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A number of club members competed on last weekend’s Cavan Autocross event in Latton Quarry. Competitors counted their best two runs from four. Martin Connolly emerged victorious in the Buggy/Special class taking the victory by a fraction of a second over Russell Woods. Damien Connolly was 9th in the same class.

In the main car section, Mickey Brennan took 2nd in class 3, Martin Swinburne was 5th in class 4 and Michael Conlon was victorious in class 6 and 3rd overall.

January Navigation Trial

The first event of this year takes place this weekend with the January Navigation Trial. Gary Farrelly is COC with Brendan McKenna ACOC. 80 miles of competitive navigation is planned with Doohamlet Community Centre serving as HQ. The first car is away at 9.01pm.

It is round two of the 2018 Traders Trophy and Gary Nesbitt Club Navigation Championships. Regulations and Entry forms are available on http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net. Marshals are required for this event and those available to marshal should present at HQ no later than 8pm.

Monaghan Motor Club AGM

The Annual General Meeting of Co. Monaghan Motor Club takes place on Wednesday 10th January 2018 at 8.30pm in the Four Seasons Hotel, Monaghan.

All 2017 club members are eligible to vote for the 2018 committee. Nomination forms are available to download from monaghanmotorclub.net. Nominations for appointment to the 2018 committee must be returned to the Secretary Paul Hughes by Monday 8th January 2018. Email monaghanmotorclubsec@gmail.com.

All members are encouraged to participate in the nomination process and to attend the meeting. Following the various reports and election of officers, there will be an open agenda.

Last Friday night, saw Monaghan Motor Club hold their Night of Champions event in the Four Seasons Hotel.

The night was to commemorate the achievements of some of our club competitors in 2017.

Sam Moffett won the Irish Tarmac, National and Forestry Rally Championships in a remarkable year becoming the first competitors to win the ‘treble’ in the same year. Sam also won the Celtic Rally Trophy.

Michael Conlon won the Border Rally Championship and along with navigator Ciaran McPhillips they also took the Mk2 and 2 wheel drive trophies in the National Rally Championship.

Shane Maguire won the West Coast Rally Championship while Darragh Kelly was the winning navigator in the Border Rally Championship.

Evin Hughes secured a third successive National Navigation Championship title and another Border Navigation Championship while

Derek Mackarel was the Munster Navigation Champion.

Martin Tynan was the 2017 Trader’s Champion.

The night was well received by those in attendance with MC Noel Hall completing interviews with the champions on their successes and plans for 2018. There was also a DVD provided by Flyin Finn Motorsport on our club members in 2017. Some of those in attendance included Martin McKenna, President Motorsport Ireland and Paude Connolly and David Maxwell from Monaghan County Council. All praised the club and its champions on their incredible successes in 2017.

A night to commemorate the achievements of some of our club competitors in 2017 will be held in the Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan on Friday 15th December. The evening will feature champions at National and Regional level as well as at club championship level.

The evening gets under way at 8pm and will consist of interviews with the champions and DVD shows from Flying Finn Motorsport. A good nights fun should be had.

Raymond Conlon & James O’Reilly were the top finishing Monaghan crew on the Killarney Historic Rally which took place on Saturday last 2nd December. The event consisted of the classic stages of Moll’s Gap, Ballaghbeama, Caragh Lake and Rockfield each repeated twice. There were two sections, one for Historic cars and one for Modified cars. The Scotstown duo brought their Toyota Corolla home in 9th place in the Modified section securing victory in class 6.

Johno Doogan/JP McAree were up next. They brought their Escort home 11th overall and 3rd in class 6. Hot on their heels were James McCarville/Paddy McCrudden who charged home to 12th overall and 2nd in class 5. Brendan McAree/Niall Kelly were competing in the main historic section where they finished 21st overall in their Porsche 911. Jonathan Pringle/Paul Sheridan and Kevin Cole/Kaine Treanor failed to finish.

A Night With The Champions

A night to commemorate the achievements of some of our club competitors in 2017 will be held in the Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan on Friday 15th December. The evening will feature champions at National and Regional level as well as at club championship level. More details will be released next week.

Clontibret’s Sam Moffett was officially crowned National Rally Champion at the Triton Awards night in Athlone on Saturday last, 18th November. This is just one of four titles won by San this year. His navigator Karl Atkinson finished 2nd overall navigator.

Other Monaghan National award winners were Niall Maguire (3rd overall driver), Shane Maguire and Darragh Kelly (Group N champions), Mickey Conlon and Ciaran McPhillips (2WD and Mk2 champions), Shane Maguire (Spirit of the Championship), Jonny Treanor (class 16 winning driver), Enda Sherry (class 7 winning navigator), Emmet Sherry (class 13 winning navigator), Thomas Treanor (class 14 winning navigator), Jack McKenna (class 16 2nd navigator), Jason Black (class 16 3rd driver).

Jonny Treanor Shortlisted for Young Rally Driver of the Year
The finalists for Motorsport Ireland’s Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year award have been announced – with Jonny Treanor, from Scotstown, Co Monaghan; Callum Devine, from Claudy, Co Derry; and Kevin Eves, from Pettigo, Co Donegal, in the running to take home Irish rallying’s most prestigious awards.
The three drivers were chosen from a shortlist of eight candidates from throughout Ireland who were nominated for the award on the merits of their performances during the year. All the finalists faced a rigorous selection process which included interviews from a panel of judges comprising members of the media, an official from Sport Ireland, and representatives from the club and rallying world.
Past winners of the Billy Coleman Award have gone on to compete at the highest level both at home and internationally, with drivers winning international championships as well as flying the flag at European and World Rally Championship level. Included on this roll of honour are the first ever driver from the Republic of Ireland to secure a WRC works seat, Craig Breen, record breaking four-time British Rally champion Keith Cronin, and the current award holder Monaghan’s Josh Moffett, who is competing in the ERC Junior Championship.
The internationally-recognised Billy Coleman Award is one of the most prestigious accolades that any young driver on the island of Ireland can aspire to. It comes with a prize valued at €50,000 in support to help the winner develop their career.
The overall winner of the 2017 award will be announced at the Beta Irish Motorsport Awards ceremony which will take place on Tuesday, December 5th in The Round Room at The Mansion House, Dublin. The Billy Coleman Young Rally Driver of the Year award is presented annually and is supported by Sport Ireland, Motorsport Ireland and its affiliated clubs.

Shane Maguire Retains West Coast Title

Ballinode’s Shane Maguire finished 2nd overall on the Kerry Winter Stages Rally on Sunday last 19th November, with Donal Balfe navigating. This result earned him the overall Top Part West Coast Championship 2017 title for a third year in a row.

Cavan’s Gary Kiernan and Limerick navigator Keith Moriarty scored a start-to-finish victory. The Escort crew were 11 seconds quicker than last year’s winners Daniel Cronin and Shane Buckley over the opening 17km stage near Abbeydorney. After two stages they were a further 23 seconds to the good and by this stage it was a matter of who could finish second.

Cronin’s challenge ended at the start of stage four when a wheel bearing failed in his new Mitsubishi Lancer E10. Clare driver Padraig Egan looked certain to take over the second spot on the podium but a puncture on the same stage ended his hopes. This left Shane Maguire as the comfortable second placed driver and the West Coast title to boot.