Clare Forestry Rally - (Sat) 5 Oct 24

MIJRS headed for final day showdown in Clare

Posted: October 4, 2024 5:20 AM

After seven wonderful events across both the Gravel lanes of the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship and the twisting tarmac roads of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship, the fate of the 2024 MIJRS is set to play out to a conclusion this weekend with the season ending Clare Forest Rally, the eight and final round of the 2024 series.

The sole national dual-surface competition, the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series (MIJRS) is designed to develop future stars of the sport, with competitors ranging from 14-24 years of age competing across its classes, with prize funding to the tune of over €70,000 on offer through the Motorsport Ireland Academy as well as a further €15,000 prize fund sponsored by Race & Rally on offer.

With incredible rewards on offer, this year has seen the largest number of drivers competing in the history of the MIJRS, with forty competitors making an appearance across the seven rounds to date, with eleven of these drivers claiming a class victory such has been the tightness of the competition.

Introduced in 2024 as a way to encourage drivers to explore a more affordable route into Homologated machinery, Class 2A became a three-way fight right from the off amongst a trio of exciting J-1000 graduates in Ford Fiesta R2 & R2T’s. Ciara Duggan would have her finest hour to date claiming the class win on the Carlow Stages Rally, but victory on the Galway Summer Rally, the final Tarmac event of the year, saw Jack Kennedy pip Ciara to claim second place in Class 2A.

While Duggan & Kennedy had been nip and tuck all year, the true star of the Class 2A battle was Jack Harris, the Donegal youngster wrapped up the title with a dominant victory last time out on Gravel in Cork, with it claiming a fourth victory of the season, support up to the value of €10,000 as part of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy the following year and a nomination for the Billy Coleman Award shortlist!

A similar prize is up for grabs in Class 2, and headed to Clare to fight for victory is now a two horse race. Capitalizing on the absence of his rivals in Galway, 2023’s J1000 champion Tommy Moffett has put himself right into the mix, with the destination of the crown now firmly between the Ford Fiesta Rally4 pairing of himself and Craig Rahill.

With a four-point advantage on calculated scores, the series counted on the three best Gravel scores and three best Tarmac scores, its all in Rahill’s hands in Clare, where he know a strong finish will guarantee him the title. While first and second in the standings are destined to be between Rahill and Moffett, there is also a real battle on for third position and the last of the prize packages.

Dylan Eves had a strong start to the season scoring strongly including wins in Mayo & Carrick-on-Suir, but his season has faltered since and this has opened the door for Mossie Costello to potentially grab a dramatic final day prize, but anything less than a MIJRS class victory may see him fall short.

The busies class of all without doubt this year has been in J1000. Competing over a different calendar to the rest of the MIJRS field, their MIJRS battle closes on October 19th with the Laois Gravel Rallysprint. Open to drivers between 14-17 years of age, this year saw the field tackle all four rounds of the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship, a pair of Gravel Rallysprints which included Imokilly and the aforementioned Laois, and a duo of tarmac Rallysprints in Wexford & Carrick-on-Suir.

With two rounds to go, there are now four drivers still in with a shot of taking the title, but plenty more can still grab the massively rewarding podium spots. Of those in the title race, David Travers & Tommy Cronin may not have tasted victory so far this year, but their experience and strong scoring throughout sees them firmly in contention as we head towards the seasons end.

For Danny Brady, the highs of victories in Killarney & Wexford will be mixed with the disappointment of retirements elsewhere, but to be in with a shot of the title even after a rollercoaster season is testament to the raw speed, but even then all of our contenders need both two remarkable results and a whole heap of luck to disrupt the remarkable story that could be Oisin McShane securing the title on his debut season!

Right from the off, the Derry youngster has shown massive pace on both surfaces this season and a drive that saw five stage victories on his first ever rally was a marker of what lay in store. Victories in Carrick-on-Suir and Cork Forest Rallys and the Imokilly Rallysprint have seen McShane open up a seven-point advantage over his nearest rivals, and he knows a strong finish in Clare could see him secure the title and close off an incredible first season in the sport.

Rally Programmes

Posted: October 4, 2024 5:18 AM

Seeded Entry List

Posted: September 29, 2024 1:25 PM

Juniors
301 Tommy Cronin/Derek Butler (Toyota Aygo) [21]
302 Oisin McShane/Fabian McShane (VW UP) [21]
303 Danny Brady/Darren O'Brien (VW UP) [21]
304 Ross Ryan/Peter Keohane (Peugeot 107) [21]
305 Tommy Furlong/Oisin Joyce (Skoda Citigo) [21]
306 Rhys McElhinney/John Smithwick (Peugeot 107) [21]
307 Ger Hartigan/Conor Kelly (Citroen C1) [21]
308 David Travers/Andy Purser (Peugeot 107) [21]
309 Ryan Caldwell/Darren Caldwell (Skoda Citigo) [21]
310 Kyle Drury/TBA (VW UP) [21]
311 Conor Ryan/Conor Hade (Skoda Citigo) [21]
312 Aaron Hughes/Des Sherlock (Citroen C1) [21]
313 Sam Gorman/Sammy Gorman (Nissan Micra) [21]
314 Daniel Ormond/Adam Coffey (Peugeot 107) [21]
315 Frank Adam Wharton/Meabh Griffin (Toyota Aygo) [21]
316 Gemma Hallinan/Dean Raftery (Toyota Aygo) [21]
317 Gareth McGettrick/TBA (Nissan Micra) [21]
318 Finn Gardiner/Alistair Wyllie (Peugeot 107) [21]
319 James McShea/Niall McShea (Nissan Micra) [21]
320 David Slattery/Ger Somers (Hyundai i10) [21]
321 Darragh McEnroe/Mark Reilly (VW UP) [21]
322 Dean Bonner/Micheal Bonner (Nissan Micra) [21]
323 Kayla O'Sullivan/Seanie Bear O'Crowley (Peugeot 107) [21]

2WD
201 Michael Conlon/James McEneaney (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
202 Sam Stewart/Stephen Peoples (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
203 Hugh McQuaid/Declan Casey (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
204 Ryan McHugh/Declan Boyle (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [2]
205 Keelan Grogan/Ayrton Sherlock (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [2]
206 Ioan Lloyd/Sion Williams (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [2]
207 Craig Rahill/Conor Smith (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [2]
208 Cian Caldwell/TBA (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [2]
209 Aoife Raftery/Hannah McKillop (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [2]
210 Steven Corey/Thomas Treanor (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
211 Shane McCanney/Diarmaid Campbell (Toyota Corolla Twincam) [13]
212 Damien McGauran/Shane Maguire (BMW 320) [13]
213 Michael Fitzgibbon/Carrie Ryan (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [2]
214 Jack Brennan/Eoghan Doherty (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [2]
215 Tommy Moffett/Domhnall Lennon (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [2]
216 PJ McDermott/Johnny Baird (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [2]
217 Ian McCarthy/Patrick O'Sullivan (Honda Civic) [11F]
218 Donal Connolly/Danny McLaughlin (Ford Escort Mk2) [12]
219 Anthony O'Halloran/Martin Casey (Ford Escort Mk2) [14]
220 Fintan McGrady/Dean Beckett (Ford Escort Mk2 RS1800) [18]
221 Raymond Doyle/Ryan Girvan (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
222 Mossie Costello/Megan Costello (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [2]
223 Niall O'Sullivan/Frank Byrnes (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [2]
224 Joseph Kelly/Killian McArdle (Peugeot 208 Rally4) [2]
225 Jack Harris/Aaron O'Regan (Ford Fiesta) [2A]
226 Jack Kennedy/TBA (Ford Fiesta) [2A]
227 Barry Mahon/Ultan McGowan (Ford Fiesta) [2A]
228 John Ward/Brian Martyn (Ford Fiesta) [2A]
229 Paul O'Connell/Brian Quinlan (Ford Escort Mk2) [11R]
230 Mike Garahy/Iarla McCarthy (Ford Escort Mk2) [10]
231 Sean Benskin/Angiee Michniewicz (Ford Escort) [12]
232 Hal Lewis/Paddy McDonnell (Ford Escort Mk2) [13]
233 Walter Burke/Bobby Cooper (Ford Escort) [18]
234 Ciaran McCullagh/Cormac Noonan (Honda Covic) [11F]
235 Eugene Ward/Patrick Heaney (Ford Fiesta) [11F]
236 Christy Butler/Ann Hutchinson (Honda Civic) [11F]
237 Eamon O'Connell/Paul Bruton (Ford Escort) [11R]
238 Ciara Duggan/Ava O'Driscoll (Ford Fiesta R2) [2A]
239 Lorcan Moore/TBA (Vauxhall Nova) [9]
240 Paddy Kelly/Johnny Carroll (BMW Compact) [14]
241 Tom Kenneally/Louise Bourke (BMW M3 Compact) [14]
242 Damien Brophy/Gerard Buckley (Toyota Starlet RWD) [11R]
243 James Sinnott/Brian Hutten (Opel Corsa) [10]
244 Paul Cullen/Brian Rowan (Opel Corsa) [10]
245 Pa Horan/Jason Ollerenshaw (Honda Civic) [11F]
246 Ed Muldoon/Ciara Griffin (Suzuki Swift) [11F]
247 Tristan Horan/Susan Smyth (Ford KA) [9]
248 Francis Kelly/Charlotte Egan (Peugeot 206 Cup Car) [9]
249 Liam O'Sullivan/Brian Duggan (Ford Fiesta R2) [2A]
250 Robert Cronin/Paddy Heffernan (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [2]
251 Anthony Breen/Jill Breen (Ford Fiesta Rally4) [2]
252 John O'Sullivan/Denny Greaney (Citroen C2) [11F]
253 Ronan Clohessy/Brian Commons (Honda Civic EK4) [11F]
254 Gavin Bird/Nathan Moloney (Peugeot 205 GTi) [10]
255 Aaron Doyle/TBA (Honda Civic) [16]
256 Gerard Walshe/Jack O'Sullivan (Ford Fiesta) [9]

4WD
1 Derek Mackarel/Eamonn Creedon (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
2 David Condell/Michael Coady (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [5]
3 Andrew Purcell/Liam Brennan (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [5]
4 Keith Power/Thomas Hayes (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
5 Paul McCann/Mark Murphy (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
6 James McCarville/Conal McNulty (VW Polo GTI R5) [5]
7 Gerard Lucey/JJ Cremin (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
8 Ashley Dickson/Martin Brady (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
9 Martin Cairns/Peter Ward (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [20]
10 Martin O'Brien/James Cotter (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [5]
11 Marty McKenna/Conor McGurren (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [5]
12 Damien Quinn/Karl Smyth (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
14 Paul O'Brien/Adam Coffey (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]
15 Lukasz Czapnik/Piotr Szadkowski (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
16 Barry Murphy/Conal Doherty (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
17 Christy Carey/Stephen Joyce (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8) [15]
18 Richie Curran/Gerry English (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6) [15]
19 David Fitzsimons/Aaran Sharkey (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3) [15]
20 John Lynch/TBA (Ford Fiesta Rally2) [5]
21 James Lowry/Shaun Forde (Subaru Impreza N12) [4]
22 Eoin Neville/Brendan Quinn (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [4]
23 Larry Doyle/TBA (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7) [20]
24 Alan Whelan/Alan Keena (Subaru Impreza) [20]
25 Peter McCullagh/Liam Callaghan (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) [20]
26 Steven McCann/John McCabe (Ford Fiesta R5) [5]

Land Rover Defender
401 Petter Solberg/John Tomley (Land Rover Defender) [20A]
402 Mark Thomas/Philip Mackay (Land Rover Defender) [20A]
403 Denis Ferry/Phillip Gillespie (Land Rover Defender) [20A]
404 Richard Kingsley-Smith/Adel Tyson (Land Rover Defender) [20A]
405 John Marshall/Craig Wallace (Land Rover Defender) [20A]
406 Frazer Williams/Mark Acher (Land Rover Defender) [20A]
407 Tom Bell/Richard Mills (Land Rover Defender) [20A]
408 John Rintoul/Paul Chambers (Land Rover Defender) [20A]
409 Nathan Burrell/Matt Kirby (Land Rover Defender) [20A]
410 Paul McCallum/Peter King (Land Rover Defender) [20A]
411 Justin Dooling/Terina Dooling (Land Rover Defender) [20A]

Petter Solberg to compete in Clare Forestry

Posted: September 23, 2024 2:21 PM

The Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship team are excited to announce that 2003 World Rally Champion and true motorsport superstar Petter Solberg is to compete on the final round of the 2024 season, the Clare Forest Rally, on October 5th.

The Scariff based event is the first Gravel rally to take place in Clare in 42 years, and it is a huge testament to the hard working team in Clare Motor Club who have not only made this event a reality on the back of what was an incredibly difficult year for the club, but have created a rally so irresistible that many in the Rally community are raving about the stages and has now has attracted one of the biggest stars in Rallying.

Petter Solberg raced to the 2003 WRC title in what was arguably one of the sports golden eras, and the Norwegian claimed 13 event wins while driving for the leading Factory teams such as Subaru and Ford, while he also campaigned Citroen WRC machinery under his Petter Solberg Engineering team.

Success on the world stages was continued by Solberg when he transitioned into Rallycross, as the adaptable star, known as Hollywood for his high drama driving style and character, won the World Rallycross title back-to-back in 2014 & 2015. In recent years, Petter has focused on developing his son Oliver, who has become one of the most exciting young talents in Rallying.

The visit to Ireland will see Solberg compete in the Bowler Defender Series on the Clare Forest Rally, the event marking the first time that this series had made a visit to Irish shores. Across seven loose surface events, crews compete in identical Land Rover Defenders which have been converted into Rally machines by Bowler.

The series is fully supported by Tata Elxsi, BF Goodridge & Castrol, and it is through these partnerships that the idea to have Petter Solberg compete within the series became a reality as he becomes the twelfth crew to register for the Clare Forest Rally, amongst them the Boyzone star Shane Lynch who returns to Irish stages having last competed here over 20 years ago.

There is Irish interest within the series, as Donegal’s Denis Ferry and navigator Richard Mills are in their second season competing in the Bowler Defender, decked out in Sligo Pallets stickering. Denis has actually had the Bowler Defender out on the stages here before when he acted as Sweeper on Round 6 & 7 of the 2023 Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship.

Speaking this evening, Championship sponsor Andrew Mullen was delighted with the news of Solberg competing in Clare. “To see a star as big as Petter Solberg compete on our shores is incredible, but for him to do so within the Sligo Pallets Forest Rally Championship is really special for me and all the team. We hope he enjoys himself, and we’d be delighted to have him back again in the future!”

The Clare Stages Rally takes place on Saturday, October 5th, and over six gravel stages some of the finest Rally talent in Ireland will compete, from the stars-of-tomorrow in J1000 that allows youngsters from 14-17 to compete, right through to the fastest and most advanced Rally2 machinery that is equivalent to those seen in the European and World Rally championships.

On Line Entry / Regulations / Sportity

Posted: September 3, 2024 12:21 PM

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Posted: September 3, 2024 12:21 PM

Clare Motor Club Forestry Rally Returns after 41 Years Hiatus

Posted: July 9, 2024 6:22 AM

Clare Motor Club is thrilled to announce its inaugural Forestry Rally, breaking a 41-year hiatus. Unlike the last event in January 1983, which featured a single stage repeated three times, this rally promises a thrilling new experience. With a highly experienced organising team leading the charge, Clare Motor Club is excited to unveil the preliminary details of this highly anticipated event.

We're thrilled to announce M Fitzgibbon Contractors Ltd and Sheils Motor Group (Hyundai) are joining us as the Co-Title sponsors for the event.

Director and Owner Michael Fitzgibbon has been a dedicated member of Clare Motor Club for many years. With a history of supporting rallying, Michael previously sponsored the ever popular Clare Stages Rally in 2019. Known for his presence in forestry rallies, Michael has been a prominent competitor, often seen tearing through the stages in his iconic green Honda Civic. This year, he's stepping up his game with a Rally 4 Peugeot 208, ready to tackle the challenges of the Stellantis Cup.

The Sheils family are without doubt Clare’s oldest motoring family and will be celebrating being Ford Franchise Dealers 100 years in 2025. Sheils Motor Group who are based in the Gort Road Industrial Estate in Ennis have recently acquired the Peugeot and Hyundai Franchise for Clare and also just opened a state of the art showroom for the Hyundai franchise. With outlets in Limerick and Galway they are also dealers for Ford, Peugeot, Honda and MG.

Mark your calendars for an adrenaline-fuelled adventure on Saturday, October 5th, 2024, as the rally action unfolds in the picturesque East Clare town of Scariff. Brace yourself for a dynamic rally experience featuring three stages, each with a twist of the unknown, repeated twice, offering competitors a whopping 70km of premium gravel stages.

With approximately 155km of road mileage, this rally is set to test drivers to their limits with Service available after Stage 2 and Stage 5. But hold on tight for the real challenge: Stages 3 and 6, each stretching a staggering 17km, promising to separate the champions from the challengers.

Scrutiny will take place on Friday evening October 4th 2024 at the Rugby Grounds in Scariff with Parc Ferme nearby in the Scariff Showgrounds. Documentation Scrutiny will be taking place at the GAA Grounds in Scariff with Service and Trailer Park located at the EKO Integrated Services Site in Scariff, formally known as Finsa.

With only four forestry rallies in Southern Ireland and Clare easily accessible from all corners of the Island, a decision was made to run the rally on a Saturday to facilitate competitors and teams to make their way home on Sunday. Prize giving will take place Saturday evening in McNamara’s Bar and Restaurant located in the square in Scariff. For competitors, their teams and spectators, Scariff is centrally located to neighbouring towns of Killaloe, Nenagh, Castleconnell, Limerick City, Ennis and Gort. There are a number of B and B’s and AirBnB’s in close radius of Scariff.

Clare Motor Club is delighted to be part of a number of high profile Championships which should attract a large entry. The Championships are as follows:

Round 6 Sligo Pallets National Forestry Rally Championship
Round 8 Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series
Round 7 Suirway Group Southeast Stages Rally Championship
Round 9 MIJR Motorsport Ireland Dual Surface Rally Championship
Round 6 2024 Bowler Defender Challenge

Gerry O’Brien, who has clerked the last four Clare Stages Rallies, will be once again stepping up to the role of Clerk of the Course. Gerry brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this event and will ably supported by David Murphy (Tot), Deputy Clerk of the Course, Willie Walsh and Declan O’Regan as Assistant Clerks of the Course, Kieran Ambrose as Club Safety, Mark Parsons as Club Steward and three top quality Stage Commanders in Tim Casey and Keith Naughton on Stage 1, Aodhain Neylon and Leonard Keane on Stage 2 and Eoghain McMahon and Raymond Hassett on Stage 3. Margaret McCloskey is once again Event Secretary assisted by Triona Hassett as Entries Secretary and their ever supporting Office Staff. As with all events, they won’t run without a supporting team of marshals who will be recruited by Maria O’Donoghue.

Clare Motor Club would like to thank the town’s people of Scariff and the surrounding areas for their support and encouragement in helping us with the organisation of this forestry rally. We would especially like to thank Scariff GAA Club, Scariff Rugby Club, Scariff Showgrounds Committee, the Management of EKO Integrated Services and Coillte. We would like to thank the Motorsport Ireland Forestry Championship Committee for allowing us to be part of the National Championship, the Coordinators of the MIJRS, the Motorsport Ireland Dual Surface Junior Rally Championship and the Suirway Group South East Stages Championship Committee. We would especially like to extend a big welcome to Bowler Motorsport UK and thank them for considering this event as a round of their Championship. We are all looking forward to seeing these Landrover Defenders competing in Ireland.