McWilliam Park Hotel Mayo Stages Rally 2011 - March 13th
Round 1 - 2011 Border Rally Championship
Celebrating on the finish ramp of the Mayo Stages Rally
Seamus Gallagher - McWilliam Park Hotel
Aaron MacHale - Deputy CoC
Kathleen Kennedy - Event Secretary
Kevin Barrett
Sean McHugh - CoC
Sean Mullally
Seamus Coffey - Deputy CoC
Ella McHugh
Danny McHugh - Costcutters and Supermacs Ballindine.
Photo: Cathal Doyle
Masterful Display From Barrett on Mayo Stages Rally
Posted: May 31, 2011 11:48 AM
A year ago Kevin Barrett was the bridesmaid, the runner-up who had to watch as Melvyn Evans sprayed the victory champagne on the finish ramp of the 2010 Mayo Stages Rally. Twelve months on and there was no watching from the sidelines. This time around the genial Kildare man not just won the Mayo Stages Rally, he dominated it.
A measure of his commitment could be seen from his time on the opening test Woodstock near Irishtown. Last year, this stage proved the difference between Evans and the Triton Showers sponsored Subaru, Barrett unable to match the Welshman’s times on any of the three runs. By the end of the first stage in 2011, the rest of the field knew that Barrett and co-driver Sean Mullally meant business. They had set a time twenty-five seconds faster than their nearest challengers Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry.
“Yes, we knew from last year that we needed to attack and have a go from the start” explained Kevin at the rally prizegiving on Sunday night. “Luckily it worked for us, they were tricky conditions, but we pulled a bit of time and it opened a bit of a margin for us.”
By the end of the first loop that gap was extended to forty seven seconds, and from there on it was just a case of keeping the Subaru WRC on the straight and narrow. Maguire mounted the occasional counter-attack but Barrett never allowed the Monaghan man get too close and while all around complained of wrong tyre choices, the number one seeds sailed serenely on to victory celebrations back at the McWilliam Park Hotel in Claremorris. Game Set and Match to the Kildare / Limerick pairing.
Maguire struggled with tyre choices all day as did the man who finished third, Seamus Leonard in another Subaru. At least they finished though, the fourth member of the Subaru WRC clan Adrian McElvanney on his return to rallying after an extended absence forced to call it an early day when his gearbox cried enough.
The conditions were the talking point throughout the day, rain and sleet combining with muddy roads to make it extremely slippery for competitors. One of the first to get caught out was Welsh visitor Phil Collins who failed to get to the end of the first stage in his pristine Escort. It left the way open for Austin McHale to claim the award for the Rally of Legends Champion, and the five times Tarmac Champion didn’t disappoint in his wonderfully liveried Xtravision BMW M3, getting ever quicker throughout the day to finish in a more than creditable 11th overall.
In what was a difficult day for two wheel drive cars, Camillus Bradley’s Escort was the highest placed non-4WD after rally long battles with the similar class 14 cars of Declan Boyle and Trevor Mulligan. Ahead of them Trevor Bustard was fourth and the winner of Group N, but that was only after Stuart Darcy, who had last year’s Clerk of the Course Eamonn Walsh from Claremorris co-driving, suffered the cruel disappointment of a differential failure – as they went past the finish of the final stage. Rallying can be a cruel sport sometimes.
Geoffrey Dolan put in impressive times all day in his Sunbeam, while Jonathan Folan belied his number 41 seeding to take ninth in his Subaru ahead of Michael Conlon’s Escort.
The Sligo Pallets Drive of the Day Award went to Meath’s James Cassidy and John Norris for their fastest time in class 12 on Special Stage Three while among the five winners of the Honda Challenge who each won prizes to the value of €500 was Ballinrobe’s Ciaran Walsh. Brothers Colin and Michael Loughney brought their Ford Escort home in 17th place to claim the prize for the highest placed Mayo & District Motorsport Club finisher despite late gearbox dramas.
A popular victory for Kevin Barrett and another hugely successful rally for Mayo & District Motorsport Club despite the challenging weather conditions.
Group N Production class: 1 Trevor Bustard/Kenny Bustard,
2 Jonathan Folan/Jason Ollerenshaw,
3 Niall Henry/Oliver McErleon (Subaru Impreza Gp N) 83m 46s.
Leaders After
SS1-9 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
Stage Winners
SS1 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS2 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS3 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS4 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS5 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS6 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS7 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS8 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS9 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
It's all go from this evening (Friday) as competitors begin arriving in Claremorris for this week-end's eagerly anticipated Mayo Stages Rally. A healthy entry looks assured - since the seeded entry list was published there have been only three withdrawals (cars 21, 28 and 35) while two late entries have been received - those of reigning Border Rally Champions Declan and Brian Boyle, and the rapid Honda Civic of Galway's David Quigley who no doubt will be in contention for the Honda Challenge prizes. With activities from 12 noon on Saturday in Claremorris town centre for all the family, followed by the Ceremonial Start on Saturday evening, and the rally itself on Sunday, there will be a great buzz all week-end in the town and surrounding area.
Don't forget to keep up with all the rally news as it happens via Claremorris Community Radio on 94.6 FM or online at www.claremorriscommunityradio.ie and via Twitter (http://twitter.com/MayoMotorClub).
Photos: BMW M3 which Austin MacHale/Bryan Murphy will drive
Dramatic Week-End of Action in Prospect On Mayo Stages Rally
Posted: March 10, 2011 9:47 PM
It’s March in Mayo which can mean only one thing – the Mayo Stages Rally is coming to town!
Claremorris being the town in question, where, for the second year, the biggest motorsport event in the region is based. Headquartered at The McWilliam Park Hotel, the 2010 event was an enormous success for the area, with the 2011 version promising to be even more spectacular.
Much more than just a rally, a week-end of motorsport-related activity will take over Claremorris on March 12th and 13th, with the emphasis firmly on an enjoyable, but safe extravaganza. Notably, the Mayo Stages Rally will be the first event to be held under the new joint road safety initiative between Motorsport Ireland and the Road Safety Authority. A host of related activities will be taking place to highlight the message to drive carefully and leave the action to the rally competitors.
Saturday March 12th – Pacenotes To Ceremonial Start
It will be all go from Saturday morning as the rally competitors head out to the stages for the ‘recce’ – where they make pace-notes to use the following day. From early afternoon, scrutineering will be taking place at The Athletics Track on the Balla road where cars and equipment undergo extensive safety checks before being approved to take part in the rally.
Meanwhile Claremorris will be a hive of actvity all day with the Town Centre Car Park hosting the Road Safety Authority’s Safety Shuttle. With state-of-the-art simulators and multi-media interactive tools, this impressive vehicle will be open from 11am until 9pm. Regardless of age or driving experience this is well worth a visit. In addition, members of frontline emergency services will be present to meet the public from 4pm, with the fire service performing a live rescue operation between 4pm and 5pm.
From 12 noon a rally car display will include real live servicing of a World Rally Car, while top rally drivers and navigators will be on hand to meet the public from 5pm to 8pm including reigning Tarmac Champion Gareth MacHale, Ladies Champion Toni Kelly, and top international co-driver, Mayo’s own Killian Duffy. For younger fans, a rally simulator will offer the chance to experience a genuine rally experience.
From 6pm the town centre around the Square will be closed to traffic as the build-up to the Ceremonial Start gathers pace. There will be live music by Silver Circus from 7pm, while from 8pm the top twenty seeds and a selection of local competitors will be taking their rally cars from Parc Feirme to a holding area on Main Street, from where the public will be able to get see these high performance machines up close. From 9pm the rally will be formally launched with the cars passing one by one over the ceremonial start ramp.
Sunday March 13th – Thrills and Spills
The action begins in earnest from 9am on Sunday as the competitors leave rally headquarters The McWilliam Park Hotel and head for the first of nine special stages. Largely similar to last year’s route, the opening test Woodstock in the Ballindine / Irishtown area gets underway at 9.30am on Sunday morning. From there it is straight to the second stage Logboy located near Brickens and Bekan where the first competitive car is due at 10.10am and The Five Crossroads stage near Barranacarroll at 10.45am. Competitors then return for service in Claremorris before repeating the loop a further two times with stages four and seven – the first in the loop of three - running at 12.20pm and 3.30pm respectively. The leading rally cars will return to rally headquarters The McWilliam Park Hotel at 5pm. Spectators are advised to arrive early and allow plenty of time to get to the stage, and to follow marshals instructions at all times.
Full details of the rally route and stage times will be available on the official rally programme which goes on sale in selected newsagents and service stations in the area from Thursday, price €5.
Top Quality Entry List
Fears that the economic environment would impact the entry list have proven unfounded with a near-capacity and quality field of competitors set to do battle over the challenging Mayo roads. Leading the field away will be Kevin Barrett and Sean Mullally in a Subaru World Rally Car. Having finished second last year, the Maynooth / Limerick pairing will be keen to add Mayo to their list of national successes, but face tough opposition from three other Subaru World Rally Cars driven by Omagh’s Seamus Leonard / John McCafferty, former Mayo winners Niall Maguire / Enda Sherry from Monaghan, and, making a rare appearance, Adrian McElvaney / Damian Connolly also from Monaghan.
At five is a real treat in the shape of the exceedingly rapid Escort of Welshman Phil Collins who, with Derek Brannigan co-driving is making his first visit to Mayo. Other Escort competitors who will be keen to compare their times against the Welsh veteran include Derry’s Camillus Bradley / Crawford Henderson at 7 and Meath’s Trevor Mulligan / Declan Smith seeded 9. Leading Group N competitors who can be expected to finish strongly include Strabane’s Pat Kirk / Peter Ward at 6, Trevor and Kenny Bustard in car 8 and fellow Donegal competitors Stuart Darcy / Eamonn Walsh at 11, all three crews in Mitsubishi Evos. Watch out also for the various Hondas taking part – the top five finishers will receive additional cash prizes so expect some spectacular driving.
Without doubt though, the car that will attract the most attention this week-end is that seeded in 10th position. Driven by rally legend and five times tarmac champion Austin McHale who, with long-time co-driver Brian Murphy is making a rare appearance on a competitive rally these days, his weapon for the Mayo Stages Rally is a BMW M3 resplendent in Xtravision livery. This of course is the car and sponsorship combination in which Austin achieved many of his victories in the early nineties, and the sight and sound of driver and rally car reunited is certain to revive many memories of days gone by.
Keeping Up With The News
Of course the best to follow the rally is out on the stages, but there will be a number of ways to keep up to date with all the latest news and times throughout Sunday. As well as regular updates on Mid-West radio, Claremorris Community Radio will be running extensive and exclusive coverage throughout the week-end, including live interviews and news throughout Sunday. In fact the Mayo Stages Rally is set to receive the largest amount of live radio coverage since Rally Ireland. Tune in to 94.6 FM or online at www.claremorriscommunityradio.ie/. The Ceremonial Start on Saturday night and footage from the service park will also be broadcast live on Claremorris TV - http://www.livestream.com/claremorristv.
Followers of Twitter will also be well provided for with continual times and news updates throughout the event. Follow the official club Twitter account at http://twitter.com/MayoMotorClub or via www.mayomotorsportclub.com. Updates will also be fed to the Facebook account Mayo Stages Rally.
Eager Anticipation As New Sligo Pallets Border Championship Season Commences In Mayo
Posted: March 10, 2011 9:46 PM
A new Border Rally Championship gets underway this week-end with the Mayo Stages Rally, and brings with it the familiar feeling of excitement and anticipation, as competitors and spectators wait to find out who will be the pace-setters in 2011.
Inevitably the opening round of the year brings with it changes, not least this time in the shape of a new title sponsor for this increasingly popular championship. After two successful years of support by Henderson Auto Sport and Spares (HASS), 2011 sees a new company supporting the series. Sligo Pallets will be familiar to many rally fans, the pallet recycling business owned and run by regular competitors Andrew Mullen and Elaine Doherty. Their support ensures that the Border Championship can look forward to an even bigger and better season in 2011.
Sligo Pallets will also be sponsoring the very popular Drive of the Day competition awarded to the fastest crew in a selected class over a particular stage, with personalized rally jackets on offer to the successful competitors. Additionally Andrew has other ideas to promote the championship during the year – stay tuned!
As always at this stage of the year, it is impossible to predict a potential winner of the championship. Its unique appeal of course is its class based structure which means that the competitors in a class 2 Civic have just as much chance of winning the series as the familiar faces at the head of the field in a World Rally Car. Indeed in the past seven years only one class has been successful more than once (class fourteen) with other winners coming from classes six, eight, nine, ten, and twelve. Quite a variety!
What we do know is that no driver has yet successful defended their Border Championship title, while only Mark Tierney in 2006-7 can claim back-to-back navigator titles with Brian Armstrong and Gary McPhillips. Last year Donegal cousins Declan and Brian Boyle became the latest crew to add their names to the Border Roll of Honour, after another exciting and dramatic season. The cousins are back in Mayo for the opening round of the 2011 series after putting in a late entry. Last year they got their season off to a perfect start with a win in class 14 in Mayo. Could they become the first driver and co-driver combination to achieve that elusive consecutive Border title?
Only time will tell, but a healthy entry in Mayo bodes well for another successful Border Rally Championship. It’s time for the action to start!
Honda Challenge update:
Posted: March 10, 2011 9:42 PM
Mayo & District Motorsport Club are delighted to announce the addition of a new sponsor to the Honda Challenge 2011 EuroM-Sport. EuroM-Sport is sponsoring an extra €100 voucher on top of the €400 prize already on offer. This prize now worth €500 will be awarded to the 1st five Honda cars in the overall classification. A great incentive for all Honda drivers to get there entry's in.
The 2011 Mayo Stages Rally is aiming to bring new levels of news and information to rally fans. In order to keep competitors and spectators as informed and up-to-date as possible, Mayo & District Motorsport Club is utilising a range of communication tools in the build up to and during rally week-end.
On the airwaves the Mayo Stages Rally is set to receive the largest amount of live radio coverage for a motorsport event since Rally Ireland, thanks to extensive and exclusive coverage throughout the week-end from local radio station Claremorris Community Radio. As well as updates and interviews on Friday and Saturday, the station will be broadcasting continual updates throughout Sunday, including live updates with stage times and driver comments from the stage finishes and the service park. Tune in to 94.6 FM or online at www.claremorriscommunityradio.ie/. The event will also be covered by online television station Claremorris TV
which will broadcast from the Ceremonial Start on Saturday and from the service park on Sunday.
Regional radio station Mid-West Radio will also be providing regular updates on Sunday on 96.1 FM.
The club is already providing regular updates via its Twitter account MayoMotorClub (http://twitter.com/MayoMotorClub) keeping followers informed regarding preparations for the rally. Additionally over the course of the rally week-end selected club officials will be providing Twitter updates from the stages, service park and rally headquarters including provisional stage times, quotes from competitors and any breaking stories. Updates will also be fed to followers of the Facebook page Mayo Stages Rally, as well as additional updates of photos and videos.
It all means that rally followers should have access to an unprecedented amount of real-time information while the event is in progress.
At the launch of the 2011 McWilliam Park Hotel Mayo Stages Rally: Noel Brett, Chief Executive of the RSA; Aaron MacHale, RSA and Assistance CoC Mayo Stages Rally; Sean McHugh, CoC Mayo Stages Rally; Kathleen Kennedy, Event Secretary Mayo Stages Rally; Tom Walsh, President Mayo & District Motorsport Club, Seamus Coffey, Assistant CoC Mayo Stages Rally.
Photo: Michael Donnelly
Pictured at the launch of the Mayo Stages Rally 2011 at The McWilliam Park Hotel, Claremorris, from left: Aaron McHale RSA and Assistant CoC; Richard Finn, Mayo Co.Co.; Neil Sheridan, County Enterprise Board, Mayo Co.Co.; Finbarr Burke, Liam Elwood and Donal Byrne of West Fest; Killian Duffy, Danny McHugh, Supermacs and Costcutter; Noel Brett, CEO RSA; Cathal Doyle M&DMC PRO; Kathleen Kennedy, Mayo Stages Rally Secretary; Sean McHugh CoC Mayo Stages Rally; Eugene Waldron, President Claremorris Chamber of Commerce; Joe Corcoran, President Motor Sport Ireland; Tom Walsh M&DMC Club President and Steward for Mayo Stages Rally; Jimmy Flynn, Flynn Pharmacy; Brendan Mellett, Claremorris Credit Union; Tadhg Buckley, EPS and Seamus Coffey Asst, COC . Photo: Michael Donnelly
Honda Challenge Poster
Posted: February 18, 2011 10:05 AM
Mayo Stages Rally 2011 Rally Guide Available For Download
Posted: February 18, 2011 10:00 AM
Mayo & District Motorsport Club has published its Rally Guide for the 2011 McWilliam Park Hotel Mayo Stages Rally. The Guide can be downloaded through the club website
All competitors are advised to download the Rally Guide which contains essential information including event timings, service park, scrutineering, and ceremonial start information including location maps, as well as time and distance schedules. Spectators and visitors to the March 13th event will also find the guide useful for planning their week-end in Mayo.
Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Who's The Fastest Of Them All..... Honda Challenge
Posted: February 7, 2011 7:57 PM
Rally a Honda? Fancy your chances in a head-to-head to against your fellow Honda competitors? Then Claremorris is the place to be heading for this March, where not only can you compare yourself against the best Honda drivers in the country, but, if you are fast enough, you could walk away with a substantial cash prize.
The Honda Challenge is a special feature of this year's Mayo Stages Rally. Open to all competitors who enter in a Honda, regardless of model or what class it competes in, prizes of €400 will be awarded to each of the top five finishing Honda cars in the overall classification.
With many of the country's most promising up-and-coming drivers as well as established stars competing in the hugely popular Japanese marque, this promises to be the challenge to finally establish just who is the fastest Honda driver in the country.
Stars Queue Up To Re-live Glory Days On Rally Legends Challenge
Posted: February 3, 2011 12:56 PM
A unique opportunity to see rally cars and stars of days gone by in competitive action once again is certainly catching the imagination of the rallying community. Thanks to Mayo & District Motorsport Club's exciting Rally Legends Challenge, the roads of South and East Mayo will play host this March to what promises to be an amazing spectacle - that of top rally drivers of the recent and not-so-recent past doing battle in the cars that made them famous.
Already interest in the Challenge is booming, with many past competitors actively looking into acquiring cars for this special event. Names already confirmed to take part include Austin McHale in a BMW M3, possibly in the famous Xtra-vision livery, while Welsh star Phil Collins is set to bring his extremely rapid Escort. From the north, Davy Greer is intending to compete in an Opel Ascona 400, while Corkman Frank O'Mahony is likely to be gracing the Mayo Stages in a Metro 6R4.
And that's just the start. With a glittering array of drivers and machines gearing up to do battle, the Mayo Stages Rally looks set to bring back the glory days of rallying in some style.
The Rally Legends Challenge, a special competition within the 2011 McWilliam Park Hotel Mayo Stages Rally, is open to drivers who have finished in the top three of a national status multi-stage rally between 1st January 1970 and 31st December 2000 and entered in a currently non-homologated car excluding WRC cars.
Regulations Available For Mayo Stages Rally
Posted: January 31, 2011 2:57 PM
Regulations for the 2011 McWilliam Park Hotel Mayo Stages Rally have been released and are now available for download on Mayo & District Motorsport Club’s website. Competitors who entered previous Mayo Stages Rallies of recent years and are on the club’s mailing list will already have had regs sent to them in the post. Any other competitors wishing to have regs posted to them should contact event secretary Kathleen Kennedy on 087 2442 190 (before 10pm).
Entries are accepted from Tuesday February 1, 2011 and close on Tuesday March 1, 2011. Competitors entering the Border Rally Championship of which Mayo is the opening round should note that priority entries close on Wednesday 23rd February.
McWilliam Park Hotel Mayo Stages Rally 2011 - Press Release 1
Posted: January 14, 2011 11:02 AM
With just two months to go to this year’s Mayo Stages Rally, preparations are in full flow to ensure a successful running of this very popular event.
Not only is the 2011 Mayo Stages Rally once again the opening round of the Border Rally Championship, Ireland’s premier clubman’s rally series, the event will also host a number of unique challenges that are certain to bring competitors – and spectators - flocking to the West of Ireland this March.
Competitions such as the Rally of Legends Challenge. This exciting initative will bring back to the stages the cars and stars of years gone by. Open to competitors who finished in the top three of a national status stages rally between 1970 and 2000, only currently non-homologated and non-WRC cars can be used. For anyone harking back to the good old days of rallying, this promises to be the opportunity to see famous rally stars compete in the cars that made them famous. Already a number of major names who can truly be described as ‘legends’ have committed to the challenge.
Also on offer is a special Honda Challenge. One of Ireland’s most popular rallying brands, the Challenge is open to all competitors in Honda cars regardless of what class they compete in, with cash prizes on offer to the top five finishers.
The rally returns for a second year to the Claremorris region, and following last year’s very successful event, the McWilliam Park Hotel returns as title sponsor and rally headquarters for the week-end. With the service park located adjacent to the hotel, and a total distance of 120 stage kilometres and 126 road kilometres, the rally is ideally set up to suit competitors, offering a challenging day’s rallying in a compact route.
Jonathan Rice returns as Clerk of the Course for 2010 after a year’s break. The Castlebar man has a wealth of experience having been in charge of a number of Mayo Stages of recent years. He will be ably supported by Assistant Clerks of the Course Seamus Coffey and Aaron MacHale and Event Secretary Katheen Kennedy, as well as an experienced team of officials.
The Mayo Stages Rally takes place on March 13th 2011.
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