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It was a dramatic weekend for Monaghan men on the 2018 Donegal International Rally. Probably the most popular event of the Irish Rallying calendar, it offers three days of action over some of the best stages in Ireland. There were a number of Monaghan men chasing overall and class glory. Conor Foley, James O’Reilly and Enda Sherry were sitting with expected front runners Donagh Kelly, Declan Boyle & Darren Gass. But after three gruelling days it was the Moffett brothers, Sam & Josh, who led home the Monaghan men taking 2^nd and 3^rd overall.

 

Friday began with stages in the Letterkenny/Ballybofey area. Last year’s winner Manus Kelly set a blistering pace on the opening stage before losing time on stage two. Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley took over the lead but their dreams of a maiden Donegal win came to end with an accident on stage three. This was a bitter disappointment for this crew after extensive preparation for the rally.

 

Manus Kelly had regained the lead at the end of the day with Boyle/O’Reilly just 9.3 seconds behind in 2^nd with Gass/Sherry in 3^rd just twenty seconds off the lead. Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson led the R5 crews by six seconds from his brother Josh. Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly held 5^th amongst the R5 crews as they chased Tarmac championship points.

 

In the National Rally, Gary McPhillips/James McNulty held 4^th overnight with Jonathan Pringle/Paul Sheridan in 7^th and Vivian Hamill/Andrew Grennan in 13^th. Mac Kierans stood in at the last minute to sit with Motorcyle ace Michael Dunlop and an impressive opening day left them 19^th overall and 2^nd in class.

 

Day two was one of the most dramatic days in the event’s history. As Kelly maintained the lead, all the drama occurred behind as Boyle/O’Reilly retired with a broken wheel, Gass/Sherry retired after an off and the hard charging Gary Jennings also crashed. This elevated Josh Moffett/Andy Hayes into 2^nd place and they were now 12.8 seconds ahead of Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson in 3^rd. Pauric Duffy/Kevin Glynn had made steady progress to 8^th overall whilst Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly joined the growing retirement list. Gary McPhillips’ charge came to an end on Saturday afternoon but his old navigator Paul Sheridan had guided Jonathan Pringle up to 4^th in the National Rally.

 

The final day featured the classic Fanad Head, Atlantic Drive and Glen stages. Kelly/Barrett cruised to the win whilst a final day charge saw Sam Moffett take 2^nd place and top championship points. 3^rd overall went to Josh Moffett who now trails Sam by one point in the driver’s championship with two rounds to go. Pauric Duffy/Kevin Glynn finished 9^th overall. Shane Maguire/Darragh Kelly took 12^th overall and 3^rd in class. Colin Quirk/Kaine Treanor finished 15^th overall.

 

Pringle/Sheridan retired on the Glen stage so the first Monaghan crew home in the National Rally was Michael Carbin/Conor Mohan in 18^th overall and 1^st in class 20. Gerard McQuaid/Gary Quinlan took 46^th overall after resorting to Rally 2. Damien McKenna guided Shaun Murphy to 51^st overall again finishing under Rally 2 rules.

 

The list of Monaghan retirements was exceptional with Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley, Declan Boyle/James O’Reilly, Darren Gass/Enda Sherry, Robert Barrable/Damien Connolly, Gary McPhillips/James McNulty, Vivian Hamill/Andrew Grennan, John O’Donnell/Arthur Kierans, Johno Doogan/Ciaran Marron, Richard Moffett/Martin Connolly, John McQuaid/Thomas Treanor, David Moffett/Karl Egan, Michael Dunlop/Mac Kierans, James McCarville/Paddy McCrudden and Gerard McGivney/Gavin McGivney all failing to make it back to Letterkenny.

 

Brendan McAree/Niall Kelly won their class in the Historic Rally while Jack McKenna guided Jason Black to victory in the Junior class which contested the six Sunday stages. This was after a brilliant battle with Jordan Hone/Aileen Kelly who they edged out by just 1.9 seconds.

 

Monaghan Men Make Podium in Portlaoise

 

The Heartlands Mini Stages Rally took place a fortnight ago. Paul Sheridan teamed up with Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle as a warm-up for the Donegal International. They ended up taking the overall win narrowly holding off Enda O’Brien/John Butler by 4.1 seconds. Mac Kierans guided Alan Smyth to 3^rd overall in their Lancer.

 

McCarville takes class in Limerick

 

James McCarville/Emmet Sherry took class 11R honours on the recent Circuit of Munster Rally. They also finished 15^th overall after overcoming the stern challenge of Paul Fitzgerald. Paul Kelly guided Gary Reidy to 13^th overall and 2^nd in class.

 

Josh Moffett reignited his National Championship bid with overall victory on the Cavan Stages Rally.

The event was the third round of the series and Moffett and co-driver, Keith Moriarty, dominated to claim their first win of the year. Monaghan men were also in the navigator’s seat of the second and third place crews with James O’Reilly guiding Declan to 2nd overall and Enda Sherry guiding Darren Gass to 3rd overall.

Moffett/Moriarty laid down a marker on the opening test pulling five seconds off championship leaders Declan Boyle/James O’Reilly. Stage 2 was cancelled due to timing issues so the action resumed on stage three where Moffett increased his advantage to eight seconds despite reporting a spin. Roy White/James O’Brien held 3rd but were already 20 seconds back. Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley were acclimatising to a new Ford Fiesta and were off their usual pace while Darren Gass/Enda Sherry were getting up to speed after a long layoff.

Although Boyle was fastest on stage four, Moffett was quickest on stage five with White going fastest on stage six. All of this left, Moffett in a 24.1 second lead with White having climbed to 2nd and Boyle dropping to 3rd after losing over 20 seconds on stage six. Peader Hurson/Damien Connolly dropped out of a top six place with a broken rear differential.

Moffett/Moriarty turned in another brace of fastest times to take a commanding win 34.6 seconds clear of Declan Boyle/James O’Reilly. White’s challenge came to an end after he lost five minutes with a puncture on stage 7. Darren Gass/Enda Sherry increased their speed over the closing stage to seal 3rd place which was ideal preparation for the Donegal International. Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley climbed to 5th place by the finish as they got a handle on their new car.

As a local event to most of our club members, there was plenty of local success in the various classes. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden put in a storming drive to take 15th overall and victory in class 11R in their Corolla. Martin Swinburne/Gretchen Fegan took 21st overall and 3rd in class in their similar car. Martin Tynan & Declan Tynan won class 15 and finished 26th overall. Aisling McArdle guided Des Lyons to 3rd in class 11F. Justin Smyth/Gregory McQuillan, John McQuaid/Thomas Treanor, John McCabe/Kaine Treanor and Eamon Kelly/Conor Mohan had to resort to Rally 2 to complete the event.

Jason Black/Jack McKenna took another dominant win in the Junior class with Gareth Black/Calum Maguire in 3rd and Oisin Sherlock guiding Sean McConnell to 8th in class.

Retirements included, Peader Hurson/Damien Connolly, Raymond Conlon/Damien Fleming, Paul Clarke/Conor Boylan, Gerard McQuaid/Gary Quinlan, James McCarville/Paddy McCrudden, Sean McCaul/Frank Clerkin and Patrick Fitzpatick/James McEneaney.

 

 

Scotstown’s Damien Connolly was the top Monaghan finisher on the recent Rally of the Lakes in Killarney. The classic event was the third round of the 2018 Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and was contested over some of the most iconic stages in Ireland. Connolly joined forces with usual driver, Robert Barrable, from Dublin.

The result saw them move to 2^nd in the championship standings.

 

The pair set the pace on the opening Moll’s Gap Stage and stretched their advantage over the classic loop of Tim Healy Pass, Cod’s Head and Ardgroom. Their time over the Tim Healy Pass was an impressive 14 seconds quicker than anyone else. After five tests, they held a 23 second lead over the Subaru WRC of Manus Kelly. Sam Moffett had a new navigator in Noel O’Sullivan for the weekend and they were holding 4^th with his brother Josh & navigator Andy Hayes in 7^th. Stephen Wright/Arthur Kierans were just behind in 8^th.

 

Barrable/Connolly finished the day with a 28 second advantage over Kelly/Barrett with the Moffett’s 4^th and 6^th respectively. Wright/Kierans had retired.

 

Barrable/Connolly did their best on day two to hold off the more powerful Subaru of Kelly/Barrett. They stayed in front until Stage 14 but Kelly/Barrett stormed ahead on the faster stages to claim overall honours. Barrable/Connolly knew that Kelly wasn’t eligible for ITC points so were content to secure 2^nd place and top points in the championship. Desi Henry/Liam Moynihan were 3^rd overall. Sam Moffett/Noel O’Sullivan finished 4^th with Josh Moffett/Andy Hayes taking 6^th. Stephen Wright/Arthur Kierans completed the Sunday stages under Rally 2 rules. Raymond Conlon and Damien Fleming put in a charging drive to take 5^th overall in the National Rally and victory in class 13 by a mere 6 seconds.

 

The next round of the Tarmac Championship is the Donegal International Rally in June.

 

Border Navigation Championship Prizegiving

 

The Prizegiving of the Squealing Pig Border Navigation Championship took place last Friday night May 18^th in the Squealing Pig in Monaghan. Arthur Kierans & Conor Maguire made a return to the Navigation scene pay off with a hard fought championship win achieved through consistency across the four rounds of the series. A good night’s fun was had as crews shared their stories after another compelling season of Navigation trials.

 

 

The country roads of Monaghan are set to roar with the sounds of Rally Cars as the Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally gets underway this Sunday.

After eight months of hard work, it’s time for the 2018 Monaghan Stages Rally to take off.

The rally is regarded as one of the most popular and competitive events in the Irish Motorsport Calendar. Following a successful rally last year, The Four Seasons Hotel returns as main sponsor and event HQ. We thank Frank McKenna & his team for taking us on board once again. This year the event is a counting round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship.

The event gets under way on Saturday as competitors check their pacenotes and complete mechanical scrutiny at McElvaney’s garage on the Dublin Road. The first car will leave the Four Seasons Hotel at 10.00am on Sunday Morning en route to the first of nine stages.

The opening test is in the Tyholland/Castleshane area followed by stages in the Clontibret and Ardaghy areas before the cars return to Monaghan for service in the Courthouse Car Park. This loop will be repeated twice more before competitors arrive back at the Four Seasons Hotel about 5.00pm where the winners of the 2018 Four Seasons Monaghan Stages Rally will be crowned!

The event has attracted a superb entry of over 120 cars, a fine achievement given the current challenges facing Irish rallying.

Victory on the past five events have been shared between the Moffett brothers, Sam & Josh. Sam is the defending champion having also tasted success in 2013 and 2014. Josh will be looking to regain his crown after wins in 2015 and 2016. Sam swept all before him in 2017 with an incredible treble of championship wins, the Irish Tarmac, Irish National and Irish Forestry championships, with the Celtic Trophy also added for good measure. Josh has taken the fight to him this year and currently leads the Irish Tarmac Championship after two rounds and is also well placed in the Irish Forestry Championship.

Sam will lead the field away in his R5 specification Fiesta. Karl Atkinson joines him in the passenger seat. They will have their work cut out if they are to defend their crown as they face tough opposition from a number of WRC cars. Donagh Kelly & Conor Foley start at No.2 int their Focus WRC. This pair have already recorded wins on the West Cork and Circuit of Kerry rallies this year and they would dearly like to add Monaghan to their bulging cabinent. Another Donegal/Monaghan pairing start at No.3 with James O’Reilly teaming up with Declan Boyle. Like Kelly, Boyle is a former National & Tarmac Champion and since teaming up with O”Reilly they have won in Mayo. Josh Moffett/Keith Moriarty start at 4 and will drive the WRC Fiesta that Sam used to win last year. 7 times Monaghan winner, Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry start at 5 in their Subaru WRC and will be aiming to impress on their home event. Antrim’s Derek McGarrity& Paddy Robinson are at No.6 having recently led the Easter Stages. Stephen Wright/Arthur Kierans (Fiesta R5), Kevin Barrett/Declan Tumilty (Subaru WRC), John O’Donnell/Joe Friel (Subaru WRC) and Stuart Darcy (Darrian) complete the top 10 seeds.

The two wheel drive category is one of the most hotly contested of the year and features the likes of Chris Armstrong, Gary McPhillips, Damien Toner, Frank Kelly, Adrian Hetherington & Richard Moffett. Shane Maguire/Darragh Kelly head the Group N entry while Jonathan Treanor & Jason Black will be the favourties in the Junior class. Throughout the classes, there will be huge battles for honours as nothing can bear rhe feeling of a class win in Monaghan!

 

Safety Message

Clerk of the Course Brendan Flynn has made a special appeal to all concerned to think safety at all times. The Event Safety Plan has been compiled meticulously. Marshals, Stage Commanders and Officials have been trained accordingly. 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 enjoyable rally.

 

Early Error Costs Moffett in Cork

Josh Moffett was left to rue an early error which cost him a chance of overall honours on last weekend’s Munster Forestry Rally. The Ballyvourney-based event consisted of eight stages and was the third round of the Irish Forestry Championship. Moffett was joined by stand-in navigator Ger Conway for this event.

The pair were fastest on the short opening stage but disaster struck on the second stage as a spin and a stall cost them over a minute dropping them to 34th overall. The pair would mount a spectacular charge back through the field for the remainder of the day. After another brace of fastest times, Moffett/Conway incredibly had gained 31 places and were now 3rd overall! They were unable to catch the leading pair of Martin McCormick/David Moynihan and Barry McKenna/Leon Jordan who secured the top two places. American based Monaghan man, McKenna, leads the championship after three rounds.

Kaine Treanor guided Stephen McCann to a solid 5th place finish. Michael Carbin/Conor Mohan brought their Lancer home in 8th overall. Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips brought their Escort to 15th overall and 3rd two wheel drive. One of the drives of the rally went to Derek Mackarel/Muireann Hayes who brought their Nova to an incredible 16th overall and victory in the Junior class beating a host of more powerful R2 cars. Such was their pace they were the 4th two wheel drive finisher.

Emmet Sherry guided Tommy O’Connell to 18th overall and 3rd in class. Jody McManus/Martin Connolly failed to finish.

 

Josh Moffett continued his rich vein of form with overall victory on the Easter Stages Rally, Round 2 of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

The two day event was running in place of the Circuit of Ireland and consisted of 12 stages over two days in Antrim.

Moffett teamed up with Wexford’s Andy Hayes and the pair would lead the Irish Tarmac Championship runners from start to finish. They held off his older brother Sam & co-driver Karl Atkinson by less than five seconds after a frantic finish to the two day event.

The opening day of the rally consisted of two stages repeated three times in wet and challenging conditions. Local favourite Derek McGarritty used his S14 WRC Subaru to good advantage to lead the R5 Irish Tarmac competitors. Martin McCormick/David Moynihan led these crews having squeezed ahead of Josh Moffett/Andy Hayes on the final Friday stage. Just 0.5 seconds separated them with Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson only four seconds further back, demonstrating the close competition between the top R5 competitors.

McGarritty was sidelined with mechanical issues on the Saturday restart. Both Moffetts flew through the Scawt Hill stage to leapfrog McCormick who could only post the sixth best time. The three crews all beat the bogey time on the Knockboy Hill Stage, leaving just 10 seconds between them going into the final loop of three stages.

The Moffett brothers again pulled time out of McCormick on the second run of Scawt Hill with Sam pulling a scant 0.2 seconds off Josh. Sam pulled three seconds back on Stage 11 but with both crews beating the bogey on the final stage, Josh held on for the win, his first overall Irish Tarmac Championship victory since Cork in 2016. This extends his lead in the championship after taking top points in West Cork three weeks ago.

Sam Moffett/Karl Atkinson netted 2nd place and Sam will hope to turn the tables on his younger brother at the next round in Killarney. McCormick/Moynihan netted 3rd place but opted not to register for the Irish Tarmac Championship. Scotstown’s Damien Connolly guided Dublin’s Robert Barrable to 4th place after a steady run, less than a minute off the winners. Stephen Wright/Arthur Kierans brought their R5 Fiesta home in 8th place. Arthur’s son, Mac, guided Alan Smyth to 11th overall securing Group N honours in the process. Liam McFall/Matthew McKenna failed to finish.

Kelly/Foley Notch Up Another Win in Kerry

There was also Monaghan success on Round 2 of the Triton National Rally Championship. The Donegal/Monaghan pairing of Donagh Kelly/Conor Foley were hoping to follow up their West Cork win with a top result in Kerry. Featuring some classic West Kerry stages, the Tralee-based event attracted a strong entry.

A unique loop of 11 stages was used throughout the day. Kelly/Foley were involved in a huge battle with the other Donegal/Monaghan pairing of Declan Boyle/James O’Reilly. The lead changed hands on an almost stage by stage basis as they left the rest of the pack trailing in their dust. Boyle/O’Reilly dropped 20 seconds on stage six with a puncture which would prove to be decisive as it gave Kelly/Foley an advantage they were not to lose. In the end Kelly/Foley boosted their championship hopes with a 16.4 second win. Boyle/O’Reilly retained their championship lead with 2nd place while Roy White/James O’Brien were over a minute behind in 3rd.

Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry secured a solid 6th place finish. Johno Doogan/Ciaran Marron put in a storming drive to finish 9th overall and 3rd in class 14 after a stunning turn of pace. They were also 3rd two wheel drive. Raymond Conlon/Darren McCague took 17th overall and 1st in class 13 in their Corolla.

In the Junior class, Jonathan Treanor/Paul Sheridan came out on top edging out Jason Black/Jack McKenna by 29.8 seconds. Such was the pace of this pair they were on the fringes of the top 10 overall over the 7 stages they contested. Calum Maguire guided Gareth Black to 4th in the Junior class.

Mackarel Secures National Navigation Title

Derek Mackarel followed in his father’s footsteps by claiming the National Night Navigation Championship title at the final round of the series in Cavan. Ably assistant throughout the year by Cork woman, Muireann Hayes, Mackarel took the title after a consistently strong season to become a second generation champion. Muireann becomes the first female National Navigation Champion and the first National Champion from Cork since James O’Brien in 1990. The highlight of their year was victory on the classic 1000 Shakes Navigation Trial in Cork.

Overall honours in Cavan went to Michael & Ciaran Tynan who made it back to back wins following their success in Monaghan a fortnight ago. The pair thoroughly dominated the event and finished 8 penalties clear of the charging novice team of Shane Dalton & Seamus McTigue in 2nd. Semi-Expert class winners were James McCabe/Shane Farrell who came home 3rd overall. Keith McConnan/Micheal McCluskey won the Expert class. Consistency proved the key for Arthur Kierans & Conor Maguire who won the Border Navigation Championship thanks to a 6th place finish.

Cavan Navigation Trial Results:

1 Mickey Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 4 marks,
2 Shane Dalton/Seamus McTigue (Subaru Impreza) 12m,
3 James McCabe/Shane Farrell (Subaru Impreza) 18m,
4 Keith McConnon/Micheal McCluskey (Subaru Impreza) 21m,
5 Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Vauxhall Vectra) 24m,
6 Arthur Kierans/Conor Maguire (Subaru Impreza) 25m,
7 Ray O’Neill/Ryan Treanor (Subaru Impreza) 26m,
8 Mark Reilly/Paddy Corcoran (Toyota Starlet) 27m,
9 Mac Kierans/Conor Boylan (Subaru Impreza) 30m,
10 Robert Graham/Oisin Sherlock (Subaru Impreza) 42m,
11 Aaron McIntyre/Ben McIntyre (Subaru Impreza) 56m,
12 Emmet McCooey/Christopher McMahon (Subaru Impreza) 70m.

 

Excitement Builds for Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally

There’s just over two weeks to go until Monaghan’s biggest annual sporting event, the Monaghan Stages Rally which takes place on Sunday April 22nd. Brendan Flynn returns to the mantle of COC after a year’s absence and has picked new stages in the North-East Monaghan area which are sure to provide a tough, technical challenge to the 100+ crews who will contest the nine stage event. Any competitors who haven’t got their entry in yet are asked to do so as soon as possible.

The Four Seasons Hotel in Monaghan returns as sponsor following a successful event in 2017. The event will be a counting round of the ultra-competitive Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship. The event was launched last Thursday night at the Four Seasons Hotel with a raffle for a free entry up for grabs. Cavan’s Mark Wedlock was the lucky winner.