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American-based club members Barry McKenna has had a brilliant few weeks with back to back rally wins either side of the Irish Sea. In July, Barry took his first overall win on the Cork Forestry Rally based in Mallow. He followed this success up with victory on the Grampian Forest Rally in Scotland.

 

On the Cork Forestry Rally, McKenna and co-driver Leon Jordan were involved in a big three way battle with the similar Fiestas of Josh Moffett/Stephen Thornton and Andrew Purcell/Mark Wiley. Each day counted as separate championship rounds. Purcell/Wiley pipped McKenna/Jordan over the opening day by just 1.7 seconds. Josh Moffett/Keith Moriarty were 3^rd overall on day one.

 

Moffett/Thornton were fastest over the six Sunday stages but only edged out McKenna/Jordan by two seconds. When cumulative times were included, McKenna/Jordan had secured the overall rally win by 12 seconds from Moffett/Thornton with Purcell/Wiley in 3^rd.

 

Vivian Hamill/Andrew Grennan switched from their Mk2 Escort to a WRC Fiesta for the weekend and they recorded a fine 5^th place finish. Kaine Treanor guided Stephen McCann to 6^th overall. Michael Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips brought their Escort home to 14^th overall and 2^nd in class. Paul Kelly guided David Condell to 17^th overall and 3^rd in class.

 

Derek Mackarel/Muireann Hayes came home 32^nd overall and 4^th in class after losing several minutes on Saturday which cost them any chance of a good result in the Junior class. Conor Boylan guided Peter Beaton to victory in the Junior 1000cc Class.

 

McKenna then joined forces with former British Champion, Arthur Kierans, to contest the Grampion Forest Rally in Scotland. This event was a counting round of the Scottish Rally Championship. Despite being unfamiliar with the Scottish Forests, McKenna/Kierans, climbed from their No.11 seed and took the outright win.

A plethora of Monaghan Motor Club Members made the trip to Wexford last weekend for the third round of the Irish Endurance Championship.

This was Wexford Motor Club’s first Endurance Trial but the hard-working team put together an excellent event featuring twenty selectives during the day and attracted an impressive entry of 50 crews.

Overall honours went to the experienced endurance crew of Dublin’s Karl O’Donoghue and Monaghan’s Evin Hughes.

The opening loop of five selectives featured a mix of surfaces including concrete, gravel and grass. Cork’s Derek Bulter/Aaron O’Regan were leading the event tied with the local crew of Martin French/Colin Murray.

Leading the Monaghan crews were Peter Barrable/Conor Mohan. Peter was chasing a third straight win in the championship after wins in ALMC and Tipperary. They were nine seconds off the pace after five tests while Karl O’Donoghue/Evin Hughes were a further five seconds back. Josh Moffett & Wexford navigator, Andy Hayes, were hauling their big Vectra around to hold a top 10 place. Scotstown’s Gary Cassidy/Paul Kelly had been as high as 3rd overall in their Mitsubishi Colt but mechanical problems sidelined them.

Following a repeat of the morning selectives, Martin French had edged into the lead, setting stunning times in his Micra. Such was the pace and strength of competition just 15 seconds separated the top six at the halfway mark. Barrable/Mohan were 4th but their engine was overheating and guzzling water between selectives. O’Donoghue/Hughes were 6th hoping to eradicate a few errors from the morning loop.

A new loop of selectives followed consisting of three autotest type selectives on concrete yards, a dusty quarry and a farm & field test. Selective 11 would turn the event on its head as O’Donoghue/Hughes jumped from 6th to 1st while other crews hit problems. They maintained their lead until the end of the loop with hard-charging local’s French/Murray, five seconds behind. Barrable/Mohan were holding onto 4th despite their engine worries. Josh Moffett/Andy Hayes were on the fringes of the top 10 despite two punctures with Mac Kierans/Muireann Hayes just behind in their Corolla.

O’Donoghue/Hughes maintained their lead to the end, finishing 17 seconds clear. A late push from Barrable/Mohan saw them claim 2nd, pipping French/Murray by three seconds. Bulter/O’Regan were just another second back with Sligo’s Patrick Corcoran/Gary Egan and Kildare’s Kevin O’Rourke/Dave McAuley completing the top six. 36 seconds spilt the six crews demonstrating the intense competition at the front of the field.

Josh Moffett/Andy Hayes (Vectra) finished 11th overall. Mac Kierans/Muireann Hayes (Corolla) were 14th. Emmet Sherry/Ciaran Geaney (Starlet) came home 20th. Nigel Brennan/Ryan Brenna (Colt) finished 24th overall. Damien & Thomas Treanor (Starlet) came home 28th overall after late problems saw them miss several selectives. Jack McKenna/Denver Rafferty (Starlet) and Gary Cassidy/Paul Kelly (Colt) were the other Monaghan crews to be classified as finishers despite both crews missing the majority of selectives. Thomas Wedlock/Conor Boylan competed in class 2 for Navigation cars up to 1400cc and took 6th in class on their first Endurance event.

Monaghan’s Endurance Trial is set to be the next round of the championship and is scheduled to take place on Sunday August 19th. As this sport continues to grow and develop, a strong entry is expected.

Derek Mackarel had a fantastic month in his motorsport career achieving a nomination for the Billy Coleman award, receiving his first overall trophy in the National Navigation Championship and scoring a victory in the Mayo Autocross.

The month started with a fully deserved nomination for the Billy Coleman Award due to his results in March and April.

Derek put in strong performances on the Limerick and Munster Forestry rallies, taking victory in the Junior class in Munster against much more powerful opponents. He also set a fastest two wheel drive time on one stage embarrassing competitors in much more powerful cars.

Derek will now join seven other nominees at the end of the year for consideration for Young Rally Driver of the Year which offers a support package worth €50,000 to the winner.

Derek then received his overall trophy for victory in the National Night Navigation Championship on June 9th. Derek clinched the series along with his navigator Muireann Hayes from Cork. Consistency proved key to their success as they were consistently in the top five with their overall win on the 1000 Shakes Navigation Trial in Cork, the highlight of their year.

Derek follows in the footsteps of his father Andy who is a five time champion himself. Muireann is the first ever female winner of the series and the first Cork champion since James O’Brien in the early nineties.

Other Monaghan successes in the series were Mac Kierans and David McCrudden claiming 3rd overall. Martin Tynan & Conor Boylan were the Expert class winners with Arthur Kierans/Fintan Clerkin 3rd in class. Oisin Sherlock was the Semi-Expert class winner. Peter Deery/Shane Farrell finished 2nd Semi-Expert. Emmet McCooey/Christopher McMahon won the Novice class with Ryan Treanor in 2nd and Johnny Treanor 3rd.

The following day, Derek travelled to the Mayo Autocross for the second round of the Mayo Autrocross Championship where he claimed overall honours making it two wins from two in the series. He shared the family Lancer with his father Andy who took 3rd overall on the day. Michael Tynan finished just behind in 4th overall.

Derek’s sights will now be set for the next round of Irish Forestry Championship which will be the 2 day Cork Forestry Rally at the end of the month.

 

 

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.