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There was a deserved round of applause in the Sliabh Beagh Hotel when brother and sister Shane and Molly Maguire were announced as overall winners of Monaghan Motor Club’s January Navigation Trial.

The Novice pairing finished the 80-mile event on seven penalties, well clear of the rest of the field by the final control.

The event, the first navigation trial of 2024 and the first round of the Monaghan Motor Club championships, was headed by COC Killian McArdle and Assistant COC Gary Cassidy and had a little bit of everything with lanes, farmyards and forests.

Martin Tynan and David McCrudden were the first crew on the road at 9.01pm and there was little time for crews to settle in as it was straight into a forestry loop.

Timepoints two, three and four required repetition of the same forest track with different departures eventually leading crews out to the familiar deer farm, which marked the return to sealed surfaces for a time.

TP5 to TP8 brought competitors across some familiar roads used on navigation and stage rallies, with the odd slippy lane thrown in for good measure. From there the event went towards Selloo for the first relaxed section of the night and the ITC section.

The ITC ended with a stretch of the main Monaghan/Roslea road. Timepoints 13, 14 and 15 took in Drumslavog and Athaboy, with TP16 just off the Scotstown-Knockatallon road being the point where many positions would be won or lost. The plot and bash began at the end of, what was on the map as, a grey lane leading to nowhere. From there three herringbone tulip diagrams would be required to reach timepoints 17, 18 and 19. The three checks were all located on one farm and were placed on farm tracks and between sheds. Eight crews left TP16 on a clean sheet. Three crews, Maguire/Maguire, Derek Mackarel/Conor Boylan and Packie Duffy/Evin Hughes would leave the plot and bash section joint leaders having all dropped just four marks over the three timepoints.

A much needed relaxed section at TP20 gave crews some breathing space but that only lasted the length of Aghanameena Lane where a snake-shaped herringbone would lead crews to TP22 and from there another herringbone would direct them on to TP23. The two timepoints were located in opposite directions on a farm track at Feebaghbane. Where the vast majority of crews would drop chunks of time and/or get wrong approaches or departures if they were lucky to get them at all, the Maguire siblings cleaned the section to put fresh air between them and the rest of the field.

The route required a circuit of Esh forest to capture TP25 and TP27. The relaxed section between TP28 and TP29 was again welcomed by competitors. A lot of miles had been travelled since the last plot and bash and many were riding close to their 15 minutes of maximum lateness.

TP30, Via 3 and TP31 took in one and a half loops of the Bragan mountain road. A late frost meant there was no time to be switching off so close to the end. A final lane to Control C at Barratitoppy and straight to the hot food, sandwiches and tea provided by the Sliabh Beagh Hotel staff.

In the end, Molly and Shane Maguire had done enough to take their first overall win together, with the Semi-Expert pairing of Declan Tynan and Aaron McElroy finishing 2nd Overall on 34 penalties. Martin Tynan and David McCrudden were one penalty further back taking 3rd OA and 1st Expert.

Despite a wrong approach to the last via Mackarel/Boylan had done enough for 4th OA and 2nd Expert crew. With the Maguires forgoing their class victory, Martin and Gretchen Swinburne were 1st Novice, just ahead of the Expert crew of Andy Mackarel and Greg Shinnors. Michael Carbin and Ben Mohan took 1st Beginner and 10th OA.

The next round of the National Navigation Championship is the 1000 Shakes this weekend, hosted by Cork Motor Club. Monaghan Motor Club’s Drumlin Navigation Trial takes place on 3 February and is a counting round of the National, Border and Club championships.

Kelly and Mohan gain snow experience

In preparation for their second year in the JWRC, which opens with Rally Sweden. Eamonn Kelly and Conor Mohan took part in the Riihimäki-ralli in Finland for some testing and confidence building. The Fiesta Rally3 crew finished 5th in Class as they closed the gap to the leaders with every kilometre. WRC Rally Sweden takes place from 15-18 February.

Rallysport Association Winter Series

Many local drivers have used the Rallysport Association series to cut their teeth in motorsport, and at the weekend 12-year-old Jack Treanor was out for his second ever event in a Nissan Micra prepared by his father Damien. If past Monaghan Motor Club successes are anything to go by, it’ll be another name to remember for the future.

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At an appreciation night for volunteers in motorsport, started by Caroline McGuinness a number of years ago, motor clubs from across Ulster nominated people they felt were deserving of recognition for their contributions to help events run.
The Trevor Purdy Lifetime Achievement award is for marshals who have dedicated their life to assisting at motorsporting events. Stephen Meehan was nominated by Monaghan Motor Club for his commitment over the years. The award was won by Caroline McGuinness.
The Manus Kelly Memorial Cup was introduced to recognise competitors who give back and volunteer at events, as a way to encourage competitors to don a bib on weekends when they are not in a car. Nominated by Monaghan Motor Club, Andy Mackarel was the winner of the cup.
The Spirit of Marshalling award was present to Victor Mehaffy.
Marshals were also recognised at the Motorsport Ireland awards gala in Dublin. Caroline was also on hand to receive the president’s award on behalf of all volunteers north and south who help at Motorsport Ireland events.

Ryan Treanor and Shane Dalton took a tie-break victory at the Midland Motor Club Navigation Trial ran out of Ballinamuck, Co Longford.

The pair finished joint top on 13 penalties along with Evin Hughes and Packie Duffy, with Treanor/Dalton getting the win on the furthest cleanest rule.

The 65 mile event set out by Sam Johnston and Colin Duffy was the third round of the National Navigation Trial Championship and the opening round of the Squealing Pig Border Championship.

Treanor/Dalton were first on the road to lead competitors away at 9.01pm. There was little time to settle into the trial, as at TP2 competitors were given a route card with the coordinates of the next three timepoints. TP3, TP4 and TP5 were located on three parallel lanes and required three uses of a road-goes loop around a farm to get the correct approaches. Plotting was made more difficult by the fact that two of the lanes had already been marked on maps to be used at the end of the night. All crews would drop at least one minute on each of these timepoints.

From there, the event went towards Drumlish and a farmlane near the Fr Manning Gaels GAA Club. The route out of the farm to TP6 required some nimble steering and eagle eyes to spot the exit between various pieces of farm equipment and round bales.

TP7 was at the end of a mucky lane at Lettergeeragh, where a tulip diagram would bring crews back in the same lane again before slotting left for TP8. Some crews would come across TP8 on their search for TP7, while others would miss either one or both of the sequence due to a blockage.

One and a half loops of the Edenmore Bog Walk was required to get the correct approaches to TP9 and TP10. A straight run to TP11 and then a welcomed Time Recovery Section at Control B. At the end of the first timecard, Treanor/Dalton were on four penalties with Hughes/Duffy on five. Ken Carmody and James Fitzgerald were next on eight. David McCrudden and Martin Tynan were holding fourth ahead of two Semi-Expert crews of Ciaran Coyle/Niall McDaid and Aaron McElroy/Declan Tynan.

Another tulip diagram at TP12 led competitors across a road-goes loop to TP13, the departure of which was to be found on the route card given at TP2 – and it wasn’t the last time that sheet would be needed.

Another loop of Edenmore Bog Walk was needed to get TP14 and then a farmlane to TP15. The marshal there informed crews that the information for TP16 had already been handed out – requiring another use of the route card given at TP2!

By the time crews made it to the second time recovery section of the night at the start of the ITC, many were close to or had gone over their allotted 15 minutes lateness at some point. The regularity section brought the route to the outskirts of Ballinalee before returning close to Drumlish and sections of road used earlier in the night. TP21 required a late slot left to avoid a wrong approach and TP22 was back on the same lane as TP6 but being approached from the opposite direction. This time the bales and trailers had been moved to give a different path to the exit. TP25 and Control 26 were back to the lanes of the first plot and bash and from there final control in Ballinamuck.

With Treanor/Dalton taking the overall win, Hughes/Duffy would take 1st Expert with Carmody/Fitzgerald second and McCrudden/Tynan third in Class.

McElroy/Tynan won Semi-Expert from Coyle/McDaid with Shane Maguire and Mickey Conlon 3rd.

Cavan pairing Anthony McDonald and Sean McConnell took their second national Novice class victory in as many weeks. Aaron and Ciaran McGorman were just behind them taking second, with Keith and Damien Sheridan third.

Emmett Sheridan and Sean Og Cahill won the Beginner class. Eoghan Farrell and Peter Deery were second with Joe Finneran and Gerry Kelly third.

The Toyota Starlet crew of Brian Duggan and Denis O’Donovan took win on the Carbery Navigation Trial on a tie-break. 

James Fitzgerald and Ken Carmody, in a four wheel drive Subaru Impreza also finished on one penalty but had to settle for second on the 2WD rule. 

The Longford crew of Colin Duffy/Sam Johnston finished the 80-mile route with just two penalties. 

Monaghan’s Andy Mackarel and Limerick’s Greg Shinnors finished with seven penalties and taking fourth on a tie-break with Michael Carbin/Conor Mohan. 

Ray and Stephen O’Neill were sixth overall and first semi-expert on nine penalties. 

20 marks on Via 1 put Expert crews Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes and Shane Dalton/Ryan Treanor out of contention. They would finish tenth and 11th overall respectively, both with 23 penalties. 

Eoghan Corr/Ruaidhri Nash were 3rd semi-expert. 

Cavan’s Sean McConnell/Anthony McDonald won the Novice category and were ninth overall, with Owen Murphy and John McCay winning Beginners. 

The next round of the National Navigation Trial Championship and opening round of the Squealing Pig Border Championship is hosted by Midlands Motorclub on Saturday 2 December. 

Josh Moffett and Keith Moriarty are the overall winners of the 2023 Triton Showers National Rally Championship.

The Hyundai i20 pair beat Callum Maguire and Noel O’Sullivan to the top spot by just three points after dropped scores were taken into account.

Daniel Cronin and Donnacha Burke finished third in the championship.

The prizegiving for the championship took place recently to celebrate a year of exciting and competitive rallying.

Those who the motorsport community lost during the year were remembered at the event and the organisers and supporters of the championship rounds were thanked for their efforts.

The eight round championship took competitors to all corners of Ireland and there was local success throughout the classes.