Prizegiving Photos
Posted: January 18, 2016 9:02 AM
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Pringle & Byrne 2015 Sligo Pallets Border Champions
Posted: December 8, 2015 9:23 AM
The Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship prizegiving took place on Halloween night in the Sligo Park Hotel. 270 people attended on the night where a total of 5700 Euro was raised for charity.
Jonathan Pringle & Martin Byrne became the latest winners of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship. The Cavan pair were immense in class 14 this year notching up a string of class wins which secured the overall championship with a round to go, something which is rarely achieved. They also recorded some impressive overall results with top ten finishes on all rounds they contested including 4th overall on their home event.
Pressing them all the way were Marty Toner & Sharon Clarke in class 12. They pushed their Sunbeam to the maximum to take class wins in Mayo, Monaghan, Galway and Donegal. Their main rivals were again Brian Armstrong/Mark Tierney who chased them hard all year but came away 2nd best.
Marty Gallagher/Dean O'Sullivan were embarking on their first season rallying but they very quickly found their speed. They dominated class 11F later in the year reeling off class wins in Sligo, Galway and Donegal. They also took 2nd in class in Mayo & Cavan which was enough to secure 3rd overall in the championship.
Class 1 Champions Mark Boyle/Charles Gallagher
Pauric McGee/Shane Barry made the early running in this class with wins in Mayo & Monaghan. However a big accident in Cavan ended their season. Mark Boyle/Charles Gallagher then became the crew to beat. A strong 2nd in class in their home round in Donegal secured the class 1 championship for this crew. Johnny Orr/Aaron Johnston secured 2nd place with Ruari McCaffrey completing the top three.
Class 2 Champions Shane Forde/Seamus McTigue
Shane Forde & Seamus McTigue dominated class 2 all year. They pair recovered from a retirement in Mayo to take a string of class wins in Cavan, Sligo, Galway and Donegal. Indeed, they only missed out on 3rd overall on a tie-breaker. Karl Fallis/Stephen Monaghan secured the runner spot in this class.
Class 3 Champions Roger Kennedy/Wendy Blackledge
Roger Kennedy & Wendy Blackledge got the best out of their 306 to take another class win in the Border Championship. John Duffy/John Egan and Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes both took class wins during the year but could not mount a sustainable challenge to the Antrim duo.
Class 4 Champions Trevor Bustard & John McCafferty
Another Border stalwart, Trevor Bustard & John McCafferty took class 4 honours thanks to a victory in Galway and other top finishes during the year. Pat Kirk/John McElhinney took a class win in Cavan but just came up short in the championship by 3 points. Shane Maguire finished 3rd overall driver, with Kieran McGrath taking 3rd overall navigator.
Class 7 Champions Niall Maguire & Enda Sherry
Former Border Champion, Niall Maguire & navigator Enda Sherry strolled to class 7 honours. The pair were consistently at the top end of the leaderboard taking 2nd places in both Cavan & Galway.
Class 9 Champions Brendan O'Reilly & Alison Hughes
Brendan O'Reilly claimed the class 9 diver title with the help of four different navigators in Mark Hamaill, Damien O'Reilly, Finbar Smith and Damien McCabe. He took class honours in Mayo and 2nd place in Monaghan. 5th place in Sligo & Donegal secured the championship. Alison Hughes became the class 9 champion navigator while her driver, Declan Connolly, was the 2nd overall driver. They picked up points on all six rounds with a best result of 2nd in Mayo. Gene McDonald finished 3rd driver with Kevin Reilly 2nd navigator. They were class winners in Donegal and runners-up in Cavan.
Class 10 Champions Shane Carr & Ciaran Carr
Donegal men Shane & Ciaran Carr took their Nova to class 10 honours. They were the crew to beat claiming top points in Mayo, Sligo and Galway. Martin McGuigan finished 2nd driver in his Sunbeam, having numerous navigators in the hot seat during the year.
Class 11F Champions Sam Johnston & Nigel McCloughry
Night navigation turned stages men, Sam Johnston & Nigel McCloughry became class 11F champions. They had a big battle with Marty Gallagher/Dean O'Sullivan but with the latter crew finishing 3rd overall, the class award went to the Longford crew. The highlight of the year for this crew was their class win in Monaghan. Kevin McLaughlin was the 2nd driver home after taking 2nd in class in Monaghan and Donegal.
Class 11R Champions Barry Treanor & Chris Corr
Barry Treanor was the winning class 11R driver after both Gregory McQuillan and Jonathan Treanor sat with him during the year. Class wins in Cavan & Galway were supported by 2nd place in Monaghan and 3rd in Donegal. Chris Corr teamed up with Declan Hall once again. 2nd in class in Mayo & Cavan helped Declan to 2nd in class and Chris to 1st in class in the championship. Seamus Connolly/Gary McCrudden finished 3rd driver and 2nd navigator respectively after wins in Mayo & Sligo. Barry McBride was 3rd overall driver after a good season with his driver Charlie Heraghty.
Class 12 Champions Brian Armstrong & Mark Tierney
Brian Armstrong & Mark Tierney had another epic battle all year with Marty Toner & Sharon Clarke. Class honours went their way in Cavan but they just missed out to Toner/Clarke on other rounds. This was good enough to secure the class in the championship due to Toner/Clarke placing 2nd overall. Vincent Collins & Quentin Park placed 2nd and 3rd driver overall.
Class 13 Champions Gary Kiernan & Niall Tierney
2013 overall Border Champions, Gary Kiernan & Niall Tierney finished top of the pile in class 13 this year. They took class honours in Cavan & Donegal, where they were also an incredible 2nd overall. They also bagged 2nd in class in Sligo & 4th in Monaghan. Fellow Cavan men, Chris Armstrong & James Fulton bagged the runner-spot taking one 2nd place and three 3rd place finishes. Last year's champions, David Moffett & Fintan Sherry secured 3rd in class with victory in Mayo the highlight of their year.
Class 14 Champions Damien Toner & Damien Fleming
Damien Toner & Damien Fleming secured class 14 thanks to Pringle/Byrne taking overall honours. This crew took 2nd place finishes in Sligo & Galway, with Damien taking 3rd in class in Donegal.
Class 15 Champions JF Shovelin & Terence Furey
The Donegal pair took a comfortable class 15 win in their Subaru. The pair were not outscored all year taking multiple class awards.
Class 20 Champions Michael Carbin & Emmet McCooey
Border regulars, Michael Carbin & Emmet McCooey strolled to honours in class 20. The pair bagged top three finishes in Monaghan, Sligo & Donegal to take the class.
Class 16 Champions Martin Swinburne & Gretchen Fegan
Monaghan pair Martin Swinburne & Gretchen Fegan became Junior champions in one of the most hotly contested classes in the championship. The pair got the better of Stephen Reynolds/Derek McCarthy and Paul Crosby after a year-long battle. Martin McGarrity secured 3rd navigator with his driver Keelan Maguire finishing in 4th place.
Teams Champions McConnell Motorsport
"McConnell Motorsport" became the Team's Champions thanks to the efforts of Marty Gallagher/Dean O'Sullivan, Martin Swinburne/Gretchen Fegan and Shane Forde/Seamus McTigue. "Escorts R Us" took 2nd place with "Nama Dodgers" in 3rd.
The Sligo Pallets Border Championship was once again a huge success. Sligo Pallets played a massive role as championship sponsor. This is now their 5th year in the role. The Border Championship committee thank Andrew Mullen & Elaine Doherty for their commitment to the series which will continue into 2016. The Border Championship is the most openly fought championship in Ireland as evidenced by the fact that we have yet another 1st time winner of the series in 2015. Congratulations to Jonathan Pringle & Martin Byrne and we look forward to see them defend their title in 2016.
Final Championship Points
Posted: December 8, 2015 9:17 AM
Poster
Posted: March 3, 2015 8:11 PM
Championship Rounds
Posted: March 3, 2015 8:09 PM
- Mayo Stages Rally - 8 Mar 15
- Monaghan Stages Rally - 26 Apr 15
- Cavan Stages Rally - 24 May 15
- Connacht Stages Rally - 12 July 15
- Galway Summer Rally - 30 Aug 15
- Donegal Harvest Stages Rally - 10 Oct 15
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