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Perhaps this headline is not one normally associated with motor sport but never before has it been more relevant. On Sunday last, Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly took an outstanding win on the 2013 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally. Sam and James drove a faultless event to take the win by a minute from Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry with Daragh O’Riordan and Tony McDaid in 3rd in a WRC focus. English crew James Belton and Mark Glennerster were 4th overall in an S11 subaru with Roy White and James O’Brien 5th in the MG 2R Rover.

            This win for Moffett/O’Reilly only scratches the surface of what was to be an eventful weekend for the Monaghan duo. On Friday evening while testing his EVO9, the engine malfunctioned and was sure to put an end to the Monaghan duo’s hopes of a run on their home event. Not to be phased, Sam lifted the phone and hired the Mc Kinstry Motor sport S14 Subaru. Sounds simple but given the fact that Sam had never driven a WRC spec car before and with added difficulties of left hand drive, paddle shift etc. the ex-Billy Coleman award winner quickly adapted to his new mount through the opening loop of three stages. Sam and James took over the rally lead on stage 5 following the demise of the Boyle cousins from Donegal, and never looked back to go one place better than last year and lift the 2013 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally Trophy in the Combilift backed S14 Subaru. Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry had a measured drive on their home event and a good result of 2nd overall promotes them to joint leaders of the Dunlop National Championship along with the Boyle cousins.

            The group N production class in which Sam and James would normally be front runners was a close affair all day with Sam’s younger brother Josh in a close battle with Donegal men Martin Doherty and James McCauley throughout the day. Unfortunately Josh with John Rowan on the notes had to settle for 2nd on this occasion to the Donegal men but still a superb drive and 7th overall to boot. Some would say Martin and Declan Tynan were unlikely candidates for 3rd in the group N production class but considering this was Martins first real finish in his EVO8 after some engine problems the Clones pairing dealt with the conditions well and set some good times to take 3rd group N.  

            To say that the 2013 Monaghan Stages Rally was a finishers event would be a grave understatement with 80 finishers from 141 starters. Indeed it seemed to be the more high profile competitors that succumbed to the tricky weather conditions. Tyre choice was a lottery with the opening three stages dry when it seemed they would be wet and then the middle three stages witnessed same torrential rain with most crews on dry or intermediate tyres. In the WRC class, Darren Gass and Donagh Kelly both failed to finish whilst in the group N category, Steven Wright and Shane Maguire both retired their EVO 9’s with engine and gearbox issues as did Eugene Meegan and Jonathan Treanor with transfer box woes. 

            Class 14 which is the top end two wheel drive modified class is what brings most spectators to the Monaghan ditches but not one finisher from ten starters gives a good indication as to the difficulties faced through the North Monaghan Stages. Last years winner, Daniel McKenna was seeded at 1 but retired at the last junction of the second stage having gained suspension damage on a  mucky section leading up to the junction. Gary McPhillips and Mark Tierney rapidly moved up the leaderboard throughout the day and were 5th overall before their retirement with alternator failure. Frank Kelly retired his escort on the final stage when he got stuck in a field. The darrien of James Stafford also failed to finish as did Rodney Wilton, Jim McKenna, Mick Curran, Raymond Drury to name but a few in class 14.

            Class 13 was a much closer affair with the Starlet of Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly out of the blocks the quickest and incredibly up to 8th overall and first two wheel drive after the opening loop of three. Richard enjoyed a great battle with the similar starlet of Declan Gallagher from Donegal but disaster was to strike on the fourth stage as torrential rain and a failed window screen heater saw Richard screen mist up and had to drive most of the stage at road car pace and hence dropped 40 odd seconds to Gallagher and ultimately missed out on the class win by 8 seconds. Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle was 3rd class 13 Russell Woods 4th. Raymond Conlon had new suspensions fitted and confessed to them not being set to his liking over the opening stages but played about with them in service and set some good times towards the end of the event in the Fitzpatrick Oils, Clones Shavings and Gribben Plumbing backed class 13 twin cam to finish 16th overall.

            Aghabog’s Arthur and Mac Kierans took yet another class 12 win in the pinto escort but admitted to being under some pressure throughout the day from Enda Haran who retired on the final loop with suspension damage. Brian Armstrong was 2nd class 11 with James Cassidy 3rd. Arthur and Mac also won “the drive of the day award” This win leaves Arthur and Mac joint leaders of the Sligo Pallets Border Championship with Seamus Connolly and Gary McCruddan who were class 11 winners in Monaghan to coincide with their Mayo class win. Martin McPhillips teamed up with brother-in-law Paul Sheridan for the day and enjoyed their run through the mucky Monaghan stages to take a well deserved 2nd in class 11 in the overhauled twin cam, this being Martins first event since last years stages so a good result for the McPhillips Engineering backed team.

            Recent Rally launch organiser John Kelly with brother Niall on the notes had a great run in the white twin cam to claim top honours in class 10. The Monaghan pairing had a comfortable win over Martin Ewing in a 205 with Gary Kiernan in 3rd after a troubled day. John and Niall would like to thank McAree Eng, Mallons Sausages and Jonny Coyle Plant Hire for their support and also to their top service man Malachy.

            Class 9 saw the ultra quick mini of Lloyd Hutchinson take the class spoils. Lloyd admitted that he would be used to have little or no competition in this class but Monaghan was an exception. Justin Smyth and Gregory McQuillan were on his tail throughout the day and ready to take over the reigns should the mini slip up. Unfortunately for the Lisnalong duo the mini screamed its way to the finish and they had to settle for second and 30th overall.

            The top three overall places came from class 8 so that left England’s James Belton taking the class win and 4th overall. Paddy McVeigh was 2nd with the Boyle cousins 3rd after a troubled day which saw them stuck for up to 5 minutes. Tommy Doyle and Liam Moynihan were winners of class 7 in the Clio R3 with veterans Rodger Kennedy and Wendy Blackledge 2nd.

            Class 6 saw the Citroen Ireland trophy competitors added following the demise of the Easter stages due to snow. Armagh’s Sean Agnew with Peter Deery on the notes took a great class 6 win in a C2 and 41st overall. Worth noting here that Peter brother Mark who was navigating for David Smith in a twin cam was 42nd overall and just 0.5 of a second behind at the finish so great sibling rivalry between the Stonebridge men.

            Class 2 was won by Mark Boyle and Sean Gallagher in a civic ahead of Eamon Russell and upcoming Cavan CoC Stephen Kellett also in civics. Francie McKenna and Sean Craig were the only finishers in class 1 in their newly built Rover, having overcome boiling issues earlier in the day.

            Michael Tynan and Derek Mackarel teamed up for their local event and emerged as class 15 winners in the EVO 5. They had to overcome a puncture on the 3rd stage which dropped them almost 6 minutes and Michael reported a few brushes with the scenery but enjoyed their day, this being Derek’s first stages event. Class 20 saw the MG 2R rover of Roy White take class honours ahead of Johnny Leonard and Niall Burns in 2nd with David Leonard and Darragh Mullen 3rd.

            The junior class 16 category was won by Kevin Eves and Adrian Reynolds in a twin cam, ahead of  Richard Moore and Sean Brunton in a civic with Barry and Sean Brady in 3rd. The historic class was won by Stanley Orr in an escort ahead of Berian Richards and Paddy Brennan in 3rd, both in escorts. Unfortunately with every event there has to be somebody last and this years title goes to ex-CoC Conor Maguire and Peter Farrell. To be fair this result does not paint a true picture of the lads day in the immaculate Mark 1 escort as they were stopped on stage 4 a dropped a massive 24 minutes to their rivals. Its evident from the many photo’s and videos available that these lads were trying hard and enjoyed their day, the Mark 1 now bearing the haul marks of their determination.  

            Other hard luck stories throughout the day through the stages which covered the Emyvale, Glaslough and castleshane areas included Kieran “Bilko” McCarra/Mark Hamill retire with a burst radiator, Chris Armstrong off on ss1, Barry Ryan/Emmett Sherry with suspension damage, Paddy Kiernan/James McCarvill off on ss3, Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes with engine blown to name but a few.

            So thats the jist of the 2013 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally. Apologies for not being able to include all competitors in the report and well done to CoC Paul Hughes, his assistants and the stages commanders and all there many helpers who organised and set up the stages. Thanks to the many residents for their co-operation in running this event. To the hundreds of marshal’s who turned up to ensure the safe running of the event. To the Main sponsors, Hillgrove Hotel for their continued support and also to McAree Engineering for donating the start/finish ramp arch which looked very well and will suffice for many a year to come. To everyone else who helped out in any way, big or small for you time and effort. Fair to say the Monaghan Stages Rally is going from strength to strength, year on year which is down to the hard work and dedication of its organisers, this is evident by the large entries of top class competitors and something the county of Monaghan should be proud to host.

 

Sympathy

Monaghan Motor Club wish to extend their deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the late Patsy Tracey, Emyvale. Patsy was an avid motor sport fan and rarely missed marshalling duties on Monaghan and Cavan Stages. Indeed Patsy was to marshal on this years Monaghan Stages Rally but unfortunately passed away on Sunday morning after a brave battle with illness. 

 

Upcoming Events

National Navigation prize giving Saturday 27th April in Portlaoise. Kilmore Hotel Cavan Stages Rally Sunday  26th May.

 

2013 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally

All roads lead to Monaghan this coming weekend as Monaghan Motor Club host their biggest sporting event of the calendar. With a bumper entry and no stone left unturned by the organisers this event is sure to live up to its billing as one of the top stages events of the rally season. A full entry of 141 cars will cross the start ramp at 9.20am Sunday morning to tackle the three stages which cover the general Northeast area of Monaghan, circling Castleshane, Glaslough, Emyvale and Tydavnet and back towards Monaghan where service is located in the main car park behind Flemings.

            Last years winner Daniel McKenna will lead off a fantastic field of some of the top cars in the country, including seven WRC spec cars with Donegal cousins Declan and Brian Boyle seeded at number two. Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry are seeded 3, Donagh Kelly 4 and Darren Gass 5, all in Subaru’s. Group N class is sure to be a battle royale through the Monaghan countryside with top four seeds all from Monaghan. Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly head the quartet at 12, Josh Moffett/James Rowan 14, Shane Maguire/Martin McGarrity 15 and Stephen and Suzanne Wright at 16.

            The two wheel drive honours is highly sought after in Monaghan as last years winner Daniel McKenna with Stephen Hagan on the notes this year will once again be in the melting pot with Gary McPhillips/Mark Tierney seeded 7, James Stafford in the infamous Darrian at 8, Frank Kelly 9 with Rodney Wilton, Jim Mc Kenna, Pat Donegan and Brian Brogan to name a few in class 14 all fighting for class honours. Kieran “Bilko” McCarra will head the class 13 field following on from his fantastic results last year and is seeded 21. Midlands stages winners, Chris Armstrong/Tom Clinton are 22, Cavan’s Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne 23 and Russell Woods 24 with Paddy Kiernan/James McCarville sure to be up for class honours seeded 28. Another few local crews sure to be in with a shout in class 13 include Raymond Conlon/Darren McCague and Richard Moffett/Martin Connolly in the starlet.

            Double border rally champions Arthur and Mac Kierans lead out the class 12 brigade with Enda Haran/Patrick Corcoran in the twin cam seeded at 43 sure to keep the Aghabog duo on their toes throughout the day. Barry Ryan/Emmett Sherry are top seeds in class 11 ahead of David Moffett/Fintan Sherry with Seamus Connolly/Gary McCruddan third seeds ahead of Johno Doogan, Paul Carroll and Martin McPhillips to name but a few in the highly competitive class 11 which sees over twenty entries. Class 10 is headed by Cavan man Gary Kiernan and Niall Tierney ahead of Monaghan’s John and Niall Kelly with Barry Treanor in hot pursuit in the 205. Lloyd Hutchinson is the man to beat in class 9 in the super quick mini but will have stiff competition from Justin Smyth/Gregory Mc Quillan with Maudabawn men Damien Reilly/Damien McCabe and Pa Bellew all sure to be fighting for class honours. Tommy Doyle/Liam Moynihan are top class 7 entrants in the super quick R3 and is sure to set some top times with Brendan Cumiskey/Conor Foley also out in the newly acquired DS 2 in class 7.

            The junior rally will run in tandem with the main field and is led off by Cavan’s Darren O’Brien and Johnny Rooney seeded at 41. Kevin Eve’s and Adrian Reynolds are second junior seeds and will run at 63 with Ryan and Nicola McKenna seeded at 113 in their twin Cam and sure to be up for a class award.

            So Monaghan is surely the place to be over this coming weekend and any marshals available are asked to contact any committee member or the club website. As always spectator and competitors safety is at the fore in any motor sport event and the 2013 Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally is no different. This week the Clerk of the Course Paul Hughes emphasised the importance of safety. “The core feature of our preparations has been and always will be the safety of all concerned. Safety Marshals, Stage Commanders and Officials have been trained accordingly. The Event Safety Plan has been compiled meticulously. What is required is that spectators play their part to ensure the safe running of the event. I want to draw the attention of spectators to the Spectator Safety notice in the rally programme. This is your guide to safer spectating, ignoring it is not an option. 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. I also ask spectators to respect private property where you assemble and bring your litter home. I am delighted that we have the Road Safety Authority road show attending this year to help us get the message across to all rally fans to “Keep the race in its place”. Finally, I wish everyone involved an enjoyable and safe day’s rallying in Monaghan”.

 

RSA and Motorsport Ireland Team Up Promote “Keep the Race in its Place”

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and Motorsport Ireland, in association with County Monaghan Motor Club who are organisers of the Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally which is being staged on Sunday 21st April 2013, have issued a joint safety message to fans attending the sporting event to “Keep the Race in its Place”.

            The RSA and Motorsport Ireland are running a safety campaign around the event to convey life-saving road safety messages to the public and to the high-risk target audiences viewing the event. At the event, the RSA will be opening up the ‘Roll-Over Simulator’ to the public. The RSA Roll-Over Car highlights the importance of wearing a seatbelt as people experience the car turning 360degrees. “The Rally enthusiasts are predominantly young men, and we want to talk directly to this ‘at risk’ group who follow the sport. Just like any other sport, there is a time and a place for Rally driving. These events are heavily marshalled and take place in a highly disciplined and controlled environment. The drivers are specially trained and must wear special personal protective gear. Along with this, the cars are specially prepared for the purpose of rallying. Trying this without all of these precautions would be extremely unsafe.” explained Noel Brett, Chief Executive, RSA. “That is why we want to remind everyone attending the Monaghan Stages Rally to drive safely – and “Keep The Race In Its Place”.

“We’re expecting thousands of fans to attend the Monaghan Stages Rally,” explained Alex Sinclair, Chief Executive, Motorsport Ireland. “And by teaming up with the RSA we want to emphasise the importance of safety, both on the rally course and on the open road. And anyone attending the rally will be getting the message that ‘safety wins’ loud and clear.”

The “Keep the Race in its Place” campaign reminds people to only watch the Special Stages from safety zones, never to enter prohibited areas, and between stages and afterwards, to follow the rally drivers’ lead by staying within the speed limits, by staying belted-in, and by never ever drinking and driving.

Setting this good example is well known rally driver Aaron McHale, Board Member of the RSA. Aaron is a successful rally driver and son of rallying legend Austin McHale. He is helping to get across these important safety messages to the public as part of an advertising campaign.

“As a rally driver I am acutely aware of the need for safety,” explained Aaron McHale, “It is the top priority for all rally drivers and it should be the top priority for all road users. You simply cannot drive on open roads the same way that professional Rally drivers do on closed roads with a co-driver warning you of upcoming obstacles and hazards. Ordinary drivers just don’t drive under the same strict health and safety requirements and when driving on public roads must obey the rules of the road.”

Fans travelling to and from the Monaghan Stages Rally on 21st  April 2013 are urged to heed the message from the rally drivers – to ‘Keep the Race in its Place’, slow down, don’t drink and drive and always wear a seatbelt.

 

Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally Launch Day

Monaghan Motor Club through the guise of its committee members John Kelly and Damien Treanor held a hugely successful Rally launch day in the Hillgrove Hotel last Sunday. A large crowd were well entertained throughout the day with the plethora of rally memorabilia, including rally cars, vintage cars, classic rally cars, trade stands, videos, photographs etc. all combined for an enjoyable day to promote the upcoming Stages Rally this weekend. John and his team must be commended for their efforts in pulling the whole day together which was well supported. Any donations received at the door are for a nominated charity with report and photos to be published at a later date.

Willie Loughman Carrick-on-Suir Forestry Rally

Well done to Vincent and Jp McAree on their 5th overall result on last weekends Willie Loughman Carrick-on-Suir forestry Rally. The Ballinode cousins took the class win in their EVO 9. Indeed there was good Monaghan rivalry in class 8 throughout the day as Sam Moffett and James O’Reilly pushed the McAree’s all the way to the end and eventually finished just 15 seconds behind, also in a class 8 EVO 9.

            Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna had been up to 4th overall and leading the Monaghan charge but they vanished off the leader board with two stages remaining. Michael Conlon and Ciaran McPhillips were also on a great run in the two wheel drive category and were 2nd behind the ultra quick Shane McGirr after four stages but unfortunately they kept two close to the Tipperary scenery and sustained wheel damage which ended their charge. Enda McNulty and Paul Sheridan failed to complete the second stage. Michael Carbin and Stephen Thornton’s bad run of luck continued as they too failed to finish. Daniel McKenna and Arthur Kierans were running as sweeper in the fiesta, picking up valuable stage miles ahead of their upcoming assault on the British Rally Championship.

 

Upcoming Events

National Navigation prize giving Saturday 27th April in Portlaoise. Kilmore Hotel Cavan Stages Rally Sunday  26th May.

 

Planning is at an advanced stage for this years Monaghan Stages Rally to be held on Sunday 20th April. Once again head quarters for the event is to idealic Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan. Clerk of the Course, Paul Hughes and his team have been hard at work over the last 4-5 months to ensure this event lives up to its billing as one of the top stages events in the Irish Rally calendar. Entries are flooding in with regulations and entry forms available on the club website at http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net As with any stages event there are hundreds of marshals required and if you are available and willing to help at any stage over the course of the weekend please do not hesitate to contact any committee member.

            A Rally launch day is at an advanced stage of planning and is to be held in the Hillgrove Hotel on Sunday 14th April from 2pm to 6pm. This launch event is sure to have something for all the family to enjoy. A host of trade stands will be in attendance along with a display of historic and vintage cars. The 1982 Irish tarmac championship winning car will be on display alongside the 2012 tarmac championship winning car of Darren Gass. Interesting to see how these cars have evolved over a 30 year period! There will also be simulators and many local rally cars there on the day for all to enjoy. Rally videos will be on the big screen and old/new rally photos will be on display which is sure to evoke a few memories of yesteryear on the local rally scene. Monaghan Motor Club will have their own stand as well as the Sligo Pallets Border Championship stand. Our very own Sean McCaffery will be MC for the day and keep all in attendance up to speed with everything that’s happening.  Plans are also afoot for a scrutineers forum at the launch event which will give local rally people an opportunity to have a chat one on one with some MI scrutineers, so whether you are building a car and have some queries or maybe just want to express your opinions or have suggestions regarding car safety etc. this is an ideal opportunity for you. This is only the tip of the iceberg of what is guaranteed to be an enjoyable day in a relaxed atmosphere so come along to the Hillgrove on Sunday 14th with fun for all the family. More details next week.

 

Upcoming Events

Squealing Pig Border Night Navigation Prize giving in Squealing Pig, Monaghan this Friday, 5th April at 8.30 sharp. Please come along for what is guaranteed to be a great night and support the Border Night Navigation Championship sponsor’s, the Squealing Pig. Contact Andy on 087 2558957 to book tickets ASAP.

             

 

It was a memorable win for Co. Cavan youngster Chris Armstrong and Tom Clinton on last Sundays Midlands Moto Stages Rally. The Virginia youngster overcame a 6 second deficit over the final loop of three stages to claim his first ever overall win with a 3 second advantage over rivals and good friend Rodney Wilton and Conor McMahon. The latter in the Wilton Waste Recycling backed class 14 escort had held the lead through the opening six stages but couldn’t manage to hold off the hard charging Armstrong who has only acquired the class 13 escort this time last year, having been in front wheel drive previously. Pat Donegan/Alan Keena had a great battle for third throughout the day with Maurice Moffett and eventually pulled out a 15 second margin. Maurice and Patrick Brides were on a great pace throughout the day and as usual thrilled spectators in the class 14 starlet. Paddy McVeigh and Stephen O’Hanlon rounded off the top 5 in an Impreza WRC.

            On what was a dry but cold day with conditions very gravely and mucky it was to be a real challenge for competitors. First victim of the day was Daniel McKenna and Niall Morley as they sustained suspension damage on the opening test over some jumps. They did manage to make it back to service and acted as a sweeper car for the remainder of the event, much to the delight of the many thousands of spectators who braved the elements. David Moffett and Fintan Sheery teamed up for this event and had an excellent run in the second of the Moffett starlets to finish 7th overall and take the highly competitive class 11R win. It was misfortune for the third Moffett starlet on show as Richard Moffett and Martin Connolly failed to make the finish after a great battle over the opening six stages with younger brother David. 

            Arthur and Mac Kierans picked up where they left off in Mayo with another fine drive to take the KES backed escort home to another class 12 win and 10th overall. Jack Maguire and Andy Hayes finished in 11th overall and second in class 13. Barry McKenna and Johnny Bairds fortunes seemed to have turned as he had a great run to 16th overall and just missing out on 3rd in class 13.

            Jim McKenna and Thomas Treanor failed to make the finish having disappeared off the leader board over the final loop. The hard charging escort men were up to 5th overall in final service. Johno and Padraig Doogan were also on a great run and up to 12th overall after stage 7 but they too failed to finish whilst lying 2nd in class 11R. On form Cavan men Paddy and Gary Kiernan also failed to finish in their class 13 escort but were up to 5th overall before their retirement.

            Cootehill man Darren O’Brien with Johnny Rooney on the notes won the junior rally by over a minute and a half from Barry and Sean Brady, both in honda civics.

 

MIDLAND MC STAGES RALLY TOP 10

1 Chris Armstrong/Tom Clinton (Escort) 65m 35s

2 Rodney Wilton/Conor McMahon (Escort) 65m 38s

3 Pat Donegan/Alan Keena (Escort) 66m 35s

4 Maurice Moffett/Patrick Brides (Starlet) 66m 50s

5 Paddy McVeigh/Stephen O’Hanlon (Impreza WRC) 67m 02s

6 James Laverty/Francis Regan (Impreza Gp N) 67m 14s

7 David Moffett/Fintan Sherry (Starlet) 68m 50s

8 Pat Kelly/Jonathan Kelly (Impreza WRC) 69m 09s

9 Eamon Dervan/Brian McNamara (Escort) 69m 10s

10 Arthur Kierans/Mac Kierans (Escort) 69m 28s

 

JUNIORS:

1 Darren O’Brien/Johnny Rooney (Civic) 47m 13s

2 Barry Brady/Sean
Brady (Civic) 48m 48s

3 Alan Lawson/Sean Harte (Civic) 49m 52s

 

Upcoming Events

Squealing Pig Border Night Navigation Prize giving in Squealing Pig, Monaghan on Friday 5th April at 8.30 sharp. Please come along and support our sponsors regardless of receiving a trophy. Contact Andy on 087 2558957 to book tickets ASAP.

            Hillgrove Hotel Monaghan Stages Rally will take place on Sunday 20th April. All systems are go with a hard working team spending endless hours on road books, safety plans, time schedules, PR etc. Regs and Entry forms are available on club website at http://www.monaghanmotorclub.net so all intending competitors are asked to send them in ASAP. A launch day for the event is also taking place with a guaranteed action packed day for all the family in the Hillgrove Hotel. Full details in next weeks edition

 

Martin Tynan and Fintan Clerkin ended their navigation on a high at the weekend with an outright win on the Monaghan motor Club navigation Trial in Newbliss last Saturday night. This completes a great season for the pair as they recorded two wins in Donegal also. 36 crews departed Newbliss to tackle the tight knit trial with 40 timepoints and 7 via’s, never any more than seven miles from HQ as the crow flies. At petrol halt Tynan/Higgins were tied with Ashley McAdoo and Francis Keenan on 2 penalties. Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins decided a cautious approach was the better option as they needed a good finish to claim the 2012/13 border and national championships, which they ultimately did with a 3rd over-all finish. Tynan/Clerkin and McAdoo/Keenan both held their nerve through the tricky second half, dropping a further two penalties to both finish on 4 with Tynan/Clerkin taking the overall win on novice over semi-expert ruling. National title chasers Colin Duffy and Sam Johnson took 4th overall as they had a good run in unfamiliar territory. Trevor Farrell and Noel Hall completed the top 5 and 3rd in expert class.

            With McAdoo/Keenan claiming top spot in the semi-expert class ahead of Pakie Duffy and Nigel McCloughery, it was Damien Treanor and Jonathan McGovern who took third place on a tough event. Dermot and Laurence rounded off a good year with many class trophies, taking top spot on this occasion and 10th overall. Eoghan Corr and Brendan Treanor were second in class once again ahead of Keith McConnon and Michael McCluskey. In what was a tough event for beginners, Fintan McGorman and Derek Mackarel used their local knowledge to great effect, taking a comfortable class win. Indeed had it not been for a dreaded 50 penalties with too much time take back they could of finished the event 6th overall. Second beginner went to Gerry Kelly and Seamus McTigue ahead of Donal McArdle and Andrew Wedlock.

            So after what was an enjoyable night for all who tackled the maze of lane’s through Newbliss and surrounding areas its was the old dog’s for the hard road, as Andy Mackarel and Liam Higgins are once again crowned double National and Squealing Pig Border navigation champions. Watch this space for upcoming National and Border prize giving dates.

            CoC’s for the event, Ciaran and Michael Tynan would like to thank all residents along the route, especially those who offered their private lanes. All 30 marshals who turned up on the night to ensure everything was manned. Results teams and to the tea ladies who did a great job.       

 

Monaghan MC Navigation Trial top 10

1 Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 4 marks

2 Ashley McAdoo/Francis Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 4m

3 Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 5m

4 Colin Duffy/Sam Johnson (Subaru Impreza) 6m

5 Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 8m

6 Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan (Subaru Impreza) 12m

7 Gary McElhinney/Damien Connolly (Subaru Impreza) 33m

8 Pakie Duffy/Nigel McCloughry (Subaru Impreza) 44m

9 Fintan McGorman/Derek Mackarel (Subaru Impreza) 61m

10 Dermot Keenan/Laurence Keenan (Subaru Impreza) 62m

 

Boyle cousins off to the prefect start

Declan and Brian Boyle have got off to the perfect start this season with another win on the opening round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally championship on Sunday last in Mayo. This follows on from there win in Birr for the opening round of the national. the Donegal men took a start to finish win with 1min and 30sec’s to spare over Donagh Kelly, both in Subaru WRC. Russell Woods and Gary Gallagher had a great run through the Mayo stages to claim 3rd overall, 5 seconds ahead of Cavan’s Johnathan Pringle, both in class 13 escorts. Declan Gallagher and Ronan Murrin rounded off the top five. Raymond Conlon and Darren McCague flew the flag highest for the travelling Monaghan brigade with a great 5th overall finish and 3rd in class 13. 

            Arthur and Mac Kierans also had the perfect start to their border campaign as the back to back winners took another class win in the trusty class 12 escort. Seamus Connolly and Gary McCruddan finished with a class win and 14th overall after some disappointing results of late by their standards. They also took the drive of the day award. Justin Smyth and Gregory McQuillan had an eventful day and did well to finish as class 9 winners and 15th overall. This was despite a high speed spin on stage 2 and the gear stick breaking on stage 6. Justin and Gregory would like to thank all their sponsors for the day. Jack Maguire and Stephen McElroy were 17th overall in the red escort. Michael Conlon and Niall Connolly had a troubled day but finished in 20th overall. John and Niall Kelly made a welcomed return to the stages in the twin cam and finished 3rd in the highly competitive class 10. David Smyth and Mark Derry were also out in the class 11R twin cam and took 3rd place spoils.

 

Mayo Stages 2013 Top 10

 

1/ Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle Subaru WRC 8 1:05:09.7

2/ Donagh Kelly/Kevin Flanagan Subaru WRC 8 1:06:39.2

3/ Russell Woods/Gary Gallagher Ford Escort Mk 13 1:09:25.8

4/ Jonathan Pringle/Martin Byrne Ford Escort RS 13 1 1:09:30.4

5/ Declan Gallagher/Ronan Murrin Toyota Starlet 13 2 1:09:32.0

6/ Raymond Conlon/Darren McCague Toyota Corolla 13 3 1:11:06.5

7/ Pat Kirk/Joe McNulty Mitsubishi Evo 4 1 1:11:34.7

8/ Andrew Mullen/Elaine Doherty Mitsubishi Evo 4 2 1:12:23.2

9/ Paul Clarke/Patrick Cunningham Ford Escort 13 4 1:12:41.8

10/ Daniel Conaghan/Terence Magee Ford Escort 13 5 1:12:46.5