Lukasz Czapnik / Piotr Szadkowski (Subaru Impreza) SS4
Video Clips
Posted: August 14, 2017 8:59 AM
Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally 2017 Final Report
Posted: August 14, 2017 8:30 AM
Sam Moffett & Darragh Kelly in a Fiesta WRC were convincing winners of the Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally, the fourth round of the Valvoline Motorsport Ireland National Forest Rally Championship. At the end of the Mallow based event they had 51.4 seconds to spare over Jonny Leonard / Arthur Kierans in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9. A storming drive from David Crossen / Damien Fleming (Ford Escort) saw them win the 2WD category and take a superb third place overall seven seconds behind Leonard. Jason & Matthew Murphy took the category and championship win in the Junior 1000 Trophy in their Peugeot 107.
Clerk of the Course Paul Casey had lain out a six stage rally using the classic Mount Hilary and Bweeng tests, and at 16km the longest stage of the event, Boggeragh which was used for the first time last year and proved popular with competitors. Moffett was quickest over the opening pair of stages to lead by 30 seconds heading into the first service. Adrian Hetherington & Gary Nolan were second quickest on the opening test just three seconds behind, but a broken gear linkage bracket side-lined them at the start of Stage 2. Enda McCormack & Colin Fitzgerald were second overall in a Subaru Impreza heading to service while Crossen was sensational as he showed his 2WD rivals a clean pair of heels to hold third place. The showery conditions were helping to keep the dust levels down and 63 of the 65 starters were still running at this point.
The third stage at Boggeragh saw Moffett pick up a puncture early on the stage and he continued on driving on a flat for almost 11km which saw his lead reduced to just 11 seconds over Crossen. Gerard Lucey in third place was just under three seconds further back in third place and was having a great battle with Jonny Leonard and Jordan Hone who was fastest on that long stage. Cathan McCourt slid off the road and into retirement while Dermot Kelly was another to retire on this loop. Moffett put the hammer down on the fourth stage at Mount Hilary and his lead was back up to 20 seconds heading into service with Crossen in second and Lucey in third place.
The final pair of stages saw Moffett extend his lead out to a winning margin of 51.4 seconds from Leonard who turned up the pace to overhaul Crossen for the runner up spot. Crossen had the consolation of winning the 2WD category while Jordan Hone took fourth overall from Gerard Lucey with Enda McCormack completing the top six places. Jason Murphy was the winner of the J1000 category from Aoife Gahan and Jason Gorham. 49 cars finished from 65 starters.
What they said:
Sam Moffett – “It was a great event with fantastic stages, the long stage was brilliant, despite puncturing there the first run over”.
Jonny Leonard – “The stages were very good, fast and flowing, a different character to the stages at home. We knew we had to bring points home so we didn’t take any risks and are happy with second place”.
David Crossen – “The stages were fantastic, held up really well throughout the day. We had a big push on stages 5 and 6 but couldn’t keep Jonny Leonard behind us”.
Jason Murphy – “I really enjoyed the event, particularly the long stage Boggeragh where we had a good run both times”.
Cork Triumph and Ulster Rally R2 Challenge Ahead For Jordan!
Posted: August 14, 2017 7:35 AM
The Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally, round four of the Valvoline Motorsport Ireland National Forest Rally Championship, marked another career step for twenty year old Jordan Hone, from Claudy, Co. Derry. Driving the Rallyhire Group N Mitsubishi Evo 9, Jordan with father Paul in the co-driver’s seat recorded a fastest overall time on stage three, on their way to a fabulous result of fourth overall and first in Group N. “It was a superb event, really exhilarating stages and we were very pleased with the end result, and also about scoring a fastest stage time. That was something to be proud about. We had no real issues all day, just minor brake fade on the first loop which was quickly cured at service and then that was it. It was a good result for the Valvoline championship chase too, as going into the rally there were three of us tied on points, but now we have a narrow lead in the Group N category.”
With two rounds to go in September, the Enniskillen based Lakeland Stages, and Omagh based Bushwhacker Rally, Jordan is coming to the fore in the series and in four wheel drive turbo machinery, which was virtually all new this year. For his home International event, the Ulster Rally, just two weeks away, on 18th-19th August, Jordan has more exciting news.
It’s back to front wheel drive, for the reigning BTRDA 1400 Champion, and an R2 machine, in the white hot competition of the British Rally Championship (BRC) and Irish Tarmac Championship (ITC) which the Ulster Rally all embraces. “We are hiring a Peugeot 208 R2 from Melvyn Evans Motorsport. It’s a virtually new car, and we will first sit in it on the shake-down for the rally so there’s some learning to be done! I will also have a new co-driver for the event, Aaron Johnston from Fintona in County Tyrone. Aaron has quite a lot of R2, and BRC experience which I think will be invaluable, so it’s extremely exciting. I can’t wait!”
It’s not Jordan’s first time in an R2 machine, having competed on a couple of occasions with an R2 Fiesta, and the rally is based in his home county, but the engineering student is realistic about his chances. “It’s a big step, and the competition is fierce especially in the BRC. A lot of guys who have driven their R2 cars all season and maybe last season will have a lot of experience of them, whilst we will not be so familiar. Also it’s actually been three year’s since I competed on tarmac, on the 2014 Circuit of Ireland National, but in saying that I think this is a good event to pick and our aim is to finish, and finish as close to the top as we possibly can. Its two days long, the weather can play a part and the stages can be tricky with surface changes and bumps and jumps, so there’s a lot can happen.”
It’s another sign of the commitment Jordan, supported by his father Paul are placing into rallying in 2017. With backing from Premier Car Parts, Rallyhire and Ryan Motorsport Insurance, it’s all helping the twenty year old aim for the next step in rallying.
Sam’s The Man in Cork! 2017 Valvoline Motorsport Ireland National Forest Rally Championship-Round Four
Posted: August 14, 2017 7:33 AM
Sam Moffett and Darragh Kelly in their Ford Fiesta WRC took victory on the Cork Motor Club’s Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally, round four of the 2017 Valvoline Motorsport Ireland National Forest Rally Championship. It was a great result for the Monaghan driver, who’s day was largely drama free. “It’s been a good days rallying, great fast flowing sections here as always. We had a drama on stage three when I hit a large rock and had to drive eleven kilometres with a front wheel puncture, but aside from that we had no problems” said Sam who is now one of the title favourites having already clinched the Irish National tarmac series this year.
It was Sam who was fastest on stage one, with Adrian Hetherington and Gary Nolan second in their Corolla WRC, but the Tyrone driver was in trouble with a broken gear linkage on the road section to stage two and he was out. As the crews headed for the first Mallow service after two stages, Sam Moffett had a thirty-second advantage over Enda McCormack and Colin Fitzgerald in their Impreza WRC, with David Crossen and Damien Fleming sensationally just two seconds further back in their MK2 Escort. The Evo’s of Ger Lucey and Jonny Leonard were starting a day long battle in fourth and fifth overall, with Niall McCullagh and Darren McKelvey joint sixth, despite a crank sensor problem in the McKelvey car. Cathan McCourt was eighth and led Group N, but slid off and burst the intercooler on stage three, whilst class rival Jordan Hone actually took the fastest time in that third test, to move up to fourth overall.
After the second loop, Sam Moffett’s lead was down to twenty seconds following that puncture, and second place was now held by the MK2 Escort of David Crossen who was loving the stages. “We had a big push through those two. On the third one, we were just a couple of seconds behind Jordan, and we were second fastest on stage four eight seconds back from Sam, which we are happy with. We need to make sure and get it home now though” expressed the County Down charger. Enda McCormack had dropped from second to sixth as the windscreen had misted up quite badly on the long stage, and Ger Lucey now a fabulous third despite running wide a few times, just one second ahead of Jonny Leonard who had brake fade on the long stage and bent steering to correct at service. Jordan Hone’s Group N lead was now sixteen seconds over seventh placed Niall McCullagh.
In the two wheel race, David Crossen’s advantage was thirty-eight seconds over John Gordon in his four door MK2. John had Aileen Kelly deputising in the co-drivers seat and was holding an excellent eighth place overall despite a small gearbox leak. His “team-mate” Mickey Conlon was fourteen seconds further back, feeling he wasn’t quite on the pace, the car feeling a little loose and usually, he’d be swapping seconds with his friend John. At the finish, it was a ninth place and 2nd two wheel drive for John giving him a €200 entry voucher for next year’s Jim Walsh event, and €100 for tenth placed Mickey Conlon who was seventeen seconds behind. Owen McMackin was fourth home in his MK2 and Damian McGauran fifth in the unique BMW 320.
The Valvoline Junior Section (Class 16), again provided a nail-biting battle. Just nineteen seconds separated the top three with John O’Sullivan taking victory in his R2 Fiesta. After four tests, John was just 0.3 of a second ahead of Shane Kenneally’s Honda, the Fiesta’s lack of wing mirrors evidence of chicane incidents for O’Sullivan who adjusted his suspension before a final loop charge. Shane Kenneally was happy with second just over three seconds back, after an overshoot on stage three and the loss of the flat-shift gear change during the day. In third was an on form Johnnie Mulholland in another R2 Fiesta, whilst Derek Mackeral was happy to bring the Nova home to finish fourth. Stephen Dickson who led the class in the series ended up fifth and just didn’t have a great day, with steering arm issues amongst the worries.
The M. O’Brien Plant Hire Junior 1000 class for 16-18-year-olds entered its final round and Jason Murphy took the inaugural championship title with another victory in his Peugeot 107, winning him a prize drive in an R2 car on a 2018 Irish Forest round. “It’s brilliant to get that,” said Jason. “Today I started off very cautiously on stage one then speeded up. The stages were mighty and what an experience it’s been thanks to my co-driver Matthew and everyone in the team and the championship.”
Making her Junior 1000 debut eighteen-year-old Aoife Gahan in her Chevrolet Spark took second place, her co-driver Liam Brennan complimenting her for some “fearless” driving at times. Another newcomer Jason Gorham took third place with his Peugeot 107 as interest continues to build for 2018.
Other class winners included: Seamus Heaney (Class 1 - Honda Civic), Cal McCarthy (Class 2 - Citroen C2 R2), Andrew Burke (Class 3 - Citroen DS3 R3), Ruairi Maguire (Class 9 - Vauxhall Corsa), Mike Garahy (Class 10 - MK2 Escort), Stuart McClean (Class 11f - Vauxhall Nova), Ruairi McCaffrey (Class 12 - MK2 Escort), John Reid (Class 15 - Corolla WRC).
At the front of the field, Sam Moffett extended his winning margin to fifty-one seconds over second placed Jonny Leonard and Arthur Kierans who sorted their problems out in the Evo 6 to leap into that position, a fine result for the Enniskillen driver. In third and less than a minute behind the leader was David Crossen whose remarkable run also earned him a free entry to next year’s event for bringing the first MK2 home, winning the 2017 Mark 2 Master of the Woods Prize. Fourth and first in Group N was a just reward for Jordan Hone with his father Paul as ever in the hot-seat. The ever smiling Ger Lucey was a credible fifth in his Evo 8 and now continues to once again lead the championship going into the final 2 rounds. This very well could be Ger's year to take the title home should his rivals not do as well on the next 2 northern rounds. Enda McCormack's trip over from the US was rewarded with a fine sixth and less than 20 seconds behind him was Niall McCullagh in seventh, debuting the newly aquired Evo 9 and 2nd in Group N, just ahead of Darren McKelvey. The Top 2 Wheel Drive Award went to John Gordon & Aileen Kelly as David Crossen's top 3 finish means he forfeits class awards.
Again we would like to give special thanks to all our championship sponsors – Valvoline, Andrew Fanning Motor Factors, M. O'Brien Plant Hire, Suirway Group Forklifts & Farm Machinery, Jelf Motorsport Insurance, Exact Signs & Graphics, Pottinger Machinery, Ears Motorsport / Kumho Tyres, Colton Pump & Heating Services, Coillte, Concept Fire Services Ltd, Gordon Automotive Services, Barron Pix & SVS Incar Cameras.
Results
Posted: August 14, 2017 6:27 AM
1 Sam Moffett/Darragh Kelly (Ford Fiesta WRC) 36m 47s,
2 Jonny Leonard/Arthur Kierans (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) 37m 39s,
3 David Crossen/Damien Fleming (Ford Escort MkII) 37m 47s,
4 Jordan Hone/Paul Hone (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 38m 11s,
5 Gerard Lucey/J J Cremin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) 38m 15s,
6 Enda McCormack/Colin Fitzgerald (Subaru Impreza WRC S10) 38m 15s,
7 Niall McCullagh/Ryan McCloskey (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 38m 33s,
8 Darren McKelvey/Aaron Johnston (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) 38m 34s,
9 John Gordon/Aileen Kelly (Ford Escort MkII) 38m 47s,
10 Mickey Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips (Ford Escort MkII) 39m 04s.
Junior Class: 1 John O'Sullivan/Kaine Treanor (Ford Fiesta R2) 41m 15s,
2 Shane Kenneally/Jer Connors (Ford Escort MkII) 41m 19s,
3 Johnny Mulholland/Jeff Case (Ford Fiesta R2) 41m 38s.
Leaders
SS1-6 Sam Moffett/Darragh Kelly (Ford Fiesta WRC)
Stage Winners
SS1 Sam Moffett/Darragh Kelly (Ford Fiesta WRC)
SS2 Sam Moffett/Darragh Kelly (Ford Fiesta WRC)
SS3 Jordan Hone/Paul Hone (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N)
SS4 Sam Moffett/Darragh Kelly (Ford Fiesta WRC)
SS5 Sam Moffett/Darragh Kelly (Ford Fiesta WRC)
SS6 Sam Moffett/Darragh Kelly (Ford Fiesta WRC)
For 20 year old Jordan Hone, from Claudy, Co. Derry, the 2017 season has been another exciting evolution of a successful rallying career to date. Moving up from front wheel drive 1400cc cars to a four wheel drive Group N Mitsubishi Evolution 9 hasn’t daunted the Queens University Mechanical Engineering student, as he tackles the Valvoline Motorsport Ireland National Forest Rally Championship this season. “I really enjoy the car. On the first round we led Group N from the start but had a transmission failure on stage three. On the second Moonraker round we won Group N and took eighth overall, and on the third Donegal round we lay third overall on the event, before I made a mistake on stage four, and unfortunately got stuck in a ditch. It’s a great car to drive and the Irish forest championship has some great events and stages” explained the reigning BTRDA 1400 champion.
Many have been surprised by Jordan’s turn of speed in the Rallyhire Evo 9, and he is hoping to continue the good form and hopefully try to attract the attention of the Billy Coleman Award judges as he tries to further his rallying exploits. It all started for Jordan at the age of thirteen in Junior rally-sprint events firstly in a 1 litre Nissan Micra, before moving up to a 1300cc Vauxhall Nova in which he claimed second in category for the season at age sixteen. His official rally debut was at Kirkistown in 2013, where just took weeks after his seventeenth birthday he took a Nissan Micra to a class win and sixteenth overall. From the start his father Paul Hone, a very experience co-driver took to the passenger seat, and along with Raymond Mason’s Rallyhire preparation services they have built up a successful team. Indeed on that debut 2013 season Jordan clinched class three in the Northern Ireland Rally Championship, with consistently good results. Also is 2013 he made a stunning four wheel drive debut on the Dogleap Rally, finishing tenth overall in an Evo 6 Mitsubishi. In 2014 the Micra received a power boost going from 90bhp to 140bhp, and a nine minute class win on the Circuit of Ireland National was one of the highlights, whilst another resounding class win on the Lakeland Stages Rally earned him the Gerry McGarrity Young Driver Award, as he headed for another N.I Championship class title and also the N.I Junior Championship.
“In 2015 we decided to head to England and contest the BTRDA series with the Micra. They were very much new events, a new challenge for everyone in the team. A highlight was a second in class on the Plains Rally. We had our ups and downs but we had built up vital experience for a 2016 attack.” A Proton Satria was purchased for the assault and second place on the first event- the Cambrian was a superb start. Wins on the Malcolm Wilson, Carlisle Stages and Trackrod events, coupled with three other podiums, secured the illustrious BTRDA 1400 series for the team in a season to be proud of, and one which brought them to the attention of the English media.
Now in 2017 rallying close to home, the Claudy driver is building up his profile, and gaining valuable four wheel drive experience, as he would like to contest the British Rally Championship and also rally further afield in either four wheel drive or front wheel drive. Support from Premier Car Parts, Rallyhire and Ryan Motorsport Insurance has been vital lately but more support would be welcome for this promising young talent, as he prepares for the fourth Irish Forest round in Cork this weekend.
The rally launch takes place on Tuesday July 18th at 8pm in the Roundabout Inn Mallow and all are welcome to attend. There will be a display of rally cars as well as some light refreshments provided on the night. We hope to see you all there.
Press Release 3
Posted: July 13, 2017 4:23 PM
Cork Motor Club is delighted to announce further details of the 2017 Crafted Fitted Furniture & Joinery, Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally. This year’s event makes a welcome return to Mallow and its famous surrounding forest stages on Sunday July 30th.
This year’s Rally is Round 4 of the Valvoline National Forest Rally Championship and is expected to attract a bumper entry due to the continued popularity of this fantastic championship. Speaking with Clerk of the Course Paul Casey recently, Paul advised that there is huge interest in this year’s event from all over Ireland. All available accommodation in Mallow and its surrounding regions has been fully booked out for several weeks now and entries are coming in strong.
Paul spoke of the tremendous support he has been receiving from the event sponsor Crafted Fitted Furniture & Joinery. “We are delighted to be working with the CFF&J team this again year. A huge amount of voluntary work and preparation goes into an event of this type and it simply would not be possible without the support of Paul O’Connor and his team at CFF&J”. Paul also went on to announce the list of stage sponsors who have come on board to support the event this year, all of whom the club is extremely grateful to.
Mallow Motor Factors, Mallow Chamber, Greenhall Motors Opel, Eamonn Tarrant & Sons Skoda, J&M Breen Distributors Kanturk, Frank Crowley Motors Dromcummer and The Roundabout Inn Mallow.
A new addition to the event for 2017 is also being announced by the organising team. With the support of Dairygold Co-Operative Society, this years’ service area will be located in the Dairygold car parks on Park Road (adjacent to the Co-Op stores) bringing the action right to the edge of Mallow town. This fantastic new development means that the Rally HQ, Parc Ferme and Service Area are all located within 300m of one another making the event both competitor and spectator friendly. It is also envisaged that the new location of the service area will bring an added economic benefit to the businesses of Mallow town.
Cork County Council and EARS Motorsport also return as supporters of the event, allowing the use of their premises for Scrutiny and Parc Ferme on the Saturday afternoon. CMC would like to express their gratitude once more to both the Council and EARS Motorsport.
The Crafted Fitted Furniture & Joinery, Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally 2017. Press Release 1.
Posted: May 13, 2017 3:49 PM
Sunday July 30th sees the return of The Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally, one of Ireland’s premier Forest Rally events. The event is once again a counting round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship. The Rally is also the stage for what has now become one of the most coveted prizes in Irish Modified rallying, The Mark 2 Master Cup.
Cork Motor Club is delighted to announce the return of Mallow based firm, Crafted Fitted Furniture and Joinery as the main event sponsor for 2017. This is the 3nd year running that CFF&J have partnered up with Cork Motor Club to help create an event that attracts competitors and spectators from the four corners of the country and beyond. CFF&J are one of Irelands leading suppliers of Fitted Furniture and Joinery products and are a real North Cork success story.
The 2017 event also sees Paul Casey return as Clerk of the Course after a 5 year break. Speaking with Paul recently it was revealed that the event will once again be based from CFF&J’s hometown of Mallow with the event headquarters located at The Roundabout Inn. Paul has been busy working with his team over the last number of weeks, getting the details finalized on the 2017 event. Paul revealed that the club received extremely positive feedback from all competitors following the 2016 event due to the quality of the stages and the compact route used. As a result the 2017 event will follow a very similar format.
The event will once again consist of 6 super smooth special stages based in the Boggeragh Mountains, running a 3x2 format. Two of the morning stages are variations of old Cork Forestry classics and the third test will be a new version of the magnificent 16km Boggeragh Drive stage. This 16km gravel masterpiece made its Cork Forestry debut in 2016 and immediately gained a place as a firm favorite with the competitors. This year’s version will certainly not disappoint, with a little bit of everything stretched out over the 16km. The running of this stage has once again been made possible due to close co-operation with Coillte, Co County Council and The Boggeragh Windfarm.
Total stage distance for the rally is approximately 70km, with a total road distance of approximately 130km. Service will be conducted after every 2 stages. The Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally has always prided itself on being a competitor friendly event. This year’s event will be even more competitor focused with Rally HQ, Parc Ferme and Service all located within walking distance of each other. First car away from the start ramp is 09:30 and first car back to Parc Ferme is 16:00 making it a very compact days rallying.
Further information on associate & stage sponsors will be revealed over the coming weeks along with all the developments and build up to what promises to be another very special event. For updates check out www.corkmotorclub.com or The Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally facebook page. Regulations will be available once approved by MI so watch this space for more updates. Competitors looking for further information can contact 086 8050710 / +353 86 8050710
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