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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