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LinksTipperary Stonethrowers Stages Rally - 10 Aug 08
Posted: August 24, 2008 9:14 PM - 25925 Hits
Round 7 - 2008 National Rally Championship
Round 6 - 2008 Southeast Rally Championship
Round 4 - 2008 Citroen C2 R2 Irish Cup
- More Photos
- Patrick Elliott/Paul Goodman take win on last stage!
Photo: Trevor McGrath
- In Cars.....
- Rally Hire Ireland get off to a dream start
- Video Clips
- ELLIOTT MOVES CLOSER TO DUNLOP CROWN<BR>(Report courtesy of Irish Dunlop – sponsors of the Irish National Rally Championship)
- McCORMACK MASTERS ROUND FOUR OF C2 R2 IRISH CUP
- Hundreds of Photos!
- Results
- Final Instructions available
- ANOTHER TRIP TO TIPP FOR DUNLOP CONTENDERS<BR>(Preview courtesy of Irish Dunlop – sponsors of the Irish National Rally Championship)
- Time and Distance Schedule
- Cronin & Barry enter Stonethrowers for pre-Ulster Shakedown
- Entry List Available
- Rally Launch - Wed 9th July
- Regulations available
In Cars.....
Posted: August 24, 2008 9:14 PM
Terence O’Shaughnessy/Eugene McGrath (Toyota Corolla 2.5 RWD) SS4
Jason Ollerenshaw / Colin Fitzgerald (Honda Civic) SS7
Rally Hire Ireland get off to a dream start
Posted: August 15, 2008 12:52 PM
Last weekend team principle of rally hire Ireland Adrian Mc Elhinney and co-driver Shane Buckley got off to a dream start to there C2R2 cup with 2nd place in the Stonethrower rally, the crew had minor problems with intercom failure earlier in the day, and in the second half of the day the changeable weather made tyre choice a nightmare. At the end Adrian commented “we wanted to get points today and second place is incredible. Fair play to Marty (McCormack) he drove excellent all day”.
The crew have further testing planed ahead of the Ulster rally, and are really looking forward to it. Co-driver Shane Buckley said at the Clonmel finish “Excellent days rallying! Hopefully now with a bit of testing we will get those few little problems sorted out, and will be on course for another points finish in the Ulster”.
Both Adrian and Shane would like to thank their sponsors
www.carsdirect.ie
Ballybofey Autofactors
Donegal Cabs
www.rallyhireireland.com
ELLIOTT MOVES CLOSER TO DUNLOP CROWN
(Report courtesy of Irish Dunlop – sponsors of the Irish National Rally Championship)
Posted: August 13, 2008 1:43 PM
CAVAN’s Patrick Elliott (Subaru WRC) took an important victory in the
Sepam Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally, the seventh round of the Dunlop
National Rally Championship. Co-driven by Paul Goodman, he finished
9.3 seconds ahead of the Subaru WRC of Monaghan’s, Niall Maguire and
co-driver, Enda Sherry.
The event was in the balance all the way through, entering the final
stage, Maguire was just 0.5 of a second ahead of his great rival.
However, Maguire’s Subaru suffered a puncture a few miles before the
finish of the final stage and Elliott took victory and a two-point
lead in the Dunlop National Rally Championship. Kevin Barrett/Sean
Mullally (Subaru WRC) were third. Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Subaru) won
the Group N category.
Maguire (Subaru WRC) posted the quickest time on the opening stage at
Newcastle and opened up a 4.2 second lead over arch-rival Elliott
(Subaru WRC) with Aaron MacHale (Ford Focus WRC) a further 1.3 seconds
behind in third. Another Subaru duo, Kevin Barrett and PJ McGrath,
were next with sixth placed Keith Cronin (Mitsubishi) leading the
Group N category where Dunlop contender, Eamonn Daly (Mitsubishi) lost
time with turbo trouble. In the two-wheel drive category, Trevor
Mulligan (Escort) held a 1.9 second advantage over the Toyota Starlet
of Maurice Moffett.
On the second stage, Maguire, who found the chicanes a trifle
difficult to negotiate, extended his lead by a mere second with
MacHale, who experienced a slight overshoot, dropping some 19.9
seconds behind second placed Elliott, who reckoned the suspension of
his Subaru needed a little tweaking. Kevin Barrett held fourth while
fifth placed PJ McGrath (Subaru) opined that wrong tyre choices were
costing him valuable time.
Meanwhile, Keith Cronin continued to dominate Group N, adjustments to
the suspension set-up yielded a much-improved performance from his
Mitsubishi. Maurice Moffett moved into a 7.4 second advantage over
Trevor Mulligan in the battle for the two-wheel drive supremacy, the
latter stalled his Escort at one junction. The top ten also included
Terence O’Shaughnessy (Toyota Corolla) and David James (Ford Focus
WRC).
Maguire gained 4.4 seconds on S.S. 3 even though he damaged a rim of
his Subaru, Elliott posted his first fastest time of the day on S.S.
4, albeit a half a second faster than Maguire, who arrived at the
Powerstown Racecourse service halt with a lead of 9.1 seconds, “I’m
really going hard, but so is Patrick (Elliott), there’s very little in
it.” he said. Meanwhile, Aaron MacHale lost over a minute on each
stage when his Ford Focus WRC lost all differential pressure, he also
had to revert to manual gear change. That promoted Kevin Barrett into
third, however, the Maynooth driver admitted that an incorrect tyre
choice cost him time. Fourth placed PJ McGrath spun his Subaru on
S.S. 4 and lost the opportunity to close on Barrett.
Group N leader, Cronin, fifth in general classification, was trying
various permutations in terms of suspension set-up and although his
choice for S.S. 4 was completely wrong, his showroom lead was never in
doubt.
A charging Mulligan regained control in the two-wheel drive category,
he was 7.2 seconds ahead of the Toyota Corolla of Terence
O’Shaughnessy, meanwhile, Moffett was a further 10.3 seconds in
arrears. David James (Ford Focus WRC) held ninth and Alan Ring
(Mitsubishi) was tenth. Ring, some 50 seconds behind Cronin, stated
that his performance through the repeat of the stages was a vast
improvement to his initial outing. Eamonn Daly (Mitsubishi) lost
further time when he made an unscheduled visit to a lawn.
Elliott reduced the deficit to 0.9 of a second on S.S. 5 where Maguire
admitted he was a little too cautious. Then, on Stage 6, Elliott
threw all his hard work away when he stalled his Subaru at a hairpin
and lost some ten seconds.
At the final service halt, Maguire led Elliott by 4.2 seconds with
Barrett well secure in third. PJ McGrath spun yet again, this time on
S.S. 6, he held fourth. Group N pacesetter, Keith Cronin slid his
Mitsubishi out of the rally on S.S. 6 promoting top two-wheel drive
exponent, Terence O’Shaughnessy (Toyota Corolla) into fifth followed
by rivals, Trevor Mulligan and Maurice Moffett.
Alan Ring, the new Group N leader, held eighth in a top ten that also
included Aaron MacHale and the Escort Cosworth of Jack Maguire.
Out on penultimate stage, Elliott cut Maguire’s advantage to a mere
half a second and all hinged on the final stage. Maguire’s rear wheel
punctured a few miles from the finish, a subsequent spin at a junction
cost him more time and Elliott emerged victorious by a margin of 9.3
seconds. Barrett and McGrath were third and fourth respectively.
Carlow’s, Terence O’Shaughnessy (Toyota Corolla) was the top two-wheel
drive exponent, he finished an impressive fifth overall – 4.8 seconds
ahead of Maurice Moffett, Mulligan was a late retirement.
MacHale’s recovery ended in seventh place; Alan Ring (Mitsubishi) won
the showroom category and while Russell Woods (Ford Escort) and Jack
Maguire (Escort Cosworth) completed the top ten.
McCORMACK MASTERS ROUND FOUR OF C2 R2 IRISH CUP
Posted: August 13, 2008 1:39 PM
Martin McCormack and Liam Moynihan emerged as the victorious on round four of the C2 R2 Irish Cup, on the Tipperary Stonethrowers rally, based in Clonmel. This superb eight stage event, provided the hottest C2 R2 competition of the year for these 1600cc hot hatches. With no less than 10 identical C2 R2’s starting it proved to be a hectic race. Winner of the last round, Tipperary’s Paul Manton was really warming up for his home round, and he didn’t disappoint, taking an early second place really pushing Martin McCormack, as the cars clocked into service after two stages. In third place, running late on the road, amongst the second group of C2’s was Donegal driver Adrian McElhinney despite intercom problems on the opening loop, the problem only cured when he swapped helmets with his co driver. In fourth at this stage was young Martin Tynan, who confessed to being happy with the handling of his little C2 R2, whilst Martin McCormack was fast from the outset, the Draperstown driver also desperate for a finish. Sadly there were a few drivers destined not to finish. Graham Kelly was the first casualty, sliding the little C2 into a ditch on a slippy braking area, on the first stage, and Cork’s John Quill retired with a small fire after a gearbox problem. But the most prominent retirement was championship leader Barry Evans, retiring in service after severe gearbox trouble on stage two, so suddenly at the front there was more to be gained in the points race. But one driver not to benefit from the points race was 19 year old Sam Moffett, who clipped a rock on stage one, punctured, damaged the suspension and dropped 13 minutes, continuing in the rally to try and collect points, but just missing out in seventh place.
Rounding off the top six at the finish was Comber driver David Johnston, in his first season of rallying, and his stage times are improving by the mile, as he came closer to the times of fifth place finisher, last years British C2 Champion Martin Laverty. These two drivers reported trouble free rallies. At the front of the field however the leader-board was about to be turned around dramatically, as second placed Paul Manton made a critical error on stage four sliding the C2 into a ditch and losing 40 seconds, a loss that relegate him to fourth at the finish. As the rally moved into the afternoon loop Martin McCormack maintained his lead, as conditions at times were tricky, with light showers making the roads slippery. Adrian McElhinney now moved into second place, in an excellent first showing in the C2 R2 Irish Cup, and Martin Tynan finished a fine third. But the day belonged to Martin McCormack and Liam Moynihan.
Martin was understandably relived and excited at the Clonmel Park Hotel finish
“We knew we had to get a finish today, so we were a little cautious on the first loop, but we picked up the pace after that, and I’m absolutely delighted to score a win. We were actually contemplating taking another type of car to the Ulster rally, as we have had such a trying run recently in the C2 Cups, and we knew before the start of the rally that the result today would make our decision. So now we are looking forward to the Ulster, particularly as it’s a double header round of the C2 R2 Irish Cup, and it’s a round of the British C2 Cup, so really it’s the ultimate round of the year.” The Ulster Rally is just two weeks away, and the C2 runners have the added bonus of comparing their stage times with the works Citroen C2 R2 Max which will be present on the Ulster.
CITROEN C2 R2 IRISH CUP- ROUND FOUR- RESULTS
1 Martin McComack/ Liam Moynihan C2R2
2 Adrian McElhinney/ Shane Buckley C2R2
3 Martin Tynan/ Ciaran Tynan C2R2
4 Paul Manton/ John Carroll C2 R2
5 Martin Laverty/ Trevor Payne C2 R2
Results
Posted: August 13, 2008 12:39 PM
1 Patrick Elliott/Paul Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC) 62m 53s,
2 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC) 63m 02s,
3 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC) 64m 45s,
4 P J McGrath/Billy Collins (Subaru Impreza WRC) 65m 35s,
5 Terence O’Shaughnessy/Eugene McGrath (Toyota Corolla 2.5 RWD) 66m 26s,
6 Maurice Moffett/Jason McKenna (Toyota Starlet RWD) 66m 31s,
7 Aaron MacHale/Killian Duffy (Ford Focus WRC) 66m 48s,
8 Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy (Mit. Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 67m 12s,
9 Russell Woods/Martin Byrne (Ford Escort Mk II)
67m 40s,
10 Jack Maguire/Paul Maguire (Ford Escort RS Cosworth) 68m 04s.
Group N Production class:
1 Alan Ring/Adrian Deasy,
2 Daniel Barry/Mark Bowens (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 68m 07s,
3 Sean Flanagan/Brian Duggan (Impreza) 68m 34s.
Leaders After
SS1-8 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS9 Patrick Elliott/Paul Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC)
Stage Winners
SS1 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS2 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS3 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS4 Patrick Elliott/Paul Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS5 Patrick Elliott/Paul Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS6 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS7 Patrick Elliott/Paul Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS8 Patrick Elliott/Paul Goodman (Subaru Impreza WRC)
ANOTHER TRIP TO TIPP FOR DUNLOP CONTENDERS
(Preview courtesy of Irish Dunlop – sponsors of the Irish National Rally Championship)
Posted: August 8, 2008 2:46 PM
THE intense battle at the top of the Dunlop National Rally
Championship leaderboard enters another crucial phase with Sunday’s
eight stage Clonmel based Sepam Tipperary Stonethrowers Rally. Former
triple champion, Niall Maguire (Subaru WRC) and his nemesis, Patrick
Elliott (Subaru WRC), who has finished runner-up on three occasions,
are joint leaders of the ten round series.
The Clonmel event, organised by the Tipperary Light Car and Motor
Cycle Club, returns to the national series after the “opt-out” rule
that applied last season, no doubt, it will have a crucial bearing on
the eventual destiny of the national title.
Throughout the previous six rounds, there has been precious little
between the title-chasing duo. In fact in terms of overall time for
the entire six rounds – involving almost seven hours of competition,
Elliott has covered the distance just 12.5 seconds quicker than
Maguire.
Consistency has been a hallmark of the current campaign and it is the
first time in recent years that both drivers have finished all of the
rounds to date. As the series moves towards its conclusion and with
both competitors level on points, the accumulation of their
112-point’s tally is significant.
Elliott has three maximum scores of 20 points while Maguire has two,
however, Maguire has garnered 18 points from the other four rounds.
Elliott also has two-18 point packages and one of 16 points. Just to
illustrate the intensity of their campaigns, they were separated by a
tie-break on the Circuit of Kerry earlier in the season.
Elliott has no particular plan for Tipperary where he is the top seed,
“It will be business as usual, I’m very happy with the new car.
Mathematically, I can tie up the series if I win the next two rounds,
but that’s a tall order, so we’ll have to wait and see.”
Meanwhile, Maguire knows that he has to get that all-important maximum
score to tilt the balance in his favour; however, Tipperary hasn’t
been a favourite stomping ground for the Monaghan driver. One, if not
the most experienced Dunlop campaigners, he remarked, “I think it will
go all the way, I really want this fourth title, it would be a nice
achievement. The plan is to go as hard as possible.”
Defending national champion, Aaron MacHale (Ford Focus WRC), who won
the opening round in Mayo, makes a return to the series and will try
to win the event that was won by his younger brother, Gareth last
year.
Maynooth’s, Kevin Barrett (Subaru WRC) can strengthen his third place
position in the national series, he will line up just behind MacHale.
Elsewhere, the top ten also includes Wexford pair, PJ McGrath (Subaru
WRC) and David James (Ford Focus WRC).
The race for the Patterson's RallyNews Group N award is also finely
poised with series leader, Eamonn Daly (Mitsubishi) some three points
ahead of former champion, Alan Ring, also in a Mitsubishi, they are
seeded at seven and eight respectively.
Billy Coleman Award winner, Keith Cronin, who has been selected to
represent Ireland in the Pirelli Star Driver Scheme shoot-out in
Austria next October, is using the event as a shakedown for the Ulster
Rally later this month.
The top ten is completed by Meath’s, Trevor Mulligan in his ultra
quick Mk. 2 Ford Escort, he leads Class 14 in the Dunlop series.
Indeed, the two-wheel drive category should prove interesting fare
with others such as Maurice Moffett (Toyota Starlet), who is five
points behind Mulligan, Terence O’Shaughnessy (Toyota Starlet), James
Coleman, Shay Power, Liam Wall, Russell Woods and Mick McQuaid all in
Ford Escorts, also on the entry list.
Other entries include another former Billy Coleman Award winner,
Stuart Darcy (Subaru), Mitsubishi Evo contender, Daniel Barry,
Anthony O’Halloran (Mitsubishi) and Sean Flanagan (Subaru).
In Class 6, Mark Sheehan (Renault Clio) could become the first driver
to secure a class win - he is 36 points ahead of Ian Roche, also in a
Renault Clio.
Local aces seeking a strong results are Cahir’s, Andrew fanning (Ford
puma); Clonmel’s, Michael Ormond (Honda Civic); Cashel’s, paul manton
(Citroen C2R2), Michael Cummins (Mitsubishi) and Raymond Heney (Toyota
Corolla) along with Clonmel’s, Barry O’Keeffe (Toyota Starlet) and
Barry Hayes (Peugeot 205).
Cronin & Barry enter Stonethrowers for pre-Ulster Shakedown
Posted: July 28, 2008 1:05 PM
Evo Challenge UK front runners Keith Cronin and Daniel Barry have entered the Stonethrowers as a shakedown ahead of the next round of the Evo Challenge, the Ulster Rally.
Rally Launch - Wed 9th July
Posted: June 25, 2008 4:02 PM
This years rally launch will take place on Wednesday the 9th of July. Some of Ireland's top drivers will be in attendance including the famous Donnelly brothers Eugene and Charlie. Eugene of course being the current Irish Tarmac Champion and Charlie being a former National Irish Tarmac Champion.
Rosemary Smith, the glamorous Dublin driver of Hillman Imp fame and winning the 1965 Tulip Rally outright. Dougie Hughes the legendary voice of Irish rallying who is going to break a world record later this year for 56 years commentating will also be in attendance.
More Details:
Upcoming