ALMC Spring Endurance Trial - (Sat) 5 Mar 16

Barrable / Larkin win ALMC Endurance Trial

Posted: March 10, 2016 7:58 AM

Having taken second place in last year's ALMC Endurance Trial, Robert Barrable and navigator Ciaran Larkin went one better by winning the 2016 event in Luttrellstown.

A cold and bright morning greeted competitors as they assembled at Luttrellstown Golf Club for round one of the 2016 Frank Keane Motors Endurance Championship hosted by ALMC Motor Club. Clerk-of-the-Course Conor Crowley and Route Co-Ordinator Frank O'Donoghue devised a new format for the 2016 event which consisted of 23 selectives culminating in two night-time runs through the mud and loose-surfaced link roads in the grounds of the Luttrellstown Estate on the edge of Dublin City. The reduced road sections and the running of night-selectives permitted a later start time of 1pm, with 30 crews setting off into the grounds of the estate to tackle the first 5 selectives of the day. The slippery opening tests saw last year's winners Eamonn Byrne and William Kelly take an early lead in the class 3 Starlet ahead of Limerick's Alan & George Shinnors in a class 1B example. Local driver Karl O'Donoghue and reigning navigation champion Evin Hughes lay third after the opening loop, just one second further back in their Starlet.

Selectives 6 through to 9 saw competitors travel across the county boundary into Meath to tackle two sealed-surface tests at Brindley's and Stanley's farmyards and a 3.5km selective at Fairyhouse racecourse. A passing hail shower meant very tricky conditions in the farmyards however, all crews made it through these selectives unscathed. It was here that Barrable/Larkin begun to move up the order, taking 1 second off O'Donoghue/Hughes in Brindley's and matching leaders Byrne/Kelly in Stanley's before taking 6 seconds off them through Fairyhouse Racecourse. Robert Howard/Andrew Stewart from Longford remained within touching distance of the leaders in fifth and were ready to pounce should any of the leaders slip up. Meanwhile, Martin Nugent and Simon Echlin in their green Mark 1 Escort rounded out the top 6, as the crews headed back to tackle the five Luttrrellstown selectives before the lunchtime halt.

The second run through Luttrellstown saw Howard/Stewart capitalise, moving to third as O'Donoghue/Hughes and the Shinnors brothers both incurred 1 minute penalties for incorrectly transcribing a code board. Byrne andKelly continued their consistent pace and remained in the lead at the halfway point just 5 seconds ahead of Barrable and Larkin.

After some lunch and running repairs, the crews went on their third loop of the estate and despite some ruts developing on the selectives, most crews were still able to improve on their earlier times with Byrne and Barrable tying throughout the loop, with O'Donoghue clawing back time on Howard in third. Unfortunately for Howard/Stewart, their challenge came to a premature end on the second run through Brindley's farm as they encountered engine problems, but still managed to post times on the remaining stages, finishing in 8th place.

The leaders continued to tie throuought the second runs through Brindley's and Stanley's however Barrable again capitalised in Fairyhouse, Byrne dropping 6 seconds through the selective. From there on, Byrne was unable to overturn Barrable's advantage and had to settle for second place. Meanwhile, Karl O'Donoghue battled on to take third ahead of Alan Shinnors who was left to rue a further penalty on the night selective which would have tied him and O'Donoghue for third.

Class Battles:
In the classes, Catherine and Robert Dancey had a steady run in their Seicento to win class 1A. Kevin & Craig O'Rourke won class 1B with Peter Barrable/Conor Mohan taking second in class and Robert Howard eventually finishing third in class. Sligo's Patrick Corcoran with Ruaidhri Nash navigating looked set for third in class before their engine let go in Fairyhouse, making it a long trip back down the N4 to Sligo that night.

In class 2, Colin & Breen Sheridan took a start to finish win ahead of Gerry and Paul Joyce and Eoin Longworth/Stephen Joyce in third. Local crew Mark Reilly / Darragh Gibbons had been running second in class for most of the day before they too succumbed to the Fairyhouse selective, the Starlet retiring with a transmission issue on Mark's nearby driveway.

Eamonn Byrne / William Kelly were awarded first in Class 3. Ken Fleming and Clifford Auld were second in class and Sean McEnroe / Martin Quinn finished third in the Endurance spec Proton. In the retro RWD class, Martin Nugent / Simon Echlin took the class win in their Mark I Escort, finishing ahead of Des Bruton / Ed Colton in a Hillman Avenger and Peter Faulkner / Ciaran Garahy in a Mazda MX5.

As a tribute to the late Simon McKinley, ALMC awarded a perpertual trophy to the highest placed Fiat car and this was won by Conor Doyle and James Bradley in Seicento. This award was a very fitting tribute to Simon who had competed on all ALMC Endurance Trials in his yellow Cinquecento and as a further tribute, ALMC decided not to run the number 5 which Simon ran last year. Doyle and Bradley also took home a second piece of silverware as they won a special award for the best novice crew presented in memory of Thomas Shaw, an avid motorsport fan who lived along the route and who passed away in 2014 following an illness. The Auto Glym "Best Presented Car? award was kindly sponsored by the Gaffney family and was won by Des Bruton/Ed Colton and their Hillman Avenger.

Overall, a very enjoyable day was had by all competitors. The next round of the Frank Keane Motors Irish Endurance Championship sees competitors go to the Dungannon MC Lanes Event on April 16th. ALMC would like to thank all those who assisted with the running of the event, particularly our marshals and timekeepers who endured the freezing temperatures. The club also wish to sincerely thank all the landowners who made their property available for running the selectives.

Results

Posted: March 10, 2016 7:29 AM

1 Robert Barrable/Ciaran Larkin (Toyota Starlet) 2m 16s,
2 Karl O'Donoghue/Evin Hughes (Toyota Starlet) 3m 54s,
3 Alan Shinnors/George Shinnors (Toyota Starlet) 4m 54s,
4 Kevin O'Rourke/Craig O'Rourke (Toyota Starlet) 5m 56s,
5 Peter Barrable/Conor Mohan (Toyota Starlet) 6m 18s,
6 Robert Howard/Andrew Stewart (Toyota Starlet) 6m 20s.

One litre class winner: Catherine Dancey/Robert Dancey (Fiat Seicento) 22m 24s.

Navigation Cars:
1 Eamonn Byrne/William Kelly (Toyota Starlet) 2m 20s,
2 Colin Sheridan/Breen Sheridan (Toyota Starlet) 9m 01s,
3 Ken Fleming/Clifford Auld (Toyota Starlet) 13m 10s.

Class winners:
Eamonn Byrne/William Kelly,
Colin Sheridan/Breen Sheridan.

Retrospective Cars:
1 Martin Nugent/Simon Echlin (Ford Escort) 5m 24s,
2 Des Bruton/Eddie Colton (Hillman Avenger Tiger) 8m 01s,
3 Peter Faulkner/Ciaran Garahy (Mazda MX5) 15m 52s.

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

Seeded Entry List

Posted: March 4, 2016 5:32 PM

Car Driver Navigator Car
1 Kevin O'Rourke Craig O'Rourke Starlet
2 Eamonn Byrne William Kelly Starlet
3 Robert Barrable TBA Starlet
4 Karl O'Donoghue Evin Hughes Starlet
5 Held in memory of Simon McKinley
6 Martin Nugent Simon Eclin Escort
7 Peter Barrable Conor Mohan Starlet
8 Ted Gaffney Karen Gaffney Starlet
9 Enda Haran TBA Starlet
10 Sean McEnroe Martin Quinn Proton
11 Glyn Gaffney Alan Dolan Starlet
12 Alan Shinnors George Shinnors Starlet
13
14 Gordon Reilly Ross Englishby Celica
15 Mark Reilly Darragh Gibbons Starlet
16 Des Bruton Ed Colton Avenger
17 Peter Faulkner Ciaran Garahy MX5
18 Brian Duggan Ken Carmody Starlet
19 Patrick Corcoran Ruaidhri Nash Starlet
20 Conor Doyle James Bradley Seicento
21 Eoin Longworth Stephen Joyce Starlet
22 Robert Howard Andrew Stewart Starlet
23 John Fraser Michael Fitzsimons Starlet
24 Catherine Dancey Robert Dancey Seicento
25 David O'Neill Clifford Auld Starlet
26 Leanne Carroll David Byrne Seicento
27 Ken Fleming Sean Fitzpatrick Starlet
28 Elaine Kirwan Brian Kirwan Seicento
29 Gerry Joyce TBA Starlet
30 Colin Sheridan TBA TBA

Entries Received

Posted: March 3, 2016 7:58 AM

Catherine Dancey / Robert Dancey. Fiat Seicento.
Ted Gaffney / Karen Gaffney. Starlet.
Patrick Corcoran / TBA Starlet
Leanne Carroll / David Byrne. Fiat Seicento.
Alan Shinnors / George Shinnors. Starlet
Glynn Gaffney / Alan Dolan. Starlet
Robert Howard / Andrew Stewart. Starlet
Mark Reilly / Darragh Gibbons. Starlet.
Des Bruton ./ Ed Colton. Avenger Tiger
Peter Faulkner / Ciaran Garahy. Mazda MX5
Karl O Donoghue / Evin Hughes. Starlet
Brian Duggan / Ken Carmody Starlet
Eoin Longworth / Stephen Joyce Starlet.
Kevin O Rourke / Craig O Rourke. Starlet
Sean McEnroe / Martin Quinn. Proton Satria
Martin Nugent / TBA Ford Escort
Robert Barrable / TBA Starlet
Peter Barrable / Conor Mahon. Starlet
John Fraser / Michael Fitzsimons Starlet
Conor Doyle / James Bradley Fiat Seicento
Enda Haran / TBA Starlet
Elain Kirwan / Brian Kirwan Fiat Seicento
Colin Sheridan / TBA
Gerry Joyce / TBA
Ken Fleming / Sean Fitzpatrick. Starlet
David O Neill / Clifford Auld. Starlet
Eamonn Byrne / William Kelly. Starlet

Entries Still Open.

Update

Posted: February 29, 2016 9:45 AM

Just less than a week to go to the Endurance Trial and we have 23 selectives confirmed, with a total distance 49 km. The last selective will be a 10 km selective in Luttrellstown and will be run in the dark.
In order to ensure darkness for all competitors, the start time for the event will move to 1pm and not 12:30 as previously advised. There are still a few entries available and competitors are asked to submit entries asap if not already done.

ALMC Endurance Trial - 5th March @ Luttrellstown, Co. Dublin.

Posted: February 9, 2016 1:35 PM

Are you thinking about competing in Motorsport but finances mean that you are not quite ready to order that new R5 Fiesta from Malcolm Wilson? Maybe you are looking for a cheap and fun single- day event with minimal pre-event preparation and free of the dreaded 2016 insurance levy?

Endurance Trials were introduced to Ireland by the ALMC Motor Club in 2011 and are designed to be a cost-effective formula for standard road cars up to 1400cc. Some basic modifications are required - such as the fitting of 3-point "clubman" type belts and the addition of a first aid kit, hi-vis jackets and an OK board - all of which can be easily sourced and fitted. Competitors are also required to have a competition licence and are permitted to add a sump guard, spot lights, tripmeter and roll cage if desired however, the addition of a roll cage will introduce the necessity for crash helmets to be worn. Typically, competitors chariot of choice has been the Toyota Starlet however, all vehicles are eligible with navigation cars having their own separate class, catering for the over 1400cc vehicles. In recent times, many of the Northern Ireland "Lanes" competitors have ventured South, taking advantage of the favourable exchange rate and introducing the nimble Mazda MX5 to the discipline.

In terms of the competition, events usually consist of around 20 "selectives" usually held in quarries, farm tracks or private estates. There is no recce involved and each crew is issued with a road book on the morning of the event which contains "tulip" route instructions, diagrams of selectives and time cards. Throughout the selectives crews can be required to negotiate chicanes, demonstrate some autotest skills around poles and collect data from code-boards (keeping the average speeds down). As well as being an enjoyable event with a great social side, Endurance trials are a great opportunity for budding Stage Rally or Navigation Rally crews to hone their skills before jumping in at the deep end (some crews have been known to plot the route on Ordnance Survey maps to practice for night-navs).

The formula has proven very successful to date with the ALMC, Monaghan and Birr events attracting large entries and close competition in 2015. Last year's championship saw crews tackle the tricky lanes of Luttrellstown, the curves of Latton Circuit and the gravelly forests of Coolrain in Laois.

The ALMC Spring Endurance Trial takes place on Saturday March 5th at Luttrellstown Golf Club, Dublin and entries are now open. Regs can downloaded from the club's website www.almc.ie. The club have laid out a challenging and compact route with selectives in Luttrellstown Estate (including a 15km test in the dark), Fairyhouse Racecourse and some private grounds in Co. Meath. The first car leaves the HQ at midday with the first car crossing the finish at approximately 7:30pm.

The calendar for 2016 includes ALMC (March 5th), Monaghan (August 14th), Birr (October 9th) and Donegal (November 5th). Further information is available from the ALMC Website (www.almc.ie)

Endurance Regs Published

Posted: January 13, 2016 7:22 AM

ALMC have today published regulations and entry details for the ALMC Endurance Trial, which will take place on Saturday March 5th 2016. The event will once again be based at the Luttrellstown Castle Golf Club in Castleknock, just off the M50 / M3 intersection. As in previous years, crews will tackle the tricky private lanes in the castle estate, with tests of up to 15km in length.

Endurance Trials are designed to be motorsport's fun and value-for-money discipline, with competitors tackling the competitive selectives sections in small production cars, typically under 1400cc. ALMC was the first club to bring Endurance Trials to Ireland and since the events inception in 2011, the format continues to grow in popularity every year.

Clerk-of-the-Course Conor Crowley and Route Co-Ordinator Frank O'Donoghue have laid out a challenging route with the first car leaving the Luttrellstown HQ just after midday with tests in counties Dublin and Meath. The layout of this year's route has allowed the organisers to reduce the length of road sections significantly, with the first car due to cross the finish line of the night-time selective at 7:30pm.

Event regulations and entry forms are now online at www.almc.ie Link below, (go to the Endurance Section > Regulations). With entries restricted to 70 cars, competitors should get their entries in as early as possible. Closing date for entries is Tuesday, March 1st.

Regulations / Entry Form

Posted: January 13, 2016 7:21 AM

Available at:

ALMC Motor Club

Prelimineary Details

Posted: January 3, 2016 5:24 AM

Plans are well in hand for the ALMC event on 05/03/16. The event will again be based in Luttrellstown, but there will be a significant change in format. Instead of having two exceptionally long selectives in Luttrellstown, with long road sections out the country to other selectives, there will be 5 selectives in Luttrellstown, each done three times. There will be a couple of other selectives, both within 16 km. of Luttrellstown, before a final 9 km. run through Luttrellstown to finish.

This means that the road mileage will be hugely reduced, which in turn means a much more compact event, with a later start and an earlier finish.

Club Website

Posted: January 3, 2016 5:22 AM

ALMC Motor Club