Cavan Stages Rally - 24 May 09

In Car

Posted: June 4, 2009 11:52 AM

Posted: May 29, 2009 4:31 PM

Irish 205 Challenge - CAVAN RALLY TURNS TO ENGLISH

Posted: May 29, 2009 5:05 AM

The Hotel Kilmore Cavan stages rally, round three of the Peugeot Service Club Irish 205 Challenge produced the much anticipated fight for honors mixed with drama and despair on every stage. Kenneth English co driven by Joe Bannerton took their second win in a row in brilliant fashion. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the dry sunny day that greeted the five teams contesting the event after a week of heavy rain.

First over the start ramp was joint championship leader Andrew Slattery/ Donal Lynch followed by local crew Noel Smith/ Dara Lyttle. A short service took place before stage one and all the drivers chose to run a slick Kumho tyre for the first loop of three stages totaling 26 miles.

Fastest through the first stage Loughduff, at eleven miles the longest of the rally, was joint championship leader Kenny English despite a spin caused by the leading cars cutting the edges of the road and dragging mud out. Next came Slattery 8 seconds down followed by a very despondent Smith who was worried about the power output of his new engine. Damien and Thomas McGauran came next, happy to have finished a stage without any troubles for a change. Norman Dunne co driven by Eoin O Flattery completed the stage in their rebuilt car following their tumble on the previous round but all was not well with the handling which reduced their pace for the remainder of the day. Slattery picked up the pace through the second stage Kilcogey at just under nine miles taking 9 seconds from English to lead by the smallest of margins. Smith was a second quicker than English and was really having to make the most of his local knowledge to stay with the leaders. McGauran remained fourth with Dunne soldiering on in fifth. Stage three at Poles was the shortest at six miles and Slattery and Smith could not be separated setting the exact same time. McGauran was third fastest just ahead of English who spun on the stage with Dunne also losing time with an overshoot.

Back at the service area the leader board showed Slattery leading Smith by 19 seconds with English a further 17 seconds adrift with McGauran and Dunne fourth and fifth respectfully. The second loop of the same stages saw Slattery fastest on stage four, 2 seconds up on English who reduced the gap to second placed man Smith by 11 seconds. Smiths engine problem worsened on stage five allowing English move ahead but he still dropped further behind the flying Slattery who went fastest again by 14 seconds to lead overall by 35 seconds. But just as this sport can leave you breathless with excitement it can also be the cruelest and so it was for Slattery. Trading his stage times with the challenge organiser Martin Brady between stages five and six his car refused to restart and they were out. Further investigation revealed a damaged sump which blocked the oil pick up pipe causing the engine to seize, most likely caused by the many jumps on the previous stage. English now knew he was leading and set the fastest time on stage six by 3 seconds from Smith.

Following the last service English started the last loop with a lead of 9 seconds over Smith with McGauran and Dunne in third and fourth but too far behind to threaten. Smith sensed victory and hammered through Loughduff to reduce the lead to 3 seconds. English tried to respond on stage eight but his brakes wilted under the strain, dropping 28 seconds and the lead to Smith who was awesome through his home stage. With the battle seemly over lady luck would again show her hand. Smith was denied his first win when he burst a brake pipe with only a few mile of the last stage remaining dropping 44 seconds to English who took the win by 16 seconds. McGauran was delighted to take third place and finish all the stages after a miserable run of luck with Dunne disappointed with his day but showing great resolve to bring the car to the finish in fourth.

And so ended a day of high drama with Kenny English taking his second victory in a row to increase his championship lead and take home the Peugeot Service Club prize money. Small consolation for Smith is the fact he now holds a solid position in the points as dropped scores come in to play. Slattery too goes home with a very handy 150 euro parts voucher from Slatterys of Puckane which will help repair the engine for round four the ALMC stages in six weeks time.

Final Results
: Kenny English 1.28.26
Noel Smith 1.28.42
Damien McGauran 1.30.55
Norman Dunne 1.43.05

The Peugeot Service Club Irish 205 Challenge wish to thank the Co Cavan Motor Club for an excellent event.

The Irish 205 challenge is proud to be sponsored by,
www.serviceclub.ie Slatterys of Puckane, Peugeot and Subaru dealerships Total quartz lubricants Blaklader workwear Kumho tyres Ears motorsport

Even More In-Car............

Posted: May 26, 2009 10:22 PM

Video Clips

Posted: May 26, 2009 10:21 PM

Wilson and Kilmurry Claim HASS Drive of the Day Award in Cavan

Posted: May 26, 2009 9:33 PM

Peter Wilson and John Kilmurry are the latest recipients of the HASS Border Rally Championship Driver of the Day Award for 2009. The Honda Civic crew won the highly sought after prize by setting fastest time in class 11 on stage 3 of the Cavan Stages Rally – round 3 of the 2009 HASS Border Rally Championship.

It capped what was a remarkable day for the Co. Meath pairing. Not only did they go on to comfortably win the class on the nine stage event, but they finished 9th overall – a hugely impressive result for a 1600cc front wheel drive car.

The win marks the second successive HASS Drive of the Day Award for a Co. Meath crew following Thomas Carolan and Declan Smith’s win on the previous round on the Monaghan Stages Rally. Donegal’s Noel O’Donnell and Ronan Murrin were the other winners this year on the Mayo Stages Rally.

The Drive of the Day Award is presented at each of the six rounds of the 2009 HASS Border Rally Championship. Open to all registered championship competitors, a class and stage are selected at random before the start of the rally, with the winner being the fastest crew in the class on that stage to finish the rally.

John McGlaughlin wins on Evo Challenge debut.

Posted: May 26, 2009 9:09 PM

John McGlaughlin and co-driver Crawford Henderson emerged from the final stage of this weekend’s Hotel Kilmore Stages Rally to win round five of the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Ireland. After an intense, day-long battle, they overhauled leaders for most of the event Neil McCance/Sean Ferris in the closing stages to record victory in what was their debut in the highly competitive series for Group N Mitsubishis.

Eight of the 12 registered Evo Challenge crews entered the Cavan-based rally, which hosted the first one-round, one-day event in this year’s Irish Evo Challenge calendar - both previous rounds being double-headers. Utilising a traditional one-day Irish tarmac event format, the rally comprised three stages run three times, with each loop split by a 20-minute service halt. McCance/Ferris carried on from where they left off last time out and went straight into the lead following the first of the day’s nine stages.

McGlaughlin/Henderson followed just five seconds behind and set the scene for the battle that was about to unfold. The gap between the two leading cars increased to seven seconds on SS2, but was back to four on SS3

Looking to record his first finish of the year, 2008 Evo Challenge Champion Brendan Cumiskey, with stand-in co-driver Andrew Grennan, got off to what he regarded as a steady start and held third place when cars entered the first service halt of the day. Already he was 50 seconds behind the leading pair and realised that it would be difficult to get back on terms.

William Mavitty/Keefe Kilcoyne were fourth and frustrated to have lost time in the first loop when their car’s front brakes overheated. Another crew slowed by mechanical issues were fifth-placed Stanley Ballantine/Donnacha O’Callaghan, when a sticking throttle on the first stage caused a few heart-stopping moments and they then took things steady until they could get the car back to the service area for further inspection.

For Michael Murray it was a welcome return to the Evo Challenge – this year with co-driver Brian Daniels. With it being his first event the season he admitted to being a bit rusty and he clipped a straw bale on SS2. After almost a full rebuilt following an off on the previous event, Tom White/Robert Murphy were concerned that their car appeared to be down on power, but that didn’t stop them from having a spin on stage one.

Not completely happy with his car’s handling was series leader Liam Egan, with co-driver Mary O’Kane. After a determined effort on the first two stages, they were caught out when the car went light over a crest, locked up and slid into a solid bank, the impact and subsequent damage bringing their rally to an abrupt halt.

The second loop of three stages again saw McCance/Ferris take time off McGlaughlin/Henderson in the first two stages, but not the third and this time the difference when they entered the service halt was 11 seconds. Their pace saw Cumiskey/Grennan drop further back, their situation not helped by a few spins, Cumiskey admitting that he could not find his rhythm. Mavitty/Kilcoyne started their podium bid on stages four and five, but then had to slow things down for SS6, when their car’s sump guard removed itself on the road section just after SS5. Unable to refit it at the second service interval they considered retiring, not wanting to damage the car’s engine, but competitive spirit meant they decided to continue.

Ballantine/O’Callaghan were now making up for time lost earlier, whilst Murray/Daniels caught the same straw bale the second time round on SS5, breaking the co-driver’s window. They were then delayed by a broken driveshaft on SS6.

White/Murphy were still concerned about their car’s power at the second service halt, but their fears were finally realised at the start of the ninth and final stage when the engine stopped completely.

There were no such problems for McGlaughlin/Henderson, who had been adjusting their car’s suspension all day to correspond with the improvement in grip and were now very happy with its set-up. Therefore, when McCance/Ferris ran wide and momentarily visited a ditch in SS7, they were able to pounce and came out of the stage in the lead by one second.

Flustered by their brief excursion, McCance/Ferris lost a further three seconds on SS8 and two in SS9, which meant that McGlaughlin/Henderson crossed the finish line outside the Hotel Kilmore to record their first Evo Challenge win by nine seconds.

They also finished third overall and won Group N outright. “I’m over the moon to win a round of the Evo Challenge – especially on my series debut”, said McGlaughlin. “It’s been a great battle with Neil and I have been very pleased with the way the car has performed – especially the handling. I’ve really enjoyed being part of the Evo Challenge. I just wish I had joined up at the start of the season.” The sixth round of the Mitsubishi series is hosted by the ALMC Rally, which takes place on 19th July and follows a similar three-runs of three stages format to that of the Cavan event.

The Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Ireland offers competitors an extensive prize fund, with the Champion wining a supported drive in a James Foley Rallysport prepared Group N Lancer Evolution X for selected rounds of the 2010 Irish Tarmac Championship. Other prizes up for grabs include vouchers, tyres, fuel and awards on each event and at the end of the season.

The series is supported by: Pirelli tyres, Sunoco fuel, James Foley Rallysport, Carbone Lorraine, Murray Motorsport, Speedline Corse wheels, PIAA lights, Pacenotes, Sparco racewear and Mitsubishi Motors Ireland. Support was also received from Donnelly Group, Mullusk.

Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Ireland
Round five results
1 John McGlaughlin (Cookstown)/Crawford Henderson (Magherafelt) 1:15:49
2 Neil McCance (Comber)/Sean Ferris (Omagh) 1:15:56
3 Brendan Cumiskey (Dundalk)/Andrew Grennan (Monaghan) 1:18:54
4 William Mavitty (Eniskillen)/Keefe Kilcoyne (Westport) 1:20:15
5 Stanley Ballentine (Strabane)/Donnacha O’Callaghan (Mallow) 1:20:33
6 Michael Murray (Longford)/Brian Daniels (Waterford) 1:23:07

Retirements
SS3 Liam Egan (New York)/Mary O’Kane (Maghera) - Accident
SS9 Thomas White (Foulksmills)/Robert Murphy (New Ross) - Engine stopped

Cookstown's John McGlaughlin conquers in Cavan!

Posted: May 26, 2009 9:03 PM

Cookstown's John McGlaughlin finished in an incredible third overall and first in Group N at Sunday's Cavan Stages Rally!

The McGlaughlin's Bakery Mitsubishi Lancer pilot made a successful switch to Pirelli tyres to come home with an astounding podium position under his belt, despite some car setup problems during the early stages.

"It's amazing the difference that tyres can make to the setup," McGlaughlin said.
"The car wasn't handling too well during the first loop of stages - it wasn't soaking up the bumps very well at the front. It was another learning curve and we lost a few seconds through stages one and two, but managed to claw some time back on the final stage before service."

The McNeill Motorsport mechanics pounced on the car in a bid to sort John's errant handling Mitsubishi. After a few changes, John and navigator Crawford Henderson returned to the stages, only to encounter another set of problems.

"The handing problems at the front had been cured," McGlaughlin explained, "but now we were having issues with the rear. I also got a bit carried away at a hairpin where we spun and had to reverse, so we lost another five seconds."

John was disappointed with the time loss and on the following stage, he caught another competitor who was struggling with a broken driveshaft. Although the stricken crew promptly pulled over to allow John past, the Cookstown driver lost a few more seconds as he struggled to find grip with two of his wheels stuck on a grass verge!

After stage five, McGlaughlin was sixth overall but despite his dramas, he was only 11 seconds behind the Group N category leader. A clean run through the sixth stage saw that gap reduced to 10 seconds, and with three stages remaining, John also found himself lying in fourth overall.

"I knew there was more time to come if we could get the car setup sorted out," McGlaughlin explained. "And in final service, the McNeill Motorsport boys did a fantastic job. They went through all of the suspension settings to get something that would work with the tyres, and one mile into stage seven, I knew she was perfect!"

With confidence at an all time high, John powered his Hilltop Fuels and Bush Filling Station Mitsubishi Lancer through the stage an incredible 12 seconds faster than the early Group N leader. Suddenly, it was John and Crawford who were leading the category, nabbing third overall in the process!

With two stages remaining, John knew he had to keep the pressure on, and another fastest Group N time on the penultimate test saw him emerge with a five second lead over his production category rival. Only one stage lay between the Cookstown driver and category victory, but that final test had a real sting in the tail.

"I was flat in fifth gear approaching a series of crests and fast corners," John recalled. "I was slightly off line coming over the crests and caught some gravel at the side of the road. The car stepped out of line in the corner and we went down the road sideways at over 100mph. Then the tyres gripped and we went sideways the other way! Thankfully, the road was quite wide so we got away with it but it was very scary!"

Despite the final stage dramas, John still managed to set another fastest time in his class, and he secured third overall, as well as first in Group N! The event, which was also a counting round of the Irish Evo Challenge, saw the Sunoco Fuels crew claim maximum points in what was their first outing in the series.

"It was a brilliant day," John enthused. "Once we managed to get the car setup to work with the Pirelli tyres, everything worked really well. I also made a few changes to my pace notes before the event, which also helped to make a big difference. I really enjoyed it so hopefully we will enter a few more rounds of the Evo Challenge later this year."

NJRC Cavan Stages

Posted: May 26, 2009 8:58 PM

The Cavan Stages saw the National Junior Rally Championship make its first move of the year to tarmac for round four. The event based in Cavan Town with the Headquarters in Kilmore Hotel. Clerk of the Course Marty Sherlock had organised a very testing event with a nine-stage layout. With the restructuring of the championship regulations now in place, we are now entering the summer phase of the season. The major change to the regs being the addition of five extra rounds, with this change in effect it gives the registered drivers more options as to the events they enter for the remainder of the season. This became very apparent this weekend as just two of the registered drivers made the trip to Cavan. In class six from Donegal was Vincent McAree and from Galway entering class eleven in his Honda Civic we had Jonathan Cunningham. Both drivers were looking forward to the first tarmac event of season, Vincent because he was victorious on the last round, which moved him into second place in the overall leader board and now a good result in Cavan could move him into pole position. Round three was also kind for Jonathan as he took eight points away from the event and now hopes to build on that in Cavan.

Lying in fifth place in the class after the opening loop of three stages Vincent, reported that his car felt very soft and he couldn’t commit 100% to cornering or on the bumpy sections. Upon reaching first service his mechanics set about stiffening the car in the hope that would cure the problem and let him push more on the next loop. After service the crews made their way to stage four which was the opening stage run for the second time, Vincent states “the car was transformed by the changes made in service but that’s where my luck ran out as I got a puncture half way through the stage and lost a lot of time. After reaching the end of the stage we changed the tyre on route to stage five.” Stage five was to be the end of the event for Vincent as four kms into the stage they had a hard landing when going over a crest and the diff broke ending their rally. Speaking to Vincent afterwards he was very disappointed, “At the start I new a good result here would have put me in a good position in the championship but now we must look to the next event”. “I have not entered the Circuit of Munster next weekend so the next rally could be the North East Mini Stages but Donegal is the weekend after that which is my home event so I will need to some time to repair the car and make a decision on my next outing”.

In Class eleven Jonathan Cunningham also had some very bad luck on the opening stage. He was only 2 kms in when he suffered a double puncture. After changing the offending front wheel he could only limp out of the stage with the second puncture on the rear. By the end of stage one he had dropped seven minutes fifteen sec to stage winner and class leader Peter Wilson. On the road section between stage one and two Jonathan contacted his brother who was seating with David Quigley in another Civic and got hold of the their spare. From this point on Jonathan started his fight back in the hotly contested class. On stage two Jonathan set a time of 8.23 and on stage three a time of 8.33 this was with different type tyre compounds and wheel sizes on his car. Over the opening loop Jonathan’s navigator (Brother Patrick) was suffering from food poisoning and was feeling very sick. As he entered first service he was lying in 24th in the class. Next up was stage four a rerun of stage one and Jonathan showed his class by setting 2nd fastest time of 10.23 only being beaten on the stage by Peter Wilson. On stages five and six Jonathan was again heading the time sheets with 2nd fastest on stage five and equal fastest on six with John McHugh. Over the third and last loop of stages Jonathan time showed that only for his awful luck he could be fight for the class win. Stage seven was his first stage win of the day, he then back that with third fastest on the penultimate stage eight and was fastest on the last stage. Except for those two rally killing punctures on the first stage this could a totally different story for the young man from Claregalway.

There isn’t much time between NJRC events as we now focus our attention on the Junior Rally in the Circuit of Munster next weekend. At present there are three NJRC drivers competing,

John Byrnes (Citroen C2 R2)
John O'Connor (Ford Escort G3)
Chris Malloy (Peugeot 206)

Jonathan Cunningham has also expressed an interest in the event and there will be more news on this during the week.

McElhinney Conquers Cavan In Citroen C2 Championship

Posted: May 24, 2009 11:02 PM

The fourth round of the 2009 Citroen Racing Trophy Ireland enjoyed beautiful sunshine, a rare sight in Irish rallying at present for the Cavan Stages Rally. It allowed the Citroen C2 R2’s to fully stretch their legs on the nine Cavan Stages, and the winner, Donegal’s Adrian McElhinney really stretched the legs of his 1600cc flyer as he dominated the Cavan Stages, taking his third win of the season.

It all started with a superb time on stage one for Adrian, his time of 10 minutes 16 seconds, significantly faster than his nearest C2 rival. The closest to this benchmark time was relative C2 newcomer Mark Kane who was 23 seconds down over the 16 kilometre test, with another newcomer, Tempo’s Stephen Baxter just one second down on his third rally. A further six seconds behind was the winner of the last round in Monaghan Sam Moffett, but his usual rivals Martin Tynan and Barry Evans were struggling, Barry with locking brakes, and Martin not happy with the feeling of the car. For Barry, the rally was to end after stage two, with an alternator fault putting him over the time limit. As the cars reached the first service, Adrian had taken command with fastest times on stages two and three. Second place was Roscrea’s Mark Kane, just one second but Mark was complaining of a notchy second gear, and on closer inspection the team decided to pull out before any further damage was done. Just one scant second behind was Sam Moffett, who now slotted into second, although Sam felt his car a little loose at the front, and was resigned to the fact that was unable to catch Adrian. Stephen Baxter was having another excellent showing just five seconds behind Sam, but Stephen and co driver Martin McGarrity’s rally was to end on stage four, the C2 doing its best to impersonate a Reliant Robin as it definitely wasn’t rolling along, when a wheel came off the wagon! Fractured wheel studs were the cause as Stephen having repaired the car after his Monaghan accident was left on the sidelines.

On the second loop of the same tests, Adrian extended his lead, although there was drama at the end of stage five, a tie strap being borrowed to secure a loose gear stick turret, and Sam Moffett too was feeling a vibration in the front of his C2. Martin Tynan wasn’t on his usual form, and the Clones driver, had no option but to stop and change a puncture on stage 6, loosing almost five minutes. Leaving the final service with three stages to tackle Adrian McElhinney had it all to loose with almost a minute and a half’s lead over Sam Moffett, with Martin Tynan now the final C2 running many minutes adrift. For Adrian and co driver Shane Buckley it proved a superb victory as they reeled off the remaining stages, and celebrated at Hillgrove Hotel finish. Indeed they set top ten stage times during the day and were understandably delighted. “It’s been a very enjoyable event, and this time we had a much better start than in Monaghan. I think that helped us, and things have just flowed quite well today.” Sam Moffett should have been next onto the ramp, but the Monaghan youngster was robbed of his second place by drive-shaft failure with just one competitive mile to complete. Despite having one of their worst ever days of rallying, Martin and Ciaran Tynan found themselves leaving the Cavan round with second placed points, the brother’s decision to continue being the right one, for their championship efforts. Round five the Citroen Racing Trophy Ireland takes place on the ALMC Stages in July.

Round Four Results- Cavan Stage
1 Adrian McElhinney/ Shane Buckley Citroen C2 R2
2 Martin Tynan/ Ciaran Tynan Citroen C2 R2

More Photos:

Posted: May 24, 2009 10:16 PM

crspics.com - Counihan Rallysport Pictures
James Burke Motorsport Photography
KG Rally Pics
Tight Angle Photography

Full Results

Posted: May 24, 2009 10:15 PM

O/A Driver/Codriver Car Total
1 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC) 01:12:14
2 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC) 01:12:19
3 John McGlaughlin/Crawford Henderson (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 GpN) 01:15:49
4 Neil McCance/Sean Ferris (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 GpN) 01:15:56
5 Russell Woods/Martin Byrne Ford Escort MkII 01:16:30
6 Sean Devine/Paul McLoughlin (Subaru Impreza WRC) 01:16:45
7 Paul Elliott/Brian Doherty (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 GpN) 01:18:07
8 Paul Barrett/Kevin Bowcott (Ford Focus RWD) 01:18:17
9 Peter Wilson/John Kilmurry (Honda Civic) 01:18:47
10 Brendan Cumiskey/Conor Foley (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 GpN) 01:18:54

Leaders After:
SS1 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS2 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
& Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS3 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS4 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS5-6 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
& Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS7 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS8 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
& Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS9 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)

Stage Winners
SS1 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS2 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS3 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS4 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS5 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS6 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
& Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS7 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS8 Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru Impreza WRC)
SS9 Sean Devine/Paul McLoughlin (Subaru Impreza WRC)

Full Results: results.shannonsportsit.ie (Angus Sealy)
Rallynews (by Brian & Liz Patterson)

EXCEL SERIES HITS ROUND FOUR IN CAVAN

Posted: May 22, 2009 3:48 PM

The new Excel Rally Championship has been gathering serious momentum of late at the crews prepare to tackle round four, the Cavan Stages this weekend. With TV coverage from On the Limit Sports, and an amazing prize fund at the end of the season to aim for, this new championship has won great praise, not least from World Championship co-driver Nicky Grist, who witnessed the first round. This class based series gives all the class winners a chance to go into a shoot-out, the first prize being four rallies in a Super 1600 machine.

Registered crews for this weekend’s Excel event include Anthony Hand in his very rapid 240 bhp, 1600cc MK2 Escort, junior ace Jason Ryan in his Honda Civic, another young up and coming driver John Byrnes in his Citroen C2 R2, Stephen Wright in the Fiesta ST, and David Quigley in his Honda Civic. The crews have the choice to either run on Silverstone or Hankook tyres, and the Cavan Rally will provide some top class opposition throughout the field to keep the Excel crews once again high up on the overall results sheet.

After three rounds, the Midland Stages, Monaghan Stages and Carlow Stages the championship class positions are beginning to take shape. David Quigley has a narrow one point lead in class 2, over Niall McGrath. Stephen Wright and David Cleary are tying for the class 3 lead, Adrian Quinn leads from James Foley, both in Mitsubishi Evo’s, in class 4, Trevor Hutton is the sole class 5 scorer, and likewise John Byrnes in class 6. Tommy Doyle in his Clio R3 leads David Smyth in class 7, Colin Flanaghan is the only point’s scorer in class 8, and David Quinn in class 9. Class 10 for modified 8 valve up to 1650cc Enda McGlaughlin and Shane Maguire are tying for the lead in this popular class, and likewise Jason Ryan and Anthony Hand are tying for the hugely popular class 11 honours. Class 12 for up to 2050cc 8 valve modified’s is also equally as popular with James Culliney, Andrew McCabe, and Gerard Corey all tying at the top. In class 14 Damien Hagan leads from Seamus Doyle and Adrian McGrath whilst Ted O’ Shaugnessey leads class 15 in his amazing 2.5 Millington engined Corolla. On the last round in Carlow Ted finished 2nd overall on the event using the popular Hankook tyres. Finally John O’Connor leads Christopher Snow in the Juniors.

Whilst some the class battles are frantic, other classes are still picking up momentum, and series co-coordinator Paul Roche can see opportunities for new competitors.
“There are a lot of classes still very wide open at this stage, and with each class winner entered in the big shoot-out at the end of the season, the end reward for a few solid results could be very high. It’s been great working with the existing competitors so far, and to see the profile for the series grow at each round.”

This weekend in Cavan, will be another Excel Rally Championship round, and another opportunity for competitors young and old to benefit from one of the most exciting prize funds ever to hit Irish rally-sport.

2009 Excel Rally Championship - CANCELLED

All Still To Play For On Third Round of HASS Border Rally Championship

Posted: May 22, 2009 10:27 AM

This week-end sees HASS Border Rally Championship competitors head to Cavan for what could be a decisive round of the popular clubman’s championship. With two rounds completed in Mayo & Monaghan there is still time for competitors to launch a bid for championship honours, with the best four scores from the class based six round series counting toward the championship.

As well as the battle to score championship points, the competition for the HASS Border Championship Drive of the Day Award is eagerly anticipated. Presented to the fastest crew of a particular class on a particular stage (both class and stage selected at random before rally start), the winners so far this year have been Donegal’s Noel O’Donnell and Ronan Murrin on the Mayo Stages Rally, and the Meath pairing of Thomas Carolan and Declan Smith on the Monaghan Stages Rally. Who will claim the award in Cavan?

Setting the early pace in the overall championship battle have been the class 11 Escort of Monaghan’s Anthony Hand and Emmet Sherry (car no. 14 this week-end) and the class 12 example of Donegal’s Daniel Conaghan and Trevor Graham (No. 18). Both crews will be hoping to make it three maximum scores out of three in Cavan although Jason McKenna deputises for Emmet Sherry for this rally.

Number 1 seeds on this week-end’s event Niall Maguire and Enda Sherry are well placed in the Border series so far, just one point off the leaders. A win here will keep the Monaghan men firmly in contention to emulate Niall’s Border success from 2004. Also right up there on the same points are the class 9 Escort crew of Meath’s Thomas Carolan and Declan Smith who are seeded at 82 this week-end.

Other crews competing in Cavan who have taken near maximum points so far include the class 5 Nissan Micra of Jonny Leonard and Jackie Donaldson (No. 71), while the Emyvale pairing of John Kelly and Adrian Flynn in the class 10 Corolla (No. 66) will be hoping for success on their home event.

One to watch could be the number 9 seeds and leading locals Russell Woods and Martin Byrne who already have a class 14 win to their names in Mayo. But as we said at the start, it’s all still to play for, and throughout the field, HASS Border Championship competitors will be fighting for valuable championship points in each of the classes. With little margin for error in this ultra-competitive series it could well be a very different leaderboard come Sunday evening.

Eight crews tackle new event in the Irish Mitsubishi calendar.

Posted: May 19, 2009 12:55 PM

Round five of the Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Ireland takes place this weekend, when eight crews head to Cavan for the Hotel Kilmore Stages Rally, which is the first time that this popular one-day event has hosted a round of the Irish Mitsubishi series.

With both rallies so far in this year’s Evo Challenge calendar being two-day affairs and therefore hosting two-rounds each, the Cavan rally is the first one-day, one-round event of the season.

The first Mitsubishi crew to leave the start line will be one of Ireland’s leading Group N crews, John McGlaughlin and Crawford Henderson, who will be making their Evo Challenge debut this weekend. They are almost certainly going to battle with the next Mitsubishi crew of Neil McCance/Sean Ferris who are looking for a repeat of their result last time out, when they topped the Evo Challenge timesheets in both rounds three and four on the Circuit of Ireland.

Next in line is the current championship leader Liam Egan, who again makes the trip all the way from New York to compete in the Irish Mitsubishi series. Egan is joined by Mary O’Kane and will look to deliver another consistent performance to continue his run at the top of the series standings.

Fourth Mitsubishi seed on this occasion is Brendan Cumiskey. Co-driven by Conor Foley, the 2008 Evolution Challenge Ireland Champion will be hoping for a better run this time around, having retired on the second stage last time out when a heavy landing split his car’s radiator. They are followed by Stanley Ballantine/Donnacha O’Callaghan who are another crew aiming for a trouble free run, having been sidelined in rounds two and four with mechanical issues.

A little further back in the entry list are William Mavitty/Keefe Kilcoyne who delivered a strong performance in rounds three and four and are now looking to make an impression in this year’s Evolution Challenge. They are followed by Thomas White/Robert Murphy who have had their car repaired following an off on the Circuit of Ireland and are therefore hoping for a less dramatic weekend.

Rounding off the Evo Challenge entries are Michael Murray/Brian Daniels, who are making their return to the Mitsubishi series having contested a full season last year.

The Hotel Kilmore Stages Rally starts and finishes in Cavan and features nine stages – three stages ran three times - on Sunday, the total of which provides a competitive distance of 135 kilometres (84 miles).

The Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Ireland offers competitors an extensive prize fund, with the Champion wining a supported drive in a James Foley Rallysport prepared Group N Lancer Evolution X for selected rounds of the 2010 Irish Tarmac Championship. Other prizes up for grabs include vouchers, tyres, fuel and awards on each event and at the end of the season.

The series is supported by: Pirelli tyres, Sunoco fuel, James Foley Rallysport, Carbone Lorraine, Murray Motorsport, Speedline Corse wheels, PIAA lights, Pacenotes, Sparco racewear and Mitsubishi Motors Ireland.

Mitsubishi Ralliart Evolution Challenge Ireland
Round five - Entries
5    John McGlaughlin (Cookstown)/Crawford Henderson (Magherafelt)
6    Neil McCance (Comber)/Sean Ferris (Omagh)
10  Liam Egan (New York)/Mary O’Kane (Maghera)
11  Brendan Cumiskey (Dundalk)/Conor Foley (Ballinode)
12  Stanley Ballentine (Strabane)/Donnacha O’Callaghan (Mallow)
29  William Mavitty (Eniskillen)/Keefe Kilcoyne (Westport)
59  Thomas White (Foulksmills)/Robert Murphy (New Ross)
60  Michael Murray (Longford)/Brian Daniels (Waterford)

Cavan Stages Signifies Change for the NJRC

Posted: May 18, 2009 3:26 PM

Round four of the 2009 National Junior Rally Championship signifies a change in surface from the gravel of forestry events to tarmac for the next five rallies and also major restructuring in the regulations for the remainder of the season. The Sean Conlon Memorial Forestry Rally (Tipperary) followed by the Wm Loughman (Carrick on Suir) and the third forestry event the Moonraker (Munster) got the season underway. Initially it was hoped that with the amount of drivers registered last season, the same would continue in 2009 but the economic climate has dictated that budgets must be scrutinised. Acting as Championship coordinator Motorsport Ireland has taken the bold step of introducing major changes for the remainder of the season. The needs for this action are two fold, firstly the NJRC was formed to hone the skills and encourage the skills of young talent and secondly the NJRC is the only route to the qualification process for the Billy Coleman Award and every effort needs to be made to attract as many suitable candidates as possible.

The major changes in the regulations are, the season now consists of fourteen events and the best performance from any five events will count towards the Championship. A minimum of four events must be completed in order to qualify for an award. The new championship schedule is as follows:

In turn with the revisions to the calendar MI are announcing a major shake up of the PR for the championship. For the remainder of the 2009 season MI is going to give a key overhaul to the Junior Championship homepage on the MI website. John Quill as registrar and Trevor McGrath as press officer will work with all forms of the Motorsport media to highlight the championship and bring the series to a new platform for the future.

The 2009 season started with a blanket of snow for the opening round in Mitchelstown and it was Kilkenny driver Craig Breen that grabbed an early lead in the championship. Breen didn’t have things all his own way as he was pushed firstly by Limerick man John Byrnes and also by Co. Monaghan driver Vincent McAree. Breen then backed up his success by taking top honours on round two on his home event in Carrick on Suir. For round three the championship moved the Lismore, Co Waterford for the Moonraker Forestry rally organised by the Munster Motor Club. This time out it was the turn of Vincent McAree to take victory and move into second place in the championship. Vincent’s win came with some controversy at the finish as he was first accredited in fifth position because of his time on stage 5 when he stopped at fellow Junior competitor Kevin Gallagher crash but when the times were adjusted it was the man from Clontee that claimed top points. Now as we enter the next phase of the championship all the registered drivers are getting prepared for the tarmac action and after speaking to each in turn they are all encouraged with the changes and the news that MI are committed to the series. For the Cavan Stages, second on the leader board Vincent McAree had his entry in early, Vincent did have some repair work after a crash in Monaghan but reports he was very luck “when the car stepped out at high speed and we were lucky not to go off the road and down a twenty foot drop”. “We were delighted with the win on the Moonraker considering the car was not on full power and the adjustments to the calendar make it a lot easier to plan your rounds”. Another man looking forward to Cavan is Kevin Gallagher. Kevin in another driver happy with the changes as he states “I will have less travelling to do and at present we working hard to have the car ready for Cavan”. Galway man Jonathan Cunnigham will also be on the stages in Cavan and reports “The changes look very interesting and it will make it more flexible for entering events”. Jonathan took eight points away from Lismore and will be hoping to take top points from Cavan. John O’Connor from Askeaton, Co. Limerick will not be making the trip to Cavan but has told me that he is looking forward to the Circuit of Munster. Chris Malloy is another driver hoping to be on the start line in Adare, from there Chris states he will plan is season saying “The Ravens Rock is certainly on the cards”. Our Championship leader Craig Breen has reported that he will not be competing in Cavan and from looking at the revised calendar the Ravens Rock should be his next outing, Craig went on to say that he will pick rounds that can fit with his schedule.

Now as the Championship enters the summer period of the season and with two rounds in quick succession in May and two more events over the month of June there will be major developments in each class and the championship leader board. It is also hoped that with the restructured regulations and the revamped approach to the media that the championship will attract more drivers to register.

Withdrawls

Posted: May 15, 2009 11:21 AM

See updates on Club website:

• Cavan Motor Club

Entry List Available:

Posted: May 14, 2009 1:32 PM

• Cavan Motor Club

Regulations available:

Posted: April 23, 2009 3:23 PM

• Cavan Motor Club

Navigate for Niall McShea on the 2009 Cavan Stages Rally

Posted: March 24, 2009 3:07 PM

Auction: Co-drive for Niall McShea on 2009 Cavan Rally

Event Website / Details

Posted: January 1, 2009 12:01 AM

• Cavan Motor Club