Jim Walsh Cork Forestry Rally - (Sat) 16 Aug 08

Murphy and Hicks Master GpN and take 2nd Overall.

Posted: August 27, 2008 4:50 PM

Owen Murphy and Rodney Hicks in the Hankook/OFlynn Mitsubishi Evo 9 were on a mission in Cork for the Cork forestry Rally, after a cautious start Owen who had not been in the woods in 2 years upped his pace slotted into second overall and won GpN.

Full Report

Owen Murphy Rallying

Video Clips

Posted: August 24, 2008 8:29 PM

Breen back to winning ways in Cork.

Posted: August 24, 2008 8:02 PM

Ray Breen returned both his Ford Focus and his driving style to gravel spec for the Cork forestry rally, and it was a return to his early season form with a dominant win leading from start to finish. Breen can no longer claim novice status in forestry rallying as he moves once more into the lead of the Hankook championship, together with co driver Martin Brady they claimed 6 fastest times and regained control of the championship

This year the Tadhg O Conaill Heating & Plumbing Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally ran in a new competitor friendly format. As a response to the rising cost of competing over 2 days the club took the helpful step of condensing almost the length of two days into the value of one.
Instead of the traditional two days in Cork forests the 2008 rally consisted of one long days rallying of over 100km on some of the nicest and best known forest stages in the country.

Over 90 crews crossed the start ramp and headed for the classic opening stage Bweeng. Top seeds that unfortunately didn't make the start due to mechanical problems were Dominic McNeil and Denis Cronin Heavy rain on the way to stage 1 failed to dampen the spirits and the stages were holding up well in the conditions. Breen began the stage cautious feeling that he had dropped time, yet the time was fastest by ten seconds from John Reid in the Corolla. This signalled that the championship protagonists Reid and Breen were on course for a good battle. James Murphy in the Escort WRC with James O Brien partnering him held 3rd o/a only 3 behind Reid. Pete McCullagh was fastest Grp N runner only to have his clutch fail on the way to SS2 and end his day. Stage two was another classic stage Mount Hillary and over the 7 slippy km of this test the pace really began to close up. On arrival in service in Mallow it was once again Breen who was fastest and extended his lead by another ten seconds over second placed Reid, but from there on it really was close. Pat O Connell in his Group N Evo held 3rd overall and was only 3 seconds behind Reid but only 1.3 seconds ahead of 4th placed James Murphy, Colin Britton was 5th and only 2 seconds behind Murphy while Seamus O Connell was top 2wd and he was right on the tail of Britton by only 0.8 of a second. There was a slightly more comfortable gap of 7 seconds back to his great 2wd rival Frank Kelly. Then 8th o/a Brendan Murphy in his Grp A Evo was just behind Kelly by less than half a second and the Mallow man was just 0.4 seconds ahead of fellow Cork driver and namesake Owen Murphy. The times were so close all round that it was a very complex picture to see who could nose in front. A small gap of just over ten seconds covered 2nd to 10th showing how equally matched the pace was.

A repeat visit to the mornings opening stages did leave the picture a bit clearer on the return to service. Breen & Brady continued to be fastest in their Focus WRC, Ray saying he was driving at all times with the championship in mind and not taking any risks. Having said that with a 37 second lead he could well afford the hint of caution.
John Reid & Enda Shiels held second and this was just where they needed to be as they too had a championship to think of. They held a slender lead over Breen in the Hankook series coming into the Cork forest so to keep on Breen's tail and score points was their goal. Pat O Connell & Mark Wiley continued to impress and lead Group N and hold 3rd overall. James Murphy arrived to service in a troubled 4th overall, his transmission was failing and he nursed the car to service but it was game over for him and co driver James O Brien as the black WRC Escort was to make it no further with the problems proving terminal. This would promote Colin Britton and Arthur Kiearns in their Evo to 4th and just under 8 seconds behind O Connell in the Grp N battle. Seamus O Connell with Brian Duggan on the notes were still the 2wd leaders in their Mk2 Escort and they were just under 3 seconds ahead of Owen Murphy who now settled into his Evo 9 hire car had managed to leap frog Brendan Murphy and Frank Kelly who were still locked in a battle for 8th overall, Kelly had just stormed through the repeat tests and now held a 6 second lead over Brendan Murphy.

Stage 5 was to be the most anticipated stage of the day, at over 21 km it was an arduous test and the recent rain had made the slippy bits extra tricky. Breen scythed through the stage fastest by 12 seconds, a very enjoyable stage he commented we had a good rhythm in there but still took no risks there is a lot to catch you out if you are not concentrating. Reid came out of the stage in a completely contrasting humour, he dropped to 6th fastest on the stage and explained how he just didn't get going in the stage and couldn't understand the loss of pace, too cautious perhaps. Owen Murphy and Rodney Hicks were now on full song in their SP Motorsport hired Lancer as they took second fastest. Owen was beaming at the stage end saying everything was just clicking real well, new car new co driver and a brave gamble on a narrow pattern Hankook tyre to cope with the conditions had all worked wonders and he was enjoying his return to forestry rallying. Frank Kelly and Liam Brennan were however the stars of the stage as they went on what could only be described by Frank as "a psycho mission" and they took 3rd fastest only 0.9 of a second behind Murphy. This was to be the turning point in the rally for Kelly as his great rivals O Connell & Duggan rolled their Mk2 out of contention near the start of the stage.
"It just got a bit too sideways" said O Connell "and caught a bank and after that I don't know how many times she rolled but it was sore enough, we are ok and the car will be out fixed for the woodpecker it would take more than that to stop us!"
Also bowing out of the 2wd race was Brian Lawlor in his Escort as a broken suspension halted his progress. In Grp N it was Britton's turn to go faster in his battle with Pat O Connell as he gained 4 seconds over the long stage to halve the margin to O Connell. Another to retire on the long stage was Jeremy Drislane and reigning champion co driver Tony McHugh a minor brush with a bank damaged something and their Evo refused to go further. This gave Brendan Murphy and Pat Condon a lead of over 2 minutes in class 6 to their nearest challengers Connie Smith and Breen McNamee in the Cosworth. Murphy would hold this lead for the remainder of the event to take the Grp A class win on his home rally.

Stage 6 was a much shorter than the previous test but at 8km it was still long enough to punish. Fired up now it was the turn of John Reid to set fastest time by over 2 seconds from Owen Murphy and Breen who were separated by just 0.1 of a second in favour of Murphy. When arriving in service after ss6 the overall picture was Breen still led with a gap of over one minute to Owen Murphy who had by virtue of his confident push on the last 2 stages jumped up to a fine 2nd o/a. Pat O Connell still held 3rd but now had succumbed the Grp N lead to Murphy and John Reid was left to rue his time on the long stage as so close was the battle at the front it had left him now in 4th place and only 4 seconds ahead of the charging Kelly. Kelly was in a superb 5th o/a and had a good lead over his closest 2wd rival Jason Roche, yet it was overall scalps that Kelly was out to claim and he promised a big attack on the long stage saying that while co driver Liam Brennan continues to talk so fast then all he can do is drive just as fast! The sting in the tail was yet to come, now out of service for the last time the crews headed to a repeat of the previous long test and the shorter Coolfree stage but now thrown in just to catch out those trying to cruise it home was the 9km Peters Hill stage which would close the rally. Breen and Brady set into the 21km test saying that it was all under control and they were driving in the middle of the road, yet Breen still bettered his previous time by 12 seconds, surprised at this Breen said we were more cautious in there that time but perhaps carried more speed in the very fast middle bit, I think that time is a cautionary tale telling us we have enough done and need to just really settle the pace and get home for the championship points. Owen Murphy was another to improve his time by just under 6 seconds and Kelly was actually 0.2seconds slower than his first time but undoubtedly to travel the stage at such a pace for a second time was surely another "psycho journey" . John Reid got his Corolla over the test 11 seconds better than the first attempt but still he was not satisfied and felt he could have gone better just something not coming together right in there, and just to prove it was a one stage demon he took again took fastest time on stage 8 which was the repeat of Coolfree. Breen took second fastest to Reid on that one and was just 0.3 up on Owen Murphy.
Kelly and Britton swapped tenths of a second on that test as suddenly they were in a battle for 3rd o/a. This was because an unfortunate Pat O Connell arrived at the end of a long straight in ss8 and found himself with no brakes after a burst pipe, he did well to put the car up a firebreak and save himself and co driver Mark Wiley from a nasty accident. Cruel Luck for O Connell as he had been right on top after a day long battle with Britton.
So with 3rd o/a to fight for it was yet again another reason for the already committed Frank Kelly to move his pace up to 110% and that's what he did taking fastest time overall on the last test and ten up on Britton who by now was just in front of Reid but due to take maximum Grp N points as Owen Murphy in his Hankook backed Lancer was not registered for the championship. So it was Kelly who was the last gasp hero and he took 3rd o/a with Britton content with 4th and a good points haul it was John Reid next on 5th o/a but taking 3rd placed championship points as Kelly and Murphy are not registered. A good solid haul that keeps him still in the fight with Breen, John and co driver Enda Shiels drove well all day setting fastest times they are certainly still strong contenders for this years Hankook forestry championship. Owen Murphy also drove a superb event. He came to the rally and jumped in a new car provided by SP Motorsport and with a new co driver in Rodney Hicks, Murphy settled in over the first few tests and then set about his climb up the leader board and by the end of the day it had gained him a commendable 2nd o/a on his home event and his return to gravel.

In the National Junior Championship race it was Jason Ryan & Tadgh O Sullivan who just edged out Peter Wilson & JP Killmurray for the Junior win, both drivers in Civics and finishing in an impressive 14th and 15th o/a respectively.
At the front it was Breen's day he steered a steady course all day and with this victory made up somewhat for the setback in Wexford as he regains the lead in the Hankook championship and wins the Jim Walsh Memorial Cup for winning Cork forest, a real jewel to win any year never mind on a debut year in the woods. The battle for the series will go down to Birr in October with Breen and Reid set to fight it out, a win there for Breen would seal it but Reid can still upset the apple cart and beat Breen with his trademark consistency.

National Junior Championship - Second win for Jason Ryan.

Posted: August 24, 2008 7:57 PM

Jason Ryan scored an emphatic victory in the National Junior section of the Cork Forestry Rally. The Youghal man drove his Honda Civic to an eighteen second win on round six of the National Junior Rally Championship(NJRC). Ryan won the first round of the NJRC in Mitchelstown, but he was plagued with mechanical problems on the succeeding rounds. However the Civic was on best behaviour on the smooth forest stages in North Cork and Ryan was able to win six of the nine stages. His tour de force was stage five where he took a massive 18 seconds off the pursuing pack on the 22 km. test.

In second place was Peter Wilson twenty two seconds in arrears, the Trim driver full of confidence after winning the last round- the ALMC rally. Wilson had his Civic just eight seconds behind Ryan after four stages, but Ryan’s eletric pace through stage five, forced Wilson to prioritise his championship position. The Meathman could not relax much as Pat Cunningham was hovering close behind. Cunningham won the Limerick Forestry earlier in the year, but in Cork he lost fifth gear in the Civic gearbox after two stages. The Galway driver did well to finish only six seconds behind Wilson. In fourth overall was Vincent Mc Aree, the leader of the NJRC. The Ballinode man tried very hard all day in the underpowered 106 but he headed home happy that his championship lead was intact. John Byrnes finished fifth after a troubled day in the Civic. A drive shaft broke on stage three and it cost the Limerick driver two minutes and any chance of a top result.

Sarah Moynihan was in sixth place. The Mallow driver was happy with the performance mid-rally, but she was lucky to survive suspension damage on the later stages. Bernard Mulvihill was relieved to see the finish line in seventh after crashes on the last two rallies. Like Sarah Moynihan he improves his score in the junior section of the forestry championship. In eighth place was Jack Newman who finished second on the ALMC. The Meathman was in confident mood and it told. He had the Civic on the pace on the early stages, very close to Wilson in third. However drive shaft failure on stage six cost him nine minutes.

At the finish Jason Ryan was thrilled. “Lady luck finally came our way. The last few rallies were very frustrating with the crankshaft sensor trouble. It is fixed now and we can look forward to the final two rounds in Birr and Wicklow. This is my third forestry rally and I have won two of them. Todays event was terrific, all credit to COC Darren McCarthy. The last stage was a bit rough but the other eight were as smooth as tarmac”.

Leaders SS 1 to 9 J.Ryan.

Stage winners J.Ryan (6), P.Wilson (1) P.Cunningham (1).Jack Newman (1).

Eleven national juniors started the rally and there were three retirements:
Conor Kelly (engine SS2),Damien Mc Carthy (differential SS5), and Michael Mc Kennedy (off SS7).

After six rounds Vincent Mc Aree leads the NJRC with 44 points ahead of Peter Wilson (40), Ross Forde (30), Patrick Cunningham (30) and Jason Ryan (30).

The next round is the Birr Forestry rally which will be held on Sunday 5th of October, instead of the Killarney rally which has been cancelled..

BREEN/BRADY TAKE CORK FOREST RALLY

Posted: August 24, 2008 7:56 PM

Ray Breen and navigator Martin Brady took victory on the Tadhg O Conaill Heating & Plumbing Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally last Saturday and in doing so ensured that the Hankook Tyres National Forest Rally Championship goes down to the final round Birr.

John Reid was leading the championship by a slender one point margin coming to Cork after Breen posted a DNF on the last round in Wexford so a good points score here was vital to both competitors.

Breen made his intentions known early on, posting a time of 4.34.4 on the opening Bweeng stage which gave him fastest time,he was almost 10 seconds faster than Reid here.

It was a similar story on stage 2,Coolfree and after the morning stages were complete Breen had been fastest on all four stages and was looking comfortable heading out to the afternoon stages in the massive Ballyhoura complex.

Stage 5,Streamhill, was the stage where concentration would be vital though, so there was no thought of backing off at this stage,maximum attack means maximum concentration so Breen attacked and stopped the clocks at the end of the massive 22 kms on 12.50.5,commenting at the end "there was a lot of places in there where you could easily throw it all away".Breens time on the stage meant another stage win with Corks Owen Murphy second fastest on the stage in an EVO 9 and thoroughly enjoying his return to the loose.Murphy was swapping times with the top crews throughout the rally as indeed was the battling crew of Frank Kelly and Liam Brennan who brought there MK 2 Escort to an incredible 3rd fastest at the end of the 22 kms.

John Reid launched his own attack on stage 6 taking the stage win and two seconds back from Breen but he needed to maintain this pace for the remainder of the rally if he was to have any hope of hauling the flying Breen in.

Owen Murphy was second fastest on 6 beating Breen into third on the stage by just 0.1 of a second.

This,however,acted as a wake up call for Breen who went into the second run over the 22 km Streamhill stage totally committed and came out the end a full 12 seconds faster than his first run through but more importantly 14.1 seconds faster than Colin Britton who was second fastest here with Owen Murphy third fastest on 12.56.6 and John Reid fourth fastest on 13.14.0.

John Reid again took fastest time on stages 7 and 8 but realistically Breen had enough done at this point.

Owen Murphy,navigated by Rodney Hicks, brought his EVO 9 home in a very creditable second place after a two year absence from the woods but the drive of the rally HAD to be that of Frank Kelly and Liam Brennan who came in third overall in their Mk 2 Escort at the end of the epic 100 stage kms.

The Cork Motor Club experiment of running one long day instead of their usual two day format proved to be the right decision and it kept the costs down for all involved without losing too many stage kms,but it also meant that the crews could a well earned overnight rest at the end of a hard day before heading for home on Sunday.

Photos

Posted: August 17, 2008 11:32 AM

Rally Mad Motorsport Photography
rallyprint.com - Trevor McGrath

Results

Posted: August 17, 2008 11:27 AM

1 Ray Breen/Martin Brady (Ford Focus WRC) 0:58:43.4
2 Owen Murphy/Rodney Hicks (Mit. Lancer Evo 9) GpN 1:00:07.6
3 Frank Kelly/Liam Brennan (Escort MK 2) 1:00:24.2
4 Colin Britton/Arthur Kierans (Mit. Lancer Evo 9 GpN) 1:00:27.0
5 John Reid/Enda Shields (Toyota Corolla WRC) 1:00:34.0
6 Brendan Murphy/Pat Condon (Mit. Lancer Evo 6.5) 1:02:21.2
7 Patrick Keenan/Barry McNulty (Mit. Lancer Evo 9 GpN) 1:03:58.7
8 John Reddington/Stephen Quinn (Mit. Lancer Evo 8 GpN) 1:04:06.2
9 Jason Roche/Ray Greene (Escort Mk2) 1:04:48.1
10 Connie Smith/Breen McNamee (Sierra RS Cosworth 4x4) 1:05:07.2

Leaders after
SS1-9 Ray Breen/Martin Brady (Ford Focus WRC)

SS1 Ray Breen/Martin Brady (Ford Focus WRC)
SS2 Ray Breen/Martin Brady (Ford Focus WRC)
SS3 Ray Breen/Martin Brady (Ford Focus WRC)
SS4 Ray Breen/Martin Brady (Ford Focus WRC)
SS5 Ray Breen/Martin Brady (Ford Focus WRC)
SS6 John Reid/Enda Shields (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS7 Ray Breen/Martin Brady (Ford Focus WRC)
SS8 John Reid/Enda Shields (Toyota Corolla WRC)
SS9 Frank Kelly/Liam Brennan (Escort MK 2)

Results available on the club website
Cork Motor Club

Reid and Breen bring the battle to Cork.

Posted: August 15, 2008 2:29 PM

This season the Hankook National forestry championship has provided exciting and closely fought Irish Motorsport with 5 rounds completed the championship could not be closer. Meath's John Reid is leading the championship by a slender one point margin over Waterford's Ray Breen. Drop scores are still to be taken into consideration but in rallying anything can happen and that anything could just be happening in Cork this weekend.

Cork Motor club with Darren McCarthy at the helm have provided classic events in recent years and this year we will see The Tadhg O Conaill Heating & Plumbing Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally run in a new competitor friendly format. As a response to the rising cost of competing over 2 days the club have taken the helpful step of condensing almost the length of two days into the value of one. Instead of the traditional two days in Cork forests this year the rally will now consist of one long days rallying on some of the nicest and best known forest stages in the country and will boast 100 stage kms with 230 road kms.

The first car leaves Parc Fermé at 08.30am and returns at 19.00. Rally Headquarters is at the Commons Inn Hotel, New Mallow Road, Cork. Ray Breen & Martin Brady are number one seeds in their Ford Focus Wrc, the pair had a sizeable accident while leading the last round in Wexford and they will be hoping to settle in early and banish he ghosts of the last day in the woods. John Reid & Enda Shiels are next in the almost bomb proof Corolla, John has driven with great consistency all year and it has rewarded him with the lead in the series he will no doubt keep Breen concentrated right to the finish. Denis Cronin & Helen O Sullivan are on home ground this time out, yet it is their debut on the Cork Forestry rally. Denis is having a superb debut year in the woods and his speed is such now that a win may be on the cards this weekend. Dominic Mc Neil is at 4 in the former championship winning car once campaigned by John McCarthy, however Dominic and co driver Francis Kenny are currently working hard to repair an electrical gremlin in the car and it will be a rush to the start ramp for them.
James Murphy & James O Brien round off the top 5, James always puts on a strong showing in Cork and if he has luck and stays free of mechanical curses then he will be at the sharp end of the hunt.

The forests in Cork are classics and the first loop see two passes through the Bweeng and Mt Hilary with service in Mallow at the Quartertown Industrial estate between the loop. These stages will be familiar to many and have caught out a few so the novices to these roads may need a small element of caution. The event then moves to the massive Ballyhoura complex and tackles the arduous Streamhill stage which runs a seemingly never-ending 22kms. If car and crew make it to the end of that test then waiting to greet then is Coolfree which at 7.7kms may seem short in comparison to Streamhill but with its tight and long corners which wait at the end of long straights it is equally difficult. Then the cars return to Mallow for service and then return out to Ballyhoura for a repeat of Streamhill and Coolfree.

The curtain closer for the rally is the 9km of Peters Hill, a fast and flowing stage that has seen the deciding of many last stage battles in previous years. Then it's back at the finish at 7.00pm for the champagne reception.

Cork Motor club have re jigged the traditional format and still delivered 9 classic stages with central service in Mallow after every two. The beauty of the new format is that everyone will have all day Sunday to relax and head back home.

In Group N the battle will be fierce and expect to see some of these machines parking themselves on the Saturday night podium. Colin Britton & Arthur Kiearns have shown their speed many times over the previous seasons and now they have to contend with Pete McCullagh & Alan Dolan they made a triumphant return to the series in Moonraker and promptly astounded with their pace. Pete makes appearances only occasionally but when he does appear he is always on the pace right from the first kilometre. Also returning to the Irish forests is a former pacesetter Owen Murphy, the former Coleman award winner will drive a Group N Evo 9 hired from SP Motorsport, it is the ex Richard Cathcart Lancer and it is a car that has been a pacesetter amongst Evo's in many forests already in 2008, expect Owen to continue with the cars pedigree. Owen will be navigated by Rodney Hicks from Fermanagh.

In 2wd there will be the familiar battle with Frank Kelly and local co driver Liam Brennan leading the charge. Seamus O Connell and Rally.ie mogul Brian Duggan will be next on their heels, as will Brian Lawlor & Peter Kavangah as there are fresh from a successful shakedown on the Dogleap rally. Add into that mix other 2wd challengers like Roche or Coleman and this could be where the real battle of the rally will take place.

While the battle or overall honours at the front of the list may draw most attention there are also raging battles going on in the other classes.

In the junior class JP Ruth leads on 23 points with Bernard Mulvihill and Amy Moynihan in joint second on 14.

In the Rory Galligan Irish 205 challenge Ultan McGowan holds the lead on 63 points with Andy Slattery 2nd on 49 points and DJ Browne third on 47 points, again drop scores will add further spice to the calculations as after dropped scores are taken into account it reads:
McGowan 49, Browne 47, Mahon 46, Burns 44, Slattery 39, Sharkey 37, English 33, Guerin 30, Cooney 27.

The Jim Walsh Cork Forestry Rally is round 6 of the National Junior rally Championship (NJRC) After five rounds of the NJRC (two of which have been on gravel) Vincent McAree leads the NJRC with 36 points ahead of Peter Wilson (32), Ross Forde (30), Eamon Power (28) and Damien McCarthy (26). The winner of the NJRC gets a supported drive in a National Rally in 2009. The class winners of the NJRC will be interviewed for the Billy Coleman Award, worth €32,000

Cork Forestry has provided classic rallies and battles in the past and this year will undoubtedly deliver the same. Last minute entries are still available so a welcome is waiting for competitors and spectators alike, the action begins early on Saturday morning don't miss it.

Owen Murphy - Back on the Hankook Trail

Posted: August 15, 2008 12:20 PM

After an absence of nearly two years Owen Murphy the 2006 Billy Coleman Award Winner makes a return to the woods in the Hankook Tyres Mitsubishi Evo 9 on this weekends Cork Motor Club event the Jim Walsh Forestry Rally.

Owen has spent the last two years rallying on tarmac in the Global Irish Tarmac Championship and also finishing 52nd overall on the Rally Ireland WRC event in the Hankook Fiesta.This year Owen in competing in the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Ireland an all tarmac 6 round championship.

Owen is hoping to return to Forestry rallying in 2009 and this rally is being used as a bit of a familiarisation run for a move back into the wood which is actually Owens preferred surface to drive on.For 2009 Owen will progress to the next stage and compete on the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge GB which would comprise of five gravel rounds,and some tarmac rounds.Having competed previously in both the Peugeot 206 Super Cup and the Ford Fiesta Sporting Trophy (ST) all over Great Britain, Owen is looking forward to graduating to the next level.

For this event Owen will be using the SP Motorsport, ex Cathcart Mitsubishi Evo 9 as his own car has returned to England.
He has also secured the services of top Northern Irish navigator Rodney Hicks.
Owen says he is delighted to be returning to the surface he enjoys most, and he is looking forward to see how his times compare to the regular Group N competitors, I have not been in the wood for a while but I love forestry rallying and with a bit of luck I know we can achieve a good result.

Entry List (Entries still being taken)

Posted: August 13, 2008 11:18 AM

128 Connie Tarrant/Timmy O Callaghan (Felicia) [1]
127 Alan Bardon/Edwin Dunne (Escort MK 2) [9]
126 Conor Bradley/Michael Kelleher (Civic) [1]
125 Colin Fitzgerald/Mark Horgan (Escort) [9]
124 Ben Donnelly/Pat Smyth (Astra) [1]
123 Ciaran O Connor/Kevin Joyce (Civic) [9]
122 Shane Devane/Aidan Buckley (Sunny) [9]
121 Alan O Riordan/Donal Coleman (Puma) [1]
120 Shane Timony/Niall Timony (Ka) [1]
119 Paul Archer/Pat O Mahoney (Nova) [1]
118 Aidan Mulchay/Des Flynn (Civic) [9]
117 Andrew Lehane/Tomas Murphy (Civic) [9]
116 Anthony Cullinane/Tom Murphy (Starlet) [9]
115 Kevin O Connor Jnr/Ger Clancey (RWD 205) [9]
114 Ian Stanley/Alan Whyte (Civic) [9]
113 Seamus Cooke/Gerard Hyland (Escort ) [1]
112 Sarah Moynihan/Amy Moynihan (206) [9]
111 Andrew Fanning/Derek Gibbs (Ka) [1]
110 John Byrnes/Kenneth Sheil (Civic) [9]
109 Jack Newman/David Coyle (Civic) [9]
108 Bernard Mulvihill/Enda Gerety (Civic) [9]
107 Michael McKennedy/Andrew Mahon (Corolla) [9]
106 Jason Ryan/Tadgh O Sullivan (Civic) [9]
105 Patrick Cunningham/Martin Cunningham (Civic) [9]
104 Conor Kelly/Denis Ryan (Corsa) [9]
103 Damien McCarthy/Eamon Hayes (Civic) [9]
102 Peter Wilson/John Killmurray (Civic) [9]
101 Vincent McAree/JP McAree (106) [9]

M003 Danny McEvoy/ (Escort Mk 3) []
M002 Martin Sheehan/ (Escort Mk 1) []
M001 Joe Shinnors Snr/Tadhg Cashman (Escort Mk 2) []

1 Ray Breen/Martin Brady (Focus WRC) [7]
2 John Reid/Enda Shields (Corolla) [7]
3 Denis Cronin/Helen Sullivan (WRC) [7]
4 Donmic McNeill/Francis Kenny (Corolla WRC) [7]
5 James Murphy/James O Brien (Escort WRC) [7]
6 Colin Britton/Arthur Kierans (Evo 9) [8]
7 Peter McCullagh/Alan Dolan (Evo 9) [8]
8 Owen Murphy/Rodney Hicks (Evo 8) [8]
9 Frank Kelly/Liam Brennan (Escort MK 2) [5]
10 Seamus O Connell/Brian Duggan (Escort MK 2) [5]
11 Pat O Connell/Mark Wiley (Evo 8 ) [8]
12 Brian Lawlor/Peter Kavanagh (Escort MK 2) [5]
14 Brendan Murphy/Pat Condon (Evo 6) [6]
15 James Coleman/Michael Haley (Escort MK 2) [5]
16 Jason Roche/Ray Greene (Escort) [5]
17 Connie Smith/Breen McNamee (Sierra Cosworth) [6]
18 John Hickey/Brian O Keeffe (Legacy) [6]
19 Jeremy Drislane/Tony McHugh (Evo 6) [6]
20 Mark Murphy/Carol O Keeffe (Impreza) [6]
21 Connie Delaney/Joseph O' Brien (Impreza) [8]
22 Patrick Keenan/Barry McNulty (Evo 9) [8]
23 Sean Heaney/Liam McLaughlin (Evo 9) [8]
24 John Reddington/Stephen Quinn (Evo 8) [8]
25 Ollie Willilams/Michael Walsh (Escort) [5]
26 Moss Fitzgerald/Alistar Wylie (Corolla GT) [3]
27 Paul Fitzgerald/Alan Naughton (Escort) [3]
28 Ian Miller/Davie McClean (Escort MK 2) [3]
29 Conor Kelly/TBA (Sunny) [3]
30 Gerard Lucey/James Lucey (Celica) [6]
31 Anthony O Halloran/Derek Flynn (Evo ) [6]
32 JJ Carroll/Denis Guiney (Astra) [5]
33 Jimmy Devane/Mike Buckley (Sunny) [5]
34 David Dunne/Mike Feeney (Escort) [5]
35 Michael O Sullivan/Brian O Connor (Escort) [4]
36 Clement Lonergan/Martin Luddy (Civic) [3]
37 Jimmy Deane/Barry Meade (Escort) [3]
38 Padraig Neville/Amy Ryan (Subaru N12b) [8]
39 Paul Elliot/Brian Doherty (Subaru N12b) [8]
40 Raymond Benskin Jnr/TBA (Escort) [4]
41 Sean W Benskin/Bobby Nugent (Escort) [4]
42 Ray Benskin/Peadar Walsh (Escort MK 2) [4]
43 Daragh Raftery/Dean Raftery (Civic) [3]
44 Ed O Callaghan/Thrisha Clancy (106) [3]
45 John O Connor Jnr/Carrie Moroney (Escort MK 2) [4]
46 Ger Connors/Owen O Neill (Astra) [5]
47 Michael Nevin/Des Moran (Escort MK 2) [2]
48 Alan Dineen/Tony Dineen (Nova) [3]
49 Tom Foley/Danny Creedon (Impreza) [6]
50 Declan Cuddy/Nigel Moody (Impreza) [6]
51 Ultan McGowan/Niall Burns (205 GTI) [3]
52 DJ Browne/Turloc O Reilly (205 Gti) [2]
53 Barry Mahon/Mark Feely (205 GTI) [2]
54 Andrew Slattery/Shaun Forde (205 GTI) [2]
55 Kenneth English/David English (205 GTI) [2]
56 Aidan Cooney/Paddy McDonagh (205 GTI) [2]
57 John Fleming/Donal Mullins (Escort MK 2) [3]
58 Mark Dolphin/Brian Hurley (Escort MK 2) [3]
56 Michael Murphy/Pat Cashman (Corolla ) [3]
59 Liam Lynch/Kieran Madden (Escort) [3]
57 Martin Cullinane/Derek Butler (Escort) [2]
61 John Walsh/Michael Walsh (Escort G3) [4]
62 Michael Sheedy/William Bullman (Escort G3) [2]
63 Paul Casey/Kevin Buckley (205 GTI) [2]
64 Colm Forde/Jonathan Trill (206) [3]
65 Jonathan Cassidy/David Keegan (Sunny) [3]
66 Richard Scallan/Steven Scallan (206) [3]
67 Sean Sheedy/Richard Lucey (Corolla) [3]
68 Kevin Fowler/Darren Walsh (Nova) [2]
69 Brendan McAree/TBA (206) [3]
70 Kieran Flynn/Bernard McSweeney (206) [3]
71 Trevor O Callaghan/Brian O Mahoney (Civic) [2]

Cork Motor Club

SURFACE CHANGE FOR 205 CHALLENGE CREWS

Posted: August 13, 2008 11:18 AM

Saturday the sixteenth of August will see round five of Irelands biggest one make championship tackle gravel roads on the Cork motor clubs forestry stages rally starting from the rebel city of Cork. Eighty stage miles contained all within a one day format this year will face the challenge drivers taking part.

For the majority it will be their first time on loose surface roads, an early start on Saturday morning before two ten kilometre stages repeated after a service halt will certainly punish anyone who is not awake early. From here the rally moves to the forests of north Cork to some of the best gravel roads in the country. For the boys new to forest racing, one hopes they will have quickly learned what the pitfalls are as they face a mammoth twenty three kms stage which will test even the most hardened of forestry drivers.

This is followed by a twelve km stage before service to repair cars and most probably drivers before these two stages are repeated. A final ten km stage on the run back to Cork city will settle a fantastic days rallying.

The championship is at a critical point for all the drivers with forty points to be won on the final two rounds.

Mathematically speaking eight drivers could possible win this years challenge when dropped scores are taken in to account. Looking at the form book for this event though the odds on favorite would have to Barry Mahon from Tallaght who has contested the rally for the past two years. Some good stage times on both occasions could give him the edge this year. The challenge leader heading to Cork is Ulton McGowan from Sligo who scored top points alongside Kerrill Waters on this event last year and has shown to be a fast learner behind the wheel.

A calculated drive on round three in Cavan produced a clear victory for him so don‚t be surprised if he stays out of trouble and pulls off his second win of the season. Local ace DJ Browne could be another surprise package on this his home event. Fresh from his first challenge win on the last round, Browne will be keen to show well and maintain his challenge for the championship crown.

Behind these three who are also the top three in the challenge on dropped scores separated by just three points comes the new boys to forestry roads and any of them could pull off the surprise of the championship. Andy Slattery, Shane Burns, Sean Sharkey, Richard Guerin and Aidan Cooney have all shown great speed and commitment so far this year. Indeed Burns has won a round already, Slattery has come close and Cooney has led outright on more than one occasion. My wager from this bunch is going on Sharkey though who has been a top grade motocross rider in the past and should be well suited to the sliding motion experienced on the stages. Some good times on previous events has proved the speed is there but just maybe his fitness is showing towards the end of rallies as he slackens off his pace a bit too much. Damien McGauran has decided to sit this rally out after a bad run of luck but should be back for the final round.

Points and Postions after dropped scores are taken into account:
McGowan 49, Browne 47, Mahon 46, Burns 44, Slattery 39, Sharkey 37, English 33, Guerin 30, Cooney 27.

Time and Distance Schedule

Posted: August 12, 2008 5:09 PM

Cork Motor Club

Cork Forestry Preview NJRC Round 6.

Posted: August 12, 2008 4:51 PM

The Jim Walsh Cork Forestry Rally is round 6 of the National Junior rally Championship (NJRC). The rally is organised and promoted by the Cork Motor Club with Darren Mc Carthy as Clerk of the Course. It takes place on Saturday next August 16th. Traditionally a two day event, this year’s format consists of one long day. There are 9 stages run on 100km of gravel roads in the usual North Cork forest stages. The first car leaves parc ferme at 08.30am and returns at 19.00. Rally Headquarters will be held the Commons Inn Hotel, New Mallow Road, Cork.

Five rounds of the NJRC have been completed, three on tarmac and two on gravel. The tarmac rounds were dominated by Damien Mc Carthy (Cork) and Peter Wilson (Meath) with Pat Cunningham (Galway) not far behind. There has been two forestry rallies in the championship todate with a total of sixteen stages. Jason Ryan (Cork) was quickest on four of these stages. John Byrnes (Limerick) and Peter Wilson won three each. Conor Kelly (Limerick) won two while Damien Mc Carthy, Pat Cunningham and Eamon Power (Wexford) had one win each. These are the drivers on form on the gravel and are set to dominate again today. Most of the rallies have been won by local drivers, perhaps Corkmen Damien McCarthy or Jason Ryan will top the podium, but don’t bet against Kelly, Byrnes or Wilson. Reliability will be a factor on a long event.

· After five rounds of the JNRC Vincent McAree leads the NJRC with 36 points ahead of Peter Wilson (32), Ross Forde (30), Eamon Power (28) and Damien McCarthy (26).

· The next round of the JNRC will be held on the Birr Forestry rally on October 5th. The Birr event replaces the Killarney forestry rally which has been cancelled.

· The final rally is GSMC Mini Stages tarmac rally, on October 19th. The winner of the NJRC gets a supported drive in a National Rally in 2009. The class winners of the NJRC will be interviewed for the Billy Coleman Award, worth E32,000.

August is here and the countdown is on!

Posted: August 6, 2008 5:31 PM

Saturday the 16th of August sees the running of Round 6 of the Hankook Tyres National Forest Rally Championship,The Tadhg O Conaill Heating&Plumbing Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally.

The rally runs in a new competitor friendly format this year in that, instead of the two days run in the past, the rally will now consist of one long days rallying on some of the nicest and best known forest stages in the country and will boast 100 stage kms with 230 road kms.

The day starts with first car off the ramp at 8.30 am and out into the first loop which entails two runs over Bweeng and Mt Hilary before heading on for the Ballyhoura complex and the first run over the massive Streamhill stage which runs for 22kms.

Next stage is Coolfree which at 7.7kms will give the crews time to settle back down before service and then a repeat of Streamhill and Coolfree.
The final stage of the day will be Peters Hill and first car is due back at the finish at 7.00pm, in all 9 excellent stages with service in Mallow after each two.The beauty of the new format is that everyone will have all day Sunday to head back home.

The Championship is wide open with two rounds to go with 20 points for the win and just 7 points separating the top three and another 20 points making up the gap to the top five.
Championship Leader is John Reid(Corolla WRC) who is expected to defend his lead here with entries already in from second placed Ray Breen(Focus WRC) and third placed Denis Cronin(Impreza WRC).

Also confirmed on the entry list is Dominic McNeil(Corolla WRC) James Murphy(Escort WRC) Frank Kelly(Escort Mk2) Brian Lawlor(Escort Mk2) with Adrian Hetherington,Seamus O Connell and others also taking part.

The rally is also a counting round of the Motorsport Ireland National Junior Rally Champioship which is also very close at the top.
JP Ruth leads the forestry junior class on 23 points with Bernard Mulvihill and Amy Moynihan in joint second on 14.

In the Rory Galligan Irish 205 challenge Ultan McGowan holds the lead on 63 points with Andy Slattery 2nd on 49 points and DJ Browne third on 47 points.

So,with the overall positions being so close in all three championships and the class battles far from sorted out this event is sure to be a cracker,regulations are still available on www.corkmotorclub.com so get yours in now(if you haven't already)and make sure you don't miss out on what one competitor once called "Donegal on Gravel"

Regulations Available

Posted: July 14, 2008 4:09 PM

Cork Motor Club

• 2008 Forestry Championship

NEW COMPETITOR FRIENDLY FORMAT FOR CORK FOREST RALLY

Posted: July 10, 2008 2:45 PM

The 2008 Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally is to run under a new format in 2008 which is aimed at making the event more practical and certainly more fun for all involved.

The major change is that instead of the 2 day format which has been run over the last few years the event will now consist of one LONG days rallying on the Saturday with prizegiving leading on to a nights entertainment of music and dance,and all day Sunday to make the journey home thus making the whole weekend an enjoyable and social occasion,(once the serious business of Rallying on the Saturday is complete of course).

Tadhg O Conaill Heating & Plumbing of Ballyvourney,Co,Cork are once again the Title sponsors of the rally.

The rally route will consist of approx 100 kms of competitive stages on the traditional North Cork forest stages that have made the Cork Forest Rally one of the most popular in these Islands,there will be approx 230 road kms.

First car will leave Parc Ferme at 08.30 on Saturday 16th of August and return to the final control at 19.00,with prizegiving and entertainment starting at 10.00pm so that everyone will have time to get on the dancing shoes.

Drivers briefing will be held at 10.00pm on Friday night,immediately after documentation,to allow for the early start on Saturday morning.

Speaking on the format change C.O.C. Darren Mc Carthy said We are constantly looking for ways to make our events more competitor friendly and we feel the one long day format, running on the Saturday, is the way to go.

If the rally were in the two day format scrutiny and documentation would be on the Friday anyway so theres nothing different there.

The big difference is the fact that once the days rallying is over everybody will have time to enjoy the prizegiving and entertainment thats being laid on without having to worry about getting back up the road and into work on Monday morning,so all in all it should lead to a much more relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere for the weekend.

It also reduces the entry fee without losing too much stage mileage,and in these financially challenging times that can only be a good thing.

The Rally hosts round 7 of the Hankook Tyres National Forest Rally Championship,The Rory Galligan Irish 205 Challenge,the National Junior Rally Championship and the Cork Motor Club Members Championship.

Rally Headquarters will be the Commons Inn Hotel,New Mallow Road,Cork.

Regulations will be available shortly

Cork Motor Club

• 2008 Forestry Championship

One (Long) Day format for 2008

Posted: January 28, 2008 10:42 PM

The 2008 Jim Walsh Cork Forestry Rally is expected to run a long one day format on Saturday 16th August.

The rally will include 2 runs at a 23km stage

More details to follow

Cork Motor Club

• 2008 Forestry Championship