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Josh Moffett held off the challenge of his older brother Sam both driving Fiesta WRC’s to win their local event, the Monaghan Rally, Round two of the Border Rally Championships and Round three of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship.

At the finish the pair were separated by a margin of 5.1 seconds.

Throughout the rally they served up a terrific duel along with Triton Showers series leader Donagh Kelly in a Focus WRC, all three held the lead at various stages during the event.

Defending champion Declan Boyle was a non-starter due to transmission problems in his Subaru WRC.

Declan Gallagher in his Toyota Starlet won the Modified section and Martin Doherty  in his Mitsubshi Evo took the honours in Group N.

Top Mayo result was from Belmullet’s Shane Barry who was navigating Donegal’s Pauric McGee in a Honda Civic, the pair took top place in Class 1. Achill’s Brian Lavelle on only his second tarmac event showed great form to claim third place in Class 1. The former Mayo young driver champion had Shane Byrne on the notes.

Pauric Duffy who had John Higgins alongside got off to a flyer on stage one but getting caught out and ending up beached on a ditch midway through stage two put an end to their adventures, with no damage to the Fiesta R5 the pair rejoined under Rally two and finished fifth in Class 20. Pauric now turns his attention to Kerry next weekend for the Rally of the Lakes before he returns back to work in Australlia.

Ballina’s Derek McCarthy was calling the notes for Leitrim man Stephen Reynolds in the Junior section of the event and ably guided him to a seventh place finish.

Unfortunately, two Mayo crews failed to finish the event. Ballyhaunis man Shane Buckley damaged the sump on his Honda Civic during the opening loop while the Westport crew of David Healy and Stephen McGing were disappointed to have bowed out on the penultimate stage after an off road excursion.

The third round of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship, the Moonraker Forest Rally run by the Munster Car Club took place in Ballyvourney, Co Cork last Sunday. Four members of Mayo & District Motorsport Club made the trip south as part of a quality entry list competing on sixty-four kilometres of forestry rallying.
The event was won by local Cork man Owen Murphy in an Evo 9, who found himself promoted from third to first place after the penultimate stage when leader Keith Cronin and second place Josh Moffett both retired. Daragh O’Riordan in a Fiesta and round one winner Mick O’Brien in his Focus WRC made up the top three.
In the two wheel drive race it was the MK2 Escort of Micky Conlon who repeated his round one and two results of first in the category.
Westport native Ed Muldoon had Mark Byrne calling the notes in his Mitsubishi Evo 6, the pair put in another solid performance to collect championship points finishing the event in 22nd place.
It was in the Valvoline Junior section of the event that the main Mayo interest was focused. Kiltimagh man John Higgins was on the notes Galway’s Dean Raferty, who is the current Motorsport Ireland, Billy Coleman – Young Rally Driver of Year and British Rally Championship Rally 2 Champion. The pair were competing in a highly specced Fiesta R2. Foxford’s Alan Moran was back out after a flawless drive at round 2 in Donegal seen him and navigator Trevor O’Connell finish in third place, and collect valuable points.
Raferty outlined his aim and showed his class from the start, moving into and holding the overall lead from the second stage. At the finish line of the event, while Number One in the junior section and seventh overall he was only four seconds off being the top two wheel drive finisher.
Outperforming and out driving the other junior entries Moran and O’Connell didn’t put a foot (or a wheel) out of place to steer their Bekan Motor Works prepared Peugeot 206 to second place in the category. A great result made even better by the fact that Raferty wasn’t registered for championship points meaning that the young Foxford man picked up top points and also the added prize of two Kumho rally tyres from Ears Motorsport Ireland for the top registered crew.
With round two winner Patrick O’Brien in his C2 R2 not finishing the event with mechanical trouble and round one winner Kevin Eves not starting, it leaves the top of the Valvoline Junior Championship table very tight ahead of the summer break with the next round scheduled for August.

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Easter Classic Vintage & Retro Motor Show

Thanks and well done to our club members that got together to organize a club stand at the Easter Classic Vintage & Retro Motor Show in Breaffy House Hotel Events Arena on Easter Monday., 

Great job all involved, Well done Pat, Maggie & the great team that they had, thanks to all for helping out, promoting motorsport locally.

Kelly Capitalises on Deflated Boyle

Donegal’s Donagh Kelly and Kevin Flanagan recorded a dramatic victory in the second round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship as they brought their Ford Focus WRC home in first place in the Midland Moto Rally in Roscommon.

Declan and Brian Boyle, who had led after each of the first eight stages, and had a cushion of  15.7 seconds entering the final stage in their Subaru Impreza. But it wasn’t to be for the Boyle cousins as around the midpoint of the stage, they picked up a puncture forcing them to pull in and change the tyre. They lost 4 minutes in the stage dropping them to 8th overall.

Kelly, who was recording his second win of the series, and five rally wins in a row in his focus, also won the power stage and moved into the lead in the series by seven points from Monaghan’s Niall Maguire, who finished just over two minutes behind in second in his Subaru, with Alan Ring also in a Subaru back in third.

Top Mayo finisher was Shane Buckley from Ballyhaunis in his Honda Civic, with John Lynch from Cork alongside the pair came home in 22^nd place overall.

Belmullet’s Shane Barry navigating for Pauric McGee in a Honda Civic claimed top sport in Class 1, finishing just ahead of the Westport pairing of David Healy and Stephen McGing, who followed up a recent run of good results with another second in Class One.

Darragh Mullen on the notes for David Donoghue in a C2R2 finished in 57th place.

Castlebar’s Pagraig Conneely and Liam Walsh on their second event in the Corolla drove flawlessly to finish in 73rd place.

Derek McCarthy who was navigating Leitrim man Stephen Reynolds in the Junior section of the rally came home in 10th place.

MARSHALS WANTED FOR UPCOMING EVENTS:

Stephen Mc Ging Manpower Manager for Circuit of Ireland (April 2-4) is looking for Marshals
Contact him at 0857239426.

Mayo Marshals required for Midland Rally (Round 2 of Triton Championships) Sun 29th March.
Meet Corrib Oil Racecourse Rd Roscommon 9am for Stage2 Contact Seamus Coffey 0867282800

FIA MERC Kuwait International Rally 2015

The second round of FIA MERC Kuwait International Rally 2015 took place in Kuwait on 13th March with 19 competitors on the start list. Crews competed over 13 stages totalling 250 km of desert. Qatari young Driver Khalid Alsuwaidi and his Mayo Co driver John Higgins sponsored by Qatar Ministry of Youth & Sports and Qatar Social &Sport Contribution Fund, were competing in a Ford Fiesta RRC prepared by Toksport WRT.
Their aim was to collect the necessary championship points like they did on the tough stages of Round 1 at Qatar International Rally.
Sandy and loose surface made it difficult for all crews. After the first leg of the rally Khalid and John were in 5th without any major problems, they finished the second leg without incident and finished the event 5th overall.

Killian Duffy had a different driver for this event, competing with the uncle of his former partner Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, the Mayo man and Abdullah Al- Kuwari rounded off the top six, in their Motortune Racing Ford Fiesta RRC.

Khalid Alsuwaidi and John Higgins jumped to third position after Kuwait Rally 2015 on the championship classification.

Next up for the Mayo lads in the Middle East is Iran and the 3rd  round of MERC which will be held 2015 May 6-8 in Shiraz.

Killian

Killian duffy

John Higgins (1)

Two Mayo & District Motorsport crews made the trip to the woods around Pettigoe, Co Donegal, on Saturday for Round 2 of the Valvoline Irish Forest Rally Championship. Westport native Ed Muldoon had Mark Byrne calling the notes in his Mitsubishi Evo 8, while Foxford’s Alan Moran had Trevor O’ Connell alongside in a Peugeot 206 cup car.

Six stages lay in store for competitors as they tackled the event which had been rescheduled from its January slot because of bad weather.

Muldoon who was hampered by mechanical issues throughout the day and suffered a puncture early on Stage 4, brought his Class 20 4wheel drive Evo home in 19th place.

Putting in a flawless drive, former Mayo Young Driver champion, Moran brought his 206 home in 20th place overall, while also claiming 3rd place in the highly contested Junior section of the event.

The event was won by Waterfords’s Andrew Purcell and Liam Brennan, finishing ahead of Monaghan duo Sam Moffett and Jason McKenna. Both of the top two were in Mitsubishi Evo 9s.

Mickey Conlon took the two wheel drive category while in the juniors Patrick O’Brien was the top finisher.

The next round of the Forest Rally Championship will be the Moonraker Rally on April 12.

Credit to DB Pics (www.dbpics.net) & Seán McHugh for photos

Alan Moran –

Alan Moran

LtoR Trevor O Connell and Alan Moran

Ed Muldoon –

Ed Muldoon

Ed Muldoon and Mark Byrne