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Midland (Roscommon) Multi Stages Rally - 9 Apr 06

Posted: June 26, 2006 7:58 PM - 20369 Hits

Abbey Hotel Roscommon Moto Stages Rally 2006
Round 2 - 2006 Midlands East Rally Championship

  • 205 Challenge Report
  • Results of Marshal's Draw
  • Event Report
  • Noel McCarrick/Keith Kilcoyne take last stage win!
  • Results
  • Photos

Posted: June 26, 2006 7:58 PM

205 Challenge Report
Round 2 Of Irelands Best One Make Championship, The Rgr Irish 205 Challenge Took Competitors To Roscommon For The Moto Stages Rally. After A Terrific Contest On Round 1in Birr, Another Battle Was Expected But No Could Have Foreseen What Would Happen To Two Of The Top Three In The Challenge.

First To Have Trouble Was Noel O Donnell/Michael Bonner Who Slid Off The Road At The End Of A Long Straight, Losing 11 Minutes Regaining The Road And Extingushing A Grass Fire Underneath The Car. Next Out Of The Rally Was Martin And James Ewing Who Got Caught Out Over Some Bumps And Removed A Front Corner Of Their Car. Fastest On Stage One Was Local Hotshot Tommie Rafferty/John Casey But A Spin Early Into Stage Two Saw Them Trail Thomas Melia/Christopher Browne Who Went Quickest By 14 Seconds And Lead As The Arrived At First Service. Also Going Well Were Paul Conlon/Kieran Carroll Who Made Set Up Changes To Their Car And Niall Lynch/Mark Feely In The Loaned Martisport Machine. With Some Crews Getting Caught Up In Stage 3 Being Cancelled, It Was On The Next Stage That The Great Scrap We Are Used To Seeing Happened With Melia Fastest By 3 Seconds From Conlon With Lynch And Rafferty Tied On Time 11 Seconds Back. Dj Browne/Torloc O Reilly And Donal Crooke/Martin Brady Were Enjoying A Tight Battle For Fifth Just 18 Seconds Apart. Shane Burns/ Shane Balfe Lost A Lot Of Time After Problems With Fuel Pressure. The Next Big Change To The Leader Board Happened Soon After The Second Service On Stage Five When Leader Melia Retired With A Broken Driveshaft. Conlon Went Fastest By 2 Seconds From The Recovering O Donnell With Lynch 2 Seconds Back, With Browne, Burns, Crooke And Raffetry All Within 8 Seconds Of Each Other. Rafferty Was Lucky To Be Still Going At All After Smacking The Front Of His Gti Against A Pier Early In The Stage.

Lynch Hammered Through The Long Stage Six And Pulled Back 4 Seconds From Conlon With Rafferty Down 2 Seconds. With Two Stages To Go, Conlon Lead From Lynch And Rafferty With Crooke Holding A Brillant Fourth Place On Only His Fifth Rally. A Miscalulation In The Conlon Car Saw Them Back Off To Much As The Rain That Had Threatened All Day Finally Came Down. Lynch Went Hard To The End To Pick Up His First I205c Win In His First Season Of Rallying.

Rafferty Was Quickest On The Last Two Stages But Rued The Spin Early In The Rally That Cost Him A Possible Win On His Home Event. Heartbreak Too For Crooke Who Would Lose Fourth Place With Road Penalties And Browne Who Slid Off On The Last Corner Of The Rally.

Round 2 Results
1st Lynch/ Feely
2nd Raffrty/Casey
3rd Conlon/Carroll

Results of Marshal's Draw
Midland Motor Club recently held a draw for all marshals who helped out at the 2006 Abbey Hotel Roscommon Moto Stages Rally.

The club would like to thank all individuals who donated prizes for the draw.

The results of the draw are as follows:

Midland Motor Club Jacket - Ian Dennehy
Gerry Kelly Construction Bodywarmer - Clodagh Carroll
Subaru Jacket - Gerry Joyce
Subaru Jacket - Niall Kearney
Peugeot 206 Model - Fergal Henehan
Audi Shirt - Joe Corcoran
Subaru Bag - Lily Prior
Peugeot Jacket - Fiachra Moran
Gallon of Oil - Breen Mc Namee
Service Matters Jacket - Francis Flynn
Gallon of Oil - Eddie Egan
Service Matters Jacket - Rory Wrightson
Subaru Jacket - Kevin Maher
Gallon of Oil - John Delaney
Subaru Travel Case - Michael Fogarty
Gallon of Oil - Richard Howard
Peugeot Jacket - Kenneth Prior
Midland Motor Club Cap - Ciaran Walsh
Midland Motor Club Cap - Brian Halligan

Event Report
The 2006 Abbey Hotel Roscommon Moto Stages Rally ended in dramatic style when the top 2 cars went out sensationally on the very last stage.

Monaghan’s Adrian Mc Elvaney’s Subaru caught fire midway through the last stage while Derry’s Sean Devine slid off the road and damaged the car handing the victory to a bemused Noel Mc Carrick. The Sligo man had Keith Kilcoyne on the notes and both driver and navigator were over the moon with their Midland victory. Second place went to Jack Sleator who had Andrew Purcell on the notes. The Mullingar man seems to be settling into his newly acquired Subaru Impreza. The Entertainer of the weekend had to be Rodney Wilton in his Ford Escort Mk 2. Truly a remarkable result for a car of its age. The Roscommon crowds were thrilled with his sideways antics and were always left thirsty for more. Fourth place went to Martin Brady and Arthur Kierans in an Escort Cosworth. Top Midland Motor Club finisher was Damien Finneran. The Athleague man finished in a glorious 5th place overall in his “Paddy Finns Bar” Subaru Impreza.

Group N honours went to the Longford pairing of Johnny Kelly and Robbie Shaw with fellow county men Jimmy Brennan and Ger Kenny in their Escort Cosworth finishing second in class. Strokestown’s Marc Mc Dermott and Damian Flanagan came home a very impressive third in class in their Honda Civic. Colin Flanagan and Marita Mc Quaid from Boyle won class 5 in their immaculate Ford Puma. The Carrickonshannon pairing of Enda Mc Loughlin and Alan Mc Weeney received a rapturous reception on collecting their second in class 10 trophy. The legendary Pethers (Peter Hagan and Peter Mc Donnell) finished third in class. Joseph Lenehan and Mary Morris managed to avoid all walls on Stage 2 to finish second in class 9.

While the first 7 stages took place in glorious sunshine the heavy shower on stage 8 caught a lot of competitors out when they went into the stage on slicks. The competition may have been fierce at the top of the field but all competitors commented on the friendly element of the event and the craic they had over the weekend. All competitors congratulated Clerk of the Course Eoin Longworth on his choice of stages. There was something there for all types of competitors from the clubman to the WRC pilot. They also commented on the suitability and accessibility of Roscommon as a host town for the Moto Stages Rally and hoped to see it back there again.

Finally Midland Motor Club would like to extend their gratitude to everyone who marshalled at the event. A number of marshals prizes were donated by competitors which will be raffled to all signed-on marshals at the next club meeting. The Clerk of the Course would like to finally issue a massive “thank you” to all residents along the rally route. Without their co-operation and warm welcome the event would not have been the huge success that it was.

Pos Driver/Codriver (Make) Total
1 Noel McCarrick/Keith Kilcoyne (Subaru Impreza WRC) 01:01:59
2 Jack Sleator/Andrew Purcell (Subaru Impreza WRC) 01:02:11
3 Rodney Wilton/Conor McMahon (Ford Escort Mk2) 01:02:15
4 Martin Brady/Arthur Kierans (Ford Escort RS Cosworth) 01:03:13
5 Damien Finneran/Francis Kenny (Subaru Impreza WRC) 01:03:44
6 Gordon Rogers/Philip McEntee (Ford Escort Mk2) 01:04:06
7 John Kelly/Robbie Shaw (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7) 01:04:14
8 Paul Kiely/Patrick McSharry (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8.5) 01:04:17
9 Adrian Quinn/Alan Moran (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) 01:04:24
10 Russell Woods/Martin Byrne (Ford Escort Mk2) 01:04:34

Leaders After:
SS1-7 Adrian McElvaney/Paul Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS8 Noel McCarrick/Keith Kilcoyne (Subaru Impreza WRC)

Stage Winners:
SS1 Adrian McElvaney/Paul Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS2 Noel McCarrick/Keith Kilcoyne (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS3 Adrian McElvaney/Paul Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS4 Rodney Wilton/Conor McMahon (Ford Escort MK2)
SS5 Sean Devine/Killian Duffy (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS6 Noel McCarrick/Keith Kilcoyne (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS7 Jack Sleator/Andrew Purcell (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS8 Noel McCarrick/Keith Kilcoyne (Subaru Impreza WRC)
PRE EVENT NEWS
  • Preview to Round 2 of the Irish 205 Challenge
  • Entry list available
  • Rally Preview
  • Time & Distance schedule now online
  • Entry List to be made available on Saturday 1st April.
  • A limited number of entries are still available.
  • Midlands East Rally Championship Moto’s on to Round 2
  • Event Press Release
  • Marshals Required
  • Regulations available to Download
  • Event Details
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Main Sponsors - Left To Right: Sean Henehan (Deputy COC),
Adrian Grealy (Abbey Hotel), Eoin Longworth (COC),
Jim Casey (Caseys Auto Group), Barry Molloy (Assistant COC)
05/04/06
Preview to Round 2 of the Irish 205 Challenge
13 crews are set to hit the midland stages with a bang on Sunday and the competition is really heating up with the lads grouped together in the seedings. Will it be two victories in a row for the young Oldcastle man Thomas Melia or will Noel O’Donnell and Martin Ewing put a stop to him, who knows what excitement lies ahead of us at the weekend all we know is that it will be a terrific battle all the way through the field.

The Irish 205 Challenge Team wish all the competitors a safe and enjoyable rally and remember keep the machinery between the greenery.

Also the team wish to thank the midland club for the help and we are looking forward to another great rally.

And if you are out there spectating please give your support to these young stars.

03/04/06
Entry List

Top 20
No Driver/Co Driver (Car ) [Class]
1 Adrian McElvaney/Paul Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
2 George Cullen/Paul Horan (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
3 Tom Holton/Séan Walsh (Toyota Celica GT-Four) [15]
4 Sean Devine/Killian Duffy (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
5 Martin Doherty/Andrew Cullen (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
6 Noel McCarrick/TBA (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
7 Eddie Garry/Ray Fitzpatrick (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
8 Eugene O'Donnell/John McCafferty (Mit. Lancer Evo 8) [8]
9 George Tracey/Finbar Mangan (Peugeot 206 WRC) [8]
10 Jack Sleator/TBA (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
11 Mark Courtney/Paul Kelly (Toyota Celica GT-Four) [15]
12 Trevor Harding/Adrian Deasy (Subaru Impreza WRC) [8]
14 John Kelly/Robbie Shaw (Mit. Lancer Evo 7) [4]
15 Stephen Cullen/Edward Roche (Subaru Impreza WRX) [4]
16 Adrian Quinn/Alan Moran (Mit. Lancer Evo 7) [4]
17 Michael Shaw/TBA (Mit. Lancer Evo 5) [8]
18 Thomas McGovern/Kevin McGovern (Escort MK2) [13]
19 Mac McKenna/John Loughran (Peugeot 205 Rwd) [13]
20 Trevor Lancashire/Gary Hall (Escort MK2 2.4) [14]
21 Paddy Boyle/Marty Sherlock (Escort MK2) [13]
Full Entry list on:
31/03/06
Event Preview
The long awaited weekend of the 8th & 9th of April is finally close at hand. Its all systems go for the 2006 Abbey Hotel Roscommon Moto-Stages Rally. Clerk of the Course, Eoin Longworth, and his hard-working committee are putting the finishing touches to the event and would like to thank every single one of the residents along the rally route for the warm reception they continue to extend to the event. Every resident was visited last Sunday and there was a unanimous welcome given to the event and a great sense of anticipation in the air. Eoin and his team have worked very hard to ensure residents inconvenience in minimised.

The “madness” begins on Saturday morning the 8th April, when 171 crews along with their service teams will converge on the town of Roscommon where they sign on for the recce run. The recce run gives the competitor a chance to familiarise themselves with the route but they are only permitted to drive the route at normal road speed in normal road cars. Once they have completed they’re recce the competitors have to present their cars at mechanical scrutiny, which takes place in Casey’s Ford Garage, Roscommon and commences at 2pm. Once the cars have passed scrutiny they will be parked in Parc Feirme which will be in the grounds of the Mercy Convent school.

On Sunday the 9th of April the first competing car will be flagged off from the start ramp at 10.01am, to fight it out over 75 competitive stage miles split into 8 Special Stages circling the South Roscommon area, with a centralized service area. Stages 1 and 3, Dolan’s Drains, run in the Kilteevan area and are sure to test the drivers as it requires some very precise driving skills. Stages 2 and 4, Lenehan’s Wall, wind their way through the townland of Kilglass near Knockroghery. Parts of stages 1 & 2 were used by the famous Circuit of Ireland in the late 70’s and early 80’s and will test the drivers with its narrow twisty sections and fast flowing straights. Stages 5 and 7, Ivor’s Boulevard, run through Kilroosky. This is one of the fastest stages on the event and is sure to be the drivers favourite. Stages 6 & 8, Bank Manager’s Paradise, run through the townland of Ballymacurly near Fourmilehouse. It’s the first time that Midland Motor Club have ran these 2 stages north of Roscommon but they are sure to become future classics.

Stage Number First Car Due
1 10:40
2 11:15
3 12:57
4 13:32
5 15:06
6 15:34
7 17:12
8 17:40

The winning car will arrive back at the Abbey Hotel Roscommon at approximately 6.15pm. Full details on stage locations and competitor entry list are included in the official colour programme which is available in local Newsagents, Service Stations and at Rally HQ from Thursday evening the 6th April.

Last years winners and Midland Motor Club member, Sean Gallagher from Carrick On Shannon, seeded at number 1 on the road would have to be hot favourite to take the victory again. No doubt Sean will be out to prove a point in whatever new machine Sean decides to invest in. However with Adrian Mc Elvaney, from Monaghan, and George Cullen, from Galway, snapping at his heels, Sean certainly won’t have it all his own way. All top three men are in similar Subaru Impreza’s. Enfield’s Tom Holton in his Celica and Derry man Sean Devine in another Impreza round off the top 5. There will be a very entertaining battle for rear wheel drive honours as we look further down the field. Thomas Mc Govern heads the posse in his Mk 2 Escort, followed by the legendary Mc Mc Kenna in his RWD Peugeot 205. Next on the road we have Trevor Lancashire in his 2.4 BDA powered Escort followed by Paddy Boyle, Gordon Rogers, Rodney Wilton, “Swervin” Mervyn Wedlock and Declan Tansey all in Mk 2 Escorts. These will be sure to entertain the crowds with their sideways action. Further down the field we find Tom ‘Doc’ Halliday in his Escort with a very interesting machine breathing down his neck. Fellow Galway men Richard Burke and Frankie Byrnes will be competing in their unique D.O.M.E Rear Wheel Drive Focus. This machine has to be seen to be believed and will no doubt be a spectacle on the Roscommon stages.

Midland Motor Club are delighted with the response thay have received in the form of Junior and Historic entries. The junior category is shaping up to be a fierce battle while the historic section has some beautiful examples of the rally machinery that used to grace the stages many moons ago including a beautiful Renault Alpine.

To ensure a safe and successful running of the event, Midland Motor Club will require the assistance of over 150 marshals during the rally weekend. Chief Marshal, and local man, Kevin Lunt has enrolled the help of marshals from Midland Motor Club, Connaught Motor Club, Mayo & District Motor Club, Birr & District Auto Club, Castle Auto Club, Cavan Motor Club, ALMC and Laois Motorsport Club and many more. Because the event carries extra safety procedures this year the club requires a larger number of marshals than ever before. Kevin still requires marshals so anyone willing to marshal on the day can contact him on 087 2519266. From Friday to Monday 7th-10th April, the duties to be undertaken will include stage setup, spectator control and stage clean up. Midland Motor Club boasts Athlone Rally Rescue and the Motorsport Safety Team as club members. Athlone Rally Rescue will be present over the whole weekend to ensure competitor safety at all times while the Motorsport Safety Team will ensure spectator safety throughout the weekend.

Not only is the Roscommon Moto Stages Rally a huge sporting occasion, it contributes significantly to the local economy. Along with the 340+ competitors and their service crews there will be a massive influx of enthusiastic rally followers all requiring accommodation in the Roscommon area. This, coupled with the extra revenue generated from extra spending in the area, means that Roscommon and surrounding areas will benefit to the tune of over four hundred and fifty thousand Euro. As in previous years, Midland Motor Club welcome competitors, service crews, supporters and spectators to the area and hope they all enjoy the occasion.

Time & Distance schedule available on Club website.
Entry List to be made available, Saturday 1st April on Club Website.
25/03/06
A limited number of entries are still available
"A limited number of entries are still available for the Abbey Hotel Roscommon Moto Stages Rally organised and promoted by Midland Motor Club. The event is a counting round of the Sleator Opel Midlands East Rally Championship and the Irish 205 Challenge and will take place over 75 miles of smooth tarmac with very low road mileage. The event takes place ont he 9th of April with its headquarters at the Abbey Hotel Roscommon

Regulations details below

20/03/06
Midlands East Rally Championship Moto’s on to Round 2
Midland Motor Club bring their Moto stages back once more to Roscommon town and The Sleator Opel Rally Championship will be part of this Multi Stage Rally that is now well established as one of the most enjoyable events in the region.

Round one of the championship is not that far behind us, class battles were played out in the recent Birr stages which saw the reigning Sleator Opel Champion James Cassidy return to his consistent winning form and once again take the class win in his Escort and the 15 point reward that goes with the win. However not to be outdone Andrew Lang returned to top form in Birr. Lang was the exceptionally close runner up in last years championship and he began 06 with flair in his Sleator backed RWD Fiesta as he took the win in class 4.

Group N challengers from last season John Kelly and Robbie Shaw took their Evo 7 home in a solid overall position to assume the lead in Class 2 after round 1.

Class 6 is as always a well supported and hotly contested class after Birr however the championship committee decided as a mark of respect to the late Tony Gibbons who sadly passed away recently that his winning points should be left un awarded as a mark of respect to this popular young driver.

Other drivers were returning from last year and winning their respective classes were Connor Magenis in the beautiful French M3 and “shy quiet” Mark Courtney in his equally stunning Celica.

The championship moves on now to round 2 in Roscommon on 9th April next where the fast sometimes bumpy stages are always a good challenge, COC Eoin Longworth promises 75 stage miles of smooth tarmac (4 Stages run Twice) with low road mileage and Service after every 2 Stages. And of course the clubs renowned hospitality.

the 9 classes of the Sleator Opel Championship are sure to provide a good spread of competition within the event. Championship updates can be found as ever on
14/03/06
Event Press Release
The weekend of the 8th & 9th of April sees the much-anticipated arrival of the 2006 Abbey Hotel Roscommon Moto-Stages Rally to the county town. Midland Motor Club ran its first Motorsport event back in 1976. The Moto 76 Rally ran out of Longford and the official programme cost just 10p. There was an entry list provided to the spectator and a number of map references which made spectating an event in itself. No such luxury as a map. Back then the Midland Motor Club ran a Motorsport weekend. It was a festival of Motorsport which included a rally on Saturday followed by a night navigation trial and then an autocross on Sunday. This event ran in this format until the Insurance Crisis of 1986. 2006 sees the 14th anniversary of the Midland Motor Club Rally in its modern format.
On Sunday the 9th of April the cars will be flagged off from the start ramp at 10.01am, to fight it out over 75 competitive stage miles split into 8 Special Stages circling the South Roscommon area, with a centralized service area. Stages 1 and 3 run in the Kilteevan area and is sure to test the drivers as it requires some very precise driving skills. Stages 2 and 4 wind their way through the townland of Kilglass near Knockroghery. Part of this stage was used by the famous Circuit of Ireland in the late 70s and early 80s and will test the drivers with its narrow twisty sections and fast flowing straights. Stages 5 and 7 run through Kilroosky. This is one of the fastest stages on the event and is sure to be the drivers favourite. Stages 6 & 8 run through the townland of Ballymacurly near Fourmilehouse. Its the first time that Midland Motor Club have ran these stages north of Roscommon and the club would like to thank the residents in the area for the warm reception they have shown towards the event. The winning car will arrive back at the Abbey Hotel Roscommon at approximately 6.15pm. Full details on stage locations, starting times and competitor entry list will be included in the official colour programme which will be available in local Newsagents, Service Stations and at Rally HQ from Thursday evening the 6th of April.

Last years winners and Midland Motor Club member, Sean Gallagher from Carrick On Shannon, would have to be hot favorite to take the victory again. No doubt Sean will be out to prove a point in whatever new machine Sean decides to invest in. Because the 2006 Roscommon Moto-Stages Rally is so close to the Circuit of Ireland and the Monaghan Stages on the Motorsport calendar a lot of high profile crews have expressed interest in competing in the Midland event and using the rally as a shakedown for the Circuit. Entries are at a premium as the event is a counting round of both the Irish 205 Challenge and Midlands East Rally Championship. These clubman style championships have proved very popular since their inception and are attracting a huge volume of entries. Entries close on the 23rd of March and as soon as seeding is complete a full entry list will be available on www.midlandmotorclub.tk. Regs are still available and crews are urged to get their entry forms in as soon as possible.

As always marshals are needed for the safe running of the event and any potential marshals wishing to offer their services are urged to contact Chief Marshal, Kevin Lunt, on 087 2519266. Clerk of the Course, Eoin Longworth< would like to thank the Staff & Management of the Abbey Hotel, Roscommon for their hosting of the event and also the team at Casey's Auto Group for their associate sponsorship. More details (such as time & distance schedules, entry lists, service area & scrutiny maps) will be available on www.midlandmotorclub.tk closer to the event.
02/03/06
Regulations and Entry Form available on:
10/02/06
Event Details
Midland Motor Club are delighted to announce details of their upcoming Moto Stages rally to be held on the 9th April 2006 with the main sponsor of this years event being the Abbey Hotel, Roscommon.

Both Eoin Longworth, Clerk of the Course and Mr. Tommy Grealy (Manager of the Abbey Hotel) are delighted to have the event back in the Roscommon region. The Club are also delighted to have Casey’s Auto Group as associate sponsor.

This year’s event will see 150 competitors off the start ramp while an Historic and Junior rally will compete over the final 4 stages.

Midland Motor Club ran its first tarmac event back in 1969 with the “Moto Rally” being run out of Longford. Previous winners of this event include Ger Buckley, Cathal Curley, Roy Cathcart, Dan Daly, Donie Keating, Eddie Torrens, Mickey Farrell, Connie Smith, Charlie Donnelly, Niall Maguire, Robert Moffett, Tommy Graham, Thomas Mc Govern, Kevin Lynch and last year’s winner Sean Gallagher from Carrick On Shannon.

The 2006 event will consist of 8 stages, 4 stages repeated twice around the Roscommon area with servicing between each 2 stages. The rally is once again a round of the Sleator Opel Midlands East Rally Championship and is also a round of the Irish Peugeot 205 Challenge.

Regulations for this event are will be available from the 27th of February and can be downloaded from www.midlandmotorclub.tk or further information can be obtained from rally Secretary Josephine Lane Flynn at (043) 47819 between 7pm and 9pm or Clerk of the course Eoin Longworth at 086 8179297 (PM Only).

Topics: Midland Stages Rally 

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