ALMC Wicklow Forest Rally - (Sat) 17 May 14

In Car

Posted: May 24, 2014 3:15 PM

Enda McNulty & Paul Sheridan (Subaru Impreza WRX) - SS3


Douglas Stewart & Billy Ryan (Peugeot 206) - SS4


Ian McCarthy & Vincent Goggin (Honda Civic)

Two in a Row for Murphy/ O’Brien

Posted: May 24, 2014 3:11 PM

The third round of the 2014 Valvoline National Forest Rally Championship took place in Glendalough co. Wicklow on Saturday May 17th. Fantastic weather greeted competitors as they arrived for scrutiny in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains – often referred to as the Garden of Ireland. Following an eight year sabbatical the Valvoline Championship returned to the Wicklow Forest stages with a new host club the “ALMC” who opted to run a compact mini stage (4 stages – 2 repeated) event. There was a good entry with 62 starters including a mix of regulars, new comers and club members.

The first 11km stage “Glenmalure” took its toll as top seeds/ Championship leaders Desi Henry & Liam Moynihan beached their Evo 9 at a chicane abruptly ending their rally. Andrew Purcell/ Stephen Quinn were also sidelined as their Evo 6 clipped a rock and broke a ball joint. Owen Murphy set fastest time, 2 secs up on Pat O’Connell (both in Evo 9’s). Brendan Cumiskey appeared with a recently acquired Impreza S8 WRC but lost a minute due to a stall on the start line and later retired with engine failure. There was further attrition at the start of stage 2 “Aughavannagh” when Pat O’Connell’s Evo simply would not start.

Owen Murphy again set the pace to hold an 11 sec lead at service. Josh Moffett was promoted into second with the demise of O’Connell while Enda McNulty climbed to third despite transmission woes. Rocks strewn very close to the road verge meant that drivers had to be very precise and could not afford to put a wheel off line. Peter McCullagh felt slow himself and was happy to hold fourth. Michael Carbin (Evo 4) set a blistering time through Aughavannagh to climb to fifth. The 2WD competition was fierce as Micky Conlon/ Ciaran McPhillips tied with David Crossen/ Pamela Irwin. Conlon set the pace on ss1 – 9 secs up on Crossen, who responded by taking 9 secs back on ss2.

Enda McNulty sorted the teething issues with his new sequential gearbox at service and set FTD on stage 3. Josh Moffett had concerns after hitting a rock on stage 2 but he too was well on the pace through the repeat of Glenmalure only 3 secs off McNulty. Owen Murphy appeared to have gone off the boil as he was 5 secs slower than his first run, reducing his lead to a slender 2 secs before the final stage. John Reid/ Enda Shields retired having hit the same rock as Andrew Purcell on stage 1 fracturing a wishbone on their Corolla WRC. David Crossen was 2 secs up on Micky Conlon to hold the 2WD advantage. Conor McCarthy/ Dan Donavan (Civic) held a 30 sec lead in the juniors and were just outside the top twenty.

Owen Murphy/ James O’Brien (Evo 9) set a scorching time on the final stage – the repeat of Aughavannagh stopping the clocks with a 6.58. The Cork pair were the only crew to do this iconic 11km stage less than seven minutes to claim their second victory in a row and put them in a very strong position in the Championship standings. Josh Moffett/ Jason McKenna (Evo 9) also went on a big charge and were 16 secs quicker than their first run. The Monaghan pair trailed the winners by 7 secs after the 4 challenging stages and currently lead the Championship by virtue of their solid performances in all three rounds to date. Enda McNulty/ Paul Sheridan (Impreza) completed the podium having shown good pace on this short compact event. Peter McCullagh/ Tommy Cuddihy (Evo 9) had their best result in recent times taking fourth.

Arguably the drive of the day was Michael Carbin/ Stephen Thornton climbing to fifth overall with the faithful Evo 4 – this was a remarkable result from the Monaghan pair. Daniel Cronin/ Shane Buckley (Evo 9) did well taking 6th and appear to be getting to grips with the Mitsubishi. Lucey brothers Ger and James (Evo 8) took 7th after a cautions start. Marty Mckenna/ Damien Fleming had a fraught start with overshoots and overdriving but settled on the repeat stages with better times bringing the Impreza WRC home in 8th. Niall Henry/ John Rowan (Evo 9) took 9th after a steady run. David Crossen/ Pamela Irwin made a memorable maiden trip to the Southern Forests claiming 10th overall and “Best 2WD” with their duratec powered mk2. Conor McCarthy/ Dan Donovan completed a hat trick of junior class wins, again taking the laurels in Wicklow to endorse their lead in the “Valvoline” Junior Championship.

Results

Posted: May 24, 2014 3:04 PM

1 Owen Murphy/James O’Brien (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 28m 49s,
2 Josh Moffett/Jason McKenna (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 28m 56s,
3 Enda McNulty/Paul Sheridan (Subaru Impreza WRX) 29m 07s,
4 Peter McCullagh/Tommy Cuddihy (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 29m 31s,
5 Mickey Carbin/Stephen Thornton (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4) 29m 44s,
6 Daniel Cronin/Shane Buckley (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 29m 52s,
7 Gerard Lucey/James Lucey (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) 30m 02s,
8 Marty McKenna/Damien Fleming (Subaru Impreza WRC) 30m 08s,
9 Niall Henry/John Rowan (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 30m 42s,
10 David Crossen/Pamela Irwin (Ford Escort Mk2) 31m 00s.

Class winners:
Martin McKeown/Declan Ryan (Escort),
Tom Murphy/Colin Moynihan (Escort),
Douglas Stewart/Billy Ryan (Peugeot 206),
Alan Atcheson/William Kehoe (Escort),
Brecan McBreen/Breen McNamee (Impreza),
Marty McKenna/Damien Fleming,
Peter McCullagh/Tommy Cuddihy,
Conor McCarthy/Dan O’Donovan (Honda Civic),
Mickey Carbin/Stephen Thornton,
David Crossen/Pamela Irwin,
Ollie Williams/Mark Bowens (Escort).

Leaders After:
SS1-4 Owen Murphy/James O’Brien (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9)

Stage Winners
SS1 Owen Murphy/James O’Brien (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9)
SS2 Owen Murphy/James O’Brien (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9)
SS3 Enda McNulty/Paul Sheridan (Subaru Impreza WRX)
SS4 Owen Murphy/James O’Brien (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9)

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

Preview: Third round of the 2014 Valvoline National Forest Rally Championship

Posted: May 15, 2014 8:45 PM

The third round of the 2014 Valvoline National Forest Rally Championship takes place in the picturesque setting of Glendalough co. Wicklow this Saturday May 17th. The Forest Championship is returning to the “Garden of Ireland” for the first time since 2006 in the form of a mini stage (4 stages – 2 repeated). The rally has attracted the “Valvoline” Championship regulars; some new comers and the local Wicklow “Driver” contingent are making a return to the forest stages. Organizing Club the “ALMC” are new to forest rallying while the Wicklow stages “Glenmalure” and “Aughavannagh” are tried and tested territory. These stages have provided very exciting battles on “Circuit of Wicklow” forest rallies over years and this Saturday’s event promises to be as competitive and exciting as the previous rounds in Clonmel and Ballyvourney.

CoC John Carroll & his team have laid out a very competitor friendly format with everything taking place on Saturday. Scrutiny begins from 08:00 at “Glendalough House” in Annamoe followed by the safety briefing at 12:00. The first car is due to start from parc ferme at 13:00 heading for the opening 11km stage “Glenmalure”. The second stage “Aughavannagh” offers another challenging 11kms of technical forest roads before service in Rathdrum at 15:00. After service competitors repeat the two stages with the first cars due at the finish ramp outside Rally HQ (the Glendalough Hotel) at 18:00.

Championship leaders Desi Henry/ Liam Moynihan (Evo 9) face an epic encounter with the various Evo’s of Josh Moffett, Brendan Cumiskey, Owen Murphy, Andrew Purcell, Pat O’Connell, Peter McCullagh, Niall Henry and Daniel Cronin. This rally is neutral ground for everyone following the opening two rounds in Munster with two Northern rounds to follow later in the year. Add in the WRC’s of Martin Cairns, Marty McKenna and John Reid their machinery should certainly spice things up!

The 2WD category is likely to be dominated by Escorts in the absence of Championship leader Shane McGirr who has opted to drop this round. This leaves Micky Conlon, Ollie Williams and David Crossen the expected pace setters. Glendalough’s Jason Roche returns to the woods with his 2.0 16v Escort mk2 and maybe the man to watch for 2WD honors? However Kiltegan’s Trevor Culbert has entered, is an unknown quantity on gravel and could be right up there? Local entries include The “Driver” family represented by the younger generation and hoping to follow their fathers’ footsteps are James (Ka) on his first stage rally, his cousins Paul/ Barry (Sunny GTi R) and their sister Niamh/ Aishling (Swift) are to battle for family pride.

Seeded Entry List

Posted: May 15, 2014 8:05 AM

ALMC Wicklow Forest Rally - (Sat) 17 May 14 - SEEDED ENTRY LIST

Countdown to ALMC Forest Rally

Posted: May 13, 2014 12:22 PM

The countdown to the inaugural ALMC Wicklow Forest Rally continues, in less than a week the hills and valleys of Glendalough, Aughavannagh, Laragh and Rathdrum will be the staging points for a very welcome return of forestry rallying to the county of Wicklow. It is almost a decade since a forestry rally ran in the county and the excitement and interest is building to the delight of the organising team and local enthusiasts. ALMC Motor Club last year celebrated its 50th year in existence and is delighted to be including a forest rally along side their regular ALMC Stages Rally run every July north of the capital.

We are also looking forward to a return to the Glendalough Hotel as a rally headquarters and the inclusion of Glendalough House in Annamoe for scrutiny on Saturday morning.

The return of forest rallying to Wicklow has sparked huge interest from forest rally regulars as well as new comers to the woods. Clerk of the Course, John Carroll, noted at last Thursday evenings press launch, that he is delighted that so many national and in particular local entries have been received including the Driver family, from Enniskerry, being well represented and also Jason Roche changing his Mark II to gravel spec for the day. John is also looking forward to the great mix of WRC, 4WD and 2WD machinery that will be on display.

The two stages (Glenmalure and the Murray Motorsports Aughavannagh Stage) are in excellent condition and will be a really enjoyable challenge for the approx. 50 to 60 crews on Saturday. The two stages will be run twice with service near the village of Rathdrum. All-in the stages will be 47km in length with a compact route offering great value for crews at 390 Euro for an entry.

Entries received include Antrim’s Desi and Niall Henry and Liam Regan, also top Monaghan names such as Josh Moffett, Michael Conlon and Michael Carbin. Daniel Cronin, Omagh’s Marty McKenna and Patrick Keenan coming from the US, are also expected as well as great forestry regulars in the Benskin’s, Allen Treacy, Gerard Lucey, Pat O’Connell and Damien McGauran.

John McCarthy and Mickey Joe Morrissey, in a Corolla WRC, was the last crew to lift a forest rally trophy in Wicklow in 2006 in a rally that saw top 20 finishers that included Peter McCullough, Owen Murphy, Patrick Keenan, Niall Driver, Paul Staunton, Daniel Barry, Seamus O’Connell and Emma McKinstry. Next Saturday evening that gap should be firmly closed with new holders of the 2014 ALMC Wicklow Forest Rally perpetual trophy.

Entries are still very welcome, particularly as this weekend gone was a very busy one in the motorsport calendar for some interested crews, for entries call 086 254 4364 / +353 86 254 4364 our club website, www.almc.ie, holds the entry form and it will continue to be updated with all the latest information on the rally and details required by competitors. Also the club Facebook page (ALMC Motor Club) and Twitter (@almcmotorclub) will carry regular updates and rally news. Rally programmes will be available in shops in the Laragh area on Friday, at rally H.Q and also in the service area in Rathdrum. Seeding of entries will take place on Wednesday night and will be published shortly thereafter.

We look forward to welcoming competitors and spectators alike next weekend to the “Garden of Ireland”.

ALMC Wicklow Forest Rally is a counting round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship and the Triton Showers South East Stages Rally Championship.

Rally Launch - (Thu) 8 May 14

Posted: May 7, 2014 11:27 AM

The Official launch of the 1st ALMC Wicklow Forestry Rally will take place this Thursday, May 8th at 20:00 at the Glendalough Hotel. All are welcome to come along to meet the team and see some of the cars that will be in action in the rally on May 17th. If you are interested in hearing more about the rally or getting involved then we would love to see you there. Competitor entries received to date suggest we are in for a seriously exciting inaugural forestry rally for the club.

Competitors are coming from USA to take part in this event.....An event not to be missed !

Time and Distance Schedule

Posted: May 7, 2014 11:25 AM

Available at:

ALMC Motor Club

ALMC Wicklow Forestry Rally - hard to call this one anything but a “Driver’s” Rally.

Posted: May 7, 2014 11:02 AM

Going back in time, longer than any of us can remember, it was common place for a surname to be based on one’s profession, the Bakers, Smiths, Carpenters, etc. can probably all safely assume the origin of their family name but in Wicklow, more specifically Enniskerry, we have the Driver family and origins aside there is no question that they all like to live up to their name.

When the ALMC Wicklow Forestry Rally comes to the Glendalough area on May 17th, the first forestry rally in the county for almost a decade, we will have the opportunity, not only to witness some of the best rally cars and crews on the island at the height of competitive action but will also see the product of years of passion for motorsport with the wholesale participation of the men and women of the Driver family.

Events such as the ALMC Wicklow Forestry Rally don’t just pop up and disappear with the rising and setting sun on the day, a rally takes months of planning, organising and promoting by a passionate body of voluntary motorsport enthusiasts out to share the enjoyment of their sport with the local community, competitors and fellow motorsport enthusiasts, who come from all over Ireland, for the spectacle. The build up to a rally can be intense because there is a lot of work to be done weeks in advance as well as on the day and everyone is relying on the team to deliver a top class enjoyable event for all involved. Carrying off a successful event requires almost flawless execution of the rally plans and a huge level of coordination and experience all combined to make it work on the day. It takes serious passion and time commitment to organize and run these events in a safe and enjoyable way and central to the success of any rally is the drive of the volunteers that participate to build up the show and the enthusiasm of the competitors that come and set it all alight for the spectators on the day.

It should come as no surprise then if you have been involved in motorsport for a good number of years that somehow you have probably played your part in different ways to help organise, run and maybe even compete in events and if you have stuck around the sport for long enough then it has probably spread into the wider family and become a way of life for all so to speak.

On May 17th the Driver family will be out in force, in their locality, demonstrating the results of a lifelong passion for motorsport and in doing so will be playing their part as volunteers and competitors to contribute to the ongoing tradition of rallying on this island. Stage Commander Noel Driver will be overseeing activities on the day with the initial release of a “00” Safety Car driven by Pat Driver partnered by his son Paul, shortly after the duo clear the stages for competitive action you can expect to see Niamh Driver and her cousin Aisling in their Suzuki Swift out to make an impression on the class 1 results. James Driver will be out in his Ford Ka and will be aiming to make sure a bit of competition exists amongst the family in the same class. Other family members in the hot seat will be Fergal Driver in his Ford Escort as well as Paul’s identical twin brother Barry in his Nissan Sunny 4WD with cousin Derek reading the pace notes. If that wasn’t enough of an involvement, Paul’s wife Fiona will be there to help keep the whole event running like clockwork with a few more of the Driver family planning to wave them all on from the ditches of the Glendalough and Aughavannagh stages.

A big thanks to the Driver family and best wishes to those who are competing from all the ALMC Motor Club organising team.

The ALMC Wicklow Forestry Rally takes place on Saturday May 17th 2014, headquartered at the Glendalough Hotel. The rally is a round of the Valvoline National Forest Rally Championship and the Triton Showers South East Stages Rally Championship.

Regulations

Posted: March 21, 2014 11:20 AM

Available at:

ALMC Motor Club

Video: Location in Photos

Posted: March 12, 2014 10:57 AM

Preliminary Details

Posted: February 25, 2014 8:17 PM

ALMC are running a Forest event in the Wicklow mountains just south of Dublin based in Glendalough on Saturday 17th of May 2014.
Saturday morning scrutiny
Saturday afternoon rallying, 2 x 12 klm stages each run twice, with very small road kms.
Total Entry Fee is € 395.

Websites

Posted: February 25, 2014 8:07 PM

ALMC Motor Club
Forest Championship Website