Mourne Rally - (Sat) 9 Jun 07

Posted: June 12, 2007 9:35 AM

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Allen/Connolly edge closer to maiden N.I. title with victory at the Modern Tyre Service Mourne Rally!
Cookstown's Glenn Allen and Damien Connolly sealed their fourth consecutive maximum points haul at last weekend's Modern Tyre Service Mourne Rally, with victory at round five of the Pacenotes MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship.  

Now at the mid-point of the series, Allen's position in his bid for championship laurels is looking ever more dominant. Fastest or equal fastest on all 12 stages confirmed his number one status, as he brought his Toyota Corolla WRC home victorious by more than one minute.  

  "Brilliant!" Allen exclaimed after the finish. "We had a grand day, the car ran faultlessly and I think we were quickest or joint quickest on every stage. It was very warm in the car, we lost some amount of sweat! Now we're back to gravel for the Dogleap - I'm not sure what way that will go as Stephen (Moore) has done a lot of loose events this year.    

It was a perfect day for the Cookstown man to capitalise on his rivals after two of them decided not to contest the event. Although they both submitted entries, Enniskillen's Raymond Johnston and Strabane's Sean Devine decided not to start. That left Allen keeping an eye on Pomeroy's Stephen Moore and Tony McHugh, but Moore admitted he was still learning how to get the most from his car on tarmac.    

Moore, who trailed Allen by seven points in championship terms before the Mourne event, held second overall after the opening two stages despite his lack of tarmac experience. He was a few seconds ahead of Sunoco Fuels Group N leaders, Richard Cathcart and Martin Brady, but they were set to have an early bath on stage three.    

"I wasn't that confident with car over the first stage," Cathcart recalled. "The rear was stepping out on the fast stuff but it was better once the tyres were warm. We had a good run through stage two but midway through the third stage, we just came out of a long medium left when the throttle cable broke! I was totally devastated, we didn't have anything to fix it. That's three retirements in a row - I'm told that bad luck is supposed to come in threes so hopefully it's true!"    

Neil McCance and Sean Ferris were trailing Cathcart by two seconds going into that third stage, so they promptly took control of the production category and second overall after moving in front of Moore. With victories at the Tour of the Sperrins and Manx National rallies behind him, McCance has been on a roll in recent months.    

Unfortunately, his good luck was set to abruptly end during stage four, as he endured another type of 'roll'. After switching to a hard compound tyre during service, the Comber driver admitted the car was handling much better during that fourth stage. Confidence was high until a greasy square left caught him unawares.    

"I tried to take the car up a gear but in hindsight, it was lunacy!" McCance admitted. "As far as the rally was concerned, we were second overall and had a 20 second lead in Group N. I was not out to race Glenn Allen and there was no need for me to take the corner a gear higher - but I did."    

"We ran wide and went up a bank," McCance continued. "I thought we had got away with it so I put my foot down, but we couldn't see the tree stump. We hit it hard and the car went end over end, coming to rest on its roof. In some respects, it's a missed opportunity but the championship is still wide open. If there's a hard way of doing something, I'll find it!"    

With Cathcart and McCance out of the event, and Moore struggling to match the pace of his rivals through the longer stages, incredibly Gary McPhillips and Mark Tierney found themselves holding second overall in a Mark 2 Escort! They were having an incredible run with their two-wheel-drive car, beating a lot more powerful machinery.    

In fact, McPhillips would have sealed second overall at the finish, only for a 1min50sec road penalty which dropped him down the order. Instead, it was Sean McArdle and Gerard McMonagle who sealed the runner-up spot after Stephen Moore and Tony McHugh broke a driveshaft two stages from home.    

"It was alright," a slightly despondent Moore said. "I'm still learning how to drive the car on tarmac but at least I matched Glenn on a few shorter stages. As the day went on, we were getting faster but the stage before the finish, we broke a driveshaft and lost 30 or 40 seconds."    

Moore dropped to third overall as a result, but he still picks up 15 championship points as McArdle is not registered for the series. In fourth position, George Robinson and Tommy Speers had a good run with their Escort Cosworth while Norman and Lisa Armstrong picked up the top two-wheel-drive award and an excellent fifth overall.    

In the Sunoco Fuels Group N category, Eoin McErlean and Donard McCann grabbed their maiden category victory, propelling them back into the hunt for the title. After a disappointing KBB Tour of the Sperrins Rally when his gearbox failed on only the second stage, victory for McErlean was a just reward for the Magherafelt man.    

"We just wanted to have a steady run after various calamities on the last couple of events," McErlean admitted. "On stage three we caught another competitor and there was no room for him to pull in, so I'm sure we lost five or six seconds there. After that, it was a matter of keeping our noses clean."    

Stephen Kelly and Ann Taggart hounded McCann through the opening miles but they ripped a wheel off their Lancer on stage six, dropping them down the order. Instead, it was John Walker and Des Wilson who took second in the category and eighth overall, while Paul Britton and Cathal Lagan were third in class and completed the top ten.    

The Superdrive sponsored two-wheel-drive category was topped by Norman and Lisa in fifth position. They finished 14 seconds ahead of William Carey and Jimmy Graham, who were seventh overall, while Alistair Cochrane and Pam Norris were ninth and picked up the Superdrive cash prize.    

Modern Tyre Service Mourne Rally - top ten results  
1 Glenn Allen/Damien Connolly (Toyota Corolla WRC) 38m39s
2 Sean McArdle/Gerard McMonagle (Toyota Corolla WRC) 39m54s
3 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC) 40m20s
4 George Robinson/Tommy Speers (Escort RS Cosworth) 40m24s
5 Norman Armstrong/Lisa Armstrong (Ford Escort Mk II) 40m58s
6 Eoin McErlean/Donard McCann (Mit. Lancer Evo 8) GpN 41m11s
7 William Carey/Jimmy Graham (Ford Escort Mk II) 41m12s
8 John Walker/Des Wilson (Mit. Lancer Evo 9) GpN 41m16s
9 Alistair Cochrane/Pam Norris (Ford Escort Mk II) 41m23s
10 Paul Britton/Cathal Lagan (Subaru Impreza) GpN 41m29s

• Download Full Results and Stage Times

Photos:
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Roy Dempster Photos

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Newry and District Motor Club

• 2007 Northern Ireland Rally Championship
• 2007 Border Rally Championship

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07/06/07

• Download Seeded Entry List in PDF Format

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04/06/07
Competitors ready for Mourne Mountain rally action!
The Modern Tyre Service Mourne Rally kicks into action on Saturday 9 June with some of Northern Ireland's leading competitors ready to take their high-powered rally cars to the Newry start line!

The event marks the fifth round of the Pacenotes Northern Ireland Rally Championship and current championship leader, Glenn Allen, is among the hot favourites in his Toyota Corolla WRC. In search of his maiden championship title, the Cookstown man has been on great form of late, with three maximum scores on the trot.
br> Aiming to bring his victorious run to a screeching halt, Enniskillen's Raymond Johnston has also entered the event in his Subaru Impreza WRC. The former karting exponent is still in the hunt for his first rally win this year, as it was Stephen Moore who won the opening round at Kirkistown. Moore is also back in action with his Ford Focus WRC, and he needs to start making inroads on Allen's championship lead.
br> Sean Devine also returns to the series after his final stage mishap during the KBB Tour of the Sperrins. The Strabane man lost control of his Subaru after a jump and plunged into the undergrowth, putting a halt to his bid for a top three position.
br> Devine's absence from rounds two and three of the championship have given him an almost impossible task to regain lost ground, as he lies almost 50 points behind the leader. Still, while he may be an outside bet for the championship, he is one of the favourites for the Modern Tyre Service Mourne Rally.
br> Although not registered for the series, Armagh man Maurice Gass is also making a welcome return to rallying with a Group A Subaru Impreza at his disposal. It is his local event and while he hasn't contested the event for a few years, he will be aiming to show the N.I. regulars the quickest way home!
br> Almost 20 Sunoco Fuels Production category crews have entered the rally in what will probably be one of the closest fought battles. Last year's winner, Michael Curran, is absent from the start list on this occasion, paving the way for a new face to top the Group N podium.
br> Comber's Neil McCance must be one of the favourites, after taking class victory at last month's Manx National and Tour of the Sperrins rallies. He had a difficult start to the year with retirement at the opening round thwarting his progress. Now he is just one point in arrears of category leader, Ian Cochrane, and looks set to take control as Cochrane is missing from the start list.
br> Eoin McErlean is another competitor who will be vying for a solid result. He finished second at round one but has endured a torrid time since February. Trevor Ferguson, who is currently fourth in series standings, is also back in action with his Subaru Impreza while Enda McNulty joins the action with his Evo.
br> The battle for Superdrive two-wheel-drive category honours will also be a hotly contested affair. This is always a popular event for the local Armstrong family and no less than four cars will be adorned with the Armstrong name. Former winner, Norman Armstrong, is regarded as one of the favourites but his family members could well throw the cat among the pigeons. Stephen, his son, could spring a surprise while his nephew Brian is the current Border Rally Champion. Brian's brother, William, has also entered in an Escort.
br> Gary McPhillips also intends to uphold Mark 2 Escort honours while Denis Patterson's nimble Darrian could also spring a surprise. Declan McKeown also brings his beautiful BMW M3 to the event while William Smith is back behind the wheel with his Mini.
br> Scrutineering takes place at Modern Tyre Service in Newry on Friday evening. Competitors will leave the premises on Saturday morning before starting from the Town Hall. They will face 12 stages, with some familiar classics including Slieve Gullion and Camlough Mountain. Service will be in Carnbane Industrial Estate with cars finishing at the Sheepbridge Inn on Saturday evening.
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01/07/06
Unseeded Entry List on Club Website:

Newry and District Motor Club

• 2007 Northern Ireland Rally Championship
• 2007 Border Rally Championship

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09/05/07
Modern Tyre Service To Sponsor Mourne Rally
At a press launch today at Modern Tyre Service in Newry, Des O’Loan from Newry and District Motor Club announced that the 35 year old event to be held on the 9th June would have a new sponsor in local tyre company Modern Tyre Service who have two depots in Newry and a total of 26 depots in Northern Ireland.

This year’s event will start from the Town Hall in Newry on the Saturday morning followed by 12 stages, with some familiar classics including Slieve Gullion and Camlough Mountain. Service will be in Carnbane Industrial Estate with cars finishing up at the Mourne Country Hotel where a prize giving will be held. The event is a round of the Northern Ireland Pacenotes Rally Championship and the McAree Engineering Border Championship and the club is expecting an entry of over 100 cars with some of the quickest drivers participating. Scrutiny will take place at the premises of Modern Tyre Service in Carnbane Industrial Estate on Friday evening before the event, which will be open to the public. Regulations for the event will be available from the 7th May from the clubs website www.nadmc.net

Rumour has it that Double Irish Tarmac Champion Derek McGarrity will use the rally as his first event since his bad accident in the Isle of Man last August in preparation for the Donegal International Rally the following week.

Commenting at the launch Rory Byrne Director of Modern Tyre Service and competitor in the Pacenotes Northern Ireland Rally Championship said “We are very pleased to be sponsoring the Mourne Rally and look forward to working with the Newry and District Motor Club to help raise the profile of the event. Our sponsorship deal will help to raise our association with rallying in the province while providing an excellent opportunity to remind local motorists of the professional service provided by Modern Tyre Service through our network of depots which includes two based in Newry”.

Remarking on their new event sponsor for 2007, Des O’Loan said
“I am delighted to have a company like Modern Tyre Service on board and with Rory’s enthusiasm for the sport we are looking forward to introducing many of the fresh initiatives they can bring to our event.”

Newry and District Motor Club

• 2007 Northern Ireland Rally Championship
• 2007 Border Rally Championship