ALMC Endurance Trial - (Sat) 16 Feb 13

Murphy/Kelly Dominate ALMC Endurance Trial

Posted: February 1, 2014 7:26 PM

Brian Murphy and William Kelly lead from start to finish to win the ALMC Spring Endurance Trial in their Toyota Starlet finishing the event over a minute ahead of the second place crew of Enda McLoughlin and Declan Tynan also in a Starlet. Karl O'Donoghue with Evan Hughes calling the instructions came in third overall in their Rover 200 preventing a clean sweep for the Toyota's. The event started from its now customary base at the Luttrellstown Golf club in West Dublin and took the fifty competing crews on a loop of selectives through the grounds of various privately owned facilities and estates located in counties Dublin, Louth and Meath before returning to the Luttrellstown Castle estate for the final 15km selective loop of the grounds under the cover of darkness.

Murphy and Kelly made clear their intent right from the opening selective posting fastest time through the test and taking a lead which they did not relinquish for the remainder of the day. McLoughlin and Tynan maintained a steady pace through the course of the day and continued to swap seconds on the tests with the leaders while keeping the gap to less than thirty seconds. On the final test of the day Murphy's outright pace was too much for them and with just twenty seconds separating first and second at the start of the selective the winners emerged a minute and one second up to secure the win. Number one seeds Daniel Byrne and Kevin Fagan stayed in the hunt for the overall victory while battling with Eddie Peterson and Richard Pain both of which were driving Starlets until the final test in Luttrelstown when disaster struck and Byrne and Fagan took the maximum time and dropped to twenty fifth overall. Early indications at the finish were that Peterson and Pain would take third overall but when corrections were made to earlier test times O'Donoghue and Hughes moved ahead to clinch the final podium place ending the event just five seconds behind second placed McLoughlin. Peterson and Pain took first in class one, with the Starlet of Damien Doran and Anthony O'Neill second and Simon and Deirdre McKinley in their Canary yellow Fiat Cinquecento completing the top three in the class, they even had time for a car wash in Turvey prior to the MacHale test.

Irish young rallying talents Robert Barrable and FIA Academy star Alastair Fisher came together for their first event competing together with Alastair taking to the selective notes. Seeded two for the event their hopes of challenging for the overall award ended less than two kilometres into the first selective when they went straight on at a right hander and ended up getting stuck resulting in a loss of two minutes. Class two of the event for modified cars under 1400cc was a hotly fought battle with Martin Devine and dad John alongside coming home class winners and seventh overall following a blistering time through the final selective and the scrubbing of an earlier late penalty. Frank Lenehan and Olwen Blair took second in class two in their Starlet with Niall and James Driver finishing third in the class, five and a half minutes off the class winners.

Class three was dominated by ex-track racing ace Patricia Denning with former border championship winning co-driver Joe Downey calling the instructions in the Toyota Starlet, proving they are a formidable team on enduro events. Glyn Gaffney and Alan Doran in their Celica finished one minute forty seconds behind Denning, yet another ageing Toyota put to good use. The final place in the class went to Coffee Perfections Sean McEnroe and navigator Paul Tierney in the Proton Sabia GTi. Ted and Karen Gaffney an all ALMC club crew once again swept the selectives in the Golf GTi, Karen feeling the pre-event pressure sitting with Ted following his recent event success she need not have worried they toped class four.

Dermot Carnegie and Paul Bodset lead the rear wheel drive brigade in their Ford Escort, sliding their way through the slippy tests they finished fourth overall and first in class five over five minutes ahead of Martin Nugent and Mark Doran in their Escort with Philip Armstrong and Frank Hussey in the Volvo 544 over seven minutes further back. Ian Downey driving one of several Starlets from the Downey fleet took the inaugural Gary Emmett perpetual Trophy, a tribute to ALMC club member and endurance competitor who passed away late last year. Fifty crews took to the start of the event and with only five crews not making the full distance forty five muck splattered, sump dented, happy crews made it across the finish line late on Saturday night. Congratulations and well done to COC Noel Devlin and his hard working team and all who marshalled on the day.

Photos

Posted: February 1, 2014 6:47 PM

Con Brady Photography

Results

Posted: February 1, 2014 6:37 PM

1 Brian Murphy/William Kelly (Toyota Starlet) 10m 35s,
2 Enda McLoughlin/Declan Tynan (Toyota Starlet) 11m 36s,
3 Karl O’Donoghue/Padraig Farrell (Rover 200) 11m 41s,
4 Eddie Peterson/Richard Pain (Toyota Starlet) 11m 56s,
5 Damien Doran/Anthony O’Neill (Toyota Starlet) 12m 27s,
6 Simon McKinley/Deirdre McKinley (Fiat Cinquecento) 13m 29s.

Navigation Cars:
1 Martin Devine/John Devine (Toyota Starlet) 14m 08s,
2 Frank Lenehan/Olwen Blair (Toyota Starlet) 16m 24s,
3 Patricia Denning/Joe Downey (Toyota Starlet) 18m 19s.

Retrospective Cars:
1 Dermot Carnegie/Paul Bosdet (Ford Escort) 11m 52s,
2 Martin Nugent/Mark Doran (Ford Escort) 17m 07s,
3 Ted Gaffney/Karen Gaffney (VW Golf) 22m 11s.

Full Results at: results.shannonsportsit.ie (Angus Sealy)

Seeded Entry List

Posted: February 15, 2013 12:53 PM

ALMC Endurance Trial - (Sat) 16 Feb 13 - SEEDED ENTRY LIS

Testing Selective's Await Crews on ALMC Endurance Trial

Posted: February 9, 2013 10:51 AM

With less than two weeks to go to the ALMC Endurance Trial the first event of the 2013 Endurance calendar Noel and the ALMC team have been working hard to put together a difficult and challenging event for competitors to tackle. The trial will see competitors visit ten different selective venues as they tackle a total of 60km of competitive distance, the event will start from the Luttrellstown Golf resort on the out skirts of Dublin to the west of the city taking crews through counties Dublin, Louth and Meath before returning to the finish at the Luttrellstown estate.

A number of the selective venues will be familiar to competitors as they have been used for previous events although clerk of the course Noel Devlin assures us that the tests will be very different and have been designed to maximise the distance of the selectives. The event will open with a run through the Luttrellstown estate a now familiar opening salvo of the ALMC spring Endurance Trial, on making it through the opener crews will move to Fairyhouse Racecourse just up the road where a route that resembles a spiders web awaits competitors and maybe even a TV appearance as the RTE TV camera's follow Greg Starr from Operation Transformation around the racecourse. Following the jumps at Fairyhouse is a new venue for this year Raystown Business Park in Ashbourne again a short distance away with the addition of a bus or two to create some excitement. Turvey at Junction 4 on the old road north is the scheduled coffee stop followed by a test amongst the plant and machinery supplied as unforgiving pylons provided by the MacHale's famous for their combined six Irish Tarmac rally championship titles.

Into the early afternoon and the event gets into full swing and following a road section north west the event moves to Walterstown Farm (near Kentstown) and a reverse run of the very popular test from last year and then a short dash over the road to Harristown Landfill and a chance for competitors to recycle any bits that may have come off their endurance cars. Slane Castle is next up and with Bon Jovi and Eminem due here later this year the wonderful grounds of the world famous concert venue will be alive with the sound of trial cars by mid afternoon as the crews do battle around the castle for the first of two runs through and a chance to perfect the selective notes before darkness falls.

Townley Hall joins the list of new for 2013 venues, it is home to the “School of Philosophy” but the crews will need a lot more than "Philo" to negotiate the driveway; logging roads and mud tracks on the two and a half kilometre selective. With the afternoon drawing to a close and the dusk turning to darkness Whiteriver Kart Track will be the final test in whatever is left of daylight and the crews will have a chance to display their track skills all be it in something a lot bigger than a kart.

The first of the night selective's will be a return to Townley Hall which will most definitely look a lot different in the dark and then the afternoons tests will follow in quick succession Slane Castle, Harristown Landfill and Fairyhouse Racecourse to name but a few. Then the "piste de résistance" translated as "Endurance crews worst nightmare in the Dark" 15km of selective around the grounds of the Luttreslltown estate with several laps and cars starting at minute intervals it will surely be a spectacular light show and perfect end to an excellent day and true endurance event. A welcome rest will greet crews at the golf resort beside the final test and for those not driving home and who mastered it all it will be "porter, pie and prizes" to end the day.

Entries remain open for the event although places are limited; regulations and event details are available on

ALMC Endurance Hots Up

Posted: January 28, 2013 8:41 PM

Preparations for the ALMC Motor Club Enduarnce Trial are well advanced and the entries are flowing in for the first event of the 2013 season. Once again the event returns to the excellent facilities at Luttrellstown Castle Resort Golf Club taking place on Saturday the 16th February, with the event offering entrants no less than 60km of challenging and enjoyable selectives located in and around the event headquarters. Following the enormous success of the event last year and the growing popularity of Endurance Trials in Ireland ALMC will once again kick off the Endurance Trial calendar and with a number of new events planned by other motor clubs in the country Endurance competitors will have the opportunity to test and develop their skills on a host of new events through the course of the year. This years ALMC event will visit some of the more difficult tests which featured in last year’s Trial while visiting a number of new locations with the event ending in a run through the Luttrellstown Castle test which will be the longest of the day under the cover of darkness. Clerk of the Course for the event Noel Devlin is promising a long and challenging days entertainment for all crews of whatever ability
"there is something in the event for everyone who takes part and we have focused on bring together venues that offer longer tests and the opportunity to visit them in both daylight and under the cover of darkness. There are some real classic selectives in the event like Slane Castle, Fairyhouse and of course Luttrelstown along with these we also have some new venues Townley Hall, Raystown Business Park and a Whiteriver Kart Track amongst others. This year’s event will be even bigger and better than last years and while there will be some of last year’s tests included they will all have some subtle changes so that last year’s crews don't have any significant advantage. To be honest I am disappointed I am not competing myself as I would really like to be doing the event" commented Noel.

The event will start from Luttrellstown golf club at 12 noon with scrutiny and drivers briefing taken place prior to the start also at the club. The crews will then head for the tests with a teatime stop scheduled for 5.25pm that evening which will be preceded by an afternoon packed with tests spread over counties Dublin, Louth and Meath. The first of the competing cars is due back in Luttrellstown at 9.00pm prior to which they will have a run through the 15km night selective around the grounds of Luttrellstown Castle estate one of the highlights of the event. Entries are now open and with the number of entries restricted to 70 competing cars it is likely a reserve list will be created long before the closing date, it is important that competing crews get their entries in now.

The entry fee is just €190 thats just over €3 per km, which includes standard rate IRDS/BRDS insurance and a €30 crew personal accident insurance; the club are offering a discount of €7 for entries from competitors aged 16 or 17. Cars from classes 1 to 5 are eligible for the event which range from navigation trial cars up to 2000cc to front and rear wheel drive retro type cars, with the overall winner being decided from class 1.

Regulations available

Posted: January 15, 2013 11:35 AM

ALMC Motor Club

ALMC Kicks Off Endurance Trial Season

Posted: January 8, 2013 12:22 PM

The now annual spring ALMC Endurance Trial kicks off the 2013 Endurance Trial season for 2013 and promises to be a real challenge for competitors. Taking place on Saturday the 16th February the event will feature seventeen selective's with many of them run under the cover of darkness. The event will for 2013 be led by former ALMC Stages Rally clerk of the course Noel Devlin and will once again return to its now traditional base at Luttrellstown Golf and Country Club with the ever difficult Luttrelstown Castle test featuring all but twice in the events schedule.

The Luttrellstown Castle selective the most difficult and testing of the event will feature as an opener to the event run over no less than 12.5km with a 14.5km test wrapping up the days excitement at the venue. Noel as a former Endurance event CoC and turned competitor promises a mix of old and new along with all the factors that make up a great trial event. "It is all about giving competitors a day’s trials combining long selective’s in challenging conditions spread across the day and featuring something to suit every style of driver and navigator, this event will be no multi venue autotest, it will be everything a competitor expects of an Endurance Trial plus a lot more" mentioned Noel Devlin CoC at the launch of the event.

The format for the day will see the club return to the familiar venue locations in Fairyhouse, Ashbourne, Garristown, Slane and Collon to name but a few, with some new venues added in new locations. Competitors can expect a daytime friendly event with scrutiny taking place in Luttrelstown from 9am followed by breakfast and an estimated 12 noon start, with the first competing car expected to be back at event headquarters by 21.00.

Regulations for the event will be available shortly with an expected entry fee of €190 that will include IRDS of €20 and personal accident of €30.

If you are interested in taking part email event secretary on deirdre@almc.ie or checkout almc.ie for further details and to download the event regulations.

Club Website

Posted: January 8, 2013 11:41 AM

ALMC Motor Club