Barry McKenna & Leon Jordan in a Fiesta R5 are the new leaders of the Valvoline Motorsport Ireland National Forest Rally Championship following their second overall in the Abbey Hotel Moonraker Forest Rally. They finished 25.3 seconds behind rally winners Marty McCormack & David Moynihan in a Skoda R5 who were not championship registered. Josh Moffett & Stephen Thornton took third place after a difficult opening loop saw their Fiesta in 2WD mode only. They fought back to take the final podium position with some impressive stage times. Andrew Purcell led the championship prior to this, the third round, but differential problems forced him out after just two stages.
Shane McGirr & Eamonn Hayes were the top 2WD to finish in their Toyota Starlet after an impressive performance led them 11th overall by the finish. John Gordon & Thomas Wedlock took second in the category, just edging out Michael Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips who had lost time during the day with a puncture. David Crossens rally ended when a rock damaged a wheel and brake calliper in his Escort.
The junior section was won by Derek Mackarel who put in a stunning performance in his Vauxhall Nova and took sixteenth overall into the bargain. He had almost 25 seconds to spare over Marty Gallagher’s Peugeot 208 R2 with William Creighton taking third place in another Peugeot just over seven seconds further back. Jordan Hone and Jody McManus were among those who retired early in
The M. O’Brien Plant Hire Junior 1000 category for 15-19 year olds sees Jason Murphy’s long unbeaten run remain intact, although he was put under considerable pressure by Rory Byrne. After the eight stages there were only 11 seconds separating the pair. Aoife Gahan took third place and really enjoyed the stages, while Scottish driver Peter Beaton led after the opening stage only to have to run in Rally 2 after the first service. He eventually finished in fourth place to collect valuable championship points.
Results
Posted: September 5, 2018 9:18 AM
1 Marty McCormack/David Moynihan (Skoda Fabia R5) 41m 27s,
2 Barry McKenna/Leon Jordan (Ford Fiesta R5) 41m 53s,
3 Josh Moffett/Ger Conway (Ford Fiesta R5) 42m 39s,
4 Gerard Lucey/J J Cremin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) 43m 33s,
5 Stephen McCann/Kaine Treanor (Ford Fiesta S2000) 43m 35s,
6 Eoghain Rogers/Paddy McCrudden (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 44m 24s,
7 Donall Sweeney/Stephen O’Hanlon (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) 44m 39s,
8 Mickey Carbin/Conor Mohan (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4) 44m 51s,
9 David Guest/Jonathan McGrath (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 44m 55s,
10 Enda McCormack/Colin Fitzgerald (Ford Fiesta R5) 45m 05s.
O'Leary’s Service Station Lissarda
Glenview Motors Service Station Macroom
M&J Kelleher Service Station Clondrohid
Centra Shop Ballymekera
Christy Lucy’s Ser Stn Ballyvourney
Abbey Hotel (Rally HQ) Ballyvourney
Entries Update:
Posted: April 13, 2018 2:10 PM
Withdrawal:
245 Conan O'Riordan / Kevin Healy Peugeot 205 GTI 10
14 Darren McKelvey / TBA Mitsubishi IX 20
223 Keelan Maguire / Chrissy Corry Honda Civic 11F
Late Entry:
Martin Cairns / TBC Fiesta WRC 20
251 Eugene Cronin / Andrew Hartnett Toyota Corolla 11R
252 James Dunphy / Shane Gazely Toyota Corolla 11R
253 Kevin Horgan / Ian Chadwick Ford Ka 9
The third round of the Valvoline Motorsport Ireland National Forest Rally Championship takes place this weekend with the Cork based Moonraker Forest Rally. Clerk of the Course Gerard Seaman has organised an eight stage route near Ballyvourney and this has attracted an entry of almost 90 cars. Needless to say he is delighted with the support and said “The entry is outstanding in quality and quantity and is a testament to the hardworking team in Munster Car Club, and to the Abbey Hotel in Ballyvourney which has been so welcoming to the event. I’d like to thank all of the competitors for their support and hope you all have a very enjoyable event”.
Winner on round 2 and lying fifth in the championship, Josh Moffett & Stephen Thornton are top seeds and looking to keep momentum going. The pair made a relatively slow start on the last round and know that a similar beginning this time around could see them lose ground. Barry McKenna & Leon Jordan at two have been quick and consistent over the opening rounds taking the runner up spot twice to lie second overall in the championship at this early stage. Championship leaders Andrew Purcell & Mark Wiley came close to making it two wins from two in Limerick only for a puncture to drop him to third overall, but he still leads the series by one point from McKenna.
Conor McCloskey (Fiesta R5+) and Marty McCormack (Fabia R5) also feature in the top ten but will be fighting for victory without championship worries to consider. Stephen McCann has made a good start to the championship to lie third overall in the series in his Ford Fiesta S2000. Gerard Lucey is the top seeded Mitsubishi driver and he is in fourth place in the championship standings. Cathan McCourt was very impressive in the previous round in is DS3 R5 and will be looking to keep the run going in Cork.
The 2WD category sees all of this year’s top contenders gather to do battle, led by David Crossen & Aileen Kelly. The pair retired on the opening round but were very impressive winners in Limerick although they were pushed hard by the Starlet of Shane McGirr & Eamonn Hayes. The stage is set for a renewal of rivalries with Mickey Conlon & Ciaran McPhillips sure to be in the mix as well. Conlon lies sixth overall in the championship following two good results to date in his Class 14 Escort. John Gordon, Tommy O’Connell & David Condell will also be pushing the leading trio while Adrian Hetherington & Gary Nolan in their Historic spec Escort will be hoping for better luck than on the opening round when they rolled out of the event following a very quick start.
The Junior championship is also very finely poised with John O’Sullivan leading the class in his Fiesta R2 after two podium finishes, followed by Jody McManus in a similar car just three points behind. James Wilson in a Peugeot 208 R2 led after the opening round but failed to finish last time out which dropped him to third. Marty Gallagher had an excellent run last time out to take top points and will be looking for more of the same in Cork while Derek Mackarel has also been setting some excellent times on both rounds so far and a good result on round three will bring him right back into contention. Jordan Hone has taken a little time to get used to the Opel Adam but had a good result in Limerick which will help his confidence.
The M. O’Brien Plant Hire Junior 1000 series for 15-19 year olds will see Jason Murphy looking to extend his impressive run of form in his Peugeot 107. The 2017 champion has taken full points on the two rounds so far and is proving to be well capable of defending his crown. Peter Beaton from Scotland in a similar car didn’t finish the opening round but put on a very strong performance in round two which could mean more of a threat to Murphy in Cork. Aoife Gahan took some time to settle in on the last round after retiring on round 1 and will be quicker with another event under her belt, while Rory Byrnes opening championship appearance in Limerick was rewarded with a finish and he will be looking for more of the same. The action gets underway with the first car leaving Parc Ferme at 8:45am on Saturday morning and the opening stage is scheduled for 9:04am. After eight stages the first car is due back at Parc Ferme at 5:15pm.
Seeded Entry List
Posted: April 10, 2018 3:08 PM
1 Josh Moffett/Keith Moriarty (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
2 Barry McKenna/Leon Jordan (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
3 Andrew Purcell/Mark Wiley (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
4 Connor McCloskey/John Rowan (Ford Fiesta R5+) [20]
5 Martin McCormack/David Moynihan (Skoda Fabia R5) [5]
6 Stephen McCann/Kaine Treanor (Ford Fiesta S2000) [5]
7 Gerard Lucey/JJ Cremin (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) [20]
8 Cathan McCourt/Brian Hoy (Citroen DS3 R5) [5]
9 Niall McCullagh/Gordon Noble (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) [4]
10 Michael Carbin/Conor Mohan (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 4) [20]
11 Enda McCormack/Colin Fitzgerald (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
12 Andrew Fanning/Derek Gibbs (Proton Satria S2000) [5]
14 Darren McKelvey/TBA (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) [20]
15 David Guest/Jonathan McGrath (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
16 PJ O'Connor/Anthony Nestor (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
17 Donall Sweeney/Stephen O' Hanlon (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) [20]
18 Mark Murphy/Anthony O'Sullivan (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) [20]
19 Lukasz Czapnik/Piotr Szadkowski (Subaru Impreza) [20]
20 Ashley Dickson/Graham Henderson (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
21 Robert McKelvey/Declan Campbell (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) [4]
22 Stephen Dickson/Tommy Hayes (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
23 Mark Nangle/Graham Kelly (Subaru Impreza) [20]
24 Paul McCann/Paddy Plunkett (Skoda Fabia S2500) [20]
25 Pauric Sheridan/Sean Brunton (Ford Fiesta Proto) [20]
26 EoghaIn Rogers/Paddy McCrudden (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
27 Niall Turley/Andrew Wedlock (Subaru Impreza) [15]
28 Vio Dobasu /TBA (Subaru Impreza N9) [20]
29 Gemma Kerley/Andy Curran (Subaru Impreza) [20]
30 Seamus Goodfellow/Ashley Boulton (Subaru Impreza) [20]
31 Patricia Denning/Joe Downey (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
32 John Brazier/Chris McSherry (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) []
33 Brecan McBreen/Breen McNamee (Subaru Impreza) [15]
34 Damien Hynds/John Magilton (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
35 Fraser Mulholland/Geoff Patterson (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) [20]
201 David Crossen/Aileen Kelly (Ford Escort Mk 2) [13]
202 Mickey Conlon/Ciaran McPhillips (Ford Escort Mk 2) [13]
203 Shane McGirr/Eamonn Hayes (Toyota Starlet) [13]
204 John Gordon/Thomas Wedlock (Ford Escort Mk 2) [13]
205 Adrian Hetherington/Gary Nolan (Ford Escort RS1800 ) [13]
206 David Condell/Michael Coady (Ford Escort Mk 2) [14]
207 Thomas O'Connell/Emmet Sherry (Ford Escort Mk 2) [13]
208 Marty Gallagher/Dean O'Sullivan (Peugeot 208 R2) [16]
209 James Wilson/Gavin Doherty (Peugeot 208 R2) [16]
210 William Creighton/Liam Regan (Peugeot 208 R2) [16]
211 Derek Mackarel/Muireann Hayes (Vauxhall Nova) [16]
212 John O'Sullivan/Padraig O'Donovan (Ford Fiesta R200) [16]
214 Jordan Hone/Paul Hone (Opel Adam R2) [16]
215 Ruairi Maguire/Grace O'Brien (Vauxhall Corsa) [11F]
216 Stuart McClane/Jonny Holdsworth (Vauxhall Nova) [11F]
217 Emmet Cronin/Seamus McTigue (Ford Escort Mk 2) [12]
218 Ruari McCaffrey/Lauren Kelly (Ford Escort Mk 2) [12]
219 Ray Benskin Jnr./Nicky Hegarty (Ford Escort Mk 2) [12]
220 Alan Commins/James Commins (Ford Escort Mk 2) [12]
221 Jody McManus/TBA (Ford Fiesta R2) [16]
222 Mike Garahy/Iarla McCarthy (Ford Escort Mk 2) [10]
223 Keelan Maguire/Chrissy Corry (Honda Civic) [11F]
224 Kieran Lynch/Adam Power (Honda Civic) [11F]
225 Sean Benskin/Joe Fitzgibbon (Ford Escort Mk 2) [12]
226 Jason Dickson/Alistair Wyllie (Ford Fiesta) [16]
227 Hal Lewis/TBA (Ford Escort) [13]
228 Adrian Beattie/Declan Ryan (Honda Civic) [11F]
229 Paul McMahon/Padraig Deasy (Honda Civic) [11F]
230 Michael Feeney/Ger Clancy (Honda Integra) [11F]
231 Brian Little/Paul Sexton (Ford Escort G3) [12]
232 Cal McCarthy/Gavin Sheehan (Citroen C2 R2) [2]
233 Ian Dickson/Darragh Mullen (Ford Fiesta R2) [16]
234 James Lucey/Muiris Scannell (Mazda RX8) [13]
235 Ciaran McCullagh/Edel McCarthy (Vauxhall Nova) [9]
236 Jonathan McAleer/Mark McAleer (Vauxhall Corsa) [9]
237 Jenna McCann/TBA (Ford Fiesta R2) [16]
238 Karl Fallis/Ben Falis (Ford Fiesta R2) [16]
239 Paul O'Connell/Brian Quinlan (Honda Civic) [11F]
240 Ciaran Creedon/John Murphy (Honda Civic) [11F]
241 Paul Harrington/Cliodhna Murphy (Toyota Corolla) [11F]
242 Aaron Browne/Daniel Hanratty (Honda Civic) [11F]
243 Ruairi MacArtain/David Crilly (Honda Civic) [16]
244 Lee Bracken/Brian Hutton (Honda Civic) [9]
245 Conan O'Riordan/Kevin Healy (Peugeot 205 GTI) [10]
246 Pierce Doheny/Eilish Dunne (Opel Corsa) [10]
247 Colin Nelligan/TBA (Suziki Swift) [16]
248 Richard O'Shea/Steven Mackey (Ford Escort) [10]
249 Dean Humphrey/Nigel Brennan (Vauxhall Corsa) [9]
250 Barry Hennessy/Steven Scallan (Honda Civic) [1]
The Directors and members of the Munster Car Club Ltd., promoter’s and organisers of the Abbey Hotel Ballyvourney Moonraker Forestry Rally, are today delighted to announce that Gerard Seaman is to take up the role as event C.O.C for the 2018.
Ger when asked this morning said that “I am delighted to take up the role as C.O.C for the second time in 2018 for my home club’s flagship forestry event. We are at the start of our organising programme at the minute and with the club’s assistance are putting our structures in place for the 2018 rally.”
He added “Last year’s event was fantastic and we were delighted with the welcome we received in and around the Ballyvourney area. One thing that I can confirm today is that we have the Abbey Hotel Ballyvourney back in as title sponsors and I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Michael and the Creedon family and their staff for the much needed financial assistance and help putting this event together. Over the last number of years Ballyvourney has become a home from home for not just our club members but also the competitors and crews alike.”
The Abbey Hotel Ballyvourney Moonraker Forestry Rally 2018 is a counting Round of The Valvoline Irish Forestry Rally Championship the third counting round of this hotly contested championship, The Suirway Group Southeast Stages Rally Championship and the Munster Car Club Championship.
The Date for the 2018 Event is Saturday April 14th.
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