Class three victor and fifth overall was the reward for Craig Breen yesterday at the finish of the Moonraker Forestry Rally. Breen who was in action for the third weekend in a row was the class of the field in the two wheel drive category and took the class win by twenty four seconds. At the finish ramp Craig was delighted with the result “I was in the UK during the week for to days of heat training at Pro Performance to prepare myself for the expected heat of Rally Sardinia and summer looks to have come early hear today as the temperatures soared. I’m delighted with the result but it could have been even better, we were in joint three overall going into the two last stages but I picked up a puncture on stage seven and that dropped us back. That’s rallying and I’m delighted with the result. It’s all time in the car under my belt as we prepare for the next round of the World Rally Academy.”
The rally, based in the West Waterford town of Lismore and formed round three of the Valvoline National Forestry Championship got underway on Sunday morning with the first of eight special stages. Breen had taken class honours and was the top two wheel drive on round two in Carrick on Suir at the beginning of March was out for a repeat performance. Seeded at number eight, the twenty one year old immediately gained a place on the opening test. In service after stage two, he stated, “All was going well but the first two stages were a little greasy as they had not seen much traffic, we should be better over the rerun of the loop and I’m looking forward to the afternoon’s stages.” Over the rerun of the morning loop there was very little between all the top cars. Craig was joint fifth with Mitsubishi driver Gerard Lucey and was four seconds ahead of his class three rival Paul Fitzgerald.
After the midway service the rally moved to the afternoon loop of stages based near Aglish and Cappoquin. Craig remarked that he was looking forward to the afternoon loop and initially it looked as if a top three finish was on the cards. On stage five the Keltech backed car posted the third best time overall and moved into third overall just ahead of the Mitsubishi’s of Gerard Lucey and Stephen Wright with Craig holding a lead of just eight seconds over Lucey and Wright a further second back. On stage six the power of the four wheel drive cars started to tell as Stephen Wright pulled level with Craig as they both were tied on the same time (26.03). With two stage two go it looked as if we were in for an exciting final two stages but rallying always throws up something unexpected and on this occasion it was Craig who was to suffer. On that penultimate test the Fiesta R2 picked up a puncture and dropped back to fifth.
Back in Lismore at the finish ramp Breen said, “I been on the road with a month now, I’m delighted with today’s result. I’m in the middle of a packed schedule but everything is based around the six events of the FIA WRC Academy. With two stages to go, we were in third but I got a puncture on SS7 and that was that. A class win and top two wheel drive is great. The temperatures were very high and it was very warm in the cockpit, this was the perfect preparation for our next WRC event which comes up early in May.”
Moonraker maiden victory for Ryan/Bourke
Posted: January 22, 2012 12:34 AM
There was drama and excitement galore on last Sunday’s Moonraker rally-round three of the Valvoline Forest rally Championship, as Mitsubishi Evo’s claimed the first four places. Liam Ryan from Cashel was a rally winner for the first time in his Evo 9 but he was harried all the way by Monaghan’s Vincent Mc Aree (Evo9) who was only 9 seconds in arrears at the finish. Fellow Monaghan driver Stephen Wright (Evo6) completed the podium with Cork’s Ger Lucey (Evo8) fourth and Craig Breen (Fiesta R2) fifth and first 2WD car home. Hosted by the Munster Car Club on April 10th and based in Lismore, the eight stage Moonraker had a stage distance of 65km, made up of some new and some familiar locations.
In the early stages the rally was dominated by John Reid (Corolla WRC), Owen Murphy (Evo9) and Ian Cochrane (Evo9), with Reid and Murphy equal fastest on the first stage. On the next test Reid went off costing him over 5 minutes, the Dubliner eventually finished fourteenth, despite winning 5 other stages. Murphy who was the pre-event Valvoline championship leader, went fastest on two and into the lead but a damaged radiator forced him out by stage 5. Ian Cochrane who was second-also succumbed on 5 with a broken oil filter. At the end of 5 Ryan assumed the lead with Mc Aree close behind.
For the three remaining stages Ryan had to hold his lead and his nerve as Vincent Mc Aree (Evo9) launched a huge attack. The gap between the two-who also had a huge fight on the last round-was whittled down from 12 seconds to seven by Mc Aree, but Ryan was cool enough to take back two on the final test. Mc Aree’s case was not helped by a puncture that cost precious seconds. The Ballinode driver finished runners up again, this time by a margin of 9 seconds. Newbliss driver Stephen Wright (Evo6), finished in third, the former junior champion was co-driven by his sister Suzanne. Ballyvourney brothers Ger and James Lucey-both former autocross champions-had their best ever rally result with fourth overall. Craig Breen did another giant killing act in the little Fiesta R2. The Waterford driver was as high as third overall in the later stages, but he finished fifth and first 2WD car home.
Results
Posted: January 22, 2012 12:16 AM
1 Liam Ryan/Aidan Bourke (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 37m 38s,
2 Vincent McAree/J P McAree (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 37m 47s,
3 Stephen Wright/Suzanne Wright (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) 38m 49s,
4 Gerard Lucey/James Lucey (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 Gp N) 38m 57s,
5 Craig Breen/Gareth Roberts (Ford Fiesta R2) 39m 16s,
6 Paul Fitzgerald/Liam Brennan (Ford Escort 1.6 16V MkII) 39m 40s,
7 Patrick Keenan/Martin Brady (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 40m 11s,
8 Mark Murphy/Carol O’Keeffe (Subaru Impreza WRX) 41m 07s,
9 Jer Connors/Owen O’Neill (Subaru Impreza WRX) 41m 38s,
10 David Dunne/Mike Furey (Ford Escort) 41m 45s.
Leaders After:
SS1 John Reid/Enda Shields (Toyota Corolla WRC)
& Owen Murphy/James O'Brien (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N)
SS2-4 Owen Murphy/James O'Brien (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N)
SS5 Liam Ryan/Aidan Bourke (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N)
Stage Winners:
SS1 John Reid/Enda Shields (Toyota Corolla WRC)
& Owen Murphy/James O'Brien (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N)
SS2 Owen Murphy/James O'Brien (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N)
SS3 Ian Cochrane/Ray Fitzpatrick (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N)
SS4 John Reid/Enda Shields (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS5 John Reid/Enda Shields (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS6 John Reid/Enda Shields (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS7 John Reid/Enda Shields (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS8 John Reid/Enda Shields (Toyota Corolla WRC)
Owen Murphy / James O' Brien are ready for round 3 of the VALVOLINE FOREST RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP the Moonraker Forest Rally. Driving the Hankook Mitsubishi the Cork crew are hungry for another good result after great wins on Round 1 and 2 of the series .
Based in the Lismore House Hotel in the historic village of Lismore in west Waterford the rally will provide a stiff test for all competitors ,8 stages await the competitors and Owens competition will come mostly from the WRC Corolla of John Reid and the Evo's of Andrew Purcell, Vincent McAree, and Liam Ryan. Jeremy Drislane in the WRC Subaru is also one to watch.
The Hankook Mitsubishi has had a spanner check at TTec Motorsport and all looks good. Owen said got to be carefull and sharp on the short stages one does not make time on those but if you loose time well thats it really. i think the stages later in the day will suit us better.
The weather is reported to clear up mid week so it should be a dry rally whatever the weather Hankook has a tyre for all conditions and a choice of compounds.
The rally as forestry rallys go is quiet easy to follow as a specator with stages at Scart Mountain , either side of the Youghal to Tallow road and the other stage just outside Clashmore for further information on the rally go to
Next Sunday’s Moonraker Forest Rally is the third round of the 2011 Valvoline Forest Rally Championship and another great event is anticipated. The series got off the best possible start for Owen Murphy with a brace of victories on the Mitchelstown (Sean Conlon Memorial Forest ) and Carrick-on-Suir (Willie Loughman Memorial Forest) rallies. Murphy who hails from Ballincollig drives the Hankook Evo 9. He is a former Billy Coleman award winner and he has a useful seven points lead in the Valvoline championship.
In the opener in Mitchelstown, John Reid led from the start, but he spun his Corolla WRC in the early kilometers of the last stage at Kilworth and it cost him 37 seconds and pushed him down to second place overall. Andrew Purcell who was second most of the day behind Reid, also succumbed to the Kilworth challenge when he slipped off the road and into retirement. Murphy who was third overall at the start of Kilworth emerged from the final test with his maiden rally win.
In the second round hosted by the Carrick club, it was the Impreza WRC of Jeremy Drislane who won the first stage at Kilsheelin. A spin on the second relegated him to fourth as Murphy went fastest to move into a lead that he would never surrender. Liam Ryan was the chaser and with good times in Gurteen and Anner he was second overall at first service, 46 behind Murphy and 17 ahead of McAree. With the second half of the rally held in the dark, the crews headed back to Kilsheelin, Gorteen and Anner. McAree was the main mover, putting his night nav experience to good use by winning the three stages and this was enough to claim second place from Ryan by 4 seconds. John Reid withdrew after stage one with flu infection and Andrew Purcell crashed out on stage two.
Organised and promoted by the Munster car Club, the Moonraker rally is based in Lismore. The Lismore House Hotel is the main sponsor and rally HQ. Brian O’Leary is the Clerk of the Course and he has announced that the event contains a mix of some new stages and old favourites. The stages are based in the Tallow/West Waterford area and are reported to be in good order. The total stage distance is 65km, with the first stage commencing at 09:30, with the winner on the finish ramp at 16:30. A total of fifty six cars have entered the event.
Moonraker Forestry Rally Promotional Video
Posted: April 6, 2011 11:05 AM
Seeded Entry List
Posted: April 6, 2011 9:30 AM
No Driver /Navigator (Make/ Model) [Class]
1 John Reid/Enda Shields (Toyota Corolla WRC ) [7]
2 Owen Murphy/James O'Brien (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [8]
3 Ian Cochrane/Ray Fitzpatrick (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) [8]
4 Jeremy Drislane/Paul Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC) [7]
5 Martrin Cairns/Andrew Purcell (Subaru Impreza WRC) [7]
6 Vincent Mc Aree/JP Mc Aree (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [8]
7 Liam Ryan/Aidan Bourke (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [8]
8 Craig Breen/Gareth Roberts (Ford Fiesta R2) [3]
9 Stephen Wright/Susanne Wright (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) [6]
10 Shane McGirr/TBC (Toyota Starlet ) []
11 James Coleman/Micael Haley (Ford Escort MkII) [5]
12 Bob Scanlon/Liam Mc Loughlin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10) [8]
14 Patrick Keenan/Martin Brady (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [8]
15 Viv Hamill/Paul Hamill (Ford Escort ) [5]
16 Michael Cuddihy/James Dunphy (Toyota Starlet ) [3]
17 Shay Power /Jonny Rafter (Ford Escort ) [5]
18 Gerard Lucey/James Lucey (Mitsubishi Evo 8) [8]
19 Paul Fitzgerald/Liam Brennan (Ford Escort MkII) [3]
20 Jimmy Deane/Barry Meade (Ford Escort MkII) [3]
21 Jer Connors/Owen O'Neill (Subaru Impreza) [8]
22 Mark Murphy/Carol O'Keefe (Subaru Impreza) [6]
23 Pat Price/Patrick Price (Mitsubishi Evo 6) [6]
24 Connie Delaney/Ray Grace (Subaru Impreza) [6]
25 Danny Creedon/Tom Foley (Subaru Impreza) [6]
26 Mike O'Connor/Pat Curley (Mitsubishi Evo) [6]
27 Mick Cremin/John O'Shea (Mitsubishi Evo) [6]
28 Alan Cummins/James Cummins (Ford Escort Mk II) [4]
29 Ollie Williams/Kevin Barry (Ford Escort) [5]
30 Raymond B Benskin Jr/Ollie Kierce (Ford Escort RS2000) [4]
31 Ray Benskin/Peadar Walsh (ford Escort Mk II) [4]
32 Sean Benskin/Joe Fitzgibbon (Ford Escort MkII) [4]
33 Damien Mc Gauran/Thomas McGauran (Toyota Corolla ) [5]
34 David Dunne/TBC (Ford Escort Mk II) [5]
35 Noel Wade/Eamon Tuohy (Ford Escort Mk II) [3]
36 Ed Colton/Claire O'Mahony (Peugeot 306) [5]
37 Liam Lynch/Kieran Madden (Ford Escort ) [3]
38 James O'Rourke/David O'Rourke (Fiat Punto) [3]
39 Michael Sheedy/Sean O'Neill (Ford Escort G3) []
101 Andrew Fanning/Derek Gibbs (Ford Ka) [1]
102 Emmet Cronin/TBC (Ford Escort Mk II) [1]
103 Derek Butler/Diarmuid O'Shea (Honda civic) [9]
104 Liam Kelleher/John Duggan (Ford Escort) [2]
105 Joe Shinnors/Derry Healy (Vauxhall Nova) [1]
106 Tristan Horan/TBC (Ford Ka) [1]
107 Douglas Stewart /Billy Ryan (Peugeot 206 ) [9]
108 Michael Nevin/Michael Garahy (Escort Mk II) [2]
109 Michael Ryan/Kieran Carroll (Peugeot 206 ) [9]
110 Alan Keena /Fionnula Maloney (Honda Civic) [9]
111 Michael Walsh/John Walsh (Ford Escort ) [9]
112 Johnny Keneally/Nicky Hegarty (Ford Escort MkII) [1]
113 Daniel Cronin/TBC (Peugeot 206 ) [9]
114 Colin O'Toole/TBC (Ford Ka) [1]
115 Cal Mc Carthy/Eamon Dullea (Honda Civic) [9]
116 Paschal O'Shea/Robert Hennessy (Ford Escort MkII) [2]
117 Anthony Bullman/Michelle Walsh (Ford Escort G3) [2]
Marshal training for the 2011 Moonraker Forestry Rally will take place next Tuesday night at 9pm in the Vienna Woods Hotel, Glanmire, Cork. If you are interest in attending this training session or marshaling on the Moonraker Forestry contact 086-3816078 / +353 86-3816078 after 7pm.
Munster Car Club has announced Brian O’Leary has the new Clerk of the Course for the 2011 Moonraker Rally. Brian has been to the fore in working on rallies in recent years and says he is relishing his appointment. He and his team will be wasting no time in setting out next years route and planning for yet another successful forestry stages event on the weekend of 9th & 10th April
The COC is pleased to announce that Lismore House Hotel will once again be main sponsor and rally headquarters. He also welcomes on board Monplate Signs as associate sponsor.
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