Deane Wins Mayo Autocross, Tynan Takes Championship Title
Posted: October 3, 2017 9:46 AM
Adrian Deane from Williamstown in Co. Galway achieved a long-held ambition on Sunday by claiming his maiden victory on Mayo & District Motorsport Club’s final Autocross of the year. In doing so he became the third different winner of the popular loose surface series in as many events, in what has been an enthralling season of motorsport at the challenging 2.7 km circuit at Harrington’s Quarry near Swinford.
It was also a successful day for Monaghan man Martin Tynan, whose second place finish was enough to ensure he won the 2014 Frank Harrington Trophy for Overall Autocross Champion.
Driving his Mitsubishi Evo 8, Tynan faced last year’s champion Derek Deane in a shoot-out for the title, the two drivers having fought it out tooth and nail over the previous three rounds. Deane struggled early on, stopping on the stage on his first run with mechanical problems, While Tynan made his intentions clear, with a first run time five seconds ahead of local Foxford man James McGreal who lied in second place.
His buggy seminally restored to health, Deane took to the track for his second run, but again problems forced him to stop. Tynan seized the opportunity and improved his time by ten seconds; this time his closest challenger was Adrian, Derek Deane’s younger sibling, who stopped the clock four seconds behind Tynan.
On the last run Derek failed to sort out the gremlins in his JCR Rally Kart, more mechanical trouble brought his run to a premature halt, ending his hopes of adding to his two successive Frank Harrington Championship victories over the last two years. Tynan went faster still and as it looked like the event win was in the bag, Adrian in his JB Buggy managed to complete his lap one tenth of a second faster to steal the win and leave the Monaghan man in second place.
The result left Derek and Martin tied on equal championship points, Tynan claiming the title thanks to his higher place finish on the final round.
Behind the top two of Adrian Deane and Tynan on the day, Fermanagh’s Paul McDaid stole third with a blistering final run in his Buggy. Down’s Ronan Mackle also in a Buggy, secured fourth, less than one second ahead of James McGreal in his Subaru Impreza. Donegal’s Seamus Donnelly was sixth, just ahead of three other buggy drivers, Padraig Egan from Clare, James Cassidy from Derry and Donegal’s Danny O’Donnell. The top ten was rounded out by the class four Impreza of Ballymote’s Padraig Mullen.
Category winners included Ruairi Maguire from Castlederg who claimed class one honours in his Vauxhall Corsa ahead of Simon Hemphill, also from Castlederg, in a Vauxhall Nova. Cathan McCourt from Trillick was third in another Nova. Shrule’s Noel Murphy dominated class two, finishing more than six seconds ahead of second placed Michael Nevin in an Escort, while Achill’s Liam Healy grabbed a spirited third place in his Honda Civic. Murphy’s excellent performance in his Honda Civic, which seen him finish top front wheel drive, provisionally secures the Mayo Young Driver crown, retaining the title he won last year.
Class three was won by Declan Campbell from Trillick who topped a trio of Mk2 Escorts ahead of Killala’s Padraic Roche and Hollymount’s Colin Loughney.
Tynan was the class four winner, beating the Subaru’s of James McGreal and Padraig Mullen respectively. Class six was topped by aforementioned Paul McDaid with Ronan Mackle and Seamus Donnelly taking second and third.
Seventeen year old Patrick McEveney from Castlebar retained his stronghold on class seven with Crossmolina’s Lorcan Moore only setting one time before an off track excursion leaves him with some panel beating to be carried out on his Citroen Saxo before the 2015 season.
Other local competitors made up most of class two with Achill’s Joe Healy claiming the Mayo club award and a sixth place finish in class. Pater McManamon also from Achill finished eighth, four seconds ahead of Westport’s Alan McGuire, both in Peugeots 205’s. David Healy was twelfth in his Nissan Primera with Westport’s David Jordan a further nine seconds behind. Patrick McEveney (Snr) brought the triple family driven Toyota Corolla home in fourteenth, half a second ahead of Stephen McGreal in a 205. Shauna McEveney was sixteenth and won the ladies award.
Now that the 2014 Mayo Autocross has come to an end it leaves us all begging for more. It has been an incredible year in Harringtons Quarry Swinford. The Mayo and District Motorsport Club would like to sincerely thank the Harringtons for the use of their quarry, the marshals who turned out in all weathers for the four events and especially the team who ran the events during the year.
Results
Posted: October 3, 2017 9:44 AM
1 Adrian Deane (JB Buggy) 3m 57.21s,
2 Martin Tynan (Lancer Evo) 3m 57.36s,
3 Paul McDaid (Buggy) 4m 00.34s,
4 Ronan Mackle (JB Buggy) 4m 02.93s,
5 James McGreal (Impreza) 4m 03.61s,
6 Seamus Donnelly (Buggy) 4m 05.21s.
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