maintained over the remaining three stages to finish 36 seconds clear of championship leaders Michael & James O’Brien. Josh and Jason now need to finish ahead of the O’Brien crew on the next round in order to clinch the title. Derek Mackarel/Daire Hayes clinched victory in the Junior class and were an impressive 9^th overall in their Nova after a determined second run over the two stages. They narrowly got the better of class rivals Patrick O’Brien/Aine McGuigan in a Citroen. Michaela McGinn guided Damien McGauren to 8^th overall and 1^st in class 13. JP McAree guided Derrick Jobb to 15^th overall and 3^rd in class. 2WD champions Michael Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips had a rare off resulting in a non-finish. The Tynan family had a double misfortune when Dad Mickey and son Martin’s engines both cried enough on the opening stage.

Cambrian Rally

Josh & Sam Moffett competed on last Saturday’s Cambrian Rally in Wales as part of their preparation for Wales Rally GB in November. Josh finished 3^rd overall with John Rowan on the notes while Sam & Karl Atkinson finished just behind in 4^th place overall.

A strong contingent of Monaghan crews made their way to Donegal for the annual Harvest Stages Rally, which was based in Inishowen this year. The event was the final round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship. Daniel McKenna navigated by Gordon Noble was the top Monaghan driver home securing 4^th overall and 1^st in class 14 driving Brendan Kelly’s Toyota AE86. David Moffett/Fintan Sherry finished 10^th overall and 2^nd in the ultra competitive class 13. Shane Maguire brought his Lancer home to 12^th overall and 2^nd in class 4 with Paul McLaughlin in the navigator’s seat. Pauric Duffy/Kevin Glynn finished just behind in 13^th overall and 1^st in class 5 in their Fiesta. Mark Tierney guided Brian Armstrong to 17^th overall and 2^nd in class 12.

Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey finished 18^th overall and 2^nd in class 20, while Evin Hughes guided Rodney White to 23^rd overall and 5^th in class 13 in one of the few remaining Sunbeams. Barry McKenna/Emmet Sherry finished 27^th overall and 6^th in class 13, Johno Doogan/Ciaran Marron took 30^th overall and 7^th in class 13, while Barry & Jonathan Treanor secured 31^st overall and 3^rd in class 11R, all competing in Escorts. Declan Connolly/Alison Hughes finished 93^rd overall and 8^th in class 9 in their Civic. Martin Swinburne/Gretchen Fegan (Corolla) took overall honours in the Junior Rally securing them the class in the Border Championship.

Damien Connolly was once again navigating for Peadar Hurson in the Subaru. They held an impressive early lead before retiring on stage four. Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan held 2^nd overall before their retirement on stage 8, rounding off a very disappointing year for this crew. Barry Treanor, Alison Hughes, Mark Tierney, Michael Carbin & Emmet McCooey and Martin Swinburne/Gretchen Fegan all secured their respective classes in the Border Championship.

Birr Endurance Trial

Evin Hughes made the trip from Donegal to Birr pay off as he guided Karl O’Donoghue to 3^rd overall on Sunday’s Birr Endurance Trial. The event was won by Limerick crew Alan and George Shinnors in Starlet.

Isle of Mull Rally

Arthur Kierans was in the hotseat for Derek McGeehan on the Isle of Mull Rally in Scotland. Unfortunately they were early retirees. The event was subsequently abandoned following a fatal accident.

Defending National Champions, Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes kicked off the new Navigation season in style by taking overall honours on last weekend’s Monaghan Navigation Trial. COC Mac Kierans, ably assisted by Ruadhri Nash laid out a challenging 70 mile route in the Aghabog and Threemilehouse areas. Duffy/Hughes emerged victorious by just 1 penalty from Ashley McAdoo/Laurence Keenan with Semi-Expert pairing Michael Carbin/Darragh Kelly an impressive 3^rd overall.

The opening section of the event took crews from Aghabog to Stone Bridge, Kileevan, Newbliss and Threemilehouse. The majority of crews dropped two penalties at TP3. Plot & Bash at TP13, TP16 and TP17 saw more time dropped with some slippy lanes included in the mix. The final three plot & bash timepoints were between TP21-TP23. Duffy/Hughes held off a late charge from Ashley McAdoo/Laurence Keenan to take the win. Michael Carbin/Darragh Kelly took 3^rd overall on the “Semi-Expert beats Expert” rule which left Michael Tynan & Ciaran Tynan 4^th overall. Trevor Farrell & Noel Hall returned to the navigation scene after a short absence and secured 5^th overall, one further penalty adrift.

Novice class honours went to Mark Derry & Patrick O’Leary on 33 penalties. Keith McCormick/David McCrudden took 2^nd on 87 penalties with Cathal McKenna/Shane Farrell in 3^rd position on 110 penalties. Beginners class honours went to Colm Mohan/Conor Mohan on an impressive 45 penalties. Emmet McCooey/Conor Boylan finished 2^nd on 76 penalties with Mark Sheridan/Craig McPhillips in 3^rd on 172 penalties.

CO MONAGHAN M. C. NAVIGATION TRIAL TOP TEN

:
1 Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 8 marks,
2 Ashley McAdoo/Laurence Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 9m,
3 Mickey Carbin/Darragh Kelly (Subaru Impreza) 11m,
4 Mickey Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 11m,
5 Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 12m,
6 Martin Tynan/Damien Connolly (Subaru Impreza) 13m,
7 Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 17m,
8 Fintan Larmer/Sean McCaffrey (Subaru Impreza) 17m,
9 Mark Deery/Patrick O’Leary (Subaru Impreza) 33m,
10 Damien Treanor/Jonathan McGovern (Subaru Impreza) 35m,

The next event is the Drumlin Navigation Trial on Saturday 7^th/8^th November which is also the opening round of the National & Border Night Navigation Championships.

Foley Secures 2^nd International Win of the Year

Conor Foley joined forces with double Tarmac and National Stages Rally Champion, Donagh Kelly for last weekend’s Cork 20 International Rally. The pair had already tasted success at the Killarney Rally of the Lakes and they repeated their form to take a dominant win. Their main rival was four times Cork winner, Daragh O’Riordan. Just five seconds separated them after day one, with Kelly & Foley just in front. O’Riodan’s retirement on stage 11 left Kelly/Foley in the clear for victory. Keith Cronin/Shane Buckley took 2^nd place, almost two minutes behind with Melvyn Evans/Mark Glennester taking 3^rd.

Stephen Wright/Mickie Galvin took 4^th overall and a convincing victory in class 5. Pauric Duffy & Kevin Glynn finished 8^th overall and 3^rd in the same class. Brendan Cumiskey with Ronan O’Kane

on the notes finished 9^th overall. In the National Rally, Carrickmacross pairing Gerry McGivney/Gavin McGivney returned to the stages and finished 25^th overall and 4^th in

class 13. Brendan & JP McAree finished 5^th overall in the Historic Rally.

Upcoming Events

10^th October, Donegal Harvest Stages Rally

18^th October, Mayo Forestry Mini Stages Rally

Clontibret’s Josh Moffett with Jason McKenna on the notes secured 2^nd place overall on last weekend’s Bushwhacker Rally, which was a counting round of the Northern Ireland Rally Championship. The pair finished twenty seconds adrift of winners Mark Donnelly/Barry McNulty. Scotshouse man Andrew Grennan guided Adrian Hetherington to 10^th overall and 2^nd in class 7. Other local crews to feature included Michael Carbin/Darragh Kelly who finished 12^th overall in their Lancer. Matthew McKenna guided Gerard McFall to 14^th overall, while JP McAree finished 45^th overall with driver, Derrick Jobb. Derek Mackarel/Muireann Hayes took 46^th overall in their Nova. Emmet Sherry guided Amy Cox to 61^st overall. However, the unfortunate Alan Smyth/Mac Kierans retired, which ended their hopes of success in the Road to Wales initiative. Alan Atchenson/Michaela McGinn also retired.

Competitors Gear Up for New Navigation Season

Regulations have been released for Monaghan Motor Club’s next event, the Club Navigation Trial on Saturday 3^rd October. The event is a counting round of the Gary Nesbitt Club Navigation Championship and the Traders Trophy. COC for the night is Mac Kierans, assisted by Ruadhri Nash. A route of approximately 70 miles is on the cards with Agahbog the centre of the action on the night. Marshals are needed and volunteers are asked to attend at the Carne Resource Centre, Aghabog by 8pm.

Navigation Classes

Monaghan Motor Club continues its series of Navigation Classes on this Friday 2^nd October at 8pm in Sean McDermott’s GAA complex at Threemilehouse. These classes are open to all members of the public interested in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in this popular discipline of motorsport. A training package is provided to each participant for a nominal fee.

Upcoming Events

2^nd to 4^th October, Cork 20 International Rally

3^rd October, Monaghan Navigation Trial

10^th October, Donegal Harvest Stages Rally

18^th October, Mayo Forestry Mini Stages Rally

Daniel McKenna & Galway co-driver, Kevin Glynn finished 4^th overall on last weekend’s Clare Stages Rally. Daniel was again behind the wheel of the PH Rentals Ford Fiesta R5. The pair held a solid 2^nd place over the first three stages just 12 seconds in arrears of Ed O’Callaghan. A stage four puncture cost them dearly as they lost over two and half minutes. They fought back with fastest overall times on the final two stages to recover to 4^th overall. Shane Maguire & Mac Kierans brought their Lancer to 11^th overall and 1^st in Group N. This result secures Group N in the West Coast Championship for Shane. Paul Kelly was sitting with local man Paul Purtill. They took an early class 13 lead but fuel pressure problems cost them six minutes on stage 3. They eventually finished 52^nd overall.

Competitors Gear Up for New Navigation Season

Regulations have been released for the Monaghan Motor Club’s next event, the Club Navigation Trial on Saturday 3^rd October. The event is a counting round of the Gary Nesbitt Club Navigation Championship and the Traders Trophy. COC for the night is Mac Kierans, assisted by Ruadhri Nash. A route of approximately 70 miles is on the cards with Agahbog the centre of the action on the night.

Navigation Classes

Monaghan Motor Club continues its series of Navigation Classes on this Friday 25^th September at 8pm in Sean McDermott’s GAA complex at Threemilehouse. These classes are open to all members of the public interested in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in this popular discipline of motorsport. A training package is provided to each participant for a nominal fee.

A small contingent of Monaghan crews made the trip to the South-East last weekend for the 2 day Wexford Stages Rally. Justin Smyth/Gregory McQuillan had a difficult event in their Escort. They lost 4 minutes on the opening stage with fuel pressure problems. However, they charged back after that, setting some impressive stages times and climbed back to 2^nd in class and 48^th overall. Ballybay’s Stephen McElroy guided local man Frank Kinsella to 59^th overall and 6^th in class 10. Keith McConnon guided Brendan O’Reilly to 6^th in class and 71^st overall. Their hopes of a good result were dashed following an eight minute delay on stage six. Barry McKenna/Evin Hughes retired from the top 20 following a broken half shaft on stage six. Padraig Connolly/Padraig Corrigan retired on the opening stage with head gasket failure.

Navigation Classes

Monaghan Motor Club continues its series of Navigation Classes on this Friday 18^th September at 8pm in Sean McDermott’s GAA complex at Threemilehouse. These classes are open to all members of the public interested in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in this popular discipline of motorsport. A training package is provided to each participant for a nominal fee.

The Moffett brothers Sam and Josh Moffett recorded another 1-2 finish on last weekend’s Lakelands Forestry Rally. The Enniskillen-based event was the fifth round of the Irish Forestry Rally Championship. Sam Moffett, who had James Fulton on the notes, took overall victory with Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna 21 seconds in arrears. Moffett/McKenna had taken the lead on stage two but Moffett/Fulton powered their WRC Fiesta into the lead on stage three and never looked back. In terms of the championship, Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna are firmly in the running once again for the title as championship leader Mick O’Brien finished 17^th after a puncture.

Michael Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips secured the 2wd championship with 15^th overall and 2^nd in class six. Michaela McGinn guided Damien McGauren to 26^th overall with Mac Kierans and usual driver, Alan Smyth, 29^th overall and 2^nd in class. David Moffett/Andrew Spears headed into the wood and came home with 31^st overall. Emmet Sherry brought Fergus Barlow to 41^st overall. JP McAree navigated Derek Jobb to 48^th overall. Matthew McKenna was sitting with Ashley Dickson and they finished 63^rd overall. Michael Carbin/Darragh Kelly were as high as 5^th overall in their Lancer but went off the road and got stuck on the final stage. David McNulty/Conor Foley also failed to make the finish.

Navigation Classes

Monaghan Motor Club’s annual Navigation Classes continue on Friday 11^th September at 8pm in Sean McDermott’s GAA complex at Threemilehouse. These classes are open to all members of the public interested in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in this popular discipline of motorsport. A training package will be provided to each participant for a nominal fee. It is planned to run these classes every Friday night until October.

Scotstown’s Damien Connolly clinched a 3^rd overall win in a row at last weekend’s Galway Summer Rally. The event was the penultimate round of both the Triton National Championship and Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship. Connolly guided Warrenpoint’s Peader Hurson to a dominate start to finish victory adding to their overall wins in Cavan and Cookstown so far this year. Elsewhere, Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry secured 2^nd overall in the National Rally Championship after taking 2^nd place overall on the day.

Hurson/Connolly pulled out a massive 15 seconds lead over their rivals on the opening stage which they extended to over thirty seconds after the opening loop. Top seeds, Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle retired on the opening stage leaving Hurson/Connolly in complete control. Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry slotted into 2^nd place just ahead of Welshman Steve Wood. Pacesetters Hurson/Connolly continued to pull away on the second loop increasing their lead to 51.8 seconds. Declan Gallagher/Ryan Moore slotted into a sensational 2^nd place after going fastest overall on stage five with Maguire/Sherry in third 2.8 seconds behind. As Hurson/Connolly reeled off the final stages, Maguire/Sherry snatched back 2^nd place from Gallagher.

Daniel McKenna debuted a Ford Fiesta R5 with Galway navigator Kevin Glynn. Daniel gradually got the hang of his new mount and took a fine 8^th overall and 1^st in class 5. Emmet Sherry guided Barry Ryan to 13^th overall and 3^rd in class in their Honda-engined Escort. Barry Treanor/Jonathan Treanor had a great run to 27^th overall and 1^st in class 11R. Shane Maguire/Mac Kierans came home 29^th overall and 3^rd in class 4. Mark Tierney guided Brian Armstrong to 33^rd overall and 2^nd in class 12. Sean McCaul/Frank Clerkin took 58^th overall and 7^th in class 11R. Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey were back in 73^rd overall after a ten minute delay on stage three. Peter Farrell guided Martin McGuigan to 79^th overall and 4^th in class 10. Paul Crosby/James McEneaney took 4^th in the Junior class with Martin Swinburne/Gretchen Fegan right behind in 5^th place.

Jim McKenna/Thomas Treanor, Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden, Declan Connolly/Alison Hughes and Paddy Quinn/Keith McConnon all failed to make the finish.

The final round of the National Championship is the Skibbereen Fastnet Rally on 25th October while Donegal plays host to the final round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship a fortnight earlier on 10^th October.

Navigation Classes

Monaghan Motor Club launches the annual Navigation Classes on this Friday 4^th September at 8pm in Sean McDermott’s GAA complex at Threemilehouse. These classes are open to all members of the public interested in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in this popular discipline of motorsport. A training package will be provided to each participant for a nominal fee. It is planned to run these classes every Friday night until October.

Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna continued their pursuit of the Irish Forestry Rally Championship at last weekend’s Cork Forestry Rally. The Mallow-based event was round 4 of the Irish Forestry Rally Championship and consisted of eight stages through classic terrain in North Cork. The pair were involved in a titanic battle with defending champion, Owen Murphy. After four stages Moffett/McKenna held the advantage by just 2.3 seconds with no more than seconds between the two crews on each of the stages. Murphy upped his pace on the second loop taking the lead on stage six and held off the Monaghan pair to take a 7.4 second win.

Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips took 11^th overall and 3^rd in class 13 to maintain their class lead in the championship. Derek Mackarel/Muireann Hayes were sidelined on stage 3, denting their hopes for success in the Junior class. The next round of the Irish Forestry Championship is the Enniskillen Motor Club Lakelands Forestry Rally in two week’s time.

O’Reilly’s Travails on Rally Germany

James O’Reilly joined forces with Martin McCormack for last weekend’s WRC Rally Germany. This was O’Reilly’s second attempt at this event as he contested the rally with Sam Moffett last year. The pair made a solid start on Friday and held 21^st overall and 7^th in the very competitive class RC2. Unfortunately for this pair, their rally would come to an end on Saturday’s second special stage. They attempted to restart on Sunday but further problems saw them retire again after the first stage.

Open Meeting

Following on from the successful Open Forum held in February last, Monaghan Motor Club will host an Open Meeting on Monday 31^st August in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan commencing at 8pm. A report will be provided at this meeting on the outcome of the meeting on 26^th August with the Rallies Committee and rallies club delegates. While there will be an open agenda on 31^st August, it is expected that the main topic for discussion will be potential future rule changes. All members are urged to attend.

Navigation Classes

Monaghan Motor Club launches the annual Navigation Classes on Friday 4^th September at 8pm in Sean McDermott’s GAA complex at Threemilehouse. These classes are open to all members of the public interested in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in this popular discipline of motorsport. Put a note in your calendar and spread the word.

Local pairing Derek Mackarel & Peter Deery took overall victory by 7 seconds on last Sunday’s Endurance Trial, driving a Toyota Starlet. The event consisted of 10 selectives which were each used twice. Mackarel/Derry were involved in a day long battle with Robert Barrable & Damien Connolly (Toyota Glanza). Barrable/Connolly were quickest on the tests but incurred a 20 second penalty on one of the tests which dropped them to 3^rd overall behind Kieran McCarra/Gary McCrudden (Mitsubishi Colt).

The opening loop featured selectives at Monaghan, Ballybay, Latton and Swans Cross. Barrable/Connolly and Mackarel/Derry were tied for the lead with a seven second advantage over Kieran McCarra/Gary McCrudden in 3^rd. Following the repeat of these selectives, Mackarel/Deery had taken a five second lead over Barrable/Connolly with Alan & George Shinnors from Limerick moving into 3^rd place twenty seconds off the lead.

The next section consisted of selectives at Maguire’s near Ballinode and Rally School Ireland repeated twice before a trio of selectives at Watterson’s Quarry, McAree’s and McMeel’s that completed the action. Barrable/Connolly then surged in front with a series of fastest times. Mackarel/Deery had a few mechanical problems but stayed in touch. Barrable/Connolly encountered some mechanical problems of their own but held onto the lead to finish eight seconds ahead of Mackarel/Deery on times but their road penalty dropped them to 3^rd. Kieran McCarra/Gary McCrudden set some very fast times in the afternoon to move up to 2^nd place to finish seven seconds behind Mackarel/Deery. Alan & George Shinnors took 4^th overall and 1^st in class A2 with Martin Tynan & Darren McCague completing the top five finishers. Karl O’Donoghue/Evin Hughes took 6^th overall and 3^rd in class A2.

Michael Tynan & Ciaran Tynan won class A1 in the baby Daihatsu. Class B went to Samuel & Carol Patterson with Adam Kinkade/Jacinta Magennis 2^nd and Eoin Longworth/Patrick O’Leary in 3^rd. Class C was won by Peter & Shane Farrell from David Dixon/Gerry Grimes with Lindsay Boyd/Christine Boyd in 3rd.

Results

1 Derek Mackarel/Peter Deery (Toyota Starlet) 8m 17s,
2 Kieran McCarra/Gary McCrudden (Mitsubishi Colt) 8m 24s,
3 Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly (Toyota Glanza) 8m 29s,
4 Alan Shinnors/George Shinnors (Toyota Starlet) 8m 44s,
5 Martin Tynan/Darren McCague (Toyota Starlet) 8m 48s,
6 Karl O’Donoghue/Evin Hughes (Toyota Starlet) 9m 10s.
Class winners: Mickey Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Daihatsu Cuore) 10m 10s.
Navigation Cars:
1 Peter Farrell/Shane Farrell (Honda Civic) 10m 41s,
2 David Dixon/Gerry Grimes (Mazda 323) 12m 54s,
3 Samuel Patterson/Carol Patterson (Opel Corsa) 13m 21s.
Class winners: Samuel Patterson/Carol Patterson.

Kierans on Podium at Ulster Rally

Arthur Kierans guided Derek McGeehan to 3^rd overall on last weekend’s Ulster International Rally. The event was a counting round of both the Irish Tarmac and Nothern Ireland Rally Championships. Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan took overall victory to add the Irish Tarmac Championship to the National Rally Championship they had already won.

Daniel McKenna took the wheel of Brendan Kelly’s Toyota AE86 and guided this unique car to 8^th overall along with navigator Gordon Noble. Mac Kierans added more success for the Kierans family with 16^th overall and 3^rd in class along with driver Alan Smyth.

Stephen Wright/Mickie Galvin retired their Ford Fiesta R5 on stage eight while in 4^th place overall. Emmet Sherry was navigating for Isle of Mull resident Fergus Barlow but their rally came to an end after an off on stage 8.

Open Meeting

Following on from the successful Open Forum held in February last, Monaghan Motor Club will host an Open Meeting on Monday 31^st August in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan commencing at 8pm. A report will be provided at this meeting on the outcome of the meeting to be held in the previous week with the Rallies Committee and rallies club delegates. While there will be an open agenda on 31^st August, it is expected that the main topic for discussion will be potential future rule changes. All members are urged to attend.

Clontibret brothers Sam & Josh Moffett took a 1-2 finish on last weekend’s Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally, both driving Fiesta WRCs. The event was a counting round of the South East Rally Championship. Sam & co-driver Karl Atkinson set the pace on the opening stage pulling out a nine second lead over Welshman Steve Wood. Josh Moffett & co-driver John Rowan were 5^th fastest on the first stage and by stage three they had climbed to 2^nd place but 19.1 seconds off leader Sam. The brothers would trade fastest times over the remaining stages with Sam always in control, eventually taking the win with 15 seconds to spare.

James O’Reilly guided Gary Kieran to 5^th overall and 1^st two wheel drive. Michael Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips took 10^th overall and 2^nd in class 13. Shane Maguire & Paul Kelly finished 19^th overall and 2^nd in class 4 as they continue to build the speed after accidents earlier in the year.

Monaghan Endurance Trial

Plans are well advanced for this year’s Endurance Trial scheduled for Sunday next 16^th August, with the Four Seasons Hotel, Monaghan as HQ. The event will see the return of many popular selectives including Rally School Ireland, Waterson’s Quarry, Latton Hut Cross and Wright’s Quarry. There will also be some new selectives never used previously, with a combination of smooth tarmac, concrete and gravel surfaces. It is hoped that there will be a good entry, given the amount of effort that goes into the running of this event. Entries should be sent to Event Secretary Gary Hall immediately. Regulations available on club website.

Ulster Rally Preview

Round 6 of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship takes place this weekend with the Ulster Rally in Enniskillen. Sam & Josh Moffett will be leading the Monaghan charge as they attempt to emulate their 1-2 finish from Tipperary last weekend. Stephen Wright will be gunning for success in his Ford Fiesta R5. Daniel McKenna takes a break from his JWRC campaign to take the wheel of Brendan Kelly’s Toyota AE86. Arthur Kierans will be calling the notes for Derek McGeehan in his WRC Mini while his son Mac is sitting with Alan Smyth in his Citroen. Paul Sheridan is joining forces with Enda McNulty in his Mk2 Escort. Full report next week.

There was disappointment for Daniel McKenna and Andrew Grennan on last weekend’s Rally Finland when their event came to an end after four stages. Daniel had targeted to gain some useful points in the championship and they made an immediate impact by moving into an early 3^rd place. Stage four of the rally was the legendary Ouninpohja stage regarded as the fastest and most dangerous stage in the world. There are 75 jumps along its 33km route. Unfortunately for McKenna/Grennan it proved to be one jump too many as their car landed on its nose  after one, damaging its radiator. Although they made it to the end of the stage, their event was over as the engine was also damaged.

This was a bitter disappointment for the crew as their hopes of JWRC glory this year are all but over. The next round of the JWRC is to be Rally France at the end of September. This will be the first full Tarmac Round of the Championship and it could be an opportunity for a class win as Daniel returns to his preferred surface.

Monaghan Endurance Trial

Plans are well advanced for this year’s Endurance Trial after a number of successful events in recent years. The event will see the return of many popular selectives including Rally School Ireland, Waterson’s Quarry, Latton Hut Cross and Wright’s Quarry. There will also be some new selectives never used previously, with a combination of smooth tarmac, concrete and gravel surfaces. A lot of effort goes into the running of this event and it will be beneficial to the club if entries can be sent in as soon as possible. The event takes place on Sunday 16^th August. Regulations will be released this week.

Damien Connolly navigated Down’s Peader Hurson to overall victory on last Saturday’s Tyrone Stages Rally. The event was the fifth round of the Northern Ireland Rally Championship and consisted of three closed road stages repeated twice totaling 44 miles. Hurson/Connolly dominated the event from start to finish, going fastest on every stage to take a comfortable win from Frank Kelly/David Vance. Their only problem was the readout on the dash failing after four stages.

Paul Sheridan guided Enda McNulty to 6^th overall and 2^nd in class 7 in their Mk2 Escort. Evin Hughes was on the notes for Rodney White and they finished 8^th overall and 1^st in class 6 after two of their class rivals hit problems on the final stage. Mac Kierans guided Alan Smyth to 13^th overall and 2^nd in class 4. This leaves them in 2^nd place in the Road 2 Wales Initiative which gives the winning crew a free drive in a Citroen DS3 on Wales Rally GB.

McKenna/Grennan head to Finland

Daniel McKenna & Andrew Grennan continue their pursuit of the JWRC title at this weekend’s Rally Finland. The iconic event which runs from Thursday to Saturday is known for its flat out stages and spectacular jumps. The stages are on gravel roads through forests and feature some of the world’s classic stages. With a non-finish in Monte-Carlo and a low points finish in Portugal, McKenna & Grennan will be determined to bag some strong points this weekend.

Upcoming Events:

Tipperary Stonethrowers August 9^th

Ulster Rally August 14^th-15^th

Mondaghan Endurance Trial August 16^th

Cork Forestry Rally August 23^rd

Galway Summer Rally August 30^th

Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry were once again the top Monaghan crew on last weekend’s Sligo Stages Rally. The event was round six of the National Rally Championship and round four of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship. After nine fast and flowing stages including Glencar and Lough Gill, the Ballinode crew secured 3^rd overall behind Declan Boyle and Donagh Kelly. The result leaves Maguire & Sherry in a very comfortable 2^nd in the championship behind Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan who secured the title in Sligo.

Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly led the Monaghan crews over the opening stages and held a solid 3^rd overall after six stages. Their event came to an end after problems on stage seven which promoted Maguire/Sherry into that position. Andrew Grennan took a break from his WRC duties with Daniel McKenna to take 14^th overall and 5^th in class alongside Leitrim man Enda McLaughlin. Raymond Conlon & Mark Sheridan finished 16^th overall and 6^th in class 13. Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey brought their Lancer home 19^th overall and 3^rd in class 20. Shane Maguire/Mac Kierans made steady progress during the day to take 23^rd overall and 6^th in class 4. Justin Smyth/James McEneaney had a great run to 24^th overall and 1^st in class 9. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden took yet another win in class 11R and 29^th overall. Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes took 49^th overall and 1^st in class 3. Sean McCaul/Frank Clerkin survived a delay on the first stage to take 71^st overall and 11^th in class 11R. Declan Connolly/Alison Hughes came home 75^th overall and 7^th in class 9.

David Moffett/Fintan Sherry had been holding 2^nd in class 13 until their Toyota Starlet went off the road at a slippy square right on stage five. Brian Armstrong/Mark Tierney retired on the opening stage as did Barry Treanor/Gregory McQuillan. Steven Corey/Vinnie Boyd’s rally came to an end on stage five. Martin Swinburne/Gretchen Fegan were contesting the Junior Rally but retired after an off on stage one.

Both the Border and National Rally Championships are on hiatus until the end of August and the Galway Summer Rally.

Jim McKenna & Thomas Treanor led the Monaghan crews home on last weekend’s ALMC Stages Rally.The event which was based out of the town of Trim in County Meath attracted just under 100 crews. After nine stages, McKennna & Treanor finished a fine 6^th overall and 1^st in class 14. Jack Maguire & Andy Hayes took 12^th overall and 3^rd in class 14. Barry McKenna & Mac Kierans finished 15^th overall and 2^nd in class 13. Padraig Connolly & Padraig Corrigan retired on stage five.

Monaghan Motor Club would like to express our wish for a speedy recovery to those injured in an accident during the event last Sunday.

Sligo Stages Rally

Round 6 of the Triton National Rally Championship takes place this weekend with the Sligo Stages Rally. The event is also Round 4 of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship and has attracted a capacity entry. The event will compromise of three stages repeated three times with HQ once again the Sligo Park Hotel.

Sam Moffett is the top Monaghan seed at No.3 with Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry starting at No.4. David Moffett & Fintan Sherry are at No.15, Shane Maguire/Mac Kierans are at No 18 and Raymond Conlon/Mark Sheridan start at No.25. Mark Tierney is sitting with Brian Armstrong at 29 and Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey are at No. 32. Andrew Grennan is sitting with Enda McLaughlin at 46. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden are at No.51 in their Corolla with class rivals Barry Treanor/Gregory McQuillan right behind at 52. Steven Corey/Vinnie Boyd, Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes, Declan Connolly/Alison Hughes are at 63. 79 and 101 respectively. Sean McCaul/Frank Clerkin are at No.123. Martin Swinburne/Gretchen Fegan are at No.4 in the Junior class. Full report next week.

Upcoming fixtures:

July 25^th Cookstown Stages Rally

July 26^th Imokilly Mini Stages Rally

August 8^th Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally

Three Monaghan men contested the Ypres Rally in Belgium last weekend, a counting round of the European Rally Championship. Josh Moffett & John Rowan and Sam Moffett & Karl Atkinson competed in Ford Fiesta’s while James O’Reilly was navigating for Martin McCormack in a Skoda Fabia S2000. McCormack/O’Reilly would be the only crew to finish coming home an excellent 8th overall.

The opening day was contested over seven stages on Friday. Josh Moffett/John Rowan led the early Monaghan charge and would hold 9th place after four stages but then lost a minute with a puncture and would be drop to 18th overnight. Martin McCormack/James O’Reilly finished the day in 8th place. Sam Moffett & Karl Atkinson held 15th place overnight despite being on the wrong tires for the second loop.

A further ten stages were contested on Saturday. Josh Moffett & John Rowan and Martin McCormack/James O’Reilly were setting similar stages with Sam Moffett & Karl Atkinson not too far adrift. Both Moffett brothers reported some small concerns with Sam having an overshoot and Josh complaining of brake fade. Sam would retire on stage 11 and more drama would occur on stage 15 with Martin McCormack/James O’Reilly losing several minutes after getting stuck in a ditch.

The final drama occurred on the final stage as Josh Moffett & John Rowan crashed out of 8th place after cutting a corner too tight which launched the car into a roll. Luckily, neither occupant was seriously injured. This left McCormack/O’Reilly to take 8th place after going 2nd fastest overall on the final stage. Overall honours went to Belgian ace Freddy Loix who won the event for the tenth time.

Carrick-on-Suir Ravens Rock Rally

A number of Monaghan crews made their way to Waterford to contest Round 5 of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship. Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry were debuting their recently acquired ex Declan Boyle Subaru WRC. This event was to be a learning curve for this crew in the new car.

Peader Hurson & Damien Connolly were expected to challenge for honours but a fuel leak put them out before the opening stage. Maguire & Sherry put in a steady drive to finish 5th overall and cement their 2nd place in the championship. Championship leader Donagh Kelly & Kevin Flanagan made it five maximum scores in a row with yet another victory to move closer to securing the overall title. Michael Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips brought their Mk2 Escort home 13th overall and 3rd in class 13. Pauric Duffy & John Higgins finished 19th overall and 2nd in class 5. Seamus Connolly & Gary McCrudden were back at the wheel of their Toyota Corolla and took 2nd in class 11R and 34th overall. Barry McKenna & Declan Tynan retired at first service after a long delay on stage two.

The next round of the Triton National Rally Championship is the Sligo Stages Rally in two weeks time.

ALMC Stages Rally

This weekend ALMC are running their stages rally out of Trim, County Meath. Jack Maguire, Barry McKenna/Mac Kierans and Padraig Connolly/Padraig Corrigan are entered to compete. Monaghan also need to provide marshals for this event and those able to help are asked to contact Kerry Stevenson.

Upcoming events:
July 12th Sligo Stages Rally
July 25th Cookstown Stages Rally
July 26th Imokilly Mini Stages Rally

Richard Moffett & Martin Connolly were the stand out Monaghan performers on last weekend’s Donegal International Rally. The Ballinode men took class 13 honours and 7^th overall in the National Rally. This was a great performance from this crew as Richard hasn’t competed on a rally since last October. In the International Rally, Conor Foley guided Martin Doherty to 8^th overall and Group N honours in their Mitsubishi Lancer. Pauric Duffy & John Higgins finished just behind in a fine 9^th overall in their Ford Fiesta R5. They also finished 2^nd in class 5.

Stephen Thornton guided Tyrone’s Vivian Hamaill to 9^th overall in the National Rally and 4^th in class 14. They recovered from 83^rd place at one point on Friday after suffering gear linkage problems. Anthony Hand/Peter Derry put in a storming drive to take 14^th overall and 1^st in class 11R. They were involved in a terrifice battle with local man Patrick Boyle and the Monaghan men came through to take the class by just over 30 seconds. David Moffett/James McCarville finished 18^th overall and 6^th in class 13. The pair put in a steady drive as David got back into the swing of things after his Cavan off. Raymond Conlon & Adrian Treanor finished 27^th overall and 8^th in class 13 in their Toyota Corolla. They could have finished higher but for a 2 min 30 seconds road penalty from Friday.

Michael Carbin & Emmet McCooey had a difficult event. They held 19^th overall after Friday but dropped several minutes on the opening Saturday stage before retiring on stage 10. They rejoined the Rally under Rally 2 and set some good times on Sunday enrotue to 53^rd overall and 5^th in class.

Emmet Sherry guided Tommy O’Connell to 4^th in the Historic Rally while Martin Swinburne/Gretchen Fegan took 4^th overall in the Junior Rally.

Stephen Wright/Mickie Galvin had been leading the Monaghan crews until mechanical problems dropped them out on Saturday afternoon. They rejoined on Sunday only to retire on the final stage. Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan’s bid for three National wins in a row came to end after an accident on stage 7, thankfully with no injury to either occupant. John McQuaid/Stephen Hagan had been up to 9^th overall in the National Rally until their retirmenet on stage 17. Brendan McDaid/Mac Kierans had climbed to 14^th place until their stage 16 retirement. Gerard McQuaid/Gary Quinlan suffered a heart-breaking final stage retirement whilst holding 13^th in the National Rally. Brendan McAree & JP McAree retired from the Historic Rally on stage 19.

Raven’s Rock Rally

The Triton Showers National Rally Championship resumes with the Waterford based Raven’s Rock Rally. Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry will be hoping to keep the pressure on championship leaders, Donagh Kelly & Kevin Flanagan. Damien Connolly is again teaming up with Peader Hurson and they will be hoping to repeat their Cavan Rally win. Michael Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips are amongst the leading two-wheel drive crews in their Mk2 Escort. Shane Maguire/Mac Kierans are seeded at No.24 in their Lancer and will be gunning for glory in Group N. Pauric Duffy is also competing and is seeded at No.28 in his Fiesta R5. David Moffett & Fintan Sherry continue their National campaign and start at No.31. Barry McKenna & Declan Tynan are seeded back at 69 in their Escort.

Upcoming events:

July 5^th ALMC Stages Rally

July 12^th Sligo Stages Rally

July 25^th Cookstown Stages Rally

The Joule Donegal International Rally takes place this Friday, Saturday and Sunday and a strong contingent of Monaghan crews are making the trip north to contest the event. Stephen Wright/Mickie Galvin head the Monaghan crews. They are the top seeded class 5 crew at No.8 and will be favourites to take the class on this event. Conor Foley is in line to navigate for local man Martin Doherty and they head the Group N entries at No.9. Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan will be going for a three in a row in the National Rally after their successes in 2013 and 2014. Hot on their heels is Daniel McKenna who is set to take the wheel of the Toyota AE86 owned by Brendan Kelly. Daniel and Gary have had mighty battles over the years but it remains to be seen how Daniel adapts to the new car.

Arthur Kierans is the hot seat for Phil Collins at No.23. Collins is another former winner of the National Rally. Pauric Duffy/Kevin Glynn are making the trip from Australia to compete and start at No.36. Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey are to start at No.41 in their Evo4. Richard Moffett & Martin Connolly are at No.47 in their Starlet and will hope to retain the class 13 trophy they won last year. Raymond Conlon/Adrian Treanor start at 48 with John McQuaid/Stephan Hagan at 50. James McCarville is sitting with Enda McNulty at 51 while Mac Kierans is navigating for Brendan McDaid at 60. David Moffett/Fintan Sherry are seeded back at 65 but will be keeping a close eye on big brother Richard’s times over the weekend! Gerard McQuaid/Gary Quinlan will also be pushing hard in class 13 and hope to improve on their No.81 seeding. Anthony Hand/Peter Deery start at 84 and will be gunning for glory in class 11R.

Emmet Sherry is sitting with Thomas O’Connell in the Historic class which contest 10 stages over the weekend. Brendan McAree & JP McAree are also entered in this class. Finally, Gary McKenna & Nicola McKenna are competing in the Junior Rally which will contest Sunday’s six stages.

Kierans Guides McGeehan Through Dust in Lithuania

Arthur Kierans made the long trip to Lithuania to contest the Samsonas Rally Utena. The two day event was contested over 11 gravel stages and Arthur and driver Derek McGeehan finished a respectable 8^th overall.

Upcoming Events:

June 30^th Carrick-on-Suir Ravens Rock Rally

July 5^th ALMC Stages Rally

July 12^th Sligo Stages Rally

There was mixed success for Clontibret brothers, Sam & Josh Moffett, on last weekend’s Sata Rally Acores. Sam & navigator, Karl Atkinson finished 7^th overall while Josh & co-driver, John Rowan retired on day two from 4^th position.

The event was the fourth round of the 2015 European Rally Championship and was contested over 17 gravel stages between Thursday and Saturday. At the end of Thursday’s three stages Josh held 4^th overall, 24 seconds behind event leader Craig Breen. Sam was in 9^th place overnight. Drama was to strike the Moffett/Rowan team on stage four. Josh was caught out over the flying finish and crashed the car ending their event. Sam had a steady drive and held 7^th overall at the end of the day, a position which he would hold until the end of the event. Waterford’s Craig Breen took the event win which was his third successive win in the Championship.

Both Josh & Sam intend to compete on the next round of the championship, the Ypres Rally in Belgium at the end of the month.

Laois Heartlands Rally

A number of Monaghan crews competed on the Laois Heartlands Rally last Sunday. Paul Sheridan was the top finishing CMMC member, guiding Vivian Hamill to 4^th overall and 1^st in class 14. James O’Reilly was sitting with Gary Kiernan and they took 5^th overall and 1^st in class 13. They had led after stage four but a delay on stage five dropped them back. Michael Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips were 7^th overall and 2^nd in class 13. Thomas Treanor guided Graham Kelly to 16^th overall and 4^th in class 14.

Duffy/Hughes Crowned National Champions

The National Night Navigation Championship prizegiving took place last Saturday in the Gandon Inn in Emo, Portlaoise. Winners Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes collected the overall trophy and announced their intention to defend the title next year. This was Pakie’s first ever National title after many years of competing, while Evin has added to his first title won in 2012. Laurence Keenan’s Monaghan event was voted the best event of the 2014/15 Championship. Other club members receiving trophies were Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan, Laurence Keenan, Keith McConnan & Micheal McCluskey, Derek Mackarel, Paddy & Oisin Sherlock, Colm & Conor Mohan and Conor Boylan.

Upcoming fixtures:

June 19^th-21^st Donegal International Rally

June 28^th Carrick-on-Suir Raven’s Rock Rally

July 5^th ALMC Stages Rally

July 12^th Sligo Stages Rally

Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry suffered a set-back in their Triton Showers National Rally Championship campaign after electrical problems forced them to retire on last Sunday’s Circuit of Munster Rally. After six of the nine stages, they were in a strong 2^nd position only for their event to end just metres into stage 7. Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan extended their championship lead after taking overall victory. They are now 37 points clear of Maguire/Sherry with four of the eight rounds completed.

Shane Maguire with Mac Kierans on the notes brought their Lancer home 20^th overall and 5^th in Group N in Shane’s first event since his Monaghan off. Paul Kelly guided local man Paul Purtill to 14^th overall and 5^th in class 13. Barry Ryan/Emmet Sherry retired after an off on stage two after holding a sensational 2^nd overall after the first stage.

National Night Navigation Open Forum & Prizegiving

The annual National Night Navigation Open Forum & Prizegiving takes place this Saturday night in the Gandon Inn, Emo, Portlaoise. The forum will commence at 8pm where organisers & competitors have the opportunities to have their say in the running of the sport. There will also be  a discussion on Endurance Trials. The forum will be followed by the National Championship prizegiving. Club members Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes took overall honours last season after a close battle all year with defending champions, Colin Duffy & Sam Johnston. Other club members to place in the championship included Michael Tynan & Ciaran Tyann who finished 1^st Expert crew, Laurence Keenan was 3^rd Semi-Expert navigator, Keith McConnan was 1^st Novice driver, Micheal McCluskey 2^nd Novice navigatior and Derek Mackarel 3^rd Novice driver. Paddy & Oisin Sherlock won the Beginners class from Colm & Conor Mohan with Conor Boylan 3^rd Navigator.

Upcoming events:

June 7^th Laois Heartlands Rally

June 19^th-21^st Donegal International Rally

June 28^th Ravens Rock Rally

July 5^th ALMC Stages Rally

Daniel McKenna & Andrew Grennan resumed their Junior World Rally Championship campaign in Portugal last weekend. The event which was based near Porto was contested over four days and a total of 16 stages. After an impressive start which saw them holding 3^rd in class, the Scotshouse crew had an unfortunate off which damaged their car and forced a re-start under Rally 2. After setting numerous top three times, they had to settle for 9^th in class. Despite the disappointment of this result, the crew still gained plenty of experience for their future JWRC events.

The rally got off to a good start for the pair as they held a strong 3^rd in class at the end of the opening loop of stages. Unfortunately they caught a slower car on stage six. With dust reducing visibility to a minimum they slid wide, breaking a wishbone and driveshaft. The pair were unable to complete the remaining stages so received time penalties for each stage they didn’t complete which left them 12^th in class overnight.

They made steady progress on day two and were an impressive 3^rd fastest on the 37 km stage 10 before going 2^nd fastest on the repeated run of that stage. By the end of the day, they had climbed to 8^th in class. There was drama on the final day as suspension problems cost them more time before they went 3^rd fastest in class on the final stage secured them 9^th in class.

The next round of the Junior World Rally Championship is just six weeks away with Rally Poland taking place between 2^nd and 5^th July.

Hurson/Connolly Crowned Cavan Rally Champions

Scotstown’s Damien Connolly guided Warrenpoint’s Peader Hurson to overall victory on last Sunday’s Cavan Stages Rally. The pair led from start to finish to hold off the challenge of multiple Cavan winner Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry who took 2^nd place. Both crews were competing in WRC Subarus. Gary Jennings/Rory Kennedy completed the podium places as they used the event as a testing exercise in preparation for the Donegal International.

After the opening loop of stages in the Ballyconnell area, it was Hurson/Conolly who held a 25 second lead after going fastest on each stage. They increased their advantage to 42 seconds after the second loop. Indeed they would go on to record a 53 second win after going fastest on all but one stage. Maguire & Sherry held a comfortable 2^nd place all day after holding off the challenge of former Tarmac Champions Jennings & Kennedy.

Mark Tierney guided Brian Armstrong to victory in the ‘Pinto Challenge’ and 12^th overall. Jack Maguire/Andy Hayes came home 14^th overall and 4^th in class 14. Barry Treanor & Gregory McQuillan were 15^th overall and took 1^st in class 11R by a comfortable winning margin. Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes took victory in class 3 and 39^th overall. Brendan McAree/Johno Doogan took their beautiful Porsche 911 home 54^th overall and 7^th in class 14. Paddy Connolly/Paul Maguire finished right behind in 55^th place and 3^rd in class 15. Declan Connolly/Alison Hughes finished 58^th overall and 8^th in class. Francie McKenna/Sean Craig came home 64^th overall and 3^rd in class 10. Martin Swinburne/Gretchen Fegan won the Junior class by an incredible four minute margin with Stefan McCann/Stephen McElroy taking 5^th in the same class.

Reigning Border Champions, David Moffett/Fintan Sherry retired on stage six after a rare off-road excursion. Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey retired after an accident on the same stage. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden retired on stage 1. Vincent McAree/Martin Connolly set some good times until a puncture costs them several minutes. They eventually retired on the final loop. Sean McCaul/Frank Clerkin were another crew who failed to finish the final loop of stages. Paddy O’Reilly/Ryan Brennan retired on the final stage. Cathal Sheridan/Loretta Kelly were sidelined with engine problems on stage 3. Padraig Connolly/Paudie Corrigan retired on stage 1.

Monaghan Motor Club would like to thank all marshals who turned out on the day which helped to ensure a safe and successful event for all.

Loughgall Rally

Congratulations to Jim McKenna & Thomas Treanor who took 2^nd overall on last Saturday’s Loughgall Rally.

Circuit of Munster

The National Rally Championship resumes with the Kilmallock-based Circuit of Munster Rally. Monaghan crews set to make the trip down include Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry, David Moffett/Fintan Sherry and Shane Maguire/Mac Kierans.

Upcoming events:

June 6^th National Night Navigation Championship prizegiving

June 7^th Laois Heartlands Rally

June 19^th-21^st Donegal International Rally

June 28^th Carrick-on-Suir Ravens Rock Rally

Stephen Wright scored an excellent 3rd overall finish on last Saturday’s mixed surface Sezoens Rally in Belgium. Local co-driver Eddy Smeets stepped in with local sponsorship enabling Stephen to return to Belgium after a successful season in the Peugeot 208 Super Cup the previous year. Despite competing against a host of Belgian rally aces, the Irish/Belgium pair held their own all day taking a fine 3rd overall. Multiple Belgian champion Freddy Loix won the event from Vincent Verschueren.

Moffetts Star on Plains Rally

Clontibret brothers, Josh & Sam Moffett made the trip to Wales to compete on the all-gravel Plains rally. This was the first occasion that both drivers had taken their Fiesta RRCs onto the loose. Josh who has been a front runner on the Irish Forestry Championship in recent years, set two fastest stage times en route to 2nd overall, six seconds behind winner Dave Weston. Sam Moffett survived a puncture on stage four to claim 6th overall on his first gravel rally in six months. Both Moffett brothers are intending to compete on the Acores Rally, which is a round of the European Rally Championship, in a fortnight.

McKenna & Grennan Set Sights on Portugal

Scotshouse men Daniel McKenna & Andrew Grennan are set to compete on this weekend’s Rally de Portugal. After a promising start at the opening round of the Junior World Rally Championship in Monte-Carlo, where they led early on, the pair will be hoping to secure some useful points on this event. Daniel & Andrew have been busy in the months since Monte-Carlo with the launch of the ‘Team Daniel’ campaign as well as undergoing extensive fitness training in preparation for this event.

The event is a full gravel rally based north of Porto after an absence of 14 years. Proceedings commence on Thursday with Daniel invited to speak at the FIA press conference. After a shakedown on Thursday afternoon, the action gets underway with a Superspecial stage. Friday consists of six stages with a further six stages on Saturday. The event concludes with a further three stages on Sunday. The lad’s progress over the weekend can be followed on twitter @dmkmotorsport.

Cavan Stages Rally

Round 3 of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship takes place this weekend with the Hotel Kilmore Cavan Stages Rally. COC Stephen Kellett has laid out three new stages in West Cavan. Service will be based in Ballyconnell. Last year’s winner, Niall Maguire heads the entry list. Damien Connolly is set to team up with Peader Hurson again and slots in at No.3. David Moffett/Fintan Sherry should be in the fight for two wheel drive honours and start at No.8. James McCarville is sitting with Limerick’s Ed O’Callaghan at No.11. Shane Maguire is at 17, Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey are at 29, Brian Armstrong/Mark Tierney are at 32, Jack Maguire/Andy Hayes 33 and Barry Treanor/Gregory McQuillan at 36.

Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden, Vincent McAree/Martin Connolly, Amy Cox/Emmet Sherry, Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes, Brendan McAree, Sean McCaul/Frank Clerkin, Paddy O’Reilly, Cathal Sheridan, Martin Swinburne/Gretchen Fegan, Declan Connolly/Alison Hughes, Martin McGuigan/Mark Slowey, Francie McKenna/Sean Craig, Padraig Connolly/Padraig Corrigan and Stefan McCann will also be flying the Monaghan flag this weekend.

Upcoming events:
May 31st Circuit of Munster Stages Rally
June 6th National Night Navigation Championship Prizegiving
June 7th Portlaoise Mini Stages Rally
June 19th-21st Donegal International Rally

Magherafelt Motor Club’s Tour of the Sperrins Rally was round 4 of the Northern Ireland Rally Championship and featured several Monaghan navigators. Reigning British Champion, Arthur Kierans was sitting with Derek McGeehan in a WRC Mini. The pair finished in a credible 3^rd overall behind the Subarus of Derek McGarrity and Desi Henry. James O’Reilly teamed up with local man Martin McCormack. They finished 4^th overall in their Skoda Fabia S2000 mixing it with the World Rally Cars on the day. Paul Sheridan guided Enda McNulty to 14^th overall in their Mk2 Escort. Mac Kierans was again navigating for Alan Smyth and they finished 19^th overall and 3^rd in class in their Citroen. Finally, Matthew McKenna guided Brian McFall to 23^rd overall in their Lancer.

Conlon/McPhillips out of luck in Carlow

It was a disappointing weekend for Michael Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips on the Carlow Stages Rally as the pair dropped out of 3^rd in class on stage six. They managed to re-enter under Rally 2 and went on to take 54^th overall and 10^th in class. Thomas Treanor had better luck as he guided Graham Kelly to 31^st overall and 2^nd in class.

Wright Sets Sights on Belgium

Stephen Wright will return to the Belgian Rally Championship to compete on this weekend’s Sezons Rally. Stephen will pair up with Belgian co-pilot, Eddy Smeets and the international combination expect to gel quickly for this one-off appearance. Eddy has also been instrumental in securing local support for what is his local event. The Sezons Rally consists of 15 stages in a single day and comprises 28% gravel surface. Wright will face competition from local aces Freddy Loix, Kris Princen and Vincent Verschuren.To keep up to date with their progress, follow the lads on Twitter @StephenWr1ght or @EddySmeets.

Upcoming Events:

May 24^th Cavan Stages Rally

May 31^st Circuit of Munster (Limerick) Rally

June 6^th National Navigation Championship Forum & Prizegiving

June 7^th Laois Mini Stages Rally

Ballinode’s Conor Foley guided Donegal’s Donagh Kelly to overall victory on last weekend’s Killarney Rally of the Lakes. The classic event consisted of sixteen stages over two days including the iconic Moll’s Gap, Tim Healy Pass, Cod’s Head and Ardgroom stages. In the absence of championship leader Sam Moffett, Kelly took full advantage to claim a start to finish victory.

Damien Connolly joined forces with Dublin’s Robert Barrable in a hired WRC Subaru. They would prove to be the main challengers to Kelly/Foley over the weekend but their hopes of victory were dashed when they dropped a minute with gearbox problems on stage eight. They eventually finished 2^nd some fifty seconds behind the winners.

Stephen Wright/Mickie Galvin finished in 4^th position overall and 1^st in class but a technical infringement resulted in them being excluded at post-event scrutineering. It was a massive disappointment for the crew as the absence of a turbo pop-off valve provides no enhancement to the car’s performance. Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan O’Kane took 6^th overall and 2^nd in class 4 in their Subaru. Pauric Duffy & Enda Sherry teamed up for the event in their Fiesta R5. They had a largely trouble-free run to 10^th overall and 2^nd in class.

Squealing Pig Border Navigation Championship Prizegiving

The Border Navigation Championship prizegiving takes places this Friday night in the Squealing Pig Bar & Restaurant, Monaghan. Colin Duffy & Sam Johnston retained the title this season after a close battle with Laurence Keenan. Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes were 2^nd driver and 3^rd navigator overall respectively and Michael Tynan was 3^rd overall driver.

Upcoming events:

May 9^th Tour of the Sperrins Rally

May 10^th Carlow Stages Rally

May 24^th Cavan Stages Rally

May 31^st Circuit of Munster Rally

Josh Moffett got the better of older brother Sam, in a superb 1-2 for the Combilift rally team on last Sunday’s Monaghan Stages Rally. After a scintillating battle between the two brothers and National Championship leader Donagh Kelly, it was Josh & co-driver Jason McKenna who emerged victorious by just 5.1 seconds. Josh & Jason said it was a dream come true to win their home event. Sam Moffett & James O’Reilly missed out on completing a hat-trick of Monaghan wins but were full of praise for the winners and were the first to congratulate them at the finish. Donagh Kelly & Kevin Flanagan maintained their lead in the Triton Showers National Rally Championship after a strong drive to 3^rd overall just 12.9 seconds behind the event winners.

It was Sam Moffett who set the pace on the opening Lisnalee stage where only 1.3 seconds separated the top four crews. Donagh Kelly took the lead on the shortened stage two, but fastest time on stage 3 promoted Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna into a lead they wouldn’t lose for the rest of the event. Sam Moffett reported losing time on stage two with an overshoot which would be a major factor in the outcome of the event. Peader Hurson/Damien Connolly were a strong 4^th overall and were within touch of the leaders with Stephen Wright/Mickie Galvin and Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry completing the top six. Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan led the two wheel drive battle in 7^th overall with Donegal’s Declan Gallagher/Ryan Moore nine seconds adrift. Shane Maguire/Paul Kelly dropped out of the Group N lead following a stage two accident which left Pat Kirk/John McElhinney in the lead from Martin Doherty/Conor Foley.

Josh Moffett turned in a blinder on stage four where he took five seconds out of everyone to move nearly ten seconds clear and despite a massive moment on stage six which damaged his front wing he maintained the lead at 8.8 seconds. Fastest time on stage six, helped Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly into 2^nd place, 1.6 seconds ahead of Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan. Hurson/Connolly maintained a steady 4^th and Peader was happier with his performance after stiffening his suspension. Wright/Galvin and Maguire/Sherry continued untroubled in 5^th and 6^th respectively. McPhillips/Sheridan retained the two-wheel drive lead from Gallagher/Moore with Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne 3^rd. Doherty/Foley moved into the Group N lead and were now 3.2 seconds ahead of Kirk/McElhinney with the top four in this class separated by only eight seconds.

The fight for honours intensified as Sam slashed the deficit to Josh to just 3.8 seconds going into the final stage at Ardaghey. Josh held it all together on the final stage taking 1.3 seconds out of Sam to clinch victory by 5.1 seconds! Kelly/Flanagan retained their lead in the Triton Showers National Rally Championship with third overall. Peader Hurson/Damien Connolly brought their ten-year old Subaru to a superb 4^th overall which was a great result considering it was the first stages event in the car. Stephen Wright/Mickie Galvin were delighted with 5^th overall in their Fiesta R5 with five times winner Niall Maguire & four times winner Enda Sherry securing 6^th overall to maintain 2^nd overall in the National Championship. Their was late drama in the two wheel drive battle as Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan were sidelined with engine problems just 500 yards from the finish of the last stage. The pair’s rotten luck in Monaghan in recent years continued. Declan Gallagher/Ryan Moore finished 1^st two-wheel drive car and 7^th overall. Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne were 8^th overall and won class 14 with Roy White/James O’Brien 9^th in their MG and David Moffett/Fintan Sherry 10^th overall and third two wheel drive car. Martin Doherty/Conor Foley secured Group N honours from Trevor Bustard/John McCafferty.

Class results:

Pauric McGee/Shane Barry dominated class 1 in their Honda Civic taking the win by over a minute from Declan McShane/Emmet Brosnan. Martin O’Donnell/Eamon Gillespie led home Shane Forde/Seamus McTigue in class two whilst Eoin Neville/Billy Collins took class 3.

Tydavnet’s Conor Foley guided Donegal’s Martin Doherty to 25^th overall and 1^st in class 4 with Trevor Bustard/John McCafferty 2^nd and Pat Kirk/John McElhinney 3^rd. Graham & Tom Scallon were the sole finishers in class 5 while Lloyd Hutchinson/Willie Fitzpatrick took class 9 honours in their rapid Mini. Brendan O’Reilly/Mark Hamill took 2^nd in class with Declan Connolly/Alison Hughes in 3^rd. John & Niall Kelly took a dominate class 10 win while Sam Johnston/Nigel McCloughry took victory in class 11F. Dessie Keenan/James McCarville took a start to finish win class 11R after holding off the challenge of Barry Treanor/Gregory McQuillan. Martin McPhillips/Ciaran Tynan, Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden and Anthony Hand/Peter Deery made it an all Monaghan top five in this class.

Martin Toner/Sharon Clarke won class 12 in their Sunbeam from Border rivals, Brian Armstrong/Mark Tierney. Alan Atchenson/Thomas Wedlock held off Arthur & Mac Kierans for 3^rd in class. Declan Gallagher/Ryan Moore led home David Moffett/Fintan Sherry in a Starlet 1-2 in class 13. Chris Armstrong/James Fulton were 3^rd. Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne took class 14 from Brian Brogan/Damien McGettigan and Frank Kelly/Sean Ferris. Martin Donnelly/Brian Doherty won class 15 in their Corolla from the similar car of Eddie Power/Mark Wiley. Stephen Wright/Mickie Galvin won class 20 from Roy White/James O’Brien and Monaghan’s Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey. Malcolm Pedlow/Ivor Ferguson won the historic class while Wexford’s James Bradley/Maria Kehoe led home Gary McNamee/Breen McNamee and Richard Moore/Brian Halligan in an all Honda top three in the Junior class.

Local crews:

In addition to the crews already mentioned, the following also finished their home event. Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips switched from the forests back to tarmac and came home 21^st overall and 6^th in class 13. Raymond Conlon/Darren McCague finished 23^rd overall and 7^th in the same class. Jim McKenna/Thomas Treanor took 29^th overall and 6^th in class 14. Gerard McQuaid/Gary Quinlan were 33^rd overall and 9^th in class 13 while Barry McKenna/Padraig Doogan were 42^nd and 11^th in class 13. Vincent McAree/Martin Connolly continue to find their feet in their new Escort which they brought home in 13^th in class and 51^st overall. Peter Farrell guided Declan Smith to 59^th overall and 14^th in class. Paddy O’Reilly & Loretta Kelly were 66^th overall and 9^th in class. Jack Maguire/Andy Hayes had a troubled run to 74^th overall whilst Cathal McGlone/Michael Sheridan also had dramas en route to 77^th overall and 5^th in class. Sean McCaul/Frank Clerkin took 85^th overall and 13^th in class 11R. Andy Mackarel/Derek Mackarel were 87^th overall and 6^th in class in their Lancer. Kevin Treanor guided Gerard Corey to 88^th overall and 11^th in class 12. Brendan McAree/JP McAree brought their gorgeous Porsche 911 home 96^th overall and 11^th in class 14. Martin McGuigan/Mark Slowey were 102^nd overall and 5^th in class 10. Ryan & Nicola McKenna and Pauric Duffy/John Higgins both rejoined under Rally 2 to take 107^th and 108^th overall respectively. Martin Swinburne/Gretchen Fegan had a good run to 4^th in the Junior class with Stefan McCann/Stephen McElroy 11^th in the same class.

John McQuaid/Stephen Hagan had been holding 2^nd in class and 9^th overall but went off over the finish line of stage five. Justin Smyth/Lindsay Boyd also failed to make to finish after holding 4^th in class 12. Declan Tynan & driver, Enda McLaughlin dropped out on stage seven. Stephen Reynolds/Jason Gillespie made it as far as stage two before their event came to an

end. Damien McGauren/Michaela McGinn dropped out on stage eight while David & Robert Smyth retired on stage three. Donal Crossan/Damien McCabe didn’t make it through the last loop as did Paddy Connolly/Paul Maguire. Gary McKenna/Aiden Coyle and Johnny Treanor/Adrian Foley both failed to finish in the Junior class.

Congratulations to CoC Brendan Flynn and his team on running a safe and enjoyable event for both competitor and spectator. Brendan thanked everyone for their dedicated efforts and assistance in making the event such a great success. He thanked Monaghan County Council and Monaghan Municipal District who have helped the club to promote and facilitate the rally, which has continued to grow in stature; An Garda Siochana for their help and assistance over the course of the weekend. Their presence was very evident in ensuring that traffic continued to flow despite the heavy volume. Brendan also thanked the residents along the route for their welcome, co-operation and support. Over 200 marshals lined the rally route during the course of the day and they deserve a special note of thanks a well as the Civil Defence personnel who worked long hours during the event. There was a final word of thanks to the team at the Hillgrove Hotel for their on-going support, once again ensuring that the Monaghan Stages Rally was another resounding success this year.

Foley grabs glory on Border Hopper Rally

Maiden City Motor Club hosted a single stage rally in Donegal last Saturday where many crews went on to compete on the Monaghan Stages the next day. Conor Foley guided Donagh Kelly to victory on the event before swapping seats with Kevin Flanagan for Monaghan the next day. Arthur Kierans guided Derek McGeehan to 3^rd overall. Pauric Duffy/John Higgins were 5^th overall in their Fiesta. Mac Kierans guided Brendan McDaid to 15^th overall & Paul Sheridan guided Enda McNulty to 18^th. Barry McKenna/Padraig Doogan finished 23^rd overall.

Sympathy

Monaghan Motor Club extends its condolences to the family of the late Mrs Nancy Duffy, Rausker, Ballybay, who passed away on Thursday 23^rd April. The rally was re-routed as a mark of respect.

The 2015 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally looks likely to be one of the most exciting events for years. A staggering 200 plus entry has been received, which hasn’t been seen on any event since the Celtic Tiger was in full swing. With only 141 places in the mainfield and 20 juniors/historics, many crews will be left disappointed. COC Brendan Flynn has laid out three flowing stages between Monaghan and Ballybay with centralised service in the Courthouse Carpark in Monaghan town. The stages are similar to last years when they were well received by competitors. The event is a counting round of both the Triton Showers National & Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championships.

The top 20 consists of 12 World Rally Cars, 5 potent Mk2 Escorts, 1 Montune-engined MG and 2 Group N Mitsubishis. No.1 seed is Sam Moffett and co-driver James O’Reilly. The pair will be hoping to emulate Niall Maguire by completing a hat-trick of wins after back-to-back successes in 2013 and 2014. However this year is likely to be their toughest task yet. National Championship leader Donagh Kelly has reeled off four straight event wins this year and will be hoping to continue his run of success in Monaghan. Reigning National Rally Champion, Declan Boyle starts at No.3 and will be hoping to put an end to a bad run of luck in 2015 and victory in Monaghan would go a long way in rescuing his season.

Seven times Monaghan winner, Niall Maguire & four times winner Enda Sherry start at No.4 and will be pushing as hard as they can to overcome the more advanced WRC machinery. The second of the Moffetts, Josh, starts at 5 with Jason McKenna on the notes. After getting the better of brother Sam on the circuit, Josh will be confident of challenging for overall honours this weekend. Peader Hurson/Damien Connolly, runners-up last year, start at No.6 and cannot be discounted. Stephen Wright/Mickie Galvin, Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally, Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy and Steve Wood/Keith Moriarty complete the top 10 seeds and none of them can be ruled out of challenging for overall honours.

Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan head the 2wd entry at No.14 and will start as favourites for success. Chris Armstrong, Frank Kelly, Jonathan Pringle and Pat Donegan start right behind them and will not make it easy. Aiden Wray is the top Group N seed at No.20 with Shane Maguire/Paul Kelly starting right behind.

Other Monaghan crews to watch out for this weekend include, Martin Doherty/Conor Foley (23), John McQuaid/Stephen Hagan, David Moffett/Fintan Sherry , Dessie Keenan/James McCarville, Barry Ryan/Emmet Sherry, Jim McKenna/Thomas Treanor, Raymond Conlon/Darren McCague, Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey, Gerard McQuaid/Gary Quinlan, Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips, Barry McKenna/Johnny Baird, Jack Maguire/Andy Hayes, Anthony Hand/Peter Deery, Arthur Kierans/Mac Kierans, Brian Armstrong/Mark Tierney, Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden, Martin McPhillips/Ciaran Tynan, Barry Treanor/Gregory McQuillan, Enda McLaughlin/Declan Tynan, Vincent McAree/Martin Connolly, Cathal McGlone/Michael Sheridan, Andy Mackarel/Derek Mackarel, Brendan McAree/JP McAree, Damien McGauren/Michaela McGinn, David Smyth/Robert Smyth, John Kelly/Niall Kelly, Cathal Sheridan/Loretta Kelly, Sean McCaul/Frank Clerkin, Paddy O’Reilly, Ryan McKenna/Nicola McKenna, Declan Smyth/Peter Farrell, Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes, Patrick Connolly/Paul Connolly, Cian Curley, Gerard Corey/Kevin Treanor, Declan Connolly/Alison Hughes, Mark Deery, Gary McKenna/Aiden Coyle and Stefan McCann/Stephen McElroy.

The core feature of the preparations for the rally is the safety of all concerned. Marshals, Stage Commanders and Officials have been trained accordingly. The Event Safety Plan has been compiled meticulously.  Spectators are requested to play their part to ensure the safe running of the event. Spectators are asked to read the Spectator Safety notice in the rally programme, which provides a guide to safer spectating. Safety is everybody’s business and there is one common ingredient that is essential: common sense.  Please follow the instructions of the marshals and officials, who are working for your safety. Please also respect private property where you assemble and bring your litter home.

We wish all competitors and spectators a safe and successful rally.

Circuit of Kerry Rally

A number of local men made the long trip down to Tralee for the Circuit of Kerry Rally. Paul Kelly guided Limerick’s Paul Purtill to 6^th overall and 1^st two wheel drive car. Hot on their wheels were Barry Ryan & Emmet Sherry who debuted their newly engined Escort to 7^th overall. Jack Maguire/Andy Hayes took 24^th overall and 3^rd in class. Arthur & Mac Kierans finished 29^th overall and 1^st in class 12. Raymond Conlon/Mark Sheridan failed to finish.

Upcoming events:

May 2^nd-3^rd Killarney Rally of the Lakes

May 10^th Carlow Stages

May 24^th Cavan Stages

May 31^st Circuit of Munster

Michael Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips made it three class wins out of three on the 2015 Irish Forestry Rally Championship. The pair finished the Ballyvourney based Moonraker Rally in 6^th overall, 1^st in class 13 and 1^st two wheel drive car. They had also finished top two wheel drive car in the previous rounds in Carrick-on-Suir and Donegal. After a day long battle they finished four seconds clear of Dean Raftery/John Higgins.

Josh Moffett/Jason McKenna led the Monaghan charge initially. The pair were in a strong 2^nd overall after six stages but they dropped out on stage 7, putting a major dent into their Championship hopes. Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips upheld Monaghan honour by moving into 6^th overall. The pair led the two-wheel drive brigade from stage 2 after main rival David Crossan retired from the lead. Michaela McGinn guided Fermanagh’s Damien McGauran to 12^th overall and 2^nd in class 13. Derek Mackarel and Cork’s Daire Hayes finished 32^nd overall and 6^th in class 16. They had been as high as 17^th overall until a long delay on stage six dropped them down the leaderboard. There is a big break until the next round of the Irish Forestry Rally Championship, which will be the Cork Forestry Rally at the end of August.

Monaghan Stages Rally Launched

The 2015 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally is less than two weeks away and excitement is building towards the biggest annual sporting event in Co. Monaghan. Brendan Flynn returns as COC after a successful 2014 event. This year the event is a counting round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship as well as a round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship. The event is expected to attract a full entry with strong support from both championships.

Regarded as one of the biggest annual sporting events in the county, this year’s event is bigger and better than ever with a truly magnificent entry list of WRC specification cars, group N entries along with a host of powerful two wheel drive cars including some of the best drivers in the country. Many months of preparation have gone into this event, which is estimated to be worth in the region of 5 million euro to the local economy with large crowds expected throughout Monaghan town and the mid-Monaghan region over the course of the weekend.

The Rally Launch took place last week in the Hillgrove Hotel in Monaghan town which will also host the event on Sunday April 26^th. This is the 17^th successive year that the event is backed by Colm & Audrey Herron and their enthusiastic staff. The event will comprise of three stages repeated three times with service in Monaghan town after each loop. The podium celebration will take place at 5.20pm at the Hillgrove Hotel where the 2015 Monaghan Stages Rally winners will be crowned!

Upcoming events:

April 19^th Circuit of Kerry Rally

April 26^th Monaghan Stages Rally

May 2^nd-3^rd Killarney Rally of the Lakes

May 10^th Carlow Stages Rally

May 24^th Cavan Stages Rally

Ballinode’s Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry continued their recent form with 2^nd overall on the Midland Stages Rally last Sunday. The event was the second round of the 2015 Triton Showers National Rally Championship. The pair had already taken 3^rd overall on the opening round in Birr and had taken a win in Mayo since. They held a solid 3^rd overall throughout the day but moved up to 2^nd on the final stage after long-time leader Declan Boyle suffered a puncture. Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan took the overall victory to move into the championship lead.

Tricky wet conditions faced the crews on the 9 stage event centralised around Roscommon town. Maguire/Sherry slotted into 3^rd place on the opening stage but were already 20 seconds adrift of the pace-setting Boyle. As Boyle and Kelly battled for the lead, Maguire/Sherry were fending off the challenge of Welshman Steve Wood and Killarney’s Alan Ring. When Boyle punctured on the final stages, Maguire/Sherry moved up to 2^nd with Ring taking 3^rd after Wood retired. Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan made their first appearance since last year’s Donegal International. The pair led the two-wheel drive category from start to finish after a holding off the hard-charging Chris Armstrong. They were also 4^th overall and 1^st in class 14.

David Moffett/Fintan Sherry took their Toyota Starlet to 12^th overall and 3^rd in class 13. Arthur Kierans guided Englishman Simon Chapman to 17^th overall and 2^nd in class 20 making up for their last stage retirement in Birr. Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey took 19^th overall and 3^rd in class 20 in their Evo4. Jim McKenna/Paul Kelly finished 5^th in class 14 and 29^th overall. South Monaghan brothers Johno and Padraig Doogan took 32^nd overall and 8^th in class 13. Barry Treanor/Gregory McQuillan finished 48^th overall and 2^nd in class 11R while Martin Swinburne guided Leitrim’s Colin O’Rourke to 50^th overall and 11^th in class 13.

Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden were forced into Rally 2 after retiring on stage two but recovered to 81^st overall and 5^th in class 11R which at least secured a few championship points. Shane Maguire/Stephen Thornton were in a similar situation. Re-joining under Rally 2 after retiring on stage one, they salvaged 88^th overall and 6^th in class 4. Paul Crosby/Gretchen Fegan finished 4^th in the Junior Rally which was contested over the final six stages of the event. Retirements on the day included Martin McPhillips/Mark Sheridan, Brendan McDaid/Mac Kierans and Stefan McCann/Stephen McElroy. The National Rally Championship continues with the Monaghan Stages Rally on April 26^th.

Circuit of Ireland

Easter is associated with one event in the Irish Motorsport calendar, the Circuit of Ireland Rally. This year the event is a round of the European Rally Championship as well as a counting round of the Irish Tarmac and Northern Ireland Rally Championships. Sam & Josh Moffett have switched their Fiesta WRCs to RRC specification in order to challenge the ERC regulars. The pair are seeded at 7 and 12 respectively. Damien Connolly and James O’Reilly will also be gunning for ERC success. Damien is navigating for Robert Barrable at 6, while James is sitting with Martin McCormack at 11. Former Billy Coleman award winner, Stephen Wright will be back in action with his Fiesta R5 and is seeded at no. 14.

The Circuit of Ireland National Rally runs in tandem with the ERC event. Monaghan entrants include Evin Hughes sitting with Rodney White at 116 and Mac Kierans sitting with Alan Smyth at 140. Derek McGeehan/Arthur Kierans are currently on the reserve list. Full Report next week.

Upcoming events:

April 12^th Munster Forestry Rally

April 19^th Circuit of Kerry Rally

April 26^th Monaghan Stages Rally

May 2^nd-3^rd Killarney Rally of the Lakes

May 10^th Carlow Stages Rally

South Monaghan crew Keith McConnan/Micheal McCluskey took a dominant victory on last Saturday’s Navigation Trial. The Novice pairing finished over 30 penalties clear of their nearest rivals which secured them their first outright event win. The event was the final round of both the National & Border Night Navigation Championships.

Defending Gary Nesbitt Club Champions, Laurence Keenan & Ashley McAdoo were COC & ACOC respectively. The pair organised a brilliant 100 mile route through the Lough Egish, Shantonagh, Corduff and Magheracloone areas. The big trick of the night would be on the first SRS. After a plot & bash section the shortest route to the next timepoint passed through the ITC again. All bar one crew would double visit the check resulting in 30 penalty marks being applied to each offender. Eventual winners, Keith McConnan/Micheal McCluskey were the only crew to avoid the double visit at the ITC and by the petrol halt they held a commanding lead on a clean sheet. Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston & Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes held equal 2^nd overall on 31 penalties apiece.

The second half was a tighter affair with the section from TP35 to TP47 being particularly challenging. This also incorporated a Plot & Bash section which would catch the majority of crews out. McConnan/McCluskey held their nerve dropping just three penalties to maintain the lead. Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes moved into a clear 2^nd place on 36 penalties with Andy Mackarel/Conor Maguire moving up to 3^rd place on 42 penalties. A wrong departure at TP46 dropped Duffy/Johnston to 4^th overall but they were still on course to secure the Border Championship.

The leaderboard remained unchanged over the final few timepoints allowing McConnan/McCluskey to secure a well-deserved maiden win. In the Expert class Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes took the win from Mackarel/Maguire & Duffy/Johnston. Cork’s Dermot Whelton/Mark McCarthy took the Semi-Expert class win from Joe Friel/Eoghan McCarthy & Eoghan Corr/Darragh Kelly. Derek Mackarel/Seamus McTigue won the Novice class from Mark. Deery/Patrick O’Leary and Johnny Casey/Patrick O’Sullivan. Ciaran Sheridan/Conor Boylan dominated the Beginner’s class and finished an excellent 6^th overall to the embarrassment of many of the more experienced crews. Colm Mohan/Conor Mohan took another fine result with 2^nd in class with Paddy Sherlock/Oisin Sherlock coming home in 3^rd.

That’s the final Navigation Trial until October. Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes have won the National Championship and Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston have retained their Border title. Details on the prizegiving for each championship will be released in the coming weeks. The next round of the Monaghan Traders Club Championship will be the Stages Rally on April 26^th.

Moffett/McKenna take 2^nd on Donegal Forestry

Josh Moffett made the switch from his Fiesta WRC and Tarmac to his Group A Lancer and Gravel inside a week to compete on last Saturday’s Donegal Forestry Rally. The event was the second round of the Irish Forestry Rally Championship. Josh also switched navigator to his usual forestry co-driver Jason McKenna. The pair were on the pace from the start moving from 4^th to 2^nd overall as the day progressed. They eventually finished 2^nd, just 7.1 seconds behind overall winner Andrew Purcell.

Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips finished as the top two wheel drive finishers for the 2^nd consecutive event. The pair were involved in a close battle with Antrim’s David Crossan and actually started the final stage tied on equal times. When Crossan’s Escort got stuck in 4^th gear, Conlon/McPhillips sealed the two wheel drive honours and 5^th overall. Michael McGinn guided Fermanagh’s Damien McGauren to 10^th overall and 3^rd in class 13 in his Corolla. Derek Mackarel/Mark Deery finished 16^th overall and 2^nd in the Junior class in their Nova, continuing their fine start to the year. Out of luck were Enda McNulty/Paul Sheridan who retired from 5^th place on stage 3. The next round of the Irish Forestry Rally Championship is the Moonraker Forestry Rally in Ballyvourney, Cork on April 12^th.

Midland Stages Rally

The Triton Showers National Rally Championship continues with the Midland Stages Rally on Sunday next 29^th March.  The nine stage event will be based out of Roscommon and it has attracted a full entry plus reserves. Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry are the top Monaghan seeds at No.5 and will be hoping to continue their early season form. Damien Connolly is navigating for Peader Hurson at No.8. Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan are at No.16, Shane Maguire/Stephen Thornton at 21, Arthur Kierans navigating for Simon Chapman at 29, Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey are at 33 and David Moffett/Fintan Sherry are No.38. The other Monaghan entries are Jim McKenna/Thomas Treanor, Jack Maguire/Andy Hayes, Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden, Barry Treanor/Gregory McQuillan, Johno Doogan/Padraig Doogan  and Martin McPhillips/Ciaran Tynan. Paul Crosby/Martin Swinburne and Stefan McCann/Stephen McElroy are entered in the Junior class. Full Report next week.

Circuit of Ireland Marshals

As a counting round of the European Rally Championship, the Circuit of Ireland Rally has attracted a bumper entry of International drivers for the 2 day event at Easter. Marshal Reward Packs available and a training course has been arranged on 30^th March at 8pm in Lisburn Civic Centre. Those available to help out on either Friday 3^rd or Saturday 4^th April are asked to contact Paul on 086-2571401.

Upcoming Events:

April 3^rd-4^th Circuit of Ireland Rally

April 12^th Munster Forestry Rally

April 19^th Circuit of Kerry Rally

April 26^th Monaghan Stages Rally

May 2^nd-3^rd Killarney International Rally

There were excellent results for Monaghan crews on last weekend’s West Cork Rally, Round 2 of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. Sam Moffett & co driver Karl Atkinson took a fine 2^nd overall in their Fiesta WRC with Stephen Wright & co driver Mickie Galvin right behind in 3^rd overall in their R5 specification Fiesta.

The two day event was based around the town of Clonakilty with eight stages on Saturday and six stages on Sunday. Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson slotted into an early 2^nd place behind the flying Ford Focus of Donagh Kelly, a place he would hold for the rest of the event. Sam’s brother Josh was also competing in a Fiesta WRC. He held 4^th overall until an ignition problem ended their event on stage 7. They later rejoined the event on day two.

By the end of the opening day, Moffett trailed Kelly by 48 seconds. Stephen Wright was getting to grips with his recently acquired Fiesta R5. He was leading his class and 5^th overall overnight. Day two followed the pattern of day one with Moffett unable to make any inroads to Kelly’s lead. Sam eventually settled for 2^nd overall which was enough to move into 2^nd place in the Irish Tarmac Championship. Stephen Wright benefited from retirments ahead to move into 3^rd place overall as well as securing a convincing victory in the R5 class.

Furher down the field, Stephen Thornton guided Vivian Hamill to 16^th overall and 5^th in class 14. Josh Moffett/John Rowan salvaged 18^th overall after setting some impressive stage times on day two. John McQuaid/James McCarville were unable to start the event. The third round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship will be the Circuit of Ireland Rally on Easter weekend.

Bishopscourt Stages Rally

Two Monaghan navigators made the trip north for the Bischopscourt Rally on Saturday. Damien Connolly was navigating for Peader Hurson and they brought their Subaru WRC home to 4^th overall. Mac Kierans guided Alan Smyth to 13^th overall in their Citroen C2 and finished 3^rd amongst the R2 class competitors.

Monaghan Navigation Trial

All roads lead to Aughnamullen for the final round of the National & Border Navigation Championship on Saturday night. COC Laurence Keenan and ACOC Ashley McAdoo are organising the final Navigation Trial until October and the pair hope to have a 100 mile route which will surely be a challenging test for competitors. Marshals are required for this event and anyone available should meet at the Community Centre, Aughnamullen at 8pm.

Donegal Forestry Rally

Round 2 of the Irish Forestry Rally Championship takes place on Saturday with the re-arranged Donegal Forestry Rally. Entries are still be received for this event but a number of Monaghan crews are expected to make the start. Six stages are on the agenda to be held in the Pettigo area. Full Report next week.

Stage Commander Training

A Motorsport Ireland Stage Commander training course will be held in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan on Thursday 19^th March with sign-on at 7.45 for an 8pm start. This course is compulsory for those seeking a Stage Commander’s licence. It is also required as a refresher course for those licence holders who last attended this course 3 years ago or more. Newcomers who attend will be able to obtain their full Stage Commander licence, once they have officiated as Deputy Stage Commander at two events, or have previously officiated in this role.

The course is approximately two and half hours long and will cover a number of topics, including Public Relations, Reconnaissance, Stage set-up and Accident Management.  We would encourage any experienced marshal interested in progressing in rally management to attend this course, which is free of charge.

Upcoming events:

March 29^th Midland Stages Rally

April 3^rd-4^th Circuit of Ireland Rally

April 12^th Munster Forestry Rally

April 19^th Circuit of Kerry Rally

April 26^th Monaghan Stages Rally

Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry claimed overall victory on last weekend’s Mayo Stages Rally. The pair led the event from start to finish, completing the nine stages one minute clear of their nearest rival. This result followed a podium finish in Birr in what has been an excellent start to the year for the Ballinode duo. Frank Wray/Joe McNulty and Aaron McHale/Paul McGee completed the podium finishers.

The Ballina based Mayo Rally was the opening round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship. A loop of three stages in the Killala area repeated three times was the format of the day. Maguire/Sherry took the lead on the opening stage and never looked back, maintaining a comfortable advantage for the rest of the day. Niall’s son Shane capped off a great weekend for the Maguire team as he and co-driver Stephen Thornton finished 4^th overall and 1^st in Group N. Defending Border Champions, David Moffett & Fintan Sherry made the switch to class 13 this year and much like their dominance of class 11R last year, they led the class from start to finish taking 6^th overall to boot.

Mark Tierney guided Brian Armstrong to 2^nd in class 12 and 13^th overall in their Mk2 Escort. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden made it two class 11R wins in a row and were 17^th overall to boot. Mark Hamill guided Cavan’s Brendan O’Reilly to 34^th overall and victory in class 9. Brendan McAree/Johno Doogan brought their immaculate Porsche 911 to 47^th overall and 9^th in class 14. Declan Connolly/Alison Hughes finished 50^th overall and 2^nd in class 9 bagging some useful Border points. Vincent McAree/Martin Connolly rejoined the event under Super Rally rules after retiring on stage 2. They managed to get the car repaired and back out on the last loop and eventually finished 59^th overall and 3^rd in class 13. Fintan Lennon guided Cavan’s Paul Crosby to victory in the Junior class.

Out of luck were Michael Carbin/Emmet McCooey who retired their Mitsubishi Lancer on stage 2. Sean McCaul/Frank Clerkin were lying 4^th in class before their event came to end on stage 5. Johnny Treanor/Adrian Foley were leading class 9 but would retire on the final stage. Martin Swinburne/Gretchen Fegan were competing in the Junior class but after an up and down day, they too would retire on stage 6 whilst lying 5^th in class.

West Cork Rally

A small number of Monaghan competitors are entered for next weekend’s West Cork Rally, round 2 of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. Sam and Josh Moffett are both on the entry list at No.4 and No.6 respectively. Stephen Wright is listed at No.9 in his Ford Fiesta R5. John McQuaid/James McCarville are at No.42 in their Mk2 Escort and Mac Kierans is navigating for Brendan McDaid at no. 65. Full Report on their progress next week.

Upcoming Events:

March 21^st Donegal Forestry Rally

March 21^st Monaghan Navigation Trial

March 22^nd Cavan Autocross

March 29^th Midland Stages Rally

April 3^rd/4^th Circuit of Ireland Rally

April 12^th Munster Forestry Rally

Michael Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips were top 2wd drive finishers and an impressive 5^th overall on last Sunday’s Carrick-on-Suir Forestry Rally. The pair led the 2wd crews from start to finish on the six stage event to begin their Valvoline Forestry championship campaign in perfect style.

Elsewhere in the event, Clontibret’s Michaela McGinn guided Fermanagh’s Damien McGauran to 19^th overall and 3^rd in class 13. Derek Mackarel & Peter Deery made the overnight trip down after competing on the Cavan Navigation Trial the previous night. They showed no ill effects as they guided their Nova to 25^th overall and 4^th in the Junior class. The Championship continues with the Donegal Forestry Rally which has been re-arranged for Saturday March 21^st.

Cork Crew Seal the Deal on Cavan Navigation Trial

The Cork Semi-Expert pairing of Dermot Whelton/Mark McCarthy upstaged the locals by taking overall honours on last Saturday’s Cavan Navigation Trial. The event was the penultimate round of the National & Border Night Navigation Championships. COC Damien McCabe laid out a challenging 75 mile route based around the village of Maudabawn. It the end it was the Cork pairing who took the event win from Ashley McAdoo/Laurence Keenan on a tie-break.

A plot & bash section between TP2 and TP6 proved to be very challenging with any mistakes likely to be punished by wrong approach/double visit penalties. Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes and Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston, who were battling for both the National & Border titles, moved into an early lead and by TP22 not one penalty would separate them. Joining them in the lead were Novice pairing Keith McConnan/Micheal McCluskey who were having a terrific run to be down just 2 penalties by TP22. Dermot Whelton/Mark McCarthy held 4^th place but were already six penalties adrift of the leading trio.

The event is never over until its over and dramatically all three leading crews would drop out of the lead over the last four timepoints. TP29 would be the undoing of Duffy/Hughes who were caught with a wrong approach. Duffy/Johnston got TP29 ok but would then wrong approach at TP30. This left McConnan/McCluskey holding the lead but they forgot to visit Via4 which had been issued earlier. Upon realising their mistake and re-routing to visit the Via, they dropped 9 penalties into TP32 thus dropping them from 1^st to 3^rd overall. All this left Whelton/McCarthy clear to take the win on 12 penalties on the furthest cleanest rule from fellow Semi-Expert pairing Ashley McAdoo/Laurence Keenan. McConnan/McCluskey finished 3^rd overall and 1^st in the Novice class.

Donegal’s Rory Coyle/Ciaran Coyle won the expert class after winning a three-way tie with Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan and Joe Shinnors/Greg Shinnors. Joe Friel/Eoghan McCarthy & Matt Hume/Enda Hume finished 2^nd and 3^rd Semi-Expert respectively. Local crew Thomas & Andrew Wedlock took 2^nd in the Novice class and 4^th overall with Derek Mackarel/Seamus McTigue finishing 3^rd Novice. Ciaran Sheridan/Conor Boylan won the Beginners class with Philip Smith/Conor Smith and Colm Mohan/Conor Mohan completing the top three finishers.

The final round of both the National & Border Night Navigation Championships will be held in Monaghan on March 21^st. Laurence Keenan & Ashley McAdoo will be running this event. Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes hold the advantage in the race for the National title while the Border Championship looks like a shoot-out between Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston & Laurence Keenan.

Mayo Stages Rally

The 2015 Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship kicks off this weekend with the Mayo Stages Rally on Sunday. Defending champions, David Moffett & Fintan Sherry are among a number of Monaghan crews set to compete on this event. The event will again be based in Ballina with three new stages selected for this year giving a total competitive distance of 116 km. Full Report on this event next week.

Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship

The committee of the Border Rally Championship are delighted to confirm that Sligo Pallets will return as title sponsors for the 2015 Border Rally Championship. This partnership, which began in 2011, has seen the Championship grow in stature and entrance levels increase over the previous years. It is hoped this trend will continue in 2015.

The Championship will revert to a six round series in 2015 with the addition of the Galway Summer Rally in late August. It was felt by many crews that there was too long of a gap between Sligo & Donegal, so Galway in late August was the ideal candidate to fill this void. The committee look forward to welcoming Galway to the fold this year. Due to the new round, competitors will now count their best four scores from six events. Classes will be as per 2015 Motorsport Ireland regulations.

The dates for the 2015 championship rounds are:

March 8^th Mayo Stages Rally

April 26^th Monaghan Stages Rally

May 23^rd Cavan Stages Rally

July 11^th Sligo Stages Rally

August 30^th Galway Summer Rally

October 10^th Donegal Harvest Rally

Upcoming Events:

March 14/15^th West Cork Rally

March 21^st Monaghan Navigation Trial

March 21^st Donegal Forestry Rally

March 22^nd Cavan Autocross

March 29^th Midland Stages Rally

April 4^th-5^th Circuit of Ireland Rally

Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry secured a fine 3^rd overall on last weekend’s Birr Stages Rally, the opening round of the 2015 Triton Showers National Rally Championship. Heavy rain during the day left the stages in a trecherous state, but the pair held it all together to secure a podium finish whilst many of their rivals floundered in the conditions. Donagh Kelly & Kevin Flanagan followed up their win on the Galway International by winning in Birr after Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle punctured on stage 7. Gary Jennings/Rory Kennedy secured 2^nd overall and won the inaugural power stage, earning themselves three additional points.

Shane Maguire/Stephen Thornton capped off a good weekend for the Triton Showers/Maguire International team with 13^th overall and 4^th in Group N. The pair were beginning the defence of their National Group N title and a steady approach paid off with some useful championship points in the bag. Jim McKenna/Thomas Treanor finished 19^th overall and 3^rd in class 14 in their Mk2 Escort after a fun day fighting for traction out of the junctions. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden took 27^th overall and 1^st in class 11R after leading the class from start to finish. The pair got the jump on their rivals on stage 2 and were able to maintain that advantage until the end of the day.

James McCarville was in the navigator’s seat for Armagh’s Darren Gass. The pair were competing in the McKinstry hire S14 WRC Subaru and held 3^rd overall until the half shaft let go bringing their event to a premature end on stage 7. Arthur Kierans was navigating for cross channel visiter Simon Chapman. Their rare Proton Satria was well within the top 10 overall but their rally came to an end after an off on the final stage. Emmet Sherry, competing in his 2^nd event in two days, was calling the notes for Laois’ John Lynch. Unfortunately they retired on stage 5.

The National Rally Championship continues with the Midland Stages Rally on Sunday, March 29^th.

Monaghan Crews Out of Luck on Spring Rally

It was a tough day for Monaghan competitors on Omagh Motor Club’s Spring Rally based in the forests around Fivemiletown. Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna were expected to be one of the top runners but their Lancer was sidelined by mechanical problems on stage 2. Emmet Sherry was navigating for rising Fermanagh star, Jon Armstrong. The pair were in the battle for the rally lead but their car slipped off the road and got stuck in a drain on stage 6. Enda McNulty/Paul Sheridan were also among the front running crews until their event came to an end on stage 5 whilst holding 3^rd overall.

Alan Smyth/Mac Kierans were forced out with drive-shaft failure on stage 6 and Damien McGauren/Michaela McGinn were forced to retire on the same stage after going off the road. Suspension failure sidelined Derek Mackarel/Raymond Conlon while holding 3^rd in class, with Adam Bustard/Matthew McKenna retiring on the event’s final stage. Gregory McDaid/Stephen Tierney made it as far Stage 2 before their event came to an end.

Cavan Navigation Trial

The penultimate round of the National & Border Night Navigation Championships takes place this Saturday night 28^th February. Cavan Motor Club are hosting the event with Damien McCabe acting as COC. The familiar surrounds of Maudabawn is the venue for the night and approximately 75 miles are in store for competitors. Full Report next week.

Carrick-on-Suir Forestry

The Irish Forestry Rally Championship kicks off this Sunday with the Willie Loughman Memorial event organised by Carrick-on-Suir Motor Club. A number of Monaghan crews are expected to head down to this event. Full Report next week.

Forthcoming Events:

March 8^th Mayo Stages Rally

March 14^th-15^th West Cork Rally

March 21^st Donegal Forestry Rally

March 21^st Monaghan Navigation Trial

March 22^nd Cavan Autocross

March 29^th Midland Stages Rally

Derek Mackarel got the better of his father Andy to take top spoils in the club section of last weekend’s autotest in Wright’s Quarry, Swans Cross sponsored by the Nothern Standard. The event was round 2 of the 2015 Trader’s Championship. Derek was fastest over all 9 tests to take victory by fifty seconds. Things were a lot closer in the battle for 2^nd place as only eight seconds separated the next five competitors. Andy Mackarel took second place just ahead of Martin Tynan with Damien Connolly, Richard Cassidy & Martin Connolly completing the top six.

The main Hewison Trophy section of the event was won by Steven Ferguson in his Mini Special. Multiple Champion, Eamonn Byrne took 2^nd place with David Thompson 3^rd overall in his Nova. This result secured Steven his fifth Hewison title. The class winners were Eamonn Byrne, Patrick Power, Timmy Lynch and David Thompson.

COC Brendan Flynn would like to thank all the marshals who turned out on the day as well as the Wright family for the use of their facilities.

Duffy/Johnston take spoils on Midland Navigation Trial

Colin Duffy & Sam Johnston took overall honours on last Saturday’s Midland Navigation Trial, a counting round of the National, Border and Munster Navigation Championships. Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes laid out a challenging 80 mile route through North Longford and South Leitrim. It was the reigning National Champions, Duffy & Johnston who took a convincing win in the end from Aaron Duffy/Laurence Keenan who edged out Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan for 2^nd on the ‘Semi beat Expert’ rule.

Crews were in trouble as early as Via1, with no fewer than 22 out of the 34 starters taking a wrong departure. More trouble lay ahead on Plot & Bash at TP6 & TP7 where even the eventual winners were caught out with a wrong approach. By the first time relax section outside Arvagh, Michael & Ciaran Tynan led on 14 penalties, Colin & Sam were 2^nd on 27 penalties and Cork’s David Beamish/Muireann Hayes were 3^rd on 28 penalties.

By the 2^nd TRS at TP26, The Tynan’s still led but another tricky Plot & Bash sections from TP27 to TP30 would dramatically change the leaderboard with only two crews negotiating all four timepoints successfully. Colin Duffy & Sam Johnston were one of these, which brought them to a total of 30 penalties. Semi-Expert pairing Aaron Duffy/Laurence Keenan climbed to 2^nd place on 75 penalties beating Expert class winners Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan on a tie-break. Rory & Ciaran Coyle were the other crew to get all four timepoints successfully and they climbed to 4^th place on 76 penalties. Owen Murphy/Daire Hayes completed the top five on 80 penalties.

Derek Mackarel/Seamus McTigue took 6^th overall and secured victory in the Novice class from Thomas Wedlock/Andrew Wedlock. Colm Mohan/Conor Mohan took an impressive 14^th overall as well as securing victory in the Beginner’s class from Paddy & Oisin Sherlock.

The next round of the National & Border Championships is the Cavan Navigation Trial on Saturday 28^th February. The National Championship looks a two horse race between Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes and Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston while Colin & Sam hold the advantage in the Border Championship with the Tynans, Duffy/Keenan and the Coyles still in contention.

Open Forum

Over 150 people attended the Open Forum in the Hillgrove Hotel last Thursday. A broad range of issues were discussed including safety, competitor input, rule changes, communication and the future of rallying in general. The club would like to thank the delegates from Motorsport Ireland for attending. It is hoped another forum may be organised in the future.

Eurocables Stages

A small number of Monaghan crews attended the Eurocables Rally in Kirkistown last Saturday. Stephen Wright debuted his new Ford Fiesta R5 with co-driver Gregory McQuillan. The pair held 5^th place until a technical problem sidelined them on stage 5. Elsewhere, Matthew McKenna guided Brian McFall to 14^th overall while Mac Kierans guided Alan Smyth to 23^rd overall.

Birr Stages Rally

The Triton Showers National Rally Championship gets underway this Sunday with the Birr Stages Rally kicking off the series. A full field of 140 enties plus 20 junior crews has already been received with defending champions, Declan & Brian Boyle starting at No.1. There are 4 Monaghan club members seeded in the top 10. James McCarville is sitting with Armagh’s Darren Gass at No. 4, Damien Connolly is with Peader Hurson at No.6 and Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry are at No.10. Shane Maguire/Stephen Thornton, Jim McKenna/Thomas Treanor, Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden and Arthur Kierans are also listed to compete on this event. Full Report next week.

Fivemiletown Forestry

Omagh Motor Club host their annual Spring Rally based in the forests around Fivemiletown this Saturday. Entries are still being received for this event but a number of Monaghan crews are expected to compete.

Upcoming Events:

February 28^th Cavan Navigation Trial

February 28^th ALMC Endurance Trial

March 1^st Carrick-on-Suir Forestry Rally

March 8^th Mayo Stages Rally

March 14^th/15^th West Cork Rally

Sam & Josh Moffett brought their respective Ford Fiesta WRC’s to 3^rd and 4^th place overall on last weekend’s Galway International Rally. The event was the opening round of the 2015 Tarmac Rally Championship. Sam & co-driver Karl Atkinson were involved in a rally long battle with the BMW Mini WRC of Eugene Donnelly & Paul Kiely which saw Donnelly come out on top by 0.7 of a second! Josh & his navigator John Rowan shadowed Sam on day one and despite a puncture on day two, they held on to a very encouraging 4^th place in their new car.

Reigning champion, Declan Boyle took an early lead on Saturday but a 3 minute road penalty after his Subaru failed to fire up before the start of the fifth stage dropped him to 6^th overnight. Fellow Donegal man, Donagh Kelly ended the day in the lead from Eugene Donnelly with Sam Moffett close behind in 3^rd. Josh Moffett was 4^th just 13 seconds behind his older brother. Monaghan native Pauric Duffy was in 7^th place and leading class 5 in his Ford Fiesta.

As Kelly manintained his lead on day two, Donnelly & Moffett had a mighty battle for 2^nd place which saw Donnelly snatch 2^nd on the final stage by less than a second. Josh Moffett maintained 4^th place despite a puncture on stage 10. Pauric Duffy & Kevin Glynn lost their class 5 lead after a problem on stage 11 which dropped them to 16^th overall and 3^rd in a class by the finish. Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan O’Kane finished 2^nd in class 4 and 9^th overall in their Subaru after being edged out by Aaron McHale/Paul McGee on the last stage.

Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips had a great run in the National section to finish in 2^nd place overall behind Donegal’s Declan Gallagher/Ryan Moore. Kieran McCarra/Mark Hamaill had been running in the top 10 in the Nationals before retiring early on day two. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden retired early on day one but were able to get their Escort back out on the stages before the end of the day under ‘Super Rally’ rules. The pair went on to set many fastest class times on day two. The next round of the Tarmac Championship is the Circuit of Ireland Rally at Easter which is again a round of the European Rally Championship.

Open Forum

Monaghan Motor Club will host an Open Forum for marshals and competitors on Thursday 12th February in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan commencing at 8pm. The Chairman of the Rallies Committee has confirmed he will attend and it is hoped that the Chief Executive, President and Immediate Past President of Motorsport Ireland and members of the Rallies Committee will also be present. The agenda is as follows:

The Future of Rallying:

– safety

– competitor input to future rule changes

– marshal recruitment and training

– communications

This forum is not confined to Monaghan club members and members from our neighbouring motor clubs are also invited to attend

Midland Navigation Trial

Midland Motor Club are hosting a Night Navigation Trial this Saturday night in Drumlish, Co. Longford. COC Pakie Duffy has laid out an 80 mile route with the 1^st car away at 9.01pm. The event is a round of both the National & Border Night Navigation Championships which should attract many local competitors who are contesting these series. Full report will be published next week.

Club Autotest

Monaghan Motor Club host their annual Autotest in Wright’s Quarry, Swans Cross this Sunday February 15^th. The event is a round of the National Hewison Championship as well as a round of our Club Trader’s Championship. The Hewison Championship section gets underway at 11.00am, with the club championship competitors starting at 11.30am. Marshals are required for this event and anyone able to help should contact COC Brendan Flynn.

Upcoming events:

February 21^st Five-mile-town Forestry Rally

February 22^nd Birr Stages Rally

February 28^th Cavan Navigation Trial

February 28^th ALMC Endurance Trial

March 1^st Carrick-on-Suir Forestry Rally

March 8^th Mayo Stages Rally

Local Cork crews came to the fore on last Saturday’s 100 Isles Navigation Trial organised by Skibbereen & District Motor Club. The event was the fifth round of the National Night Navigation Championship and was won by Ger O’Connell/Denis O’Donovan on 16 penalties.

COC Eric McCarthy laid out a demanding 80 mile route north east of Clonakilty in some classic navigation terrain. It was O’Connell/O’Donovan who came out on top with Owen Murphy/Daire Hayes in 2^nd and Dermot Whelton/Mark McCarthy in 3^rd. Midland’s Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston finished 4^th to boost their National Championship hopes. Club members, Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes made the trip down but had to settle for 7^th place after going over maximum lateness at the end of the night. Cavan’s Andrew Wedlock guided Derek Butler to victory in the Novice class and 8^th overall. Paddy & Oisin Sherlock also made the trip down from Monaghan and they took a fine 2^nd in the Beginner’s class.

Midland Motor Club will host the next round of both the National & Border Night Navigation Championships. This event is being organised by Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes and will take place on Saturday 14^th February. The event will be based out of Drumlish and will be approximately 80 miles in length.

Galway International Rally Preview

The Irish Tarmac Rally Championship kicks off this weekend with the Galway International Rally once again the curtain raiser to the series. Two days of action gets under way on Saturday morning with six stages on the agenda. There will be a further eight stages taking place on Sunday before the finish in Galway City.

Leading Monaghan entries include Clontibret brothers, Sam & Josh Moffett in a brace of Ford Fiesta WRCs. Sam and co-driver James O’Reilly are seeded at 5 while Josh & navigator John Rowan slot in at 7. Michael Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips are amongst the leading two-wheel drive entries and are seeded at 19. Australia based Monaghan man Pauric Duffy & navigator Kevin Glynn are at no 33, Kieran McCarra/Mark Hamaill are back out at no. 40 in their Civic with Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden seeded at 45 in their Escort. A full report on their progress will be available next week.

Donegal Forestry Postponed

The Donegal Forestry Rally which was due to take place last Saturday has been postponed to a future date. The road conditions made running the event impossible and the club will advise a future date for this event once confirmed.

Open Forum

Monaghan Motor Club will host an Open Forum for marshals and competitors on Thursday 12th February in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan commencing at 8pm. The Chairman of the Rallies Committee has confirmed he will attend and it is hoped that the Chief Executive, President and Immediate Past President of Motorsport Ireland and members of the Rallies Committee will also be present. The agenda is as follows:

The Future of Rallying:

– safety

– competitor input to future rule changes

– marshal recruitment and training

– communications

This forum is not confined to Monaghan club members and members from our neighbouring motor clubs are also invited to attend

Upcoming events:

February 14^th/15^th Midland Navigation Trial

February 15^th Monaghan Autotest

February 21^st Fivemiletown Forestry Rally

February 22^nd Birr Stages Rally

February 28^th ALMC Endurance Trial

February 28^th/1^st Cavan Navigation Trial

March 1^st Carrick-on-Suir Forestry Rally

Daniel McKenna & Andrew Grennan made their JWRC debut on the Monte Carlo Rally last weekend. The pair made a sensational start by going fastest on two of the first three stages before gearbox problems forced them into retirement at the end of the second day.

Monte Carlo is a unique event in the calendar. The Alpine passes, which make up the majority of special stages, are partially covered with snow and ice and the constant changing road conditions tests drivers & navigators to the limit. Daniel & Andrew had a brief chance to sample the conditions with a short shakedown stage on Wednesday. The following evening, the event began with two stages in darkness on the run from Monte-Carlo to Gap. To the surprise of their rivals, it was the Monte-Carlo novices from Monaghan who set the fastest time on the opening stage by 11 seconds! The pair were then 2^nd fastest on stage 2, but their early joy would be short lived as they were given a 2 minute, 20 second time penalty which demoted them to 7^th in class overnight. With the chance of a class win out of the question, the pair looked to regain as many positions as possible over the remaining stages.

They began Friday as they had on Thursday night, posting fastest class time on stage 3. However, gearbox problems had begun to set in and the loss of 3^rd gear left them at a major disadvantage. The pair struggled through the rest of the day’s stages but still held 6^th in class at the end of the day. A replacement gearbox could not be found in time and they could not borrow from fellow competitors, which left them with no option but to retire. Despite this major disappointment, Daniel & Andrew can take much satisfaction from the promise they showed which caught the attention of many within the WRC community. The rally was won by defending world champions, Sebastian Ogier & Julia Ingrassia, who led home a Volkswagen 1-2-3. The next round of the JWRC is the Rally of Portugal in May where Daniel & Andrew will hope to make up lost ground on their championship rivals.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Daniel McKenna & Andrew Grennan’s appearance at Monte Carlo was the first by Monaghan Motor Club members in over sixty years at this iconic event. Brian McCaldin competed on the Monte-Carlo Rally several times in the early fifties. In those days, competitors on the Monte started at various points in Europe and then converged on Monte-Carlo. It’s hard to imagine crossing the Alps in the middle of winter in a 848cc Morris Minor or even in the heavier Hillmans and Sunbeams that McCaldin used. These cars were very nearly standard and had to endure up to 1000 miles of hard non-stop driving over roads that were in bad condition after two world wars. Service teams were unheard of so all spares and equipment, suitcases etc. had to be brought along for the ride. Quite often the crew was made up of three; driver, navigator and mechanic, but all would have taken turns at the wheel. Then when they arrived in Monte Carlo they had to do the “Special Stages” which equates to the present day rally as faced by Daniel & Andrew last weekend!

Donegal Night Navigation Trial

Donegal Motor Club hosted the third round of the Squealing Pig Border Night Navigation Championship last Saturday night. COC Barry Boyle laid out a challenging route through classic terrain in Mid-Donegal. Local men Paul Reid & Kevin Gallagher took overall honours on a clean sheet from defending Border Champions, Colin Duffy & Sam Johnston. Another local crew Joe & Aiden Friel completed the top three finishers. Monaghan club members, Aaron Duffy & Laurence Keenan took 2^nd in the Semi-Expert class. Eoghan Corr & Ruadhri Nash took victory in the Novice class despite a close call with a black bullock. Luckily, neither the animals inside or outside the car were harmed! Michael Carbin & Darragh Kelly had been having a great battle with Corr/Nash but were forced to make a mercy dash for fuel which dropped them down the leaderboard. Keith McConnon/Micheal McCluskey took advantage to claim 2^nd in class. Colm & Conor Mohan continued to impress in their first season navigating, by taking the Beginner’s class win from Emmet McCooey/Conor Boylan. Paddy & Oisin Sherlock finished 4^th in the same class despite car problems near the finish.

Donegal Forestry Rally

The opening round of the 2015 Valvoline Forestry Rally Championship takes place this Saturday.

The Allingham Arms Hotel in Bundoran is HQ for the event which will comprise of six forestry stages in south Donegal. Monaghan competitors on the entry list include Sam Moffett, Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna, Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips and Derek Mackarel/Peter Deery. Paul Sheridan is once again sitting with Enda McNulty and Mac Kierans is navigating for Alan Smyth. Full report next week.

Skibbereen Night Navigation Trial

The fifth round of the National Night Navigation Championship takes place this Saturday night near Clonakilty. COC Eric McCarthy plans for an 80 mile route with the event kicking off at 11.15pm. A small contingent from Monaghan are planning on making the trip down for this one.

Forthcoming events:

February 6^th‘/7^th Galway International Rally

February 14^th/15^th Midland Navigation Trial

February 15^th Monaghan Autotest

February 21^st Fivemiletown Forestry

February 22^nd Birr Stages Rally

Daniel McKenna & Andrew Grennan have begun their journey to the Monte Carlo Rally, the opening round of the Junior World Rally Championship. The pair will begin their reconnaissance for the event this week. A shakedown stage on Wednesday will give the crew a chance to assess the conditions before the ceremonial start on Thursday evening. It will be a baptism of fire for this young crew with the opening two stages of the event taking place in darkness on Thursday night.

The next two days are centred around Gap before returning to Monte Carlo Saturday evening. Sunday’s final morning loop takes place before the finish in Monte Carlo on Sunday afternoon. Updates on the lad’s progress during the event are available via twitter @DMKMotorsport and Facebook at Daniel McKenna Rallying. The club wishes them the very best for this event and the rest of the year.

Hayes’s plough through opposition on 1000 Shakes

Cork Motor Club played host to round 4 of the National Night Navigation Championship last Saturday night. COC Greg Shinnors organised a challenging 85 mile event through the North Cork countryside. Arctic weather conditions in the lead-up to the event resulted in snow & ice covering the majority of the route. The hazardous conditions had competing crews fighting for traction & struggling to keep the car in a straight line. Local crew David Beamish/Muireann Hayes took a well deserved win from Owen Murphy/Daire Hayes, which secured a 1-2 finish for the Hayes family. Club members Pakie Duffy & Evin Hughes finished right behind in 3^rd to maintain their overall lead in the Championship. Defending National champions, Colin Duffy & Sam Johnston were sidelined with a broken radiator. Richard Cassidy also made the long trip from Monaghan and he and navigator Paul Phelan finished in 4^th place. The National Night Navigation Championship continues with Skibbereen Motor Club hosting the 100 Isles event on Saturday 31^st of January.

Donegal Navigation Trial

The Night Navigations are coming thick and fast with Donegal Motor Club hosting the Eamon Harvey memorial event this Saturday, January 24^th. The event is the third round of the Squealing Pig Border Navigation Championship. COC Barry Boyle is planning an 80 mile event run from Termon Community Centre with the first car departing at 9.01p.m. A number of Monaghan crews are expected to make the trip for this event. Full report will be available next week.

Upcoming events:

January 24^th Donegal Night Navigation Trial

January 31^st Donegal Forestry Rally

January 31^st Skibbereen Night Navigation Trial

February 7^th/8^th Galway International Rally

February 14^th Midland Navigation Trial

February 15^th Monaghan Autotest

AGM

There was a good attendance at the Annual General Meeting of Co. Monaghan Motor Club held in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan on Friday 16^th January.

Club Secretary Cora Maguire provided a summary of the 8 events run by the club during 2014 and concluded by confirming that she was stepping down as Secretary after 15 years in this role. The Chairman Paul Hughes thanked Cora for her work and commitment during this time and confirmed that she would continue as an ex officio member of the committee.

Treasurer Cathal MacArtain then presented a positive report on the financial performance of the club and thanked his assistant Brendan Flynn for his substantial input. A total of €1280 was donated to local charities.

The Chairman, in an extensive report, thanked all who assisted the club throughout the year. In particular, he had words of praise for the Gardai, Monaghan County Council, Monaghan Municipal District committee members, Civil Defence, Red Cross, local media, residents on event routes and members of the public for their support.

He thanked the club’s main sponsors the Hillgrove Hotel, as well as the Northern Standard, Wrights Quarries, McAree Engineering, Sean McDermott’s GFC and all advertisers in the rally programme.

2014 had been another successful year for the club and its members. It was a special year for the club in terms of competitor success. For the first time ever, two Monaghan men and stalwart club members Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans were crowned overall British Rally Champions. Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly made their debut in the World Rally Championship in Germany, having secured 3 outright wins in Monaghan, Limerick and the Killarney International Rally of the Lakes. There was continued success on the national scene where Monaghan club members won many of the key championships as well as individual events.

The Chairman reminded the meeting that the work involved in running the club events is increasing. More volunteers are required and he appealed to the members to give this serious consideration. He concluded by wishing all club members continued success and safe motoring in 2015.

The officers and committee members elected for 2015 are as follows:

President: Charles McCollum

Chairman: Paul Hughes

Vice-Chairman: Conor Maguire

Club Secretary: Roisin Meenagh

Event Secretary: Gary Hall

Treasurer: Cathal MacArtain

Assistant Treasurer: Brendan Flynn

PRO: Evin Hughes

Registrar: Ronnie Hawe

Committee: Damien Treanor, Kerry Stevenson, Thomas Treanor, John Kelly, Eoghan Corr, Shane Maguire, Garry Farrelly, Ciaran Tynan, Jonathan McGovern, Michael Sheridan. Ex Officio: Cora Maguire.

There followed a lively discussion on some of the new regulations introduced by Motorsport Ireland for 2015. It was agreed to arrange a meeting with all interested parties in the near future. The date for this meeting will be confirmed on the club website.

Four expert crews proved inseparable last Saturday on the first night navigation trial of 2015 hosted by Monaghan Motor Club. First time CoC Lyndsay Boyd with the help of Mark Hamill, Christine Boyd and their team laid on a 70 mile route which departed Cremartin GAA complex at 9.01pm and headed Northwards through Clontibret, Ardaghey and Tyholland before its return through Bryanlitter and Shanmullagh. Frosty and Snowy weather conditions left things even more difficult for the 34 starters. In the end it was Gary McElhinney/Damian Connolly, Michael & Ciaran Tynan, Andy Mackarel/Fintan Clerkin and Colin Duffy/Muireann Hayes who managed to keep a clean sheet throughout the night to record a four way tie for overall honours, all experts and all driving similar cars.

The novice class was also a tight affair with a three way tie for the class win and 5th overall. Eoghan Corr/Ruaidhri Nash, Derek Mackarel/Seamus McTigue and Keith McConnon/Micheal McCluskey all dropped 1 penalty into timepoint 26 and could not be separated on engine size so were deemed joint class winners. The semi expert class was won by Brendan Treanor and Gary Farrelly from Michael Carbin and Emmet McCooey in 2nd with Damien Treanor and Jonathan McGovern in 3rd, despite some problem’s through the second half of the night.

Shane Maguire and Conor Boylan had a convincing win in the beginners class, ahead of Colm and Conor Mohan in 2nd. Paddy and Oisin Sherlock had a good run to third in beginners class and are gaining experience with every event.

That’s the 2015 navigation calendar kicked off as Cork motor club host a national round this coming weekend, followed by Donegal next weekend which is a round of the Border Championship. Well done to Lyndsay and all his team on a good tricky yet concise event which proved enjoyable for all competitors. Lyndsay would like to thank all residents along the route, marshals, result’s team, Cremartin GAA committee, McChesneys garage and all who help out in any way, big or small.

Co. Monaghan MC Navigation Results Top 12:
1 (tie) Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza), Colin Duffy/Muireann
Hayes (Subaru Impreza), Andy Mackarel/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza), Gary
McElhinney/Damien Connolly (Subaru Impreza) 0 marks,
5 (tie) Eoin Corr/Ruadhri Nash (Subaru Impreza), Derek Mackarel/Seamus
McTigue (Subaru Impreza), Keith McConnon/Micheal McCluskey (Subaru Impreza)
1m,
8 Ashley McAdoo/Laurence Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 1m,
9 Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 2m,
10 Fintan Larmer/Sean McCaffrey (Subaru Impreza) 2m,
11 Martin Tynan/Stephen Thornton (Subaru Impreza) 8m,
12 Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Subaru Impreza) 15m.

Monaghan Motor Club Annual General Meeting

County Monaghan Motor Club will hold their Annual General Meeting this Friday night, 16th January at 8.30 sharp in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan. All club members are asked to attend this worthwhile meeting where you can have your say in the running of the club. All 2014 club members are eligible to vote for the incoming committee who will represent its members for the coming year. Nomination forms for the election of officers to the incoming committee are available on the club web site at http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net and once again all club members are asked to fill these in and return to club secretary before Tuesday 13th January. So please come along and share your views.

Triton Showers National Rally Launch

Irish rallying began a new chapter with the launch of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship at the Glen Royal Hotel, Maynooth on  Saturday last January 10th. The series will consist of eight rounds with the best six scores to count.  It will begin from the heritage town of Abbeyleix in County Laois in February and conclude at the maritime town of Bantry in West Cork in late October. In between, the Triton Showers journey will cascade throughout county towns of Roscommon and Monaghan, the medieval town of Kilmallock, Waterford City, Sligo town and the penultimate round in Ballinasloe.  The series will herald a new era for the Midland Motor Club, who join the national series for the very first time.  Next year’s eight rounds will include the return of the Dublin based ALMC Rally to the championship.

Speaking at the launch, Kevin Barrett, Managing Director of Triton Showers said, “Although Triton Showers have been involved in rallying for several years through the support of events such as the renowned Circuit of Ireland and the Lurgan Park Rally along with a regional championship, our sponsorship of the National Rally Championship adds a new and important dimension.” “We look forward to encompassing the unique variety of the eight events that will unite under the umbrella of Triton Showers to showcase Irish motorsport at its very best.  The fact that eight different organising clubs and locations are gearing up for the 2016 Triton Showers series is another illustration of the diversity of the National series.”  Kevin added, “The Triton Showers livery will also continue on our own car and those of Niall Maguire and Shane Maguire as we begin an exciting era in Irish motorsport and together with underpinning the National campaign, Triton Showers is set to become an even more familiar name in motorsport. “

MCKENNA PREPARES FOR JWRC DEBUT

Daniel Mc Kenna and Andrew Grennan set sail for Monte Carlo over the weekend to embark on a junior world rally championship campaign starting on Friday 23rd January. The formidable pairing have joined forces once again and have worked tirelessly over the past six months to make it happen , albeit one event at a time but the motions are in place to cross the start ramp in Monte Carlo. Monaghan Motor Club and all its members wish Daniel and Andrew the very best of luck in Monte Carlo. A full report on Daniels preparations as well as an insight into the Monte Carlo rally itself will feature in next weeks edition so watch this space

All roads lead to Cremartin GAA Centre this Saturday night as Monaghan Motor Club host the first Night Navigation Trial of the 2015 calendar. First time CoC Lindsay Boyd, ably assisted by Mark Hamill and their team have laid on a 70 mile route in the North Eastern Monaghan area. Plotting is at 6.30 with first car away at 9.01pm. As always marshal are in big demand so if your able to help out please make yourselves available at Cremartin GAA Complex by 8.00pm this Saturday night, 10th January.

Monaghan Motor Club Annual General Meeting
County Monaghan Motor Club will hold their Annual General Meeting on Friday night, 16th January next at 8.30 sharp in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan. All club members are asked to attend this worthwhile meeting where you can have your say in the running of the club. All 2014 club members are eligible to vote for the incoming committee who will represent its members for the coming year. Nomination forms for the election of officers to the incoming committee are available on the club web site at http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net and once again all club members are asked to fill these in and return to club secretary before Tuesday 13th January.

Don’t forget, Monaghan Motor Club will host our annual dinner dance tomorrow night (Friday) the 5th of December where once again we will be running our Night of Champions as well as honouring our own club championship winners for the year gone past. Why not come along for an enjoyable night as we commend some of our most successful members for their triumphs in 2014. Tickets are €25 and can be booked through any committee members. Four course dinner is served at 8 p.m. sharp. MC for the night is our very own Sean McCaffrey with music afterwards into the early hours.

MONAGHAN CREWS ATTACK KILLARNEY HISTORIC RALLY

Congratulations to Raymond Conlon and James O Reilly on taking 6th overall in the Modified Rally at the Killarney Historics Rally last weekend. The pair also took 3rd in class 6. Stephen and Susanne Wright changed from the norm and attacked the rally in an Escort MK 2, the brother and sister pair took 21st in the Modified Rally and 7th in class 6. It was disappointment for Monaghan’s Steven Corey and Sligo’s Vinnie Boyd who retired on stage two. The event is the only rally run for Historic rally cars in the country and is always popular with competitors and spectators alike. Cavan’s Chris Armstrong won the overall modified section in his Mk II escort

Colin Duffy and Sam Johnston shared the spoils with Packie Duffy and Evin Hughes last Saturday night at the midlands navigation trial with both expert crews keeping a clean sheet to take the overall win. Based in Ballinalee, Co. Longford, first time CoC’s Eamon and Sean Brady set out a nice straight forward event which had a bit of everything from tricky plot and dash to slippy lanes and even trickier speed regularity sections which saw 36 starters tackle the 70 mile route.

Laurence Keenan had a new driver for the night in Aaron Duffy and they had a great run to 3rd overall, taking the semi expert class win. Local novice crew of Damien Kelegher and Gordon Mc Grill also had a fantastic night to finish 4th overall and a novice class win. Drumlin winners, Michael and Ciaran Tynan were 5th overall and took the expert class win. Donegal brothers, Rory and Ciaran Coyle finished 2nd in the expert class followed by Midlands men, Shane Dalton and Nigel McCloughry. The Donegal/Cork partnership of Trevor McConnell and Eoghan McCarthy proved fruitful once again as they took 2nd in class behind Duffy and Keenan. Bobby Sharkey and Mac Kierans finished 3rd semi’s.

National Loose surface Autocross champion Derek Mackarel piloted Midlands novice Seamus McTigue to 2nd in class ahead of Monaghan October CoC’s Keith McConnon and Micheal McCluskey in 3rd. Shane Sorohan and Finbarr Halligan had a tremendous run to finish 7th overall and take the beginners class win by over 50 penalties from Paddy and Oisin Sherlock. Like the Sherlocks, Conor and Colm Mohan are making great strides with every event and surely ones to watch out for in the future, finishing 3rd beginner on the night.

Thats the navigation season at ease until the new year, next up is Monaghan club event on 10th January followed by Cork national event on 17th January with Donegal border championship event on 24th January.

Midlands Navigation Trial Top 12

1 (tie) Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) and Pakie Duffy/Evin
Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 0 marks
3 Aaron Duffy/Laurence Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 3m
4 Damien Kellegher/Gordon McGirl (Subaru Legacy) 5m
5 Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 5m
6 Rory Coyle/Ciaran Coyle (Subaru Impreza) 6m
7 Shane Sorohan/Finbarr Halligan (Subaru Impreza) 9m
8 Shane Dalton/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Impreza) 17m
9 Derek Mackarel/Seamus McTigue (Subaru Impreza) 22m
10 Keith McConnon/Micheal McCluskey (Subaru Impreza) 25m
11 Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 27m
12 Eoghan Corr/Ruaidhri Nash (Subaru Impreza) 28m

Monaghan Motor Club Night of Champions

Monaghan Motor Club will host their annual night of champions awards dinner dance on Friday night week, 5th December in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan. As always this is a night not to be missed where our club champions as well as club members who had international, national and regional successes throughout the year are honoured for their achievements. Dinner is served at 8pm sharp and tickets are widely available from any committee member and must be pre-booked. MC for the night is our very own “Mr. Good Morning” Sean McCaffery and promises to be a great night. Please note the change of night to Friday night 5th December.

It was a dramatic few days last weekend as the World Rally Championship season wrapped up on Wales Rally GB and Monaghan had two different crews competing in different classes on the rally. 2014 British Rally Champions Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans won their entry because of there championship success this year through the Road to Wales Initiative. McKenna and Kierans were competing in a Citroen DS3 R3T, the same machine that took them to the BRC title. The pair had a great start to the event and were right on the pace of the Junior World Rally championship regulars. The Monaghan crew went second fastest on stage three and held third place in class RC3 but it all came undone on the fourth test as their DS3 suffered overheating issues which forced their retirement. McKenna and Kierans were able to rejoin the rally on day 2 under super rally rules and got straight back on the pace going third fastest in class on two of the opening five stages of the day. The pair found themselves in a great battle with JWRC regular Quentin Giordano. Heading into service 29.8 seconds ahead of the Frenchman. Into the second half of the day and McKenna and Kierans were getting into a good rhythm setting second fastest time on stage 16 and then setting fastest time on the final test of the day. However it was all to come to a heartbreaking end the next morning when mechanical trouble forced the Monaghan pair to retire on the first stage of the final day.

It was a better weekend for the Combilift Rallying team as Monghan’s Josh Moffett and Northern Ireland’s John Rowan took second place in Group N on their WRC debut in their Mitsubishi Evo IX. Moffett and Rowan took four stage wins in their class on their way to an impressive finish on their WRC debut.

Group N was won by Northern Ireland’s Phillip Morrow and Jonny Hart with third place being taken by Irish crew Brendan Cumiskey and Conor Foley.

Dunlop National Rally Championship Awards Night

It was one last hurrah for the Dunlop National Rally Championship as the series had it’s annual prize-giving night at the Sheraton Hotel, Athlone last Saturday night. A number of local crews were recognised for the achievements throughout the year. Shane Maguire and Stephen Thornton collected their award for winning the Dunlop National Group N title. Shane had a fantastic battle with Josh Moffett throughout the year to win the title at the penultimate round in Galway while navigator Stephen took the co-drivers title at the last round in Donegal.

It was success also for Michael Carbin and Emmett Mc Cooey as the Monaghan crew took the win in class 20.

Mackarel Crowned National Autocross Champion

It was a great weekend for Derek Mackarel as the 18 year old Monaghan man was crowned National Loose Surface Autocross Champion last weekend with one round to spare. Mackarel, who drivers a Vauxhall Nova, took numerous class wins throughout the season and another one last weekend at the Birr and District Motorclub Autocross to clinch the title. A great achievement on his first full year of competition.

Midlands Motor Club Navigation Trial

All roads lead to Ballinalee, Co. Longford for Round 3 of the National and Round 2 of the Squealing Pig Border Navigation Championships this Saturday night. CoC’s Eamon and Dessie Brady have a 75 mile route laid out with the event starting at 9.01pm. Full report next week

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Michael and Ciaran Tynan led the field home on Saturday night last after a mammoth Drumlin navigation Trial which lived up to its billing as one of the most demanding trials of the navigation season. Coc’s Noel Hall and Trevor Farrell along with Gary Hall and their team set out a route of over 100 miles and 50 timepoints which covered an area from Analore to Scotshouse, Treehoo Cross, Bunnoe, Drum, Rockcorry and Swanns Cross before arriving back to the Acorn Centre, Newbliss after almost five hours of competition.

Midlands men Colin Duffy and Sam Johnston led the event for the whole of the first half, managing to keep a clean sheet up to timepoint 25. Timepoint 16 was the first to claim some of the expert crews with a wrong approach on the cards as up to 17 of the starting 38 crews slotted in a lane too early for a wrong approach. Duffy and Johnston were to slip down the leader board at time point 25 where a wrong departure in a tricky farm yard cost them dearly. Incredibly only four crews managed to depart in the correct way and this would ultimately narrow the field down to a winner. After timepoint 25 it was a two horse race as Michael and Ciaran Tynan, along with Packie and Colin Duffy were both on four penalties but there was still a long way to go. Things went a little ward ward for the Tynan duo through the middle third , dropping a costly 7 minutes from tp 18 to 30 with the Duffy/Hughes pairing going into the lead, only dropping 3 minutes in the same section.

But through the last third of the event the Tynans managed to settle themselves and record a clean sheet to finish on 8 penalties with Duffy and Hughes dropping 3 more in the run for home to finish on 8 also but it was Michael and Ciaran’s win on a furthest cleanest ruling. Incredibly this was Michaels first Drumlin navigation victory in 31 years of trying as the pairing were second overall on three of the last four Drumlins.

The race for the traders trophy also went to the wire as Damien Connolly, driven by Fintan McGorman managed to take the slenderest of wins from Martin Tynan and Stephen Thornton. Prior to the event it was a two horse race with a winner takes all scenario but Connolly did just about enough to take the traders title, finishing in 6th overall on 29 penalties, with Martin Tynan and Stephen Thornton just behind in 7th overall and on 33 penalties. This is Connolly’s 2nd traders win in as many years.

Packie Duffy and Evin Hughes 2nd overall merited them the expert class win ahead of Colin Duffy and Sam Johnston with Richard Cassidy and Paul Phelan in 3rd, all in subaru’s. Ashley McAdoo and Laurence Keenan are the dominant force in the semi-expert class and once again had a good run through the Drumlins to finish 3rd overall and a another convincing class win. The Donegal/Cork pairing of Trevor McConnell and Eoghan McCarthy were 2nd semi followed by another Donegal/Cork Pairing of Bobby Sharkey and Muireann Hayes in 3rd.

The novice class was also a tight affair as the Cavan cousins Thomas and Andrew Wedlock held off stiff competition from Michael Carbin and Darragh Kelly to take a well deserved class win from Carbin

/Kelly. Derek Mackarel and Seamus McTigue paired up again and took 3rd in novice and 15th overall. On what is generally a tough night for the beginners class it was Donal McArdle and Alan Cullinan who persevered to take the class win ahead of Paddy and Oisin Sherlock in 2nd. Colm and Conor Mohan took third place crystal in the beginners class, and more importantly for all beginners the accolade of a drumlin navigation experience under their belts.

That’s the Drumlin done and dusted for another year, midlands motor club is next up on Saturday week, 22nd November with their first navigation trial of the season. Well done to all involved in running such a big event as the Drumlin and CoC Noel Hall would like to thank his organising team for all their help, too many to name along with all residents along the route, especially those who offered up their private lanes and property, all marshal’s who helped out on the night, Acorn Centre Hall committee, results teams and the tea ladies who all did a great job.

MOFFETT TAKES SECOND ON GLENS FORESTRY RALLY

A fantastic three way battle lay in store for the eager spectators in Derry today as the Glens Forestry Rally played host to the final round of the Valvoline Irish Forestry Rally Championship. Josh Moffett led the series coming into the event with Desi Henry and Owen Murphy also in contention for the win. With drop scores still to be taken into account it couldn’t have been closer! The event consists of two stages repeated three times with service after each loop being held at the event sponsors’ premises, the “River Ridge Recycling” complex in Ringsend.

It was Strabane’s Martin Cairns navigated by Peter Ward who set the pace on the opening 5.2km test in their Subaru Impreza S14 setting a time of 5:49.4 to lead the event from Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna who were 2.5 seconds behind in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. Rallying regular Kenny McKinstry and Noel were a further 0.2 seconds adrift in third in their S14 with championship contenders Desi Henry / Liam Moynihan and Owen Murphy / Anthony Nestor 3.7 seconds and 5.2 seconds off the lead respectively, both in Mitsubishi s.

Into the second stage and in was bad news for Cairns, a tough stage dropped the Northern Irishman to fourth overall. Desi Henry set a time of 7:28.6 to win the stage and take the lead of the event. Moffett trailed in second but only by a mere 0.3 seconds with McKinstry in fourth 3.6 seconds off the lead. In Group N it was Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly in their Evo IX who held an eleven second lead over Colm McFall and Paddy McCrudden in a similar machine.

Forestry Rally regulars Marty McKenna and Martin McGarrity were involved a frightening off on stage 2 but thankfully the crew escaped with minor injuries.

After the break and it was Josh Moffett who went on the attack snatching the lead from Desi Henry who lay just 1.7 seconds behind in second with the recovering Martin Cairns in third 5.8 seconds behind. However on stage four Henry retook the lead by winning stage four setting a time 8.2 seconds faster than Moffett who was 5.7 seconds behind in second. McKinstry was third with Owen Murphy moving up to fourth, another tough stage for Cairns had dropped him to fifth.

Heading into the final service it was Sam Moffett who lead Group N by 22.6 seconds from Niall Henry and John Rowan. The last two stages saw Desi Henry maintain his lead to win the Glens Forestry Rally by 5.9 seconds from Josh Moffett. Martin Cairns recovered from his early dramas to take third. McKinstry took fourth while Owen Murphy took fifth which, with drop scores taken into account, was enough to seal the Valvoline Irish Forestry Rally Championship.

Sam Moffett took the Group N win while Shane McGirr was able to hold off the charge of Frank Kelly to win the modified section by a mere 0.3 of a second. Andrew Greenan navigated Seamus O’Connell to second in class 5A in an Escort.

Josh will now swiftly change his focus to his WRC debut on the final round of the championship this weekend, Wales Rally GB.

1. Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan 38:08.0
2. Josh Moffett/Jason McKenna +5.9
3. Martin Cairns/Peter Ward +41.0
4. Kenny McKinstry/Noel Orr +43.2
5. Owen Murphy/Anthony Nestor +53.5

Monaghan Motor Club Night of Champions

Monaghan Motor Club will host their annual night of champions awards dinner dance on Friday night, 5th December in the Hillgrove Hotel so keep it free! More details to follow.

MCKENNA AIMS FOR JWRC SEASON IN 2015

The 2014 British Rally Champion Daniel McKenna has set his sights high for his 2015 season by announcing he is aiming to tackle the Junior World Rally Championship next year. The 2012 Billy Coleman Award winner says he wants to aim big for the next stage of his rallying career.

Speaking last week the Monaghan man has said he has spent the last few months trying to secure the funding to attack the JWRC next year. “I’ve been working very hard over the last while talking to people and trying to convince them to back me for the championship next year. It would be a fantastic challenge to compete against some of the best young talent in the world. Securing the funding is going to be my main focus for the next few months.

When you look at the likes of Keith Cronin, Robert Barrable and Alastair Fisher you can see that the level of funding required can be sourced and there are people out there willing to back you. I just have to try and convince them now.”

The BRC champion was speaking ahead of the final round of the World Rally Championship, Wales Rally GB, which he and Arthur Kierans are to compete in. “It’s important to put in a good performance in Wales as a good result could prove important for our 2015 plans. We’ll be on the attack.”

McKenna will compete in Wales in the Citroen DS3 he and Arthur Kierans win the BRC title in and the Monaghan man is feeling confident he can put in a performance. ” We haven’t been able to have a pre-event test but I’m very happy with my gravel set up for the car, we managed to perfect it on the gravel rounds in the BRC this year. We are going to give the car a hard run on the shakedown before the event to make sure it’s just right. Arthur and I will be going over the notes from the last year and DVD ahead of the recce at the start of next week just to make sure we are totally prepared so we can have a clear mind for the event itself. ”

Speaking about his preparation for the event McKenna says he has learned from last year and is ready to attack the rally. “Last year when we did the event our preparation was very rushed as we weren’t guaranteed the entry until we knew we had the Pirelli Star Driver Award so we were caught off guard with certain things on the event but we got through it in the end, this time we are going into the event in a better place mentally so our confidence is higher.”

So with a round of the World Rally Championship on the horizon and some exciting plans on the horizon McKenna will be a busy man ” I’ve been working hard over the last couple of months and I’ll have to work as hard over the next few months to try and get the funding in place. We have a number of fall back plans in place just in case we don’t secure enough funding for the JWRC. It’s an important point in my career and I’ll be doing everything I can to progress in the right direction.

KERRY MINI STAGES

Well done to David Smyth who took third in class 11R with Leitrim’s Johnny Rooney on the notes in their Corolla.

The 2014 Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship Awards ceremony took place last Saturday night and saw the Monaghan duo David Moffett and Fintan Sherry crowned champions. The pair dominated the very competitive class 11R taking class wins in each of the four events they contested in their Maurice Moffett Engineering backed Toyota Starlet.

Pushing them all year were former champions (although not together) Brian Armstrong and Monaghan’s Mark Tierney. This pair came out on top of the class 12 battle and were just one point behind Moffett and Sherry at season end. 3rd overall went to the Cavan pairing of Gene McDonald and Kevin Reilly who competed in class 9. No fewer than 7 crews still had a chance of winning the championship going into the final round, showing just how open this class-based championship is. In the end there can only be one winning crew and Moffett and Sherry snatched it after an awesome run over Atlantic Drive to clinch the class win they needed by just two seconds!

Other local crews who finished the Sligo Pallets Border Championship with class awards include Laurence Sherry and Mark Sheridan who won class 9. Cathal Sheridan took the class 10 honours with John Kelly finishing second driver, and Niall Kelly topping the navigators category in class 10. Justin Smyth was 3rd driver in class 12. Jack Maguire was top driver in class 14 with Paul Sheridan 2nd Navigator. Michael Carbin and Emmet McCooey took the class 20 awards for their seasons efforts.

DRUMLIN NAVIGATION TRIAL

All roads lead to Newbliss this Saturday night where Monaghan Motor Club will host what is widley considered the biggest night navigation trial of the season, known as the Drumlin navigation. This is the first counting round of the 2014/15 Squealing Pig Border navigation championship and the 2nd round of the national navigation championship. CoC’s for the event Noel Hall and Trevor Farrell, along with their team have laid on a mammoth 100 mile route in the surrounding areas of Ture, Drum, Rockcorry, Aghabog to name but a few. As always marshals are needed in abundance so please make yourself available by calling or texting Noel on 086 8555883 to pre-book a timepoint and be in Newbliss before 8pm on Saturday night. Full report next week.

SHERRY TAKES FIFTH ON OMAN INTERNATIONAL RALLY

It was rallying of a different sort for Monaghan’s Enda Sherry as he headed for the Middle East last weekend for the Oman International Rally. Sherry navigated Qatari driver Abdullah Al-Kuwari to fifth overall in their Ford Fiesta R5. The crew were comfortably inside the top five for most of the rally and finished eleven and a half minutes behind winners Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and Mayo’s Killian Duffy.

It was yet another good weekend for Combilift Rallying and Josh Moffett as the Monaghan man, along with co-driver John Rowan, took third place on the Westlodge Hotel Fastnet Stages Rally. Moffett had borrowed the Fiesta WRC off his brother Sam to compete in for only the second time this year and having taken victory on his first outing in the car in Sligo he was certainly capable of a result. It was a steady start for the Combilift Rallying crew over the first three stages as the crew they gradually built their experience in the car, after the third test Moffett and Rowan lay in fifth place 58.6 seconds off leader Darragh O’Riordan and Tony McDaid but crucially they were only 6.2 seconds off a top three position. More steady runs followed on stage four and five but on stage six the crew’s speed was building as moved into fourth place. With the demise of second placed Kevin Kelleher on stage seven Moffett moved into third and a podium finish looked a real possibility. Moffett and Rowan completed the final stage to take third place and another impressive performance in WRC machinery. The event was won by Darragh O’Riordan and Tony McDaid. Attention will now shift to the final round of the Valvoline Irish Forestry Rally Championship which takes place in a couple of weeks.

Fastnet Stages Rally Top 5

1. Darragh O’Riordan/Tony McDaid 1:15:40,7
2. Dennis Cronin/ Coleman Hurley +1:24
3. Josh Moffett/John Rowan + 2:12
4. Rob Duggan/Noel O’Sullivan + 2:14
5. Ed Murphy/John McCarthy + 5:02

DRUMLIN NAVIGATION TRIAL ENTRY FORMS RELEASED

Entry form’s and regulations are available for the Monaghan Motor Club Drumlin Navigation Trial which runs on Saturday 8th November. This is round two of the National Night Navigation Trial Championship as well as the opening round of the popular Squealing Pig Border navigation championship. Coc for the event is Noel Hall and the Acorn Centre, Newbliss is HQ. As always marshals are needed in abundance so please be in Newbliss before 8pm on Saturday night, 8th November if you are available to marshal. This is one of the most challenging night navigations in the country and is not one to be missed

Last year’s winner of the Garda Siochana stages Rally, Richard Moffett led the field away from the start ramp in his Toyota Starlet looking to make it two in a row in Baltinglass Co. Wicklow last Sunday. With regular co-driver Martin Connolly on the notes he was going to have his work cut out, having to withstand the pressure from Cavan’s Chris Armstrong and James Fulton in a Mark II escort.

Into stage 1 and it was Moffett and Connolly who set the pace over the 16.5 kilometre test leading their Cavan rivals by three seconds by the end of the stage, setting up a great battle for the day. Mike Quinn and Tony Healy held third a further five seconds behind in their Mk2 Escort. After service it was into stage 2 and Armstrong went on a massive charge to win the stage by eight seconds over Moffett to take the lead by five. He extended his advantage by a further three seconds on the third test, to head into service with an eight second advantage.

Armstrong extended his lead to 13 seconds through stage 4 as his chances of victory were growing quickly while Moffett had to contend with a half spin. Quinn appeared safe in third place. Stage five was cancelled due to a delay so they crews headed back to the final service stop. With one stage to go it appeared Armstrong only needed to get through the stage to win the event but an overshoot near the end of the test nearly ruined his chances of victory but the Cavan man along with co-driver James Fulton did enough to win the rally by nine seconds from Monaghan’s Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly.

Mike Quinn and Tony Healy took third place, 49 seconds behind the winners. It was a good day also for JP McAree who navigated Jack Newman to the class 13 win and 4th overall in their Ford Escort. Barry McKenna and Macartan Kierans took second in class 13 and 7th overall, also in an Escort. Declan Tynan navigated Leitrims Enda McLoughlin round the Wicklow stages to take 12th overall in their newly built millington powered mark II escort. Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor also made the trip South but their day was to get off to a bad start with a visit to the scenery but they managed to get back on the road and complete the event.

Garda Siochana MC Mini Stages Rally Top 10

1/ Chris Armstrong/James Fulton (Escort) 38m 05s
2/ Richard Moffett/Martin Connolly (Starlet) 38m 14s
3/ Mike Quinn/Tony Healy (Escort) 38m 54s
4/ Jack Newman/J P McAree (Escort) 39m 11s
5/ Aaron MacHale/Paul McGee (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 39m 13s
6/ Anthony O’Halloran/Charlie McEnery (Manta) 39m 35s
7/ Barry McKenna/Mac Kiernan (Escort) 39m 36s
8/ Sam Smyth/Alan Smyth (Escort) 39m 39s
9/ Graham Scallan/Jim Scallan (Impreza Gp N) 39m 45s
10/ David Leonard/Darragh Mullen (Lancer) 39m 52s

JOSH MOFFETT TO MAKE WRC DEBUT IN WALES

Josh Moffett will make his WRC debut next month when he takes his Group N Mitsubishi Lancer across the Irish Sea to tackle the final round of the championship, Wales Rally GB.

The 22-year-old Monaghan driver, who is a nominee for this year’s Motorsport Ireland Young Rally Driver of the Year Award, has been a front-runner in the Valvoline Irish Forestry Championship this season and is hoping to try and build on his gravel experience on the challenging Welsh stages. “I really enjoy driving on gravel,” said Josh speaking last week. “I suppose the only downside is that forestry rallies in Ireland tend to be quite short which is no fault of their own, that’s just how it is. I’d love to challenge myself by doing a full 3-day gravel rally and gauge my pace against new Group N competitors. Competing against professional drivers on the Circuit of Ireland this year has given me the confidence to try and push myself and I’m really looking forward to Wales. It might be my last rally in a Group N car for a while so I’d love to get to the finish and gain as much experience as possible.”

Josh will be the second Combilift Rallying driver to sample the WRC this season after elder brother Sam finished 15th overall on Rallye Deutschland in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC back in August. Josh has already driven the Fiesta WRC in competition himself when he won the Sligo Stages in July and this weekend he plans to use that Fiesta again on the Westlodge Hotel Fastnet Rally. ”I was actually surprised how quickly I adapted to the Fiesta in Sligo and I’m really looking forward to driving it again in Skibbereen. There may be more outings next year but nothing is set in stone yet.”

MOFFETT and SHERRY are Border Rally Champions

It was a great weekend for local crew David Moffett and Fintan Sherry as they were crowned the 2014 Sligo Pallets Border Rally Champions at the Donegal Harvest Rally on Saturday in their Toyota Starlet, bringing the title back to Monaghan for the third year in a row. Having won their class in three of the four previous rounds the crew knew that victory in class 11R would guarantee them the title but they wee going to have to fight for it. While a good run of form over the course season plus victory in the Junior Rally of the Donegal International earlier in the year inspired confidence it would count for nothing today if things went wrong.

Stage one saw Moffett and Sherry set the second fastest time sitting just 1.8 seconds behind Paul Carron and Andrew Browne in a Toyota Corolla. On stage two the action really kicked off as Donegal’s Paul and Patrick Gallagher set fastest time in their Mk1 Escort by almost twenty seconds to lead the class as Moffett and Sherry slipped to third 8.3 seconds off the lead. But on stage three things changed again as the Monaghan crew won the stage setting a time over ten seconds faster than anyone else to shoot into the lead, they now led the class by just 2.2 seconds heading into the first service stop.

After the break the pair extended their lead on the fourth test until an impressive time form the Gallaghers saw them share the lead of the class with Moffett and Sherry with an equal overall time of 46:54.6 setting things up for a cracking battle going into the afternoon. Stage six saw the Monaghan crew really put the power down and ended the stage 8.5 seconds ahead of the Gallaghers who held second heading into the final service stop.

Moffett and Sherry extended their lead of stage 7 but a lightning time from their Donegal rivals saw Paul and Patrick Gallagher take the lead by 11 seconds heading into the final stage. The lads responded magnificently and set fastest time on stage 9 by 12.2 seconds to win class 11R by a mere 1.2 seconds. A fantastic performance to back up a deserving victory in the championship. Well done lads!

Maguire and Thornton take the Group N National Title in Donegal

It’s a weekend to remember for Monaghan’s Shane Maguire and Stephen Thornton as they wrapped up the Dunlop National Group N title on the Donegal Harvest Rally. With championship rival Josh Moffett not starting the event things were made a lot easier for Maguire who came into the rally with a commanding lead in the championship.

Stage one went to Border Rally Championship regulars Martin Doherty and Conor Foley who

led Maguire and Thornton by ten seconds with Trevor Bustard and John McCafferty in third.

By the first service Maguire had dropped to fifth in the standings almost 44 seconds off the class lead. Doherty led a hard charging Gary Cairns and Justin Coyle by 28.7 seconds with Bustard in third and Aidan Wray and Kieran McGrath in fourth,

The second loop of stages saw the demise of Cairns retiring on stage 5. Doherty was in a commanding lead at this point and led Bustard by almost 76 seconds with Maguire in Third.

Positions remained unchanged over the final loop and Martin Doherty crossed the finish line to win Group N 1:40 but it was Shane Maguire and Stephen Thornton that were in celebration mood as the lifted the trophy to win the National Group N championship bringing the title to Monaghan along with the Irish Tarmac Group N title won by Josh Moffett.

Elsewhere in the rally it was a mixed day for other Monaghan crews. Niall Maguire continued his comeback from injury in his Subaru S11 with Paul Goodman on the notes finishing eight overall and second in class eight. Michael Carbin and Emmett McCooey had a good run to second in class 20 in their Subaru Impreza N12. Richard Moffett and Eamon Hayes finished third in class 13. Dessie Keenan had an eye catching return to rallying in class 13 with Enda Sherry on the notes, he led the modified section and held fourth overall at one point until a puncture dropped him down the order where he eventually finished 19th overall and sixth in class. Raymond Conlon and Gary McKenna finished fifth in class 13. John and Niall Kelly performed brilliantly to win class 10 in their Corolla. Lawrence Sherry and Mark Sheridan finished fourth in class 9 while Arron Duffy and Keith McConnon finished behind them in fifth. Cathal Sheridan and Peter Deery finished third in class 10, enough to claim the class 10 title in this years Sligo Pallets Border Championship.  while Declan Connolly and Alison Hughes finished eight in class 9. There were retirements for Sa Moffett and James O’Reilly, Brendan and JP McAree and Barry Treanor and Colm Connolly.

The event was won by Donegal’s Declan and Brian Boyle who were crowned Dunlop National Rally Champions

Moffett and McKenna Take Maiden Forestry Win In Carrick On Suir

To round off yet another fantastic weekend of results for Monaghan Motor Club members, Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna claimed their first outright victory on the Willie Loughman Memorial Carrick Forest Rally. Based in the Suir Valley, the six stage event was the penultimate round of the Valvoline Irish Forestry Championship and what a battle it turned out to be.

Stage one saw Andrew Purcell and John Rafter set the pace with a time of 8:01.0 over the 13km test which was 2.3 seconds faster than forestry regular Owen Murphy and James O’Reilly. Moffett and McKenna sat a further 7.5 seconds behind in third with Desi Henry and Liam Moynihan 2.1 seconds adrift in fourth. Shane McGirr and Jackie Elliot held the lead in the modifieds 1.9 seconds ahead of Mickey Conlon and Ciaran McPhillips.

Andrew Purcell lost approximately 13 seconds on stage 2 due to an overshoot and stall at a hairpin dropping him to third. Josh Moffett set the fastest time on the test to hold second overall. Owen Murphy was third fastest but did enough to move into a 3.5 second lead. Desi Henry was second fastest to hold station in fourth. Stage three saw Purcell set the fastest time to leave the top four separated by 7.7 seconds. In Group N it was Sam Moffett who led the way while McGirr had extended his modified lead to 16.5 seconds over Conlon.

Josh Moffett and Desi Henry tied on stage 4 with a time of 7.46, the pace had gone up a gear as times were 15 secs quicker than the first run. Moffett took the lead as Murphy dropped to second, the Cork man was 4.6 seconds off the pace and now trailed the Monaghan man by 2 secs. Henry moved up one place to third 5.3 seconds off Murphy while Andrew Purcell slipped to fourth a further 2.3 secs back. On stage five things got really tight as Murphy set the second fastest time to close within a second of Moffett and with Purcell winning the stage the top four were now separated by just 5.7 seconds heading into the final test. Moffett knew what he had to do on the final stage and set the fastest time to win the rally by five seconds over Desi Henry who leapfrogged Owen Murphy on the last test. Murphy ended the rally 7.8 seconds off the lead with Andrew Purcell a further 5.7 seconds behind in fourth.

Sam Moffett took fifth overall and the Group N win to make up for the disappointment of the Donegal Harvest the day before. In the modified section Shane McGirr won by 30.7 seconds from Mickey Conlon. Martin and Declan Tynan made a return to the gravel stages in their EVO 8 after a few years absence and quickly git back into the swing of things, finishing 12th overall and take the class 6 win.

Clones man Eoghan Corr teamed up with Cavan’s Ruaidhri Nash on last Saturday nights Monaghan navigation trial and came away with their maiden victory. The novice pairing had a faultless run all night and kept a clean sheet to take the spoils. The first navigation event of the new season was undertaken by first time CoC’s Micheal McCluskey and Keith McConnon with Corduff GFC complex used as HQ. These lads laid on an enjoyable route which headed South towards Magheracloone, then veered North West towards Latton and Ballybay before making its way back towards Corduff via Shantonagh taking in almost every farm lane and narrow road along the way.

Corr and Nash were one of four crews to keep a clean sheet on the night but were deemed winners as a novice crew. Ashley McAdoo and Laurence Keenan were the only semi-experts to clean the event and thus finished 2nd overall and semi expert winners. Martin Tynan/Stephen Thornton along with multiple champions from last season Colin Duffy and Sam Johnston were the only experts to finish with no penalties and took joint winners of the class. Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall dropped one penalty to finish 3rd expert and 5th overall. Bobby Sharkey and Mac Kierans had a good run to 2nd semi-expert with Ciaran McElroy and Damien McCabe 3rd. With the overall winner coming from the novice class, this promoted Michael Carbin and Darragh Kelly to first, ahead of Jonathan Treanor and Martin Swinburne with the Wedlock cousin’s, Thomas and Andrew in 3rd.

Conor Boylan had a great first night on the maps, navigating Emmett McCooey to a beginners class win and only down a very respectable 24 penalties on his first night out. Second beginner went to Cavans Alan Cullinan, driven by Peter Deery on his first night also. Third beginner went to Steven O’Neill and Shane Stevenson. This navigators seat was kindly offered up by the O’Neill brothers Raymond and Steven to help young beginners get onto the first step of the motorsport/navigation ladder and Shane was selected for this event so well done to all.

That’s the navigation season kicked off for another winter, well done to Micheal McCluskey and Keith McConnon on a great event and thanks to Corduff GFC, all residents along the route, results team and the many marshals who turned up on the night. Next up is the first round of the National Championship in Cork on 2nd November, followed by Monaghan’s Drumlin navigation on 9th November where the traders title will be decided. Its very much a two horse race with Martin Tynan and last years winner Damien Connolly locked in a close battle with only half a point separating them so all is to play for.

Monaghan Navigation Trial Top 10

1/ Eoghan Corr/Ruaidhri Nash (Subaru Impreza) 0 marks,
2/ Ashley McAdoo/Laurence Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 0m
3/ (tie) Martin Tynan/Stephen Thornton (Subaru Impreza) and Colin Duffy/Sam
Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 0m
5/ Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 1m
6/ Michael Carbin/Darragh Kelly (Subaru Impreza) 2m
7/ Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 2m
8/ Jonathan Treanor/Martin Swinburne (Subaru Impreza) 3m
9/ Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Subaru Impreza) 3m
10/ Gary McElhinney/Damien Connolly (Subaru Impreza) 3m
11/ Thomas Wedlock/Andrew Wedlock (Subaru Legacy) 6m
12/ Fintan Larmer/Sean McCaffrey (Vauxhall Vectra) 8m

MOFFETT AND ROWAN TAKE GROUP N TITLE IN CORK

It was a great weekend for Monaghan’s Josh Moffett and Cushendall’s John Rowan as the crew claimed the Clonakilty Black Pudding Irish Tarmac Group N title at the Cork 20 last weekend, the pair went into the last round of the championship leading the category over Cavan’s Stephen McCann. The battle for the title was over almost before it had begun as McCann and co-driver Breen McNamee crashed on the first stage and blocked the road. They were able to rejoin later in the event but weren’t able to score points which handed the title to Moffett. The Monaghan man didn’t have things all his own way as an off on the first stage of Day 2 put Rowan and himself out of the event. Nevertheless it’s been a great year for Josh Moffett. The ITRC Group N title win is one of a number of accolades he is in contention for. He is currently in a great battle with Ballinode’s Shane Maguire for the National Group N title, he is also leading the Irish Forestry championship and has been nominated for the Billy Coleman Award. Not a bad year! He wasn’t the only driver to taste success in Cork last weekend as Stephen Wright took his Peugeot 208 R2 to third overall in the rally a fantastic achievement. Co-driven by Mike Galvin the 2013 Billy Coleman Award Winner took third spot on stage eight and never looked back. There was disappointment for Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly who retired on day one while running in third overall. The pair were battling Cork’s Keith Cronin for second when their Fiesta WRC was forced to pull off the road with rear differential problems. In the National Rally Pauric Duffy had a great weekend in his newly acquired Fiesta R5. The Castlebaney man who is now based in Australia took his new machine to fourth overall in the National section. It was also a good event or J P McAree who navigated Meath’s Jack Newman to the class 13 win.

MAGUIRE AND MOFFETT SET FOR DONEGAL GROUP N BATTLE

The Dunlop National Group N battle finale is set to be a Monaghan affair this weekend at the last round of the championship in the North West. The Donegal Harvest Rally is the setting for Shane Maguire and Josh Moffett’s battle for Group N honours. Moffett lead the championship early in the year but a couple of missed rounds has allowed Maguire to catch up. With just a handful of points separating them it will be a fantastic battle to watch!

It was a sight to behold in Monaghan Town on Saturday night last as hundreds of people flocked to the courthouse on the diamond for Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans’ Appreciation Night. The Scotshouse/Aghabog duo were being honoured for their triumph in the 2014 British Rally Championship this year. Hosted by Sean McCaffery, the night consisted of a number of speeches from representatives from the motorsport world and the local community. They included Heather Humphreys T.D., Chief Executive of Motorsport Ireland Alex Sinclair and the manager of Monaghan County Council Padraig McNally. There were also a number of videos that recounted the lads’ career and lives followed by a number of interviews with some of Monaghan’s other rallying stars including Shane Maguire, Gary McPhillips, Stephen Wright and Dessie Keenan. The stars of the show arrived in their Citroen DS3 about half an hour into the show and the crowds were thrilled as Daniel and Arthur climbed from the car with the BRC trophy aloft. Interviews with some of the people who helped the lads throughout the season followed including Bill Adair and Davy Greer who entertained the crowd with stories of the lads from throughout the season. Local representatives from Scotshouse and Aghabog also spoke. Eventually the stars of the show took to the stand and spoke to the gathered crowd. Both Daniel and Arthur offered their thanks to their team, friends and family for all the support they had received over the last two years before Daniel was asked to recount his day 2 accident from the Rally Isle of Man! The evening was wrapped up with quick video as people flocked to the car for photographs. A great night was had by all and Monaghan Motor Club would like to thank everyone who helped make the night possible.

Moffett and McKenna 2nd in Bushwhacker

Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna took second place in last weekends Bushwhacker rally. The pair finished seventeen seconds behind Martin Cairns and Gary McElhinney. The first two stages saw Cairns streak out an advantage, leading Moffett by four seconds with Desi Henry and Liam Moynihan a further four seconds behind in their Evo IX. James Gillen and Sarah Whelan held fourth just a second behind while Marty McKenna and Martin McGarrity tied for fifth with Niall McCullagh and Ryan McCloskey, Frank Kelly and Sean Ferris and Kenny McKinstry and Kenny Hull. Stage three saw Moffett take the lead from Cairns to lead by six seconds but Cairns started the fight back on the following stage and closed the lead to just two seconds. Setting up a great fight heading into the afternoon stages. Desi Henry was hanging on in third place twenty seconds off the lead. James Gillen and Sarah Whelan went off the road and into retirement on SS3 while on stage four Marty McKenna and Martin McGarrity retired with clutch issues. Martin Cairns shot into the lead on stage 5 before it was cancelled due safety concerns and on stage 6 the S14 driver extended it to 13 seconds over Moffett. As the afternoon went on there were no major changes at the front of the field but on stage 10 there was drama in the modified section as Frank Kelly was forced to retire with a broken halfshaft handing the lead to Adrian Hetherington, he led Seamus O’Connell and Emmet Sherry by 20 seconds. Martin Cairns and Gary McElhinney completed the final stage to win the Bushwhacker Rally from Josh Moffett and Desi Henry. Adrian Hetherington took the modified win by 19 seconds. Sam Moffett and James O Reilly took the Group N win and 9th overall. Emmet Sherry navigated Seamus O’Connell to 10th overall and second modified car home. Mickey Conlon and Ciaran McPhillips took second in class 6 Maurice Moffett and Martin Connolly took 7th in class 6. Well done all

1. Martin Cairns/Gary McElhinney 32:18
2. Josh Moffett/Jason McKenna + 0.17
3. Desi Henry/ Liam Moynihan + 0.43
4. Kenny McKinstry/ Kenny Hull + 0.52
5. Pat O’Connell/ Mark Wiley + 1.02

Monaghan MC Night Navigation Trial

Monaghan motor club will kickstart the night navigation season this Saturday night, 4th October. CoC’s for the event are Michael McCluskey and Keith McConnon with headquarters in the Corduff GFC complex. As always marshals are in short supply so if you are available on the night please be at the Corduff GFC complex before 8pm. Full report next week.

It was a mixed weekend for Monaghan crews last weekend on round 9 of the Dunlop National Rally Championship, the Oakwood Arms Hotel Clare Stages Rally. The event proved very challenging as the nine stages pushed crews to their limits. Shane Maguire and Stephen Thornton took their Mitsubishi Evo 9 to yet another Group N victory, the Ballinode man had to fight off competition from local rival Josh Moffett and John Rowan as well as Paul Kiely and Eugene Donelly. The Monaghan man led championship rival Josh Moffett and John Rowan on the opening test with Gary Kiernan and Niall Tierney, in Sam Moffett’s Evo 9 taking third. Role reversal for Paul Kiely as he had multiple Tarmac Champion Eugene Donnelly on the notes, they lay fourth after stage 1. On the second test Moffett managed to overhaul Maguire to lead by 3.5 seconds but a puncture on the stage three dropped them to last in class over three minutes off the lead. The second loop saw Maguire extend his lead once again but Kiernan was not letting him run away with the lead and remained within 40 seconds off the Monaghan man with Kiely in third. Josh Moffett called it a day after the second loop of stages with an oil leak forcing him into retirement. Maguire held the lead over the last three stages but had to battle a turbo issue to take the win but it was heartbreak for Gary Kiernan as the Cavan driver retired from second in Group N and ninth overall on the final stage. Maguire and Thornton won Group N by 1 minute and 53.6 seconds from Paul Kiely and Eugene Donnelly with Gary Cairns and Justin Coyle a further 8.6 seconds behind. Maguire heads into the final round in Donegal knowing a top ten finish overall will secure him and Stephen Thornton the 2014 Dunlop National Group N title.

In the modified section it was Richard Moffett and Martin Connelly who took the win by 33.8 seconds over Ed O’Callaghan and Gerard Clancy. After a disrupted stage 1 Moffett went on the attack on stage 2, to finish the test second in the modifieds and seventh overall. Heading into the first service the Starlet driver remained second behind O’Callaghan by 16 seconds. All was to change on stage 6 when O’Callaghan hit trouble. Moffett took advantage and inherited first place leading second placed Frank Kelly by 11.8 seconds. Heading into the final loop Kelly managed to snatch the lead but mechanical failure forced him into retirement on the last stage. Moffett and Connolly took the win by 33.8 seconds from O’Callaghan.

Elsewhere it was a tough day for Monaghan crews. Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly entered the event in Gary Kiernan’s Mk2 Escort but crashed out on stage 1. Niall Maguire was making a welcome return to rallying with Enda Sherry on the notes but clutch problems ruled him out on stage 1. Michael Carbin and Emmett McCooey were leading class 20 but retired on stage 4.

The event was won by Declan and Brian Boyle in their subaru, followed by Hugh Hunter and Andy Marchbank, also in a subaru. Roy White and James O’Brien took their MG ZR rover home to 3rd overall.

Appreciation Night for Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans

An appreciation night will be held in honour of the 2014 British Rally Champions Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans this Saturday night, the 27^th of September. The event will be held outside the courthouse in Monaghan Town at 7.30 p.m. A number of dignitaries from the motorsport world will be in attendance as well as the Citroen DS3 that took the Monaghan crew to the BRC title. The night will filmed and will be presented by Sean McCaffery. Make sure and come out for an unforgettable night!

Monaghan Night Navigation Trial

Monaghan motor club will kickstart the night navigation season on Saturday week next, 4th October. CoC’s for the event are Michael McCluskey and Keith McConnon with headquarters in the Corduff GFC complex. Regulations and entry forms are available from motor club website on http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net and entries must be with event secretary Paul Hughes before 2nd October. As always marshals are in short supply so if you are available on the night please contact any committee member and be in Corduff GFC complex for 7.30 on Saturday 4th October.

MCKENNA AND KIERANS CROWNED BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONS

Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans have been crowned the 2014 British Rally Champions after a dramatic weekend of rallying on the Rally Isle of Man. The pair beat Welshman Osian Pryce and Dale Furniss to the title in a fascinating battle . The rally was certainly one to remember with drama from the word go. Split over three days the event would count as the last two rounds of the British Rally Championship with the final round awarding points and a half.

Thursday evening’s stages saw an expected tight affair with McKenna and Osian Pryce battling hard for the lead. The rally kicked off just after seven o’clock with the short 0.77 km blast around SS1 Villa Marina. McKenna went quickest by a mere 0.8 of a second ahead of Pryce with the two rivals third and fourth behind Arron Newby and Nigel Cannel.

Stage two saw Pryce take up the mantle shooting ahead of McKenna. The Welshman led the Monaghan man by 6.1 seconds and took the rally lead.

On stage three McKenna started his fight back, he took 1.5 seconds out of Pryce trailing the Welshman by just 4,6 seconds heading into the final stage of the night, Sand Quarry 1. The longest stage of the day saw McKenna retake the lead as he went just under 10 seconds faster than Pryce to lead the Welshman by 5.3 seconds heading into Friday’s stages.

Day 2 started with the 5.2 mile Lhoobs 1 stage and McKenna hit trouble as he punctured a tyre dropping him to second, 17.1 seconds behind Pryce. McKenna was playing catch up now and Pryce was on a charge, so much so that the two rivals set identical times on stage 6 as McKenna tried to reel back the time he had lost. Pryce seemed to have a slight edge over McKenna at this point and increased his lead by 2.1 seconds over the next two stages.

Disaster was to strike for the Monaghan man on stage 9 as he rolled his Citroen DS3 into a field. The championship win looked further away than ever at this point as the car was towed back to service, the stage was cancelled as a result of the accident. Ironically Pryce stopped on the stage also with a fuel problem but managed to escape any penalties due to the stage cancellation. As McKenna’s DS3 was fixed up in service with only seconds to spare, Pryce completed the final two stages of round 5 and despite dropping to second overall he took the points knowing that beating McKenna on the last day would be enough to snatch the championship from Daniel and Arthur.

As the final round commenced there was yet another twist in the Isle of Man story as Pryce was forced to retire on stage 15 after damaging the suspension on his DS3 at a hairpin where he hit a kerb. He would restart the Saturday stages but all McKenna had to do now was finish to become champion. Saturday loomed and McKenna knew a finish was the priority for the day. Seven stages were all that separated the Monaghan man and co-driver Arthur Kierans from BRC glory. Despite a small issue with a timing error on SS20, which was rectified, McKenna got the car to the end to become only the third Irish driver to become British Rally Champion after Billy Coleman and Keith Cronin. Amid jubilant scenes at the finish line which was thronged with supporters from Scotshouse and Aghabog who made the trip, Daniel and Arthur breathed a high sigh of relief after a tough weekends rallying but nevertheless they are 2014 British Rally Champions.

McKenna took to twitter later in the evening to say “We did it!” while proceeding to thank everyone who helped him along the journey. A proud Arthur Kierans became only the fifth Irish co-driver to achieve BRC glory. As the BRC title heads to Monaghan many questions will be asked as to what the future holds for DMK Motorsport. Only time will tell!

DMK MOTORSPORT HOMECOMING CELEBRATION

Keep free Saturday night 27th September as preparations are well underway for a homecoming and night of celebration to honour the achievements of our newly crowned British Rally Champions, Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans. This event will take place in Monaghan town so keep an eye on the social media outlets as well as next weeks club notes for full details of what is promised to be a night to remember.

MIXED RESULTS FOR MONAGHAN CREWS IN WEXFORD

Congratulations to Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor on winning class 14 and taking 8th overall on the Wexford Stages Rally last weekend. This two day event is surely a test of man and machine with exceptionally fast stages, an example being a total of 28 chicanes on 5 stages alone! Well done also to Barry McKenna and Macartan Kierans on 9th in class 13 and 27th overall. Seamus Connolly and Gary McCrudden had hard luck on day one with engine failure but this determined bunch came home Saturday evening, built an engine, returned to Wexford and had it fitted before the Sunday stages commenced to finish 7th in class 11R and 85th overall under Rally 2 rules. Keith McConnon navigated Paddy Quinn to 10th in class 10. Paul Hughes returned to the navigators seat with Monaghan man (residing in Dublin) Alan Kane in the newly built G3 escort after a 5 year absence but they retired with engine problems on day 1 and decided not to risk even more damage on day two. Paul did however take up 00 duties on the Sunday stages.

Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans are gearing up for what is arguably the biggest rally of their careers so far as they prepare for the final round of the British Rally Championship, the iconic Rally Isle of Man. The Monaghan pair have had a great campaign so far in the championship with three wins and one runner up finish which leaves them with a 22 point lead over championship rival Osian Pryce heading into the Isle of Man rally.

            McKenna had a pre event test in his Citroen DS3 last Friday in Draperstown and feels ready for the Manx challenge. Speaking earlier this week McKenna said ” We’re in good shape heading into the weekend and confidence is high. In truth the preparation for this weekend’s event started back in May when we tackled the Manx National Rally in the Escort. We didn’t know at the time how important it would be but it was vital experience.”

With the cancellation of the final round, Rallye Dorset, the Isle of Man rally is actually two rallies in one. Day one of the event will be worth full championship points with Day 2 worth points and a half with Pryce needing to win both days in order to win the championship. McKenna said that despite being the pre-event favourite for the championship win he won’t let complacency become an issue “We may have the advantage going into the event but I still have to beat Osian at the weekend. I’ll need to drive hard to win the championship. We both have experience in the Isle of Man so it will be a level playing field.” Speaking about the event itself McKenna says he is raring to go because it is an event that offers a unique challenge. “Every stage has it’s own identity. You’d have to travel to rallies the length and breath of Ireland to get all that the Isle of Man Rally has to offer, it really is a unique event. The weather is unpredictable also. When the roads get slippery here they get really slippery! ”

            This year marks the 40th year since Billy Coleman became the first Irish rally driver to win the British Rally Championship and as a former winner of the Billy Coleman Award it would be a huge achievement for McKenna to become BRC champion himself. Referring to this, Daniel said “The Billy Coleman Award gave me a great springboard which led to the Pirelli Star Drive. I’d love to repay both their investments by doing the business on the Manx but there’s a lot of miles to drive before I’ll even let myself think about that.”

            The Microgaming Rally Isle of Man begins on Thursday 11th September, with the shakedown stage during the day before the event gets properly underway on the

Douglas promenade with a side-by-side spectator special stage on the opening night. The following day see the crews tackle 13 stages between 9am and 11pm, headlined by the double run through the popular Castletown stage in the evening. The action continues on Saturday, a further 7 stages building up to the traditional finale through the streets of Douglas to the finish at the TT Grandstand.

            Monaghan Motor Club and all it’s members wish Daniel Mc Kenna and Arthur Kierans the very best of luck for the Rally Isle of Man. Fingers crossed we could have club members crowned British Rally Champions!  Full report next week.

WRIGHT IMPRESSES IN BELGIUM

It was back to Belgium again for Stephen Wright as the Monaghan driver continued his attack on the Belgian Rally Championship in his Peugeot 208 R2. Navigated this time by Karl Atkinson, Wright was hoping for another good display and in particular against championship rival Guillaume Dilley.

            The first leg saw the competitors tackle three stages on Friday evening and after the first test Wright lay fourth in class and second in the 208 trophy. A hard push over the next two stages resulted in the Monaghan man finishing the first leg third in class but first in the 208 Trophy.

The second day was to be a real test of man and machine with fifteen stages to tackle! On the opening four stages Dilley went on a real charge and took the class lead but Wright was close on his heals and lay just eight seconds behind and second in class going into service. Over the next five stages Wright kept up the charge and managed to keep his championship rival within 16 seconds going into the next service stop. The next five stages were a fantastic spectacle as the two competitors exchanged time through the stages and heading into the final stage he lay just under sixteen seconds behind Dilley. Through the final stage and it was second in class finishing just over thirteen seconds behind Dilley and second in the 208 Trophy.

            Speaking after the event a delighted Stephen Wright said “It was a great rally I really enjoyed it. It’s a very specialised rally so it was a good feeling to run Dilley so close.” The next round of the Belgian Rally Championship is the East Belgian Rally at the end of the month.

MIXED RESULTS FOR MONAGHAN CREWS ON LAKELAND RALLY

It was a mixed bag of results for Monaghan crews on the Lakeland Stages Rally last weekend. The 8 stage event, which was a round of the Northern Ireland Rally championship spawned and entry list that included Kenny McKinstry, Sam and Josh Moffett and Johnny Leonard to name a few, the spectators were in for a real treat.

            SS1 saw Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna take the early lead just 1 second ahead of Donegal’s Donagh Kelly and Mark Cassidy. Irish Forestry Championship regular Pat O’Connell along with navigator Derek Gebbs finished stage 1 in 3rd just 2 seconds behind Moffett with Marty McKenna and Martin McGarrity in 4th. Moffett extended his lead over Kelly by a second on SS2 continuing his impressive start to the event. Desi Henry jumped from 5th to 3rd overtaking Marty McKenna and Pat O’Connell who dropped to 7th. SS3 saw Donagh Kelly take the lead from Josh Moffett, the Donegal man now led the Combilift Rallying driver by two seconds with Desi Henry 13 seconds behind in 3rd. A bad stage for McKenna saw him and co-driver Martin McGaarrity drop down the order to 14th as Martin Cairns and Kevin Flanagan inheriting 4th with the recovering Pat O’Connell up to 5th. The final stage of the first half of the rally saw Kelly and Moffett continue their epic battle with the Monaghan man taking a second off the Mini WRC driver to head into service just one second off lead.

            Into stage 5 and Josh Moffett went on a real charge and beat Donagh Kelly by 3 seconds to take the lead by just two seconds. Moffett extended his led in SS6 but problems on SS7 saw him drop time with Donagh Kelly taking the lead by 4 seconds. Moffett was forced to retire on the final stage, his class 20 Mitsubishi Evolution 9 suffering mechanical issues robbing spectators of spectacular finish. In the end it was Donagh Kelly ho took victory by over half a minute from Desi Henry with Martin Cairns in 3rd.

            It was a good day for Sam Moffett, the Combilift Rallying driver took the class two win and 6th overall along with co-driver James O’Reilly in their Evo 9. Marty McKenna and Martin McGarrity finished 9th overall. It was disappointment for Andy and Derek Mackerel who retired on SS3 in their Ascona while lying 5th in class 6.

Galway Summer Rally
It was another good day on the stages for Monaghan’s Josh Moffett. The Combilift Rallying driver, navigated by John Rowan, took a convincing win in Group N on the Galway Summer Rally last Sunday and has gotten his bid for 2014 National Group N honours back on track.
Moffett made his intentions clear on stage one with a time of 10:30.6 which was 14.6 seconds ahead of Stephen McCann and Paul Kelly. Championship leader Shane Maguire and Stephen Thornton were a further 10.8 seconds behind in third. By the time cars entered first service Moffett had increased his lead to 45.2 seconds over Mc Cann with Maguire not letting second out of his sight, he was just twelve seconds behind in third.
Drama was to follow on stage 4 as Stephen McCann rolled his Evo 9 out of the event and by second service Moffett was in full control and led the Group N field by over a minute and a half. On the final loop there was no let up on the charge as the Combilift Rallying driver crossed the finish line almost two and a half minutes ahead of fellow Monaghan rivals Shane Maguire and Stephen Thornton who finished 2nd in class and 9th over. Speaking at the end of the rally Josh had this to say ” Yeah we’re over the moon, it was a great rally some great stages. The result will really help with regards the championship as we missed a few rounds earlier in the year.” Maguire/Thornton’s 2nd in class was a valuable points haul as they still lead the group N championship.
Elsewhere Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor who took 5th in class 14. Jonathan Treanor navigated Colin O’Rourke to 3rd in class 13. It was a good day for Packie Duffy and Evin Hughes who took second in class 3. Commiserations to Emmett Sherry, Justin Smyth and James McCarville who failed t make the finish.
The event was won by the Boyle cousins, Declan and Brian from Donegal with almost a minute of an advantage over top seeds and Welsh man Hugh Hunter . Roy White and James O’Brien rounded off the podium places in third in the MG ZR Rover.

National Loose Surface AutoCross Championship
Congratulations to Derek Mackarel who took his Scanbitz Nova to 3rd overall and a class win in the Carlow Loose Surface Autocross on Sunday. This result increases Derek’s overall lead of the National Loose Surface Autocross with two rounds remaining.

Clare Stages Rally
Sam Moffett and Cavan’s Gary Kiernan are to swop cars for the Clare Stages Rally. Sam will get behind the wheel of Gary’s MK2 Escort to experience rear wheel drive for the first time while Gary will have a go in his Evo 9. Speaking on Monday Sam said; “I’ve always wanted to have a go in a proper rear wheel drive car and I’m grateful to Gary for giving me the chance. We’d been talking about it for a while and Clare seemed like a good rally for us to swap. Gary was out in Germany recently doing my gravel notes and my Evo hasn’t done much rallying since I started using the Fiesta so it’ll be a good opportunity for him too.”

Night Navigation Classes
Please note that Monaghan Motor club have started their night navigation classes ahead of the upcoming night navigation season. These classes started on Friday 29th August but have now moved to a Wednesday night due to unavailability of Threemilehouse GAA complex on a Friday. Its not too late to join in these classes so if you wish to learn more about the sport of night navigations or indeed stages rallying please feel free to attend these classes in Threemilehouse GAA complex on a Wednesday night at 8pm sharp.

It was a weekend to remember for Sam Moffett, James O’Reilly and all involved with Combilift Rallying. Sam and James made their World Rally debut on Rally Germany bringing their Fiesta WRC home in a fantastic 15th overall. The pair had a good first day in the event, learning as they went along. Moffett lay 12th overall going into the overnight halt commenting that the pace at the front was incredible! On a very wet day 2 the pair struggled with tyre issues. Choosing a soft compound rubber for the very long 42km, Panzerplatte Lang stage, Moffetts tyres were down to their canvases by the finish line! Moffett and O’Reilly got over those issues and finished the day in 19th place learning with every stage mile. The final day brought better fortunes as Moffett grew in confidence. He set 13th fastest time on the first two stages of the day and set about bringing the car home on the last two stages. The pair moved up the leader board and crossed the finish line in 15th place. Well done to all of the team!

Carbin and Thornton Take Podium Spot on Sunset Rally
Michael Carbin and Stephen Thornton started their weekend off on the right foot on Friday evening with third place on the Sunset Rally. Organised by the Magherafelt and District Motorclub the event challenged crews to four forestry stages. The Monaghan crew made their intentions known on the first stage with second fastest time in their Evo IV just 2.8 seconds slower than Derek McGeehan in a Mini WRC. By the service halt Enda McNulty had taken second from him and then lost third to Martin Cairns. But the Monaghan pair managed to take the position back and rounded out the top three with a fantastic third place. Arthur Kierans had a great day navigating for Seamus O’Connell going from 12th on stage one to sixth and by the finish taking second in class 7. Martin McGarrity took second in class two navigating for Paul Britton while Emmett Sherry took the honours in class ten navigating for Tommy O’Connell. Mac Kierans navigated Alan Atcheson to second in class five and it was a solid day for Damian and Conor Hagan took third in class six.

Moffett and McKenna Take Third in Cork
Josh Moffett rounded of a fantastic weekend for the Moffett Combilift Rally team when he took third place in the Jim Walsh Cork Forestry Rally round four of the Valvoline Irish Forestry Rally Championship. With Jason McKenna on the notes, the Monaghan crew had a great scrap with Owen Murphy, Pat O’Connell and Derek McGeehan and their positions changed constantly between second and fourth. By the finish ramp Moffett and McKenna had settled for third place and finished 19.1 seconds behind rally winner Owen Murphy. Moffett maintained his lead in the championship heading into round five. Michael Carbin and Stephen Thornton completed a busy weekend by taking eight overall and third in class twenty. Derek Mackerel and Peter Deery brought their Nova home third in class nine. This was Derek’s first competitive stages rally and despite fuel problems on stage 3 they managed to set some good stage time’s throughout the day and used the event as a steep learning curve. Mickey Conlon made the trip to Cork also but unfortunately didn’t make the finish.

Mayo Autocross
Congratulations to Martin Tynan on winning the Mayo Motor Club Frank Harrington Challenge Cup at the Mayo Autocross last weekend in Harringtons quarry, Swinford. . The Clones driver finished second overall on the day just 0.19 seconds behind event winner Adrian Deane and won class 4 in his Evo 9. This 4 round championship was highly competitive and with an overall win, two second’s and a third Martin had done enough to lift the 2014 Mayo Autocross crown.

Night Navigation Classes
The Navigation Trial season is fast approaching and the Motor Club are gearing up for that all important kick off – the navigation classes! If you have a motor sport interest of any kind the Navigation Trials are the best form of obtaining the correct ‘foundation’ to this sport. The scheduled classes will cover the full range of topics including map reading, timing, car regulations and pace notes for stages rallies.
The classes will start on Friday 29th August at 8pm sharp in the excellent facilities of the Sean Mac Diarmada complex in ThreemileHouse. All interested persons should contact Conor on 086 1677446 and register your position on the classes. Registration on the night will also include club membership, maps, roamer and all necessary paperwork to complete the 6 week course. Classes cost 25 euro
The first event after the summer break is the October Trial on Saturday 4th. COC for the event is Micheal McCloskey and Keith McConnon and we look forward to this. (more…)

Martin Tynan and Stephen Thornton were victorious in last weekend’s Monaghan Motor Club Endurance Trial based out of the Four Seasons Hotel.
The pair won the event in their Toyota Starlet by three seconds from Kieran Mc Carra and Gary Mc Crudden with Andrew Mackarel and Richard Cassidy a further sixteen seconds behind in their Opel Ascona.
The event attracted an entry of 23 cars of varying specification who set about tackling the 20 selective’s at 10 venues throughout north Monaghan as set out by CoC Ronnie Hawe and his team. First up was a quick blast around Monaghan Quarries, followed by a tight and slippy test around the combilift factory at Clontibret. Then it was onto a narrow and slippy forest track just outside Ballybay before a visit to Cavan Motor Clubs Hut Cross quarry track in Latton. Wrights Quarry in Swanns Cross was the venue for the 5th selective and all five were repeated before a well deserved dinner break back at the Four Seasons Hotel. The afternoon selective’s were in the North Monaghan regions with two passes over a grassy lane to the back of Niall Maguires house at Hollyrood, next up was the rally school and then onto Wattersons quarry in Carrickroe. Mc Aree Engineering’s Carrickroe factory was the venue for the ninth test followed by a quick blast through a tarmac surfaced lane known locally as McMeels. Endurance by name and endurance by nature as the first car’s arrived back to HQ around 7.30pm. It was a closely fought battle all day but it was Tynan and Thornton who came out on top. As only class 1 cars were eligible for overall honours it was Derek Mackarel and Peter Deery who were deemed 2nd overall with Graham O’Donaghoe and Damian Connolly 3rd overall.
Class one honours went to Karl O’Donoghoe and Evin Hughes in their Rover 200, followed by Enda McLoughlin and Declan Tynan 2nd in class 1 and Paul Gibbons/Mark Reilly 3rd. Class 2 was won by the ultra quick Kieran McCarra in a Mitsubishi Colt followed by Michael and Ciaran Tynan in the 998cc daihatsu cuore. 3rd in class went to Conor Meehan and Brendan Keenan in their starlet. Class 3 went to Peter and Shane Farrell in their Honda civic, followed by Darren McCague and Mark Sheridan in their rover which bore the scares of battle at the finish! Mark Hamill and Greg O’Reilly were 3rd in class 3. Andy Mackarel and Richard Cassidy topped class 5 in their 2 litre opel ascona with Eoghan Corr and Damian Treanor 2nd in class in the Mazda MX5, both crews using there rear wheel power to maximum effect throughout a thoroughly enjoyable day for all competitors.
That’s the endurance trial over for another year and CoC Ronnie Hawe would like to thank everyone who helped organise the event, The Four Seasons Hotel, marshals, land and property owners and anyone else who helped make this a successful event. Next up for Monaghan Motor Club is the first night navigation trial of the new season on Saturday 4th October.

1. Martin Tynan/Stephen Thornton 08:45
2. Kieran McCarra/Gary McCrudden +0.03
3. Andrew Mackarel/Richard Cassidy +0.19
4. Derek Mackarel/Peter Deery +0.55
5. Graham O’Donaghoe/Damien Connolly +1:15
6. Karl O’Donaghoe/Evin Hughes +1:15
7. Eoghan Corr/ Damien Treanor +1:35
8. Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan +1.50
9. Enda McLoughlin/Declan Tynan +2.13
10. Peter Farrell/Shane Farrell +2:36

MOFFETT SET FOR WRC DEBUT
Monaghan’s Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly are set to make their World Rally Championship debut this weekend. The Monaghan pair will tackle the ADAC Rallye Deutschland in their Fiesta WRC. The Combilift Rallying team has secured the sponsorship of DSV for the event and will be looking forward to a massive learning curve on the German stages. The team have had a great year on the national scene so far.

NIGHT NAVIGATION CLASSES
Monaghan Motor Club will once again run their highly successful night navigation classes this year ahead of the upcoming night navigation season starting in October. These class’s are designed for beginners who would like to dip their feet into the world of motorsport, with night navigations being the grass roots of the sport and the first step on the ladder. So if your interested in learning about the sport and how to read maps and indeed pace notes for stages rally why not come along to the first of our classes which start on Friday 29th August. Time and venue to be confirmed next week and also keep an eye out on our Monaghan Motor club face book page as well as http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net Please text your details to Conor on 0861677446 to book a place on this course.

R.I.P. TIMOTHY CATHCART
Monaghan Motor Club would like to extend its sympathies and thoughts to the family and friends of Timothy Cathcart who tragically lost his life at the Ulster Rally yesterday. R.I.P. Also we extend our best wishes to Dai Roberts for a speedy recovery

It was a day to remember for Shane Maguire and Stephen Thornton as the pair led from start to finish to take an impressive Group N win at the Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally. With championship leader Josh Moffett not starting the event the Maguire International pair knew a good result could have great benefits to their championship ambitions.
It was a close fought battle over the first two tests with Maguire and Dublin’s Neil and Gerard Tohill separated by 4.6 seconds however after stage 3 Maguire had increased his advantage by 27.2 seconds with Gus Kearney and Eddie O’Neill just 6.4 seconds further back. Stage 4 saw Maguire extend his lead even further. The Monaghan man said he made the right decision by putting extra cuts into his tyres as he extended his lead to 42.6 seconds. After the second loop Maguire had extended his lead to 57.7 seconds while Kearney had taken second off Tohill. The final loop saw the Maguire International pair increase their lead yet again. The pair took victory by 1:28.5 from Gus Kearney and Eddie O’Neill while Neil and Gerard Tohill finishing a further 1:26.6 behind in third.
Mickey Conlon and Ciaran McPhillips had a great event in class 13 also. The pair took the lead from Cavan’s Gary Kiernan on stage 3 and from there were involved in a great battle with Killkenny’s James Coleman. Conlon and McPhillips led the class for the second loop but a road penalty left them 1.4 seconds behind Coleman after stage 7. It was all out attack to the end and the pair managed to snatch the class win on the last stage by just 2.1 seconds. The crew also got 5th overall and second in the modified section for their efforts. Barry Treanor and Michael Brennan had a great run to second in class 11R in their Mk2 Escort. Paul Sheridan was in the navigators seat for Tyrone’s Vivian Hamill but the pair only managed three stages before retiring. Barry McKenna and Mac Kierans were competing in class 13 but failed to complete stage 1.
The event was won overall by Darragh O Riordan in his fiesta WRC, followed by James Stafford in the infamous Darrian, with Welsh man Steve Wood 3rd overall in a WRC subaru.

Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally Top 10
1 Darragh O’Riordan/Tony McDaid (Fiesta WRC) 63m 43s,
2 James Stafford/Amy Ryan (Darrian T90 GTR) 64m 28s,
3 Steve Wood/Keith Moriarty (Impreza WRC) 65m 45s,
4 Kevin Barrett/Anthony Nestor (Impreza WRC) 65m 58s,
5 Mickey Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips (Escort) 67m 12s,
6 James Coleman/Liam Brennan (Escort) 67m 14s,
7 Pat Donegan/Alan Keena (Escort) 67m 32s,
8 Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne (Escort) 67m 41s,
9 David Condell/Eugene McGrath (Escort) 67m 54s,
10 Mickey Curran/Enda Gerety (Escort) 68m 15s.

Monaghan Motor Annual Endurance Trial
All roads lead to Monaghan this weekend for the Monaghan Motor Clubs annual endurance trial. The event which is based out of the Four Season’s Hotel promises a fantastic day’s motorsport. Entries are still being accepted and entry forms can be downloaded from the Monaghan Motor Club Website, http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net Any enquiries can be directed to CoC of the event, Ronnie Hawe on 0868277779. Scrutineering will take place in Sams Bridge (Across from the Four Seasons) at 7.30 a.m. with the event starting at 10.00 a.m. As always, marshals are in very short supply so please if anyone is interested or available please contact Ronnie as soon as possible and be at the Four Seasons before 8.30am Sunday morning.

McKenna And Wright All Set For Ulster
Daniel McKenna will start the Toddsleap Ulster Rally tomorrow knowing that a good result will bring him another step closer to his first British Rally Championship title victory. The Scotshouse driver goes into Round 4 of the BRC with a 20 point lead over his nearest rival Welshman Osian Pryce.
McKenna, who had a pre – event test in his Citroen DS3 last week says that despite his lead in the championship he will still be approaching the event in a sensible fashion. The BRC section of the event was won by Pryce last year but depite this McKenna is in a confident mood stating that he has more experience on this type of terrain.
Stephen Wright will also be tackling the event in his Peugeot 208 R2. The Newbliss man has been impressing in the Belgian Rally Championship this year and it will be his first Irish event since the Laois Heartland Rally back in June . Wright says the competition in the R2 category will be stiff and he’s relishing the challenge.
Despite his time away from Irish events he’s confident he has a good set up for the car ahead of the event. Emmett Sherry will be challenging him in the R2 category, navigating for Calvin Beattie.

It was announced last week that Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly are to make their World Rally Championship debut at Rally Germany next month. The pair will compete in their Combilift Rallying Fiesta WRC. The pair have had a successful year so far in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and the National Rally Championship and are seeded at 23 for their maiden WRC voyage.

Good Result for the Wrights in Luxembourg

Stephen and Suzanne Wright travelled abroad last weekend to attack Rally Luxembourg in their Peugeot 208 R2 and the Monaghan pair had a successful event. The Wrights finished a fantastic 13th overall and 5th in the R2 class. They also netted 2nd in the 208 class. There was a few hiccups along the way however. A difference in the local rules to Irish regulations resulted in Stephen suffering a big time loss after a stage cancellation. The pair also lost 10 seconds having to stop at an accident on Day 2. Apart from that it was a good run for the pair. The next outing for Stephen will be the Ulster Rally next month. This event will also see Daniel McKenna continue his bid for British Rally Championship glory. Since it was announced recently that the final round of the BRC has been cancelled, so the Ulster Rally will become the second last round of the championship. The Moffett brothers will also continue their attack on the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship at this event.

Stephen and Suzanne Wright will return to the Belgian Rally Championship at the Tour of Flanders on the 5th of September

Mayo Motor Club Autocross

Congratulations to Martin Tynan who took victory in his Mitsubishi Evo in last weekends Mayo and District Motorsport Club Loose Surface Autocross event. Martin finished just under half a second ahead of second placed John McGettrick with a fastest time of 03:57.66. This result leaves Martin joint championship leader with Derek Deane going into the final round in approximately 4 weeks time.

Elsewhere Michael Conlon had a good day in his buggy with fourth overall and third in class 6 with a best time of 04:00.09. Derek Mackarel also had a good event in his Nova. Derek posted a fastest time of 04:09.59 and finished 10th overall and took the win in class 2. Derek still leads the national loose surface autocross championship after this event.

Monaghan Motor Club Endurance Trial

Monaghan Motor Club’s annual Endurance Trial will now take place on Sunday the 17th of August. Please note the date change and also if your available to marshal please make yourselves available to any committee member as soon as possible. More details to follow next week.

MOFFETT AND ROWAN CLAIM VICTORY IN SLIGO It was a day to remember for Josh Moffett and the Combilift Rallying team as the young Monaghan driver took his first overall rally win at the Sligo Stages Rally, round 4 of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship. Co-driven by John Rowan the crew won eight of the nine stages to take victory by over three minutes. When it was announced mid – week that Josh would be taking the Fiesta WRC from his brother Sam for the event everyone was keen to see how his transferral from Group N to WRC machinery would go. Things didn’t start well as he had to ask his brother how to start the car in Parc Fermé! But that was the only blip for the local man and he certainly didn’t disappoint during the event taking the lead from earlier pace setter Paddy McVeigh on stage 2 and never looked back to take his maidan rally victory to add to a great year thus far for the Combilift team. Sam Moffett was out in a brand new class 20 Mitsubishi Evo 9 and lay 3rd overall after the opening loop behind Tyrone’s Paddy McVeigh. However McVeigh retired with gearbox problems before stage 5 promoting Sam to 2nd overall and potentially setting up a Combilift Rallying 1-2. Sadly it wasn’t to be as the Evo 9 broke a wishbone on stage 8 forcing Sam’s retirement. Further down the field there were plenty of great results for local crews. Justin Smith and Sharon Clarke recorded a fine top 10 result in the class 13 escort. David Moffett and Fintan Sherry took another class win in 11R. A brilliant battle with Kevin Bradley and Graham Henderson as well as fellow Monaghan crew, Barry Treanor and Colm Connolly saw them switch position a number of times Treanor and Connolly were the early class leaders but unfortunately only completed four stages before retirement. Moffett & Sherry took the class win by nearly two minutes and also lifted the drive of the day award. Emmett Sherry navigated Armagh’s Calvin Beattie to victory in class 6 in the Ford Fiesta. Michael Carbin and Emmett McCooey were the sole survivors in class 20 in their Evo 4 and came home 20th overall. Cathal Sheridan and Peter Deery took their Nova to 2nd in class 10 with a blistering time on the final stage to jump ahead of his rivals. In class 12 Mark Tierney navigated Brian Armstrong to victory beating fellow Monaghan co-driver and runner up in class, Gary McCrudden who was navigating Martin Toner. Steven Corey and Vinnie Boyd took their Escort to 4th in class 13R. Declan Connolly and Alison Hughes took their Honda Civic to 4th in class 9. In the junior rally Stefan McCann and Stephen McElroy came home 6th in their Peugeot 205. In class 14 Jack Maguire and Andy Hayes were leading right up until their retirement in stage seven. Laurence Sherry and Mark Sheridan were 4th in class until retirement on the final stage. Sligo Stages Rally Top 10 1. Josh Moffett/John Rowan (Ford Fiesta WRC) 1:22:10.4 2. Martin Doherty/Kevin Flannagan (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 1:25:10.5 3. Pat Kirk/John McElhinney (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 1:25:35.7 4. Gary Kiernan/Niall Tierney (Ford Escort MK2) 1:25:50.0 5. Trevor Bustard/ John McCafferty (Mitsubishi Evo 9) 1:26:10.9 6. Brian Armstrong/Mark Tierney (Ford Escort MK2) 1:27:29.9 7. Martin Toner/Gary McCrudden (Talbot Sunbeam) 1:27:39:7 8. Anthony Cairns/Mark Preston (Subaru Impreza) 1:27:39.8 9. Ian Gunning/Jeff Gunning (Ford Escort MK2) 1:27:53.7 10. Justin Smyth/Sharon Clarke (Ford Escort MK2) 1:28:11.0 Cork LS Autocross Congratulations to Derek Mackarel on 4th overall and first saloon car home in the Skibbereen Loose Surface Autocross on  Sunday last. Derek also won his class and now finds himself in the lead of the National Loose Surface Autocross Championship after round 3, with 4 remaining.

McKenna/Kierans take top spot in Scotland

Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans took an important step towards British Rally Championship glory last weekend as the Monaghan duo claimed their second BRC victory of the year at RSAC Scottish Rally in Dumfries. McKenna and Kierans overcame visibility issues caused by a build-up of dust in their Citroen DS3 to win the event by over two minutes. Crucial to their championship aspirations was the retirement of their main rivals Osian Pryce and Dale Furniss. The Welsh crew came into the event level on points with McKenna and Kierans but gearbox problems led to their retirement on the penultimate stage. 2nd overall went to Callum Black and Paul Wakely, whilst another Irish crew in Dean Rafferty and Aileen Kelly finished 3rd overall in their Fiesta R2.

            This result for Daniel and Arthur means that the Monaghan crew now lead the championship by 20 points going into round 4, the Todds Leap Ulster Rally in August.

Mixed results for Monaghan Competitors in Waterford

It was a good day for Monaghan crew Michael Conlon and Ciaran McPhillips at the Ravens Rock Rally in Waterford last weekend as the pair took third place in class 13 in their Escort. The Monaghan pair moved into the top 3 on stage 2 and held their position until the end and in doing so also took a fantastic 6th overall. The event was won by Irish rallying star Craig Breen in his Fiesta WRC with Alan Rind 2nd in an EVO 9 and Eoin Doyle 3rd in a focus WRC. Cavan’s Gary Kieran and James Fulton took the two wheel drive honours and 4th overall ahead of Virginia man Chris Armstrong, both in class 13 escorts.

Local competitor Declan McKenna entered the event navigating for Northern Ireland’s Alan Atcheson. The pair contested class 13 in an Escort but unfortunately failed to reach the finish. Local man J. P. McAree also entered class 13 in an Escort. The Monaghan man was navigating for Meath’s Jack Newman but unfortunately also failed to make the finish.

Last weekend saw the running of Ireland’s biggest rally of the year, the Donegal International Rally. This mammoth three day event based in Letterkenny traversed 20 stages over some of Irelands best known rally terrain through County Donegal. Clontibret’s Sam Moffett headed North West looking to make it back to back victories in Donegal having won the event last year. Sam and co-driver James O’Reilly performed magnificently and although they had to settle for the runner up spot they led the rally on the opening Friday stages and were the only crew who were able to mount a serious challenge to eventual winners Declan and Brian Boyle. In the end the winning margin was a mere 35 seconds for the Boyle cousin’s who are the first local Donegal crew to win their home event in over 15 years. Moffett is in fourth place in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship 22 points behind Declan Boyle. Third overall went to Gary Jennings and Rory Kennedy who were almost 3 minutes further adrift.

            In what was to prove a fantastic weekend for the entire Moffett Motorsport family,

Sam’s brother Josh had another convincing Group N win by almost 5 minutes from Cavan man Stephen McCann, with Aaron McHale 3rd. Navigated by John Rowan the Mitsubishi driver lay in second after Day 1 but took the lead on stage 7 and didn’t look back. Josh is currently second in the overall championship 19.5 points behind Boyle.

            In the highly competitive and entertaining national section it was a Monaghan victory

once again as Gary McPhillips and Paul Sheridan took the overall win for the second year in a row. A riveting battle saw McPhillips along with fellow Monaghan crew Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans and Donegal’s Manus Kelly and Donal Barrett battle it out for top honours. Daniel and Arthur had a slender lead after the first two days of competition, trading stage wins with McPhillips but gearbox trouble on stage 15 forced his retirement. With Manus Kelly crashing out, McPhillips and Sheridan took the win by well over a minute from his nearest competitor Conor Harvey. Frank Kelly rounded off the top three in the National Category.

            Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly took a class 13 victory by almost five minutes in the first of the Moffett starlets, whilst younger brother David, navigated by Fintan Sherry won the highly competitive junior rally by just under 30 seconds in the second of the Moffett Engineering backed starlets. There was success also for Mac Kierans who took the win in the Historics Rally co-driving for Seamus O’Connell.

            Other local crews include Anthony Hand and James McCarville who took a fantastic second place in class 11R. Pauric Duffy and Kevin Glynn took sixth in class 16. Gerard McQuaid and Gary Quinlan took 3rd place in class 13. Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor took 6th in class 14 and 10th overall in the National rally while John McQuaid and Seamus O’Connor took 5th in class 14 and 9th in the National Rally. Brendan Cumisky and Gerry McVeigh were running as high as 6th in Group N but unfortunately didn’t make the finish. Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity were also running inside the top 10 in Group N but gearbox problems forced their retirement on Day 2. Brendan and JP McAree sadly failed to see the finish line in their Porsche 911. The crew were running second in class K in the Historics rally until retirement after four stages. Ryan McKenna and Aidan Coyle also failed to finish. The pair were lying 7th overall in the Junior Rally until retirement on stage 3.

Donegal International Rally Top 10

1 Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 21m 56s

2 Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (Ford Fiesta WRC) 2h 22m 31s

3 Garry Jennings/Rory Kennedy (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 25m 14s

4 Derek McGarrity/James McKee (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 26m 42s

5 Josh Moffett/John Rowan (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 2h 33m 09s

6 Stephen McCann/Lisa O’Dowd (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 2h 37m 58s

7 Aaron MacHale/Paul McGee (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 2h 40m 02s

8 Callum Devine/Liam McLaughlin (Ford Fiesta R2) 2h 43m 41s

9 Richard Tannahill/Aileen Kelly (Peugeot 208 R2) 2h 44m 18s

10 Brian O’Keeffe/Sean Hayde (Subaru Impreza) 2h 45m 41s

NATIONAL RALLY:

1 Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan (Ford Escort) 2h 30m 06s,

2 Conor Harvey/Gerard Callaghan (Ford Escort) 2h 31m 24s,

3 Frank Kelly/Liam Brennan (Ford Escort) 2h 31m 34s,

HISTORIC RALLY:

1 Seamus O’Connell/Mac Kierans (Ford Escort) 2h 00m 52s,

2 Andy Johnson/Jim McSherry (Vauxhall Chevette) 2h 05m 47s,

3 Aidan O’Connor/Ian Regan (Ford Escort) 2h 08m 52s,

JUNIOR RALLY:

1 David Moffett/Fintan Sherry (Toyota Starlet) 57m 38s,

2 Patrick O’Brien/Thomas Nugent (Citroen C2R2 Max) 58m 02s,

3 Jonathan Orr/Martin McBrearty (Honda Civic) 58m 52s,

Belgian Rally Championship          

Congratulations to Stephen and Suzanne Wright who finished tenth in class RC4 in the Geko Ypres Rally last weekend in Belgium. The Newbliss pair are currently 3rd in their class in the Belgian Rally championship 15 points off the leader Guillaume Dilley.

A warm summer’s day greeted competitors on Sunday last as Monaghan Motor Club hosted their rallysprint event at Rally School Ireland outside Scotstown. The event, which was sponsored by McAree Engineering LTD, attracted a healthy list of competitors all ready to attack the course which had been laid out by Clerk of the Course John Kelly. The gathering crowd were in for a real enjoyable day as they were treated to everything from buggies to Mark II’s and even a Porsche 911.

            It was Joseph Smith who claimed victory by just 0.8 of a second from the hard charging Gary McPhillips. The two Escort drivers were closely matched all day but Smith came out on top. Michael Tynan took third place in his Evo 5. There was plenty of action throughout the field. Class 6 was a real crowd pleaser as Michael Conlon powered his buggy to victory by less than 10 seconds from Martin Connolly with David Smith in third, both in buggies. In class 5 Michael Tynan won from Cormac McElvaney and Martin Tynan 3rd. Class 4 saw Gary McPhillips, competing ahead of a big weekend for him at the Donegal International Rally; took the win from Justin Smith in his Escort. Class 3B was the busiest category with 10 competitors making the finish. Vincent Deery came out on top in his Nova beating Ronnie Coulter by just over 10 seconds with Richard Cassidy a further 2 and a half seconds behind in third, both of them in Astras. Joseph Smith took class 3A  by 40 seconds from Patrick Corey both in Escorts. In class 2B it was Pauric Duffy who took the win in his Citroen C2R2 by just under 15 seconds from John McCabe in his Escort with Gerry McIntyre a further 3 seconds behind in his starlet. Derek Mackarel took top spot in class 2A in his Nova. The Monaghan man was 16 seconds ahead of Shane Marron in his Escort. He narrowly beat Adrian Foley who was half a second behind in third in his Corsa. Michael Brennan took class 1B in his Nova by almost 5 seconds from Aidan Coyle in his Escort with Damien Connolly taking third in his Peugeot, a further second and a half behind. Finally in class 1A Alan Pickins took victory by almost 8 seconds in his Corsa beating Ronan Greene’s Nova with Kevin Flannagan narrowly missing out on the runner up spot. The Mini driver was only 0.1 seconds behind in third. Kieran McCarra took Entertainer of the Day in his Rover 25. The Monaghan man proving to the crowd that a front wheel driver can be driven sideways on tarmac!

            CoC John Kelly would like to convey his sincere thanks to all the marshal’s and club members who helped out on the day. To Rally School Ireland for the use of their excellent facilities, Eamon McKenna for the great job he did as MC which was both informative and entertaining. Also to Frankie McCarey in McCagues pub, Scotstown for hosting the prizegiving and providing the food. Also a big thanks to Brendan McAree and McAree Engineering Ltd for sponsoring this event and coming up with a very unique design for the trophies which were fabricated in their engineering facility at Balinode. Over €600 was raised on the day by Monaghan Motor Club for two worthy charities, Alzheimers Ireland and Downsyndrome Ireland who were hosting their annual Ice Cream Sunday event in Balinode also.

1. Monaghan Motor Club Rallysprint Top 10

1Joseph Smith (Escort) 8m 08.28s

2 Gary McPhillips (Escort) 8m 09.12s

3 Michael Tynan (Lancer Evo 5) 8m 10.33s

4 Vincent Deery (Nova) 8m 12.44s

5 Pauric Duffy (Citroen C2R2) 8m 15.94s

6 Cormac McElvaney (Lancer Evo 7) 8m 17.10s

7 Derek Mackarel (Nova) 8m 19.22s

8 Martin Tynan (Lancer Evo 8) 8m 20.84s

9 Ronnie Coulter (Astra) 8m 23.09s

10 Richard Cassidy (Astra) 8m 25.39s

Donegal International Rally

Attention now turns to next weekend as many local crews prepare to tackle the biggest event in Ireland’s motorsport calendar, the Donegal International Rally. Among them are last year’s winners Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly. The Clontibret crew will be hoping to make it back to back victories in their Combilift backed Fiesta WRC. Daniel McKenna and Gary McPhillips will be battling it out for the win in the National section as the two Escort drivers look to rekindle their intense battle during the Monaghan Stages Rally earlier in the year. Josh Moffett and Brendan Cumiskey will be in the hunt for group N honours. Jim Mc Kenna and John McQuaid also bring their class 14 escorts to the Donegal Hill’s. Gerard McQuaid, Anthony Hand, Richard Moffett, and Shane Maguire are also on the top class entry list. Ryan McKenna and David Moffett will surely be in contention in the junior Rally with Brendan McAree sporting his porsche 911 in the historic event. Best of luck to all competitors and full report next week.

Wright’s Heading Back To Belgium

Motorsport Ireland Young Rally Driver of the Year Stephen Wright heads back to Belgium this weekend to take on the challenge of the Geko Ypres Rally in his Peugeot 208 R2. The rally is one of the most popular on the European continent and has attracted a stellar entry including over 40 cars in the R2 category alone and will provide a stern test for the talented County Monaghan driver and his co-driving sister Susanne.

            Despite the strong entry, Stephen is hopeful the pair can perform well on the challenging Belgian roads where they have already picked up a string of solid results. Speaking before he set off for Ypres Stephen said; “This rally has provided the toughest field of competitors that Susanne and I will have ever competed against. Our focus will remain on the 208 Rally Trophy and accumulating more points in it. However, it would be nice to be in the mix for a podium among the Junior European Championship runners having narrowly missed out on a top 3 placing on the Circuit of Ireland at Easter.”

            It has been almost 2 months since Stephen’s last foray to Belgium where he finished 5^th among the 208 Rally Trophy runners on the Rallye de Wallonie but he has kept his eye in by tackling rallies on home soil and working on the set up of the pocket rocket Peugeot. “We’ve completed a couple of local events since Wallonie and the feeling is very good with the car now so I’m excited to get going in Ypres” said Stephen.

            The action in Ypres starts on Friday afternoon when the crews leave the historic town to complete 7 challenging stages before the overnight halt. Saturday resumes with a 10.00am start with 13 stages (including the 27.56km Hollebeke stage) to complete before returning to the finish ramp at 10.00pm.

Monaghan Motor Club Rallysprint

Monaghan Motor Club, in association with Mc Aree Engineering, Balinode will host their first Rallysprint for quite a few years in the idealic facilities that is Rally School Ireland, Scotstown this Sunday. This is a rare chance for competitors to test the Rally School’s circuit in your own race/rally cars. Their will also be some buggies competing. Clerk of Course John Kelly and his team are hard at work piecing together what is promised to be an enjoyable event with minimum 4 timed runs over the 2.2km track. Mc Aree Engineering Ltd. Ballinode are main sponsors of the event and regulations and entry forms are available on club website at http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net Proceedings will kick off at 8am sharp with Mechanical and paper scrutiny, followed by familiarisation run on foot or bicycle, with first timed runs starting at 10.30am sharp. Mr Scanbitz himself, Eamonn McKenna is coming out of retirement to MC for the day and keep the crowds informed of all that is happening.  All competitors doing the event are urged to please get your entries in early so that the organisers can make their final preparations knowing the extent of the entry list. A one day rally licence is available on the day for once off competitors , or anyone not holding a current licence but must be booked with the Motor Club in advance. See regs on Motor Club website for further information. Prize giving and refreshments will follow at approximately 6pm in McCagues, Scotstown village with the possibility of a barbeque, weather permitting.

Laois Heartlands Mini Stages Rally

Well done to all the locals who made the trip to Portlaoise on Sunday last for the Laois Heartlands Mini Stages Rally. The event was won by Ed O’Callaghan and Ger Clancy who had a slender 13 second win over 2nd place Vivian Hamill and Paul Sheridan in a class 13 escort. George Condell and Patrick Brides were 3rd overall in a class 13 starlet. Stephen and Suzanne Wright were 6th overall with a class win to boot in their Peugeot 208 with Cavan’s Gary Kiernan 9th overall and 2nd in class.

Limerick Stages Rally

Last Sunday saw Limerick Motor Club host round four of the Dunlop National Rally Championship and as ever a number of Monaghan crews made the journey south. Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly continued their fine run of form to claim another overall win in their Ford Fiesta WRC. They finished just 4.6 seconds in front of last year’s event winner Kevin Kelleher (Subaru WRC) with Welsh man Steve Wood rounding off the top 3, also in a subaru. Monaghan’s Paul Kelly navigated local Limerick native Paul Purtill to a fine eighth overall and 2nd in class 13 driving an escort. Josh Moffett and John Rowan scored another fine group N win with Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity runners up in the production category.  Paul Sheridan guided Vivian Hamill to thirteenth overall and 2nd in class 14. Michael Carbin and Stephen Thorton also had a fine run to third in class however a stage 5 puncture robbed them of a much better result.

Monaghan Motor Club Rally Sprint

Monaghan Motor Club will run a Rallysprint in Rally School Ireland, Scotstown on Sunday 15th June. Clerk of Course John Kelly and his team are hard at work piecing together what is promised to be an enjoyable event with minimum 4 timed runs over the 2.2km track. Mc Aree Engineering Ltd. Ballinode are main sponsors of the event and regulations and entry forms are available on club website at http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net. All competitors doing the event are urged to please get your entries in early so that the organisers can make their final preparations knowing the extent of the entry list. A one day rally licence is available on the day for once off competitors, or anyone not holding a current licence but must be booked with the Motor Club in advance. More information next week.

Niall Maguire and Conor Foley came out on top last weekend on the 2014 Kilmore Hotel Cavan Stages Rally with just under two minutes to spare over Rodney Wilton and Conor McMahon. This event was the third counting round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship and this win is Nialls sixth outright win in Cavan whilst Conor finally got his hands on the overall cup after almost twenty years of trying. Ballyjamesduff man Rodney Wilton kept the pressure on the Ballinode pairing throughout the day but following overnight rain the slippy and greasy conditions left it almost impossible for Wilton/McMahon to maximise the potential of their escort against the four wheel drive advantage of Maguire/Foley. Donegal men Trevor Bustard and John McCafferty took 3rd overall in their group N Evo. Michael Carbin and Emmett McCooey stormed up the leader board throughout the day to finish an excellent 4th overall. Arguably the drive of the day must go to Paddy Boyle and Martin Sherlock. They brought their class 13 escort home to 5th overall with some top 3 stage times to boot. The Cavan men seemed at home on these stages and their times proved just that in tricky conditions.

            Wet and slippy was the order of the day for all competitors over the first two loops of the Cavan Stages Rally last Sunday. This years stages consisted of a compact loop surrounding the Bunnoe, Kill and Castletara areas. Its been over 15 years since the rally traversed the Kill area in its entirety taking in the famous lanes like the stoney trough, lung lane and Knobbies Jumps which just like old times claimed quite a few retirements along the way. Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly were on their usual good pace to finish in 8th overall and 2nd in class to the flying Cavan men, Paddy Boyle and Marty Sherlock. Other locals to fair well included Stephen Wright and Karl Atkinson who finished top front wheel drive car and 11th overall. Jack Maguire and Andy Hayes finished 2nd in class 14 behind Adrian Hetherington and Gary Nolan. Johnno and Padraig Doogan finished 15th overall in their hired class 13 escort. Brian Armstrong and Mark Tierney took the class 12 honours ahead of James Cassidy and Declan Smith. Arthur and Mac Kierans had a tough day at the office with fuel pressure problems before the opening stage, plug lead woes on stage 3 and a puncture on stage 7 meant the Aghabog men were happy to make the finish at all! David Moffett and Fintan Sherry came out on top in the highly competitive class 11R in the Moffett Engineering backed starlet. Martin McPhillips and Ciaran Tynan were counting their blessings to make the finish with 2nd in class after their twin cam developed driveshaft/gearbox issues on the final loop and nursed the McPhillips Engineering backed corolla to final control in 26th overall. Barry Treanor and Colm Connolly also had a testing day but managed to secure 3rd in class and 30th overall, making it a Monaghan top 3 in class 11R. Cootehill’s Darren O’Brien and John McCabe had been as high as 12th overall in their class 11F civic but a puncture on stage 8 dropped them back to 25th overall. 11F was won by Chris Snow with Adrian Cannon 3rd. Class 10 went the way of Carrickroe brothers John and Niall Kelly with Ballyhaise men Adrian and Anthony Foley in 2nd. Cathal Sheridan and Evin Hughes finished 3rd in class 10, after surviving a big moment at the chicane on Knobbies Cross Roads with the Nova bearing all the haul marks of good quality Cavan round bales!

            Class 9 was won by Gene Callan and Sean Brunton with Gene McDonald and Kevin Reilly in 2nd and Declan Connolly and Alison Hughes 3rd. Class 15 which is for Group N production cars out of homologation went to Martin and Declan Tynan in their EVO 8 and they too had a testing day with a puncture and a broken drive shaft but nevertheless they managed to finish and take the class win. South Monaghan men Martin Swinburn and Keith McConnon had an excellent debut in their 1600 twin cam to take the overall win on the Junior Rally. Martin only acquired the car last Tuesday from Donegal and it surely was a baptism of fire to take a 3second win from Adrian Sweeney and Gary Lockart.

            So that’s Cavan Stages finished for another year, well done to all locals who finished, never mind win crystal in what was easily one of the toughest events for years with the slippy conditions. Next up in the Sligo Pallets Border Championship is Sligo Stages Rally on 13th July.

1. Cavan MC Hotel Kilmore Stages Rally Top 10

1 Niall Maguire/Conor Foley (Impreza WRC) 80m 37s

2 Rodney Wilton/Conor McMahon (Escort) 82m 24s

3 Trevor Bustard/John McCafferty (Lancer Evo 9) 83m 08s

4 Mickey Carbin/Emmet McCooey (Lancer Evo 4) 83m 23s

5 Paddy Boyle/Marty Sherlock (Escort) 83m 26s

6 David Leonard/Darragh Mullen (Lancer) 83m 37s

7 Pat Kirk/John McElhinney (Lancer Evo 9) 83m 41s

8 Richard Moffett/Martin Connolly (Starlet) 83m 58s

9 Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Escort) 84m 04s

10 Russell Woods/Gary Gallagher (Escort) 84m 11s

Locals to the Fore in Wicklow

ALMC Motor Club ran their maiden Forestry Rally event last Saturday in the picturesque surroundings of Glendalough in North Wicklow for the first time since 2006. A four stage compact event with a great entry of 79 starters left the Glendalough Hotel to tackle the 40 stage kilometres in “The Garden of Ireland”. Corks Owen Murphy and James O’Brien had a slender 7 second overall win from Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna. The Monaghan men kept the pressure on throughout the day but in the end Murphy made no mistakes to take the win. Paul Sheridan was navigating for Enda McNulty and they too had a great run on new terrain to take 3rd overall in the subaru. 

            Michael Carbin and Stephen Thornton had their best result to date with a fine 5th overall and a class 20 win to boot. Michael Conlon and Ciaran McPhillips brought the trusty MC Blinds escort back to the gravel and had a great run to 12th overall and 2nd in class. Mac Kierans was in the hotseat with Jason Roach to finish 16th overall and 3rd in class 5A in their escort. So all in all a great days rallying for the Monaghan crews in Wicklow.

Cavan Stages Rally

Best of luck to all competitors on this weekends upcoming Kilmore Hotel Cavan Stages Rally. A fine line-up of entries will take to the Cavan roads on Sunday morning with many Monaghan club members sure to be in the mix for overall and class honours. As always marshals are always in demand and anyone available should make themselves known to Kerry Stevenson or any committee member. Full report next week.

Carlow Stages Rally

Last weekend saw Carlow Car Club run their popular stages rally, the third counting round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship. This year was also the tenth anniversary of the highly acclaimed mk2 challenge. The event opened with several slippy stages and proved a real test for eventual winners Hugh Hunter/Andy Marchbank who were closely followed by Melvyn Evans/Mark Glennerster whilst Roy White/James O’Brien finalised the top three. Wesley Patterson/Johnny Baird ran out winners of the Mk2 challenge from Frank Kelly/Liam Brennan. Top Monaghan finisher Paul Sheridan guided Vivian Hamill to third place closely followed by Stephen Thornton who was navigating for Enda McNulty, finishing in fourth place Escort and 12th overall. In class 4, Danny Barry/Gordon Noble were victorious and fellow class runners Shane Maguire/Martin McGarrity took their Mitsubishi to 2nd in group N. Breen McGovern/Michael Sherdian took their Citroen Saxo to 6^th in class 6. Barry Treanor had a less fortunate event retiring on stage 6 whilst holding a fine 2nd in class 11.

Mayo Autocross

Well done to all local competitors who made the long journey West to compete in the ever popular Harringtons quarry Mayo loose surface Autocross. Local man Derek Deane won the event in a buggy, closely followed by Martin Tynan who was only 2.5 seconds adrift in his EVO 8. Mervin Deane rounded off the top 3, also in a buggy. Michael Conlon also made the trip to take 8th overall in his buggy. Andy and Derek Mackarel were double driving the Mackarel Garden Products backed EVO 4 but hit trouble with differential woes but despite this Andy managed 14th overall

Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly have popped the Champaign corks for a second weekend in succession following an emphatic win on last weekends Cartell.ie Killarney Rally of the Lakes. The Combilift backed duo claimed the outright win after two tough days through the Kerry countryside, traversing some of Irelands best known rally stages such as Moll’s Gap, Healy’s Pass and Cod’s Head. Declan and Brian Boyle had been leading the event through the Saturday stages but they crashed out in the WRC Subaru. Then it was Donagh Kelly who took over the mantle but he too crashed out on the penultimate stage leaving the travelling Monaghan men to take over the reigns at the helm and guide the Fiesta WRC home to yet another famous victory, following on from their success on their home event, the Hill grove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally the weekend before hand.

            Alan Ring and Adrian Deasy were second overall, almost two minutes and forty seconds adrift of the Combilift Fiesta. Josh Moffett and John Rowan also made it the the podium, finishing a fantastic 3rd overall in their EVO 9. They too were coming off the back of a great result on their home stages, swapping the Group N win for 3rd overall in Killarney, amongst some stiff opposition. Eugene Meegan and Sarah Whelan rounded off a perfect weekend for the travelling Monaghan crews in the International Rally with 4th overall and the Group N win, also in an EVO 9.

            The National category was won by Roy White and James O’Brien in the MG ZR Rover S2000, with Wesley Patterson and Johnny Baird second overall. Donegal’s Declan Gallagher and Ryan Moore thrilled the thousands of spectators with there sideways style to come home in 3rd overall. Clones man Raymond Conlon with Nicola McKenna on the notes had been lying in 10th overall and second in class 13 in the twin-cam corolla before their gearbox let go and forcing their retirement whilst setting some great stage times.

Pirelli Richard Burns Foundation Rally

Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans dropped the chequered flag on their British Rally Championship campaign last weekend with a wonderful 2nd overall result on the Pirelli Rally, based in Carlisle. After 10 demanding gravel stages over the course of Saturday and Sunday the Monaghan duo were only 46seconds adrift of Oisan Pryce and Dale Furniss in a similar Citreon DS3 R3T. This was Daniels first competitive stage mileage on a gravel surface, running on the new Pirelli gravel tyres and an excellent result with the tarmac roads of the Jim Clarke Rally in Scotshouse awaiting the Scotshouse/Aghabog men on 30/31st May.

            Tydavnet man Emmett Sherry also made the trip to Wales to navigate for Calvin Beattie in a Ford Fiesta and they too had a great drive through the Welsh forests to claim 5th overall and 2nd in class 2.

Wright’s April Adventures

Stephen Wright has reached the end of his hectic April schedule that saw him tackle 3 rallies in 3 weekends in Ireland and Belgium behind the wheel of his Peugeot 208 R2. Stephen’s first event of the month saw him travel to the TAC Rally in Belgium, which is based around the town of Tielt. Despite challenging roads and foggy conditions on some of the stages, Stephen with elder sister Susanne on the pacenotes, finished a brilliant 16^th overall and 2^nd among the Peugeot 208 Rally Trophy runners. As an added bonus, Stephen also won the junior driver of the rally award.

            From the roads of West Flanders the Wright Rally cavalcade then travelled all the way back home to take part in the Discover Northern Ireland Circuit of Ireland Rally. The event was a counting round of the Junior European Championship and after a troublesome opening day, Stephen and Susanne eventually climbed to 4^th place, narrowly missing out on a podium among a truly international field of drivers from Norway, Britain, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland and Belgium.

            Finally, it was back to Belgium to compete in the Rallye de Wallonie where Stephen faced a massive challenge with 25 cars entered in his class. Due to work commitments Susanne sat out the rally but a replacement was found in the form of experienced navigator Karl Atkinson and he guided Stephen to 8^th in class and 5^th among the Peugeot Trophy winners. With every mile on the Belgian roads Stephen is continually learning and is looking forward to the remainder of the season.

Squealing Pig Border Navigation Championship Prizegiving

All roads lead to the Squealing Pig in Monaghan this Friday night for the annual border navigation prize giving awards. Dinner will be at 8.30 sharp with prize giving afterwards. This years overall winners were midlands men Colin Duffy and Sam Johnston with a host of local navigation men receiving awards also. Please check out results and award winners on Monaghan Motor Clubs facebook page and come along to the championship sponsor, the Squealing Pig on this Friday night, 9th May for a guaranteed night of craic and banter. Tickets need to be booked ASAP so call or text Andy on 0872558957 to reserve some.

Club Notes/PRO Details

Monaghan Motor Club have set up a new e-mail account solely for the purpose of receiving information from competitors and club members on their exploits throughout the year in all forms of motorsport competition. All competitors are urged to e-mail action photos (no watermarks) and a short note on how they got on in any event throughout the year. We need these details for weekly reports and Facebook news. The e-mail address is rallynews1@gmail.com Obviously we cannot guarantee everything will be published but your input would be greatly appreciated to try and cover all members and their endeavours. 

A sun quenched morning greeted all competitors and supporters alike to the 2nd round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship at the idealic Hillgrove Hotel last Sunday for the running of Monaghan Motor Clubs annual Stages Rally. Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly recorded their second overall win in as many years in their Fiesta WRC. The local  Monaghan men recorded fastest stage times on all nine stages to make it a double on their home event with a two minute advantage from their nearest rivals Peadar Hurson and Damien Connolly in the unique Cosworth WRC. Daniel McKenna and Stephen Hagan took 3rd overall in their escort. Indeed the battle for two wheel drive honours was fierce with Daniel and Stephen locked in a battle with Gary McPhillips and Paul Sheridan with both crews sharing the stage wins count over the first two loops. Unfortunately for McPhillips/Sheridan their challenge came to an end at the end of stage 7 when there gearbox developed an oil leak which ultimately forced their retirement and allowed Daniel coast home for 3rd overall. Kevin Barrett finished 4th overall and lifted the class 8 honours while Josh Moffett and John Rowan rounded off the top 5 and claimed the group N production class.

            CoC for this prestigious event was Brendan Flynn and along with his team of stage commanders and chief marshals they set out a fabulous route of 3 fast flowing stages in the Sheetrim, Ballybay and Ardaghey areas of West Monaghan with centralised service in the towns main car park. With the sun beaming brightly all day, tyre choice was not an issue as the bumper entry of 131 cars crossed the start ramp to tackle the 9 stages. Many class battles emerged throughout the day as well as hard luck stories. Cavan’s Rodney Wilton and Conor Mc Mahon finally got the result they hoped for with a class 14 win and 6th overall. Monaghan’s John McQuaid and Seamus O’Connor had a great spin through the Monaghan countryside to claim 2nd in class 14 and 8th overall just ahead of Donegals Brian Brogan. Other locals to feature in class 14 included Jack Maguire in 12th overall and Thomas O’Connell and Emmet Sherry in 27th overall. The class 13 battle was fierce as ever with Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly having  the drive of their life to finish in 7th overall and class winners. Raymond Conlon and Darren McCague kept the pressure on Moffett all day to round off the top ten with 2nd in class in the twin cam corolla. Gerard McQuaid took 3rd in class, just 7 seconds ahead of Russell Woods. Damian Hagan and Ciaran McGorman also made the finish in class 13 to 29th overall.

            The class 12 battle was a two way affair for most of the day with Justin Smith and Sharon Clarke holding the advantage over Arthur and Mac Kierans with both crews setting blistering stage times which saw Smith/Clarke up to 16th overall after six stages but unfortunately a puncture on stage 7 put an end to their charge, leaving the Kierans duo

with the class 12 win ahead of Martin Toner in 2nd and Brian Armstrong/Mark Tierney in 3rd. Smith and Clarke eventually finished 4th in class. Class 11R was the biggest of the day with 17 entries. A fierce battle ensued throughout the day with David Moffett and Fintan Sherry coming up trumps with 19th overall and the class win. This rounded of a picture  perfect day for the whole Moffett cousins with 3 class wins and of course the overall win for Sam. 2nd in class 11R went to Kevin Bradley with Barry Treanor and Colm Connolly 3rd in the almost new escort. Martin McPhillips and Ciaran Tynan were 4th in class whilst Sean McCaul and Lorcan Kennedy dusted off the G3 for a days sport and finished 6th in class. Ryan and Nicola McKenna had numerous car issues pre-event but at least got a finish and 7th in class. Cathal McGlone and Mark Deery were 8th, Gerry and Aaron McIntyre 9th and Raymond Scott 10th. Christopher Brennan and Patrick Lyons finished 4th in the class 11 front wheel drive class.

            Class 10 also had another big local entry  with Cathal Sheridan and Evin Hughes enjoying their day in the sun with a class win in the newly built Nova. Ballybays David and Aaron Dixon were 2nd in class with Martin McGuigan and Ryan Brennan 3rd. Padraig Connolly and Padraig Corrigan were 5th in a Peugeot 106. Class 9 honours fell to Cootehills Gene McDonald with Kevin Reilly on the notes in the newly built escort, ahead of Declan Connolly and A Hughes in 2nd with Peter and Shane Farrell taking 3rd in the hired escort. Laurence Sherry and Mark Sheridan had a troubled day but finished the event in 4th. Rodger Kennedy and Wendy Blackledge were the sole finishers in class 7. Class 6 went the way of Darragh Kelly in a Citreon C2R2 with Paddy McDaid 2nd in a similar C2.

            Josh Moffetts 5th overall was more than enough for the class 4 win with Maurice Greaney in 2nd. Pat Kirk was 3rd in an EVO 9 with Martin and Declan Tynan 4th in group N in the EVO 8. Matthew McKenna was navigating for Liam McFall but encountered problems to eventually make the finish, 6th in class. Mark Ewing was the sole finished of class 3 with class 2 going the way of David Keller in a civic with Brian Quigley/Seamus McTigue in 2nd. Francie McKenna and Sean Craig kept up the fight in class 1 with the win in the MG ZR Rover. Class 20 went to David Leonard and Darragh Mullan who finished in 13th overall, followed by Michael Carbin and Emmet McCooey who finished in 23rd place. The junior class 16 was won by Shane Forde and Brian McLoughlin in a civic, followed by Stefen McCann in a 205 and Barry Gallagher 3rd in a civic.

            With dry weather conditions and fast stages their are always casualties and Sunday was no different. Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor were on a real charge but there day ended with prop shaft failure. Enda McNulty and Stephen Thornton also retired at the end of stage 7 with mechanical gremlins. Johno and Padraig Doogan retired after the first loop in their hired class 13 escort. Paddy Boyle and Marty Sherlock re-joined the event under rally 2 guidance but still failed to make the finish, just not their day! Sean Agnew and Peter Deery retired on stage 4 whilst David Smith and Jason McKenna only managed to complete the first stage. Paddy O’Reilly and Loretta Kelly were up the their usual entertaining tricks but retired on stage 9. John and Niall Kelly were in the lead of class 10 in their twin cam but failed to make it out of stage 3 with mechanical issues. Stephen Rushe and Conor Hagan were in a battle for class 10 honours with eventual winners Cathal Sheridan and Evin Hughes but were cruelly forced into retirement on the last stage. Jonathan Treanor and Adrian Foley had a sudden end to the day over jumps on stage 3 in the newly built Nova.

            So that’s the ever popular Monaghan Stages Rally finished for another year. Well done to Sam and James on the outright win and good luck on the Killarney Rally of the lakes this weekend. CoC Brendan Flynn would like to convey his sincere thanks to our Main sponsor, The Hillgrove Hotel. He also wishes to express his thanks to all local business’s who took ad’s in the rally programme. To all residents and property owner’s along the route. To the Gardai and County Council for their continued support. To his stage commanders, chief marshal, event secretaries and assistant Coc’s without whose help this event could not have been the success it was. Finally to everyone else who helped out in any way, big or small.

            Monaghan Motor Club would also like to wish Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans  the very best of luck this weekend when they head to England to compete in the first round of the British Rally Championship in the Pirelli Citreon DS3 R3.

Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally Top 10

1 Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (Fiesta WRC) 79m 53s

2 Peadar Hurson/Damien Connolly (Escort WRC) 81m 53s

3 Daniel McKenna/Stephen Hagan (Escort) 82m 17s

4 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 84m 10s

5 Josh Moffett/John Rowan (Lancer Evo 9) 84m 15s

6 Rodney Wilton/Conor McMahon (Escort) 84m 41s

7 Richard Moffett/Martin Connolly (Starlet) 85m 35s

8 John McQuaid/Seamus O’Connor (Escort) 85m 37s

9 Brian Brogan/Damien McGettigan (Escort) 85m 53s

10 Raymond Conlon/Darren McCague (Corolla) 86m 27s

This weekend will see the culmination of hard work and planning over the past six months come to fruition for CoC Brendan Flynn and his dedicated team as the chequered flag is lowered for the 2014 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally. Saturday will see all competitors converge on the Hillgrove Hotel to sign-on for recce and each crew is allowed three passes over the loop of three stage to make their pace notes. Then on Saturday evening scrutiny will take place at McElvaney Motor’s where all cars are meticulously checked for safety features. Then at 9.30 pm on Sunday morning last years winners Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly will lead off a bumper entry of 131 cars to tackle the 9 stage event which boasts 140km of stages and just under 60km of road section. 2nd seed is Niall Maguire and Conor Foley followed by midlands stages winners Paddy McVeigh and Gary McElhinney, both crews in subaru WRC’s. 4th seeds are Kevin Barrett and Sean Mullally with Peader Hurson and Damien Connolly rounding off the top 5 in an escort cosworth WRC. Josh Moffett will head the Group N challenge in 6th, followed by a plethora of escort men which is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Daniel Mc Kenna and Stephen Hagan return to their home event in the Scanbitz escort and are seeded 7th. Gary McPhillips and Paul Sheridan are next up in 8th with Cavan’s Rodney Wilton and Conor McMahon in 9th. Manus Kelly has James McCarville on the notes and they round off a splendid top 10 with Dessie Keenan and Enda Sherry making a return to the stages in a class 13 escort and seeded in 11th.

Shane Maguire and Martin Mc Garrity are at 12, ahead of Donegal’s Trevor Bustard and John McCafferty. Raymond Conlon and Darren McCague are at 15 in the twin cam with Richard Moffett rounding off the top 15 in his class 13 starlet. Jim Mc Kenna and Thomas Treanor are at 20 in their escort. Incredibly there are 16 entrants into the highly powerful class 14 so the stakes are high. Enda McNulty will have Stephen Thornton on the notes and are at 23 with John McQuaid and Seamus O’Connor returning to the stages after a short lay-off and are sure to be back on the pace, seeded at 25. Michael Carbin and Emmet McCooey will be hopeful that they can continue there goo pace of late in class 20 as they run 27th on the road.

Class 12 will see Justin Smyth and Sharon Clarke head the field at 35, followed by Martin Toner and Martin Swinburne. Class 11R is the biggest of the event with 18 entrants set to battle it out over the South Westerly Monaghan stages. Kevin Eves and Chris Melly head the class 11R brigade in their twin cam, followed by Kevin Bradley and Graham Henderson in an escort. Barry Treanor and Colm Connolly start at 32 with David Moffett and Fintan Sherry at 33. Seamus Connolly and Gary McCrudden should also be in the hunt for class 11R honours as will Martin McPhillips and Ciaran Tynan, seeded at 45 in the McPhillips Engineering backed twin cam. Other locals to feature in class 11R include David Smith and Aidan Coyle at 60 and brother/sister pairing of Ryan and Nicola McKenna. Sean McCaul and Lorcan Kennedy make their long awaited return to the Monaghan stage’s to compete in class 11 also.

Class 10 will be headed by the Kelly brothers, John and Niall seeded at 86. Stephen Rushe and Conor Hagan will also be vying for class 10 honours as will Cathal Sheridan and Evin Hughes in the newly built Nova. David and Aaron Dixon also compete in class 10along with Martin McGuigan (119) and Padraig Connolly (124). Gene McDonald and Kevin Reilly head the class 9 brigade ahead of Laurence Sherry and Mark Sheridan (98) with Aaron Duffy and Thomas Wedlock at (99) Mickey Brennan and John McKenna are at 110 followed by Jonathan Treanor and Adrian Foley at 111.

With a bumper entry and an action packed weekend in store lets hope the weather Gods are looking down favourably for the upcoming weekend. Service area has moved from recent years and is located at the back of the courthouse in the new carpark which is sure to keep the town busy for one of Monaghan’s biggest sporting events of the calendar.

Finally for now the CoC Brendan Flynn would like to wish all involved in this event a happy, safe and enjoyable weekend of motorsport action and no matter whether your, spectating, competing or marshalling always remember that your safety is paramount and please keep the Race in its Place.

Please also respect peoples land and property when out spectating and bring your litter home!

Programmes are widely available throughout Monaghan town and surrounding areas.

Finally best wishes to all competitors and hope to see everyone back at our main sponsors, the Hillgrove Hotel on Sunday night for prize giving at 8pm sharp.

As ever the Easter Bank holiday weekend has long been associated with the running of the Circuit of Ireland Stages Rally and this year is no different. All roads lead to Belfast this weekend with the idealic surroundings of the Titanic Quarter proving an excellent backdrop for the running of this titanic event spread over two days. After a ceremonial start on Thursday evening at Belfast City Hall the action on the Discover Northern Ireland Circuit of Ireland will start on Friday morning. Over Friday and Saturday the crews will cover 18 stages before they arrive back at the Belfast finish ramp on Saturday evening.

            This years event has the added bonus of being a counting round of the ERC (European Rally Championship) which has drawn entries from all over the world. Local interest will be firmly focused on the likes of Sam and Josh Moffett, with Sam and James O’Reilly seeded at number 6 in his Ford Fiesta RRC and following a steady maiden run on the recent Circuit of Kerry they will hope to be on the pace of the more experienced European Competitors. Josh is seeded at number 7 in the EVO 9 and following his 4th place overall on last weekends moonraker forestry rally they too will be hoping for a good battle amongst the top 10.

            Stephen and Susanne Wright are seeded right in the heat of the battle at number 20 surrounded by Italian, Polish, Dutch, Czech and Norwegian crews. The Newbliss siblings have a hectic schedule over a 21 day period having been in Belgium last weekend for the second round of the Belgium Championship where the finished second 208 and took the junior driver award. Once the circuit is over they Spanwright/Killyhevlin Hotel backed Peugeot makes a return to Belgium for the 3rd round on the following weekend.

            2014 Pirelli Star Driver Daniel McKenna and co-driver Arthur Kierans will make their long awaited competitive debut in the David Greer Motorsport Citroen DS3 R3T this weekend on the Circuit of Ireland Rally. In a departure from the usual black colour scheme, the Pirelli prize drive car will also sport a new, eye catching yellow colour scheme for the upcoming season. It will be an event of firsts for Daniel. It will be his first competitive drive in the Citroen, his first time tackling the Circuit of Ireland, his first taste of the European Rally Championship and it will also be the first time Pirelli’s 17 inch WRC tyre will be used in competition. It’s a lot to take on board but Daniel is looking forward to the challenge that awaits.

            Other locals to keep an eye out for include Mervyn Wedlock and Phillip Smith in a honda civic type R whilst Paul Sheridan will once again team up with Enda McNulty in the national section in their class 13 escort. Emmett Sherry will be navigating for Calvin Beattie in a Ford Fiesta R2. Best of luck to all crews competing and full report next week.

Monaghan Motor Club Annual Stages Rally

Monaghan Motor Club held a successful rally launch for their upcoming Stages Rally in the Hillgrove Hotel last Thursday evening. A large attendance gathered to get up close and personal with some of the cars and crews which will battle it out over the 9 stages on Sunday 27th April. CoC for the event is Brendan Flynn and with final preparations well under way and a bumper entry list being issued in the coming days its sure to live up to its billing as one of the biggest sporting events of the year for County Monaghan. As always marshals are needed so if you are available please make contact with any committee member. Full preview of the 2014 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally next week.

Sligo Autocross

Well done to Derek Mackarel who finished 8th overall on the recent Sligo Autocross. Derek had been 4th overall before conditions dried up, allowing the more powerful car’s to use there advantage but 8th overall and 2nd in class still a great result in his trusty white Nova.

Donegal’s Paddy McVeigh and Gary McElhinney took the overall win on last weekend’s Abbey Hotel Midlands Stages Rally. The Tir Connell men had a battle royale throughout the day with Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans who returned to the Irish tarmac in their trusty Mark II escort after a years absence while competing in the BRC. In the end the WRC subaru of McVeigh/McElhinney proved too much and excelled in the mucky conditions to take a 10 second win from the trying Monaghan men. Local Longford man Tommy Doyle and Liam Moynihan were 3rd overall in a Renault Clio ahead of last years winner Chris Armstrong who was 4th. Monaghans Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly survived an early altercation with a chicane to round off the top five in their starlet.      

            As always local Monaghan crews were in the hunt for many class awards with Michael Carbin and Emmett McCooey finally getting the result they deserve in 6th overall and a class 20 win. Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor finished 15th overall and 3rd in class 14, ahead of Jack Maguire and Andy Hayes. Barry Treanor and Colm Connolly had an excellent run in their new escort to take the highly competitive class 11R win and 24th overall. David Smith and Mark Deery had a troubled opening loop when they got road penalties after loosing oil pressure but recovered well to take 44th overall. Declan Connolly and Alison Hughes won class 1 in the civic.

            As with every event their will always be non-finishers and unfortunately Midlands Stages was no different for the travelling Monaghan men. Damian Hagan coaxed Ciaran McGorman out of retirement to call the notes but their rally ended on stage 3 when the gearbox packed in. David Moffett and Fintan Sherry’s luck ran out on the last loop of stages when lying 3rd in class with alternator and fan belt issues. Martin McPhillips and Ciaran Tynan were also forced into retirement on the 4th stage when they broke a half shaft. Kevin Cleere and Michael Donnellan crashed out on the 6th stage.

            So that’s it from Roscommon and the Abbey Hotel Midlands Stages Rally. Killarney Rally of the lakes is on this weekend and we wish all the travelling local crews the best of luck.

Monaghan Motor Club Annual Stages Rally

With just under a month to go until Monaghan’s biggest event of the Motorsport calendar, CoC Brendan Flynn and his team are hard at work with the final preparations for this hugely popular event. Keep free the weekend of 26th/27th April and be a part of the action as all help is needed and greatly appreciated. Once again the Hillgrove Hotel will be the Rally HQ with stages to the South West of Monaghan town. Entries will be open in the coming week and keep an eye on this space over the next month for more updates.

Club Notes/PRO Details

Monaghan Motor Club have set up a new e-mail account solely for the purpose of receiving information from competitors and club members on their exploits throughout the year in all forms of motorsport competition. All competitors are urged to e-mail action photos (no watermarks) and a short note on how they got on in any event throughout the year. We need these details for weekly reports and Facebook news. The e-mail address is rallynews1@gmail.com Obviously we cannot guarantee everything will be published but your input would be greatly appreciated to try and cover all members and their endeavours.

Midlands duo of Colin Duffy and Sam Johnston led the field home once again last Saturday night in the final round of the National and Squealing Pig border night navigation championship to record a clean sweep of Munster, National and Border Navigation championships for this season. The Longford men proved a force to be reckoned with from the off as they won the Drumlin Navigation in November and never looked back with wins in Cork and Midlands setting them up for the unique treble ahead of last Saturday nights event where they finished on a clean sheet to add the Border crown to there well decorated trophy cabinet for 2013/14. Richard Cassidy and Paul Phelan finished the night in 2nd overall which confirmed their 2nd overall placing in the National Championship. These were another crew to travel the length and breath of the country for the National campaign and their consistency paid off with a well deserved podium. Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly ended their navigation season on a high with 3rd overall on the night, a great end to a year which saw them run a mammoth Drumlin event back in November as CoC’s.

            Cassidy and Phelan’s 2nd overall handed them the expert class win, ahead of a three-way tie for 2nd in class with Michael/Ciaran Tynan, Packie Duffy/Evin Hughes and Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall all finishing on 15 penalties with no tie break ruling able to separate them. These expert crews all picked up a wrong approach on a plot and bash section. 3rd expert on the night went to number 1 seeds Martin Tynan and Stephen Thornton.

            With McKenna/Farrelly taking 3rd overall and top semi-expert crew it was Ashley McAdoo and Laurence Keenan who took 2nd in class. Indeed this crew were on a clean sheet and coasting to overall victory but a wrong approach at the final control knocked them back to 4th overall. Wayne Feely had Damian Hagan on the maps and they had a great run on home soil to take 3rd in the semi-expert class. Donal McArdle had Cavan CoC Ruaidhri Nash in the hot seat and they too rounded off their season in style to take the novice class win ahead of Trevor McConnell and Eoghan McCarthy. Father and son team of Peter and Shane Farrell took 3rd in the novice section, this team showing great improvements throughout the year also.

            Emmett McCooey and Michael Carbin also had some great results throughout the season as Michael adapted well to the navigators seat and finished the year on a high, taking another beginner class win, their only fault was a missed time point on the night. Gerard Greene and Michael McElwee were 2nd beginner on the night, ahead of Patrick Murphy and Aaron O’Regan.

            So that’s it for another navigation season, well done to CoC Damien Connolly and his team of Gary McElhinney, Martin Connolly and all his many helpers. Damien would like to thank Threemilehouse GAA complex, Pat McQuaid’s Garage, marshals, residents, results teams and everyone else who helped in any way. Keep and eye out over the coming weeks for dates on the Squealing Pig Border Navigation Prize giving Night, as well as the National Navigation awards night. Full run down on all class awards will be issued when final standings are available.  

Monaghan Motor Club Annual Stages Rally

With just over a month to go until Monaghan’s biggest event of the Motorsport calender, CoC Brendan Flynn and his team are hard at work with the final preparations for this hugely popular event. Keep free the weekend of 26th/27th April and be a part of the action as all help is needed and greatly appreciated. Once again the Hillgrove Hotel will be the Rally HQ with stages to the South West of Monaghan town. Entries will be open in the coming week and keep an eye on this space over the next month for more updates.

Club Notes/PRO Details

Monaghan Motor Club have set up a new e-mail account solely for the purpose of receiving information from competitors and club members on their exploits throughout the year in all forms of motorsport competition. All competitors are urged to e-mail action photos (no watermarks) and a short note on how they got on in any event throughout the year. We need these details for weekly reports and Facebook news. The e-mail address is rallynews1@gmail.com Obviously we cannot guarantee everything will be published but your input would be greatly appreciated to try and cover all members and their endeavours. 

Quality Hotels West Cork Rally 2014

Cork Motor Club hosted their annual West Cork Rally over the Saint Patricks Weekend, based in the West Cork town of Clonakilty. As always this popular two day event attracted a bumper entry to tackle some of the infamous West Cork stages like Ring and Sam’s Cross. Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan survived the thirteen stages to take the overall win from Denis Cronin and Coleman Hurley by just over half a minute. Donegals Declan Gallagher and Ryan Moore made their long journey home a lot sweeter taking an excellent 3rd overall in their class 13 starlet.

            In what was ultimately a finishers rally the dry cor stages claimed a lot of casualties which include the likes of James Stafford, Darragh O’Riordan, Frank Kelly, Adrian Hetherinton, Pat Donegan and Robert Barrable with upcoming navigation CoC Damian Connolly on the notes only getting two stages after their long haul South.  Paul Sheridan was on the notes for forestry expert Vivian Hamill but their escort cried enough over the last loop of stages whilst fighting for a top 10 finish. Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor also made the trip South and were also showing great pace but a fuel supply problem dropped them almost 9 minutes and they eventually went on to finish 3rd in class. Stephen and Suzanne Wright also brought their Peugeot 208 to the West Cork countryside where they picked up a class win/13th overall and more importantly some tarmac road mileage ahead of their next rally in Belgium.

Monaghan Motor Club Navigation Trial

All roads lead to Threemilehouse on this Saturday night where Monaghan Motor Club will host the final round of the National and Squealing Pig Border Navigation championship’s. CoC, Damien Connolly and his team are hard at work with their final preparations for the event which will be based in Sean McDermotts GAA centre, Threemilehouse. As always marshals are needed in great numbers so please be at the threemilehouse complex no later than 8 o’clock Saturday evening if your available to help in any way.

Club Notes/PRO Details

Monaghan Motor Club have set up a new e-mail account solely for the purpose of receiving information from competitors and club members on their exploits throughout the year in all forms of motorsport competition. All competitors are urged to e-mail action photos (no watermarks) and a short note on how they got on in any event throughout the year. We need these details for weekly reports and Facebook news. The e-mail address is rallynews1@gmail.com Obviously we cannot guarantee everything will be published but your input would be greatly appreciated to try and cover all members and their endeavours. 

Moffett on Podium in Fivemiletown

Omagh motor club hosted their annual spring forestry stages rally on Saturday last in the forests around fivemiletown. This popular event attracted a large entry with some of the best forestry entertainers on show. Mark Donnelly and Barry Mc Nulty were victorious in their subaru impreza, 25seconds ahead of Gareth Sayers in and EVO 9. Josh Moffett and Jason Mc Kenna were on a real charge all day and finished a well deserved 3rd overall, just 2 seconds behind Sayers.

            Frank Kelly took the two wheel drive honours after a short lived battle with his closest rivals, Shane McGirr and Jackie Elliott who crashed out on stage 2 after their steering broke. Adrian Hetherington also failed to finish after mechanical woes. Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly were also in the Fermanagh/Tyrone forests and finished 7th overall in the EVO. Michael Carbin and Stephen Thornton were also on a great pace in the EVO, taking 9th o/a and 2nd in class. Micky Conlon and Ciaran McPhillips brought the black Mark 2 home in 11th overall and 2nd in class. Bobby Sharkey and Mac Kierans took the Kierans Motorsport escort to the forest with great rewards, finishing 13th overall and 2nd in class for their efforts. Martin Tynan made a return to the forests after a lengthy lay-off in the EVO 8 and with Raymond  Conlon calling the notes they managed 3rd in class and 14th overall. Maurice Moffett and Martin Connolly returned to fivemiletown and surely enjoyed their day to finish 19th overall and 3rd in class. Emmett Sherry was navigating for Calvin Beattie in a ford fiesta to finish in 30th o/a and also 3rd in class. All in all a good day out for the Monaghan brigade in Fivemiletown as the results sheets suggest a 100% finishing record for the travelling Farney men.

Locals take the Spoils in Midlands

Colin Duffy and Sam Johnston led from the front in last Saturday nights Midlands navigation trial based in the idealic Drumcowra Lake Resort, just outside Ballinamore. This tough event was set out by CoC Enda Mc Loughlin with a 60 mile route circling the Leitrim town of Balinamore taking in many forests and farm lanes along the way. Duffy and Johnston took the win with ease, dropping just 6 penalties in total to prove why they are now the worthy National and Munster Navigation champions with two rounds to spare. They also hold a good lead in the Squealing Pig Border Navigation championship and could possibly wrap it up in Cavan this Saturday night.

            Shane Dalton and Micheal Reilly were 2nd overall on the night and novice class winners with Corks Joe and Greg Shinnors 3rd overall and expert class winners. Richard Cassidy and Paul Phelan were 2nd experts ahead of Michael and Ciaran Tynan in 3rd. Corks David Beamish and Muireann Hayes proved once again they are hard to beat with a semi-expert class win ahead of  Ashley McAdoo and Laurence Keenan. 3rd semi went to Matt and Enda Hume. Fintan McGorman and Derek Mackarel took a fine 6th overall and 2nd in novice just 2 penalties ahead of Donegal/Cork pairing of Trevor McConnell and Eoghan McCarthy. Michael Carbin made the trip to Leitrim to navigate for Emmet McCooey after driving in the Fivemiletown forestry earlier in the day to prove he can be a winner on both sides of a car

to take the beginners class award ahead of Cootehill cousins Thomas and Andrew Wedlock.

            Cavan Motor Club host the penultimate round of both the Squealing Pig Border Navigation championship and National navigation championships this Saturday night in Killinkere Community Center and with many Class and overall awards still to be decided its sure to be a battle royale.

Wright’s Encouraging start to Belgian campaign

Despite treacherous conditions, Stephen and Susanne Wright made it to the finish of the Haspengouw Rally last weekend and the pair brought their Peugeot 208 R2 home in 29^th overall and 4^th in class. Based around the town of Landen, The Haspengouw Rally was the first of the 8 round Belgian Rally Championship which Stephen and Susanne plan to contest this season so it was crucial that they got off to an encouraging start.

            Stephen, the reigning Motorsport Ireland Young Rally Driver of the Year, takes up the story; “We surprised even ourselves on the opening stage, setting fastest time on possibly the most slippy road surface I have ever seen. Unfortunately this was the highlight. We picked up a puncture on SS2 and had a number of spins on SS3 dropping us back the order and breaking our momentum. We picked ourselves back up in first service; setting a string of top three stage times through to the finish of the event, interrupted only by a front left and right puncture on SS6 and another puncture on SS12. We were disappointed to miss out on a good result but on the plus side our pace was promising, we have learned a lot and are feeling much better prepared prior to the opening round of the 208 Rally Trophy in 6 weeks’ time.”

The next Belgian round the Wright Rally Team plan to contest is the TAC Rally on April 12^th but they may possibly squeeze in another Irish event to gain more competitive miles in the Killyhevlin Hotel Peugeot. “We are still adjusting to and learning the new car. It really is such a huge transition from the Mitsubishi’s we have been used to but we love every second of it and are so impressed with the car. Ideally we’d like to take in one more Irish event to leave us better prepared for the Circuit of Ireland in April which is also a counting round of the Junior European Rally Championship but we will take some time to let the dust settle before making a decision”said Susanne.

            You can follow Stephen on Twitter @StephenWr1ght and Susanne at @SusanneWright15. Stephen is backed by Motorsport Ireland and the Irish Sports Council.

Birr Stages Rally 2014

Last Sunday saw the opening round of the 2014 West Coast Rally championship. The event was staged in Abbeyleix, with two Monaghan crews making the trip down. First home was reigning champions Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity who were debuting the newly acquired ex-Stephen Wright Mitsubishi Evo9. The duo finished in 8th overall and 2nd in Group N. Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor also made the trip and had an eventful day whilst battling for top two wheel drive honours. They had been right in the heart of the battle for the lead, however a costly spin on stage five resulted in the boys bringing their trusty Escort home in a fine 2^nd place in class 14 and 9^th overall.

            The rally was won by Welsh visitors Hugh Hunter and Andy Marchbank in a Subaru WRC with James Stafford in the Darrian. Paddy McVeigh and Gary McElhinney were 3rd overall. The next event will be the Mayo stages in two week’s time.

Club Notes/PRO Details

Monaghan Motor Club have set up a new e-mail account solely for the purpose of receiving information from competitors and club members on their exploits throughout the year in all forms of motorsport competition. All competitors are urged to e-mail action photos (no watermarks) and a short note on how they got on in any event throughout the year. We need these details for weekly reports and Facebook news. The e-mail address is rallynews1@gmail.com Obviously we cannot guarantee everything will be published but your input would be greatly appreciated to try and cover all members and their endeavors. 

Omagh motor club hosted their annual spring forestry stages rally on Saturday last in the forests around fivemiletown. This popular event attracted a large entry with some of the best forestry entertainers on show. Mark Donnelly and Barry Mc Nulty were victorious in their subaru impreza, 25seconds ahead of Gareth Sayers in and EVO 9. Josh Moffett and Jason Mc Kenna were on a real charge all day and finished a well deserved 3rd overall, just 2 seconds behind Sayers.

            Frank Kelly took the two wheel drive honours after a short lived battle with his closest rivals, Shane McGirr and Jackie Elliott who crashed out on stage 2 after their steering broke. Adrian Hetherington also failed to finish after mechanical woes. Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly were also in the Fermanagh/Tyrone forests and finished 7th overall in the EVO. Michael Carbin and Stephen Thornton were also on a great pace in the EVO, taking 9th o/a and 2nd in class. Micky Conlon and Ciaran McPhillips brought the black Mark 2 home in 11th overall and 2nd in class. Bobby Sharkey and Mac Kierans took the Kierans Motorsport escort to the forest with great rewards, finishing 13th overall and 2nd in class for their efforts. Martin Tynan made a return to the forests after a lengthy lay-off in the EVO 8 and with Raymond  Conlon calling the notes they managed 3rd in class and 14th overall. Maurice Moffett and Martin Connolly returned to fivemiletown and surely enjoyed their day to finish 19th overall and 3rd in class. Emmett Sherry was navigating for Calvin Beattie in a ford fiesta to finish in 30th o/a and also 3rd in class. All in all a good day out for the Monaghan brigade in Fivemiletown as the results sheets suggest a 100% finishing record for the travelling Farney men.

Locals take the Spoils in Midlands

Colin Duffy and Sam Johnston led from the front in last Saturday nights Midlands navigation trial based in the idealic Drumcowra Lake Resort, just outside Ballinamore. This tough event was set out by CoC Enda Mc Loughlin with a 60 mile route circling the Leitrim town of Balinamore taking in many forests and farm lanes along the way. Duffy and Johnston took the win with ease, dropping just 6 penalties in total to prove why they are now the worthy National and Munster Navigation champions with two rounds to spare. They also hold a good lead in the Squealing Pig Border Navigation championship and could possibly wrap it up in Cavan this Saturday night.

            Shane Dalton and Micheal Reilly were 2nd overall on the night and novice class winners with Corks Joe and Greg Shinnors 3rd overall and expert class winners. Richard Cassidy and Paul Phelan were 2nd experts ahead of Michael and Ciaran Tynan in 3rd. Corks David Beamish and Muireann Hayes proved once again they are hard to beat with a semi-expert class win ahead of  Ashley McAdoo and Laurence Keenan. 3rd semi went to Matt and Enda Hume. Fintan McGorman and Derek Mackarel took a fine 6th overall and 2nd in novice just 2 penalties ahead of Donegal/Cork pairing of Trevor McConnell and Eoghan McCarthy. Michael Carbin made the trip to Leitrim to navigate for Emmet McCooey after driving in the Fivemiletown forestry earlier in the day to prove he can be a winner on both sides of a car

to take the beginners class award ahead of Cootehill cousins Thomas and Andrew Wedlock.

            Cavan Motor Club host the penultimate round of both the Squealing Pig Border Navigation championship and National navigation championships this Saturday night in Killinkere Community Center and with many Class and overall awards still to be decided its sure to be a battle royale.

Wright’s Encouraging start to Belgian campaign

Despite treacherous conditions, Stephen and Susanne Wright made it to the finish of the Haspengouw Rally last weekend and the pair brought their Peugeot 208 R2 home in 29^th overall and 4^th in class. Based around the town of Landen, The Haspengouw Rally was the first of the 8 round Belgian Rally Championship which Stephen and Susanne plan to contest this season so it was crucial that they got off to an encouraging start.

            Stephen, the reigning Motorsport Ireland Young Rally Driver of the Year, takes up the story; “We surprised even ourselves on the opening stage, setting fastest time on possibly the most slippy road surface I have ever seen. Unfortunately this was the highlight. We picked up a puncture on SS2 and had a number of spins on SS3 dropping us back the order and breaking our momentum. We picked ourselves back up in first service; setting a string of top three stage times through to the finish of the event, interrupted only by a front left and right puncture on SS6 and another puncture on SS12. We were disappointed to miss out on a good result but on the plus side our pace was promising, we have learned a lot and are feeling much better prepared prior to the opening round of the 208 Rally Trophy in 6 weeks’ time.”

The next Belgian round the Wright Rally Team plan to contest is the TAC Rally on April 12^th but they may possibly squeeze in another Irish event to gain more competitive miles in the Killyhevlin Hotel Peugeot. “We are still adjusting to and learning the new car. It really is such a huge transition from the Mitsubishi’s we have been used to but we love every second of it and are so impressed with the car. Ideally we’d like to take in one more Irish event to leave us better prepared for the Circuit of Ireland in April which is also a counting round of the Junior European Rally Championship but we will take some time to let the dust settle before making a decision”said Susanne.

            You can follow Stephen on Twitter @StephenWr1ght and Susanne at @SusanneWright15. Stephen is backed by Motorsport Ireland and the Irish Sports Council.

Birr Stages Rally 2014

Last Sunday saw the opening round of the 2014 West Coast Rally championship. The event was staged in Abbeyleix, with two Monaghan crews making the trip down. First home was reigning champions Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity who were debuting the newly acquired ex-Stephen Wright Mitsubishi Evo9. The duo finished in 8th overall and 2nd in Group N. Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor also made the trip and had an eventful day whilst battling for top two wheel drive honours. They had been right in the heart of the battle for the lead, however a costly spin on stage five resulted in the boys bringing their trusty Escort home in a fine 2^nd place in class 14 and 9^th overall.

            The rally was won by Welsh visitors Hugh Hunter and Andy Marchbank in a Subaru WRC with James Stafford in the Darrian. Paddy McVeigh and Gary McElhinney were 3rd overall. The next event will be the Mayo stages in two week’s time.

Club Notes/PRO Details

Monaghan Motor Club have set up a new e-mail account solely for the purpose of receiving information from competitors and club members on their exploits throughout the year in all forms of motorsport competition. All competitors are urged to e-mail action photos (no watermarks) and a short note on how they got on in any event throughout the year. We need these details for weekly reports and Facebook news. The e-mail address is rallynews1@gmail.com Obviously we cannot guarantee everything will be published but your input would be greatly appreciated to try and cover all members and their endeavors. 

Monaghan Motor Club held their annual Autotest event on Sunday last at the idealic venue that is Wrights Quarry, Swanns Cross. Once again Brendan Flynn was the CoC and together with his team set out some challenging tests for the experts as well as the highly competitive club members section. With the recent bad weather threatening to dampen this enjoyable day, the weather Gods were certainly on Monaghan Motor Clubs side with dry and bright conditions throughout the day, albeit a bit cold.

            Robin Lyons was the fastest expert of the day in his mini saloon, incredibly only 1.9 seconds ahead of Eamonn Byrne after 12 tests and some twelve minutes of competition. Daniel Byrne was 3rd overall, only 10 second further adrift with veteran Norman Armstrong taking 3rd in class A. Class B went to Stephen Ferguson in a mini special, just 4 seconds ahead of Peter Falvey in 2nd and Guy Foster in 3rd with only 7 seconds separating the top three. Ashley Lamont, in a cosworth powered Westfield had a comfortable win in class C with a 47 second advantage over Darren Quille in 2nd, with Timmy Lynch only 5 seconds further adrift in 3rd. Class D was also a close affair with David Thompson taking the outright win in his nova, 8 seconds ahead of Mark King with Jamie McMillan 3rd.

            The club members section was also a very tight affair which seen 15 entries in all makes and models of high powered autotest machines from starlets to corsas, peugeots, seats, hondas and the mini special of Damien and Martin Connolly. It was the excellent driving skills of Kieran “Bilko” McCarra in the starlet which earned him the overall win on the day. Derek Mackarel finished in 2nd place only 5 seconds adrift and could have taken the win except for a few costly errors. 3rd overall went to Damien Connolly in the mini special with only 11 seconds separating the top three placings. Martin Tynan finished in 4th overall with Andy Mackarel taking 5th overall. Keith McConnon, Martin Swinburne and Laurence Keenan were all new comers to this event in the seat arosa and together with Ashley McAdoo put the little one litre pocket rocket through its paces to set some good times on their first attempt. Peter and Shane Farrell were also new comers to this form of motorsport and they too enjoyed their day in the ex-night navigation honda with Shane earning the bragging rights  over his father.

            Well done to Brendan Flynn and all his crew on yet another enjoyable autotest and for somehow managing to ward off the wind and rain of recent weeks. Brendan would like to thank David Wright of Wrights Quarry, Swanns Cross for the venue, the Northern Standard, results teams, marshals and timekeepers and everyone else who helped out in any way.

Wrights are Belgium Bound  

This weekend marks the beginning of Stephen and Susanne Wright’s European adventure as the pair get ready to tackle the Haspengouw Rally, the opening round of the BFO Belgian Rally Championship. Stephen, who is the current Motorsport Ireland Young Rally Driver of the Year, is keen to build on his recent successes in Ireland and feels the Belgian campionship can provide the challenge he is looking for in 2014. Accompanying Stephen will be his sister Susanne who will call the all-important pacenotes and she will play a key role on the tricky Belgian roads over the weekend.

                                                   The Haspengouw Rally is based in the town of Landen in central Belgium and the Wright Rally Team will land there late on Thursday evening ahead of scrutineering on Friday before the rally starts in earnest on Saturday. The event will consist of 13 tricky stages and should provide a stern test for Stephen and Susanne who are keen to get their championship campaign off to a steady start in the Killyhevlin Hotel and Irish Sports Council backed Peugeot 208 R2.

Galway International Rally

Donegal pair Declan and Brian Boyle led virtually all the way to take their first International victory on the recent Colm Quinn BMW Galway International Rally held over the weekend of 8/9th February, leading defending Tarmac champion Garry Jennings and co-driver Rory Kennedy home by 26 seconds at the end of two days of rallying curtailed by the weather conditions. Jennings put the Boyle cousins under enormous pressure early on Sunday, reducing their overnight lead to just one fifth of a second after the two opening stages, but on the next stage, the Fermanagh driver hit a sheet of standing water, slid off into a field and dropped 40 seconds, leaving him in fifth place behind Sam Moffett who was showcasing his new Fiesta WRC and Donagh Kelly in a subaru. Later, Jennings overhauled Kelly and Moffett to regain runner up position, while the two Ford drivers reversed their placings to leave Kelly 3rd, three seconds ahead of his Monaghan rival. The main casualty of the rally’s second day was former winner and ex-Tarmac title holder Eugene Donnelly, whose Mini WRC held third place overnight. The Maghera man crashed out on the first stage of the day at Black Road and was too badly damaged to continue.

            Josh Moffett and John Rowan had an excellent run on the tricky wet Galway roads to take the group N win and 5th overall in the EVO 9. Cavan man Stephen McCann finished in 6th overall, just 19 seconds adrift of Josh with Eugene Meegan 7th and Brendan Cumiskey 9th.

            The national category was won by the super quick starlet of Donegal man Declan Gallagher, with Wesley Patterson in 2nd in his escort and Pat Kelly in 3rd in a subaru sti. Brendan and JP McAree also made the trip to compete in the historic section and finished in 5th overall in their porch 911.

Damian Connolly’s defence of his traders club championship and Gary Nesbitt club navigation titles got off to the best possible start on Saturday night last with an overall win on the first Monaghan Motor Club night navigation trial of 2014. Damian along with regular Donegal driver, Gary Mc Elhinney dropped just 2 penalties at time point 22 to record the victory, this being their 3rd win in two seasons around the North Monaghan terrain surrounding Tydavnet, Bragan, Carrickroe and Emyvale. Coc’s for the event were Enda Sherry and Dessie Keenan and they laid on a compact yet very tricky route and coupled with icy road conditions it was a testing start to the new navigation calendar. Martin Tynan and Stephen Thornton also finished the event on 2 penalties but were relegated to 2nd overall on the furthest cleanest ruling. Ashley McAdoo and Laurence Keenan were 3rd overall on 3 penalties.

            Tynan and Thornton took the expert class honours, followed by Pakie Duffy and Evin Hughes in 2nd. Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall rounded off the top 3 in expert class. McAdoo and Kennan were the semi-expert winners with Corks David Beamish and Muireann Hayes taking 2nd semi-expert. Drumlin CoC’s Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly were 3rd in the semi-expert category and 7th overall. Damian Treanor and Jonathan Mc Govern had led the class for most of the night, but a puncture going to time point 22 dropped them 5 penalties and put them out of contention when an overall win could of been within their sights. Andy Mackarel joined forces with Raymond Conlon on the maps and they too had a great run with an overall win on the cards also until a wrong approach at Via 2 dropped them 15 penalties. The Donegal/Cork pairing of Trevor McConnell and Eoghan McCarthy made their long journeys to compete worthwhile taking the novice class honours and 5th overall to boot. South Monaghan men Keith McConnon and Michael McCluskey were runners up in novice class with Fintan McGorman and Derek Mackarel taking 3rd in class.

            The beginners class went to local men Emmet McCooey and Michael Carbin, another great result for this new crew. Maudabawn cousins, Thomas and Andrew Wedlock took 2nd in class with Lindsay and Christine Boyd 3rd in novice.

            So thats the navigation season under way for 2014, Cork Motor Club host a round of the national navigation trial this Saturday night with Donegal Motor Club hosting round 3 of the Squealing Pig Border Navigation championship the following weekend, Saturday 25th January. Entries form’s on Donegal Motor Club website. Well done to Enda and Dessie and all their team on a good event. Enda would like to thank his helper’s, all marshal’s and residents, Ballinode Community Centre, Maggies Bar, Maguire Transport, results team and the tea ladies on a job well done.

AGM

Monaghan Motor Club host their annual general meeting this Friday 17th January at 8.30pm sharp in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan. All club members are asked to attend as this is your chance to contribute to the running of the club. Nomination forms are available on club website and all members are urged to submit a nomination form.

Monaghan Motor Club capped off a truly inspiring year for its members with the news that Stephen Wright has been crowned the Billy Coleman award winner as young rally driver of the year for 2013. Stephen along with his sister and co-driver Suzanne , who was undoubtedly a major factor in his success lifted a plethora of awards this year in his Group N EVO 9. This included being crowned group N winner on the Irish International Tarmac Championship for 2013,  3rd in group N on the Dunlop National Rally Championship along with top 10 finishes in a number of events throughout the year. Stephen and Suzanne are also very competitive in the forests with many top 10 results . The Newbliss native has followed in the footsteps of Daniel Mc Kenna and Sam Moffett who were worthy winners over the past two years to make it a hatrick for Monaghan Club members. We wish Stephen and Suzanne all the very best in their endeavours for 2014 and we will try to report on their progress throughout the year.

Monaghan Navigation Trial

This Saturday night sees Monaghan Motor Club host the first night navigation trial of the New Year with Enda Sherry and Dessie Keenan as CoC’s. Ballinode Community Centre in HQ with plots available from 6.30. Entries are still available and as always many marshals are required so please make yourselves available to marshal and be at the community centre, Ballinode before 8pm this Saturday. Full report next week

AGM

Monaghan Motor Club host their annual general meeting on Friday 17th January at 8.30sharp in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan. All club members are asked to attend as this is your chance to contribute to the running of the club.

Happy New Year

Monaghan Motor Club wish all of its members a Happy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year.  The success of its members in 2013 will be hard to beat but in true Monaghan Motor Club fashion we will have contenders at the top of every event through 2104.

Locals Fair Best in Midlands

Midlands Motor Club played host to the first of their two navigation trials for this season on Saturday night last. Expert crew of Sam Johnston and Colin Duffy were the CoC’s and laid on a challenging, yet enjoyable route through the Leitrim countryside surrounding Ballinamuck and Cloone. Local men Enda McLaughlin and Nigel McCloughry paired up for the night in Enda’s two wheel drive starlet which has had overall wins on endurance trials in the past and once again they were on the top step of the podium with a clean sheet on the night. The route proved to be ideal for these midlands men with 90% tight and twisty tarmac roads levelling up the playing field between the two wheel drive starlet and the more common subaru’s. Evin Hughes and Pakie Duffy have also teamed up for this years border campaign and they too had a clean sheet on the night, but unfortunately had to settle for 2nd overall on engine cc ruling. 3rd overall went to another local novice crew with Andrew Stewart and Robert Howard finishing on 2 penalties. A great run for this crew who have only been competing a short while and indeed their only fault of the night was 2 penalties on the ITC section which ultimately cost them the overall win.

            In the expert class, Pakie and Evin took the class honours with Noel Hall and Trevor Farrell following up on their good run last time out to claim 4th overall and 2nd in expert class. Michael and Ciaran Tynan were 5th overall and 3rd in expert class. Drumlin CoC’s, Gary Farrelly and Sean McKenna obviously used the experience of setting a 120 mile route to good effect with a semi-expert class win and 7th overall. Laurenec Keenan and Ashly McAdoo were 2nd semi expert after a small error leaving Via1 cost them dearly. Bobby Sharkey and Mac Kierans took 3rd in semi-expert after a troubled night and glad to make the finish with silverware.

            The novice class was won by the aforementioned Stewart and Howard on 2 penalties, but Derek Mackarel and Fintan McGorman were also on the boil, finishing up on only 5 penalties to take 2nd in class and 6th overall. Indeed it was the ITC section which also cost them dearly, dropping 3 penalties to their rivals. Donegal men, Dessie Dorrian and Ciaran Coyle had another good run after coming out of retirement for the Drumlin and took 3rd novice and 9th overall. Michael Carbin and Emmett McCooey teamed up once again with Michael proving he can sit on both sides of a navigation car after a successful few years driving for Evin Hughes to take the beginners class on the night and 10th overall. Shane Sorohan and James Canning were 2nd in beginner, ahead of Maudabawn’s Thomas and Andrew Wedlock.

            Skibbereen Carbery Navigation is on this Saturday night which is a reserve round of the National Navigation championship. Then its a short break until after Christmas on the night navigation scene with Monaghan Motor Club kicking off their 2014 club championship with a night navigation on 11th January.      

Midlands MC Night Navigation Top 12

1/ Enda McLoughlin/Nigel McCloughry 0 penalties

2/ Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes 0pens

3/ Andrew Stewart/Robert Howard 2pens

4/ Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall 2pens

5/ Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan 4pens

6/ Fintan McGorman/Derek Mackarel 5pens

7/ Sean McKenna/Gary Farrelly 7pens

8/ Stephen Wright/Daire Hayes 8pens

9/ Ciaran Coyle/Dessie Dorrian 13pens

10/ Emmet McCooey/Michael Carbin 16pens

11/ Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan 25pens

12/ David Moffett/Martin Connolly 26 pens

Monaghan MC Night of Champions

All roads lead to the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan this Saturday night where Monaghan Motor Club will host their annual awards dinner. This years event will celebrate the outstanding achievements of its club members on both the national, international and BRC motorsport scene in what is billed as “A Night of Champions” Come along to meet and greet the champions and also get a glimpse of their winning trophies. All award winners will be notified but why not come along and show your support for all award winners in what’s is guaranteed a great night. MC on the night will be Sean McCaffery with dinner followed by music. Tickets are available from any committee member or by contacting 087 2558957 with dinner served at 8pm sharp in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan.

Midlands MC crew Sam Johnston partner by driver Colin Duffy came away with the overall win on Monaghans drumlin night navigation trial held on Saturday week last. Coc’s for the event, Gary Farrelly and Sean Mc Kenna set out a demanding route, 120 miles stretching from Tyholland through Clontibret, Ardaghey, Ballybay, Broomfield and Carrickmacross to ensure the biggest navigation event in the calendar lived up to its name. By petrol halt in Mc Caugheys, Broomefield, Noel Hall and Trevor Farrell were clear leaders, only down 1 penalty but they were forced into retirement mid way through the second half with a burst radiator. Johnston and Duffy took over at the helm and finished with a 9 penalty advantage over Richard Cassidy and Paul Phelan. Damien Connolly, partnered by Donegal driver were 3rd overall and in doing so, Damien was crowned Monaghan MC traders champion for 2013.

            Michael and Ciaran Tynan were 4th overall and took 3rd in the expert class. Ashley McAdoo and Laurence Keenan took the semi expert class with Corks David Beamish and Muireann Hayes 2nd semi. Bobby Sharkey and Mac Kierans finished 3rd in class. Donegal/Cork pairing of Trevor McConnell and Eoghan McCarthy made their journeys worthwhile with a novice class win. Conor Meehan and Brendan Keenan were 2nd with Donegal men Dessie Dorrian, driven by Ciaran Coyle coming out of retirement to claim 3rd novice on what was a very tough event. Derek Mackarel and Fintan McGorman kept up their good form of late to take the beginners class, followed by Peter and Shane Farrell with Lindsay and Christine Boyd 3rd.

            So that’s the drumlin over for another year and well done to CoC’s Gary/Sean and all their team on a truly mammoth task of running such a big event. Big congratulations also to Damien Connolly on winning the traders club championship following this event and also to Ashley McAdoo and Damien Connolly for winning the Gary Nesbitt club navigation championship. All roads lead to Ballinamuck, Longford this Saturday for round 2 of the Squealing Pig border navigation championship. Full Report next week.

Monaghan MC Drumlin Navigation Top 10

1/ Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston 27marks

2/ Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan 36m

3/ Gary McElhinney/Damien Connolly 37m

4/ Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan 46m

5/ Stephen Wright/Daire Hayes 74m

6/ Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes 88m

7/ Ashley McAdoo/Laurence Keenan 89m

8/ Trevor McConnell/Eoghan McCarthey 100m

9/ Ray O’Neill/Stephen O’Neill 119m

10/ Joe Friel/Aidan Friel 137m

Kerry MC Banna Beach Stages

Shane Maguire has emerged from the recent Kerry winter stages rally in BannaBeach as the overall winner of the 2013 Top Part West Coast rally championship. The Ballinode man partnered by Martin McGarrity has had a mixed season, however their determination has paid off with this prestigious victory. The campaign began back in February with the Birr stages, victory in group N and second place points set them up well, however round two wasn’t as kind as a further maximum point’s haul was on the cards until a last stage retirement put pay to their hard endeavours. The third round of the championship took the crew to Limerick, an event which suited the more powerful Escorts. However a healthy haul of points for top group n and fifth place in the championship were welcomed. The championship fight was back on, and the boys duly stamped their intentions in Galway with a fine second place points and again top group n position, the championship was now becoming clearer as it seemed it was now a four way fight between Shane, Alan O’Callaghan, Ed Synan and Kevin Barrett. The penultimate round of the championship saw the crews head to the Clare stages and like all previous rounds the competition was fierce, Barrett took yet another maximum whilst Maguire took third and Synan fourth, O’Callaghans championship suffered a severe blow with his retirement leaving a three way tussle heading into the final round in Banna. Kevin Barrett did not start the final round as his Wrc Subaru wasn’t eligible for the event leaving a two way fight between Synan and Maguire. By mid-point in the event Shane and Martin had turbo problems which left Synan well ahead, however the Maguire team kept their composure to score fourth place points, which was enough to secure the title for the Monaghan man, the championship has been good for Shane as this is the second time for him, having last secured the prize back in 2010. Martin and Shane would like to thank their dedicated service crew of Pauric, Dessie, Michael, Emmet, Bob, Stephen & Gary for their work all year. Shane would also like to thank his sponsors for their support all year.

            Jim Mc Kenna and Thomas Treanor also made the trip south and came away with 2nd in class 14 for their efforts. Michael Carbin and Emmet McCooey were 14th overall and 2nd in class 20 on the difficult Kerry stages. Tommy Boyle, with Monaghans Peter Derry on the notes were 4th in class 11R. The event was won by Mick Quinn and Tony Healy in a class 14 escort, followed by Ed O’Callaghan and Ger Clancy in a class 13 escort. Stephen McCann and Lisa O’Dowd were 3rd in an EVO 7.

Dunlop National Prizegiving

Well done to all club members who picked up awards at the Dunlop National Tarmac Championship Awards night on Saturday night last. Josh Moffatt and John Rowan were rewarded for their exploits this year by winning the group N category in their EVO 9. Cavans Jonathan Pringle and Martin Byrne were crowned Dunlop MKII trophy champions with James Cassidy and James Mc Carville 4th overall in this category. Sam Moffatt and James O’Reilly took class 4 honours with Stephen and Suzanne Wright 2nd and Eugene Meegan and Martin McGarrity 3rd. Shane Maguire was 4th overall driver in class 4.

            Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry were also rewarded for their efforts this year with consistency resulting in 1st in class 8. Cavans Gary Kiernan and Niall Tierney won class 10 with David Smyth and Mark Deery taking 2nd in class 11. Paddy Kiernan (RIP) and James McCarville were awarded class 13 honours on the night. Well done to all recipients.

Wales Rally GB

Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans competed in the final round of the World Rally Championship in North Wales last weekend. This was a mammoth 4 day event which was equally demanding on both car and crew. Unfortunately the Monaghan men experienced several mishaps throughout the event but managed to finish 2nd in class and more importantly their stages times were very impressive.  Full report next week.

Monaghan MC Night of Champions

Monaghan Motor Club will host their annual awards dinner dance on Saturday night 30th November. This years event will celebrate the outstanding achievements of its club members, on both the national and international motorsport scene it what is billed as a “Night of Champions” All award winners will be notified but why not come along and show your support for all award winners in whats is guaranteed a great night. MC on the night will be Sean McCaffery with dinner followed by music. Tickets are available from any committee member with dinner served at 8pm sharp in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan.

Sympathy

Monaghan Motor Club wish to extend their sincere sympathies to the family and friends of the late Vincent Fagan, Dublin. Vincent was a keen supporter of motorsport and in particular night navigations and retrospectives. Vincent was well known within Monaghan Motor club where he competed on many night navigation trials down through the years and was always about to lend a hand if required. May he rest in peace.

Tarmac Championship Awards

In what was a busy weekend for club members with the Irish Tarmac Championship awards and the Border Rally Championship awards both taking place on Saturday night 2^nd November. The Tarmac awards ceremony took place in Stormont in Belfast where Fermanagh’s Gary Jennings & Wicklow’s Kevin Flanagan were crowned the 2013 Irish Tarmac Champions. Pride of place amongst the Monaghan crews went to the brother & sister team of Stephen & Suzanne Wright who were the overall Group N champions. This was a remarkable result given that it was their first time contesting the series. They had a tremendous battle all year with fellow Monaghan man Josh Moffett and his Antrim co-driver, John Rowan. In the end, Josh & John had to settle for 2^nd place in Group N this year. Not to be outdone, Josh’s brother Sam secured 3^rd overall in the championship which was no mean feat as he split the season between his Group N Lancer and a McKinstry WRC Subaru. His overall win with navigator James O’Reilly in Donegal was the highlight of his Championship. Shane Maguire was classified 2^nd in Class 4 despite just two outings during the year.

Sligo Pallets Border Championship Awards

Monaghan success was once again in abundance at the annual Border Championship Prizegiving in the Sligo Park Hotel. The overall winners of the championship were Cavan’s Gary Kiernan ably navigated by Niall Tierney. This was a great success for Niall who was in his first season competing. Aghabog father and son team, Arthur & Mac Kierans, champions for the last two years, finished 3^rd overall in the championship this year.

There was also excellent success for Monaghan crews in the classes once again. Francie McKenna/Sean Craig were the class 1 champions in their MG. Josh Moffett was the class 4 champion with Shane Maguire finishing runner-up. Justin Smyth/Gregory McQuillan finished 2^nd in class 9 while John & Niall Kelly claimed class 10 honours. David Smyth/Mark Deery were the class 11R champions, while Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden finished 3^rd in the same class. Raymond Conlon went home with his award for 2^nd place in class 13. Once again, an excellent year for Monaghan crews in the Border Championship.

Cork Star-Trek Night Nav

A number of Monaghan crews made the trip to Cork for Round 1 of the 2013-2014 National Night Navigation Championship. The event consisted of a challenging 85 mile route organised by leading Cork competitors Ken Carmody & Johnny Kenneally. Richard Cassidy had his usual Dublin navigator Paul Phelan navigating him. The pair finished in 4^th place overall in what was a tough event with only one crew finishing under 100 penalties. Hot on their heels were Ashley McAdoo and Laurence Keenan who finished in 5^th place overall and 1^st in the Semi-Expert class. Also making the trip down were Peter Farrell & Shane Farrell who were taking part in their first Cork event. This was a good result for this crew who finished 3^rd in the Beginners class on a very demanding event. The next National round is the Drumlin Navigation Trial on Saturday night next.

Drumlin Navigation Trial

Monaghan’s premier Navigation Trial takes place next weekend. COC Gary Farrelly and assistant Sean McKenna are putting the finishing touches to a 120 mile route based out of Tyholland. The event is Round 2 of the National Night Navigation Championship and Round 1 of the Squeling Pig Border Navigation Championship. Crucially the event is the final round of the Monaghan Motor Club Traders and Gary Nesbitt Championships. Damien Connolly currently leads the Traders Championship, but Martin Tynan & Derek Mackarel are also firmly in contention. As usual, marshals are needed to man the various timepoints, vias and controls that mark the route. Marshals are asked to meet in the Tyholland Community Centre at 8pm.

Kerry Mini Stages Rally

A number of club members are making the long trip south to compete on the Kerry Mini Stages Rally on Sunday next. The event is the final round of West Coast Rally Championship, which is led by Ballinode’s Shane Maguire and Fermanagh co-driver Martin McGarritty. Best of luck to all Monaghan crews.

Daniel Mc Kenna and co-driver Arthur Kierans have been crowned the BRC Rally 2 champions with the Scanbitz Ltd and Ravenol Motoroil supported Ford Fiesta R2 at the final round of the BRC, Rallye Sunseeker in Poole, Dorset last weekend. Daniel sealed the championship with a mature controlled drive to finish second in the R2 category on the event, doing more than enough to take a hard fought title from event winner Steve Rokland. This was the duo’s sixth podium of the year in as many events, the only R2 crew to manage this amazing feat, which stands testament to the speed and consistency of this championship winning crew.

            Ten tough stages and eight other R2 crew stood between the young Scotshouse native and the title before the event started and after the Friday recce, Daniel and Arthur knew that a top five finish was enough to guarantee him the title, although this was easier said than done. The plan was to start with a steady safe pace and monitor all other R2 drivers times and make no mistakes to take the championship. For added safety the crew decided on covering all bases, carrying extra tool’s and spare tyres in case of emergency which would obviously affect the cars performance but ultimately would give them a better chance of a top 5 finish. Thankfully as things turned out they didn’t have to call on any of their extra baggage.

            The Monaghan men went second fastest on the opening stage directly behind Rokland and remained in this position throughout the event, driving well within their capabilities to consolidate a podium place and stay ahead of the chasing pack. However with slippery conditions on the stages for much of the day and the top five R2 cars never being separated by any more than a minute and thirty seconds, one mishap could have spelled disaster for Daniel’s championship hopes. Another problem was with three passes on some of the stages they became extremely rough and rutted which really took its toll on the car, but the reliable Fiesta R2 was more than able for the challenge. The Scanbitz/Ravenol Ireland backed fiesta  even managed to set a fastest stage time on stage 8 of the event despite driving in safe mode.

            Daniel is absolutely delighted with the result and the championship season as a whole, here is what he had to say about his wonderful achievement. “At the beginning of the season I couldn’t have dreamed for the championship to work out like this for us. To be on the pace with all these great drivers in the BRC, take four wins, a second and a third is unbelievable. I really need to thank my main sponsors Scanbitz and Ravenol Ireland along with the many other companies and people who helped sponsor this success story. To my dedicated service crew for their help all year, especially Sharkey Motorsport for preparing a very reliable car throughout the season. I would also like to thank Motorsport Ireland and the Irish Sports Council for their great advice in conjunction with the Billy Coleman Award, Arthur Kierans for a great job all year on the notes and all of my friends and family for all of their support and good luck” As part of Daniels prize for winning the R2 class, the crew recieve a free entry into this years Rally GB which is the final round of the World Rally Championship based in Wales.

            The icing on the cake for Daniel came on Tuesday of this week when he was also awarded the Pirelli Star Driver award for his exploits in this years British Rally Championship. With no time to celebrate after his R2 championship win, it was a quick shift to North Wales on Sunday to compete in this prestigious competition on Monday and Tuesday where he was to compete against five other nominees for a prize of a full BRC season in a Citroen DS3 R3T backed by Pirelli. Thankfully the hard work by both Daniel and Arthur paid off when it was announced on Tuesday afternoon that Daniel had been awarded the Pirelli Star Driver award and can now look forward to another season in the British Rally Championship with the help of Pirelli in the Citroen DS3.

            Another competition for Daniel this week is the BRC Live Media Trophy shootout held at World Rally preparation experts, Prodrive’s facility in Banbury on Wednesday.  Daniel along with 5 other nominees will be interviewed where the winner will get to test drive JCW Mini S2000 which is another amazing opportunity in conjunction with the BRC.

            Monaghan Motor Club would like to congratulate Daniel and Arthur on their amazing feat of being crowned British Rally Championship R2 category winners and also to Daniel for being crowned 2013 Pirelli Star Driver which undoubtedly could not have been achieved without the help of Arthur Kierans and all his dedicated team. Well done lads.

Gary McPhillips and Paul Sheridan made it a Monaghan double in Donegal this year, winning the Donegal Harvest Stages Rally last Saturday.

This followed on from Sam Moffett and James O’Reillys empathic win on the Donegal International Rally earlier in the year. Mc Phillips/Sheridan were made to work for their win on the narrow and bumpy roadways of Northwest Donegal around the Gweedore and Dungloe regions of the picturesque Donegal Gealtacht area. Number 2 seeds and local men, Declan and Brian Boyle crossed the start ramp as favourites and held the early lead but Gary McPhillips and Paul Sheridan took over at the front on stage 3 as the Boyle cousins succumbed to the tricky conditions. The iconic red escort of McPhillips/Sheridan never looked back and increased their lead with every stage to take a well deserved win by a minute and fifteen seconds from Donegal men Patrick McHugh and Padraic O’Donnell. 3rd overall went to another Donegal crew who were on a blistering pace in a class 11 twin cam, Patrick Boyle and Donal Cole. Gary and Paul would like to thank their service team of Cathal and Francis and all who help in their quest for the overall win.

            This event was also the final round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship and with four crews still in contention pre-event it was all to play for. Cavan man Gary Kiernan with Monaghan’s Niall Tierney on the notes had held a one point advantage over their rivals and a class 10 win on the day ensured the 2103 Sligo Pallets Border Championship was headed for Cavan. A fitting tribute to Gary’s older brother Paddy who passed away earlier this year.

            Raymond Conlon and Darren McCague also made the trip to Donegal and it paid dividends with a superb 5th overall and 1st in class in the Conlon travel backed twin cam. This result left Raymond 2nd in class 13 in this years border championship. Double Border champions, Arthur and Mac Kierans did all they could to make it a treble this year with a class 12 win on the day but it wasn’t to be as they fell short by a point to Kiernan/Tierney. Indeed the Aghabog men were made to work hard all day with only a second separating them and James Cassidy going into the final loop of 3 stages but in true Kierans fashion the KES escort steamed to a class win and 11th overall. Cavan’s Damian O’Reilly and Damien McCabe took the class 9 spoils and 14th overall after a hard fought battle with Justin Smyth and Gregory McQuillan but the Lisnalong men retired on stage 5. Justin and Gregory finished 2nd in class 9 in this years championship.

            Barry Treanor and Colm Connolly were another crew to excel in the tricky Donegal terrain with 2nd in class 11 and 16th overall in an escort. David Smyth and Mark Deery finish their border campaign with 26th overall and 5th in class but more importantly their consistency paid off with a class win in the border championship. John and Niall Kelly were another Monaghan crew to reap the rewards of consistency with 2nd in class 10 on the day but also lifting the class 10 crown in this years championship. Seamus Connolly and Gary McCrudden had a troubled day in the Donegal hills to eventually finish 42nd overall in an escort and were 3rd in class 11R in this years championship. Francie McKenna and Sean Craig finished off their year on a high in the unique Rover MG with a class win on the day and a class win in the championship.

            As always there must be losers and non finishers and the Donegal countryside was to claim over half of the starting 127 in the main field! Class 4 which is the group N production category threw up some great results for Monaghan crews this year but unfortunately Donegal was to bite back. Josh Moffett and James O’Reilly were lying in 3rd overall before a bad stage time on 3 dropped them back to 17th overall. Nevertheless they punched in some great time over the next 5 stages and were back up to joint 4th overall but they disappeared off the leader board on the final stage and into retirement. However Josh still did enough to claim 1st in class 4 in the border championship. Shane Maguire and Enda Sherry also made the start ramp and were giving a good account, lying 4th overall after the sixth stage but they two were to encounter mechanical woes which forced them into retirement. Shane finished 2nd in class 4 in the border championship. 

Moffett and Connolly take the win in Baltinglass

Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly made their trip south to Baltinglass last Sunday very worthwhile, coming away with the overall win in their trusty class 13 starlet amongst some very stiff competition.  The Monaghan men laid down the gauntlet to their rivals early on, pulling out a 10 second lead on the opening stage but with four different drivers destined to share the lead over the next five stages it was to be a battle to the wire for the Moffett Engineering backed starlet. Fortunately Richard and Martin turned a one second deficit into a three second win through the final stage to take a well deserved first overall win of their short rallying career, the first of many hopefully. Mike Quinn finished 2nd overall in a class 14 escort, followed by Shay Power and Paul Collins in 3rd, also in an escort.

            Barry and Darren McKenna made their trip worthwhile also with a 12th overall finish and 2nd in class 13 in the McKenna Agri/New Holland backed escort. Unfortunately David Moffett and Fintan Sherry’s day was short lived with retirement on the opening loop, but with the overall win going to big brother Richard they still had something to celebrate!

Rallye Sunseeker

Best wishes to Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans who travel to Dorset this weekend to compete in the final round of the British Rally Championship. Daniel and Arthur are currently leading the R2 category in the championship, but need a top 5 class finish to ensure that they take the title back to Monaghan. Full report next week.

Newbliss brother and sister pairing of Stephen and Suzanne Wright capped off a hugely successful rallying year last weekend at the Cork 20 International Rally with a 7th overall finish and 3rd in class 4, enough to be crowned 2013 Group N Irish Tarmac Champions. In what was one of the toughest battles all year, Stephen and Suzanne had a measured drive amidst stiff competition in their EVO 9 on the millstreet based event to lift the title for 2013.             Closest championship rival’s and fellow Monaghan crew Josh Moffett & Jason McKenna, put up a great fight to the Wrights all weekend which seen them finish a superb  8th o/a. This result sees the Combilift team finish 2nd in the group N category for 2013 and coupled with their recent successes in the Irish Forestry Championship and Dunlop National Championship end a superb rallying year for the young Monaghan team also.

            The event was won by Daragh O’Riordan and Tony McDaid in a fiesta WRC, ahead of Fermanagh man Gary Jennings and Rory Kennedy in their Subaru Impreza WRC. This result ensured Gary and Rory were crowned 2013 Irish Tarmac Rally Champions. 3rd overall went to Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan, also in a subaru.

            Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly had another fantastic International result and claimed 6th o/a and 2nd in class 4 to round off a great year for this winning crew also.

            In the National category, Monaghan’s Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor finished an excellent 4th overall and 1st in class 14 in their MK2 Escort. The pair had a fine run mixing it with the top teams as they held 3rd O/A for part of the event. The national category was won by Roy White in an S2000 rover, ahead of the super quick escorts of Wesley Patterson and Phil Collins.           

Connolly/McElhinney Win Monaghan Navigation Opener

Damien Connolly, driven by Donegals Gary McElhinney proved once again they are a hard team to beat in the North Monaghan region after taking another win on last Saturday nights Monaghan Motor Club navigation trial, this the first event of the new season. CoC’s for the first time, Jonathan Mc Govern and Damien Treanor laid on a fantastic and compact event circling the quaint North Monaghan village   of Carrickroe with the community centre providing ample facilities for plotting and results.

            31 crews left the Carrickroe area to tackle the 75mile route which bordered the villages of Tydavnet and  Emyvale before heading northwards through Killybrone and then to the Bragan mountain area before the last few time points at the Wattersons Quarry complex. All in all an enjoyable and demanding route with no room for error, this evident from the many wrong approach and departure penalties on results sheets. Michael and Ciaran Tynan had led the event right up to the final two time points where they dropped 2 penalties in all through Wattersons Quarry, enough to push them back to 3rd overall as the novice pairing of Ashley McAdoo and Laurence Keenan also finished on two penalties to be deemed 2nd overall behind Connolly/McElhinney.

            Evin Hughes came out of retirement for this event and teamed up with Shane Maguire to take 2nd in the expert class behind the Tynan’s, proving that he hasn’t forgotten any of his navigation skills which saw him take many overall wins in the past few years. Monaghans Donal McArdle teamed up with Donegal veteran Ciaran Coyle and finished 3rd in expert and 6th overall.

            The most unlikely pairing of Andy Mackarel and Arthur Kierans also teamed up for this event with Arthur taking to the maps, proving that he can compete in any motorsport discipline in any side of the car!! Would be fair to say there was two drivers and two navigators in this subaru and they proved their experience with 1st in semi-expert class and 10th overall. Matt and Enda Hume finished 2nd semi-expert after a troubled night.

            Ashley McAdoo and Laurence Keenan had a great night with their 2nd overall finish and a novice class win, 2 penalties at time point 12 was their only downfall. Eoghan Corr and Brendan Treanor are improving with every event and took 2nd in novice class on this occasion and 8th overall. Jonathan Treanor drove midlands man Seamus McTigue to 3rd place in the novice class.

            Derek Mackarel, driven by Fintan McGorman  picked up where they left of last year taking the beginner class win and a superb 5th overall. Yet another unlikely switch to the navigators seat was Michael Carbin, driven by Emmet McCooey and they too hit it off with 2nd in the beginners class and 9th overall. Father and son team of Peter and Shane Farrell also had a good run to take 3rd in beginners class.

            So that’s the navigation season up and running for another year. Well done to first time CoC’s Jonathan McGovern and Damien Treanor on a job well done. Jonathan would like to thank all the team for their efforts, including Carrickroe Community Centre, Coyle Crash Repairs, all the marshals that showed up, residents along the route, results teams, the tea ladies for their hard work late into the night and everyone else who helped in any way, big or small. Next up is the Drumlin navigation event on 9th November with CoC’s Gary Farrelly and Sean McKenna. This event is also the final round of the traders club championship which is going down to the wire with Damien Connolly only a point or two ahead of Martin Tynan with Derek Mackarel also close behind in 3rd. All three have the potential for a good result in the Drumlin so an exciting finish is in store.

Monaghan Motor Club Navigation Top 10

1/ Gary Mc Elhinney/Damien Connolly 1penalty

2/ Ashley McAdoo/Laurence Keenan 2pens

3/ Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan 2pens

4/ Shane Maguire/Evin Hughes 4pens

5/ Fintan McGorman/Derek Mackarel 7pens

6/ Donal McArdle/Ciaran Coyle 8pens

7/ Martin Tynan/Stephen Thornton 18pens

8/ Eoghan Corr/Brendan Treanor 20pens

9/ Emmet McCooey/Michael Carbin 29pens

10/ Andy Mackarel/Arthur Kierans 38pens

a superb 7th and 8th o/a in the event.

Another fantastic International result was claimed by another Monaghan team – Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly, who took 6th o/a and 2nd in class 4.

In the National category, Monaghan’s Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor finished an excellent 4th overall and 1st in class 14 in their MK2 Escort. The pair had a fine run mixing it with the top teams as they held 3rd O/A for part of the event. Well done to all crews!

Daniel McKenna and co-driver Arthur Kierans hit their goal of taking a fourth victory in a row in the Rally 2 category of the BRC at the Trackrod rally of Yorkshire after a fantastic battle with their closest championship rivals. The Pickering based event used the classic Yorkshire stages such as Dalby, Langdale and Staindale made famous by the RAC rally having been used for many years by some of the world’s best drivers. Their result on this event means Daniel and Arthur have really put themselves in pole position to become the R2 champions with one round remaining.

            Daniel and Arthur were in confident mood approaching the start of the event as it began with two night stages and with lots of experience under darkness, confidence was high in the Scanbitz camp.      The Monaghan men hit the ground running on the opening night stage and set the pace ending the first leg of the event with a 15 second lead, extracting almost a second a mile from his closest rival, Steve Rokland. On Saturday morning the crews were greeted to fantastic weather and perfect rally conditions. Daniel again kept up his high pace on the first stage of the morning but this time was a second of the pace, but still held a 15 second lead. On the second stage of the morning, a six mile test through Gale Rigg, Daniel felt quite happy with his pace crossing the finishing line of the stage, but the stage times told a different story. Jon Armstrong who lay second had slashed 8 seconds of Daniel’s lead and Steve Rokland had taken 9 to remain third.

            After a short service the classic 15 miles of Langdale lay ahead and it could possibly decide the outcome of the event despite there being a repeat of the two Friday night stages after it. Daniel decided maximum attack was the only option to try and build on his 6 second lead. Everything was going to plan until about half way through the stage where they had an overshoot losing around five or six seconds. Nevertheless they kept the pace up towards the end of the stage hoping he had done enough to hold on to the lead. Daniel surrendered only one second to Armstrong but Rokland really made a move in this stage leaping into 2^nd  place and cutting Daniel’s lead to a mere 0.1 of a second.          

            Another a short service before the final two stages, Daniel and Arthur had no intentions of losing the lead they had worked so hard for on the Friday night. Daniel again went out on maximum attack with no mistakes and really stamped their authority on the battle taking eight seconds out of Rokland and six seconds out of Armstrong on the first of the two last stages. The same approach for the final stage saw Daniel going fastest again to win the event by 11.9 seconds. An added bonus for Daniel and Arthur was that their closest rival for the R2 title Rokland, was beaten to second place by Armstrong on the final stage by 0.1 of a second.

            This now gives Daniel and Arthur a 10 point lead over Rokland after dropping their worst score of the season. As a result, if Rokland were to win the final round, Rallye Sunseeker, Daniel and Arthur could afford to finish fifth and still win the championship by one point, which is an even better position than Daniel could have hoped for before the Yorkshire rally.

Monaghan Navigation Trial

Monaghan Motor Club kick off the new night navigation season this Saturday night, 5th October. CoC’s for the event Jonathan McGovern and Damian Treanor have the hard work done with a demanding 75mile route on the cards. HQ for the event is Carrickroe Community Centre with route card 1 out at 6.30 and first car away 9.01pm. As always marshals are very much in demand. If you are available please contact Jonathan or Damian as soon as possible and be in the community centre, Carrickroe no later than 7.30pm. Reg’s and entry forms are available on the club website. Full report next week.

Bushwacker Forestry Rally

Congratulations to Monaghan crew Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna on their excellent success in the 2013 Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship. Jason secured 3rd overall co-driver in the Championship while Josh took an impressive win in the hard fought Gp N category. This Championship win came after finishing 10th O/A on the recent Bushwacker Rally in Omagh last Saturday. Josh has also been nominated for the Billy Coleman award after a string of superb performances in 2013.

            The event was won by Derek Mc Garrity and James McKee in a subaru. Enda Mc Nulty and Monaghan’s Paul Sheridan were 5th overall and won class 9, also in a subaru. Frank Kelly had a mere second to spare over Shane Mc Girr for the two wheel drive honours, finishing 6th and 7th respectively after a day long battle in the forests of Fermanagh and Tyrone. Sam Moffatt and James O’Reilly had to settle for 4th in class and 12th overall on this occasion as they gained valuable experience on the loose surface in the Subaru. Michael Conlon and Ciaran McPhillips had a great run to 16th overall and 3rd in class. Maurice Moffatt made the switch to gravel in his starlet and along with Martin Connolly had a very enjoyable day by all accounts to finish 27th overall and 2nd in class 7.

Last Sunday the Oakwood Arms Hotel Clare Stages took place, this event was the penultimate round of the 2013 West Coast Rally championship. Going into this event the championship had many drivers who could stake a claim to being outright champion.

            As ever a number of Monaghan crews made the journey south to contest the event.

Stephen and Suzanne Wright opened their account on the event posting a creditable 4^th fastest time on the opening stage thus continuing their fast pace of late. As the day progressed the duo surpassed all expectations to finish an incredible second overall behind the eventual winners Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan in their WRC Ford Focus.

            Next Monaghan crew where Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity who were mindful of their championship position deciding to set a steady opening pace, as the day progressed they upped the pace to climb to 5^th overall and the group N win, this result sees them lead the West Coast championship going into the final round.

Jack Maguire/Andy Hayes also made the trip south in their Mitsubishi Evo9 taking the lead in his class from the outset and as the day progressed they held that lead to the end and climbed the overall leader board to finish 9^th overall. Aaron Duffy/Keith McConnan took their Ford Fiesta to a class win making their trip also worthwhile having battled their way up the order during the day. It was on the fourth stage that they claimed the class 9 lead which they held to the finish.

Monaghan Navigation Trial

Monaghan Motor Club kick off the new night navigation season on Saturday night week, 5th October. CoC’s for the event Jonathan McGovern and Damian Treanor are hard at work with their final preparations and as always marshals are very much in demand. If you are available please contact Jonathan or Damian as soon as possible. Reg’s and entry forms are available on the club website. More news next week

Monaghan Crews Fair Well on Galway Summer Rally

The highly popular Galway Summer rally was contested at the weekend, based in the West Galway town of Ballinasloe. The event was supported by several mainland UK crews as Hugh Hunter from Wales led the rally from start to finish followed by fellow countryman James Belton both in WRC Subaru’s.  Third overall on the day was Darragh O’Riordan from Cork in the latest spec Fiesta WRC.

            A strong Monaghan contingent was headed by Josh Moffett/John Rowan as the duo continued their great run of form taking the group N lead on the opening stage, a position they held to the end. This result ensures them of the group N title in the Dunlop National Rally Championship. Josh was closely followed by brother and sister pairing of Stephen/Suzanne Wright who claimed a fine 2^nd in GpN and 9^th Overall. Donegal’s Declan Gallagher and Ryan Moore were once again tops in the two wheel drive section in their starlet, closely followed by Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne who were 5th overall with Frank Kelly a further 15 seconds adrift in 6th overall. Maurice Moffett/Jason McKenna made a return to the Irish tarmac and had a brilliant run all day to claim the runner up spot in the highly competitive class 14 and 10^th overall in their Toyota Starlet. Liam Bowhan with Damien Connolly on the notes, just edged into 11^th overall by a slender half second, taking third in class. Shane Maguire/ Martin McGarrity claimed 12^th overall and held a strong third in GpN all day, which duly strengthens their Top Part West Coast championship campaign. Raymond Conlon wheeled his trusty twin-cam out and was partnered by Sarah Whelan, they eventually finished fourth in class. David Moffett/Fintan Sherry had a fine run until a stage four puncture dropped them from 2^nd in class to fifth in class, however they battled away to finish 44^th overall and 4^th in class. Aaron Duffy/Keith McConnon finished a creditable 4^th in class and 58^th overall in their little Fiesta.

            Some hard luck stories included Jim McKenna/Thomas Treanor who had held a fine 9^th overall and second in class 14 until driveshaft failure put them out of the event. Also going extremely well was Richard Moffett/Martin Connolly who had held 10^th overall and third in the hotly contested class 13 until their clutch cried enough on stage six. Justin Smyth/Gregory McQuillan had led their class after five stages but unfortunately stage 6 ended their fine run. The next tarmac rally for many of the local crews will be the Clare stages rally on September 22^nd.  

The Irish Tarmac & British Rally Championships came head to head on last weekend’s Ulster International Rally. The event moved from Antrim to a new base in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh. The event was divided into different sections, with the Irish Tarmac registered crews competing on the Ulster Rally. Rally NI was the event in which the British Championship crews competed, while the National Rally contained Northern Ireland Championship crews as well as a plethora of modified entries.

            Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly were out in the McKinstry S14 Subaru Impreza WRC for a third time. With overall wins on both their previous outings in Monaghan and Donegal, the pair were hopeful of making it three wins out of three. Their main opposition was Tarmac Championship points leader Gary Jennings with the experienced Rory Kennedy navigating, with newly crowned National Champions Declan & Brian also competing in a Subaru. Stephen Wright/Suzanne Wright & Josh Moffett/John Rowan were all set for another battle royale for Group N honours.

            Over the opening loop of stages, Moffett/O’Reilly settled into an early 3^rd place behind Jennings and early pace-setter Derek McGarritty. However, an ominous noise in the gearbox after stage 5 would spell the end of their event, all but ending their hopes of winning the Tarmac Championship this year. Stephen & Suzanne Wright finished the day as the best placed Monaghan crew in 4^th place just 8 seconds ahead of Josh Moffett/John Rowan. Wright’s challenge suffered a major setback as they lost several minutes when a turbo pipe came adrift on Saturday’s opening stage. Moffett/Rowan seized the initiative and secured Group N honours and 4^th in the Ulster Rally, with the Wright family recovering to 5^th place and 2^nd in Group N. Gary Jennings/Rory Kennedy took overall honours moving Jennings to the brink of claiming his first tarmac championship crown. Derek McGarritty/James McKee finished 2^nd with Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan in 3^rd.

            In the Rally NI section of the event, Scotshouse man Daniel McKenna with Aghabog navigator, Arthur Kierans were gunning for more success in class R2 following class wins on the Jim Clark and Scottish rallies. Local man Jon Armstrong was their main rival for the weekend. Armstrong put in some stunning times on Friday running as high as 2^nd in the Rally NI section, beating the times of Group N and some WRC machinery! McKenna/Kierans adopted a more cautions approach and finished the day 2^nd in class and 5^th overall among the Rally NI competitors just under a minute behind Armstrong. Saturday morning on the Ulster is notorious for catching crews out and sure enough by the end of the first loop, McKenna/Kierans were up to 3^rd place and leading R2 while Armstrong retired after going off the road. Gearbox gremlins crept in on McKenna/Kierans’ hopes of a class win but with a comfortable advantage over their nearest class pursuer, the Monaghan crew adopted a steady approach to the finish eventually coming home in 5^th place and sealing the class R2 win.

            Monaghan representation was also plentiful in the National section where Damien Hagan/Janice Mackarel were competing in their Mk2 Escort. Emmet Sherry was calling the notes for Omagh’s Amy Cox in a Skoda while Matthew McKenna was sitting with Darren McKelvey. Hagan/Mackarel had a great run to finish 14^th overall 6^th in class 6. Cox/Sherry finished in 25^th overall and 3^rd in class 4. McKevley/McKenna came home in 31^st place overall and 4^th in class 9.

Monaghan Motor Club Night Navigation Classes

Navigation trial classes are back! Monaghan Motor Club’s very popular annual course of navigation classes is due to start again on Wednesday 28th August. Event preparation, map reading, timing along with much more will form the foundation of this popular course. The course will run over 5-6 weeks depending on requirements and includes one week where we cover stage rallying basics for the co-pilot.

            Venue is the GAA complex in Threemilehouse and will start each Wednesday at 8pm sharp until 10. Anyone wishing to attend please register with Conor Maguire on 086 1677446.

Leitrim’s Enda Mc Loughlin, navigated by Declan Tynan won last Sundays Monaghan Motor Club Endurance trial for a second successive year. The pairing had a 26 second advantage over Ian Downey and William Kelly after 23 testing selectives across North Monaghan. Eddie Peterson and Kevin Fagan were 3rd with the top three all in similar Starlets.

            CoC for the event Andy Mackarel and his team put a mammoth effort into getting and setting up selectives which proved very popular with all who took part. The day started with scrutiny at Sam’s Diner and then up to event HQ at the Four Seasons Hotel. First car departed at 10.30am and headed for the Threemilehouse/Greenans Cross areas to endure 10 demanding selectives through lanes and yards known locally as Keenans, Mc Guinness’ and Wrights Quarry as well as the farm lanes of Robert and Richard Moore before returning to the Four Seasons for a much deserved dinner break and service. The afternoon selectives brought competitors northwards towards Balinode/Scotstown/Tydavnet and Carrickroe where 13 more tests lay in wait. These selectives were on the farm lanes of Mc Mahons, Sherlocks and Mc Meels as well as Mc Aree Engineering Works at Carrickroe, Wattersons Quarry and the ever popular track at Rally School Ireland. This event surely lived up to its name as an endurance trial with the first car arriving back to HQ at 7.00pm where results and prize giving took place soon after.

            Ian Downey and William Kelly had led through the early selectives but it was the Starlet of Mc Loughlin/Tynan which led at the mid way halt and progressed through the afternoon tests to extend their lead and follow up on last years result with another overall win. Karl O’Donohue and Damian Connolly were 4th overall and 2nd in class 1 in their Rover 214 with Midlands men Sam Johnston and Nigel McCloughry 5th overall and 1st in class 1. Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin rounded off the top three in class 1 which was the endurance trial specification car class.

            Michael and Ciaran Tynan won class 2 in the “petite” 998cc Diahatsu Cuora ahead of Stephen Rushe and Conor Hagan in a Toyota Yaris. Francie Mc Kenna and Oisin Craig were 3rd in class 2 in the rally spec Rover MG ZR, this was Oisin’s first competitive outing so a good result for this team. Kieran “Bilko” Mc Carra and Gary Mc Crudden were tops in class 3 and 6th overall, just ahead of Daniel Mc Kenna and Peter Deery who were 7th overall in the left hand drive mazda. James Greenan and Seamus Mc Tigue were 3rd in class 3, just ahead of Jonathan McGovern and Damian Treanor.

            Damian “shortcut” Hagan and Derek Mackarel won class 5 in their rear wheel drive mazda MX5, ahead of Thelma and Louise (aka Eoghan Corr and Brendan Treanor) in a similar MX5. Other locals to feature included Adrian and Anthony Foley in there Nova who finished 16th overall with Peter and Shane Farrell 18th overall. Samuel and Carol Patterson took the trusty corsa home to 21st overall. Arthur and Mac Kierans viewed most of the days proceedings from the sidelines,

having parked their mount on its side in almost the identical same place as they slid of on last year!

            Coc of the event, Andy Mackarel thanks all the land and property owners for their help and support, all the marshals and time keepers, results team and the Four Seasons Hotel. Also a big thank you to John Kelly, Damian Treanor, Fintan Clerkin, Richard Cassidy, Rodney Adams, Trevor Farrell and especially to Cora for all their help. Also to anyone else who helped out in any way. Special word of thanks to Damian Hagan for tying up all the tape that little bit higher so the MX5 could fit underneath it!! There is a good selection of photo’s from this event at http://www.picturesofireland.ie

Cork MC Jim Walsh Cork Forestry Rally

Michael O’Brien and Greg Shinnors won last Sundays Jim Walsh Cork Forestry Rally in a focus WRC, almost a minute ahead of Owen Murphy and James O Brien. Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna proved they are an up and coming force on the gravel by taking 3rd overall in their EVO 9, with just 11 seconds separating second, third and fourth places. The two wheel drive battle came down to a nail biting finish as Frank Kelly just pipped Marty McCormack by 3 seconds, having been level with 2 stages to go. Shane McGirr took 3rd two wheel drive and 7th overall. Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly were 9th overall and 2nd group N. Enda McNulty and Paul Sheridan wee 11th overall and 1st in class 20. Michael Conlon and Ciaran McPhillips were 17th overall and Michael Carbin/Stephen Thornton were 20th overall and 3rd in class 20.

Night Navigation Classes

Yes its that time of year again and with the night navigation season only a matter of 6 weeks away Monaghan Motor Club will once again be holding night navigation classes for new and existing navigators to brush up on their skills. These classes will commence next Wednesday night 28th August starting at 8pm in Threemilehouse GAA complex.

Mayo Autocross/Ulster Rally

Best of luck to travelling club members this week to Mayo Autocross for the final round of Harringtons Quarry Autocross. Derek Mackarel will lead the charge in his nova as he aims to secure a class win in the championship.

            Also to all members heading for Enniskillen this weekend to contest the Ulster International Rally. Daniel Mc Kenna, Josh Moffett, Sam Moffett, Steven Wright, Shane Maguire, Damien Hagan and Gary Mc Phillips along with their respective navigators are all on the entry list. Good luck to all and full report next week.

Boyles are Dunlop Tarmac Champions

Declan and Brian Boyle confirmed their status as Dunlop National Rally champions for 2013 on Sunday last on Tipperary Motor Clubs Stonethrowers Rally. The Donegal men had a commanding lead prior to the event with Monaghan’s Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry their closest rivals. Unfortunately Maguire/Sherry failed to finish which confirmed the Donegal cousins as National Champions. Indeed they took a convincing win by almost 2 minutes from Roy White in the MG Rover. Welsh man James Belton rounded off the top three.

            Declan Gallagher and Ryan Moore had an outstanding drive through the Tipperary countryside to take fifth overall and the top two wheel drive honours in the blistering white starlet. As with most events this year it was the travelling Monaghan contingent who dominated the Group N production class. Only 29 seconds separated the top three with Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly coming out on tops on this occasion, ahead of younger brother Josh Moffett and James Rowan. Stephen and Suzanne Wright had to settle for 3rd on this occasion but keep there title hopes very much alive. Eugene Meggan rounded off the top 10 and 4th in group N while Liam Bowhan and Damian Connolly took their starlet home to 11th overall and 2nd in class 13. Barry Mc Kenna and Martin Connolly also had a great run to finish 18th overall and 3rd in class 13 in the New Holland/Mc Kenna Agri backed escort.

            David Smyth and Mark Derry were as consistent as ever to finish 2nd in class 11R and 28th overall, a valuable points haul towards their championship hopes. Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle failed to finish whilst lying inside the top 10 after stage 5, as did Jack Maguire who was 15th after the first stage in his class 20 EVO.

Tipperary MC Stonethrowers Rally Top 10

1/ Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle Subaru Impreza

2/ Roy White/James O’Brien MG

3/ James Belton/Mark Glennerster Subaru Impreza

4/ Paddy McVeigh/Stephen O’Hanlon Subaru WRC

5/ Declan Gallagher/Ryan Moore Toyota Starlet

6/ Sam Moffet/James O’Reilly Mitsubishi Evo

7/ Josh Moffet/John Rowan Mitsubishi Evo

8/ Stephen Wright/Susanne Wright Mitsubishi Evo

9/ Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally Subaru WRC

10/ Eugene Meegan/Sarah Whelan Mitsubishi Evo 4

Monaghan Motor Club Endurance Trial

Sunday next see’s Monaghan Motor Club host their annual endurance trial. The Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan town is the start venue for the event with scrutiny starting at 7.30am at Sam’s Diner (Opposite Four Seasons), drivers briefing is at 9.30 with first car off at 10am. Regulations and entry forms are available on club web site at monaghanmotorclub.net. As always many marshals are required so please contact any committee member as soon as possible.  

Monaghan Motor Club Endurance Trial

Monaghan Motor Clubs Endurance Trial which was postponed due to a clash with the recent Ulster Football Final has been re-scheduled for Sunday 18th August. Regulations and entry forms are available on club web site at monaghanmotorclub.net. The Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan town is the start venue as CoC Andy Mackarel and his team are currently busy setting out an enjoyable and demanding route. As always many marshals are required so please contact any committee member. More details to follow next week.

Sympathy

Monaghan Motor Club wish to extend our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Paddy Kiernan who has passed away following a road traffic accident last Sunday night. Paddy was a member of Cavan Motor Club and proved himself as an upcoming star on recent event’s in his class 13 escort. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this difficult time.

Declan and Brian Boyle from Donegal took the overall honours once again on last Sundays Connacht Motor Club Sligo Park Hotel stages Rally. This win leaves the Donegal cousins in a commanding lead in the Dunlop tarmac championship as they enjoyed a start to finish lead in the sunny Sligo countryside. On what may be a first for Irish rallying the event was shortened by the organisers to six stages from the allotted nine as the blistering heat caused the tarmac to lift and the call was made to cancel the final loop of three stages to avoid any long term damage to the roads. However Declan and Brian Boyle had over a minute to spare so victory was within their sights anyway. It was a good day at the office for some travelling Monaghan crews with four inside the top ten. Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry finished second overall in their impreza WRC, despite the gearbox showing signs of malfunction through stage six they were relieved to make the finish. Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly continued their excellent form of late rounding off the top three in his group N EVO.

            Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna had a good battle with older brother but was just edged out to 4th overall by 17 seconds and took the class 4 win. They also picked up the Sligo Pallets drive of the day award. Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle and Martin Byrne claimed the two wheel drive honours and 5th overall to boot in their class 13 escort. They now lie in 2nd overall in the Sligo Pallets border championship. Ian Gunning was 6th while Clones man Raymond Conlon teamed up with Sarah Whelan to take a great result in 7th overall and 3rd in class 13. Jack Maguire was just outside the top 10 in 11th overall and 2nd in class 20.

            Gary Kiernan and Niall Tierney took the class 10 win and 25th overall. This win leaves the Cavan men at the top of the Sligo Pallets Border Championship classification with only the Donegal Harvest rally left to complete in October. Damien O’Reilly and Damien McCabe had a great battle with the Cavan club rivals and were only edged out by 4 seconds to take the class 9 victory and 26th overall. David Smith and Mark Deery were consistent as ever and finished 29th overall and 3rd in class 11R, thus leading their class in the border championship with one round remaining.  Stephen and Suzanne Wright had an uncustomary bad day at the office when their brakes seemed to malfunction and Stephen was forced to slide his Evo into a bank to avoid going off altogether but picked up a puncture and dropped them right back. Despite finishing 43rd overall they still managed to take 3rd in class 4. Paddy Kiernan acquired the services of Paul Sheridan as navigator for the day but they left their luck at home, finishing 51st overall. The Monaghan/Cavan pairing obviously encountered some problems on stage 5 as they were as high as 5th overall after stage 4. Francie McKenna and Sean Craig took the class 1 honours in the trusty Rover MG ZR.

            Unfortunately the bumpy Sligo stages did claim quite a few casualties throughout the day, with double border champions Arthur and Mac Kierans’ dominance come to an abrupt end on a Sligo ditch on stage 3 whilst lying in 14th overall. Last years winners of this event, Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity were another retirement after the gearbox in the subaru cried enough. Richard Moffett and Martin Connollys rally came to an end on stage 2, lying in 13th overall after the opening test. Results sheets suggest Justin Smyth and Gregory McQuillan had a troubled day lying well down the leader board and eventually retiring after stage 5.

            So all is to play for on this years Sligo Pallets Border Rally championship as Paddy Kiernan holds a slender lead from Jonathan Pringle with Declan Boyle in 3rd with the Donegal Harvest Stages remaining. But when dropped rounds are taken into account and should any of these fail to take a class win in Donegal it opens the door for a number of competitors to lift this years title with Dermot O’Hagan and Arthur Kierans still in with an outside chance to name but a few. Monaghan Motor Club would like to thank the many marshals which turned up and braved the blistering sunshine  in Sligo.

Connacht MC Sligo Stages Rally Top 10

1 Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Impreza WRC) 50m 21s,

2 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 51m 27s,

3 Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 52m 41s,

4 Josh Moffett/Jason McKenna (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 52m 58s,

5 Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne (Escort) 54m 02s,

6 Ian Gunning/Fred Holmes (Escort) 54m 33s,

7 Raymond Conlon/Sarah Whelan (Corolla) 54m 43s,

8 David Leonard/Darragh Mullen (Lancer) 54m 56s,

9 Enda Haran/Patrick Corcoran (Escort) 54m 56s,

10 Dermot O’Hagan/Pierce Doheny Jnr (Corsa) 55m 41s.

Motorsport Safety Team Group N Production class:

1 Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly,

2 Josh Moffett/Jason McKenna,

3 Sean Gallagher/Claire Gallagher (Lancer Evo 9) 56m 07s.

rally.ie Two wheel drive award:

1 Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne.

Monaghan Endurance Trial

Monaghan Motor Club have postponed there upcoming endurance trial due to take place this Sunday as it clashes with the Ulster Football final. Next date due to be published shortly.

After the 3^rd round of the British Rally Championship, the Scottish Rally in Dumfries, Daniel McKenna and Co-Driver Arthur Kierans find themselves leading the R2 Championship by 5 points from Norwegian driver Steve Rokland and lying a magnificent 5^th in the overall championship among the top R3 category drivers after finishing 1^st in R2 and 8^th o/a last weekend.

            This is the first time the Scottish Rally has been a round of the BRC for 7 years and was a new challenge for the majority of the championship competitors including Daniel. After a very challenging recce on the Friday, all of the crews knew that they had a very tough day’s rallying ahead of them as the stages where very technical but also very fast. The biggest fear however was the sharp stone surface which would most definitely cause punctures and would probably have some reckoning on the final results. Also the fact that the Scottish national rally competitors were running ahead of the BRC crews, this would cut and rut the surface up, making it an even bigger challenge.

            Stage 1 early ON Saturday morning was a 6 mile test, the crew stuck to the game plan and set 2^nd fastest time in R2, 2 seconds behind Rokland with no problems. However on the next test a 13.5 mile stage the crew encountered an unavoidable rock that had been dragged onto the racing line about 1.5 miles into the stage which created such an impact that it bent the rear axel making the car handle badly for the remainder of the stage. The crew still managed to set 2^nd fastest R2 time on the stage but dropped 11 seconds to Rokland as the majority of the other R2 competitors were already experiencing puncture problems. Stage 3 was a short spectator stage only 0.75 miles long before the much needed service to the car. Daniel made a big effort through the test setting the 5^th fastest time o/a and fastest R2 despite the mishandling car.

            With a short 20 minute service their dedicated service crew managed to replace the rear axle without any time penalties. Towards the end of stage 4 Rokland’s gearbox mounting broke and he also picked up a puncture as Daniel was 4 seconds quicker closing the gap to 9 seconds. Jon Armstrong was also having a good run and was only 6 seconds behind Daniel. Stage 5 proved to be a big turning point as Daniel had a fairly clean stage despite encountering a power steering problem near the end of the stage. Rokland was still carrying his gearbox problem and Armstrong had a puncture so Daniel had a 26 second lead at the 2^nd service.

            Unfortunately the power steering problem could not be fixed in the short service, so Daniel and Arthur knew they would have to carry the problem and probably drop time on the final 3 tests, but were confident of holding their position. Daniel was again quickest through stage 6, the spectator stage by 0.2 of a second from Rokland stretching his lead to 27 seconds. On stage 7 however Rokland was on a charge and took 10 seconds out of Daniel who was being cautious with his steering problem and the gap was reduced to 17 seconds with 2 stages to go. However stage 8 was cancelled due to an accident in the national rally and it was down to the final stage for Daniel to try and hold onto the lead. The 13 mile stage was a tough and rough test to finish with but everything was going to plan for the crew until 10 miles in and disaster struck. A wishbone bolt sheared on Daniel’s Fiesta on one of the bad bumps through the stage and to add insult to injury he then picked up a left rear puncture making the car virtually un-drivable. He managed however, to scrape the car over the finish of the stage very disappointed thinking that the top result was gone. The rough terrain of the Scottish rally was to inflict a lot of trouble to almost all of the R2 competitors including Rokland as he picked up a puncture and dropped 4 minutes and dropped to 4^th in the class. This meant that Daniel and Arthur survived their final stage ordeals to take the R2 win and 8^th o/a by over 2 minutes and now have a 5 point advantage over their nearest rival in the R2 category heading into the 4^th round of the championship, the Ulster rally back on tarmac which would be considered a home rally for Daniel and Arthur.

            Mac Kierans was also in Scotland for his first taste of the BRC, once again navigating for Joe McGonigle in the R3 Clio and followed up on their Donegal success the previous weekend with a fine drive to 7th overall. Brendan Cumiskey and Conor Foley also made the trip to Dumfries and also had a great run to 10th overall on this demanding rally. The event was won by Alastair Fisher and Gordan Noble in the Citreon DS3 R3.

Loughgall Stages

Well done to Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor who were 2nd overall on last Saturday’s Loughgall Stages. Mervin Wedlock and Damien McCabe were 4th overall and first in class 6. Andy and Derek Mackarel had the trusty ascona out once again and finished 27th overall.

ALMC and Connacht Stages

Marshals are urgently required for the upcoming ALMC stages this Sunday 7th July based in Dunboyne, Co. Meath and also the Connacht (Sligo) stages the following weekend, Sunday 14th July. If anyone is available for either event please contact Kerry Stevenson or Cora Maguire on 086 3627000 as soon as possible

Ravens Rock Rally

Monaghan Motor Club wishes to extend its sincere sympathy to the family and friends of Paul Mulcahy who passed away while competing on the Ravens Rock Rally last weekend. May he rest in peace.

Major win for Monaghan Crews in Donegal

Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly led a procession of Monaghan crews to victory in their respective classes at the Donegal International Rally last weekend. In what may well go down as a milestone event for the Monaghan club, Sam and James followed up on their overall win on the recent Monaghan stages with a minute and a half to spare over their nearest rivals after 3 days and 20 stages on what is now classed as Irelands biggest rallying event. Setting some fastest stage times along the way, the Combi-lift backed S14 was never outside the top 5 and with consistent stage times quickly moved up the leader board where they found themselves embroiled in a three horse race with Gary Jennings and Darren Gass who had Monaghans Enda Sherry on the notes. Unfortunately for the Armagh/Monaghan based team of Gass and Sherry it was to be unlucky 13 as their event ended on stage 13 with a visit to the Donegal scenery. Sam and James moved into the lead on Sunday morning when Jennings was allotted a three minute road penalty but with six Donegal stages to traverse on Sunday the pressure was on. Thankfully for the Billy Coleman award winner they held their nerve and made it back to the Mount Errigal Hotel in Letterkenny for a historic win for the young Monaghan team.  Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan had a consistent drive to claim 2nd overall whilst Gary Jennings and Neil Doherty picked themselves up after their 3 minute penalty with some great pace through the Sunday stages and climbed back up to 3rd overall, gaining valuable points for their championship campaign.

            The group N production class could be considered a two horse race for most of the weekend as the Newbliss brother and sister team of Stephen and Suzanne Wright were embroiled in a battle with Donegal natives Martin Doherty and Damien McCauley  for most of the Saturday and Sunday stages with no more than 15 seconds separating them at any time. Josh Moffett and John Rowan had also been in contention through the early stages but retired on stage 7 which left Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity 3rd in group N, a position they never relinquished to the finish for a great result and 10th overall. Back at the front the race was very much alive as Doherty/McCauley traded stage times with the Wrights until stage 17 where Dohertys engine cried enough and the Span Wright EVO 9 coasted home for a memorable victory and 7th overall. Seamus Heron was 2nd in group N, also in an EVO 9.

            Donegal’s Joe McGonigle called on the navigator services of Aghabog youngster Mac Kierans for the weekend and things could not have went any better as they had a superb run in the R3 Clio to an incredible result of 8th overall and class 3 winners. Matthew McKenna teamed up with Dara Leonard once again in the fiesta but their weekend was short lived with retirement on stage 8 whilst lying 2nd in class, only 2 seconds off the lead.

            The National Rally could be considered the crowd puller to Donegal and it certainly never failed to disappoint on this occasion either. Monaghan’s Gary McPhillips and Paul Sheridan laid down the gauntlet on the opening stage, pulling out a 5 second lead over the nearest rivals and good friends Manus Kelly and Donal Barrett. Indeed this was to be the story of the weekend for these leading two wheel drive crews as they traded stage times right up until the last stage. Incredibly over the 20 stages these crews were never any more then 13 seconds apart but unfortunately Kelly/Barretts charge ended on the final stage with an off road excursion and Gary McPhillips and Paul Sheridan went on to take a memorable 1st overall victory on the national stages event.  Gary would like to thank the service crew of Francis and Martin McPhillips and Cathal Sheridan who kept the car going all weekend and also Dessie and Emmet from Keenan Rally Prep for preparing the car in the weeks leading up to the rally. He would also like to thank all his sponsors without whom it would just not have been possible to compete on the event. And finally to Deborah and Jennifer for all that they had to endure over the past two weeks whilst Gary and Paul were preparing and competing.

            Frank Kelly took the now infamous baby blue escort home to 2nd overall in the national event after a consistent run with some near misses, whilst Damian Gallagher was 3rd, also in a class 14 escort. James McCarville took up his usual role as navigator for Cavans Paddy Kiernan in the class 13 escort and they too had a memorable run through the Donegal hills to claim 3rd in class and 7th overall. Rodney Wilton and Conor McMahon finished 3rd in class 14 and 9th overall. Gerard McQuaid and Gareth Quinlan also made the finish in their class 13 escort. Unfortunately John McQuaid/Seamus O Connor failed to finish with retirement on stage 8 whilst lying in 9th overall. Cootehill man Mark Wedlock finished in 40th overall after a testing weekend on the Donegal stages. Results sheets suggest that Seamus Connolly and Gary McCrudden had a troubled weekend on the Donegal stages as they were lying 2nd in class after the opening test but slipped back down the leader board and finally into retirement on stage 16.

            In the junior rally, Maudabawn men Damien O’Reilly and Damien McCabe had a great spin through the Sunday stages to claim 3rd overall, a memorable result following some recent bad luck on their local stages. Ryan and Nicola McKenna gained valuable experience in Donegal and brought their twin cam home to 13th overall.

            So that’s a preview of a highly successful Donegal Stages Rally from a local point of view and with overall winners in both the International and National categories as well as the group N production class, this feat may never be repeated again so well done to all involved.

DONEGAL INTERNATIONAL RALLY RESULTS

1 Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 22m 44s,

2 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Ford Focus WRC) 2h 24m 14s,

3 Garry Jennings/Neil Doherty (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 24m 53s,

4 Seamus Leonard/Paul McLaughlin (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 25m 02s,

5 Daragh O’Riordan/Tony McDaid (Ford Fiesta WRC) 2h 25m 58s,

6 John O’Donnell/Aidan Friel (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 26m 21s,

7 Stephen Wright/Susanne Wright (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 2h 29m 42s,

8 Joe McGonigle/Mac Kierans (Renault Clio R3 Maxi) 2h 34m 22s,

9 Seamus Heron/Gerry McVeigh (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 2h 37m 05s,

10 Shane Maguire/Martin McGarrity (Subaru Impreza Gp N) 2h 37m 30s.

GROUP N:

1 Stephen Wright/Susanne Wright,

2 Seamus Heron/Gerry McVeigh,

3 Shane Maguire/Martin McGarrity.

NATIONAL RALLY:

1 Gary McPhillips/Paul Sheridan (Ford Escort) 2h 27m 11s,

2 Frank Kelly/Stephen Quinn (Ford Escort) 2h 29m 07s,

3 Damian Gallagher/Mac Walsh (Ford Escort) 2h 29m 34s,

4 Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Ford Escort) 2h 29m 47s,

5 Daniel Conaghan/Terence Magee (Ford Escort) 2h 31m 16s,

6 Paul Reid/Karl Reid (Ford Escort) 2h 31m 21s.

HISTORIC RALLY:

1 Wesley Patterson/Sean Hayde (Ford Escort) 2h 03m 44s,

2 Seamus O’Connell/Sean Magee (Ford Escort) 2h 05m 02s,

3 Ian Millar/Ronan O’Neill (Ford Escort) 2h 14m 34s.

JUNIOR RALLY:

1 Kevin McLaughlin/Kieran McGinley (Honda Civic) 60m 50s,

2 Jonathan Orr/Martin McBrearty (Honda Civic) 60m 55s,

3 Damian O’Reilly/Damien McCabe (Ford Escort) 61m 23s.

Mc Kenna produces Star Drive performance at the Jim Clark

After a very tough weekend’s rallying in the Scottish Borders at the 2^nd round of the BRC, the Jim Clark Rally, Daniel McKenna and Co-Driver Arthur Kierans finished a very impressive 7^th O/A, won the R2 category and an extra bonus was securing the much coveted Pirelli Star Driver (PSD) nomination based on his performance on the weekend’s event.

At the wheel of his Scanbitz Ltd and Ravenol Motoroil Lubricants Ford Fiesta R2, Daniel had a mixed weekend. The event started at 7pm on Friday evening as the first stage was a short blast around the town of Duns before heading to the mammoth 16 mile Abbey St. Bathans stage.

Then a shorter 4 mile test, which were all then repeated. Daniel set the joint 2^nd fastest time on the town stage with no drama, but about 6 miles into the Abbey stage the car dropped down on power getting progressively worse as the stage went on and the crew found themselves 15 seconds off the pace with no chance to repair the unknown problem until after the 6 stages on Friday night were completed before overnight service back at Kelso Racecourse.

After some investigation a faulty fuel pump was diagnosed as the problem. Daniel and Arthur put in a massive effort on the remaining stages that were completed in the darkness of Friday night, doing their best to minimize their disadvantage and finished leg 1 of the event 2^nd in the R2 category and 18 seconds behind the leader, local man Gary Pearson despite the car being very uncompetitive.

A second hand fuel pump was fitted to the car with the hopes of the power loss problems eliminated before Daniel and Arthur could launch their attack for the lead of the R2 class. Leg 2 of the event was a scheduled 90 stage miles, but with the longest stage of the day was cancelled due to marshal problems, thus reducing the route by 27 miles which was going to make Daniel’s job even harder. However, undeterred the Monaghan crew set fastest R2 time, taking 8 seconds off the leader and reduced the gap to 10 seconds but unfortunately the power loss problem was not fully rectified but was a lot more manageable than Friday night.

For the next test Daniel found himself on the front foot and was confident of taking the lead from Pearson and the pressure applied to the leader was enough as Daniel was promoted to the lead as his leading rival had a spin and dropped 30 seconds. On the next test the battle was over as Pearson crashed out of the event and Daniel and Arthur had a 58 second lead over the next R2 car. A string of fastest R2 stage times throughout Saturday stretched  their lead to a 1min 40 secs in the R2 category and 7^th O/A by the finish.

At the finish ramp in Kelso town centre, it was announced that Daniel was the chosen nominee for the PSD competition which was the perfect way to cap of a brilliant performance on a very challenging event. Daniel and Arthur now find themselves joint leading the R2 category in the championship and lying joint 5^th O/A in the main championship ahead of the 3^rd round of their campaign, the Scottish rally in Dumfries which is back on gravel.

Limerick Circuit of Munster Stages Rally

The 2013 Circuit of Munster Rally had a nail biting finish at the Limerick Racecourse. Edward O’Callaghan was leading the event by 4.8 seconds coming in to the last stage but it was the Impreza WRC of Kevin Kelleher who was quickest on the last stage by 7 seconds to take a memorable win. Paul Purtill was 3rd overall, also in an escort.

This event was a counting round of the West Coast Rally Championship. The sole Monaghan representatives where the pairing of Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity who where rewarded with the Group N win and a seventh overall, a valuable points haul for their championship bid.

1 Kevin Kelleher/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 43m 28s

2 Ed O’Callaghan/Ger Clancy (Escort) 43m 30s

3 Paul Purtill/Diarmuid Falvey (Escort) 44m 26s

4 Ed Synan/Denis O’Connell (Escort) 44m 56s

5 Alan Callaghan/Cathal McGrath (Impreza) 45m 41s

6 Frank Sweeney/Jane Cogan (Escort) 45m 42s

7 Shane Maguire/Martin McGarrity (Impreza Gp N) 46m 13s

8 Stephen Greaney/Keith McHugh (Escort) 46m 24s

9 Sean Lyons/Dean Raftery (Impreza Gp N) 46m 25s

10 Benny Kennedy/Brendan Ryan (Escort) 46m 31s

Group N Production class:

1 Shane Maguire/Martin McGarrity

2 Sean Lyons/Dean Raftery

3 Pat Price/Stephen Price (Impreza) 47m 06s

Historics:

1 P J O’Dowd/John Young (Sunbeam) 31m 00s

2 Philip McKibbin/Padraig Brick (Escort) 32m 14s

3 David Dee/Rita Dee (Mini) 35m 17s

Juniors:

1 Damien Boyle/Joseph Boyle (Civic) 28m 02s

2 Darren Young/Sean Walsh (Civic) 28m 04s

3 Andrew Ryan/Tommy Hayes (Civic) 28m 38

Sol Rally Barbados

A big well done to club members Raymond Conlon/Darren McCague and Maurice Moffett/Jason McKenna who were competing in the Sol Rally Barbados over the past two weekends. Both crews finished the event with Conlon/McCague finishing 24th overall and 5th in class. They also lifted the highest oversea’s rear wheel drive award. Moffett/McKenna finished just two places behind in 26th o/a and 2nd in class. Its evident from the many videos and photo’s available that both these crews had an enjoyable event, along with their many travelling supporters. Hopefully full report and photo’s to follow in the coming weeks when they return.

On The Boyle in Cavan

Donegal cousins Declan and Brian Boyle proved too hot to handle once again on last Sundays Hotel Kilmore Cavan Stages Rally. The Tir Connell men had a start to finish win on the demanding Cavan roads with tight and twisty stages proving popular yet unforgiving. Indeed it was a blistering time on the 4th stage, 22 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals which ultimately sealed the deal for the Boyles to take a 1min 14sec win. Eugene Donnelly and Paddy Toner made a return to Cavan once again, where he started his rallying career twenty nine years ago and proved that he is still as competitive as ever in the trusty Corolla to take 2nd overall. Welsh competitors James Belton and Mark Glennerster went one better than his Monaghan Stages result with 3rd overall in Cavan in his Subaru WRC.

            Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry came home with 4th overall and a class 8 win after a steady run through the tight Cavan stages which covered the North East Cavan areas of Clifferna, Mountain Lodge and Bunnoe. Roy White and James O’Brien rounded off the top 5 with a class 20 win in the super quick MG S2000. 

            Newbliss siblings Stephen and Suzanne Wright made the short trip to Cavan very worthwhile with a superb run once again to take 6th overall but even more important the Group N victory. The Killyhevlin/SpanWright backed EVO 9 was in a great battle throughout the day with Eugene Meegan and Jonathan Treanor, also in an EVO but Meegan/Treanor had to settle for 2nd following a stage 9 cancellation which saw their scratch time drop them back a few seconds. Josh Moffett and John Rowan were 3rd group N and 9th overall on this occasion. Older brother Sam with regular navigator James O’Reilly were forced into retirement on stage 4 with mechanical issues. Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity were out in an EVO 9 once again but had another troubled run after a good start to eventually finish 4th in class 4 and 15th overall.

            The two wheel drive battle was as entertaining as always in Cavan with local men Rodney Wilton and Conor McMahon finally getting their hands on the title, finishing 7th overall and class 14 winners. Paddy Kiernan and James McCarville had a fine run in the class 13 escort to round off the top 10 and take a class 13 win. This crew also lifted the drive of the day award for fastest class 13 car on stage 4. Jonathan Pringle and Martin Byrne were 2nd in class 13, with veterans Paddy Boyle and Marty Sherlock rounding off a great return to the stages with 3rd class 13. James Cassidy and Declan Smith took a class 12 victory ahead of Arthur and Mac Kierans. The Aghabog men and double Sligo Pallets Border champions hit trouble on stage 2 with a puncture dropping them almost three and a half minutes to their rivals. Incredibly they bounced back and climbed the leader board from 84th overall to 31st at the finish, ensuring that their treble border championship hopes remain very much alive with 2 rounds remaining in Sligo and Donegal.

            The ever competitive class 11 was no different in Cavan with the ultra quick corsa of Dermot O’Hagan and Pierce Doheny taking the front wheel drive honours ahead of Eamon O’Connell and Mark Linehan in a Civic. The rear wheel drive battle in class 11 was fierce throughout the day with joint border championship leaders Seamus Connolly and Gary McCrudden in top form and lying just outside the top 20 but their engine cried enough at the end of stage 7. Only 10 seconds were separating the top three in class 11R following Connolly’s demise with two stages remaining but this battle failed to materialise with the cancellation of stage 9 as Tommy Rodgers and Phillip McEntee took the class win by a mere 3 seconds from Martin McPhillips and Ciaran Tynan in the McPhillips Engineering backed twin cam. Donegal men Paul Carron and Andrew Brown were 3rd, also in a twin cam. David Smith and Mark Deery finished 4th class 11R with valuable points gained in the border championship.

            Gary Kiernan and Niall Tierney had a fantastic run in the class 10 escort to take the win but also finished 29th overall on their local stages rally. John and Niall Kelly followed up on there class win in Monaghan with a 2nd in Cavan to keep their border class hopes alive, although it didn’t look good at one stage with a visit to the scenery, nevertheless the Tydavnet men got back on solid ground and went on to take 2nd in class.

            Class 9 always throws up some great battles but most of the top runners left their luck at home on this occasion. Lloyd Hutchinson retired his mini on stage 6 with Justin Smyth/Gregory McQuillan retired on stage 1 with mechanical difficulties. This left Cavan men Seamus and Stephen Cooke to lift the class 9 honours ahead of Gene Callan and Sean Brunton with Maudabawn men Damien O’Reilly and Damien McCabe 3rd, albeit after a few trips to the Cavan country side!

            Daniel McKenna and Stephen Hagan had their first outing on tarmac in the fiesta, ahead of this weekends upcoming Jim Clark Rally and came away with the class 6 win. Daniel was using Cavan as a shakedown and reported learning valuable entities on suspension and tyre choice. Indeed Daniel was feeling very unwell in the 24hours leading up to the event and did well to make the finish at all! Class 6 also saw the citroen trophy competitors do battle with Galway’s Stephen Greaney taking the citroen honours on this occasion with Welsh man Steve Wood  2nd and Paul Manton/Martin Connolly 3rd. Francie McKenna and Sean Craig were the sole finishers in class 1.

            The junior rally was won by Kerry’s Robert Duggan and Mike Galvin with Richard Moore 2nd and Conor Moore 3rd. Pre-event junior favourite’s Darren O’Brien and Johnny Rooney were once again troubled with gear box woes forcing their retirement, this following a long week of late nights replacing a blown engine.

            64 finishers from 106 starters in the main field is testament to the demanding nature of this event with tight and technical stages coupled with the dry tarmac proving all too much for some. John McQuaid and Peter Deery were forced into an early retirement as there gearstick became undone. Jack Maguire and Andy Hayes picked up a puncture which dropped them back to 5th in class 13. Mark Wedlock returned from Australia for his local event and teamed up with Adam Kinkade once again to finish in 25th overall. Gerard McQuaid and Gary Quinlan were one behind in 26th overall in their escort. Paddy O’Reilly and Declan Connolly were also on the retirement list in the G5 escort.

            So that’s the brief over view of a fantastic event that was the Hotel Kilmore Cavan Stages Rally 2013. Well done to CoC Stephen Kellett and his team. Monaghan Motor Club would like to thank the many marshals who turned up on the day to help with the running of stage 3, Bunnoe and to ensure the event ran as safely as possible.

2013 Hotel Kilmore Cavan Stages Rally Top 10

1 Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Impreza WRC) 76m 04s,

2 Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Corolla WRC) 77m 18s,

3 James Belton/Mark Glennerster (Impreza WRC) 78m 33s,

4 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 78m 46s,

5 Roy White/James O’Brien (MG ZR S2000) 79m 34s,

6 Stephen Wright/Suzanne Wright (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 81m 15s,

7 Rodney Wilton/Conor McMahon (Escort) 81m 16s,

8 Eugene Meegan/Jonathan Treanor (Lancer Evo 10 Gp N) 81m 36s,

9 Josh Moffett/John Rowan (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 82m 03s,

10 Paddy Kiernan/James McCarville (Escort) 82m 04s.

Historics:

1 Berian Richards/Frank Curtin (Escort) 64m 41s.

Juniors:

1 Robert Duggan/Mikie Galvin (Civic) 58m 14s,

2 Richard Moore/Stephen Quin (Civic) 59m 13s,

3 Conor Moore/Ella Ryan (Civic) 60m 00s.

Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly carried on their momentum from their overall victory in Monaghan as they returned to the wheel of their faithful Mitsubishi Lancer for Round 2 of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, the Killarney Rally of the Lakes. They were involved in a battle with local men Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy for Group N honours, renewing their rivalry from the opening round in Galway. Ring held the advantage after the opening day, but their event would end on Stage 13. Moffett/O’Reilly inherited top spot in Group N and 4^th overall to boot. Indeed Monaghan crews cleaned up in Group N with Stephen Wright/Suzanne Wright taking 2^nd and Josh Moffett/John Rowan 3^rd in the class.

            Gary Jennings/Neil Doherty took the overall honours in their Subaru Impreza with Derek McGarritty/James McKee 2^nd and Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan 3^rd respectively. The 3^rd Round of the Tarmac Championship is the Donegal International Rally on 21^st – 23^rd June.

Daniel McKenna & Kierans 3^rd in class on BRC opener

2012 Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year winner Daniel McKenna got his British Rally Championship campaign off to a fine start by taking 3^rd in class and 9^th overall on the Pirelli International Rally in England two weeks ago. The event was spread over two days with a total of 10 stages including some classics in the notorious Kielder forest complex. Daniel & co-driver Arthur Kierans made a steady start to the event and slotted into 3^rd in class after the opening Pundershaw stage. However a puncture on the second test demoted them to 7^th in class. Despite suffering another puncture on stage five, the pair would go on to complete the day in 5^th place and 15^th overall in their Fiesta R2. Determined to overcome their disappointments from day 1, the Monaghan pair reeled off four straight fastest class times and recovered to 9^th overall & 3^rd in class by the finish. All in all it was a solid start to their BRC campaign and secures some useful championship points. Class honours went to Steve Rockland who also scooped the coveted Pirelli Star Driver award which qualifies the winner for an end of year shoot-out with the prize of a free drive in a Citroen DS3 on offer for the shoot-out winner. McKenna & Kierans will continue their assault on the series on Round 2, the Jim Clark Memorial Rally which takes place from 31^st May to 2^nd June.

            Brendan Cumiskey/Conor Foley were also competing on the Pirelli event in their Citroen. They held an impressive 8^th overall after the opening day’s action but unfortunately their event came to an end early on day 2.

Cavan Stages Rally

The 3^rd Round of the  Dunlop National & Sligo Pallets  Border Rally Championships takes place in Cavan on Sunday 26^th May. Monaghan Motor Club is once again tasked with organising the running of one of the stages. As such, there is a great demand for marshals for this event and anyone willing to give a hand is asked to contact the Club Secretary Cora Maguire as soon as possible.

Carlow Stages Rally

Full report next week

Perhaps this headline is not one normally associated with motor sport but never before has it been more relevant. On Sunday last, Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly took an outstanding win on the 2013 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally. Sam and James drove a faultless event to take the win by a minute from Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry with Daragh O’Riordan and Tony McDaid in 3rd in a WRC focus. English crew James Belton and Mark Glennerster were 4th overall in an S11 subaru with Roy White and James O’Brien 5th in the MG 2R Rover.

            This win for Moffett/O’Reilly only scratches the surface of what was to be an eventful weekend for the Monaghan duo. On Friday evening while testing his EVO9, the engine malfunctioned and was sure to put an end to the Monaghan duo’s hopes of a run on their home event. Not to be phased, Sam lifted the phone and hired the Mc Kinstry Motor sport S14 Subaru. Sounds simple but given the fact that Sam had never driven a WRC spec car before and with added difficulties of left hand drive, paddle shift etc. the ex-Billy Coleman award winner quickly adapted to his new mount through the opening loop of three stages. Sam and James took over the rally lead on stage 5 following the demise of the Boyle cousins from Donegal, and never looked back to go one place better than last year and lift the 2013 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally Trophy in the Combilift backed S14 Subaru. Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry had a measured drive on their home event and a good result of 2nd overall promotes them to joint leaders of the Dunlop National Championship along with the Boyle cousins.

            The group N production class in which Sam and James would normally be front runners was a close affair all day with Sam’s younger brother Josh in a close battle with Donegal men Martin Doherty and James McCauley throughout the day. Unfortunately Josh with John Rowan on the notes had to settle for 2nd on this occasion to the Donegal men but still a superb drive and 7th overall to boot. Some would say Martin and Declan Tynan were unlikely candidates for 3rd in the group N production class but considering this was Martins first real finish in his EVO8 after some engine problems the Clones pairing dealt with the conditions well and set some good times to take 3rd group N.  

            To say that the 2013 Monaghan Stages Rally was a finishers event would be a grave understatement with 80 finishers from 141 starters. Indeed it seemed to be the more high profile competitors that succumbed to the tricky weather conditions. Tyre choice was a lottery with the opening three stages dry when it seemed they would be wet and then the middle three stages witnessed same torrential rain with most crews on dry or intermediate tyres. In the WRC class, Darren Gass and Donagh Kelly both failed to finish whilst in the group N category, Steven Wright and Shane Maguire both retired their EVO 9’s with engine and gearbox issues as did Eugene Meegan and Jonathan Treanor with transfer box woes. 

            Class 14 which is the top end two wheel drive modified class is what brings most spectators to the Monaghan ditches but not one finisher from ten starters gives a good indication as to the difficulties faced through the North Monaghan Stages. Last years winner, Daniel McKenna was seeded at 1 but retired at the last junction of the second stage having gained suspension damage on a  mucky section leading up to the junction. Gary McPhillips and Mark Tierney rapidly moved up the leaderboard throughout the day and were 5th overall before their retirement with alternator failure. Frank Kelly retired his escort on the final stage when he got stuck in a field. The darrien of James Stafford also failed to finish as did Rodney Wilton, Jim McKenna, Mick Curran, Raymond Drury to name but a few in class 14.

            Class 13 was a much closer affair with the Starlet of Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly out of the blocks the quickest and incredibly up to 8th overall and first two wheel drive after the opening loop of three. Richard enjoyed a great battle with the similar starlet of Declan Gallagher from Donegal but disaster was to strike on the fourth stage as torrential rain and a failed window screen heater saw Richard screen mist up and had to drive most of the stage at road car pace and hence dropped 40 odd seconds to Gallagher and ultimately missed out on the class win by 8 seconds. Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle was 3rd class 13 Russell Woods 4th. Raymond Conlon had new suspensions fitted and confessed to them not being set to his liking over the opening stages but played about with them in service and set some good times towards the end of the event in the Fitzpatrick Oils, Clones Shavings and Gribben Plumbing backed class 13 twin cam to finish 16th overall.

            Aghabog’s Arthur and Mac Kierans took yet another class 12 win in the pinto escort but admitted to being under some pressure throughout the day from Enda Haran who retired on the final loop with suspension damage. Brian Armstrong was 2nd class 11 with James Cassidy 3rd. Arthur and Mac also won “the drive of the day award” This win leaves Arthur and Mac joint leaders of the Sligo Pallets Border Championship with Seamus Connolly and Gary McCruddan who were class 11 winners in Monaghan to coincide with their Mayo class win. Martin McPhillips teamed up with brother-in-law Paul Sheridan for the day and enjoyed their run through the mucky Monaghan stages to take a well deserved 2nd in class 11 in the overhauled twin cam, this being Martins first event since last years stages so a good result for the McPhillips Engineering backed team.

            Recent Rally launch organiser John Kelly with brother Niall on the notes had a great run in the white twin cam to claim top honours in class 10. The Monaghan pairing had a comfortable win over Martin Ewing in a 205 with Gary Kiernan in 3rd after a troubled day. John and Niall would like to thank McAree Eng, Mallons Sausages and Jonny Coyle Plant Hire for their support and also to their top service man Malachy.

            Class 9 saw the ultra quick mini of Lloyd Hutchinson take the class spoils. Lloyd admitted that he would be used to have little or no competition in this class but Monaghan was an exception. Justin Smyth and Gregory McQuillan were on his tail throughout the day and ready to take over the reigns should the mini slip up. Unfortunately for the Lisnalong duo the mini screamed its way to the finish and they had to settle for second and 30th overall.

            The top three overall places came from class 8 so that left England’s James Belton taking the class win and 4th overall. Paddy McVeigh was 2nd with the Boyle cousins 3rd after a troubled day which saw them stuck for up to 5 minutes. Tommy Doyle and Liam Moynihan were winners of class 7 in the Clio R3 with veterans Rodger Kennedy and Wendy Blackledge 2nd.

            Class 6 saw the Citroen Ireland trophy competitors added following the demise of the Easter stages due to snow. Armagh’s Sean Agnew with Peter Deery on the notes took a great class 6 win in a C2 and 41st overall. Worth noting here that Peter brother Mark who was navigating for David Smith in a twin cam was 42nd overall and just 0.5 of a second behind at the finish so great sibling rivalry between the Stonebridge men.

            Class 2 was won by Mark Boyle and Sean Gallagher in a civic ahead of Eamon Russell and upcoming Cavan CoC Stephen Kellett also in civics. Francie McKenna and Sean Craig were the only finishers in class 1 in their newly built Rover, having overcome boiling issues earlier in the day.

            Michael Tynan and Derek Mackarel teamed up for their local event and emerged as class 15 winners in the EVO 5. They had to overcome a puncture on the 3rd stage which dropped them almost 6 minutes and Michael reported a few brushes with the scenery but enjoyed their day, this being Derek’s first stages event. Class 20 saw the MG 2R rover of Roy White take class honours ahead of Johnny Leonard and Niall Burns in 2nd with David Leonard and Darragh Mullen 3rd.

            The junior class 16 category was won by Kevin Eves and Adrian Reynolds in a twin cam, ahead of  Richard Moore and Sean Brunton in a civic with Barry and Sean Brady in 3rd. The historic class was won by Stanley Orr in an escort ahead of Berian Richards and Paddy Brennan in 3rd, both in escorts. Unfortunately with every event there has to be somebody last and this years title goes to ex-CoC Conor Maguire and Peter Farrell. To be fair this result does not paint a true picture of the lads day in the immaculate Mark 1 escort as they were stopped on stage 4 a dropped a massive 24 minutes to their rivals. Its evident from the many photo’s and videos available that these lads were trying hard and enjoyed their day, the Mark 1 now bearing the haul marks of their determination.  

            Other hard luck stories throughout the day through the stages which covered the Emyvale, Glaslough and castleshane areas included Kieran “Bilko” McCarra/Mark Hamill retire with a burst radiator, Chris Armstrong off on ss1, Barry Ryan/Emmett Sherry with suspension damage, Paddy Kiernan/James McCarvill off on ss3, Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes with engine blown to name but a few.

            So thats the jist of the 2013 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally. Apologies for not being able to include all competitors in the report and well done to CoC Paul Hughes, his assistants and the stages commanders and all there many helpers who organised and set up the stages. Thanks to the many residents for their co-operation in running this event. To the hundreds of marshal’s who turned up to ensure the safe running of the event. To the Main sponsors, Hillgrove Hotel for their continued support and also to McAree Engineering for donating the start/finish ramp arch which looked very well and will suffice for many a year to come. To everyone else who helped out in any way, big or small for you time and effort. Fair to say the Monaghan Stages Rally is going from strength to strength, year on year which is down to the hard work and dedication of its organisers, this is evident by the large entries of top class competitors and something the county of Monaghan should be proud to host.

Sympathy

Monaghan Motor Club wish to extend their deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the late Patsy Tracey, Emyvale. Patsy was an avid motor sport fan and rarely missed marshalling duties on Monaghan and Cavan Stages. Indeed Patsy was to marshal on this years Monaghan Stages Rally but unfortunately passed away on Sunday morning after a brave battle with illness. 

Upcoming Events

National Navigation prize giving Saturday 27th April in Portlaoise. Kilmore Hotel Cavan Stages Rally Sunday  26th May.

2013 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally

All roads lead to Monaghan this coming weekend as Monaghan Motor Club host their biggest sporting event of the calendar. With a bumper entry and no stone left unturned by the organisers this event is sure to live up to its billing as one of the top stages events of the rally season. A full entry of 141 cars will cross the start ramp at 9.20am Sunday morning to tackle the three stages which cover the general Northeast area of Monaghan, circling Castleshane, Glaslough, Emyvale and Tydavnet and back towards Monaghan where service is located in the main car park behind Flemings.

            Last years winner Daniel McKenna will lead off a fantastic field of some of the top cars in the country, including seven WRC spec cars with Donegal cousins Declan and Brian Boyle seeded at number two. Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry are seeded 3, Donagh Kelly 4 and Darren Gass 5, all in Subaru’s. Group N class is sure to be a battle royale through the Monaghan countryside with top four seeds all from Monaghan. Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly head the quartet at 12, Josh Moffett/James Rowan 14, Shane Maguire/Martin McGarrity 15 and Stephen and Suzanne Wright at 16.

            The two wheel drive honours is highly sought after in Monaghan as last years winner Daniel McKenna with Stephen Hagan on the notes this year will once again be in the melting pot with Gary McPhillips/Mark Tierney seeded 7, James Stafford in the infamous Darrian at 8, Frank Kelly 9 with Rodney Wilton, Jim Mc Kenna, Pat Donegan and Brian Brogan to name a few in class 14 all fighting for class honours. Kieran “Bilko” McCarra will head the class 13 field following on from his fantastic results last year and is seeded 21. Midlands stages winners, Chris Armstrong/Tom Clinton are 22, Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne 23 and Russell Woods 24 with Paddy Kiernan/James McCarville sure to be up for class honours seeded 28. Another few local crews sure to be in with a shout in class 13 include Raymond Conlon/Darren McCague and Richard Moffett/Martin Connolly in the starlet.

            Double border rally champions Arthur and Mac Kierans lead out the class 12 brigade with Enda Haran/Patrick Corcoran in the twin cam seeded at 43 sure to keep the Aghabog duo on their toes throughout the day. Barry Ryan/Emmett Sherry are top seeds in class 11 ahead of David Moffett/Fintan Sherry with Seamus Connolly/Gary McCruddan third seeds ahead of Johno Doogan, Paul Carroll and Martin McPhillips to name but a few in the highly competitive class 11 which sees over twenty entries. Class 10 is headed by Cavan man Gary Kiernan and Niall Tierney ahead of Monaghan’s John and Niall Kelly with Barry Treanor in hot pursuit in the 205. Lloyd Hutchinson is the man to beat in class 9 in the super quick mini but will have stiff competition from Justin Smyth/Gregory Mc Quillan with Maudabawn men Damien Reilly/Damien McCabe and Pa Bellew all sure to be fighting for class honours. Tommy Doyle/Liam Moynihan are top class 7 entrants in the super quick R3 and is sure to set some top times with Brendan Cumiskey/Conor Foley also out in the newly acquired DS 2 in class 7.

            The junior rally will run in tandem with the main field and is led off by Cavan’s Darren O’Brien and Johnny Rooney seeded at 41. Kevin Eve’s and Adrian Reynolds are second junior seeds and will run at 63 with Ryan and Nicola McKenna seeded at 113 in their twin Cam and sure to be up for a class award.

            So Monaghan is surely the place to be over this coming weekend and any marshals available are asked to contact any committee member or the club website. As always spectator and competitors safety is at the fore in any motor sport event and the 2013 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally is no different. This week the Clerk of the Course Paul Hughes emphasised the importance of safety. “The core feature of our preparations has been and always will be the safety of all concerned. Safety Marshals, Stage Commanders and Officials have been trained accordingly. The Event Safety Plan has been compiled meticulously. What is required is that spectators play their part to ensure the safe running of the event. I want to draw the attention of spectators to the Spectator Safety notice in the rally programme. This is your guide to safer spectating, ignoring it is not an option. Safety is everybody’s business and there is one common ingredient that is essential: common sense.  Please follow the instructions of the marshals and officials, who are working for your safety. I also ask spectators to respect private property where you assemble and bring your litter home. I am delighted that we have the Road Safety Authority road show attending this year to help us get the message across to all rally fans to “Keep the race in its place”. Finally, I wish everyone involved an enjoyable and safe day’s rallying in Monaghan”.

RSA and Motorsport Ireland Team Up Promote “Keep the Race in its Place”

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and Motorsport Ireland, in association with County Monaghan Motor Club who are organisers of the Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally which is being staged on Sunday 21st April 2013, have issued a joint safety message to fans attending the sporting event to “Keep the Race in its Place”.

            The RSA and Motorsport Ireland are running a safety campaign around the event to convey life-saving road safety messages to the public and to the high-risk target audiences viewing the event. At the event, the RSA will be opening up the ‘Roll-Over Simulator’ to the public. The RSA Roll-Over Car highlights the importance of wearing a seatbelt as people experience the car turning 360degrees. “The Rally enthusiasts are predominantly young men, and we want to talk directly to this ‘at risk’ group who follow the sport. Just like any other sport, there is a time and a place for Rally driving. These events are heavily marshalled and take place in a highly disciplined and controlled environment. The drivers are specially trained and must wear special personal protective gear. Along with this, the cars are specially prepared for the purpose of rallying. Trying this without all of these precautions would be extremely unsafe.” explained Noel Brett, Chief Executive, RSA. “That is why we want to remind everyone attending the Monaghan Stages Rally to drive safely – and “Keep The Race In Its Place”.

“We’re expecting thousands of fans to attend the Monaghan Stages Rally,” explained Alex Sinclair, Chief Executive, Motorsport Ireland. “And by teaming up with the RSA we want to emphasise the importance of safety, both on the rally course and on the open road. And anyone attending the rally will be getting the message that ‘safety wins’ loud and clear.”

The “Keep the Race in its Place” campaign reminds people to only watch the Special Stages from safety zones, never to enter prohibited areas, and between stages and afterwards, to follow the rally drivers’ lead by staying within the speed limits, by staying belted-in, and by never ever drinking and driving.

Setting this good example is well known rally driver Aaron McHale, Board Member of the RSA. Aaron is a successful rally driver and son of rallying legend Austin McHale. He is helping to get across these important safety messages to the public as part of an advertising campaign.

“As a rally driver I am acutely aware of the need for safety,” explained Aaron McHale, “It is the top priority for all rally drivers and it should be the top priority for all road users. You simply cannot drive on open roads the same way that professional Rally drivers do on closed roads with a co-driver warning you of upcoming obstacles and hazards. Ordinary drivers just don’t drive under the same strict health and safety requirements and when driving on public roads must obey the rules of the road.”

Fans travelling to and from the Monaghan Stages Rally on 21st  April 2013 are urged to heed the message from the rally drivers – to ‘Keep the Race in its Place’, slow down, don’t drink and drive and always wear a seatbelt.

Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally Launch Day

Monaghan Motor Club through the guise of its committee members John Kelly and Damien Treanor held a hugely successful Rally launch day in the Hillgrove Hotel last Sunday. A large crowd were well entertained throughout the day with the plethora of rally memorabilia, including rally cars, vintage cars, classic rally cars, trade stands, videos, photographs etc. all combined for an enjoyable day to promote the upcoming Stages Rally this weekend. John and his team must be commended for their efforts in pulling the whole day together which was well supported. Any donations received at the door are for a nominated charity with report and photos to be published at a later date.

Willie Loughman Carrick-on-Suir Forestry Rally

Well done to Vincent and Jp McAree on their 5th overall result on last weekends Willie Loughman Carrick-on-Suir forestry Rally. The Ballinode cousins took the class win in their EVO 9. Indeed there was good Monaghan rivalry in class 8 throughout the day as Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly pushed the McAree’s all the way to the end and eventually finished just 15 seconds behind, also in a class 8 EVO 9.

            Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna had been up to 4th overall and leading the Monaghan charge but they vanished off the leader board with two stages remaining. Michael Conlon and Ciaran McPhillips were also on a great run in the two wheel drive category and were 2nd behind the ultra quick Shane McGirr after four stages but unfortunately they kept two close to the Tipperary scenery and sustained wheel damage which ended their charge. Enda McNulty and Paul Sheridan failed to complete the second stage. Michael Carbin and Stephen Thornton’s bad run of luck continued as they too failed to finish. Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans were running as sweeper in the fiesta, picking up valuable stage miles ahead of their upcoming assault on the British Rally Championship.

Upcoming Events

National Navigation prize giving Saturday 27th April in Portlaoise. Kilmore Hotel Cavan Stages Rally Sunday  26th May.

Planning is at an advanced stage for this years Monaghan Stages Rally to be held on Sunday 20th April. Once again head quarters for the event is to idealic Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan. Clerk of the Course, Paul Hughes and his team have been hard at work over the last 4-5 months to ensure this event lives up to its billing as one of the top stages events in the Irish Rally calendar. Entries are flooding in with regulations and entry forms available on the club website at http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net As with any stages event there are hundreds of marshals required and if you are available and willing to help at any stage over the course of the weekend please do not hesitate to contact any committee member.

            A Rally launch day is at an advanced stage of planning and is to be held in the Hillgrove Hotel on Sunday 14th April from 2pm to 6pm. This launch event is sure to have something for all the family to enjoy. A host of trade stands will be in attendance along with a display of historic and vintage cars. The 1982 Irish tarmac championship winning car will be on display alongside the 2012 tarmac championship winning car of Darren Gass. Interesting to see how these cars have evolved over a 30 year period! There will also be simulators and many local rally cars there on the day for all to enjoy. Rally videos will be on the big screen and old/new rally photos will be on display which is sure to evoke a few memories of yesteryear on the local rally scene. Monaghan Motor Club will have their own stand as well as the Sligo Pallets Border Championship stand. Our very own Sean McCaffery will be MC for the day and keep all in attendance up to speed with everything that’s happening.  Plans are also afoot for a scrutineers forum at the launch event which will give local rally people an opportunity to have a chat one on one with some MI scrutineers, so whether you are building a car and have some queries or maybe just want to express your opinions or have suggestions regarding car safety etc. this is an ideal opportunity for you. This is only the tip of the iceberg of what is guaranteed to be an enjoyable day in a relaxed atmosphere so come along to the Hillgrove on Sunday 14th with fun for all the family. More details next week.

Upcoming Events

Squealing Pig Border Night Navigation Prize giving in Squealing Pig, Monaghan this Friday, 5th April at 8.30 sharp. Please come along for what is guaranteed to be a great night and support the Border Night Navigation Championship sponsor’s, the Squealing Pig. Contact Andy on 087 2558957 to book tickets ASAP.

It was a memorable win for Co. Cavan youngster Chris Armstrong and Tom Clinton on last Sundays Midlands Moto Stages Rally. The Virginia youngster overcame a 6 second deficit over the final loop of three stages to claim his first ever overall win with a 3 second advantage over rivals and good friend Rodney Wilton and Conor McMahon. The latter in the Wilton Waste Recycling backed class 14 escort had held the lead through the opening six stages but couldn’t manage to hold off the hard charging Armstrong who has only acquired the class 13 escort this time last year, having been in front wheel drive previously. Pat Donegan/Alan Keena had a great battle for third throughout the day with Maurice Moffett and eventually pulled out a 15 second margin. Maurice and Patrick Brides were on a great pace throughout the day and as usual thrilled spectators in the class 14 starlet. Paddy McVeigh and Stephen O’Hanlon rounded off the top 5 in an Impreza WRC.

            On what was a dry but cold day with conditions very gravely and mucky it was to be a real challenge for competitors. First victim of the day was Daniel McKenna and Niall Morley as they sustained suspension damage on the opening test over some jumps. They did manage to make it back to service and acted as a sweeper car for the remainder of the event, much to the delight of the many thousands of spectators who braved the elements. David Moffett and Fintan Sheery teamed up for this event and had an excellent run in the second of the Moffett starlets to finish 7th overall and take the highly competitive class 11R win. It was misfortune for the third Moffett starlet on show as Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly failed to make the finish after a great battle over the opening six stages with younger brother David. 

            Arthur and Mac Kierans picked up where they left off in Mayo with another fine drive to take the KES backed escort home to another class 12 win and 10th overall. Jack Maguire and Andy Hayes finished in 11th overall and second in class 13. Barry McKenna and Johnny Bairds fortunes seemed to have turned as he had a great run to 16th overall and just missing out on 3rd in class 13.

            Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor failed to make the finish having disappeared off the leader board over the final loop. The hard charging escort men were up to 5th overall in final service. Johno and Padraig Doogan were also on a great run and up to 12th overall after stage 7 but they too failed to finish whilst lying 2nd in class 11R. On form Cavan men Paddy and Gary Kiernan also failed to finish in their class 13 escort but were up to 5th overall before their retirement.

            Cootehill man Darren O’Brien with Johnny Rooney on the notes won the junior rally by over a minute and a half from Barry and Sean Brady, both in honda civics.

MIDLAND MC STAGES RALLY TOP 10

1 Chris Armstrong/Tom Clinton (Escort) 65m 35s

2 Rodney Wilton/Conor McMahon (Escort) 65m 38s

3 Pat Donegan/Alan Keena (Escort) 66m 35s

4 Maurice Moffett/Patrick Brides (Starlet) 66m 50s

5 Paddy McVeigh/Stephen O’Hanlon (Impreza WRC) 67m 02s

6 James Laverty/Francis Regan (Impreza Gp N) 67m 14s

7 David Moffett/Fintan Sherry (Starlet) 68m 50s

8 Pat Kelly/Jonathan Kelly (Impreza WRC) 69m 09s

9 Eamon Dervan/Brian McNamara (Escort) 69m 10s

10 Arthur Kierans/Mac Kierans (Escort) 69m 28s

JUNIORS:

1 Darren O’Brien/Johnny Rooney (Civic) 47m 13s

2 Barry Brady/Sean
Brady (Civic) 48m 48s

3 Alan Lawson/Sean Harte (Civic) 49m 52s

Upcoming Events

Squealing Pig Border Night Navigation Prize giving in Squealing Pig, Monaghan on Friday 5th April at 8.30 sharp. Please come along and support our sponsors regardless of receiving a trophy. Contact Andy on 087 2558957 to book tickets ASAP.

            Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally will take place on Sunday 20th April. All systems are go with a hard working team spending endless hours on road books, safety plans, time schedules, PR etc. Regs and Entry forms are available on club website at http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net so all intending competitors are asked to send them in ASAP. A launch day for the event is also taking place with a guaranteed action packed day for all the family in the Hillgrove Hotel. Full details in next weeks edition

Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin ended their navigation on a high at the weekend with an outright win on the Monaghan motor Club navigation Trial in Newbliss last Saturday night. This completes a great season for the pair as they recorded two wins in Donegal also. 36 crews departed Newbliss to tackle the tight knit trial with 40 timepoints and 7 via’s, never any more than seven miles from HQ as the crow flies. At petrol halt Tynan/Higgins were tied with Ashley McAdoo and Francis Keenan on 2 penalties. Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins decided a cautious approach was the better option as they needed a good finish to claim the 2012/13 border and national championships, which they ultimately did with a 3rd over-all finish. Tynan/Clerkin and McAdoo/Keenan both held their nerve through the tricky second half, dropping a further two penalties to both finish on 4 with Tynan/Clerkin taking the overall win on novice over semi-expert ruling. National title chasers Colin Duffy and Sam Johnson took 4th overall as they had a good run in unfamiliar territory. Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall completed the top 5 and 3rd in expert class.

            With McAdoo/Keenan claiming top spot in the semi-expert class ahead of Pakie Duffy and Nigel McCloughery, it was Damien Treanor and Jonathan McGovern who took third place on a tough event. Dermot and Laurence rounded off a good year with many class trophies, taking top spot on this occasion and 10th overall. Eoghan Corr and Brendan Treanor were second in class once again ahead of Keith McConnon and Michael McCluskey. In what was a tough event for beginners, Fintan McGorman and Derek Mackarel used their local knowledge to great effect, taking a comfortable class win. Indeed had it not been for a dreaded 50 penalties with too much time take back they could of finished the event 6th overall. Second beginner went to Gerry Kelly and Seamus McTigue ahead of Donal McArdle and Andrew Wedlock.

            So after what was an enjoyable night for all who tackled the maze of lane’s through Newbliss and surrounding areas its was the old dog’s for the hard road, as Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins are once again crowned double National and Squealing Pig Border navigation champions. Watch this space for upcoming National and Border prize giving dates.

            CoC’s for the event, Ciaran and Michael Tynan would like to thank all residents along the route, especially those who offered their private lanes. All 30 marshals who turned up on the night to ensure everything was manned. Results teams and to the tea ladies who did a great job.       

Monaghan MC Navigation Trial top 10

1 Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 4 marks

2 Ashley McAdoo/Francis Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 4m

3 Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 5m

4 Colin Duffy/Sam Johnson (Subaru Impreza) 6m

5 Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 8m

6 Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Subaru Impreza) 12m

7 Gary McElhinney/Damien Connolly (Subaru Impreza) 33m

8 Pakie Duffy/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Impreza) 44m

9 Fintan McGorman/Derek Mackarel (Subaru Impreza) 61m

10 Dermot Keenan/Laurence Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 62m

Boyle cousins off to the prefect start

Declan and Brian Boyle have got off to the perfect start this season with another win on the opening round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally championship on Sunday last in Mayo. This follows on from there win in Birr for the opening round of the national. the Donegal men took a start to finish win with 1min and 30sec’s to spare over Donagh Kelly, both in Subaru WRC. Russell Woods and Gary Gallagher had a great run through the Mayo stages to claim 3rd overall, 5 seconds ahead of Cavan’s Johnathan Pringle, both in class 13 escorts. Declan Gallagher and Ronan Murrin rounded off the top five. Raymond Conlon and Darren McCague flew the flag highest for the travelling Monaghan brigade with a great 5th overall finish and 3rd in class 13. 

            Arthur and Mac Kierans also had the perfect start to their border campaign as the back to back winners took another class win in the trusty class 12 escort. Seamus Connolly and Gary McCruddan finished with a class win and 14th overall after some disappointing results of late by their standards. They also took the drive of the day award. Justin Smyth and Gregory McQuillan had an eventful day and did well to finish as class 9 winners and 15th overall. This was despite a high speed spin on stage 2 and the gear stick breaking on stage 6. Justin and Gregory would like to thank all their sponsors for the day. Jack Maguire and Stephen McElroy were 17th overall in the red escort. Michael Conlon and Niall Connolly had a troubled day but finished in 20th overall. John and Niall Kelly made a welcomed return to the stages in the twin cam and finished 3rd in the highly competitive class 10. David Smyth and Mark Derry were also out in the class 11R twin cam and took 3rd place spoils.

Mayo Stages 2013 Top 10

1/ Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle Subaru WRC 8 1:05:09.7

2/ Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan Subaru WRC 8 1:06:39.2

3/ Russell Woods/Gary Gallagher Ford Escort Mk 13 1:09:25.8

4/ Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne Ford Escort RS 13 1 1:09:30.4

5/ Declan Gallagher/Ronan Murrin Toyota Starlet 13 2 1:09:32.0

6/ Raymond Conlon/Darren McCague Toyota Corolla 13 3 1:11:06.5

7/ Pat Kirk/Joe McNulty Mitsubishi Evo 4 1 1:11:34.7

8/ Andrew Mullen/Elaine Doherty Mitsubishi Evo 4 2 1:12:23.2

9/ Paul Clarke/Patrick Cunningham Ford Escort 13 4 1:12:41.8

10/ Daniel Conaghan/Terence Magee Ford Escort 13 5 1:12:46.5

Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins once again proved they are a formidable force when it comes to night navigations, taking another commanding win on Cavan MC annual navigation trial in Maudabawn on Saturday night last. With four wins from four starts in the border campaign they are impossible to beat at the minute. Colin Duffy and Sam Johnson kept the pressure on however for the 2013 National title with 2nd overall ensuring it goes down to the wire on the final event with a winner takes all scenario as they are level on points. Midlands men Packie and Colin Duffy had a good run to 3rd overall and semi expert class winners.

            CoC for this event, Thomas Wedlock with Darren O Brien laid on a fantastic route through the windmill strewn countryside of Maudabawn, Mountain Lodge and Kill taking in the infamous knobbys jump’s along with many gravel lanes through the windmills which wouldn’t look out of place on Rally Finland. Ashley McAdoo and Francis Kennan were leading the event at mid-point with the only clean sheet but dropped to 4th overall and 2nd semi-expert as their car began to boil through the second half. Bobby Sharkey and Mac Kierans had a good run to a novice class win and 5th overall, ahead of Michael and Ciaran Tynan who were also on 28 penalties. Both crews missing a tricky time point 20 amongst the windmills. Dermot and Laurence Keenan had a great run to take 2nd in novice and they too were one of 15 crews to miss tp20. Gerry Kelly and Seamus McTigue were once again the winners in the beginners class, a long way ahead of Ryan Connolly and Shane Mulligan in 2nd.

            Well done to Thomas, Darren and all their team on an enjoyable and well run event. All roads lead to Newbliss, Co Monaghan this Saturday night for the Border and National Night Navigation decider.

Cavan MC Navigation Trial top 12

1 Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 7 marks

2 Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 14m

3 Pakie Duffy/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Impreza) 16m

4 Ashley McAdoo/Francis Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 26m

5 Bobby Sharkey/Macartan Kierans (Subaru Impreza) 28m

6 Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 28m

7 Dermot Keenan/Laurence Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 30m

8 Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 32m

9 Trevor McConnell/Ruaidhri Nash (Subaru Impreza) 32m

10 Joe Friel/Aidan Friel (Subaru Impreza) 38m

11 Gerry McIntyre/Aaron McIntyre (Subaru Impreza) 42m

12 Sean McKenna/Garry Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 43m

Munster CC Moonraker Forest Rally

England’s Mick O’Brien and Limericks Greg Shinnors took victory on last Sundays Moonraker forestry Rally. This pairing took a start to finish win in a focus WRC ahead of Philip and Simon Morrow in an EVO 9 . It was another good day in the Combilift/Moffett stable as Josh Moffett, partnered by Jason McKenna took 3rd overall after a good battle throughout the day with Martin Cairns and Kevin Flanagan who eventually succumbed to the pressure and had to settle for 4th. Sam Moffett and David Moynihan were 5th overall and took the group N win.

            Fresh from their Fivemiletown win, Enda McNulty/Paul Sheridan were 9th overall as a bad stage time on the 2nd test dropped them well down the leader board. Michael Conlon and Ciaran McPhillips had a fantastic run to claim top spot in the two wheel drive battle. They were level with Shane McGirr/Jackie Elliott heading into the last stage and had an excellent run to take 7 seconds off McGirrs time to finish 10th overall and top twd.

Munster CC Moonraker Forest Rally Top 10

1 Michael O’Brien/Greg Shinnors (Focus WRC) 29m 31s,

2 Philip Morrow/Simon Morrow (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 29m 39s,

3 Josh Moffett/Jason McKenna (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 30m 17s,

4 Martin Cairns/Kevin Flanagan (Impreza WRC) 30m 26s,

5 Sam Moffett/David Moynihan (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 31m 10s,

6 John Reid/Enda Shiels (Corolla WRC) 31m 19s,

7 Liam Regan/Damien Duffin (Peugeot 206) 31m 20s,

8 Niall Henry/John Rowan (Impreza) 31m 28s,

9 Enda McNulty/Paul Sheridan (Impreza) 31m 36s,

10 Mickey Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips (Escort) 31m 59s.

Daniel McKenna Support Draw
After a fantastic night in Connolly’s Bar and Lounge Scotshouse, a great crowd came out in force to show their support for Daniel’s attempt at the British Rally Championship. The official winners of the prizes in the draw are as follows:
Winner of the 1st prize and the chance to Co- Drive for Daniel in his Mk2 Escort in the Midlands Stages Rally in 3 weeks or €1000 cash prize is: Sean Mc Hugh (Mayo Motor Club), Bekan, Claremorris, Co. Mayo
Winner of the 2nd prize, A weekend for 2 and 1 evening meal in the Mount Errigal Hotel, Letterkenny is: Tony Fitzpatrick, Ture, Newbliss, Co. Monaghan
Winner of the 3rd prize, SCANBITZ Rally Team Merchandise Jacket, Hoody, Polo Shirt and Cap is: Helena Mc Cusker, Inver Close, Roslea, Co. Fermanagh
            The Supporters Club would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming support, from ticket buyers, ticket sellers, sponsors for the main draw prizes, sponsors for the raffle prizes and everyone for their words of encouragement and help over the past 8 weeks. Thank you.

Monaghan Navigation Trial

This Saturday sees Monaghan Motor Club host the final round of the National and Squealing Pig border navigation championships. Following four wins from four starts, Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins have a commanding lead in the Squealing Pig border championship and a top 12 finish should see them lift the title for another year, The National championship is a much closer affair however with Andy/Liam and Colin Duffy/Sam Johnson tied on points heading into this final round. Coc for the event is Ciaran Tynan and the HQ is Acorn Centre, Newbliss. As always there are up on 50 marshals required so if your available please text Ciaran on 0877827918. Marshals are asked to be in Newbliss no later than 8pm. Plots out at 6.30 and 7.30 with first car away at 9.31pm.

Upcoming Events

Best of luck to all local competitors who kick start their Sligo Pallets Border Rally championship campaign this Sunday with the Mayo stages Rally. Monaghan Stages Rally is fast approaching with trojan work happening behind the scenes at present. Sunday 20th April is the date and as always this will be one of the biggest sporting events of the year in the county. A Rally launch event is also in the pipeline with an organising team working hard to provide an enjoyable family orientated day out in the Hillgrove. More details to follow.

McNulty and Sheridan success on Spring Rally

            Coalislands’ Enda McNulty with Scotstown man Paul Sheridan claimed their maiden win on the Omagh MC Fivemiletown Spring Rally after many years of trying on Saturday last. This longstanding partnership never looked back after gaining top spot with an impressive 7 second stage win on the second stage. Gareth Sayers was their nearest rival throughout the day but had to settle for 2nd o/a. Shane McGirr and Jackie Elliott were 3rd overall in the super quick starlet, and lifting the two wheel drive honours.

Frank Kelly traded his baby blue escort for an EVO on this event as he was without an engine and put up some great times in an unfamiliar car and was up to 3rd overall on stage 5 but a soft roll put an end to his charge. Gregory McDaid with Monaghan’s Stephen Tierney on the notes were 23rd overall and 3rd class 5 in a nova.

Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans were sporting their new fiesta in Fivemiletown, ahead of the impending British Rally Championship but it was a day to forget with retirement on the second stage with cam shaft sensor failure. Upcoming Cavan navigation CoC Thomas Wedlock was on the notes for Sean McAuley in a nova but they also failed to finish while lying 2nd in class after 3 stages.

Cousins on the Boyle in Abbeyleix

Donegal cousins, Declan and Brian Boyle (Subaru WRC) took victory in the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel Birr Stages Rally that marked the beginning of the Dunlop National Rally Championship on Sunday last. At the conclusion of the eight stage rally, they finished 34.8 seconds ahead of the similar Subaru of Welshman, Mel Evans and his Limerick co-driver, Sean Mullally. Wexford’s, James Stafford/Amy Ryan (Darrian T90) were a further 19.1 seconds behind in third and won the Dunlop” Drive of the Day” award.

Monaghan’s Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry had a number of mechanical issues over the first four stages but recovered to take fourth overall and a valuable points haul on the opening round of this years championship. It was a great day for the Monaghan crews in the group N class as once again the Moffett brothers stole the show. After a battle royale throughout the day it was Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly who took an 11 second victory and 9th overall over younger brother Josh Moffett and John Rowan in 10th o/a, both in EVO 9’s.

Brother and sister team of Stephen and Susanne Wright were on the pace throughout the day but a turbo problem on stage 6 dropped them back to 5^th in group N. Eugene Meegan and Brian Sharkey were setting top times in group N but unfortunately road penalties put them back to 6^th in class. Barry Ryan and Tydavnets Emmet Sherry teamed up once again and put in a super performance to claim the class 11 honours and 18^th overall. Jim McKenna/Thomas Treanor were on the ball throughout the day and setting top times in the highly competitive class 14, but eventually had to settle for the runner up spot and 20^th overall, just 6 seconds behind class winner Rodney Wilton.

Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity had to settle for 7^th in group N and 21^st overall. Paddy Kiernan and James McCarville put in a steady performance over the 8 stages and claimed 3^rd in class 13 in their immaculate escort. Liam Bowhan with Damien Connolly on the notes once again finished 7^th in the highly competitive class 13 in their starlet. Conor Foley and Damien McKenna returned to the stages after a two year layoff and claimed the runner up spot in class 12.

There was hard luck for Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes when their event ended on stage 1 in the new EVO 4.  Seamus Connolly and Gary McCrudden recent run of bad luck continued in Birr as they also failed to make the finish.

Donegal MC Mini Stages Top 10

1 Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Impreza WRC) 55m 50s

2 Melvyn Evans/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 56m 25s

3 James Stafford/Amy Ryan (Darrian T90 GTR) 56m 44s

4 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 57m 25s

5 Kevin Kelleher/Martin Kelleher (Impreza WRC) 57m 27s

6 Roy White/James O’Brien (Rover S2000) 57m 43s

7 Steve Simpson/Patrick Walsh (Impreza WRC) 57m 56s

8 James Belton/Mark Glennerster (Impreza WRC) 58m 18s

9 Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N)58m 34s

10 Josh Moffett/John Rowan (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 58m 45s

Motorsport Safety Team Group N Production class:

1 Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly

2 Josh Moffett/John Rowan

3 Danny Barry/Gordon Noble (Lancer Evo 10) 59m 04s

Rally.ieTwo wheel drive award:

1James Stafford/Amy Ryan

Dunlop National Escort Mk 2 award:

1 Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne 59m 34s

Upcoming Events

Cavan motor club run their annual night navigation trial this Saturday, 2nd March. Thomas Wedlock is CoC and the event is based in Gallonreagh House, Maudabawn. Munster forestry stages Rally this Sunday 3rd March. Ciaran Tynan is CoC for the upcoming Monaghan Night navigation Trial on 9th March based in Newbliss. This is the final round of both the National and Squealing Pig Border Navigation championships and as always there are up on 50 marshals required so if your available please text Ciaran on 0877827918. Mayo Stages Rally kick starts the Sligo Pallets Border Rally championship on Sunday 10th March. Draw for Daniel McKenna BRC fundraiser will take place this Sunday night, 2nd March in Connolly’s, Scotshouse. An enjoyable night of music and banter is guaranteed with MC on the night Sean McCaffery. Proceedings start at 8pm. Tickets are still available.

Co. Monaghan Motor club in association with the Northern Standard held their annual club autotest on Sunday last. Once again Wrights Quarry at Swanns Cross was the ideal venue and CoC Brendan Flynn set out some difficult and demanding tests for the 21 starters in the Hewison Autotest championship. Bright and sunny weather conditions made for an enjoyable day on the smooth concrete surfaced tests. Paddy Power proved the man to beat in his mini moke, taking a 6 second win from Daniel Byrne after 12 complex tests.  Mark King had a great run throughout the day to take 3rd overall in a nova and win class D.

            JJ Farrell was winner of class B with Timmy Lynch the class C winner in his immaculate westfield. Last years winner Steven Ferguson had to settle for 13th overall on the day despite 7 fastest test times as he hit trouble over the final three tests to drop back down the leader board. Nevertheless Stephen has won the 2012/13 hewison Autotest championship for the second successive year.

            Once again, well done to all the award winners and to Coc Brendan for a well run event. Brendan would like to take the opportunity to thank all hewison and club members for their support. Monaghan Motor Club are pleased again this year to have received sponsorship from our local newspaper “The Northern Standard”. Our thanks to Cathal Smith and his staff for their support.

To David Wright of Wrights Quarry for the use of his premises, which is popular with all the competitors. Brendan would also like to thank the many marshals and time keepers who turned up on the day, it may have been dry and sunny overhead but it was a cold day to be standing around nonetheless. Also a big thank you to Cora and all her little helpers for the much needed soup and sandwich’s, they were much appreciated! Thanks also to anyone else who helped out in any way prior to and on the day of the event. 

Monaghan MC Autotest Top 12

1 Paddy Power (Mini Moke) 645.5s

2 Daniel Byrne (Mini) 651.7s

3 Mark King (Nova) 653.0s

4 Norman Ferguson (Mini) 653.4s

5 David Thompson (Nova) 658.4s

6 J J Farrell (Mini) 663.3s

7 Robin Lyons (Mini) 665.0s

8 Guy Foster (Mini) 667.1s

9 Chris Grimes (Mini) 667.1s

10 Timmy Lynch (Westfield) 693.4s

11 Paul Phelan (Mini Special) 694.7s

12 Darren Quille (Westfield) 699.1s

Mixed fortunes Monaghan Crews at Donegal Mini Stages Rally

Local Donegal men Martin Doherty and Damien McCauley won Donegal Motor Clubs mini stages rally on Sunday last, based in the picturesque town of Ballyliffin. This event had 66 starters tackle the Malin Head and Coolcross tests which are classic Donegal stages. Doherty/McCauley were fastest on all 6 stages to take the win by just over a minute from Daniel Barry and Gordan Noble, both in Evo’s. Daniel and Michael Doherty were 3rd overall, and claimed the highly competitive two wheel drive honours by 9 seconds. Patrick Mc Hugh and Pauric O’Donnell were 4th overall and class 13 winners. Joe McGonigle and Ciaran Geaney rounded off the top 5 and a class 7 win in their Clio R3 maxi.

            Monaghan men Raymond Conlon and Darren McCague had a great run through the Hills of Donegal and were up to 4th overall after 2 stages, eventually finishing 6th overall and 2nd in class 13. Arthur and Mac Kierans got their 2013 rally season off to a good start in the class 12 escort with 7th overall and a class win to boot. Barry Mc Kenna and Emmett Sherry had a 9th fastest stage time on the opening test but undid all the their good work on the second stage when the escort failed to slow enough for a square right and slid off, dropping over 4 minutes to their class rivals. Nevertheless they battled on and set some good times to climb back up to 30th overall.

            Late entrants, Richard Moffatt and Martin Connolly had a good start and were up to 8th overall after 2 stages but unfortunately gearbox gremlins set in and they failed to finish the middle loop in the starlet.

Donegal MC Mini Stages Top 10

1 Martin Doherty/Damien McCauley (Lancer Evo 9) 48m 11s

2 Danny Barry/Gordon Noble (Lancer Evo 10) 49m 12s

3 Daniel Doherty/Michael Doherty (Escort) 50m 18s

4 Patrick McHugh/Pauric O’Donnell (Escort) 50m 27s

5 Joe McGonigle/Ciaran Geaney (Clio R3 Maxi) 50m 37s

6 Raymond Conlon/Darren McCauge (Corolla) 50m 46s

7 Conor Watters/Gerry Hughes (Escort) 51m 08s

8 Arthur Kierans/Mac Kierans (Escort) 51m 17s

9 John Ward/Gary McNern (Corolla) 51m 18s

10 Gary McElhinney/Paddy McCrudden (Escort) 51m 23s

Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins recorded their third win from three starts in this seasons Squealing Pig Border Navigation Championship in Dromard, Co. Longford last Saturday night. On what was deemed a truly enjoyable event in wet and windy conditions, Mackarel and Higgins pulled out all the stops to take a 3penalty win from Michael and Ciaran Tynan in 2nd overall on 7 penalties. Local semi-experts, Pickier Duffy and Nigel McCloughery were 3rd overall.

With only 4 experts starting the event their was enough crystal to go around but it wasn’t to be as championship chasers Colin Duffy/Sam Johnson and Daniel McKenna/Stephen Hagan both failed to finish the event. This left Michael and Ciaran Tynan taking the expert class. Pakie and Colin Duffy took a 7penalty win in the semi expert class ahead of Ashley Mc Adoo and Francis Keenan. Ciaran Coyle and Arthur Kierans teamed up at the last minute with Arthurs navigation skills coming along nicely to take 3rd semi-expert. Novice award winners were once again Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin with locals Michael Reilly and Shane Dalton 2nd. Dermot and Laurence Keenan rounded off the top 3 in novice class. It was a Donegal/Cork partnership which won the beginners class as Aidan Friel piloted Eoghan McCarthy to a class win and 5th overall to boot. Roscommon men Gerry Kelly and Seamus McTigue were 2nd with Keith McConnon and Michael McCluskey 3rd. Only two rounds remaining in this years Squealing Pig Border Championship with Cavan MC on 2nd March and Monaghan MC on 9th March

Midland MC Navigation Trial Top 12

1 Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 4 marks

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

3 Packie Duffy/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Impreza) 10m

4 Ashley McAdoo/Francis Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 17m

5 Aidan Friel/Eoghan McCarthy (Subaru Impreza) 26m

6 Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 35m

7 Shane Dalton/Micheal Reilly (Subaru Impreza) 40m

8 Dermot Keenan/Laurence Keenan (Honda Accord) 61m

9 Gerry Kelly/Seamus McTigue (Subaru Impreza) 70m

10 Ciaran Coyle/Arthur Kierans (Subaru Impreza) 78m

11 Keith McConnon/Micheal McCluskey (Subaru Impreza) 85m

12 Ryan Connolly/Martin Swinburne (Subaru Impreza) 104m

Locals Fair Well on Forestry Opener

Sunday last saw Limerick Motor Club host the opening round of the 2013 Valvoline Forestry Championship. This short 4 stage event proved popular with scrutiny on the morning of the event as a field of 85 entries crossed the start ramp. Michael O Brien and Greg Shinnors held the lead through the opening 3 stages but were pushed out to 2nd o/a by a mere second on the final test by Philip Morrow and Jonny Hart in an EVO 9. Corks Owen Murphy and James O’Brien were 3rd o/a, also in an EVO 9. Vincent and JP McAree made a return to the stick’s for another year and quickly got into their stride with a top 3 stage time on the opener and finishing in 4th o/a, just 13 seconds off the rally winner and taking a class win.

Josh Moffatt and Jason McKenna were once again on the pace with very little experience on the gravel to take 7th overall. Paul Sheridan was navigating for Enda Mc Nulty in an impreza and finished in 8th overall. There was a great battle for two-wheel-drive honours throughout the day with Shane McGirr and Jackie Elliott just edging out Seamus O’Connell by 3 seconds to finish 12th and 13th respectively. Monaghans Michael Conlon with Sorcha Kelly on the notes were 3rd escort and 15th overall. Michael Carbin had his newly acquired EVO 4 on the loose surface for the first time and wasn’t long getting into the swing of things as he and navigator Stephen Thornton finished in 14th overall and 3rd in class. David Smith and Austin Hamill were also in Limerick and slid their EVO 4 home to 24th overall and 6th in the highly competitive class 20.

West Limerick Forest Rally Top 10

1 Philip Morrow/Jonny Hart (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 22m 07s

2 Michael O’Brien/Greg Shinnors (Focus WRC) 22m 08s

3 Owen Murphy/James O’Brien (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 22m 12s

4 Vincent McAree/J P McAree (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 22m 20s

5 Martin Cairns/Barry McNulty (Impreza WRC) 22m 25s

6 Pat O’Connell/Mark Wiley (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 22m 37s

7 Josh Moffett/Jason McKenna (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 22m 38s

8 Enda McNulty/Paul Sheridan (Impreza) 22m 58s

9 John Reid/Enda Shiels (Corolla WRC) 23m 09s

10 Liam Regan/Damien Duffin (Peugeot 206) 23m 10s

Daniel Mc Kenna Announces Plans for the 2013 Season

The 2012 Irish young rally driver of the year and recipient of the Billy Coleman

Award prize fund of €50,000, supported by Motorsport Ireland and the Irish Sports Council, will be competing in the 2013 British Rally Championship (BRC). Daniel and co-driver Arthur Kierans will commence their assault on the 7 round championship using a Ford Fiesta R2, with the goal of securing a good haul of championship points and trying to lay claim to a nomination for the coveted Pirelli Star Driver Shootout Competition (PSD). They will continue with this plan until such time as they secure the nomination for the PSD and from that point forward they will then upgrade to an R3 Class car in order to make an assault at the championship overall.

Daniel has recently completed an extensive gravel test in the Fiesta R2 and has adapted to the car quite quickly getting onto a good consistent pace with the new package and is feeling very confident on the approach to the championships first round in North Wales in April. Daniel plans on competing in an Irish gravel rally in the coming weeks to improve his pace in preparation for the championship and is also planning a full days testing in the rented Fiesta R2 he will be using in North Wales prior to the event.

Daniel has a few different options for the R3 class car he will compete in for the remainder of the championship, which will be announced in due course. Also he would like to say that tickets for the fundraiser to help support the crew in their BRC championship endeavors are still available and anyone interested in being Daniel’s Co-Driver for the day in his Trusty Escort Mk2 can get information on purchasing a ticket on Daniel’s website www.danielmckenna.net or on Daniel’s Facebook page.

Daniel is also seeking new sponsors for the BRC campaign and anyone that may be interested in promoting their business by getting their name on the car can contact Daniel via his website or Facebook page where all of his contact details are available.

Monaghan Motor Club Autotest

This Sunday see’s Monaghan Motor Club host their annual Autotest at Wrights Quarry, Swanns Cross. Once again Brendan Flynn is CoC and he and his team have laid on some challenging tests. As always their is a clubman’s section so we hope to see many members taking to the slippy concrete surface for a days competitive  fun. The test trial is also a counting round of the Hewison National championship with competitors from all over the country in attendance. Marshals are still required so please make yourselves available if at all possible. Sign-on starts at 10.30 with practice from 11am and competition starting at 11.30am.

Galway Motor Club kick started the 2013 Irish Rally calendar in earnest last weekend with their International Rally. Customary wet and mucky condition’s greeted the 100 strong field at the start of this 8 stage event. Reigning Tarmac champions Darren Gass and Enda Sherry were number 1 seeds but their day was short lived, getting stuck after a visit the scenery and unable to get back in the running. Eugene Donnelly emerged as the early leader in the Mini while three time British Tarmac champion Keith Cronin used the early stages to get acquainted with the all new WRC right hand drive Subaru. Once the Cork man found his rhythm he was unstoppable and posted 3 fastest stage times through the final five stages to record a memorable win. Eugene Donnelly and Mark Kane had a consistent run through the Galway lanes to record another 2nd overall in Galway. Donegal cousins Declan and Brian Boyle had a great result in their WRC Impreza to take 3rd overall by 7seconds from Derrek McGarrity in 4th with Donagh Kelly 5th.

WRC cars held the top seven overall positions followed by a quintuplet of group N production cars. Kerry man Alan Ring had a start to finish win in the group N class but was pushed all the way by the hard charging Sam Moffett who had closed the deficit to only 2seconds for the final three stages. Unfortunately for Sam and James O’Reilly they encountered a misfire on the final test which dropped them back to 3rd group N, less than a second behind brother and rivals Josh Moffett and John Rowan. All in all a good day for the Combilift team. Indeed there were four Monaghan crews in the top 5 group N as Stephen Wright and Gregory McQuillan had a consistent run all day and a great class battle to eventually settle for 4th, 23seconds ahead of Shane Maguire and Damian Connolly in their Subaru.

The National and Junior Rally’s threw up some fierce battles throughout the day but drive of the day must go to Paddy Kiernan and James McCarville who fought their way up the leader board throughout the event to eventually take a 19second overall winning margin amongst much more powerful machinery in their class 13 escort. Monaghans Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor also had a great day in Galway, up the 2nd overall in the National through the early stages and eventually settled for 5th overall and a class 14 win. Threemilehouse man Stephen Hagan got a late call up to sit with Cavan’s Rodney Wilton but they disappeared off the time sheets after stage 5 whilst lying in 7th overall and 2nd class 14. Seamus Connolly and Gary McCrudden were setting top three times in class 11 but an altercation with a Galway stone wall ended their campaign.

Cavan lad Darren O Brien with Gary Kiernan on the notes got off to a flyer in the Junior Rally and incredibley recorded a 13th fastest stage time overall on the opening test, in a class 11 civic! To put that in context only two group N cars were quicker and was 2nd fastest twd time overall behind Tom Flaherty in a class 14 escort. Unfortunately for this young Cavan crew there day was to end on ss4 with gear selector trouble whilst holding a 41 second lead in the junior event.

Galway International Rally Top 10

1 Keith Cronin/Marshall Clarke (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 05m 51s

2 Eugene Donnelly/Mark Kane (Mini WRC) 1h 06m 04s

3 Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 06m 50s

4 Derek McGarrity/James McKee (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 06m 57s

5 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 08m 01s

6 Garry Jennings/Neil Doherty (Subaru Impreza WRC) 1h 10m 24s

7 John Joe Fleming/Robbie Ward (Ford Focus WRC) 1h 10m 46s

8 Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 1h 10m 59s

9 Josh Moffett/John Rowan (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N), 1h 11m 20s

10 Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 1h 11m 21s

Group N Production class:

1 Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy

2 Josh Moffett/John Rowan

3 Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly

NATIONAL EVENT:

1 Paddy Kiernan/James McCarville (Ford Escort) 1h 12m 33s

2 Tom Flaherty/Patrick Curley (Ford Escort) 1h 12m 53s

3 Stephen Hernon/Jeff Case (Subaru Impreza Gp N) 1h 13m 12s

JUNIOR RALLY:

1 Richard Moore/Paul Twomey (Honda Civic) 59m 43s

2 Kenneth Quirke/Seamus Skinner (Honda Civic) 1h 02m 44s

3 Justin Ryan/Gary Collins (Honda Civic) 1h 03m 13s

Cork 1000 Isles Navigation Trial

Skibbereen and District Car Club played host to the 6th round of the National Night Navigation Championship on Saturday night last. A difficult night was had by the travelling local crews as Midlands men Sam Johnston and Colin Duffy took a slender 1 minute win from locals David Beamish and Daire Hayes with Ger O’Connell and Denis O Donovan 3rd overall.

The plot and bash sections seemed to cause most concern for navigators with all crews forced to miss some time points. Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins came home in 5th overall to record a good points haul towards their National hopes with two local rounds remaining. Richard Cassidy and Paul Phelan finished in 7th overall despite a broken drive for the final five time points and had it not been for the exploits of Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin they would of had a no score in Cork. The latter novice crew of Tynan/Clerkin finished in 10th having missed some time points through the plot and bash sections and took 2nd in class.

All roads lead to the Longford village of Dromard this Saturday night as the Squealing Pig Border championship resumes with three rounds over the next five weekends. Full report next week

Cork 1000 Isles Navigation Top 12

1 Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 65 marks,

2 David Beamish/Daire Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 66m,

3 Ger O’Connell/Denis O’Donovan (Subaru Impreza) 82m,

4 Ray O’Neill/Stephen O’Neill (Ford Mondeo) 83m,

5 Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 84m,

6 Brian O’Mahony/David Swanton (Vauxhall Vectra) 88m,

7 Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 90m,

8 Trevor O’Callaghan/Iarla McCarthy (Vauxhall Vectra) 94m,

9 Joe Shinnors Jnr/Greg Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) 94m,

10 Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 125m,

11 Dermot Whelton/Barry O’Sullivan (VW Golf) 142m,

12 Pakie Duffy/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Impreza) 149m.

The novice pairing of Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin recorded their first navigation win with a clean sheet on last Saturday night’s Eamon Harvey memorial navigation trial based in Glenswilly, Donegal. Indeed this is Fintan’s second win of the year, having taken the overall win with local driver Paul Reid on the November Donegal navigation trial to record two wins from two in the Tir Chonaill county this season.

            There were 35 starters departed the Glenswilly GAA club, home of the now famous Donegal All-Ireland winning manager Jimmy McGuinness. Thirty time points and three via’s defined the route which beared West from HQ to the town of Glenties almost 30 miles away. A wet and windy night during the early time points made life all the more difficult as the event took in some typical bumpy and narrow Donegal roads and forest lanes. Most crews were managing to stay on top of their times and by petrol halt in Glenties there were clean sheets aplenty. The second half headed back in the direction of Letterkenny, circling AghlaMountain and on towards the Glendowan  Mountain range.

            With arrival back at final control it became clear that eight clean sheets were still intact, with the novice pairing of Tynan/Clerkin emerging as winners on the novice beats semi-expert ruling. Local semi experts James Greenan and Darren Harvey were awarded 2nd overall in their nissan almera with a three way tie for 3rd overall as per results below.

            Other locals to make the trip North to Donegal included navigator Stephen Thornton who coaxed local Donegal veteran Joe Friel out of retirement and they too recorded a clean sheet to share the spoils of 6th overall and 1st experts. On most night’s a one minute deficit would win many an event but not this time as Michael and Ciaran Tynan dropped a minute on the SRS section,  dropping them way back to 9th overall! Mac Kierans teamed up with Paul Reid for this event and dropped 4 minutes on the first SRS section to finish in 10th overall. Arthur Kierans took to the navigators seat for this event, partnering Donegal’s Bobby Sharkey in his all new impreza. Arthur reporting that he enjoyed the event but was glad he took his glasses! There biggest downfall was missing time point 10 although they reckon they passed it but didn’t stop. Damian Connolly partnered Gary McElhinney once again but disaster struck on the speed regularity section as Damian’s stop watch gave up the ghost leaving them with no option but to second guess and dropped a massive 12 minutes. Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly were also in Donegal but were troubled with mechanical woes. Eoghan Corr and Brendan Treanor picked up valuable novice class points towards their border campaign. Conor Meehan/Brendan Keenan along with Cathal Harry/Peter Deery both made the trip to contest the novice class picking up class points also. Father and son team of Peter and Shane Farrell left their luck at home with a non-finish in Donegal.

            So at the half way stage of the 2012/13 Squealing Pig Border navigation championship things are still very much to play for. A lot of the top crews didn’t make it to Donegal for one reason or another thus leaving the championship wide open with Midlands, Cavan and Monaghan to host events over the next five weekends.

DONEGAL MC EAMON HARVEY NAVIGATION TRIAL TOP 10

1 Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 0 marks

2 James Greenan/Darren Harvey (Nissan Almera) 0m

3 (tie) Ciaran Coyle/Kevin Gallagher (Subaru Impreza), Shane Dalton/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Impreza), Karl Reid/Ciaran Geaney (Subaru Impreza) 0m

6 (tie) Charlie McMonagle/Aidan Friel (Subaru Impreza), Conor Harvey/Kevin McDaid (Subaru Impreza), Joe Friel/Stephen Thornton (Subaru Impreza) 0m

9 Mickey Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 1m

10 Paul Reid/Macartan Kierans (Subaru Impreza) 4m

Class winners:

Semi-experts: James Greenan/Darren Harvey

Novices: Paul Reid/Macartan Kierans

Beginners: Noel O’Donnell/Ronan Murrin 38m.

Upcoming Events

Best of luck to all local crews heading to the Galway International Rally this weekend and also the Cork 1000 Isles navigation trial. Full Reports next week.

Saturday night last saw Monaghan crews take top three positions on the Cork 1000 Shakes Navigation Trial. Fresh from two wins on the previous two rounds, veterans Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins made the trip South after a three-year sabbatical. Their gamble paid off however with a start to finish win and consolidated their strong position in this year’s National championship. Richard Cassidy and Paul Phelan had a great run and kept Mackarel/Higgins on their toes throughout the 110mile event with 70 time points to finish in 2nd overall, only two marks off the overall win. Ashley McAdoo and Francis Keenan made their trip to Cork pay off also with an excellent 3rd overall and the semi expert class win to boot.
Frost and fog were the mitigating factors in making this gruelling event even more challenging through the Cork mountains and valleys. Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin are virtually unstoppable for a novice class win in this years championship having finished in 8th on the night but more importantly gaining maximum points with another class win. Had it not been for a tricky double visit this novice pairing could have been up to 4th overall at least.
It proved to be a difficult night for the travelling midlands crews with Colin Duffy and Sam Johnston forced into early retirement with mechanical woes following a visit to the scenery after only a few time points. This non-finish disrupts the Midlands men’s assault on this year’s championship. Gerry Kelly and Seamus McTigue finished in 11th overall and in doing so took a commanding win in the beginner’s section. Packie Duffy and Nigel McCloughery were running number 1 seeds but the Cork terrain proved difficult as they finished in 12th overall.
All roads lead to the hometown of the now famous “Jimmy’s winning matches” as Glenswilly Football Club in the heart of Donegal plays host to the 3rd round of the Squealing Pig Border Navigation Championship this Saturday night. Entries are still available. Full report next week

CORK MC Navigation Trial Top 12
1/ Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 22 marks
2/ Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 24m
3/ Ashley McAdoo/Francis Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 37m
4/ Ger O’Connell/Denis O’Donovan (Subaru Impreza) 39m
5/ David Beamish/Daire Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 45m
6/ Dermot Whelton/Barry O’Sullivan (VW Golf) 49m
7/ Joe Shinnors Jnr/Greg Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) 49m
8/ Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 59m
9/ Martin Dolan/Eoghan McCarthy (Subaru Impreza) 81m
10/ Michael Murphy/Pat Cashman (Subaru Impreza) 191m
11/ Gerry Kelly/Seamus McTigue (Subaru Impreza) 208m
12/ Pakie Duffy/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Impreza) 238m

AGM
Monaghan Motor Clubs annual general meeting will be held this Friday night 25th January at 8.30 sharp in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan.. During the meeting the election of officers for 2013 will take place. All 2012 members are eligible to vote for the committee. It is important that all club members attend as this is your chance to contribute to the running of our club going forward.

Upcoming Events
25th Jan Monaghan Motor Club AGM, 26th Jan Donegal MC Navigation, 27th Jan Cavan Quarry, 2nd Feb Cork MC Navigation, 9th Feb Midlands MC Navigation, 17th Feb Monaghan MC Autotest, 24th Feb Birr MC Stages, 2nd Mar Cavan MC Navigation, 9th Mar Monaghan MC Navigation & 10th Mar Mayo MC Stages

Young Scotshouse man Daniel McKenna has been selected as the 2012 Billy Coleman award winner at the Champions of Motorsport ceremony in Dublin recently. Daniel scooped this prestigious award on merit of his results to date which include an overall win on the Monaghan Stages Rally 2012 and top 5 finishes in many other high profile events throughout the past few years. This is the third year that Daniel has received a nomination for this award.

Monaghan Motor Club wish to extend their deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the late Jason McGovern. May he rest in peace

Please be advise that Club AGM has been rescheduled to January 25th same venue same time. This was deemed to be a more preferable for many club members as original schedule meeting clashed with Cavan Motor Club event. We apologise for any inconvience and look forwrad to seeing you on the 25th. 

This Saturday night, 1st December 2012 see’s Monaghan Motor Club host their annual awards ceremony and ladies night. Following on from last years success this is sure to be a night not to missed as we honour all of our award winners throughout our eight events during 2012 as well as Gary Nesbitt navigation championship winners and our 2012 traders club champion, Andy Mackarel. Once again there will be a special emphasis on the ladies, all of whom are the unsung heroes of our sport. MC for the night is our very own club member and mister Northern Sound himself, Sean McCaffery. Dinner will be served at 8pm sharp with awards ceremony and disco following afterwards.

Club navigation points will be available on website shortly at http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net

There will be spot prizes galore and all members are asked to support with tickets readily available from all committee members. Hope to see you there!

Midlands Night Navigation Trial

Midlands Motor Club held the first of their two night navigation trials on Saturday night last. Drumlish, Co. Longford was the venue and in keeping with tradition it was a frosty night in the Midlands. Coc was Colin Duffy, who along with Sam Johnston and their team laid on a tight, intricate route which caused major problems for all competitors. Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins continued on from their Drumlin win with a convincing victory, 144 penalties off their nearest rivals. Michael and Ciaran Tynan were 2nd after a disappointing result on the Drumlin with Joe & Greg Shinnors from Cork taking 3rd over-all and picking up a valuable points haul towards their National campaign.

Crews were under severe pressure as early as time point 5 with a plot and bash section through one of the many bog lanes, dropping a minimum of 3 penalties. Time points 6 and 7 were on trace plot and bash and once again the terrain left many crews floundering as it became apparent that time points would have to be skipped. By time point 7 the route had passed over some lanes three times with convoys of cars on the same lanes heading to their various time points. By tp20,  which was at the now infamous Fearglass chapel only 4 crews managed to navigate the

anticlockwise tulip to the time point without incurring wrong approach or double visit penalties. By petrol halt it was Andy and Liam already well out in front on 19penalties from the Shinnors brothers in 2nd on 41 penalties. Local men Packie Duffy and Nigel McCloughry were in 3rd overall at the petrol halt in Drumlish.

Anything the first half lacked, the second half certainly made up for it with lanes coming thick and fast once again, and proving impossible to meet the times. Only two crews within the 31 starters managed to make tp34 and 35, albeit with some considerable time lost and through the next 6 time points to the end it was a case of get whatever time points you can! A huge sigh of relief to get to the end of this demanding event which saw 11 non-finishers from 31 starters! Andy and Liam were out on their own on this event which leaves them with two wins from two in the Border Championship. Michael and Ciaran Tynan were best of the rest and had to skip an incredible 10 time points throughout the night but it paid off with 2nd overall and an expert class win. The Shinnors brothers were forced to skip 10 time points alone through the 2nd half but once again their perseverance paid off with 3rd overall and 2nd expert. 3rd expert went to Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall.

Locals Packie Duffy and Nigel McCloughry won the closely fought semi expert class ahead of Ashley McAdoo and Francis Keenan. Ciaran Coyle and Kevin Gallagher had done enough to secure 3rd, despite being off and having to skip 5 time points in a row to get back on time. On a tough night for novice and beginners there was only 3 crews to finish in the novice class as Arthur and Mac Kierans lifted the winners trophy. Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin, who were seeded No.1 on the road following their recent results in the National had a troubled night and skipped the entire 2nd half but made the controls and took 2nd novice. Eoghan Corr and Brendan Treanor were 3rd novice, only 2 penalties off Tynan/Clerkin. Local Roscommon men Gerry Kelly and Seamus McTigue were sure to find the going tough also but were convincing winners of the beginners class. Peter and Shane Farrell were 2nd beginners ahead of Shane Sorohan and James Canning.

So that’s it for the first half of the navigation season, indeed the second half will be much more intense with 4 rounds of the Border series within 7 weeks and 6 navigations including the national series within 8 weeks.

MIDLAND M C NAVIGATION TRIAL TOP 12

1/ Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 121marks

2/ Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 265m

3/ Joe Shinnors Jnr/Greg Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) 295m

4/ Pakie Duffy/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Impreza) 317m

5/ Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 320m

6/ Ashley McAdoo/Francis Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 332m

7/ Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 344m

8/ Gerry Kelly/Seamus McTigue (Subaru Impreza) 367m

9/ Ciaran Coyle/Kevin Gallagher (Subaru Impreza) 372m

10/ Arthur Kierans/Macartan Kierans (Toyota Celica) 374m

11/ Sean McKenna/Garry Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 419m

12/ Johnny Kenneally/Ken Carmody (Subaru Impreza) 427m

Donegal Mini Stages Rally

Well done to Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly who were 4th overall on last weekends Donegal Mini Stages Rally and won the Group N class. Sam had been 2nd fastest on the opening test but the local men’s knowledge seems to have been a major factor as they were relegated to 4th throughout the remaining 5 stages. The event was won by local man Martin Doherty and Damien McCauley in and EVO9 ahead of the entertaining Declan Gallagher and Ronan Murrin in the class 13 starlet with Columba Henna and Ryan Moore 3rd o/a in their twin cam.

Other locals to make the trip include Patrick Brides navigating for Gareth McMonagle to finish 3rd in class 11 in their civic. Jonny Treanor was in the navigators seat with Simon Devlin in a class 11 twin cam and finished 36th overall.

DONEGAL M C CLOSED MINI STAGES TOP 5

1 Martin Doherty/Damien McCauley (Lancer Evo 9) 43m 26s,

2 Declan Gallagher/Ronan Murrin (Starlet) 43m 54s,

3 Columba Heena/Ryan Moore (Corolla) 43m 59s,

4 Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (Lancer Evo 9) 44m 06s,

5 Stuart Darcy/Eamonn Walsh (Lancer Evo 6) 44m 21s,

Saturday night, 1st December 2012 will see Monaghan Motor Club host their annual awards ceremony and ladies night. Following on from last years success this is sure to be a night not to missed as we honour all of our award winners throughout our eight events during 2012 as well as Gary Nesbitt navigation championship winners and our 2012 traders club champion, Andy Mackarel. Once again there will be a special emphasis on the ladies, all of whom are the unsung heroes of our sport. MC for the night is our very own club member and mister Northern Sound himself, Sean McCaffery. Dinner will be served at 8pm sharp with awards ceremony and disco following afterwards. Club navigation points will be available on website shortly at http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net There will be spot prizes galore and all members are asked to support with tickets readily available from all committee members. Hope to see you there!

Dunlop National Rally Championship Awards Night

Hudson Bay Hotel, Athlone was the venue for the 2012 Dunlop National Rally Championship Awards Night on Saturday night last. Following a fantastic dinner the awards ceremony was held with numerous locals up to collect their awards.  This years championship was a close fought battle and ended with the Cork pairing of Brian O’Mahoney and John Higgins lifting the Dunlop title for 2012. 2nd overall went to Kerry men Thomas Fitzmaurice and Fionn Foley. Monaghan’s Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry finished the series in 3rd overall after a very consistent year for the Ballinode men. Frank Kelly and Liam Brennan won the two-wheel-drive category in their now infamous baby blue Mark II escort. The limerick/Cork pairing of Colm Murphy and Don Mongomery lifted the group N national title for 2012.

In the class awards Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity ended a fine year with 2nd in group N. 2012 also saw Shane take an overall win on the Sligo Stages Rally. Josh Moffatt and Domhall Lennon’s troubled year ended on a high as they claimed 3rd in group N on the National Championship. Michael Carbin had a memorable year also, taking the trusty Peugeot 205 to a class 10 win in this years Dunlop National Championship. This coupled with a class win in the top part championship and 3rd in the border championship is a great reflection of Michael’s year. Cavan’s Patrick Kiernan and Darren O’Brien were 3rd in class 10. Class 11 was also well represented with locals as James McCarville took an outright class win in the navigators section, whilst is driver Ryan Loughran was 2nd. Seamus Connolly and Gary McCrudden ended their year on a high taking 3rd in class 11 in the twin cam. This crew surely seemed to enjoy their season, taking every opportunity to entertain the spectators along the way! Baileboro’s Jonathan Pringle and Martin Byrne lifted the class 13 title after a string of good results in this years championship. Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor finished 2012 on a high also, finishing 2nd in class 14 in the Dunlop Championship.

Upcoming Events  

Best of luck to all local crews heading for Drumlish, Co. Longford this Saturday night to contest the fourth round of the National Night Navigation Championship. This is also the second counting round of the Squealing Pig Border Navigation Championship. Donegal Closed Mini Stages Rally is also on this weekend with a number of locals on the entry list. Full reports next week. Don’t forget Monaghan Motor Club annual awards ceremony and ladies night on Saturday week, 1st December in Hillgrove Hotel at 8pm sharp. Book your tickets early!

Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins notched up another Drumlin night navigation win on Saturday night last with a three penalty winning margin over the novice pairing of Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin. CoC Sean McCaffery laid on a challenging 120 mile route covering a wide area surrounding Latton,  Ballybay and into the outskirts of Monaghan town. A near full entry of 48 starters left the Latton GFC complex at 9.30pm to tackle this marathon event. Time point 9 was the first of three on plot and bash which saw all but 14 crews missing the time point completely, missing their slot right and ending up at the next time point only 100 yards further up the road. It was more or less plain sailing from there up to mid point petrol halt as Ashley McAdoo and Francis Keenan were clear leaders on a clean sheet. Next up at mid point were Andy and Liam, down 1 penalty with Daniel McKenna and Stephen Hagan 3rd on 2 penalties. Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly were leading the semi-experts ahead of Donegal’s Ciaran Coyle and Kevin Gallagher. The novice class was very close throughout the night with Arthur and Mac Kierans tied with Tynan/Keenan at midpoint and lying 4th o/a. Its fair to say the beginners would always struggle on this marathon Drumlin event but Jonathan Treanor and Seamus McTigue were on the ball and lying 6th overall, only down 5 penalties through the first half with Trevor O’Connell and Ruaidhri Nash in 2nd beginner.

            The second half of the event headed east from Monaghan town towards Clontibret and things started to tighten up considerably with a number of plot and bash sections proving difficult for most competitors. Time points 26 & 27 were in the Scotch Corner area with only 2 crews managing to get both time points without time penalties. The second of these tp’s was a quick spin through Maurice Moffatt Engineering premises with numerous double visit penalties incurred. Time points 28 to 40 saw the event move South of Ballybay with lanes coming thick and fast and the odd farmyard for good measure. Tp’s 41 & 42 were also tulip diagram plot and bash sections with only 1 crew managing to clean it and numerous wrong approaches to tp42.

            First car was back in Latton at approx 2.45pm after a long night and the soup and sambo’s were well earned by all competitors. With results taking some time to verify it finished up with Andy and Liam taking the overall win which in turn resulted in Andy Mackarel being crowned 2012 Monaghan Motor Club traders champion. Andy and Liam also win the 2012 Gary Nesbitt club Navigation championship. Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin had a fabulous run all night to finish in 2nd over-all and indeed could of had the win but for a plot and bash section being scrubbed. This result promotes them to the head of the National Navigation leader board after 3 rounds. Donegal men Ciaran Coyle and Kevin Gallagher were the only other crew to incur time penalties which was good enough for 3rd o/a.

            With Mackarel/Higgins taking the overall win, Daniel McKenna and Stephen Hagan received 1st expert award ahead of the ever trying Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall in 2nd with Richard Cassidy and Paul Phealan 3rd expert. Coyle/Gallagher were 1st semi-experts ahead of Ashley McAdoo and Francis Keenan who had led at mid-point. 3rd semi-experts were Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly with two wrong approaches costing them dearly. Tynan/Clerkin were miles ahead on the night in the novice class with Arthur and Mac Kierans 2nd which was enough to give the Aghabog duo a novice class win in the Gary Nesbitt club championship. 3rd novice on the night went to Donegal’s Paul Reid and Ciaran Geaney. Andrew Stewart and Robert Howard brought their 205 home to a beginners class win ahead of Cathal McKenna and Darragh Kelly in 2nd. Derek Mackarel’s navigation skills are rapidly improving as Noel Lappin drove him to 3rd beginner on only his 2nd event.

            So thats it from the Drumlin for another year, well done to Sean Mc Caffery as CoC and Martin McGuigan along with their many helpers. Sean would like to thank his entire team for their help, Latton GFC for there ideal facilities, residents, marshals, results teams and everybody who helped out in any small way.

            As this was the final round of 2012 club navigation championship, all competitors are asked to keep an eye out on club website over next fortnight for final results and please make the effort to support our annual awards ceremony where all navigation awards will be presented on Saturday 1st December in the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan.

Co. Monaghan MC Drumlin Navigation Trial Top 12

1/ Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 5 marks

2/ Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 8m

3/ Ciaran Coyle/Kevin Gallagher (Subaru Impreza) 11m

4/ Daniel McKenna/Stephen Hagan (Subaru Impreza) 20m

5/ Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 23m,

6/ Ashley McAdoo/Francis Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 39m

7/ Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 39m

8/ Sean McKenna/Garry Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 42m

9/ Patrick Connolly/Daire Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 43m

10/ Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 48m

11/ Mickey Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 52m

12/ Johnny Kenneally/Ken Carmody (Subaru Impreza) 62m

Monaghan Motor Club Annual Awards Ceremony and Ladies Night

Saturday night, 1st December 2012 will see Monaghan Motor Club host their annual awards ceremony and ladies night. Following on from last years success this is sure to be a great night as we honour all of our award winners throughout our eight events during 2012 as well as navigation championship winners and our 2012 traders club champion, Andy Mackarel. Once again there will be a special emphasis on the ladies, most of whom are the unsung heroes of our sport. There will be spot prizes galore and all members are asked to support with tickets available from committee members.

Gerry McNamara Award

This perpetual cup will be awarded at Monaghan Motor Clubs annual awards ceremony in the Hillgrove Hotel on Saturday 1st December. All club members are urged to nominate a person for the Gerry MacNamara Memorial Award for 2012. The award is presented to a person who consistently works for the club or for motorsport in general. Competitors are eligible for the award but it will not be presented for event results. We would encourage you all to contribute by recognising those who work for the good of the club. Please send your nomination with your reason for the nomination to Malcolm Totten before Friday 16th November. Malcolm can be contacted at: totten@eircom.net

Arthur & Mac Kierans have created history by becoming the first crew to win successive overall titles in the Border Rally Championship. The Monaghan father and son team have been the dominant force in class 12 for the past two years. This year, three class wins and one 2^nd place finish proved enough for them to retain the title.

The Sligo Pallets-sponsored Championship was well supported at each round once again, demonstrating its position as the leading clubman championship in the country. No fewer than 10 competitors were still in contention for overall honours entering the final round of the series in Donegal, indicating the competitiveness that the unique class-based structure brings to the championship. Despite late problems, Arthur and Mac successfully retained the title with a 2^nd place finish in class 12 in Donegal just one second behind the winners. The Monaghan pair were pushed all the way as Class 9 frontrunner Barry McGill, was always in close contention and finished as the 2^nd overall driver after a strong run of results in his class. Paddy McCrudden finished as 2^nd overall navigator after a consistent season in class 2 with his driver, Adrian Cannon. Pakie Duffy’s consistency in class 3 paid off as he finished 3^rd overall driver, whilst Championship sponsor Andrew Mullen finished 1^st in class 4 and navigator Elaine Doherty was the 3^rd overall navigator.

The year was also tinged with sadness following the deaths of Joe Lane and Caroline Cleary while spectating at the Cavan Stages Rally. The event was immediately cancelled as a mark of respect to the deceased, the injured and their families. Both Joe and Caroline were well known and respected within the rallying community and they are greatly missed.

The battles for class honours were intense throughout the year with the majority of classes only decided on the final round.

Class 2:           1^st Driver        Adrian Cannon         1^st Navigator  Dean O’Sullivan

Adrian Cannon/Paddy McCrudden made a statement of intent by taking class honours in Mayo as they took a start to finish victory from Pauric McGee/Dean O’Sullivan. Both were driving Honda Civics. Cannon/McCrudden continued their winnings way on Round 2 in Monaghan but they were pushed all the way by Stephen Bradley/Graham Henderson.  In Sligo, they had to settle for 2^nd place as Pauric McGee/Dean O’Sullivan edged them out by just 5 seconds. David Kelleher/Noel O’Donnell took a handsome win on a one-off outing in Donegal. In the Championship, it was Adrian Cannon who secured the class 2 win, while navigator Paddy McCrudden finished 2^nd overall navigator. This promoted Dean O’Sullivan to 1^st navigator in the class.

Class 3:           1^st Driver        Johnny Leonard        1^st Navigator  Dermot McCafferty

Dara Leonard/Matthew McKenna took victory in class 3 in Mayo in their Ford Fiesta ST. In Monaghan, Donegal’s Mark Ewing/Rachel McConnan came out on top after a close battle with Pakie Duffy/Micheal Reilly. However, Duffy/Reilly got their revenge by emerging victorious in Sligo. In Donegal, Declan Leonard/Dermot McCafferty flew through to class honours from the similar Fiesta of Darragh Kelly/Gerry Hughes. With Pakie Duffy moving up to 3^rd overall, Johnny Leonard had just enough points to top the driver’s standings while Dermot McCafferty’s top placing in Donegal earned him the top navigator’s position.

Class 4:           1^st Driver        Andrew Mullen         1^st Navigator  Martin McGarritty

Championship sponsors Andrew Mullen & Elaine Doherty had an excellent year taking two top three overall finishes as well as some other useful results which proved enough for Andrew to top the Drivers in class 4, while Elaine was 3^rd overall navigator. Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan took the class win in Mayo before moving up to class 8 from Monaghan on. Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly took class honours in Monaghan from Shane Maguire/Martin McGarritty. Andrew Mullen/Elaine Doherty were top of the pile in Newry, while Maguire/McGarritty took not only the class win in Sligo but also first overall after a titanic battle with Trevor & Kenny Bustard. Local men Martin Doherty/Damien McCauley secured class victory in Donegal from Strabane’s Pat Kirk/Peter Ward. Despite a non-finish in Donegal, Martin McGarritty had enough points in the bag to finish as the top class 4 navigator.

Class 6:           1^st Driver        Liam Branley             1^st Navigator  Samantha Branley

Regular Border campaigners, Liam & Samantha Branley claimed victory in class 6 thanks to an excellent finishing record. Joe McGonigle/Ciaran Geaney opened the season with back to back class wins in Mayo & Monaghan, before moving up to class 7. Ian Henry/Colin Goulden won the class in Sligo but the Branley’s 2^nd place all but secured the class for them in the championship. Steve Wood/Johnny Baird claimed class honours in Donegal, but no one was happier than Border class 6 champions Liam & Samantha Branley who had done enough to clinch the class title.

Class 7:           1^st Driver        Roger Kennedy         1^st Navigator  Wendy Blackledge

Roger Kennedy put another Border class trophy on the mantelpiece as he and regular navigator Wendy Blackledge triumphed in class 7. A couple of class winners at the beginning of the year put them on course for Championship success. Despite a non-finish in Sligo, a 2^nd place in Donegal secured them the title. John Duffy/John Egan and Joe McGonigle/Ciaran Geaney also took class 7 wins in Sligo & Donegal respectively.

Class 9:           1^st Driver        Justin Smyth              1^st Navigator  Gregory McQuillan

One of the biggest battles of the year was in class 9 between Justin Smyth/Gregory McQuillan and Barry McGill/Derek Heena. Barry & Derek came out on top in Mayo after a daylong battle and along with stand-in navigator Paul Clarke, McGill made it two wins from two rounds in Monaghan. Smyth/McQuillan got their revenge with a dominant class win in Sligo. A 3^rd place class finish in Donegal was enough for them to secure class honours, while Barry McGill moved up to finish 2^nd overall in the driver’s section.

Class 10:         1^st Driver        Patrick Kiernan        1^st Navigator  Darren O’Brien

There was plenty of excitement in class 10 too, as Cavan newcomers Patrick Kiernan/Darren O’Brien emerged as the class 10 champions. Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes took the class win in Mayo from Martin Ewing/James Ewing in a similar Peugeot 205. In Monaghan, Kiernan/O’Brien opened their account with victory from the previous year’s Border runners-up, Aaron McQuaid/Aiden Coyle. Martin & James Ewing profited from an early off road excursion for Kiernan/O’Brien to take a home class win in Sligo. Kiernan/O’Brien wrapped up the championship with another class win in Donegal from the hard charging Barry Treanor/Colm Connolly after the Ewings retired.

Class 11:         1^st Driver        Seamus Connolly       1^st Navigator  Gary McCrudden

Monaghan duo Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden secured the class 11 title. Starting off in Mayo, Anthony Hand & Emmet Sherry took the class 11 win but that would be their only outing of the year. In Monaghan, Johno Doogan & Padraig Doogan won the class despite numerous problems. By Sligo, Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden had moved into the class lead in the series after a fine class win. Despite a problematic run in Donegal, they had done enough to clinch the class 11 title. Dessie Keenan/James McCarville, on a one-off appearance, were the dominant class 11 winners on the day.

Class 12:         1^st Driver        Hugh McQuaid          1^st Navigator  Chris Melly

Arthur & Mac Kierans dominated class 12 en route to their overall championship success. Behind them, Hugh McQuaid/Chris Melly were promoted to class winners after a consistent year, with 3^rd in class in Monaghan being their best result. Arthur & Mac Kierans took class honours in Mayo, Monaghan and Sligo, but Enda Haran/Patrick Corcoran snatched the class 12 win in Donegal by just 1 second after late problems hit the Monaghan pair. This crew had previously finished 2^nd in class in Sligo and could emerge as real challengers to the Kierans’s next year.

Class 13:         1^st Driver        Daniel Conaghan      1^st Navigator  Terence McGee

Regular border competitors, Daniel Conaghan & Terence McGee secured victory in the ultra-competitve class 13. The importance of consistent finishing was once again evident, as despite not winning the class on any round, their results were still sufficient to take the class in the championship. Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne took victory in Mayo, before Kieran McCarra/Colm Murphy took victory in Monaghan after setting some amazing stage times. Alaister Cochrane/Johnny Carleston took the class win in Sligo from Conaghan/McGee before Declan Gallagher/Ronan Murrin rounded off the year with the class win in their home round of Donegal.

Class 15:         1^st Driver        David Leonard         

Sligo’s David Leonard was the Class 15 winner in his Mitsubishi Lancer despite a troubled year with retirements in Mayo & Sligo and a problematic run in Monaghan. Roy White/James O’Brien won the class in Mayo, Jim Sharp/Stephen Hagan won in Monaghan and William Vance/Bob Vance were victorious in Donegal.

The success of the 2012 Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship with over 150 competitors registering this year continues to highlight the popularity of the championship as it grows from strength to strength. The 2013 Championship will consist of five events in Mayo, Monaghan, Cavan, Sligo and Donegal with competitors counting their best four scores. Can the Kierans’s complete a hat trick or will we have first time winners of the Border Rally Championship in 2013?

Arthur & Mac Kierans have created history by becoming the first crew to win successive overall titles in the Border Rally Championship. The Monaghan father and son team have been the dominant force in class 12 for the past two years. This year, three class wins and one 2^nd place finish proved enough for them to retain the title. At the Sligo Pallets Border Championship awards ceremony in the Sligo Park Hotel on Saturday night last, Arthur and Mac thanked everybody who made it possible for them to retain their title this year. The Monaghan pair were pushed all the way as Class 9 frontrunner Barry McGill from Donegal, was always in close contention and finished as the 2^nd overall driver after a strong run of results in his class. Paddy McCrudden finished as 2^nd overall navigator after a consistent season in class 2 with his driver, Adrian Cannon. Pakie Duffy’s consistency in class 3 paid off as he finished 3^rd overall driver, whilst Championship sponsor Andrew Mullen finished 1^st in class 4 and navigator Elaine Doherty was the 3^rd overall navigator. It was a double celebration for Arthur as he recently won 1st overall navigator in this years Valvoline Irish Forestry Championship with driver Colin Britton who finished 2nd overall.

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

Drumlin Navigation Trial

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

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

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

Cork Startrek Navigation Trial

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

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

Donegal Navigation Trial

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

Glens of Antrim Forestry Rally

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

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

Gerry McNamara Award

This perpetual cup will be awarded at Monaghan Motor Clubs annual awards ceremony in the Hillgrove Hotel on Saturday 1st December. All club members are urged to nominate a person for the Gerry MacNamara Memorial Award for 2012. The award is presented to a person who consistently works for the club or for motorsport in general. Competitors are eligible for the award but it will not be presented for event results. We would encourage you all to contribute by recognising those who work for the good of the club. Please send your nomination with your reason for the nomination to Malcolm Totten before Friday 16th November. Malcolm can be contacted at: totten@eircom.net

Birr MC Navigation Trial ends in a Tie

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

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

BIRR  MC NAVIGATION TRIAL TOP 10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Glens of Antrim Rally

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

Dates to Remember

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

Sympathy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DONEGAL MC HARVEST STAGES RALLY TOP 10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GSMC Mini Stages Rally

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

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

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

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

Sympathy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Saturday night last saw Monaghan Motor Club run the first of this years night navigations. Coc for the event Shane Maguire and his team laid on a magnificent route and with 40 starters it was sure to be a test of man and machine. Local man Damien Connolly with Donegal’s Gary McElhinney behind the wheel led the event from start to finish to take a narrow 1 penalty win from Michael and Ciaran Tynan in 2^nd with midland’s men Colin Duffy and Sam Johnston 3^rd.

            As the event left Bellanode and headed south along the Clones/Monaghan road the lane’s came thick and fast with some expert crews dropping penalties as early as time point 5. Tp6 was a grassy lane alongside Shane’s own house as the event moved northwards towards the Bragan Mountain area. Time point 11 and 12 were located in the same place, which caused difficulties further down the field as most semi and novice crews dropped time or missed them completely. Time points 18 to 22 were once again located in the Bragan Mountain’s with fast flowing gravel lanes and the odd tight farmyard ensuring there was no let up as the plot and bash sections were very well laid out and tricky. By mid way Connolly and McElhinney were on a clean sheet with Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins 2^nd on 1 penalty with the novice pairing of Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin a creditable 3^rd on 2 penalties.

            A quick petrol halt in the Killylough area just north of Tydavnet was a welcomed break for all competitors as more of the same lay ahead through the second half. Timepoints 26-30 were also plot and bash and once again their locations were set out in such a way that any small navigator error resulted in missing time points or worse still, double visits. Nineteen of the 37 crews still in the hunt missed time points 28 and 29 altogether as they failed to negotiate a tulip diagram correctly, leading them straight to time point 30. The last 5 timepoints led crews back to the Bellanode/Tydavnet areas as the overall result was ultimately decided on the last lane of the night with all crews dropping time. McElhinney/Connolly did drop 3 minutes on this last lane but they had done enough to secure the over-all win. This result leaves this years club navigation championship going to the wire and will be decided on the Drumlin on 10^th November. Provisionally Damian Connolly now has a 2 point advantage over Liam Higgins for the navigators award while Andy Mackarel and Michael Carbin are head to head for the drivers award.

            McElhinney/Connolly’s win left three crews tied on 5 penalties for the expert class win but the furthest cleanest rule mean’t Michael and Ciaran Tynan took the expert class win and 2^nd overall ahead of Colin Duffy and Sam Johnston with the Monaghan/Donegal pairing of Damian Hagan and Aidan Friel 3^rd. Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly picked up where they left off last season with another semi-expert class win. It was a close battle for 2^nd but it was the midlands men Packie Duffy and Nigel McCloughery who scraped through for 2^nd on 54pens ahead of Michael McCluskey and Francis Keenan on 56pens. Fintan Clerkin put his recent navigation classes to good use and came out with a novice class win along with driver Martin Tynan. Double visit penalties, their biggest downfall of the night as 2^nd overall was within their reach. 2^nd novice went to Mark Donnelly and Martin Connolly who also had double visit penalties. 3^rd novice home was Eoghan Corr and Brendan Treanor. This crew weren’t down much time but five missed time points dropped them down the overall standings. In the beginners class it was an excellent result for Derek Mackarel, driven by Richard Cassidy in the trusty vectra. This was Derek’s first time navigating and only missed two timepoints along the way. 2^nd beginner went to Michael Conlon and Paul Mulholland who was also out for he first time. Andrew Stewart and Robert Howard were 3^rd beginner on a testing night for their immaculate Peugeot 205.

            So a great event to kick-start the new navigation season. Well done to Shane as first time CoC, and he would like to thank Michael Carbin, Evin Hughes, Fintan Sherry and Bart along with the many others who helped PR and aid in the successful running of this event. Shane would also like to thank residents along the route, especially those who granted permission for use of private lanes, to the many marshals who turned out on the night, Bellanode community centre, Maggies Bar and the women who looked after the soup and sambo’s, Maguire International for scrutiny facilities, results teams and anyone else who helped out in any way. The upcoming Drumlin on 10^th November with Mr. Northern Sound himself, Sean McCaffery as Coc will be the decider for all club navigation classes and is sure to live up to its reputation as a demanding event. Also keep free Saturday 1^st December for Monaghan Motor Clubs annual Dinner Dance and awards ceremony where all club navigation awards will be presented.       

Co. Monaghan MC Navigation Top 12:

1/ Gary McElhinney/Damien Connolly (Subaru Impreza) 4 marks

2/ Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 5m

3/ Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 5m

4/ Damien Hagan/Aidan Friel (Subaru Impreza) 5m

5/ Sean McKenna/Garry Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 32m

6/ Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 42m

7/ Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 46m

8/ Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 48m

9/ Justin Smyth/Conor Maguire (Subaru Impreza) 50m

10/ Packie Duffy/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Impreza) 54m

11/ Micheal McCluskey/Francis Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 56m

12/ Ray O’Neill/Stephen O’Neill (Ford Mondeo) 56m

‘CORK 20’ International Rally

It was another successful weekend for Monaghan crews on the Cork 20 International Rally last weekend. Monaghan’s Enda Sherry was navigating for Darren Gass on this the final round of this years Tarmac Championship. Although they didn’t finish the event they had still done enough to be crowned 2012 Tarmac Champions. (See full report elsewhere)

            It was a double success as Sam Moffatt and James O’Reilly brought their EVO9 home to 5^th overall and in doing so they were crowned Group N champions for 2012. A magnificent feat for the Monaghan men. Monaghan Motor Club would like to congratulate both crews on their achievements, the first time Monaghan club members have won both the overall and Group N awards in the Tarmac Championship.

Donegal Harvest Stages Rally

Best of luck to all local competitors heading for Donegal this weekend to contest the final round of both the National and Border Championships. The Abbey Hotel in Donegal Town is the place to be this Saturday and with both the National and Border Championships still undecided its all to play for on the narrow Donegal roads with Monaghan crews in the hunt for both titles. Full report next week.

This Saturday night, 6^th October sees Monaghan Motor Club host the first of this years night navigation trials. This event is a counting round of the 2012 club championship and Shane Maguire has taken on the role of Coc, assisted by Michael Carbin and their team. This event will be based in Ballinode Community Centre and reg’s and entry forms are on club website www.monaghanmotorclub.net  All intending competitors are urged to carefully read all the new amendment’s to this years navigation regulations as there are some significant changes. Once again these amendments can be found on club website. As always help is needed and any marshals available are asked to contact Shane by text 0871215255 or any committee member and be in Ballinode Community Centre no later than 8pm on Saturday evening.

Bushwhacker Forestry Rally

It was a day of high drama on last Saturday’s Mc Kelvey Bushwhacker Forestry Rally in Omagh. The final two stages saw Derek Mc Garrity overcome a 3 second deficit to win by 13 in his Impreza from Martin Cairns who was second in a similar Subaru. Championship leaders Gary Jennings and Rory Kennedy were on the start line of the final stage and ready to clinch the Valvoline Irish Forestry Championship when his Subaru expired in a cloud of steam and smoke. This left veteran crew of Kenny McKinstry and Noel Orr promoted to 3^rd over-all as the drama in front unfolded.

            Jennings’ title rivals Colin Britton and Arthur Kierans finished 4^th over-all to ensure this years Irish Forestry Championship goes down to the wire on the final round in Co. Antrim. For yet another weekend running Frank Kelly and Liam Brennan claimed the two wheel drive honours and 6^th over-all from Vivian Hamill in 2^nd and Adrian Hetherington in 3^rd. Damian Connolly was navigating for Derek McGeehan in the mini WRC and finished 7^th over-all and 2^nd in class. Stephen and Suzanne Wright had another fine run through the sticks to come home with 8^th overall and 3^rd in class, albeit in a slightly older spec EVO 6. Vincent and Jp McAree had a troubled day with brake issues but must be content with 10^th overall and 2^nd in class 2. Tarmac experts Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly are getting to grips with the unique driving style on the loose and finished in 19^th overall. Michael Conlon acquired the services of Ciaran McPhillips as navigator for the day and had a steady run to 23^rd overall and 4^th in class.

            Unfortunately for Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna they had a second non-finish in as many weekends as they failed to make first service. Best of luck to Colin Britton and Aghabog’s Arthur Kierans on their quest to win this years Valvoline Irish Forestry Championship on the Glens of Antrim Rally on 27^th October. Arthur and son Mac also hope to defend their Border Rally Championship title on the final round coming up on Donegal Harvest on 13^th October.      

Mayo Motor Club Harringtons Quarry Championship

Well done to father and son team of Martin and Michael Tynan on their recent success’ at this years Mayo Motor Club Loose Surface Quarrycross championship. This venue has become very popular with competitors from around the country for its full gravel surface, which is well maintained. After 4 rounds in this years championship, Martin was pipped by a single point for 3^rd overall in his EVO8, a great result considering there were 84 registered drivers over the 4 event’s. This result was consolidated with a 3^rd overall last Sunday where he led after the first run. Not to be outdone Michael Tynan also contested all four rounds and consistency paid off to finish in 5^th overall in his EVO 5.

            The championship was won by Derek Deane in a buggy special with Maynooth’s Peter McCullagh 2^nd in a lancer and James Lannon 3^rd in and EVO 9. 

Monaghan Motor Club Night Navigation Trial

Saturday 6^th October sees Monaghan Motor Club host the first of this years Night Navigation’s. This event is a counting round of the 2012 club championship and Shane Maguire has taken on the role of Coc, assisted by Michael Carbin and their team. This event will be based in Ballinode Community Centre and reg’s and entry forms are on club website www.monaghanmotorclub.net As always help is needed and any marshals available are asked to contact Shane or any committee member and be in Ballinode Community Centre no later than 8pm on Saturday 6^th October.

Last weekend saw the penultimate round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship stages in the County Clare town of Ennis. With 96 starters in the main field and weather conditions very much wet and slippery it was sure to be a testing event. Cork’s Brian O Mahoney and John Higgin’s took the overall win in their Subaru Impreza. They were pushed all the way by the ever-trying Monaghan men Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry who settled for 2^nd, 19seconds behind O’Mahoney. 3^rd over-all went to Kerry men Kevin Kelleher and Gerard Conway. This 2^nd over-all for Maguire and Sherry means that this years National title will go down to the wire on the Donegal Harvest with O’Mahoney, Maguire and Kerry man Thomas Fitzmaurice all still in the running for overall honours.

As ever their were quite a number of local crews who made the trip to Clare as Kevin Barrett teamed up with Conor Foley for the first time to finish just outside the top three in 4^th overall having overcome some minor issue’s early on to take the class win. It was a good day at the office for the Triton Showers/Maguire International team as Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity took the third Subaru home to 8^th over-all, despite some clutch trouble over the first loop of stages. Shane and Martin were second group N behind Colm Murphy, also in a Subaru.

In the two wheel drive category it was Frank Kelly and Liam Brennan who once again blitzed the opposition with an incredible run to 5^th overall with Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle and Martin Byrne 7^th overall and first in class 13 in their escort. Class 11 provided one of the battles of the day as Ryan Loughran and James McCarville were on the pace and eventually finished 12^th overall and 2^nd class 11 just behind Neil Pierce and Enda O’Leary in a civic. Once again Seamus Connolly and Gary McCrudden were entertaining the crowds with their aggressive driving style but a spin on the final loop of stages meant they had to settle for 3^rd class 11 and 13^th overall. Adrian Foley and Adrian Flynn were reacquainted once again in the Nova and were rewarded with 23^rd overall a fine 2^nd in the highly competitive class 10 behind Cavan’s Paddy Kieran and Darren O’Brien who were 20^th overall.

Michael Carbin had James O’Reilly on the notes in Clare but an altercation with a bale left the 205 with a burst radiator and forced them into retirement. Late entrants Josh Moffett and John Rowan were also forced into retirement with mechanical trouble.

Wexford Dick Bailey Stages Rally

Well done to the Moffett Engineering Rally team on their recent good runs on the Wexford Dick Bailey two day Rally. Their long haul South was rewarded as Maurice Moffett and Jason Mc Kenna took their class 14 starlet home to 5^th overall and a class win to boot. Next up were Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly who incredibly finished on the exact same time as father Maurice on 2:00.40 after two days rallying as they finished 6^th overall and class 13 winners. Incidentally just three seconds separated the top three in this highly competitive class 13. David Moffett and Eamon Hayes took the 3^rd Starlet home to a class 11a win also. A good weekend at the office for the Moffett Engineering Starlets. Fintan and Sean Sherry also made it to Wexford in their class 10 escort but unfortunately their weekend was short lived as they were forced into retirement as early as stage 3.

The Rally was won by James Stafford in a Darrian T90 GTR with Damian Cole 2^nd in a Subaru and John Dalton 3^rd, also in a Darrian.

Donegal men win Galway Summer Rally

Donegal cousins Declan and Brain Boyle won the recent Galway Summer Stages Rally. This win was made all the more special by the fact that the Donegal men were out in a newly acquired Subaru WRC for the first time. John Joe Fleming and Robbie Ward were 2^nd o/a in a Focus WRC while Donegal’s Declan Gallagher and Derek Henna had a fabulous run to 3^rd o/a in there back wheel drive starlet.

            There were a number of local crews who made the trip West and it was Emmett Sherry who topped the pile, navigating Barry Ryan to a fine 5^th over-all in their class 11 escort. Jack Maguire and Stephen Mc Elroy were 11^th and 3^rd in class 13 in their escort. Emyvale New Holland dealer Barry McKenna had Martin McGarrity on the notes and had a great run to 12^th o/a through the stone walled Galway stages. Jonathon Treanor was in the hot seat for the first time with Adrian Cannon in the ever-quick Honda and blitzed the class 2 opposition to take the class win and 15^th over-all. Justin Smyth and Gregory McQuillan once again made the trip to Galway worthwhile with a comprehensive class 9 win and 19^th over-all in their escort. Justin was on the pace from the off and even the rain while on slicks couldn’t slow down the Lisnalong men. Justine and Gregory would like to thank their sponsors Seamus Doran Plant Hire-Smithboro, Fitzpatrick Fuels-Clones, EMG Services-Ballybay and Martin Smyth Agri for their generous help.

            Unfortunately Darren and Nicola McKenna’s day was short lived as they retired on stage 2 in their class 11 twin cam. Damian Connolly was on the notes for Louth man Liam Bowhan in the starlet and they consistently climbed the leader board throughout the day and were up to 15^th but retired on ss7.

Davagh Sunset Rally

Enda McNulty with Monaghan man Paul Sheridan on the notes took the over-all win on the hugely popular Sunset Rally on Friday week last. This event is a gravel surface event run under the cover of darkness, adding to the challenge and spectacle and attracted 53 entries. Enda and Paul took a 13 second win from the fivemiletown pairing of Shane McGirr and Jackie Elliott in the ultra quick starlet. Vivian and Paul Hamill were 3^rd over-all in their escort.

            As with any rally event throughout the country there was a convoy of locals who made the trip to the Davagh Forests. Dessie Keenan and Enda Sherry tried their luck in the sticks in the infamous Maguire G3 escort and had great run to 9^th over-all and 2^nd in class 8. Michael Conlon and Gerry Buckley made a welcomed return with a fine run to 12^th over-all and 3^rd in class 7. Andy Mackarel and Raymond Conlon were out once again in the EVO4 and had a steady run to 16^th over-all and 2^nd in class. Conor Maguire teamed up with Damian Hagan for the night and took his immaculate MKI escort home to 20^th over-all and 4^th in class. Michael Carbin took a step into the unknown in the 205 and with Martin McGarrity on the notes they finished 25^th over-all and missed out on a class win by 6 seconds. Michael’s night navigation experience surely helping through the Davagh Forests. Cavan native Noel Lappin with Daire Maguire on the notes were 26^th over-all and class 3 winners.        

Night Navigation Classes

Classes continue tonight (Thursday) at 8pm in Threemilehouse GAA complex. Still not too late to join in. This course cover’s all aspects of night navigation as well as the basics of stages rallying navigation. Navigation regular Fintan Clerkin has kindly taken on the task of running these classes for this year and if you are interested in partaking please call or text Fintan on 0872297024.

Sympathy

Monaghan Motor Club and its members would like to extend their deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the late Peter O Reilly, Monaghan who died suddenly last week. Peter is survived by his wife Frances, daughters Sinead and Ashling and sons Daniel, James and Greg who are all regular competitors on motor sport events.

Sunday last saw Monaghan Motor Club run a very successful endurance trial in the North Monaghan area. CoC for the event Andy Mackarel laid on a challenging and diverse route, which consisted of 7 “stages” totalling 17 “selectives”.

Its probably fair to say little was known about this form of motorsport prior to this event but all reports suggest that it will become popular after an enjoyable days racing through the Monaghan countryside. Enda McLoughlin from midlands MC had a new Toyota starlet for the event and with local Monaghan man Declan Tynan on the note’s were on the pace of the expert’s early on which they carried throughout the day to take an 8 second win after the 17 selectives. 2^nd over-all went to autotest expert Eddie Peterson with Vincent Fagan navigating, also in a starlet. 3^rd over-all went to Robert Woodside and Sue Graham in an immaculate and unique Mazda MX5.

With HQ in Sean MacDiarmaid’s GAA complex, Threemilehouse where 1^st car left at 10.30 and headed for Wright’s Quarry for the first selective. This test started with a gravel surface and some flowing corners but soon tightened up as it switched to concrete with many hairpins through the concrete slab lined course. Then it was on to the next test known locally as Keenans lane, between Threemilehouse and Corcaghan. This test could be considered the most hazardous of the day, which saw a few cars slid off throughout the day on the grassy and gravel strewn lanes. Both these tests were completed a number of times throughout the morning. As the day progressed the endurance trial moved further west towards Newbliss and Clones. The third selective was around a farm at Boughill on the Killeevan-Magherarny road. This test was a short but very technical sprint with two “stop-boxes” which require competitors to stop their car dead inside a designated area. Failure to complete this resulted in time penalties. Then it was on to Clonavilla farmyard outside Clones. This farm has previously been used on night navigations and the sheer size of the sheds and lanes in the clonavilla complex provided an excellent test for both man and machine as the many ramps in and out of sheds tested a driver’s commitment.

Once the first of the runs around Clonavilla was complete it was into Clones for a well-deserved dinner break at McCaugheys filling station on the Monaghan Road. At the half way stage it was Eddie Peterson and Vincent Fagan who held a slender 1 second lead form Robert Woodside and Sue Graham with eventual winners Enda McLoughlin and Declan Tynan in 3^rd, 15 seconds adrift. Local men Damian Hagan and Derek Mackarel were up to 6^th over-all at this stage in their yaris. It was back to Clonavilla for another run and then onto the outskirts of Newbliss on the Cootehill road for three tests all within close proximity and familiar to regular night navigation competitors. First up was a concrete farm lane known as Corlougharoe. This test had the only “code- board” of the event which required competitors to stop (or slow down if you were quick enough!) and record a code which must then be given at stage end to the marshal to avoid time penalties. Then it was on to Aghareagh (or Bosco’s lane as its known locally) this test was a mixture of concrete, gravel and mud which provided great entertainment for the many on-lookers. The last of the seven tests was close by at Correvan with a lovely flowing gravel surface out to the finish. All of these five tests (or “selectives”) were repeated before the short haul back to threemilehouse before the eagerly awaited results were posted.

McLoughlin and Tynan had done just enough through the latter selectives to take their first endurance trial win ahead of more experienced crews.

            Midlands’s navigation regulars Sam Johnston and Colin Duffy finished in 3^rd overall with fellow clubmen Micheal Reilly and Nigel McCloughery 7^th o/a and 2^nd in class, both crews also in starlets. Other locals to face into the unknown of endurance trials were Damien Hagan and Derek Mackarel who was navigating for the first time on a competitive event. They were up to 6^th over-all at one stage but a few penalties late on dropped them back to 10^th at the end. Kieran “Bilko” McCarra and Darren McCague revived an ex-navigation civic from the dead and certainly looked to have a great days crack, finishing 12^th o/a and 4^th in class. Arthur and Mac Kierans “borrowed!” a civic for the day and despite their best efforts early on at breaking her, she refused to lie down and brought the Aghabog men home to 13^th o/a. Cathal McGlone and David Smyth acquired the infamous Paul Fitzpatrick owned golf for the day and finished 16^th o/a. Josh Moffatt and Gary McCrudden had a primera out for the day and finished 18^th o/a, reports suggest that this is Josh’s road and recce car which bears all the haul marks of a few battle scares!! Samuel and Carol Patterson also had their night navigation primera out on this event and finished 19^th o/a and also seemed to enjoy their day. Peter Farrell somehow coaxed Jim McKenna into the passengers seat for the day and they limped there civic over the line with clutch problems to finish 20^th o/a.  Eoghan Corr and Peter Deery resurrected a seat Ibiza that also refuse’s die and finished 21^st. Steven Rushe and Conor Hagan had a Hyundai Getz on show for the day and finished 22^nd over-all. Think its fair to say this particular car wouldn’t exactly be used to this style of driving! As with all forms of motorsport there are always non-finishers, Evin Hughes was navigating for Karl O’Donoghue but their day was short lived as their rover stopped after the first selective with engine trouble. Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall were forced into early retirement when they burst the sump on their fiesta. Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin rung the diff out of their vectra after the 3^rd test, thus proving that bigger cars are not ideal for this form of motorsport.

All in all a great days entertainment for all crews. CoC Andy Mackarel and Monaghan Motor Club would like to thank everyone involved. Firstly the landowners who gave up their farms, quarries, lanes etc. so that this event could be run, your generosity is greatly appreciated. To Sean Mac Diarmaid’s GFC for use of their facilities along with Newbliss Community Centre where results were prepared throughout the day. McQuaids garage, Threemilehouse for the use of their facilities for scrutiny. All marshals who came out on the day to volunteer and ensure the safe running of the event. A big thank you to everyone else who helped out in any way. Well done to Andy for running an enjoyable event at such short notice and hopefully should this event run again it will be better supported from club members.

Ulster International Rally

Well done to club member Enda Sherry who navigated Armagh’s Darren Gass to 1^st over-all on last weekends Ulster International Rally. Darren and Enda had a convincing 1 minute 12 second win over their nearest rivals Gary Jennings in a similar spec Subaru with Darragh O’Riordan 3^rd o/a in a S12B spec Subaru. In the group N category Sam Moffatt and James O’Reilly had a great run through the North Ulster stages to take 6^th o/a and 2^nd in class behind Dublins Robert Barrable in an S2000 Skoda. Stephen Wright and Martin Connolly had a consistent weekend and were rewarded with 3^rd group N and 7^th over-all.

In the National Rally Arthur Kierans was in the hot seat with Derek McGeehan in the Mini WRC and came home in 3^rd o/a, 8 seconds off the rally winner Frank Kelly with Camillus Bradley 2^nd. Mechanical gremlins throughout the weekend possibly preventing the McGeehan mini from claiming an over-all win. Amy Cox had Monaghan’s Emmet Sherry on the notes and they had a steady run in their R3 civic to finish 23^rd over-all. Matthew McKenna was navigating for Michael Carroll in a fiesta ST and had a great run to 28^th o/a and a class win to boot. Jonathan Treanor was sitting with Simon Devlin but their rally was short lived when they stopped on stage 6 in a corolla.

Night Navigation Classes

Once again Monaghan Motor Club will run night navigation classes before the upcoming new season starts in early October. These classes will start next Thursday night, 30^th August and will run for six consecutive weeks. Once again the classes will be based in Threemilehouse GAA complex, starting at 8pm sharp. This course will cover all aspects of night navigation as well as the basics of stages rallying navigation. Navigation regular Fintan Clerkin has kindly taken on the task of running these classes for this year and if you are interested in partaking please call or text Fintan on 0872297024 to confirm your place as spaces are limited.

Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally

Tipperary Motor Club hosted their annual Stonethrowers Stages Rally last weekend, Based around Clonmel, 112 starters crossed the start ramp to tackle the three rain soaked stages. Corks Brian O Mahony and John Higgins took a 43second win from Thomas Fitzmaurice and Fionn Foley, both in WRC spec subaru’s. Limerick men Colm Murphy and Don Montgomery were 3^rd o/a in a Group N Subaru.

 Local men Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry emerged as early leaders and held a 17 second lead going into first service but disaster struck in service when a wheel bolt sheared, putting an end to their heroic charge. It was a bad first loop for the triton shower team as Niall’s team-mate and late entrant Kevin Barrett and Sean Mullally crashed out on ss3 while lying in 4^th o/a. Jim Mc Kenna and Thomas Treanor also succumbed to the slippy conditions on the opening loop as they slid their escort off the road and out of the event on the opening test. Jack Maguire and Andy Hayes were also victims of the wet stages on the opening loop, as were Eugene Meegan and Paul Kelly.

   Despite all this bad luck, Monaghan crews faired much better in group N as Sam Moffatt and James O Reilly took the group N win and a 5^th o/a finish. Next up were Shane Maguire and Marty McGarrity who got off to a slow start but improved their pace throughout the day to finish 2^nd in group N and 7^th over-all. Stephen Wright and Martin Connolly were using this event as a test for the upcoming Ulster Rally this weekend and set some great times to finish 3^rd in group N and 10^th over-all. Josh Moffatt and John Rowan had been the early leaders in group N and were up to an impressive 4^th over-all, but there best efforts were undone on ss6 when the slid the EVO9 off the road to end their challenge.

  Further down the field Seamus Connolly and Gary McCrudden put in a superb performance in the wet conditions and slid their twin cam home to a class 11 win and 19^th o/a. Barry Greer and Suzanne Wright brought their ford fiesta home with a class 6 win and 24^th over-all. Next of the local crews were Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes in their trusty 205. They held the class 10 lead throughout the day to finish in 27^th o/a, this result increasing their lead in the national championship. Martin Donnelly and Paul Sheridan  finished in 28^th over-all in their EVO9. Ryan Lougheran and Fintan Sherry teamed up at the last minute and things seemed to work out well as they took 3^rd in the highly competitive class 11. Paddy O’Reilly and Jonathan Treanor teamed up for the first time also and had a clean run all day to take their escort home to 5^th in class 13. All in all

 a mixed day of fortunes for the locals in Clonmel.

Monaghan Motor Club Endurance Trial

Monaghan Motor Club will host their first ever endurance trial event this Sunday 19^th August. CoC for the event is Andy Mackarel and he is currently busy with the setting out of this new event to Monaghan MC. The format for his trial is approximately 10 venues or “selectives” which are ran 2-3 times each with centralised service in Threemilehouse GAA complex. These selective’s consist of a timed run, usually on private ground, timed to the second in which the driver and navigator are required to traverse a predetermined route set out by the CoC. Penalties are applied for failing to traverse the route in the right direction, hitting cones or other obstacles, failing to come to a complete stop within a “stop-box” etc. This new and very popular form of motorsport could best be described as a mix of night navigation and autotest skill’s. Andy’s 10 selectives cover a wide variety of surfaces from grassy & gravel lanes to concrete and tarmac through farms and quarries etc. throughout the areas surrounding Threemilehouse, Clones, Newbliss and Swanns Cross.

            As this event is an official Motorsport Ireland discipline, all normal regulations apply and a full list of MI regulations can be downloaded from Monaghan Motor Club website at www.monaghanmotorclub.net (Appendix 35 which include amendments to the 2012 Endurance Trial Regs) Night navigation type cars are allowed up to a maximum 2000cc non-turbo, but no four-wheel drive vehicles of any type are permissible as directed by Motorsport Ireland and as per amended endurance trial regulations. Tyres must be standard road going type. Appendix 35 regulations on club website has an in-depth insight into these events and anyone interested in competing are urged to have a look at these. This event promises to be good value for money as well as a light-hearted days sport.

            Regs and entry forms are also available on club web site with scrutiny at Pat McQuaids garage outside Threemilehouse from 7.30am on Sunday 19^th with drivers briefing at 10am sharp. Coc Andy Mackarel has indicated that this event will require up to 100 marshals and your help would be greatly appreciated if you are not competing. Andy has also indicated that these selectives are on private property and there is no spectator access to most of these, therefore why not volunteer as a marshal and be part of the running of another successful event for Monaghan Motor Club. Please text or ring Paul Hughes on 086 2571401 to enlist as a marshal for the day. Full Report next week.

Night Navigation Classes

Once again Monaghan Motor Club will run night navigation classes before the upcoming new season starts in early October. These classes will be run over six consecutive weeks starting on Thursday August 30^th and once again will be based in Threemilehouse GAA complex. This course will cover all aspects of night navigation as well as the basics of stages rallying navigation. More information next week.

Monaghan Motor Club will host their first ever endurance trial event on Sunday 19^th August. CoC for the event is Andy Mackarel and he is currently busy with the setting out of this new event to Monaghan MC.

Ballinodes Shane Maguire with Fermanagh native Martin McGarrity on the notes created history at the weekend when they won the Sligo stages rally. Their win means its the first time ever a father and son has won the rally as Shane’s father Niall has also won the rally on numerous occasions. Shane and Martin had the daunting task of running first on the road for the rally, a position they had not had to contend with before. Pat Kirk and Peter Ward were promoted to 2^nd over-all on the penultimate stage as the Bustard brothers from Donegal slid out of the event whilst in a great battle with Shane and Martin for the over-all honours. Championship sponsors Andrew Mullen and Elaine Doherty in the Sligo Pallets EVO 9 were 3^rd over-all on their home event. This result, coupled with a 2^nd over-all in Newry and Mourne shows the series sponsors are well and truly on the pace and with the Donegal Harvest in October as the final round, this crew are sure to be top 5 contenders once again.

Despite the changeable weather conditions Shane with regular navigator Martin Mc Garrity where quickly into there stride setting equal fastest time with regular contenders Trevor and Kenny Bustard. Third seed’s Pat Kirk and Peter Ward set a time four seconds shy of the leading pack, whilst fourth on the road was Garry Jennings who was in an unfamiliar WRC Corolla and unfortunately for Garry and his partner Herbie Blackburn their mount developed an electrical fault early in the opening stage and with a substantial time loss this Fermanagh crew were resigned to the fact they had lost too much time to aim for the win. By first service the Bustard brothers had jumped into an eight second lead, however Maguire and McGarrity answered by taking three seconds back to leave a five second deficit. Garry Jennings was climbing back up well and set four fastest times and the other four fastest stage times where dead ties between the Bustard and Maguire cars, all testament to the closeness of the fight between them. Going into the penultimate stage the Bustard boys did hold the lead by a slender ten seconds, a monumental push from Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity which saw them take nine seconds from their first pass of the stage was possibly enough to put some pressure on their closest rivals, but unfortunately Trevor and Kenny Bustard crashed out and the battle was ended as Shane and Marty emerged victorious which was tinged with much emotion as their close friends hadn’t made the finish. Thanks goes to all who made this victory possible for the boys.

Possibly the drive of the day (not taking away from Shanes win!) was that of Arthur and Mac Kierans who blitzed the two wheel drive machines and indeed were 3^rd over-all heading into the last few stages. Unfortunately for the Aghabog duo, conditions dried up and the EVO 9 of Mullen and Doherty slipped past, but nonetheless 4^th over-all for the Kierans brigade a tremendous result. Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor took the class 14 spoils and 9^th over-all. Justin Smyth and Gregory McQuillan made a return to the stages with a convincing class 9 win and 17th over-all. Seamus Connolly and Gary McCruddan were class 11 victors and 18^th over-all in the twin cam. John Kelly and JP Mc Aree were in a close class 10 battle throughout the day and settled for 3^rd and 31^st o/a behind Patrick Kiernan/Darren O’Brien and Martin Ewing/James Ewing. David Smyth and Mark Deery brought the black twin cam home to 4^th in class 11. Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes’ day was short lived as they bowed out early on with gearbox issues in the 205.

Fintan Sherry made his debut in the junior category with dad Sean in the navigators seat and was surely giving plenty of tips and encouragement along the way, although but these probably weren’t need as Fintans night navigation experience surely paid off in the slippy conditions. 1^st over-all junior was his reward, well done and we’ll surely see more of Fintan in the near future. Worth noting Fintans times were well up in the over-all class 10 classifications.

So with one round remaining its all to play for in this years Sligo pallets border championship but reigning champions Arthur and Mac Kierans have the bit firmly between their teeth now and will be hoping to replicate last years performance in Donegal and put together back to back titles.

CONNAUGHT MC STAGES RALLY TOP 10

1/ Shane Maguire/Martin McGarrity (Impreza Gp N) 69m 59s

2/ Pat Kirk/Peter Ward (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 71m 51s

3/ Andrew Mullen/Elaine Doherty (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 72m 15s

4/ Arthur Kierans/Mac Kierans (Escort) 72m 19s

5/ Anthony Cairns/Mark Preston (Impreza) 72m 20s

6/ Alastair Cochrane/Jonathan Charlesson (Escort) 72m 21s

7/ Daniel Conaghan/Terence Magee (Escort) 72m 25s

8/ Enda Haran/Patrick Corcoran (Escort) 72m 28s

9/ Jim McKenna/Thomas Treanor (Escort) 72m 29s

10/ John Cairns/James Cairns (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 72m 30s.

Vincent and JP McAree 2^nd over-all in Cork Forest

McAree cousins Vincent and JP made the journey south to Mitchelstown in Cork last weekend for Tipperary Motor Clubs annual Forestry Rally and had a spirited performance to take 2^nd over-all behind the ever hard charging Gary Jennings, with local Cork man Owen Murphy only two seconds adrift in 3^rd.

The Mc Aree’s were leading after the first stage but Gary Jennings showed his class on the gravel, winning five of the eight stages as Vincent was fastest on the last and joint with Jennings on the second last. Nevertheless a great performance in the EVO 9. There was plenty of other Monaghan interest as Stephen and Suzanne Wright had a great battle with Josh Moffatt and John Rowan all day and came out on top by almost 30 seconds. Incidentally Sam Moffatt and James O Reilly were also down but their day ended after stage 2 with fuel pressure problems. With this being Sam and Josh’s first venture to the forests its worth noting that they, along with Stephen and Suzanne Wright all set the exact same time on the first stage so will be interesting to look out for this mini “Monaghan” battle over the next events.

With two rounds remaining in this years Valvoline Forestry Championship Stephen and Suzanne Wright hold the lead over Gary Jennings with the Mc Aree cousins third. But with dropped rounds to be taken into account Jennings may hold the upper hand but all is to play for in the Lakelands and Glen’s of Antrim forestry Rally’s.

TIPPERARY M C FOREST RALLY TOP 10

1/ Garry Jennings/David Moynihan (Impreza) 35m 30s

2/ Vincent McAree/J P McAree (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 35m 48s

3/ Owen Murphy/James O’Brien (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 35m 50s

4/ Pat O’Connell/Mark Wiley (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 36m 18s

5/ Stephen Wright/Suzanne Wright (Lancer Evo 6) 36m 49s

6/ Josh Moffett/John Rowan (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 37m 17s

7/ Gerard Lucey/James Lucey (Lancer Evo 8 Gp N) 37m 29s

8/ Martin Cairns/Gary Monteith (Impreza WRC) 37m 42s

9/ John Reid/Enda Shiels (Corolla WRC) 37m 54s

10/ Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 37m 57s

Jennings Win’s Donegal International Rally

Fermanagh man Gary Jennings with Donegal native Neil Doherty on the notes had a memorable victory on last weekends Topaz Donegal International Rally. To make it an even sweeter victory Gary was in a rented Subaru S14 WRC, which he had never competed in before. Leading from start to finish Gary and Neil took a minute and 21 seconds win over Seamus Leonard and John McCafferty. Derek McGarrity and Paul Kiely had a steady run throughout the weekend to round off the top three.

            As ever this event proved to be more of a marathon than a race with 143 cars starting in the main field to tackle the 22 stages over three days through some of the most famous stages in Ireland. Monaghan man Enda Sherry was seeded at number 1 alongside young Markethill driver Darren Gass. Leading the series prior to this event, this crew incurred road penalties on day 1 which would ultimately drop them from as possible 2^nd over-all to 5^th. Nonetheless a good points haul in their quest for the International title. Local men Niall Maguire and Conor Foley were at number 6 for the event and putting in some very consistent times throughout the weekend. Unfortunately bad luck set in on the final stage as gearbox troubles raised its ugly head again, forcing them into retirement while lying 6^th over-all. Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly started at number 17 in their evo 9 and had a ding-dong battle all weekend with younger brother Josh who had Jason McKenna on the notes. Josh and Jason were late entrants and certainly had the upper hand through most of the weekend but Sam and James pulled out all the stops on the Sunday stages to pull through and take the Group N victory and 6^th over-all. Josh Moffatt had to settle for 7^th over-all, only 17seconds behind brother Sam after 3 intense days rallying.  Another Monaghan crew saw Daniel mc Kenna and Arthur Kierans leading the national rally away at number 10 but their event was short lived with transmission woes forcing their retirement on Friday afternoon while leading the National rally. However they re-joined the Rally for the Saturday stages and set some great times, whilst entertaining the crowds along the way.

Heavy rains continued throughout the Friday and Saturday stages but thankfully the sun made an appearance on Sunday for the final day of the rally. The National Rally turned out to be more of a local battle as Declan and Brian Boyle just edged out Manus Kelly and Donal Barrett for the over-all win in the National Rally by a mere 4.8 seconds after 3 long days rallying. Incidentally Manus was in the now famous red Gary McPhillips escort for the weekend. Martin McGee was 3^rd with Brian Brogan 4^th over-all, both Donegal natives. Jim McKenna/Thomas Treanor was another local crew seeded at number 37 in their black escort but sadly retired over the final few stages on Sunday whilst lying 12^th in the National event. Cavan pairing of Damien O’Reilly and Damien mc Cabe were at number 98 in there escort mk2 and finished 3^rd in class 9 and 47^th over-all. Donegal’s James Greenan had Monaghan man Jonathan Treanor on the notes and they had a good steady run throughout the weekend in there class 9 corsa despite losing some time on the Friday stages with gearbox problems and went on to take 2nd in class 9 and 40th over all.   Sean Agnew had regular navigator Peter Deery on the notes and were 19^th over-all and 2^nd in class 9 in the national section. David Smyth/Mark Deery was another Monaghan crew to tackle the Donegal stages and had an excellent run to 39^th over-all. Well done to all locals’ crews who made the trip.

2012 Topaz Donegal International Rally Top 10

1/ Garry Jennings/Neil Doherty (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 25m 06s

2/ Seamus Leonard/John McCafferty (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 26m 27s

3/ Derek McGarrity/Paul Kiely (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 28m 01s

4/ Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 28m 17s

5/ Darren Gass/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 29m 03s

6/ Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 2h 34m 05s

7/ Josh Moffett/Jason McKenna (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 2h 34m 22s

8/ Martin Doherty/Damien McCauley (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 2h 37m 52s

9/ Kevin O’Connor/Gerard Conway (Citroen C2R2 Max) 2h 42m 35s

10/ P J McDermott/Paul Goodman (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 2h 42m 53s

Group N Production class:

1/ Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly

2/ Josh Moffett/Jason McKenna

3/ Martin Doherty/Damien McCauley

National Rally:

1/ Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Ford Escort) 2h 32m 21s

2/ Manus Kelly/Donal Barrett (Ford Escort) 2h 32m 26s

3/ Martin McGee/Denis O’Mahony (Ford Escort) 2h 34m 48s

Historic Rally:

1/ Andy Johnson/Jim McSherry (Vauxhall Chevette) 2h 03m 54s

2/ John Keatley/James McKeefrey (Ford Escort) 2h 04m 01s

3/ Stephen McFerran/Ellen McFerran (Ford Escort) 2h 08m 34s

Junior Rally:

1/ Damien Whoriskey/Michael McClafferty (Ford Escort) 56m 03s

2/ Barry McLaughlin/Aodhan Gallagher (Toyota Corolla) 56m 28s

3/ Christopher McLaughlin/Niall O’Donnell (Toyota Corolla) 58m 03s.

Raymond Conlon and Darren Mc Cague entertain in Sol Rally, Barbados

Well done to club members Raymond Conlon and Darren McCague who made the epic journey to Barbados recently to compete in the now famous Sol Rally, Barbados. Raymond and Darren slid their black twin cam to a fine 3^rd in class on this event, which is ran over two weekends. Full report and photo’s next week.

Sympathy

Monaghan Motor Club would like to extend their sympathy to the family & friends of Michael Leonard who passed away recently. Michael was an active competitor for many years and also assisted on various events held by the club. A native of Aghabog, Michael has no doubt influenced many of the current motorsport followers in the area and will be sadly missed by all who knew him. May he rest in peace.

Monaghan Motor Club offers its condolences to the families and friends of those fatally injured at the  Cavan Stages Rally on Sunday last (27/4/12)

Our thoughts and prayers are also with those injured,to whom we wish a full recovery. 

Paul Hughes (Chairman)

For and on behalf of Monaghan Motor Club

Local Cork crew Owen Murphy and James O’Brien took top honours in their local Cork Forest Stages Rally on Saturday last. This was the fourth round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Championship and attracted almost 50 entries to this popular forest complex on the outskirts of Mallow. Murphy and O Brien were pushed all the way by the hard charging Colin Britton, navigated by our very own Arthur Kierans who were only 6 seconds in arrears after six tough stages. This result leaves Britton and Kierans leading the Irish Forest Championship with three rounds remaining. Third over-all were Pat O Connell and Mark Wiley with only 7 seconds separating the top three crews. Incidentally the top three were all in similar spec EVO 9’s. Fourth over-all went to Martin Cairns who had Patrick Brides on the notes. Patrick making the switch from the back wheel drive starlets of the Moffatt’s to sample the gravel in a four-wheel drive Impreza. Next up were Enda Mc Nulty and Paul Sheridan in the trusty Impreza. Following some teething problems in the new Mc Nulty escort this crew returned to the forest in the group A impreza to good effect and won their class and 5th over-all. Next up was the Mc Aree Evo of Vincent and JP Mc Aree.

 The Ballinode/Carrickmacross cousins had mixed fortunes in Cork as they dropped over 30 seconds on the opening test with an overshoot and stalled engine which refused to re-start. Once they got going they quickly climbed the leader board, setting fastest stage time on the last stage to eventually finish in 6th. A great resulted considering they were 19th after stage 1. This result leaves the Mc Arees in 4th over-all in the forest championship with three rounds remaining so still very much in the hunt. Swann’s Cross brother and sister team of Stephen and Suzanne Wright finished in 8th over-all and gained some valuable points towards their forest championship campaign. The Wrights’ consistency is paying dividends as they are currently second in the Valvoline championship with 3 rounds remaining.

The two wheel drive battle was hard fought with Fivemiletown’s Shane McGirr and Jackie Elliott taking class 5 honours in the McGirr Oils backed starlet and 9th over-all to boot. The MC Blinds backed escort of Michael Conlon with new navigator Damien Fleming were second two-wheel drive car across the line and 11th over-all after an enjoyable day in the sticks. David Smith and Austin Hamill took a step into the unknown as they were competing in an EVO, a small step up from Davids trusty 106! However they quickly came to grips with the driving style of the four-wheel drive and set some good times throughout the day to finish a creditable 24th over-all and 6th in class. So with 3 rounds remaining in Tipperary, the Dogleap and the bushwhacker,

 Monaghan have 3 crews in the top 4 over-all positions so best of luck to all over the remaining rounds.

CORK MC JIM WALSH CORK FOREST RALLY TOP 10

 1/ Owen Murphy/James O’Brien (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 33m 10s 2/ Colin Britton/Arthur Kierans (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 33m 16s 3/ Pat O’Connell/Mark Wiley (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 33m 17s 4/ Martin Cairns/Patrick Brides (Impreza) 33m 43s 5/ Enda McNulty/Paul Sheridan (Impreza) 33m 47s 6/ Vincent McAree/J P McAree (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 33m 58s 7/ Gerard Lucey/James Lucey (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 34m 00s 8/ Stephen Wright/Suzanne Wright (Lancer Evo 6) 34m 16s 9/ Shane McGirr/Jackie Elliott (Starlet) 34m 46s 10/ Niall Henry/John Rowan (Impreza Gp N) 34m 52s

Co. Cavan Motor Club Stages Rally

All roads lead to Baileboro this weekend for Cavan Motor Clubs annual stages rally. This is the 3rd round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally championship and is sure to attract a bumper entry. With the weather looking promising it is sure to be a great days entertainment as many crews battle it out for border championship points heading to the half way stage. Once again the day will not proceed without the help of hundreds of marshals. Monaghan Motor Club is committed to providing as many as possible and would ask all members to make themselves available if possible. Please contact 086 3627000 or e-mail the club website on monaghanmotorclub@gmail.com should you be available to marshal and participate in the safe running of our neighbouring motor clubs annual stages rally.

Carlow Motor Club hosted their ever-popular stages rally and Mark II challenge on Sunday last. A bumper entry in the main field took to the roads around the East Carlow town of Tullow for nine stages. It was number 3 seeds Brian O Mahoney and John Higgins who took over the lead after stage 2 and went on to take a 14 second winning margin from championship leader Thomas Fitzmaurice in 2^nd. Ballinode men Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry were 3^rd over-all and only 3 seconds further adrift after overcoming a number of small mechanical issues in the early stages. This result for the Monaghan men ensures they keep the pressure on Fitzmaurice and O’Mahoney for the Dunlop national title at the half way stage. Incidentally all three are in similar spec WRC S11 Impreza’s.

            Just behind the top 3 was the battle for two wheel drive honours and the title of Mark II challenge winner. On the opening test it was Wesley Patterson who got the upper hand with a slender 1 second lead from Daniel Mc Kenna and Andrew Grennan with Frank Kelly on the pace in 3^rd. Gary Mc Phillips had Donal Barrett on the notes for this event (Donal is regular navigator for Donegal’s Manus Kelly) but they were struggling with suspension woes through the opening loop and doing well to stay in contention with the top 3. Stage two saw the demise of Patterson, which left Daniel and Andrew in control at the head of the mk2 challenge. By first service they were 17 seconds ahead of Frank Kelly with Mc Phillips 14 seconds further adrift. The middle loop would shake things up again as the Scanbitz escort experienced oil pressure problems as well as an engine miss-fire which saw them drop 21 seconds to the hard charging Kelly through these three stages. McPhillips/Barrett were now very much on the pace and trading times with Frank although a 23 second gap would be hard to pull back. The decision was taken at second service to retire the scanbitz escort of McKenna/Grennan to avoid any terminal damage. Placing’s remained the same over the final loop as Kelly/Brennan went on to lift the mk2 challenge trophy ahead of Gary Mc Phillips and Donal Barrett who finished 5^th o/a in the main field. Donegal cousins Declan and Brian Boyle were 3^rd two-wheel drive car home in 7^th over-all.

            The group N category was equally as competitive in Carlow as Colm Murphy returned to winning ways in his Impreza ahead of Monaghan’s Josh Moffatt and Domhall Lennon who finished in 9^th over-all. The second Maguire International Impreza of Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity had been 3^rd group N throughout the day but mechanical trouble forced their retirement on ss7, big disappointment for Shane following his first group N win in Monaghan three weeks prior.

            Ryan Lougheran and James McCarville were in contention in class 11 once again and finished 21^st over-all and 2^nd in class 11 behind the civic of Neil pierce and Jason Ollerenshaw. This result leaves Ryan and James in a strong position for class 11 honours in the Dunlop national championship. Damien Connolly teamed up with Ardee man Liam Bowhan for this event and had a steady run all day to finish 9^th in the highly competitive class 13. Stephen Rushe and Threemilehouses’ Conor Hagan put in a strong performance all day to finish 2^nd in class 10 in their Mk2 escort.

            Unfortunately the success of the Monaghan Stages deserted Seamus Connolly and Gary Mc Crudden on this occasion as their day ended on the opening test with engine trouble. Enda Mc Nulty and Paul Sheridan’s misfortunes in the new class 13 escort continued in Carlow as their day was also cut short with mechanical problems.   

 CARLOW CC MOUNT WOLSELEY HOTEL STAGES RALLY TOP 10

1 Brian O’Mahony/John Higgins (Impreza WRC) 67m 38s

2 Thomas Fitzmaurice/Fionn Foley (Impreza WRC) 67m 52s

3 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 67m 55s

4 Frank Kelly/Liam Brennan (Escort) 69m 00s

5 Gary McPhillips/Donal Barrett (Escort) 69m 28s

6 Colm Murphy/Don Montgomery (Impreza Gp N) 69m 55s

7 Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Escort) 70m 05s

8 Sam Smyth/Alan Smyth (Escort) 70m 57s

9 Josh Moffett/Domhnall Lennon (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 71m 01s

10 Tom Cave/Craig Parry (Citroen DS3) 71m 23s

Motorsport Safety Team Group N Production class:

1 Colm Murphy/Don Montgomery

2 Josh Moffett/Domhnall Lennon

3 Paddy McVeigh/Stephen O’Hanlon (Impreza) 73m 59s.

Rally.ie Two wheel drive class:

1 Frank Kelly/Liam Brennan

2 Gary McPhillips/Donal Barrett

3 Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle

Historics:

1 Denis Collins/Tommy Commane (Escort) 55m 21s

2 Dick Mauger/Steve McNulty (Escort) 57m 07s

3 Philip McKibbin/Padraig Brick (Cortina) 58m 23s

Juniors:

1 Chris Snow/Sean Brunton (Civic) 49m 15s

2 Damien Boyle/Joseph Boyle (Civic) 50m 20s

3 James Bradley/Maria Kehoe (Civic) 50m 21s

Co. Cavan Motor Club Stages Rally

Co. Cavan Motor Club will host their annual stages rally on Sunday 27^th May 2012. This year the event moves in a slightly different direction with the Bailie Hotel, Bailieboro being the main sponsor and HQ for this popular event. As always Monaghan Motor Club must return the favour of supplying up to 60 marshals for this event and this year is no exception. All club members (and friends) are asked to make themselves available if possible to marshal. Please contact any committee member to register your name.

 Monaghan’s Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes were crowned National Navigation Champions on Saturday night last at the annual prize giving ceremony in Portlaoise. The Smithborough/Ballybay crew claimed their first ever-National title after an intense battle throughout the winter. Last year’s Beginners class champions Darren Quinn/Nigel McCloughry from Longford were the surprise of the season as they mixed it with the experts throughout the series and duly finished as deserving runners-up.

 The Semi-Expert crew of Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston, also from Longford, finished 3^rd overall for the 2^nd successive year.

The championship consisted of 8 rounds featuring three events in Co. Cork, one each in Co Tipperary and Co Leitrim as well as three in Counties Cavan and Monaghan. A trio of Midland Motor Club crews and two Cork crews pushed the Monaghan pair all the way in what proved to be one of the more dramatic seasons in the championship. Victories on the Monaghan Drumlin and Skibbereen 100 Isles as well as three other top four finishes were the telling factor come season end.

Indeed, the prospects for the eventual champions were not good with 3 rounds remaining. Mechanical problems resulted in two consecutive non-finishes when well placed in both rounds 4 and 5. The win in Skibbereen turned the tables around and strong finishes on the final three rounds clinched it. Their achievement is well deserved having been runners-up on two previous occasions. Evin’s win follows that of his father Paul who also won the navigators title in 1996, the first time a father and son have won the same title.

Other Monaghan award winners were Richard Cassidy who was 2^nd placed driver in the expert class, while in the semi-expert class, Sean McKenna/Gary Farrelly were 2^nd ahead of Kevin Keenan/Barry Garvey in 3^rd.

Motorsport Ireland National Navigation Trial Championship 2011/2012

Overall

1^st        Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes

2^nd        Darren Quinn/Nigel McCloughrey

3^rd        Chris Kelly/Sam Johnson

Expert

1^st        Alan Shinnors/George Shinnors

2^nd        Richard Cassidy/Daire Hayes

3^rd        Joe Shinnors/Paul Phelan

Semi Expert

1^st        Pakie Duffy/Colin Duffy

2^nd        Sean McKenna/Gary Farrelly

3^rd        Kevin Keenan/Barry Garvey

Novice

1^st        Ciaran McElroy/Muireann Hayes

2^nd        Alwyn White/Damien McCabe

3^rd        David Beamish/Adrian Tobin

Beginner

1^st        Shane Dalton/Sean Henehan

2^nd        Matt Shinnors/Michael Reilly

3^rd        David Forde/Catherine Levis

It was a day of high drama on the narrow roads of North Monaghan as Daniel Mc Kenna and Andrew Grennan won the 2012 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally on Sunday last. This was the second counting round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship which drew a full entry of 131 cars, the first full entry of this years rally calendar. An action packed event that saw only 5 of the top 10 making the finish ramp including non-finishes form all three WRC cars, which started. This event had it all and certainly lived up to its pre-event billing of “Finland on tarmac”. Mc Kenna/Grennan eventually took the rally win from Sam Moffatt and James O’Reilly in their EVO 9 with Maurice Moffatt and Jason McKenna just edged back to third on the final 30km stage in their Starlet.

            But that is only the tip of the iceberg! With only 67 finishers from 131 starters this was most definitely a finisher’s rally as most of those who were lucky enough to cross the finish ramp had their own good luck stories to tell. CoC Dessie Keenan and his team provided three action packed stages, which had it all. Stage 1 was a fast flowing stage with many flat crests on open roads. The first half of stage 2 ran through the famous Bragan mountain and then descended down towards Scotstown finishing with the infamous tight and twisty Aghnameena lane. Stage 3 simply had all the ingredients of the perfect stage, narrow sections to start with, straddling the border along Roslea, then opening out to fast flowing sections towards Bellanode village. The spectacle of two flat crest/jumps then up to a chicane and a hair pin right has to be the talking point of the rally as thousands of spectators descended on this usually quiet north Monaghan village. One could be forgiven for thinking they were actually in Finland such was the commitment of all drivers over these jumps, much to the delight of onlookers.

            Top seeds for the event were indeed local Bellanode man Niall Maguire and his regular navigator, Enda Sherry. They had led the event up until stage 7 when their gearbox packed it in while holding a one-minute lead. Earlier in the day number 2 seeds Seamus Leonard retired his Subaru WRC on ss1 while Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan slid their newly acquired WRC impreza off the road on ss3. These miss-haps only meant one thing, a titanic battle to the end between two of Irelands top escort men and locals, Daniel McKenna/Andrew Grennan and Gary McPhillips/Mark Tierney. By Gary’s own admission they were caught sleeping on the opening loop, dropping 32 seconds to Mc Kenna after three stages. Not to be outdone Gary and Mark put the “shoulder to the wheel” on the middle loop, recording fastest times on all three stages over McKenna. Indeed on ss6 running water after heavy rainfall made conditions treacherous and Daniel/Andrew nearly threw it all away with a big overshoot on the hairpin at Greenfield eggs, which resulted in the back of the escort being extensively damaged. Gary and Mark were also caught out on the surface water here and ended up alongside Daniel who had got out to access the damage. Both crews got back on track and its was a side by side battle to stage end. Going into the final stage the scene was set for a battle royale as Mc Phillips led by one second with the now infamous 30km Bellanode stage to run. Unfortunately though it was not going to live up to it’s billing as Mc Kenna passed the stricken red escort which suffered suspension failure and Gary and Mark were forced to limp to stage finish and drop back to 14^th o/a. A cruel end after a titanic battle with Daniel Mc Kenna and Andrew Grennan coming out on top on this occasion to be crowned 2012 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally winners.

            With Sam Moffatt and uncle Maurice 2^nd and 3^rd respectively it was Shane Maguire and Marty McGarrity who came home in 4^th o/a to take a splendid group N class win. Shane was locked in a battle with young local rival Josh Moffatt with regular navigator Domhall Lennon on the notes and eventually came out with a 17 second winning margin over the Combilift and PQE backed EVO. Donegal cousins Declan and Brian Boyle had to settle for 6^th o/a but did enough to take the class win as Mc Kenna and Moffatt were in the top 3, this despite a puncture early on. Camillus Bradley was next up in 7^th o/a and 2^nd in class 14 ahead of John Mc Quaid and Seamus O’ Connor in 9^th o/a and 3^rd class 14. Not taking away from the tremendous drives from the front-runners, Kieran “Bilko” McCarra and Colm Murphy could surely be singled out for a drive of the day award also. 5^th fastest stage time on the opening stage reflecting Bilko’s intentions for the day and indeed he remained inside the top 6 up until stage 7, eventually dropping back to 8^th o/a and taking a class win by almost two and a half minutes. Oldcastle’s Mickey Curran rounded off the top 10 with Mickey Conlon and Darren Mc Cague 11^th and 2^nd class 13. Emyvale’s New Holland Agri. man Barry McKenna had Clones busman Raymond Conlon on the notes and they had much better luck on their home rally compared to recent events with a 17^th o/a finish and 3^rd in class 13. Jim Mc Kenna and Thomas Treanor finished 12^th o/a as Arthur and Mac Kierans made it two wins from two starts in class 12. Eamonn Mc Guigan was 2^nd in class 12 ahead of Hugh Mc Quaid and Chris Melly in 3^rd. Gerard Mc Quaid and Gary Quinlan finished 18^th o/a and 4^th in class 13. Class 11 saw no fewer than 13 non-finishers out of a starting 25 as Carrickmacross brother’s Johno and Padraig Doogan had a testing day which paid off with a class 11 win. Indeed they were contemplated retiring in first service with alternator belt problems but eventually their persistence paid dividends. David Moffatt and Andrew Spears also had their problems as they limped to the end of stage 3 with a broken alternator bracket, coupled with a slight off towards the end of the day but were also rewarded for their efforts with 2^nd in class 11. Seamus Doherty and Peter Byrne rounded off the top three in class 11. Class 10 was another to suffer many casualties but it was Patrick Kiernan and Darren O’Brien who kept it together to take the class win. Aaron Mc Quaid and Aidan Coyle had led class 10 through the early stages to eventually finish 2^nd and 31^st over-all. Father and son team of Sean and Fintan Sherry rounded off the top 3 in class 10 in their Pizza D’or and Mc Aree Eng. backed escort.

            Donegal’s Barry Mc Gill with last minute replacement Paul Clarke on the notes also made it two wins from two starts in this years border championship with a class 9 victory. Cavan’s Brendan O Reilly with Mark Hamill on the notes were 2^nd class 9 ahead of Aaron Duffy and Michael Donnellan. The only finisher’s in class 8 were Ciaran Marron and Damian Connolly. Rodger Kennedy and Wendy Blackledge were the sole finishers in class 7. Donegal natives Joe Mc Gonigle and Ciaran Geaney had a blistering drive to a class 6 win and 15^th overall in the citreon C2R2 ahead of the similar car of John Lynch with Liam Branley 3^rd. Sligo Pallets crew Andrew Mullan and Elaine Doherty finish 3^rd in class 4 and 13^th o/a behind the hard charging youngsters Maguire and Moffatt. Mark Ewing won class 3 ahead of Longford men Packie Duffy and Micheal Reilly in the type R civic with Johnny Leonard 3^rd in a fiesta. Adrian Cannon brought his civic across the finish ramp with a class 2 win ahead of Stephen Bradley in 2^nd and Trevor Mc Connell 3^rd, also in civics’. Class 15 which caters for group A and N cars out of homologation was won by Scotland’s Jim Sharp in a group A subaru (who incidentally is currently leading the Scottish rally championship) with local man Stephen Hagan on the notes. Andy Mackarel and Richard Cassidy were consistent as always and it paid off with 2^nd in class 15 in the EVO 4. David Leonard rounded off the top 3 in a Lancer.

            Other local men who can count themselves lucky to even make the finish after a demanding day include David Smith/Adrian Flynn who were 4^th in class 11 with Damien Sherry/Weazel Currie 5^th class 11. Colin Currid and Ballyhaise man Adrian Foley were 4^th class 9 in a nova while Cavan’s Phillip Smith and Warren Carleton were 5^th class 2. Seamus Connolly and Gary Mc Crudden were in the scenery on a few occasions but managed to make the end nevertheless. Indeed it has been suggested that this crew were the unofficial entertainers of the rally, putting on a show at every opportunity and winning the Sligo Pallets Drive of the Day award for their efforts on ss5.

            Unfortunately that’s where the good luck stories end as a plethora of locals failed to finish this demanding rally for one reason or another. Niall and Enda were out on ss7 with gearbox issues while leading. Next big casualties were Rodney Wilton and Conor Mc Mahon who crashed their brand new escort out in spectacular fashion at the first junction of the event. Mac McKenna and John Loughran had an uncharacteristic off on ss4 while Shane Mc Girr and Jack Maguire also failed to make it home. Enda Mc Nulty and Paul Sheridan had the all new class 13 escort on show but mechanical gremlins were never too far away throughout the weekend. Darren and Nicola Mc Kenna were forced into retirement, as their twin cam was not firing on all cylinders throughout the day. Ryan Loughran and James Mc Carville ended their rally with a slight off as something broke in the front suspension while leading class 11. Martin Mc Phillips and Ciaran Tynan also failed to make the finish as they encountered electrical problems on ss5 and their clutch gave up on ss6. James Cassidy and Karen Kelly were the first crew to throw in the towel as their alternator packed in before the start of the first stage. Cathal Mc Glone and Damien Doherty also failed to make the finish, as did Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin when their gearbox cried enough. Donal Crossan and Damien Mc Cabe were also on the non-finishers list as were Michael and Declan Tynan with back differential woes.

Michael Carroll and Martin Connolly were also non-finishers in their class 3 fiesta. Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes’ hopes of a good finish on their local event were dashed as the head gasket went on the 205. John and Niall Kelly were back out in a white twin cam and getting back up to speed but were forced to retire on ss6 with mechanical problems. Barry Treanor and Colm Connolly didn’t make the end, nor did Cathal Sheridan with Donegal woman Loretta Kelly on the notes as the gearbox in the nova gave up. David Smith and Austin Hamill failed to take the 106 home while Justin Smith and Gregory Mc Quillan were also heading home early while leading class 9 in their escort. Cootehill’s Gerry and Aaron Mc Intyre retired at second service with clutch failure while Tullyvin man Adam Kinkade and Dominic “Bart” Mc Ardle also retired their civic making it a bad day all round for the Cavan men. Ballybay’s David Dixon and Darren Gilliland made a welcomed return to the stages but there hopes of a finish were short lived as they failed to make first service. Tommy Boylan and Mark Deery didn’t make it round the final loop of three stages in their G3 escort.

            So that’s the gist of an eventful 2012 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally which has threw up many a talking point for all the right reasons. Well done to Daniel and Andrew on an epic win, reportedly the first escort to win in Monaghan for 24 years. Hard luck to Gary and Mark and no doubt their day is hopefully not too far away. Well done to CoC Dessie Keenan and his hard working team on running a fabulous event on perfect stages. Not too many competitors can say they have done 30km stages’ and by all accounts their experience of it was fantastic. A special word of thanks to our main sponsors, Colm and Audrey Herron of the Hillgrove Hotel and Spa for their continued support. Thanks to all the marshal’s, medical and rescue services and anybody who contributed in any way to keep the Monaghan Stages Rally at the fore in the Irish Rally calendar.

Monaghan MC Stages Rally Top 10:

1/ Daniel McKenna/Andrew Grennan (Escort) 109m 23s

2/ Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 111m 45s

3/ Maurice Moffett/Jason McKenna (Starlet) 111m 50s

4/ Shane Maguire/Martin McGarrity (Impreza Gp N) 112m 38s

5/ Josh Moffett/Domhnall Lennon (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 112m 57s

6/ Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Escort) 113m 19s

7/ Camillus Bradley/Crawford Henderson (Escort) 113m 38s

8/ Kieran McCarra/Colm Murphy (Civic) 113m 45s

9/ John McQuaid/Seamus O’Connor (Escort) 114m 00s

10/ Michael Curran/Sean Hayde (Escort) 115m 00s

Group N Production class:

1 Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly

2 Shane Maguire/Martin McGarrity

3 Josh Moffett/Domhnall Lennon.

Motorsport Ireland National Night Navigation Prize Giving

National night navigation prize giving for the 11/12 season past will take place on Saturday 28^th April at 8.00pm sharp in the Heritage Hotel, Portlaoise. All award winners are asked to be present or send a representative. There will also be an open forum meeting prior to prize giving, this is important as it is a chance for competitors to voice their opinions on all aspects of the sport with a view to improving it for the future.

The climax of Monaghan Motor Club’s rally calendar takes place over the coming weekend with the Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally on Sunday next. Many months of meticulous planning will come together over the coming weekend. A bumper entry of 131 crews will descend on Monaghan town and the neighbouring North Monaghan villages like, Balinode, Scotstown, Tydavnet, Bragan and Carrickroe. Saturday will be taken up with recce of each of the three stages where crews will make their pace notes and familiarise themselves with the stages at hand. Mc Elvaney Motors on the Dublin road will be the main hub of activity on Saturday evening where mechanical scrutiny of each car takes place and then its back to the Hillgrove where all cars will be parked over night and ready for Sundays stages. First competing car is due to leave Rally HQ on Sunday morning at 9.25am with Stage 1 starting at 10.00am. CoC for the event is Dessie Keenan and along with his many helpers has laid on a fantastic route of just over 200 stage kilometres. The third stage of each loop is probably the longest (30km) and most challenging stage of the Irish Rally calendar thus far. Centralised service after each of the three stages is once again in the main town car park beside Saint Peters lake (behind fleming’s). The event is estimated to attract up on 20,000 spectators and rally fans over the course of the weekend making it one of the largest sporting events of the year in the county.

            Local Balinode men Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry will lead the field away from the Hillgrove as number 1 seed in their WRC Impreza, followed by Seamus Leonard and Donagh Kelly also in WRC subaru’s. Scothouse man Daniel McKenna with Andrew Grennan back on the notes will start at 4 and head an amazing group of escorts with Gary Mc Phillips and Mark Tierney in hot pursuit at 5. Donegal cousin’s Declan and Brian Boyle are at 6 in a similar escort and sure to be on the pace. Billy Coleman winner Sam Moffatt with James Reilly on the notes are the only class 4 entrant in the top 10 in their EVO 9, starting at 7. Camillus Bradley and Brian Brogan are next at 8^th and 9^th respectively, both in class 14 escorts while Maurice Moffatt gets reacquainted with navigator Jason McKenna to complete the top 10 in the infamous starlet. Others sure to feature in the top 10 results throughout the day include are Shane Maguire, Trevor Bustard, Josh Moffatt and Conor Harvey, all in class 4 machines. Rodney Wilton is also down to compete in his brand new class 14 escort.

            Looking further down the field Mickey Conlon and Darren Mc Cague head the local entries in class 13, with Kieran ‘Bilko’ Mc Carra, Mac Mc Kenna, Jack Maguire, Barry Mc Kenna and Gerard Mc Quaid to name but a few amongst a group of 24 entrants in class 13. Border champions Arthur and Mac Kierans lead of the class 12 brigade at number 37 with James Cassidy and James at 47 and Eamonn Mc Guigan at 48. Class 11 could also be dubbed “the battle of the locals” with the top 8 from the surrounding areas. Darren and Nicola McKenna lead off at 40, followed by Anthony Hand/Emett Sherry at 41, Ryan Lougheran/James Mc Carville at 42, Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden at 43, David Moffatt /Andrew Spears at 44, Martin McPhillips/Ciaran Tynan at 45, Johno and Padraig Doogan at 46 with Damien Sherry starting at 58 in his twin cam. Class 10 will also be ultra competitive with Parick Kiernan starting at 72 in his escort, followed by the ever reliable Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes in the 205 with Aaron McQuaid, John Kelly, Barry Treanor, Cathal Sheridan and Sean Sherry all in hot pursuit.

            Class 9 see’s Justin Smyth and Gregory Mc Quillan lead off ahead of Donegal’s Barry McGill with Cavan’s Brendan O’Reilly 3^rd class 9 off the start ramp. David Smith and Austin Hamill are sure to be in contention in class 6, which features the C2R2 of Donegal’s Joseph McGonigle and the puma of Roger Donnan. Sean Agnew and Peter Deery will be hoping for better luck than the circuit in class 6 also. Martin Tynan will have regular night navigation navigator Fintan Clerkin on the notes for the very first time on tarmac in his class 4 EVO 8. Class 15, which is for group N cars out of homologation, will also feature a few locals as Cathal Mc Glone and Damien Doherty lead off the locals. Andy Mackarel and Richard Cassidy are next up at 50 with Michael and Declan Tynan just behind in the EVO 5.

            So Monaghan town is the place to be this coming weekend where the cream of Irish Rallying will pit their wits against one another. Monaghan Motor Club wish all starting crews the very best of luck and hope to see everyone back at the Hillgrove Hotel on Sunday night for prize giving. Any marshal’s available for the day please contact a committee member.  

Mc Aree’s Third o/a on Moonraker

Vincent and Jp Mc Aree brought their EVO 9 home to an impressive 3^rd over-all on last weekends Carrick-on-Suir Moonraker forestry Rally. This was the third round of the Irish Valvoline Forestry Championship and the Ballinode crew punched in some excellent times throughout the day. The event was won by last years champion Owen Murphy with Gary Jennings in 2^nd. But things could have been a lot different had Jennings not rolled his Subaru while leading the event, remarkably they only lost about half a minute and set fastest stages times thereafter to finish in 2^nd, only 12 seconds off Murphy. Vincent and Jp were only 13 seconds off the over-all winner after 9 stages. Colin Britton and Arthur Kierans were in 5^th over-all as only 21 seconds separated the top 5 finishers. Stephen and Suzanne Wright finished up in 6^th over-all, another good points haul for the championship. Emmet Sherry was sitting with John McLaughlin in their EVO and had a good run to 8^th over-all and 4^th in class. Mickey Conlon and Damien McCabe had been lying in 12^th over-all and leading class 5 after the 7^th stage but failed to make the finish as his gear box cried enough.

Squealing Pig Border Navigation Prize Giving

Friday night last saw a hub of activity around championship sponsor the Squealing Pig Bar and Restaurant for this years annual prize giving. After a long year with seven events hosted by the four clubs of Monaghan, Cavan, Midlands and Donegal it was time to let the hair down as many a story was remimised of the year gone past. The Squealing Pig laid on a fabulous meal, which was followed by prize giving, and plenty of banter among the 60 strong who attended. MC for the night was our very own Sean McCaffery and along with Andy Mackarel and Paul Fitzpatrick they organised a very successful night. Well done to all award winners and to the 2011/12 Squealing Pig border navigation champions Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins. 

Open Navigation Meeting

Monaghan Motor Club is holding an open Navigation Trial meeting on Wednesday 25^th April at 8pm sharp in the Hillgrove Hotel. The function of the meeting is to discuss all aspects of the sport and determine if any suggestions or amendments would improve the full spectrum of the sport. This is an important open meeting so we would ask all competitors and event organisers to attend.

Motorsport Ireland National Night Navigation Prize Giving

National night navigation prize giving for the 11/12 season past will take place on Saturday 28^th April at 8.00pm sharp in the Heritage Hotel, Portlaoise. All award winners are asked to be present or send a representative. Full list of award winners will be available shortly. There will also be an open forum meeting prior to prize giving, this is important as it is a chance for competitors to voice their opinions on all aspects of the sport with a view to improving it for the future.

IRC Drivers to the fore on Circuit Easter weekend has become synonymous with the running of the Circuit of Ireland Stages Rally. This year there was the added bonus of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge using this Irish event as the 3rd round of this competitive championship. Indeed it was these pocket rocket S2000 cars, which dominated the circuit from start to finish. Juho Hanninen and Mikko Markkula from Finland had a memorable first visit to Irish tarmac with a 44 second win from Norwegians Andreas Mikkelson and Ola Floene. All the way from the Chez Republic were Jan Kopecky and Pavel Drester to finish 3rd, making it a Skoda top 3 after 15 stages. The Armagh City Hotel was HQ for this high profile event, which had a somewhat party atmosphere as it co-incided with the Titanic anniversary celebrations in Belfast. Indeed stage one of the event was a spectator stage around the newly opened Titanic quarters with the backdrop of the Harland and Wolff cranes providing a spectacular showpiece. There were high expectations of Irelands young guns being able to match the IRC regulars but unfortunately it was a weekend to forget for most of them. First victims were Alastair Fisher and Rory Kennedy who were on a good pace but a small mistake on a fast series of bends on ss6 saw them burst an oil cooler after a spin to end their challenge. Waterfords Craig Breen encountered fuel pump problems, which saw him pick up a minute and a half road penalties to relegate him to 5th o/a at the end. Next up was Robert Barrable and Monaghan’s Damian Connolly, also in an S2000 Skoda in 6th o/a. Robert and Damian set some good times as the weekend progressed but lack of stage mileage probably put them at a distinct disadvantage over the IRC front runners. Sam Moffatt and James O’Reilly were in contention in group N and eventually finished 3rd, just under a minute behind the ever flying Gary Jennings with Donagh Kelly 2nd, just 4 seconds ahead of Sam and James. Josh Moffatt and Domhall Lennon were also punching in good times in the 2nd Combi-lift EVO 9 and finished 4th in class and 13th o/a. Peter Deery was navigating for Armagh’s Sean Agnew in the competitive Citreon C2R2 but they failed to make the finish after featuring in the class placing’s through the first few stages. The Circuit of Ireland was also a counting round of the Irish tarmac Championship, which saw over 60 entrants. Galway winners Darren Gass and Enda Sherry made it another win with a measured drive to finish almost a minute and a half ahead of Eugene Donnelly and Paddy Toner. Eugene was showcasing his familiar WRC Corolla on this event having been 2nd to Gass and Sherry in the Mini WRC in Galway. Derek McGarrity rounded off the top 3 in his Mini WRC. Adrian Hetherinton won the two-wheel-drive category ahead of Drew Stewart with Wesley Patterson 3rd. Early leader, Frank Kelly relieved himself of a wheel on stage 6 to end his rally. Raymond Conlon, with Galway’s Sarah Wheelan on the notes climbed the leader board throughout the weekend to finish 11th o/a in the twin cam. Raymond disappointed that the last of the night stages had to cancelled on Friday night as his night navigation experience gave him great confidence in the dark. Brendan and JP McAree made the short trip North in the immaculate Porche and enjoyed their run to 37th o/a and after a steady run in the historic section. Cootehill father and son team, Gerry and Aaron McIntyre slid their starlet round the Northern stages to 45th over-all. Well done to all finishers and thanks to all the local marshal’s who helped out over the course of the weekend. ULSTER AC DONNELLY GROUP CIRCUIT OF IRELAND RALLY (ROUND 3 OF INTERCONTINENTAL RALLY CHALLENGE): 1 Juho Hanninen/Mikko Markkula (Skoda Fabia S2000) 1h 58m 21.8s 2 Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene (Skoda Fabia S2000) 1h 59m 06.0s 3 Jan Kopecky/Pavel Dresler (Skoda Fabia S2000) 2h 00m 01.3s 4 Mathieu Arzeno/Renoul Jamoul (Peugeot 207 S2000) 2h 02m 23.4s 5 Craig Breen/Gareth Roberts (Peugeot 207 S2000) 2h 03m 15.6s 6 Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly (Skoda Fabia S2000) 2h 03m 36.3s 7 Sepp Wiegand/Timo Gottschalk (Skoda Fabia S2000) 2h 04m 37.7s 8 Garry Jennings/Barry McNulty (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 2h 06m 49.7s 9 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 2h 07m 33.2s 10 Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 2h 07m 37.8s 11 Martin McCormack/David Moynihan (Citroen DS3) 2h 10m 16.6s 12 Tommy Doyle/Liam Moynihan (Renault Clio R3) 2h 10m 37.1s NATIONAL RALLY (ROUND 2 OF IRISH TARMAC CHAMPIONSHIP): 1 Darren Gass/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC) 2h 01m 59.5s 2 Eugene Donnelly/Paddy Toner (Toyota Corolla WRC) 2h 03m 27s 3 Derek McGarrity/James McKee (Mini Countryman WRC) 2h 06m 30.2s 4 Steve Perez/Paul Spooner (Ford Focus WRC) 2h 09m 12.9s 5 Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Ford Escort) 2h 12m 19.8s 6 Wesley Patterson/Martin McGarrity (Ford Escort) 2h 13m 22.7s

Squealing Pig Border Navigation Prize Giving This Friday 13th April marks the annual Squealing Pig Bar & Restaurant Border Navigation Championship Prizegiving. Proceedings will kick off at 8.00pm sharp in the Squealing Pig with meal followed by prizegiving. Final border championship points are available on Monaghan motor club website so check them out; you may just be a winner. If not come along anyway to support this popular championship with a guaranteed night of banter and reminisce about the season gone past. To book tickets please call or text Andy on 087 2558957 Motorsport Ireland National Night Navigation Prize Giving National night navigation prize giving for the 11/12 season past will take place on Saturday 28th April at 8.00pm sharp in the Heritage Hotel, Portlaoise. All award winners are asked to be present or send a representative. Full list of award winners will be available shortly. There will also be an open forum meeting prior to prize giving, this is important as it is a chance for competitors to voice their opinions on all aspects of the sport with a view to improving it for the future.

Open Navigation Meeting Monaghan Motor Club is holding an open Navigation Trial meeting on Wednesday 25th April at 8pm sharp in the Hillgrove Hotel. The function of the meeting is to discuss all aspects of the sport and determine if any suggestions or amendments would improve the full spectrum of the sport. This is an important open meeting so we would ask all competitors and event organisers to attend.

Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally – almost here!! One of the most popular events across Ireland in the rallying colander – the Monaghan Stages Rally, is fast approaching. With only 2 weeks to go, we are yet again in for something special in Monaghan when the cream of Irish rallying will visit the county in their droves. The attraction for man and machine in Monaghan is now well known as the place to come, where real competition takes place. The naturally challenging terrain of our countryside is ideal to test all levels of competitor with their various grades of rally cars and in 2012, we will yet again see some great battles on our door steps. New COC for the event is Dessie Keenan, who has taken on the task of setting out some excellent stages for the drivers and spectators. In 2012, Dessie has brought the event back to north Monaghan and will cover areas such as Tydavnet, Carrickroe, Bragan, Scotstown and Bellanode. Once again, our long-standing sponsor – the Hillgrove Hotel, has welcomed our club and event back to their excellent facilities and throughout the rally weekend the Hotel will be the main hub of all activity. Paper scrutiny will take place here on Saturday 21st April along with Parc Ferme for the rally cars. Mechanical Car Scrutiny also takes place on Saturday at McElvaney Motors on the Dublin Road from 3pm. Official start as usual will be at the front of the Hotel on Sunday morning where an expected 130 rally cars will pass through on their way to the stages. Dessie has kept with the format of 3 stages run 3 times which suits this region and allows for central servicing in the town car park at the back of Fleming’s Super Market. New to this year, is a very challenging 30Klm stage, which will test the stamina of the teams, and indeed tyre choices will become a tactical issue during the day. So keep Sunday 22nd April free for this event, as it is surely an event not to miss!

Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans teamed up last weekend to win the Midlands Motor Club Moto Stages Rally. With Daniels regular navigator Andrew Grennan sidelined for a few weeks, Arthur jumped at the chance of navigating and they pulled off the win by a narrow margin of only 2 seconds after 9 stages. Donegal’s Declan and Brian Boyle were also on a serious pace throughout the day and any minor mistake would have been enough for either crew to relinquish the lead.

Daniel and Arthur started with a blistering time on the first stage, 6 seconds ahead of the Boyles with  Donagh Kelly 3^rd in an EVO 9, but Donagh would later retire with gearbox problems. By first service their lead was cut to 3 seconds after three stages and on the middle loop despite their best efforts the Scotshouse/Aghabog pairing could only stretch the lead to 4 seconds as the Boyle brothers piled on the pressure. Just behind the top two there was an even more personal battle going on between Maurice Moffett/Patrick Brides and son Richard Moffett/Martin Connolly. Richard was quickest of the Moffett’s through the first loop in the infamous starlet but the threat of being beaten by his son spurred Maurice and Patrick on to eventually take 3^rd overall, albeit in a more powerful class 14 starlet. Back in front, Daniel stretched his lead to 6 seconds through stages 7 and 8 but on the last stage of the day the Boyle brothers threw caution to the wind and pulled 4 seconds back but this wasn’t enough. Back at the Abbey Hotel in Roscommon Daniel Mc Kenna and Arthur Kierans were crowned 2012 Midlands Stages winners. Incidentally this is the second year running Daniel has won this event.

To quote the wise words of a local “hero” there were two Kierans’ navigating for two Mc Kenna’s in two Millington powered escorts! Young Mac Kierans got the call up late in the week to sit with Jim McKenna but their day wasn’t quite as straightforward. Jim’s immaculate class 14 escort bared all the hallmarks of a high-speed spin but nevertheless they got away with only cosmetic damage and finished 12^th over-all and 3^rd in class 14. Cavan’s Paddy Boyle and Marty Sherlock made a return to the stages after a lengthy 3 year sabbatical but refound their form and set some great times as the day progressed to finish 14^th o/a. Next of the locals was Jack Maguire and Stephen McElroy in 15^th o/a. Mickey Conlon had Darren McCague on the notes and they too had a troubled day, picking up a puncture and dropping at least two minutes to finish in 17^th over-all. Maudabawn men Mervin Wedlock and Damien McCabe were next up in 18^th o/a in their class 13 escort. Martin McPhillips and Ciaran Tynan had a steady run in the McPhillips Engineering backed twin cam to win class 11 and finish 20^th over-all. Martin and Ciaran had been involved in a great class battle with Carrickmacross men Johno Doogan and JP McAree but unfortunately the South Monaghan crew encountered alternator belt problems through the middle loop which ultimately forced them into retirement.

Local midlands crew and regular night navigation contenders Packie Duffy and Michael Reilly had a good run on their home event to win class 3 in  their Type R Honda. Colin Duffy and Sam Johnston would usually be rivals on the night navigation scene but teamed up for their local stages event. Unfortunately their challenge came to a sudden stop on stage 2 after setting a great time on the opening test. Cavan’s Brendan O’Reilly had Mark Hamill on the notes and they had an enjoyable run through the narrow Roscommon roads to take 2^nd in class 9 behind Pa Bellew and Andres Reid.

Not to be outdone by the Moffett battle at the head of the main field, David Moffett and Andrew Spears, in the 3^rd of the Moffett starlets, took stage wins on all 6 stages of the Junior Rally to take a convincing win. Not only this but David’s time on the opening stage was a 5^th fastest time in the main field with brother Richard setting 4^th fastest, such was the pace of these youngsters. Longford’s Barry and Sean Brady were 2^nd in the junior rally in their civic ahead of another local crew John Collum and Caitriona Spollen also in a civic.

So another win for the Scanbitz escort and an almost perfect day in the Moffett stable. Best of luck to all travelling local crews for this weekends circuit of Kerry Stages.

MIDLAND MC STAGES RALLY TOP 10

1/ Daniel McKenna/Arthur Kierans (Escort) 56m 48s

2/ Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Escort) 56m 50s

3/ Maurice Moffett/Patrick Brides (Starlet) 59m 37s

4/ Richard Moffett/Martin Connolly (Starlet) 59m 50s

5/ Neil Tohill/Gerard Tohill (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 60m 41s

6/ Michael Curran/Sean Hayde (Escort) 60m 49s

7/ Alan Sheridan/Gerry Conlon (Escort) 61m 05s

8/ Andrew Mullen/Elaine Doherty (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 61m 35s

9/ Daniel Conaghan/Terence Magee (Escort) 62m 06s

10/ Marc McDermott/Damian Flanagan (Civic) 62m 19s

Juniors:

1/ David Moffett/Andrew Speares (Starlet) 41m 06s

2/ Barry Brady/Sean Brady (Civic) 43m 53s

3/ John Collum/Catriona Spollen (Civic) 44m 57s

Bulldog Rally

Club member Emmet Sherry made the trip to Wales at the weekend to contest the Bulldog Rally as navigator for upcoming Fermanagh driver Jon Armstrong in a LHD ST Fiesta. This was only Jon’s second ever pacenote event and following a 13^th overall result on the recent Omagh Spring Rally confidence was high in the Armstrong camp. Jon and Emmet started well, just 7 tenths of a second off the fastest overall BRC Challenge competitor after taking it reasonable steady through the first stage. On stage 2 Jon and Emmet had a good charge through the 8-mile stage and were 12 seconds faster than the nearest Challenge competitor. Unfortunately stage 3 was to be their last, unaware that they had picked up a puncture on a rough cut up hairpin Jon entered a tight right hand corner following a series of fast flowing corners and soon realised they were in trouble. The car just would not turn in at all and the result was slipping the car off a drop and rolling 2 times. The accident ended Jon and Emmet’s event, as the car was too far off the road and had a fair amount of damage, a disappointing end after a great start. Jon and Emmet plan to continue their assault on the BRC challenge and hope to have their car ready for the Jim Clarke Rally.

Squealing Pig Border Navigation Prize Giving

Keep free Friday 13^th April for the annual Squealing Pig Bar & Restaurant Border Navigation Championship Prizegiving. Proceedings will kick off at 8.00pm sharp in the Squealing Pig with meal followed by prizegiving. Final border championship points will be available shortly so keep an eye out; you may just be a winner. If not come along anyway to support this popular championship with a guaranteed night of banter and reminisce about the season gone past. To book tickets please call or text Andy on 087 2558957

Marshals Required

Monaghan MC are urgently looking for marshals for the Circuit of Ireland on Easter weekend, particularly Easter Saturday. Anybody available and willing to help please contact 047-81139 after 7pm or e-mail Monaghan Motor Club at monaghanmotorclub@gmail.com

Monaghan Motor Club hosted the final rounds of both the National and Squealing Pig Border navigation championships on Friday night last. New Coc for this event was Barry Garvey and with his driver Kevin Keenan as assistant, this was sure to be a test of navigation skills around the north Monaghan countryside. Local man Damien Connolly used his knowledge of the area to full effect and recorded a 14-penalty win along with his Donegal driver Gary McElhinney. Prior to the event Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins were marginally in front for the over-all border championship honours and duly obliged by finishing 2^nd here to lift the 2011/12 Squealing Pig Border navigation championship. Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes’ persistence paid off when their 3^rd over-all result here ensured they were crowned 2011/12 National Night navigation champions. The Smithboro/Ballybay pairing put a bad start to the campaign behind them and knuckled down with a string of top three finishes’ to lift this years national title.

With 49 starters and an 11pm start hopes were high for all competitors of a good end to the season. From the off it was apparent that this event was going to be tricky as the leading crews departed into the unknown from time point 1, a maze of lanes behind McAree engineering in Ballinode! All but two crews drop time here as the event then headed towards Tydavnet and then back west towards Scotstown and the first of two visits to the farm lanes known locally as “yankees” with four time points here throughout the night. Early leaders Bob Moyna and Shane Maguire miss time point 8 altogether but results sheets suggest this local crew only drop one time penalty right up to time point 25. Bob obviously getting into the swing of handling the ex-Carbin Legacy! Carbin and Hughes took over as leaders from tp 8 where they remained until tp31 when a dropped minute relegated them to 2^nd behind Andy and Liam.

Moving North to the very tip of Monaghan the lanes came thick and fast around the Glaslough area, another visit into Mac McKennas with every make of car, van and lorry making the exit very difficult to spot. Then it was south again nearer to Ballinode with 3 slots into time points around Kevin Keenan’s parish. The narrowest of turns into a slatted shed and twist left and right around girders then out around the machinery to a time point, almost impossible to make these times. Even the calves in Keenan’s farm were trying to make their escape! Noel Hall drops time like everyone else but had he not stopped to put two nice wee calves in the boot he may have avoided having to skip time points later on! The final four time points saw most crews forced to skip some, if not all of them in a bid to make the finish before going over maximum. Time point 43 and Control C were once again back in the maze of lanes around Moyna’s behind McAree Engineering in Ballinode. A serious test of man and machine and with final control outside “maggies” in Ballinode it was a welcomed sigh of relief from everyone. A great event to finish off the year and yet again many more new lanes to remember for the years ahead.

With Andy and Liam forced to skip tp 42 and take a wrong approach to 43 along with approximately 34 others as time simply evaded them it was Damien Connolly and Gary McElhinney who had just enough time to visit everything and claim the over-all win. The Connolly/McElhinney win promoted Mackarel and Higgins to expert class winners ahead of the newly crowned national champions Carbin and Hughes. Michael and Ciaran Tynan managed a better run this time out to take 3^rd expert and 6^th over-all. Competition was fierce once again in the semi-expert class but Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly managed a slender 3-penalty win and 4^th over-all ahead of Midland’s men Chris Kelly and Sam Johnston. Both these crews forced to miss tp 41 and 43 as they were over their maximum 15 minutes. Bob Moyna and Shane Maguire kept the pressure on throughout the night but they too were forced to skip but nevertheless 3^rd in semi and 13^th over-all a good run for these guys. Novice class winners Niall McKenna and Adrian Treanor had a tremendous run considering they only contest selected events and 8^th over-all and the novice class win is a great return on this tricky event. Fintan Clerkin with Martin Tynan driving are moving up the leader board with every event and take 2^nd novice and 10^th over-all on this event. 3^rd novice went to Arthur and Mac Kierans. On a tough night for any beginner it was Corks Matt Shinnors with Catherine Levis on the maps who took a 14 penalty win from Conor Meehan and Brendan Keenan. Aaron Duffy and Michael McCluskey topped off a good season with 3^rd beginner.

So that’s it, another navigation season over and with many a story to be told from the past six months, the poti-lamps and romers are back in the cupboards until October at least. Well done to Barry and Kevin on an excellent testing event, thanks to all the marshals who turned out, not only on Friday night but also throughout the course of the season. Keep an eye on club web site and papers for updates on upcoming prizegiving nights for both championships. Well done to our new national navigation champions, Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes as well as new border champions Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins.

Monaghan MC March Navigation Top 12

1/ Gary McElhinney/Damien Connolly (Subaru Impreza) 35 marks

2/ Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 49m

3/ Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 58m

4/ Sean McKenna/Garry Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 63m

5/ Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 66m

6/ Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 76m

7/ Daniel McKenna/Stephen Hagan (Subaru Impreza) 77m

8/ Niall Kelly/Adrian Treanor (Toyota Celica) 82m

9/ Karl Reid/Aidan Friel (Subaru Impreza) 91m

10/ Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 92m

11/ Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 98m

12/ Darren Quinn/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Legacy) 99m.

Semi-experts:

1/ Sean McKenna/Garry Farrelly

2/ Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston

3/ Bob Moyna/Shane Maguire 101m

Novices:

1/ Niall Kelly/Adrian Treanor

2/ Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin

3/ Darren Quinn/Nigel McCloughry

Beginners:

1/ Shane Dalton/Michael Reilly (Subaru Impreza) 202m

2/ Matt Shinnors/Catherine Levis (Opel Kadett) 216m

3/ Conor Meehan/Brendan Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 230m

Squealing Pig Border Navigation Prize Giving

Keep free Friday 13^th April for the annual Squealing Pig Bar & Restaurant Border Navigation Championship Prizegiving. Proceedings will kick off at 8.00pm sharp in the Squealing Pig with meal followed by prizegiving. Final border championship points will be available shortly so keep an eye out; you may just be a winner. If not come along anyway to support this popular championship with a guaranteed night of banter and reminisce about the season gone past.

Marshals Required

Monaghan MC are urgently looking for marshals for Midland Stages Rally on this Sunday 25th March & for the Circuit of Ireland on Easter weekend, particularly Easter Saturday. Anybody available and willing to help please contact 047-81139 after 7pm or e-mail Monaghan Motor Club at monaghanmotorclub@gmail.com

In an exciting finish to the 2012 Mayo Stages Rally, Monaghans Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry (Subaru WRC) got back to winning ways with a nine second advantage over good rivals Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally in a similar spec car. The Mitsubishi of Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan was a further 44 seconds behind in third. Pre-event Dunlop series leaders, Thomas Fitzmaurice/Fionn Foley (Subaru WRC) made a great recovery, 85th after the opening stage to finish fifth behind Roy White and James O’Brien in their unique MG ZR Rover S2000. The two-wheel drive battle was won by Camillus Bradley in a class 14 escort.

            On this the opening round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship it was last year’s winner, Barrett who led after the opening test. Seamus Leonard posted a time five seconds quicker but he was late at the stage arrival control as he tried to solve a misfire on the road section, incurring a three minute penalty. Pre-event Dunlop series leader, Thomas Fitzmaurice (Subaru WRC) spun and lost almost two minutes and ended the first stage down in 85^th place. Brian O’Mahony who started the event at number 3 lost some ten seconds at the stage start when his Subaru stalled twice and lost even more time when he encountered the stricken Subaru of Fitzmaurice. With all these events unfolding around them it was Maguire/Sherry and Barrett/Mullally who kept their noses clean and were in a great battle for the over-all lead. Level on time going into the final loop of three it was Barrett who drew first blood with a two second advantage but Niall and Enda responded with a faster time on the final two tests to take a deserved win, much to the delight of the Maguire camp. Kevin and Sean did have a scare late on as a puncture threatened to drop them out of the leader board but thankfully they managed to make the end of stage 8 with only a small time loss of around 5seconds. This win moves Niall and Enda into the over-all lead in the Dunlop National Rally Championship after 2 rounds. Well done lads and hopefully the start of a good season ahead.

            Not to be outdone by Rally winners there were many other local crews giving a good account of them selves in their respective class battles. Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle and Martin Byrne were on the limit throughout the day to win the competitive class 13and 10^th overall. Drive of the day could be awarded to Anthony Hand and Emmet Sherry. This crew have not been out much over the last eighteen months but this wasn’t apparent as they set some great times all day to take the class 11 honours and an excellent 12^th overall in their immaculate escort. Defending border champions Arthur and Mac Kierans showed they mean business again this year with a convincing class 12 win and 14^th over-all. Next up were Jack Maguire and Stephen McElroy who finished in 19^th overall and 4^th in the highly competitive class 13. Mickey Conlon and Paddy McCague got off to a slow start by his own admission but set some good times on the final loop of stages to finish 5^th in class 13 and 22^nd over-all. Mickey’s rally prep team were under the cosh over this past fortnight as this car was a mere bare shell without even a roof skin only a week prior to the event! Young Ryan Loughran with James Mc Carville on the notes were setting top times all day in class 11 but eventually had to settle for second behind Hand/Sherry. Justin Smyth and Gregory McQuillan had a good start to their season by finishing 2^nd in class 9 behind Donegal’s Barry Mc Gill and Derek Henna. No doubt this Lisnalong crew will be aiming to go one better next time out.

            Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes continued their good run of late in their Peugeot 205 to take the class 10 win and finished 33^rd overall. Seamus Connolly and Gary Mc Crudden had a number of problems to overcome throughout the day and eventually finished 4^th in class 11. David Smith and Austin Hamill also battled with mechanical issues during the day but finished 4^th in class six in their Peugeot 106.

Barry McKenna and Raymond Conlon teamed up for the first time but unfortunately their efforts weren’t fruitful on this occasion as they had a number of mechanical issues during the day but got their class 13 escort to the finish. Shane Maguire and Martin Mc Garrity’s bad run of luck continued as they had mechanical trouble and incurred time penalties. Their problems hit after a fifth fastest time on the opening stage. 

            Unfortunately, as always not every crew that cross the start ramp make it through unscathed as Josh Moffett and James O’Reilly found out the hard way with a small off on the opening test. Kieran (Bilko) McCarra and Darren McCague were on a serious run in their newly built Honda, lying in 12^th over-all after seven stages but they too visited the scenery on the penultimate stage to end their assault on the class victory. Laurence Sherry and Jonathan Treanor were in trouble as early as scrutiny on the Saturday evening as they lost 5^th gear but managed to get the box out, gear fixed and back in only to loose 2^nd and 5^th gear on the second stage. If this wasn’t enough they got a new gearbox in at service only to encounter even more mechanical issues over the final loop. Only thing this crew can take away from Mayo is a broken box and the fact that when things were going well they were matching and beating the best in class 9! David Smyth and Gareth Quinlan also had their share of troubles in Mayo as their twin cam retired on ss5 as mechanical gremlins set in.

Mayo Stages 2012 Top 10

1 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 71m 30s

2 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 71m 39s

3 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 72m 23s

4 Roy White/James O’Brien (MG ZR S2000) 73m 08s

5 Thomas Fitzmaurice/Fionn Foley (Impreza WRC) 73m 26s

6 Trevor Bustard/Kenny Bustard (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 73m 57s

7 Seamus Leonard/John McCafferty (Impreza WRC) 74m 06s

8 Camillus Bradley/Crawford Henderson (Escort) 74m 40s

9 Paul Barrett/Peter Ward (Escort) 75m 13s

10 Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne (Escort) 75m 20s

Motorsport Safety Team Group N Production class:

1 Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan

2 Trevor Bustard/Kenny Bustard

3 Paddy McVeigh/Stephen O’Hanlon

Rally.ie Two wheel drive class:

1 Camillus Bradley/Crawford Henderson

2 Paul Barrett/Peter Ward

3 Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne

Monaghan MC Navigation Trial

This Friday night 16^th March see’s Monaghan Motor Club host the final round of this years National and Squealing Pig Border navigation championships. Coc’s Barry Garvey and Kevin Keenan are sure to have a challenging route in store for competitors with plotting in Urbleshanney Hall, Scotstown starting at 8.30pm. All marshals available for a time point are asked to be at HQ by 9pm latest, all help is needed!

Marshals Required

Monaghan MC are looking for marshals for Midland Stages Rally on 25th March & for the Circuit of Ireland on Easter weekend, particularly Easter Saturday. Anybody available and willing to help please contact 047-81139 after 7pm or e-mail Monaghan Motor Club at monaghanmotorclub@gmail.com

Cavan Motor Club under the guidance of CoC Ashley McAdoo and Francis Keenan held their second navigation trial of the year on Saturday night last from Gallonreagh House in Maudabawn. With over-all and class honours still very much up for grabs in this years National and Squealing Pig Border Championships confidence was high amongst the expert and semi-expert competitors of an outright win. However the local novice crews had other ideas and it was Ciaran McElroy and Damian McCabe who led the field home albeit on the same penalties as local rivals Darren O’Brien and Thomas Wedlock. Both crews dropped their first penalties at time point 7 but the event winners Mc Elroy/Mc Cabe just edged in front on the furthest cleanest ruling as O’Brien/Wedlock dropped a further penalty at the next time point. Some may think that this result would be considered an upset but both these navigators are on serious form of late and are never far outside the top 5 on recent events. Veterans Richard Cassidy and Paul Phelan brought the trusty vectra home to a 3^rd over-all finish to silence some of their critics in the more powerful four wheel drive impreza’s.

Ashley and Francis were sure to use every trick in the book to catch out unsuspecting navigators and indeed they were at it as early as time point 1! Any navigator who plotted the shortest route to the first time point instead of using the tulip diagram provided would find himself or herself passing through time point 2, which was a plot and bash therefore picking up double visit penalties. This trick has never been used in recent times and Michael/Ciaran Tynan were first to fall foul of it along with seven other crews, the start of a bad night for this supposedly expert navigator! Time points 8 and 9 were also plot and bash with a lot of time loss for all crews. A well thought out route to be traversed saw the seconds tick by in an effort to reach tp7 without going into tp8 & 9 along the way, classic Ashley McAdoo tricks. Once again it was the expert crew of Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes who were setting the benchmark and held a commanding lead right up until tp23. Number 1 seeds Gareth Beagan and Stephen Thornton were also on a bad run missing tp 9 and taking an early clock in at tp16 whilst Andy Mackeral and Liam Higgins found themselves on a wrong approach to tp20. Event leaders Carbin/Hughes dropped back through time points 24 and the ITC section. Trevor Farrell and Noel Halls over joy at seeing Mackeral/Higgins take a wrong approach at 20 seems to have cost them the event win also as they never went to tp 21 at all! All in all none of the regular experts were having a good night.

The midlands crews could also fall into this category as Chris Kelly and Sam Johnston took a wrong approach at tp20, as did Packie and Colin Duffy. This was a plot and bash section with the approach and departures turned around, which affected no fewer than 10 crews. Back down the field the local novices were quietly but quickly getting round all the time points and keeping their noses clean so to speak. Ciaran McElroy and Damian McCabe ended the night as worthy winners with Darren O’Brien and Thomas Wedlock also using their local knowledge to good effect but still had to work out the entire plot and bash sections with minimal time loss.

Cassidy and Phelans 3^rd over-all merited them expert class winners ahead of Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes with Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins one penalty adrift in third. Monaghan’s Damien Treanor and Johnathan McGovern had a great result with a semi-expert class win but this could possibly have been the drive of the night had it not been for a wrong approach at tp20 also costing them the over-all win. Kelly/Johnston headed back to the midlands with 2^nd semi-expert with upcoming CoC’s Kevin Keenan and Barry Garvey 3^rd semi. With McElroy/McCabe taking the over-all win O’Brien/Wedlock had to settle for the novice class award with Donegal’s Karl Reid and Kieran Geaney taking 2^nd novice, also victims of a wrong approach at tp20. Dermot McGroary and Eamonn Doherty rounded off the top 3 in novice with a good run to 11^th over-all. The beginner’s class was a close affair with Aaron Duffy and Michael McCluskey coming out on top ahead of the midlands team of Shane Dalton and Micheal Reilly. 3^rd beginners went to Trevor McConnell and Ruaidri Nash.

Once again another great event run by Cavan MC and well done to Ashley and Francis and their many helpers in the Maudabawn area. All roads lead to Monaghan for the final round of this years National and Squealing Pig border navigation championships. Almost all of the over-all and class awards are still up for grabs so there is a lot to play for on Friday 16^th March in Ballinode, Co. Monaghan with first car away at the later time of 11pm.

Cavan MC Night Navigation Top 12

1/ Ciaran McElroy/Damien McCabe (Subaru Impreza) 13marks

2/ Daren O’Brien/Thomas Wedlock (Subaru Impreza) 13m

3/ Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 14m

4/ Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 23m

5/ Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 24m

6/ Alan Shinnors/George Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) 25m

7/ Damien Treanor/Jonathan McGovern (Subaru Impreza) 26m

8/ Karl Reid/Ciaran Geaney (Subaru Impreza) 29m

9/ Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 30m

10/ Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 32m

11/ Dermot McGroary/Eamonn Doherty (Subaru Impreza) 46m

12/ Kevin Keenan/Barry Garvey (Subaru Impreza) 48m

Breen back with a bang

Craig Breen and Gareth Roberts made a winning return to the Irish Rally scene on Saturday last with a dominant 3minute 21second win on the Carrick-on-Suir Willie Loughman Memorial Forestry Stages Rally. Craig in his S2000 fiesta was fastest on all 6 stages of the event, with the final three stages run under the shadow of darkness and a 9pm finish. Gary Jennings’ recent good form continued with 2^nd over-all and taking maximum points on this, the second round of the Valvoline Irish forestry championship following his win in the Donegal Forests.

There were three Monaghan crews in contention and they all finished inside the top seven finishers. Vincent and JP McAree finally got the finish they deserved after some disappointing results on recent events. 3^rd over-all on this occasion sees the McAree EVO 9 back in contention for the forestry championship after finishing 2^nd over-all last year. A great drive by Vincent and hopefully a sign of things to come for the McAree’s this year. Arthur Kierans was once again in the hot seat for Colin Britton also in an EVO 9 and they managed to come in 4^th over-all. Unfortunately for this crew a top three finish eluded them as they picked up a 2-minute penalty for late departure out of service. Nevertheless a good result and points haul towards their forestry campaign. Brother and sister pairing of Stephen and Suzanne Wright were back at it again in their older spec EVO 6 having opted out of the local fivemiletown forestry event the weekend before to finish 7^th over-all on his occasion. Unfortunately for the Swanns Cross pairing they could have finished much higher up the leader board but a small off on the first stage accounted for over 3 minutes time loss which would have easily seen them finish inside the top 5. Following a 2^nd over-all finish in the Donegal forests Stephen is obviously a little disappointed but is still very much in contention in this year’s championship.

 Kerry Men Tops in Birr

 Kerrymen Thomas Fitzmaurice and Fionn Foley took a 17 second win on last Sundays Birr Stages Rally. This event was the first round of the Dunlop National championship with 130 starters in the main field. Fitzmaurice and Foley took six of the nine fastest stage times in their S11 Subaru with their main opposition coming from Cork’s Brian O’Mahony and John Higgins, also in a WRC Subaru. Monaghan’s Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry kept the pressure on at the front throughout the day with top three stage times on all nine stages but eventually had to settle for 3^rd over-all, a valuable point’s haul at this early stage in the campaign.

Greasy and mucky conditions left the narrow roads around Abbeyleix in south Co. Laois very testing for all competitors and it was a mixed day of fortunes for the travelling local crews. Billy Coleman award winner Sam Moffett along with regular navigator James Reilly were on a great pace once again in their EVO to finish 8^th over-all and 3^rd in Group N. This Group N production class was won by Dublin’s Robert Barrable with Dermot O’Gorman on the notes in the Skoda Fabia, followed by Limericks Colm Murphy and Don Montgomery in 5^th over-all. Unfortunately Sam had all the luck in the Moffett team as brother Josh with Domhall Lennon on the notes were cruelly forced into retirement with mechanical trouble on the final stage while lying 11^th over-all. A new pairing for the 2012 season in the form of Shane Maguire and Martin McGarrity finished in 11^th over-all and forth in class behind Sam.

Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor had the all-new class 14 escort out for its second run after Galway and once again consistently climbed the leader board throughout the day to finish 21^st over-all. Paddy O’Reilly and Jim Casey had a day of dramas in the G5 escort but eventually finished in 34^th over-all. Michael Carbin and Barry Garvey took their peugeot 205 to the Laois roads and had a fine run all day to take a convincing class 10 win and 39^th over-all. Tyrone’s Ryan Loughran was once again partner by James McCarville in the class 11 escort but they battled mechanical gremlin’s through the early stages but managed to finish 42^nd, setting some good stage times through the latter stages. Stonebridge man Peter Deery got a late call up to sit with Tipperary’s Liam Graham and they finished in 73^rd over-all in a class 11 civic.

Mickey Conlon had a weekend to forget as he failed to finish the first stage with an off resulting in retirement, this following a non-finish the previous day in fivemiletown forest when a front hub became dislodged.

Birr & District Motor Club Top 10

1/ Thomas Fitzmaurice/Fionn Foley (Impreza WRC) 75m 59s,

2/  Brian O’Mahony/John Higgins (Impreza WRC) 76m 16s,

3/ Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Impreza WRC) 77m 00s,

4/ Robert Barrable/Dermot O’Gorman (Skoda Fabia S2000) 77m 16s,

5/ Colm Murphy/Don Montgomery (Impreza Gp N) 77m 34s,

6/ Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 78m 36s,

7/ Frank Kelly/Liam Brennan (Escort) 78m 47s,

8/ Sam Moffett/James O’Reilly (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 79m 01s,

9/ Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Escort) 79m 18s,

10/ Mike Quinn/Grainne McEnery (Escort) 79m 31s.

Rally.ie 2 wheel drive class

1/ Frank Kelly/Liam Brennan,

2/ Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle,

3/ Mike Quinn/Grainne McEnery.

Historics

1/ P J O’Dowd/John Young (Sunbeam) 52m 35s,

2/ Denis Collins/Tommy Commane (Escort) 53m 55s,

3/ Philip McKibbin/Padraig Brick (Cortina) 55m 30s.

Juniors

1/ Richard Moore/Richard Cleary (Civic) 58m 26s,

2/ Christopher Snow/Sean Brunton (Civic) 58m 37s,

3/ Damien Boyle/Joseph Boyle (Civic) 58m 42s.

Jennings Wins Omagh MC Spring Rally

Gary Jennings’ dominant start to 2012 was replicated once again on Saturday last with a convincing win on the Omagh MC Spring Rally based around the gravel forests of Fivemiletown. The Kesh man added this win to an over-all win on the recent Donegal Forestry along with a group N win and 4^th over-all in Galway recently. Once again Gary with Enniskillens Barry McNulty on the notes hired a group N Subaru for this event. Aghabog’s Arthur Kierans was navigating for Colin Britton and finished a fine 2^nd over-all, only 16 seconds adrift of Jennings. With this weekends Carrick on Suir forestry stages on Sunday next, both crews should be hot on the pace and Britton will be looking to go one better on the second round of the Irish Forestry series. Omaghs Mark Donnelly and Tommy Nugent finished 3^rd over-all, only 24 seconds off the pace after the eight-stage event.

            Regular pairing of Enda McNulty and Paul Sheridan had to settle for 5^th over-all but once again showed great pace as only 37 seconds separated the top 5 placings. As per usual the two-wheel drive battle was fierce as Frank Kelly once again showed he is the man to beat on the gravel, finishing 7^th over-all. Despite being in a less powerful car, Fivemiletown’s Shane McGirr and Niall Connolly set some blistering times throughout the day and were only 4 seconds off Frank Kelly in the end. Seamus O’Connell and Sean Magee rounded off the top three in the two-wheel drive category in 12^th over-all as regular escort contender Adrian Hetherington was forced into retirement with gearbox trouble.

            Brendan Comiskey and Conor Foley had a steady run throughout the day to finish in 11^th over-all. Jon Armstrong with Monaghan’s Emmet Sherry on the notes had a fantastic run through the Fermanagh Forests to finish 13^th over-all and class winners in the Fiesta ST. This being Jon’s first real stages event, and even set a third fastest stage time along he way. Next up was the fun seeking pairing of Andy Mackarel and Raymond Conlon in the EVO 4. Following on from lasts years run in the V6 calibra, Andy decided on the Evo for this year and they had an enjoyable run to 14^th over-all.

            Unfortunately that’s where the luck ran out for the local crews as Vincent and JP McAree once again tried their luck in the northern forests but to no avail. Having set an excellent pace on the first stage the Ballinode/Carrickmacross cousins were forced into retirement with engine malfunction. Mickey Conlon had Jackie Elliott in the passengers seat but disaster struck on the 3^rd stage when the front right stub seems to have broken, loosing a wheel and forcing them into retirement whilst on a good pace also. Scotstowns Jonathan Treanor partnered Donegal’s Andrew McLoone in his high powered escort but their day was also short lived as they slid off on a mucky section of corners and with no spectators around to push they were there for the day.

Cavan Motorclub Night Navigation

All roads lead to Gallonreagh House, Maudabawn outside Cootehill this Saturday night for the penultimate rounds of both the National and Squealing Pig border navigation championships. CoC for the event is Ashly McAdoo and any marshals available for a time point are asked to be at HQ before 8pm. Full report next week

Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes made their trip North to Churchill in Donegal worthwhile when they came home with the over-all win on Donegal Motor Clubs counting round of the Squealing Pig border navigation championship on Saturday night last. There were 11 Monaghan crews amongst the 28 starters and indeed it could be fair to say that the event was dominated by Monaghan crews as they took all three podium places. CoC and regular navigation competitor James Greenan and his team laid on a fantastic route which took competitors into North Donegal through some famous Donegal International stages such as Garrygort and over Loughsalt mountain.

            This event had some 80 miles of tough competitive terrain, which had it all, jumps, crests, through rivers, across mountains and over fields. Event winners Carbin and Hughes didn’t have it easy by any means and only won the event by the narrowest of margins from Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins. Early leaders Garreth Beagan and Stephen Thornton were in control up to time point 27 but they slid off a narrow gravel lane onto a steep hill where they found themselves stuck. Unfortunately for them they were forced to drop 4 time points, which put them out of contention. Michael and Ciaran Tynan finished 3^rd over-all on the night, a welcome result considering they had 3 non-finishes on the past few events although they had no 2^nd gear for the last 30 mile. Donegal men Conor Harvey and Kevin McDaid took 3^rd in the expert class and 6^th over-all. Once again the midlands competitors weren’t very far away as Packie and Colin Duffy took the semi-expert class honours and 4^th over-all, closely followed by Chris Kelly and Sam Johnston in 5^th. Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly rounded off the top 3 in the semi class. Cork woman Muireann Hayes confirmed her dedication to the sport of night navigation as she made the long trip North to Donegal and came away with the novice class win, driven by Monaghan’s Stephen Wright. Midlands’s men Shane Dalton and Nigel Cloughrey were 2^nd in novice ahead of Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin in 3^rd.

            Trevor McConnell and Ruaidhri Nash topped the beginner’s class ahead of Ivan Simms and Charlie Gallagher. Other locals to make the trip included Arthur and Mac Kierans but their luck had to run out sometime when their gearbox gave up at time point 12. Shane Maguire and Enda Sherry were also another crew not to finish and ended up doing taxi back to HQ for Maudabawn men Damian O’Reilly and Thomas Wedlock who ended up sliding off into a bog. James McCarville and Fintan Sherry also left their luck in Monaghan as their clutch gave in. Dara Kelly was navigating for Donegal local Caolan Gaffney but they ran out of road heading to time point 16. Well done to James Greenan, Aidan Friel and all their helpers in Donegal for a challenging and competitive event.

So with two rounds of the Squealing Pig border navigation championship left, things are very much still wide open for over-all and class honours with Andy and Liam holding the advantage but anything can happen over the final two rounds. Next up is Cavan on 3^rd March, running from Gallonreagh House in Maudabawn. Regs and entry form on Cavan Motor Club website.

Donegal Motor Club Navigation Top 10

1/ Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 5 marks

2/ Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 6m

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

4/ Packie Duffy/Colin Duffy(Subaru Impreza) 25m

5/ Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 28m

6/ Conor Harvey/Kevin McDaid (Subaru Impreza) 42m

7/ Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 45m

8/ Stephen Wright/Muireann Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 51m

9/ Sean McKenna/Gary Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 66m

10/ Shane Dalton/Nigel McCloughery (Subaru Impreza) 72m

Ferguson Wins Hewison Autotest

Monaghan Motor club held their annual club autotest on Sunday last. Once again Wrights Quarry at Swanns Cross was the ideal venue and CoC Brendan Flynn set out some difficult and demanding tests for both Hewison and Clubman competitors. The weather conditions were ideal as the slippey concrete surface dried out throughout the day. Top Hewison competitor and reigning champion Stephen Ferguson added another win to his trophy collection in Monaghan with a 7 second winning margin in his mini special. These high-powered pocket rockets are indeed a sight to behold as they handbrake and slide around the tight tests set out. This win leaves Stephen almost certain to retain the hewison autotest championship. Sam Bowden in a more familiar looking mini was 2^nd with David Thompson 3^rd in a nova. Prize giving followed the event in Aghabog Gaa complex where Stephen thanked the club for a well-organised event in an ideal location. There were 5 other class awards up for grabs on the day amongst the hewison competitors with Sam Bowden winning class A. Class B was won by Robin Lyons in a mini special with Trevor Ferguson winning class C . David Thompson was the winner of class D and Jamie McMillan won class E&F.

            There were 11 starters for the clubman’s class with separate tests to the hewison competitors. Coc Brendan Flynn certainly upped the ante this year with 3 separate tests, all of which were more complex than previous years. Winner on the day was Andy Mackarel in his “slightly” modified Toyota starlet to leave him with two wins on the opening two rounds of this years traders club championship. Daniel McKenna swapped his high powered escort for the slightly more reserved Nissan micra but still managed to make the Scanbitz/Halls Cows backed micra slide round the tests to take 2^nd over-all. Last year’s winner, Richard Cassidy was 3^rd in his micra, which was co-driven by Stephen Wright. Kieran McCarra made a return to the autotest this year having won it in the past and finished a creditable 4^th. Ciaran Tynan was double driving the scanbitz micra and took 5^th over-all with Stephen Wright in 6^th. Young Mac Kierans got behind the wheel for the first time and without doubt showed great car control on the first time of trying to finish in 7^th. Garreth Beagan finish in 8^th place, double driving Andy’s starlet with the Peugeot 205 of Michael Carbin finishing 9^th followed by Robert Moyna in 10^th also in the 205. Mark Hamill was also a first timer at the auto test and enjoyed his day in the corsa to finish 11^th.

            Once again, well done to all the award winners and to Coc Brendan for a well run event. Brendan would like to take the opportunity to thank all hewison and club members for their support. To David Wright of Wrights Quarry for the use of his premises, which is popular with all the competitors. Also a big thank you to event sponsors, the Northern Standard for their continued support. Brendan would also like to thank the many marshals who turned up on the day, the rain may have stayed away but it was a cold day to be standing around nonetheless. Also a big thank you to Aghabog GAA and the ladies who made the soup and sandwiches, they were much appreciated! Thanks also to Cora doing results and to anyone else who helped out in any way prior to and on the day of the event. 

Hewison Autotest Championship Top 5

1/ Steven Ferguson (Mini Special) 641.8secs

2/ Sam Bowden (Mini) 648.2s

3/ David Thompson (Nova) 678.8s

4/ Robin Lyons (Mini Special) 678.8s

5/ Guy Foster (Mini) 681.1s

Traders Club Members Class

1/ Andrew Mackarel (Starlet) 376.62secs

2/ Daniel McKenna (Micra) 379.39s

3/ Richard Cassidy (Micra) 395.77s

4/ Kieran McCarra (Corsa) 401.78s

5/ Ciaran Tynan (Micra) 402.45s

6/ Stephen Wright (Micra) 404.12s

7/ Mac Kierans (Micra) 404.24s

8/ Garreth Beagan (Starlet) 410.43s

9/ Michael Carbin (Peugeot) 413.50s

10/ Robert Moyna (Peugeot) 422.07s

11/ Mark Hamill (Corsa) 455.75s

Local knowledge seems to have paid off once again as Midland Motor Club men Chris Kelly and Sam Johnston took their third midlands navigation win in a row on Saturday night last. CoC Michael Reilly and his team set out a compact and very demanding 80 mile route with both competitors and cars tested to the max. The midlands men had a 17 penalty winning margin from fellow club men Packie and Colin Duffy with veteran navigation men Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins 3^rd.

            With weather conditions a far cry from the snow and ice of last year’s trial in the same area, confidence was high amongst the 32 strong entry, which departed the “Marquee in Drumlish” at 9.01pm.  Time points 3, 4 and 5 saw the same lanes traversed twice with what can only be described as the narrowest entrance to a cow shed ever ensuring vital time loss for all crews. Kelly and Johnston took the early lead by only dropping 3 through this section and a further 2 at tp8 but Packie and Colin Duffy took over a the top at tp12. The Duffy’s held the lead up until tp26 where they found themselves stuck and required tractor assistance to get back on solid ground. Andy and Liam were consistent throughout the night and were forced to drop time points, like everyone else but their persistence paid off with 3^rd over-all and an expert class win. The ever competitive Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes were in 4^th and second expert ahead of the ever trying Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall. Border championship leaders prior to this event were Garreth Beagan and Stephen Thornton but they had to settle for 4^th expert and 9^th over-all on this tough event. Michael and Ciaran Tynan were forced to drop 12 time points through the middle part of the event after their Subaru beached on a grassy lane and required the help of back markers to get back on the road, eventually finishing 5^th expert.

With Chris and Sam taking the over-all win, Colin and Packie Duffy lifted the semi-expert class award. Damian Treanor and Jonathan McGovern continued their good form of late to take 2^nd in semi and 10^th over-all ahead of Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly, both of these crews loosing time coming to the aid of the stricken Tynan’s. The novice class was a much closer affair with Arthur and Mac Kierans taking a slender win and 5^th over-all ahead of Ciaran McElroy and Maudabawn man Damien McCabe. Stephen Wright once again teamed up with Cork woman Muireann Hayes and battled the elements to take a fine 3^rd in novice class and 8^th over-all.

On what was probably a night to forget for any beginner, Cootehill’s Gerry and Aaron McIntyre led the field home with their first class win ahead of Jeremy O’Connor and Garry Hughes with midlands men Sean Mullervy and Seamus McTiegue 3^rd.

That’s midlands done and dusted for another season and it’s off to Donegal next weekend for the 5^th round of this popular Squealing Pig Border Navigation championship.

Midlands Motor Club Navigation Top 12

1 Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 67 marks

2 Packie Duffy/Colin Duffy (Subaru Impreza) 84m

3 Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 112m

4 Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 164m

5 Arthur Kierans/Macartan Kierans (Subaru Impreza) 171m

6 Ciaran McElroy/Damien McCabe (Subaru Impreza) 179m

7 Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 195m

8 Stephen Wright/Muireann Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 201m

9 Garreth Beagan/Stephen Thornton (Subaru Impreza) 279m

10 Damien Treanor/Jonathan McGovern (Subaru Impreza) 280m

11 Karl Reid/Ciaran Geaney (Subaru Legacy) 285m

12 Francis Keenan/Martin Swinburne (Subaru Impreza) 288m

Monaghan Motor Club Autotest

Sunday next sees Monaghan Motor Club host their annual Autotest. This is a counting round of the Hewison Trophy as well as the 2^nd round of the club trader’s championship. Proceedings will get under way with sign-on from 11 o’clock and tests starting at 11.30 sharp. Prize giving will follow straight after the event in Aghabog GAA complex. CoC Brendan Flynn would ask that any marshals available on the day to please make contact with him as soon as possible. Once again the venue for this years auto test is Wrights Quarry at Swanns Cross and the event is also kindly sponsored by the Northern Standard. Regs and entry forms are available on the club website at www.monaghanmotorclub.net All club members are reminded that this is a counting round of the Traders club championship and you must be registered prior to the event to get points. So why not come along and enjoy the spectacle of seeing the hewison trophy competitors handbrake their purpose built specials through the tight tests, as well as have a laugh at our club members pretend they know what there at in all sorts of modified cars.

Donegal Motor Club Navigation Trial

All roads lead to Churchill, Co. Donegal this Saturday night for round 5 of the Squealing Pig Border navigation championship. CoC James Greenan and his team have been hard at work planning a 110 mile route, which is sure to test both man and machine. With this years championship still wide open and 3 rounds remaining its sure to be competitive from the off, with the local Donegal men certain to be in contention amongst the border championship front runners. Full report next week.

Today FM Shave or Dye Charity

Club member Adrian Flynn is taking part in this year’s Today FM backed shave or dye charity event. Proceeds of this fundraiser go towards the Irish Cancer Society. If you would like to help Adrian raise funds for this worthy cause just log onto mycharity.ie and click the sponsor a friend link.

Armagh driver Darren Gass, navigated by Monaghan’s Enda Sherry took a memorable win on last Sundays Galway International Rally. Based around the sleepy North Galway town of Headford this event attracted large crowds, due to the quality of men and machines on display. After what can only be described as a dramatic finish it was Gass and Sherry who took a slender 1.3 second win in their S10 Impreza ahead of the hard charging Eugene Donnelly and Paddy Toner in the all new and impressive Mini Cooper WRC. Tim Mc Nulty had to settle for 3rd a further 5 seconds in arrears having led for most of the event. Last years double Rally champion McNulty led the field away for the first stage on the Dyke road in Galway city. Then it was on to Headford for 9 demanding stages through the stone walled roads of North Galway. McNulty drew first blood and led the event by 22 seconds at first service after stage 4 with Donnelly 2nd and Gass 3rd. The mini picked up a puncture through stage 6 and dropped almost a minute to its rivals but it was McNulty who made the ultimate mistake sliding into a stone wall and bending the steering. This mistake cost him valuable seconds through the final loop of three stages and with Gass and Sherry posting some serious times they duly obliged and went through to take the lead on ss9. Taking a cautious approach to the final stage Darren and Enda almost slacked off too much as Donnelly’s mini posted a time almost 16 seconds quicker than the Subaru. But the Armagh youngster had done just enough and they were crowned Safety Direct Galway International Rally winners for 2012. In the group N category it was Gary Jennings and Rory Kennedy who dominated the class finishing in 4th over-all ahead of this years Billy Coleman award winner Sam Moffett with James O’Reilly on the notes. Donagh Kelly took 3rd in group N but just behind was a mini battle between young Josh Moffett and Stephen Wright, both in Evo 9’s. Josh, with Ardee man Domhall Lennon navigating just edged through with a 9 second margin over Stephen and Suzanne Wright who had hired the EVO 9 for the day. Both these young Monaghan crews showing great signs for the future. In the national section of the event its was Monaghan crews who started as number 1 and 2 seeds with Daniel McKenna and Andrew Grennan leading off the field ahead of Gary McPhillips with Martin McGarrity on the notes. Unfortunately the large crowds who turned out to watch these entertaining and highly powered escorts were to be left a little disappointed as the greasy Galway roads were to account for many a victim. For McPhillips/McGarrity the rally was over before it really begun as their escort slid wide and a resulting burst fuel tank meant the escort was sidelined for the day. Mc Kenna and Grennan were posting top two wheel drive times but an over shoot into a junction on ss5 saw the Scanbitz escort hit a stone wall. At stage finish it became apparent that the oil cooler was damaged and while they managed to by-pass it they were late to next control, picking up a 2-minute penalty, which ultimately dropped them to 4th over-all in the national by the end of the day. The national section of the rally was eventually won by Donegal’s Declan and Brian Boyle, only 2.5 seconds ahead of Tom Flaherty in a similar escort. The hard charging John Hendy and Alan White were 3rd in a class 13 twin cam corolla. It was a case of pick up where we left off last year for Aghabogs Arthur and Mac Kierans as they had a superb run to finish 5th over-all in the national , almost 3 minutes ahead of there nearest class rival. Indeed worth noting that this finish was 13th over-all when all results were grouped together for both national and international competitors. A great start to the new season for the Border Champions. Jim Mc Kenna and Thomas Treanor were on a steep learning curve on this event in their all new black escort. As Jim made the transition from starlet to escort his times improved with every stage and is sure to be at one with the immaculate escort after a few more events. 2nd in class 14 and 12th over-all a great start to the year for Jim and Thomas. Martin Connolly was navigating for Donegal’s Gary McElhinney in a class 13 escort and slid their way to 18th over-all and 3rd in class 13. Although had it not been for a puncture on ss9 this result could have been a whole lot better. Next up was Barry McKenna and James McCarville in the New Holland backed escort, finishing 18th over-all, although they battled with the stone walls of Galway along the way and could have been higher up the pecking order! Brendan and Vincent Mc Aree were amongst the historic runners in their powerful Porsche RS and seemed to have a great day out. This car must be one of the top historic cars in Ireland at present and the distinct noise of the Porsche through the Galway lanes was unique. Brendan and Vincent had a great run to 3rd over-all in the historic’s and winners of class C4. That’s Galway over for another year and as the old saying goes once Galway springs into action, the rally season is well and truly started for 2012. Well done to all local crews who made it to the West. Wright’s on the Money in Donegal Brother and sister pairing of Stephen and Suzanne Wright had a superb first outing of the New Year on the recent Donegal Forestry Rally. Stephen had a faultless drive all day in the EVO 6 to finish in 2nd over-all ahead of more powerful and experienced competitors. Stephen and Suzanne were just edged out of top spot by the formidable Gary Jennings in a hired Subaru WRX. This was the first round of the Valvoline Irish Forestry championship and this result bodes well for the forthcoming season for the Wrights. Aghabog’s Arthur Kierans swapped seats for this event to sit with Colin Britton in his EVO 9. They too had an excellent run to finish 3rd over-all, just one second ahead of the hard charging Donegal man Conor Harvey in his new EVO 9. Unfortunately that’s where the luck ran out for the travelling Monaghan competitors as number 1 seed’s Vincent McAree partnered by Damian Connolly failed to finish with mechanical woes. Paul Sheridan who was navigating for the competitive Enda Mc Nulty in a Subaru WRX and seeded at number 2 also failed to make first service with mechanical problems. Andrew Grennan headed for Donegal to sit with Seamus O’Connell in his new high-powered escort but their charge faltered before it even began with a broken half shaft en route to the first stage. Brendan Cumiskey with Conor Foley on the notes failed to make it out of stage 7 while lying seventh over-all.

Carbin and Hughes Joint Winners in Cork

 Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes got their National navigation title charge back on track in Skibbereen on Saturday night last. The pairing managed to keep a clean sheet throughout the night to tie for the win with local Cork men Alan and George Shinnors. Regular national contenders, Richard Cassidy and Paul Phelans bad run of luck continued with suspension problems resulting in two flat wheels. Despite Richards best efforts and driving almost 30 miles of the event on a flat front wheel they were forced into retirement. With two rounds remaining in this competitive championship it’s the Midlands novice pairing of Darren Quinn and Nigel McCloughery who hold a 12-point lead ahead of fellow midlands pairing of Packie and Colin Duffy. Michael and Evin are now up to 3rd over-all but with dropped rounds and bonus points to come into effect, all is to play for over the remaining rounds. Skibbereen and District CC 100 Isles Navigation Top 12 1 (tie) Alan Shinnors/George Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) and Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 0 marks, 3 Ger Fitzgerald/Daire Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 1m 4 David Beamish/Muireann Hayes (Toyota Carina) 2m 5 Darren Quinn/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Legacy) 3m 6 Brian O’Mahony/David Swanton (Vauxhall Vectra) 9m 7 Steven Clarke/Michelle McCarthy (Opel Corsa) 20m 8 Joseph Shinnors/Greg Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) 25m 9 Andrew Beamish/Eoghan McCarthy (Nissan Sunny) 29m 10 Alwyn White/Adrian Tobin (Mazda 626) 34m 11 Jason Coulter/Diarmuid O’Donovan (Peugeot 205) 40m 12 Dermot Whelton/Barry O’Sullivan (VW Golf) 47m

Midlands Navigation Trial

 All roads lead to Drumlish, Co. Longford this Saturday night for the second midlands navigation trial of the season. This event is co-promoted by Midlands and Westmeath motor clubs and is the fourth counting round of the Squealing Pig border navigation championship. Coc for the event is Micheal Reilly and is sure to lay on a testing route. Full report next week.

 Monaghan Motor Club Autotest

 Once again the time is near for Monaghan Motor Clubs annual Autotest. Yet again Brendan Flynn has stepped in as CoC with the ideal surroundings of Wrights Quarry at Swanns Cross the venue. The Northern Standard will kindly sponsor this event and Brendan would ask that any marshals available on the day to please make contact with him as soon as possible. Regs and entry forms are available on the club website at http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net All club members are reminded that this is a counting round of the Traders club championship and you must be registered prior to the event to get points. Sign on is from 11 o’clock with competition starting at 12 noon sharp. All competitors are urged to send their entries in early.

 Today FM Shave or Dye Charity Club member Adrian Flynn is taking part in this year’s Today FM backed shave or dye charity event. Proceeds of this fundraiser go towards the Irish Cancer Society. If you would like to help Adrian raise funds for this worthy cause just log onto mycharity.ie and click the sponsor a friend link.

Ballinode’s Shane Maguire  2^nd over-all in the 2011 West Coast Rally Championship on Saturday night last at the Woodlands Hotel, Adare, Co. Limerick

Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins got their 2012 navigation campaign off to the best possible start on Saturday night last with a 3 penalty winning margin on Monaghan Motor clubs January navigation trial. Headquarters for the trial was Ardaghey Community Centre with Monaghan Town man Martin McGuigan taking on the role of CoC ably assisted by Brendan Treanor. Ideal weather conditions coupled with a compact 75-mile route made for a great start to the 2012 Gary Nesbitt club navigation championship with 42 cars crossing the start ramp.

Event winners Mackarel and Higgins were pushed all the way on the night as no fewer than 12 crews managed to keep a clean sheet up to time point 21 of the 27-time point route. As the trial traversed through the north Monaghan countryside from its base in Ardaghey towards Clontibret and Castleshane and then Northwards to the scenic village of Glaslough the competition was fierce in all classes. It was evident from the map that there was always going to be a sting in the tail as 3 of the last 6 time points were plot and bash sections, all located in the infamous Brianlitter area of Clontibret. Indeed Mackarel and Higgins only took over the lead at the fourth last time point when trial leaders Garreth Beagan and Stephen Thornton dropped a massive 4 penalties but still held on for 2^nd over-all. An eventful night could be a good way of describing the Drumlin organiser’s night as they were forced to call on the services of Janice Mackarel’s car for the night at the twelfth hour. 2011-club champion Michael Carbin with regular navigator Evin Hughes on the maps were 3^rd on the night and sure to be in the hunt on every round of the new campaign.

The new pairing of Stephen Wright and Damian Connolly took 3^rd place in the expert class and a creditable 5^th over-all. Michael and Ciaran Tynan’s hope’s of going one better in this years championship were dealt a serious blow on the way to time point 16 as their gearbox threw in the towel while on a clean sheet also. Jonathan McGovern was on the maps for Damien Treanor and took a fine win in the semi-expert class, ahead of the Balinode brigade of Bob Moyna and Shane Maguire. It could have been a much better result for Moyna/Maguire in the ex-Carbin Legacy except for a fault with the breaking system which saw them pick up a 50 for a stop sign! Indeed they were not alone as 15 crews were caught out at a deceptive stop sign junction. New pairing of Donal McArdle with Richard Cassidy on the map were 3^rd semi-expert.

The Christmas lay-off didn’t do the dynamic duo of Arthur and Mac Kierans any harm as they took the novice class and an excellent 4^th over-all ahead of Cootehills Damien O’Reilly and Thomas Wedlock who were 6^th over-all. Think its fair to say both of these young navigators are sure to come out on top sometime in the near future. Darren Babbington was back in the drivers seat for this event and steered Laurence Keenan to 3^rd in novice and 10^th over-all. Girl power shone through in the beginners class as Susan McGuinness guided Enda McMahon to a class win and 9^th over-all ahead of the Cootehill father and son team of Gerry and Aaron McIntyre who are climbing the leader board with every event. Aaron Duffy and Michael McCluskey rounded off the top three in beginners.

So that’s the navigation season back up and running, well done to first time CoC Martin McGuigan and his team for a challenging event with an ideal venue. Next up is Midlands and Westmeath co-promoting the 4^th round of the Squealing Pig border navigation championship on 11^th February with Donegal running their round of the border the following weekend, 18^th February.

Monaghan January Navigation Trial Top 12

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

2 Garreth Beagan/Stephen Thornton (Subaru Impreza) 6m

3 Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 8m

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

5 Stephen Wright/Damien Connolly (Subaru Impreza) 36m

6 Damien O’Reilly/Thomas Wedlock (Honda Civic) 46m

7 Damien Treanor/Jonathan McGovern (Subaru Impreza) 54m

8 Daniel McKenna/Stephen Hagan (Subaru Impreza) 60m

9 Enda McMahon/Susan McGuinness (Toyota Corolla) 64m

10 Darren Babbington/Laurence Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 72m

11 Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 73m

12 Cathal McGlone/John Hetherington (Subaru Impreza) 77m

Celebration Night for Arthur & Mac Kierans

A celebration night for Aghabog locals – and indeed father and Son team of Arthur and Mac Kierans, was held recently in the Aghabog clubhouse. It was a community-focused celebration for the lads as they were recently crowned the 2011 Border Rally Champions. A fun night was had by all with excellent entertainment from local drama experts Patrick McArdle and Brendan Finan followed with music from top DJ Sean McCaffery. Such was the success on the night; the many contributions resulted in additional funds being collected. To this effect, the organizing committee has donated the remaining funds of €1200 to the local Aghabog Defibrillator fund. Furthermore, a celebration DVD of the night has been produced by Richard Cassidy and Gerard McCarron and is now on sale in local shops in the area. All proceeds from this DVD will again go towards the De-Fib fund.

Arthur and Mac would like to take the opportunity to thank the organising committee of this night as well as the Aghabog GFC club who laid on a fabulous spread of food and to everyone who helped in any way. Arthur would also like to thank all of his past drivers and navigators who turned up on the night, too many to mention.

Monaghan Motor Club Ltd AGM

Monaghan Motor Club will hold their annual general meeting this Friday night, 20^th January in Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan starting at 8.30 sharp. All members are asked to attend as this is your chance to contribute to the running of the club and all new ideas and suggestions would be greatly welcomed.

Monaghan Motor Club will hold their annual general meeting on Friday 20^th January in Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan starting at 8.30 sharp. Committee would urge members to send in nomination forms which are available on club website and must be with the secretary before Tuesday 17^th January. All members are asked to attend as this is your chance to contribute to the running of the club and all new ideas and suggestions would be greatly welcomed. 

January Navigation

Monaghan Motor Club kick off the 2012 navigation season on Saturday night next, 14^th January. Coc is Martin McGuigan with the event running from the Ardaghy Community Centre. All marshal’s available on the night are asked to be there no later than 8 o clock.

Once again Monaghan Motor Club has been cast into the limelight with the exciting news that club member Sam Moffett has been selected as this years Billy Coleman young rally driver of the year. The Dunlop Motorsport Ireland Champions of Irish Motorsport Awards were held in Dublin on Tuesday 13^th December last at the Crown Plaza hotel in Santry, Dublin. Sam was presented with his award by Billy Coleman as RTE’s John Kenny announced his selection on the day.

A large Monaghan contingent were present at the awards ceremony as Scotshouse lad Daniel McKenna was also in the running for the Billy Coleman award. Gracious in defeat Daniel wished Sam all the best for the forth-coming season and congratulated him on his success. Arthur Kierans and Ashley McAdoo were also presented with their awards as National Navigation Champions on the day.

Sam with regular navigator James O’Reilly started off the year with no firm intentions of contesting the National or Tarmac Rally championships but after some great results over the first few events they found themselves in the running for both championships. As the season progressed Sam and James’ results became even more consistent with numerous top five places. They finished up 2^nd over-all in the Dunlop national rally championship behind double championship winner Tim McNulty and took the group N honours in their EVO 9. The finished 3^rd group N in the Tarmac championship behind Gary Jennings and Alan Ring.

            This award includes a €50,000 package towards Sam’s 2012 rallying season. Sam has hinted that he intends to compete in some international and over sea’s events in the coming season as well as gaining some experience on gravel events Monaghan motor club would like to congratulate Sam on his success and wish him all the best for next year. Sam joins a unique list of Monaghan club members who have received this prestigious award in the past with Eamon McElvaney and Dessie Keenan winning it in 2004 and 2003 respectively.

 Monaghan Motor Club hosted their annual awards presentation on Saturday night last in the splendid surroundings of the Hillgrove Hotel. This year’s event also had the added attraction of honouring the ladies of our club. A large crowd gathered for what was a truly enjoyable night as stories and banter of the year gone past rang around the ballroom. 

            Proceeding’s kicked off with a fabulous dinner followed by the club chairman Paul Hughes’s address. Through his speech the chairman acknowledged the achievements of our club members at competition level. These included Arthur and Macartan Kierens winning the Border Rally Championship, Arthur and Ashley McAdoo winning the national night navigation championship as well as Sam Moffatt and James O Reilly winning the group N category and 2^nd over-all in the National Rally Championship.  Paul also recognised the success of the younger generation of competitors within Monaghan as South Monaghan brother’s Johno and Padraig Doogan won the national junior rally championship. He highlighted the fact that five of the seven nominee’s for this years prestigious Billy Coleman award were from Monaghan with Sam Moffatt and Daniel McKenna being short listed for the final three which would be announced on Tuesday 6^th December.  He also congratulated all award winners within our club championships and followed on with an extensive list of thank-yous rangeing from the clubs main sponsor, the Hillgrove Hotel along with the Gardai and Monaghan County Council to name but a few.

            Following on from the chairman’s address last year’s stages CoC Conor Maguire took over at the microphone to announce the Gary Nesbitt club navigation award winners. The display of crystal for this championship along with all of the awards was second to none. Award winners in navigation circles include Niall Kelly and Mac Kierans winning the beginners class, Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly winning the novice class. Damian Treanor and Jonathan McGovern were top of the semi-expert class while Michael and Ciaran Tynan took the expert class honours. Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes were over-all club navigation champions and indeed both club members had a path worn to the stage to collect crystal by the end of the night!

            Club member, MC and DJ for the night Sean McCaffery then took over at the helm to announce the remainder of the award winners. These included Janice Mackarel winning the ladies award, Karl Moen winning the perpetual McElvaney cup for his exploits in this years gravel surface autocross. Perpetual cup winners for our stages rally included Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry winning the Maguire International cup while Daniel McKenna and Andrew Grennan won the Keenan Stainless Steel cup for 2.4ltr class. The squealing Pig cup went to Damian Hagan and Fiona Boa with Darren and Nicola McKenna lifting the JG Kelly supplies cup. Sam Moffatt and James O’Reilly won the Combi-lift cup. The Gerry McNamara award was also presented on the night with Cora Maguire as the worthy recipient. This award is in recognition of the trojan work Cora carries out not only in her role as club and events secretary but also in promoting Monaghan Motor Club outside of events.

            The climax of the awards ceremony came as Michael Carbin was crowned over-all traders club champion. After competing in all eight of the events the club ran this year Michael clinched the 2011 traders club championship by a single point on the final round, the Drumlin navigation trial. On the night Michael thanked everyone who helped him achieve this goal, especially is navigator Evin Hughes.

            During the course of the awards ceremony spot prizes were awarded with all of the ladies in attendance hoping to win some of the magnificent prizes on offer which included spa treatments, beauty makeovers and vouchers to name but a few. Monaghan Motor club would like to take the opportunity to thank everybody who sponsored prizes for our ladies night. These include the Hillgrove Hotel, Hi-Maintenance, Magill’s, Cavan Crystal, Phyllis Moffett, Beauty Box & Ward’s Chemist and everyone else who helped out in anyway. The night concluded with a disco into the early hours to the sound of Sean McCaffery. A full array of photographs of the night can be viewed on the club website at www.monaghanmotorclub.net All in all an excellent night and well done to the organising committee as well as all award winners and especially our new club champion, Michael Carbin.

All roads lead to the Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan this Saturday night 3^rd December for Monaghan Motor Clubs Annual Awards and Ladies night. This year’s awards ceremony has a little twist as the club has decided to recognise the unsung heroes of the club. These are the people behind the men who are always there to support the boys when things go well and there with a shoulder to cry on when they may not go according to plan. These are the LADIES of the club. We want to show the club’s appreciation to the wives and girlfriends of the competitors. There will be lots and lots of spot prizes on the night. Spot prizes for the ladies only will include:  €200 spa voucher for the Radisson Hotel in Cavan, €100 spa voucher for the Hillgrove Hotel, €100 voucher for Hi-Maintenance. There will also be vouchers for Lingerie, Hair & Jewellery. Only ladies present on the night will be eligible to win any of the prizes. MC and DJ on the night is the one and only Sean McCaffrey. Club championship results and a list of all award winners are available on the club website at www.monaghanmotorclub.net Tickets for the night are available from any committee member or text 0877827918. So why not come along for what promises to be a good night of ceoil agus craic and remember to bring all your lady friends!

 Locals Kelly & Johnston win Midlands Navigation

Foxfield in Fenagh, Co. Leitrim was the venue for Midlands Motor Clubs first navigation of the new season on Saturday night last. CoC was Enda McLoughlin, who along with his assistant Alan Gibbons laid on a tough and testing trial for man and machine. On a rain drenched night 43 starters faced into 38 time points and 2 via’s around the Leitrim town of Balinamore. It was a night for the local men as new Midlands club champion Chris Kelly along with his navigator Sam Johnston won by a slender margin of 6 penalties from another local crew of Packie and Colin Duffy. Ashley Mc Adoo proved for the second night running that he is just as good in the drivers seat with Francis Keenan on the maps as the finished 3^rd over-all. Francis’s regular driver Darren Babbington was forced to sit this event out due to work commitments so Ashley duly obliged.

            The first 7 time points of the night were just south of Foxfield with tp’s 2,3 and 4 all plot and bash sections. Only three crews managed to clean this section as the semi-expert crew of Kevin Keenan and Barry Garvey emerged as early leaders but would later be forced into retirement. Time points 8 to 15 headed north and into the Benbrack forest area of the Cuilcagh mountains. Time points 13 and 14 were very tricky with multiple wrong approaches to 13 and a slot right through a hole in the hedge to 14 saw 28 crews miss this time point completely. Results sheets show that event winners Kelly/Johnston were in the lead at Control B as they led on “semi over expert” ruling from Michael and Ciaran Tynan, both crews on 3 penalties. Packie and Colin Duffy were still very much in the hunt on 5 penalties along with Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes. In the novice class Darren Quinn and Nigel McCloughry were well ahead while another midlands crew Shane Dalton and Michael Reilly had a clear lead in the beginners class.

            There was no let up in the tightly timed lanes through the 2^nd half of the event which stayed North of Balinamore with twisty and testing lanes to every time point. The leader board changed numerous times throughout the 2^nd half but it was the midlands men who held station as they had their personal battle for the club championship. Towards the latter end of the event almost all crews were forced to skip a time point or two as they were over the maximum 15 minutes. Incidentally the eventual top 3 finishers were the only crews not forced to skip time points, testament to how well they were going. Drumlin winners and national championship leaders prior to this event, Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes were forced into retirement in the second half as their car bared all the hallmarks of inhaling water along the flooded midland lanes. Michael and Ciaran Tynan also dropped out of the top 5 and into retirement after their car drifted wide on a fast but narrow lane to clip a rock and bend both back wheels. These two high profile retirements demonstrate how demanding navigation trials can be.

            With these retirements the top 3 were confirmed as Kelly and Johnston went on to claim a start to finish win and ensure Chris Kelly lifted the 2011 Midlands club champion title. The Duffy’s did all in their power to overturn Kellys bid but unfortunately it wasn’t enough on this occasion and had to settle for 2^nd on the night and 2^nd in the club championship. Ashley and Francis scored a memorable 3^rd over-all; maybe Darren Babbington will have a job getting the keys back off Ashley next night out! Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins were 4^th over-all and 1^st in expert class ahead of Cork’s Colin Fitzgerald and Daire Hayes with Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall 3^rd after a tough night. With the top 3 over-all coming from the semi-expert class Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly took 3^rd in class behind the Duffy’s and McAdoo/Keenan, albeit a long way back for their high standards.

Results sheets suggest the novice class was more or less a one horse race as Darren Quinn and Nigel McCloughry took a convincing win on 102 penalties. This crew showing all the signs of moving up through the ranks very quickly with some recent good results. Arthur and Macartan Kierans are down as 2^nd in the novice class on the night. Having set a very high benchmark over the past number of events Mac may be a little disappointed with this result but on a tough night for any beginner/novice they still finished 8^th over-all. Ciaran McElroy and Cootehill’s Damian McCabe took 3^rd in the novice class. Andrew Stewart and Robert Howard led the field home in the beginner’s class ahead of the ever trying Eoghan Corr and Gary McCrudden. Early beginners leaders Shane Dalton and Michael Reilly seem to have hit major trouble through the second half of the event as they were forced to skip 13 consecutive time points but managed to hold on for 3^rd beginners award.

            So after a tough first half to the navigation season the Squealing Pig Border navigation championship is still wide open with almost all of the top 10 sporting a bad score. With the well-deserved Christmas break impending next local event is Monaghan club navigation trial on 14/15^th January. Best of luck to any local crews travelling to Skibbereen, Co. Cork on 10/11^th December for the reserve round of the National Navigation Championship.

Midlands Motor Club Navigation Trial Top 12

1 Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 46 marks

2 Pakie Duffy/Colin Duffy (Subaru Impreza) 52m

3 Ashley McAdoo/Francis Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 54m

4 Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 76m

5 Darren Quinn/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Legacy) 88m

6 Colin Fitzgerald/Daire Hayes (Subaru Impreza) 105m

7 Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 171m

8 Arthur Kierans/Macartan Kierans (Subaru Impreza) 192m

9 Garreth Beagan/Stephen Thornton (Subaru Impreza) 197m

10 Dave Fitzgerald/Glyn Gaffney (Subaru Forester) 198m

11 Joe Shinnors Jnr/Greg Shinnors (Subaru Impreza) 202m

12 Sean McKenna/Garry Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 225m.

Michael Conlon and Aidan Boyle brought the infamous MC Blinds escort to Newry on Saturday last for the Newry and District Motor Club Gullion Stages Rally. After a daylong battle with Damian Toner/Paddy McCague they were edged out of the over-all win by nineteen seconds after 7 demanding stages. Weather conditions made the famous Gullion and Camlough stages even more challenging by virtue of thick fog in places coupled with the slippy forest tarmac. Local men David Armstrong and Damian Fleming were 3rd, also in an escort. Micky and Aidan started off with two stage wins but by stage 3 they were level with Toner, both their stage times never more than a second apart. By stage 5 Toner had pulled out a 5 second lead, albeit in a more powerful car. Over the final two stages Micky and Aidan kept the pressure on but Toner didn’t let up and went on to take a deserved win. They final stage of the day, big gullion was cancelled due to the thickening fog with visibility at a minimum. Clones man Raymond Conlon with Adrian McCrudden on the notes also made their annual pilgrimage to Newry and had a great run to 6th over-all. This result also merited 3rd in class for the Conlon Travel backed twin-cam. Martin Connolly was on the notes for Barry Greer in the fiesta and they took a 13-second class win and 9th over-all. Cootehill’s Mervin Wedlock and Damian McCabe also made the trip northeast to Newry and finished 19th over-all. Last minute entrants Laurence Sherry and Jonathan Treanor had an enjoyable day through the Gullion and Camlough mountain stages to take 3rd in their class. Well done to all the travelling Monaghan men.

Dunlop National Rally Championship Prize giving

The 2011 Dunlop National Rally Championship Awards Presentation was held on Saturday night last in the Clayton Hotel Galway. The series was won by Meath’s Tim McNulty and Paul Kiely after 10 rounds throughout the country. Monaghan’s Sam Moffett and James O’Reillys consistency paid off as they finished 2nd over-all and took the group N honours. Maynooth’s Kevin Barrett and Sean Mullally were 3rd over-all. A host of Monaghan crews collected class awards on what was an enjoyable and entertaining night in Galway. Shane Maguire and Damian Connolly took the class 4 honours, Damian navigating for Robert Barrable. Ballinodes Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry won class 8 in their Subaru. Aaron Mc Quaid was 2nd in class 10 with his navigator Aidan Coyle going one better and taking 1st in class 10. Gerard McQuaid finished 2nd in class 11 while his navigator Gareth Quinlan took 1st in class. Arthur and Macartan Kierans were once again on the winner’s podium, taking the class 12 honours with a win on the final round in Skibbereen. John McQuaid and Seamus O’Connor finished 2nd in class 14 in their powerful escort. Carrickmacross men Johno and Padraig Doogan were also presented on the night for their over-all junior rally championship win. David Moffett finished 2nd in class 16 in the junior rally championship while his navigator Patrick Brides took the class 16 win. Once again well done to all club members who picked up awards on the night. Monaghan Motor Club Annual Awards and Ladies Night Keep free Saturday 3rd December for Monaghan Motor Clubs annual Awards ceremony in the ideal surroundings of the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan. This year’s awards ceremony has a little twist as the club has decided to recognise the unsung heroes of the club. These are the people behind the men who are always there to support the boys when things go well and there with a shoulder to cry on when they may not go according to plan. These are the LADIES of the club. We want to show the club’s appreciation to the wives and girlfriends of the competitors. There will be lots and lots of spot prizes on the night. Spot prizes for the ladies only will include: €200 spa voucher for the Radisson Hotel in Cavan, €100 spa voucher for the Hillgrove Hotel, €100 voucher for Hi-Maintenance. There will also be vouchers for Lingerie, Hair & Jewellery. Only ladies present on the night will be eligible to win any of the prizes. MC and DJ on the night is the one and only Sean McCaffrey. Club championship results are available on the club website and tickets for the night are available from any committee member. Hope to see you all there as this promises to be a night to remember. More information next week.

Midlands Navigation Trial

All roads lead to Foxfield, Fenagh, Co Leitrim this Saturday night for Round 3 of the Squealing Pig Border navigation championship and Round 4 of the National navigation championship. Full Report next week.

 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.

Monaghan Motor club kicked off the night navigation season in earnest last Saturday night around the Corduff area of South Monaghan. This was a counting round of the trader’s club championship and Gary Nesbitt navigation championship. 45 crews started the event with 30 of these accounting for novices and beginners; such is the popularity of the sport in this region at present. Francis Keenan was Coc and laid on a tremendous route that included 34 time points and 2 via’s which straddled the borders of South Monaghan and Cavan. Number 2 seeds Garreth Beagan and Stephen Thornton were on the ball from the start and led from time point 10 to the end. Last years border champions Michael Carbin and Evin Hughes were 2^nd, despite finishing on the same penalties as Beagan/Thornton with the furthest cleanest rule applied. Michael and Ciaran Tynan were 3^rd with Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins 4^th.

            Straight forward plots for the first 9 time points allowed all crews to settle back into a routine after a 6 month lay-off. Tp 10 and 11 were plot and bash with all crews dropping time through tp10 to 16. Beagan and Thornton took the lead as the event became very tricky to navigate with numerous farm lanes to every time point. Kevin Keenan and Barry Garvey were having a good run in the semi-expert class and lead by mid point. Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly picked up where they left off last year and were in front in the novice section. Macartan Kierans seems to have been studying the maps over the summer as he had a great run in the beginner’s class over the first half, lying 9^th over-all at mid-point.

            The second half of the event saw most crews hold fort in the class positions. Time points 17 to 23 were around the very southern tip of county Monaghan where the lanes were no less plentiful. Out in front Beagan/Thornton were not relinquishing their lead at any cost and held their nerve over the final 10 tp’s, only dropping 3 minutes through the 2^nd half. Carbin and Hughes went on to take 2^nd over-all, also on 8 minutes in their new Subaru Impreza and were the only crew to clean the second half of the trial. Michael’s old Subaru legacy is now in the unsafe hands of Bob Moyna and Shane Maguire as it bared a few scares after Saturday’s event! Michael and Ciaran Tynan held on for 3^rd after dropping 4 minutes at tp10 but still keep their title chances alive, as did Andy and Liam in 4^th. Richard Cassidy and Paul Phelan were lying 2^nd over-all at mid point but a rare mistake sees them clock in early and get a massive 50 penalties to undo all their good work. Keenan and Garvey took the semi class ahead of Midlands men Chris Kelly and Sam Johnson. This crew missed tp17 and could have been as high as 5^th over-all. No doubt Sam will set the record straight before the end of the season.

            Sean McKenna and Gary Farrelly are surely climbing the navigation ranks and it probably won’t be long before they are pushing for a win. They finished 6^th o/a and took a novice class win on this occasion, a wrong approach being their downfall to tp 28. Damian Ward and Laurence Keenan had a fabulous night to finish 7^th over-all and 2^nd novice ahead of Michael Conlon and Thomas Wedlock in 3^rd. Dermot Keenan and Martin Swinburne shone through in the beginners class, two missed time points and a wrong approach costing them dearly. Damian Hagan and Macartan Kierans took a double visit at tp23 and picked up 30 penalties to relegate them to 2^nd beginner. They could easily have been as high as 6^th over-all.

So that’s the first event of the new navigation season done and dusted with the cobwebs surely blown off after a tough but fair event. Well done to Francis Kennan, Darren Babbington, Ashley McAdoo and all who helped them run a successful event. The top four over-all results of this event are made more interesting by the fact that any one of these crews can claim the navigation championship on the Drumlin in mid November. The traders championship couldn’t be any closer either as Michael Carbin and Michael Tynan are now tied for the lead with Andy Mackarel only 2 points in arrears. This years Drumlin navigation is looking like a battle royale! Next event is Cavan Motor Club on 15/16^th October. This is the first round of the Squealing Pig Border Navigation championship and reg’s are available on www.cavanmotorclub.com  Points for traders and club navigation championships are available on www.monaghanmotorclub.net

Monaghan Night Navigation Top 12

1/ Garreth Beagan/Stephen Thornton (Subaru Impreza) 8 marks

2/ Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 8m

3/ Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 11m

4/ Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 12m

5/ Kevin Keenan/Barry Garvey (Subaru Impreza) 32m

6/ Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 33m

7/ Sean McKenna/Garry Farrelly (Subaru Impreza) 38m

8/ Damien Ward/Laurence Keenan (Toyota Sprinter) 41m

9/ Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 45m

10/ Rory Coyle/Ciaran Coyle (Subaru Impreza) 47m

11/ Michael Conlon/Thomas Wedlock (Subaru Impreza) 60m

12/ Dermot Keenan/Martin Swinburne (Honda Accord) 64m.

Cork 20 International Rally

Tim Mc Nulty and Paul Kiely clinched the Irish tarmac title last weekend in Cork to add to his already impressive trophy cabinet, which includes the 2011 Dunlop national title. Tim did enough to finish 2^nd behind the hard charging Darragh O’Riordan, also in a WRC Impreza. Gary Jennings took a convincing 3^rd place in his Group N Evo 9. In the national rally it was Jason Ryan in a civic who stormed home over the last few stages to take a memorable win from David Armstrong in an escort. Alan Tracey was 3^rd over-all in a corolla.

            Unfortunately there were sad stories for all the Monaghan men who made the long trip South. Robert Barrable and Damian Connolly were seeded at 4 but their rally got off to the worst possible. The lamp pod on their Skoda became unattached through the night stages on Saturday and they were forced to stop and take it off. They did continue in the rally and set some top 5 times but withdrew after stage 6 as the car had to be re-prepared to leave for Rally Scotland on Wednesday. Sam Moffatt and James O’Reilly retired their Evo 9 after the Saturday stages while lying a creditable 4^th over-all. Raymond Conlon and Darren McCague were top seeds in the national category and were revelling in the night stages but were caught out as heavy fog descended. Raymond slid off the road for a period of time as visibility in the thick fog was at a minimum. Indeed the poor weather conditions meant the organisers were forced to cancel 4 stages but thankfully it lifted and the rally re-commenced after stage 8 which paved the way for O’Riordan to take a memorable win.

Donegal Harvest Stages Rally

Best of luck to all the local crews making the short trip Northwest to Redcastle in County Donegal for this weekends final round of the Sligo Pallets border Rally Championship. With many class battles and indeed the top 3 over-all awards to be decided around the Inishowen Peninsula it’s sure to be a competitive weekend. Enniskillen’s Gary Jennings in a Subaru WRC will lead off 125 entrants ahead of Maynooth’s Kevin Barrett at 2 with Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry heading the Monaghan brigade at 3. Gary McPhillips and Gary McNern are top two-wheel drive seeds at 4 ahead of Rodney Wilton. Shane Maguire and Conor Foley lead off the group N class at 11 with Michael Conlon and Aidan Boyle at 15 in their black escort. John McQuaid and Seamus O’Connor are at 24 with Arthur and Macartan Kierans at 33 in their pinto powered escort. Darren and Gary McKenna are at 36 in their corolla just ahead of Martin McPhillips with Ciaran Tynan on the notes, also in a twin cam. Barry and Jonathan McKenna are at 45 in their class 13 escort. Once again James McCarville is on the notes for Ryan Loughran at 55 with Sean Agnew and Seamus Connolly at 72 in their C2R2. Aaron McQuaid and Aidan Coyle lead off the class 10 challengers at 84 with David Smith seeded at 86 in his 106. Sean and Fintan Sheery are also set to make the trip to Donegal and start at 101 with Christopher and Michael Brennan at 123 in their civic. David Moffatt and Patrick Brides head the junior rally in the starlet ahead of Johno and Padraig Duggan at 2 in their escort. As things stand before the final round Aaron McQuaid and Aidan Coyle lead the series ahead of Cootehill’s Damian Reilly with Enda Sherry 2^nd navigator. Niall Maguire holds 3^rd place in the driver standings but with dropped scores to be counted following this weekends results a host of other crews are in with a shout. Arthur and Mac Kierans will be chasing a class win, which could also see them take the championship win amongst others. Once again best of luck to all and full report next week.

Bushwhacker Forestry Stages Rally 

Omagh Motor Club held their annual Bushwhacker Forest Stages Rally on Saturday last. This event has proven very popular over the years with its fast flowing, Finland type gravel stages. This year’s event had the added bonus of being a counting round of the Valvoline Southern Forestry championship. Series leader Owen Murphy had to finish the event in the top 3 southern contenders to confirm his championship win. Conor McCloskey and Francis Regan took a memorable win in their Impreza from the hard charging Donnagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan in an EV09. Kenny McKinstry and Kenny Hull rounded off the top 3 in their WRC spec impreza. The entertainer of the day award surely went to Frank Kelly who won the 2 wheel-drive category and showed a tremendous pace through the fast flowing Fermanagh Forests.

            Monaghan’s Paul Sheridan once again teamed up with Enda McNulty in an impreza and were on the pace throughout the day to eventually take a well earned 5^th over-all and 2^nd in class 9. Vincent and JP McAree started the event with one thing on their mind, to keep the pressure on southern championship leader Murphy. They certainly gave him a good run for his money and finished highest registered Southern Forestry competitor in 6^th over-all and 1^st in class 2. Unfortunately for the Ballinode men their efforts still wasn’t enough and Owen Murphy and James O Brien survived a few scares throughout the day to finish in 10^th over-all and lift the 2011 Valvoline Irish Foresty Rally title. Dublins Robert Barrable and Monaghans Damian Connolly were late entrants and slotted in at number 2 on the road. This crew seemed to get off to a poor start but gradually worked their way up the leader board to take 7^th over-all and 3^rd in class 9. Michael Conlon and Paddy McCague had a fraught day through the stick’s with alternator problems resulting in a massive 2-minute loss on ss6. Their stage times suggest however that they were really on a great pace through the remainder of the stages and would surely have been inside the top 5 two-wheel-drives.

            Unfortunetly there are always a list of none-finishers in every rally and the Monaghan men didn’t escape this one either! Arthur Kierans was re-united with Colin Britton in a group N impreza but there luck never shone. They encountered turbo problems through the first loop but a broken gearbox eventually ended their day through the middle loop. Stephen & Suzanne Wright’s luck eventually ran out on Saturday when the rear diff eventually cried enough in their usually trusty EVO 6. Any Cox and Emmett Sherry had another frustrating day in the woods with a broken prop shaft. 

 Monaghan Motor Club Night Navigation Trial

Saturday night next 1^st October see’s Monaghan Motor club open the night navigation season. This event is the penultimate round of the traders club championship and with a single point separating Michael Tynan, Michael Carbin and Andy Mackarel this years championship seems to be going to the wire. Coc for the event is Francis Keenan, ably assisted by Darren Babbington with the Community Centre in Corduff, Carrickmacross as their HQ. Route card 1 is out at 6.30pm with first car away at 9.01pm. Marshals are required and are asked to be in the Corduff Community Centre by 8.00pm latest

Night Navigation Classes

Following yet another successful year in running night navigation classes, Monaghan Motor Club would like to convey their sincere thanks and appreciation to Damian Connolly for presenting these classes. Damian has injected a lot of time and effort into the preparation of notes for these classes and received a very positive response from participants. Thanks must also go to Sean MacDermotts GAA for the use of their facilities and for the many people who turned up each night to lend a helping hand.

 Munster Night Navigation Championship

Congratulations to Ashley McAdoo and Arthur Kierans who received their awards for 1^st over-all in the 10/11 Munster Night Navigation Championship on Saturday night last. Ashley and Arthur made the trip to Cork to attend the prize giving ceremony. This championship consisted of five rounds and with 3 wins and a 2^nd place this crew once again showed they were a dominant force throughout last season. Well done also to Macartan Kierans who took 3^rd in the beginner’s class on his first year of trying.