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LinksMonaghan Forestry - 10 Jun 07
Posted: June 14, 2007 10:50 AM - 10662 Hits
Round 5 - 2007 National Forestry Championship
- Report: Purcell performs as Moore maintains Championship grip.
- Purcell/Courtney Win in Monaghan
- Full Results & Stage Times
- Photos
Posted: June 14, 2007 10:50 AM
Photo: John Bayly
Report: Purcell performs as Moore maintains Championship grip.
Hot and Dusty was the prediction for Round 5 of the Hankook Tyres National forestry championship as the crews gathered in Three Mile House to ready themselves for 7 stages which undoubtedly going to be tough on man and machine. After respectfully observing a minutes silence at drivers briefing to honour the passing of a well respected competitor and forestry colleague Ger Fahy the crews left Three Mile house and headed to SS1 the demanding Darty test.
Fastest out of the blocks was Andrew Purcell & Mick Courtney in their Grp A Subaru taking an 8 second advantage over Stephen Moore & Tony McHugh in the Focus WRC. Next in the chasing pack was Brian McGillin & David Doherty in his Hyundai WRC at 5 seconds off Moore.
The GrpN race was going very much Keith Cronin’s way as he stormed through Dartry a full ten seconds in front of Colin Britton. Keith was enjoying the stages and commented that the cuts being taken by the leading cars over the Dartry grass verges were crazy in places but he was wiling to follow the lead and this seemed to be bearing fruitful on the timesheets. Brendan Creally & Greg Shinnors returned to the series having had their car rebuilt following the accident on round 1, but it the early season pace was not back with him in Monaghan when an ecu fault was making the car cut out in junctions and loose the Superdrive Evo several precious seconds.
After a short first service the cars headed out for 2 more stages near Scotstown. Moore made some inroads as he fought back and took one second from Purcell over the 5 miles of Knockatallon. McGillin was again the hound to this battle as he was just one second back from Purcell to set 3rd fastest which was just in front of Adrian McElvanney & Damien Connolly who took the immaculate 555 style liveried Impreza to a time just 3 behind McGillin. However the crew on a mission through the dusty Knocatallon hills was Cronin & O Connell as they put in a storming time to beat Moore for fastest time and further cement their GrpN lead.
The Esh stage came next and this was a fast flowing challenge, slightly shortened on previous versions of this stage but no disappointment as it saw Moore take fastest but still he could not shake off Purcell who dropped only 1 second to Moore and gave the Waterford driver and his Meath Co driver Mick Courtney a 6 second lead going into the mid day service. Brian McGillin in the Hyundai was 7 seconds in arrears and Keith Cronin continued on his blistering pace despite some worries over the water temperature in the engine he brought the Hankook backed Group N car into service 4th overall and 1 second behind McGillin. The GrpN lead became more secure for Cronin as is fellow Hankook shod rival Brendan Creally retired in service when his Superdrive Evo finally succumbed to the ecu maladies that had slowed him all day.
Monaghan men Adrian McElvaney & Damien Connolly were 5th on the mid day leader board as they got reacquainted with the Grp A Subaru on gravel. Next up in 6th was Colin Britton & Arthur Kieran’s, they had their Mitsubishi 5 seconds behind McElvaney and were 2nd Grp N with 32 seconds behind GrpN leader Cronin. Kevin O Kane & Martin Brady were five seconds back in 7th picking up the pace after a cautious start on SS1. Colm McBride & Rodney Hicks in their Evo were tied for 8th place with Eammon McElvaney & Stephen Hagan in an Impreza.
In the race for the Superdrive 2wd Award it was Escort man Ciaran Mahon & Connor Bruton who were the leaders just ahead of Connor Kelly and Noel Hall in their Nissan. The battle at the front continued with Moore and Purcell pushing hard. Moore was fastest by 5 on ss4 the return visit to Darty this cut Purcell’s lead to 3 seconds, leaving Purcell to shrug his shoulders at the end of the test saying “there’s absolutely nothing left in the car that was it flat in 6th in there all down them straights and the ruts were throwing us up on 2 wheels around some of the fast corners, I cant make it go any faster”
Moore was in confident form, finding himself back in tune with the car on gravel after the previous days tarmac rally in Newry where he finished on the podium. Stephen explained its not much different you just get into the thing and drive it, but in one or two places on the first couple of stages you find your self coming into corners and trying to power around them in 5th just like on the tar when you have the grip until you remember your on the gravel and you should be down a gear here! but its going ok” McGillin & Doherty continued on their pace which made them further secure in 3rd from the chasing Cronin.
In SS5 Moore found more pace and took 7 seconds from Purcell to move into the lead for the first time in this rally. Purcell admitted he was cautious on that stage as thought of preserving the car intact to the finish were now on is mind, yet neither front runner can have been too cautious as they both took big chunks of time from their first times over the stage despite the rougher parts of the stage being obviously much slower than SS2. McGillin took second fastest on that test and now made 3rd place his own.
Moore and Purcell went over ss6 at unabated speed and both broke the stage Bogey time this seeing them each credited with the same time so the gap remained at 6 seconds in favour of Moore. Cronin was second fastest taking just one second from McGillin.
This meant that leaving the final short service in Three mile house the gap at the front was in favour of Moore with just 10km of the revised Dartry stage to complete. McGillin & Doherty had the Hyundai holding 3rd o/a while Keith Cronin & Anthony O Connell were just behind in 4th place and had an unabated lead in Grp N. In 2wd it was a much closer race with Damian Hagan & Janice Mackeral just one second in front of Connor Kelly & Noel Hall, and Jason Roche & Ray Greene just 6 seconds further back, in this race it was to be local crew Hagan & Mackeral who were to triumph in the 2wd category by just 3 seconds from Kelly & Hall meaning the Monaghan pair win the Superdrive Top 2wd prize and with it comes a voucher from www.superdriveni.com for part payment of entry fees for another round of the Championship to the value of €150.00 for first 2WD and Kelly earns €75.00 for 2nd place 2WD.
But what of the battle at the front? Well tensions were evident if good spirited at the start of the last stage, Purcell was adamant he was going to go for it and give it all the effort he and co driver Courtney could give it, Moore on the other hand was relaxed and jovial as he waited for the start, he had been in this position on other rounds this year going into the last stage and had emerged triumphant and therefore he could afford an air of confidence. However this time the rally was not to stick to previous scripts, Moore was entering the stage in doubt over 5th & 6th gears as they had failed on him on the previous road section, he put this to the back of his mind and set out to drive on regardless, a slide into a ditch on a slippy tight left corner saw him loose some time as he had to go down to 1st and as he said himself “do a bit of ploughing to get out” before he could continue and punch on to the end of the test. Coincidently Purcell was to fall foul of the same corner, he having to reverse out of this ditch that was starting to have a certain magnetic quality about it, magnetic because it also caught out Adrian McElvanney who managed to “bounce” back out again and Kevin O Kane who was to be the final victim as it was now a soft quagmire that there was no driving away from. Purcell rued the slip into the ditch and imagined at this point that was any hope of the win gone from his reach but he still pushed on fearing losing a place to McGillin. However in the midst of all this drama it was Purcell & Courtney who were fastest by a considerable 15 seconds from Moore, meaning Purcell took his first forest win by 9 seconds ahead of Moore with McGillin 11 seconds in arrears.
Keith Cronin took Grp N in his Hankook liveried Evo, meaning he has strengthened his lead in the series points, as has Stephen Moore & Tony McHugh in the overall standings, a positive result for Moore on the next round in Cork can see him put the championship beyond the reach of his nearest pursuer.
Monaghan however was the domain of Purcell and Courtney as they pushed the Grp A Subaru to an overall win ahead of the WRC cars, on an exciting event in the blistering sun efficiently ran by the Monaghan club. The Hankook Forestry Championship now heads to it penultimate round for the 2 day Forestry in Cork, affectionately known in forestry circles as the Donegal of Irish Forest rallies it never fails to provide 2 days of the best competition and craic in the Irish woods that money can buy.
Keep a close eye on www.hankook.ie for all the latest championship info, points tables and entry forms.
Results
1 Andrew Purcell/Michael Courtney (Subaru Impreza 555) 36m 58s
2 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC) 37m 07s
3 Brian McGillin/David Doherty (Hyundai Accent WRC) 37m 18s
4 Keith Cronin/Anthony O’Conaill (Mit. Lancer Evo 7) GpN 37m 38s
5 Adrian McElvaney/Damien Connolly (Subaru Impreza 555) 38m 14s
6 Colin Britton/Arthur Kierans (Mit Lancer Evo 8) GpN 38m 39s
7 Eamon McElvaney/Stephen Hagan (Subaru Impreza N10) GpN 38m 56s
8 Colum McBride/Rodney Hicks (Mit. Lancer Evo 9) GpN 39m 20s
9 Sean Heaney/Liam McLaughlin (Mit. Lancer Evo 6) GpN 39m 50s
10 Pat O’Connell/Mark Wiley (Mit. Lancer Evo 6) GpN 39m 52s
Two wheel drive award: Damien Hagan and Janice Mackarel (Ford Escort) 41m 38s
Leaders After:
SS1-4 Andrew Purcell/Michael Courtney (Subaru Impreza 555)
SS5-6 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC)
SS7 Andrew Purcell/Michael Courtney (Subaru Impreza 555)
Stage Winners:
SS1 Andrew Purcell/Michael Courtney (Subaru Impreza 555)
SS2 Keith Cronin/Anthony O’Conaill (Mit. Lancer Evo 7)
SS3 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC)
& Brian McGillin/David Doherty (Hyundai Accent WRC)
SS4 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC)
SS5 Stephen Moore/Tony McHugh (Ford Focus WRC)
SS6 - Bogey Beaten
SS7 Andrew Purcell/Michael Courtney (Subaru Impreza 555)
PRE EVENT NEWS
- Monaghan ready for Forest battles.
- Seeded Entry List
- Entries Still available
- Keelagh Homes to Sponsor Monaghan Forestry Rally
- Monaghan Forest is Go!
- Regulations and Entry form available
07/06/07
Monaghan ready for Forest battles.
Round 5 of the Hankook Tyres National forestry championship is here and Monaghan is the venue. Despite earlier concerns that the event was in jeopardy, Monaghan motor club have worked hard to secure this great event for the fourth year running with the co-operation received from the local Wildlife Ranger and the local Forester. As in previous years the event is based at Sean McDermott’s GAA Club, Three mile House with Rally HQ, scrutiny/ documentation, start/ finish and service all located conveniently within the GAA Grounds. The event consists of 7 stages 3 done twice, Dartry, Knockatallan and Esh giving a total stage length of 60km approx. Centralised service in Three Mile House is after stages 1, 3, 4 and 6. COC; Paul Hughes has revised the stages from previous years, while using the same locations all stages have been reworked and repaired by the hard working rally committee.
Top seed for the rally will be championship leader Stephen Moore & Tony McHugh in their Focus WRC. They are the runaway championship leaders with a clean sweep of maximum scores to date, on that form alone Stephen and Tony will start the events as favourites. However they should also start the event on fresh form having competed on the Northern Ireland Championship Newry and Mourne rally the previous day so Stephen will be hitting the stages real ready for the action.
Second seed is Brian McGillin & David Doherty they were so close to victory on the last round in Cork that only a tie break could separate them from 1st place. So with that fresh in the mind Brian will undoubtedly be out on the same pace again this weekend and will be the one to watch in his Hyundai WRC. Third on the road is Adrian McElvaney in his Subaru. The local man did well here last year to take a podium finish in an electric battle with Kenny McKinstry and champion John McCarthy, so Adrian has the potential to spring here this weekend and be at the head of the timesheets. Fourth is Brendan Creally & Greg Shinnors in their Group N Lancer. This pairing had fierce rally leading pace in round one of the Hankook Championship before and off road excursion put their season on hold until now. A shakedown event in the UK last weekend saw Creally retire with transmission trouble and there will be a rush on to get the problem repaired for this weekends event, but if Creally is at the start line of SS1 in fighting fit form then expect to see him at the end of SS1 and right up at the top line of the timesheets.
Starting 5 on the road is Andrew Purcell & Mick Courtney in the Grp A Subaru, this crew missed the last round in Cork but on the previous outing in Limerick they were on the leading pace and holding 2nd o/a when their gearbox failed, so expect them to return with a point to prove. Kevin O Kane & Martin Brady are next seeds in a Subaru WRC. Kevin finished 5th on last years event after battling with some punctures. 7th on the road Cork driver and award winner in the Motorsport Ireland Coleman award scheme, Keith Cronin. This Hankook supported Lancer driver navigated by Anthony O Connell has put in some stunning times all year so expect him to adapt to Monaghan forests quickly and be right up there on the Grp N pace. Just behind him starts Colin Britton also in a lancer. With Donegal’s Stuart Darcy at 9th and another Grp N challenger Connor McCloskey and local co driver Damien Connolly are at 5, they also driving a Mitsubishi Lancer. Connor took his GrpN Lancer to 6th o/a on this event last year, so expect another strong showing from this pair. No 11 is Colm McBride also in a Mitsubishi Evo.
It’s a rally with plenty of local crews outside the top ten also. Adrian McElvanney & Raymond Knox are at 12 in their Subaru. Andrew Mackarel / Richard Cassidy are at 24, at 26 in an Evo is Damian Hagan / Janice Mackarel. These are just a small selection of the locals out to tackle the forests.
As with every round of the championship this year the top 2wd crew win the Superdrive prize and with it comes a voucher from www.superdriveni.com for part payment of entry fees for another round of the Championship to the value of €150.00 for first 2WD and €75.00 for 2nd place 2WD.
Just two of the top 2wd men are Brian Lawlor in his Escort and Jason Roche also in an Escort, but tipped to be right on their heels is Connor Kelly in his rapid Nissan Sunny.
So that’s a very brief run down of just some of the quality entries here today as yet another fantastic national forestry event awaits us at the fifth round of the 2007 Hankook Tyres National Forest Rally Championship it is sure to provide great excitement
Entries still available
31/05/07
Entries are still being taken for the Monaghan Forestry Rally:
Regulations and entry form are available on the club website:
30/05/07
Keelagh Homes to Sponsor Monaghan Forestry Rally
Monaghan Motor Club announced this week that Keelagh Homes has been confirmed as the title sponsor for the Monaghan Forestry Rally to be held on 10th June 2007.
Since it was established in 1999 Keelagh Homes has grown to become one of Ireland’s most dynamic construction and property development companies. Based in Cavan, the company employs 60 people, and has recently completed a number of high profile residential and commercial developments.
Commenting on the sponsorship deal, the Clerk of the Course for the event and Monaghan Motor Club Chairman Paul Hughes stated that the club was delighted to continue its link with the progressive Cavan company, that had also sponsored last year’s rally. “Monaghan is one of Ireland’s most dynamic motor clubs and it is appropriate that we are associated with like-minded people in Keelagh Homes”.
The rally is set to attract Ireland’s top loose surface rally drivers and counts as round 5 of the National Forestry Rally Championship. Headquarters for the event will be in Threemilehouse at the Sean McDermotts Community Centre. The rally is comprised of 7 stages at Dartry, Knockatallan and Esh with centralised service in Threemilehouse. Entries are now being taken for the 100 available places.
13/05/07
Monaghan Forest is Go!
The committee of Co. Monaghan Motor Club is pleased to confirm that the Monaghan Forestry Rally scheduled for Sunday 10th June will go ahead as planned. The committee wishes to acknowledge the understanding and co-operation received from the local Wildlife Ranger and the local Forester.
This will be the 4th consecutive running of the event since it was revived in 2004. As in previous years, the event will be based in the village of Threemilehouse. The format remains the same with 7 stages located at Dartry, Knockatallan and Esh giving a total stage length of 60km approx.
The stages are in good condition and the club is looking forward to the support of competitors old and new.
Regulations and entry form will be available on the club website:
Topics:
Monaghan Forest Rally
Upcoming