In the Junior section of Mayo Stages Rally, Mark Murphy from Killarney and Michael Hamilton from Clare took 1st place overall by over 1 minute ahead of the second placed crew of Michael O Boyle and Dermott McCafferty from Donegal.
Shane Norris and Ger Clancy from Tipperary were third.
Murphy now leads the Triton Showers National Tarmac Championship, with 2015 been only his first competitive year rallying, he has really taken the junior category by storm; this is his third consecutive podium position.
Iarla Carty and Anthony Scanlon in their Austin Mini were emphatic winners in the Historic section finishing over seven minutes ahead of the second place crew of Frank Cunningham and Ross Forde.
With fastest times on all but one of the nine stages Fermanagh’s Garry Jennings and his Letterkenny co-driver Rory Kennedy (Subaru WRC) took a facile victory in the Hotel Ballina – Kennedy Motors Mayo Stages Rally, the first round of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship and also the opening round of the Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championship.
Also securing the three points from the ‘Triton’ Power Stage, they finished a minute and 34.8 seconds ahead of the Subaru of Peadar Hurson/Damien Connolly. Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry also in a Subaru WRC were 41.2 seconds further behind in third.
The two-wheel drive category was won by Gary McPhillips/Ryan Moore (Ford Escort), they were fifth overall. The Group N category was won by Shane Maguire/Mac Kierans (Mitsubishi).
Jennings was quickest through the opening stage north of Killala where he was 12.3 seconds ahead of the Subaru WRC of Niall Maguire with Peadar Hurson half a second further behind in third. Fractions of a second also separated the Ford Fiesta WRC’s of Roy White and Declan Boyle with top two-wheel drive competitor Gary McPhillips completing the top six. Paddy McVeigh, Aaron MacHale and Stephen McCann failed to finish the stage. McVeigh’s Subaru stopped with gearbox troubles while McCann never made it to the stage start after the radiator of his Subaru burst. MacHale, damaged a track control arm after hitting a rock that had been pulled out by a previous competitor, shortly into the stage.
Jennings was also quickest through the second and third stages of the opening loop and arrived at the Ballina service with a lead of 48 seconds. In wet and slippery conditions Jennings took command although he did have a moment on the third stage when he clipped a rock that knocked the rear left wheel off camber.
Second placed Maguire stated he was pushing hard to try and stay with Jennings.
Another former champion Peadar Hurson was troubled all through the loop as his Subaru cut out intermittently on the straight stretches, he was 14 seconds adrift of Maguire and just 1.5 seconds ahead of the Ford Fiesta WRC of Roy White, whose windscreen misted over on the latter part of the second stage and all though the third stage.
For former champion Declan Boyle the situation was even more serious as he traversed all three stages with a misted windscreen. Meanwhile, Gary Kiernan in sixth led the two-wheel drive category. On the third stage he had to contend with a water bottle on the floor of his Escort, he was 9.2 seconds ahead of the similar car of Damian Tourish, who was seeded at 54 and occupied seventh.
The Escorts of Damien Toner, Gary McPhillips and Frank Kelly completed the top ten. Michael O’Brien’s Ford Fiesta WRC lapsed onto three cylinders, he skipped the third stage and re-joined under Rally2.
In Group N, Shane Maguire (Mitsubishi) led the way 15.3 seconds ahead of the Subaru of Paul Barrett with Trevor Bustard (Mitsubishi) three tenths of a second further behind. Last year’s winner of the category in the Triton Showers series Aidan Wray (Mitsubishi) was fourth.
On the repeat loop and even though he admitted that he had slackened his pace Jennings extended his advantage to a minute and 23.1 seconds. Hurson moved into second and while his Subaru was still missing, a change of tyres proved most beneficial. Maguire was a fraction of a second behind – he lost time when his Subaru aquaplaned and then hit a chicane damaging the front of the car.
Having lost fourth place when his Fiesta WRC had an altercation with a bale, Roy White reclaimed the spot a stage later. Meanwhile, Declan Boyle, who occupied fourth after S.S. 4, retired on the sixth stage with transmission failure.
His demise elevated the impressive Damien Tourish, (Escort) into fifth place, he commented at the Ballina service, “I’m having a good steady run.” Cavan’s Gary Kiernan (Escort) was 7.4 seconds behind. Ed O’Callaghan (Escort) made great improvements in his stage times to hold eighth followed by Frank Kelly (Escort) and Group N leader Shane Maguire (Mitsubishi). Trevor Bustard (Mitsubishi), who was 15.4 seconds behind in second place in the category, had clutch troubles though the sixth stage.
On the final loop Jennings clipped a rock and punctured on the penultimate stage, he was quickest through the Power Stage to take maximum points.
Hurson finished second despite the electrical issue to that proved problematic all day. Third placed Maguire spun at the finish line on S.S. 7 and burst a tyre of the penultimate stage. Fourth placed White was second quickest on the Power Stage. Tourish punctured on S.S. 8 and retired as Kiernan (Escort) went on to win the rear wheel drive category and finish fifth overall. Shane Maguire had an untroubled run to take the Group N award.
The Triton Showers Drive of the Day award was won by Gary Jennings and Rory Kennedy while Jonathan Pringle and Alan Keena claimed the Sligo Pallets Drive of the Day award in their Ford Escort.
Derek McGarrity (Ford Fiesta WRC) and Steve Wood (Subaru WRC) were the principal non-starters.
Locals Report –
Winners of the inaugural Margaret McGreal Trophy for first local crew home were a delighted Barry Cuffe from Castlebar & navigator Stephen McGing from Westport. They steered their Escort home just ahead of Ballaghaderreen man Derek Bolton in his Subaru who had Lorcan Moore on the notes for the first time. The pair just missed out on the big local prize but were delighted with 2nd in class 15.
Another local man to finish with a great result was Achill man Brian Lavelle, who won the very competitive class 1 in his Honda Civic putting in some blistering times in the process.
Colin Loughney had been leading the race for top local after the first 3 stages in his Escort but went off the road into a field on stage 4. He got back into the rally under Rally 2 rules and managed to finish 4th in class 12 and 48th overall. In 51st place was Derek McCarthy navigating for Stephen Reynolds, followed by Jared Gill navigating for Ray Cunningham in a Mini in 52nd overall. James McGreal was competing in his recently acquired Mitsubishi Evo and despite not being able to find any grip throughout the day he finished 3rd in class 15 and 53rd overall. Padraic Roche from Killala had first time navigator Aimee Smyth on board and finished 54th overall and 5th in class. Castlebar’s Padraig Conneelly and Liam Walsh finished 63rd and 3rd in class 11F in their Corolla. Crossmolina man John Duffy brought home his trusty Honda Integra to 2nd in class 3 and 65th overall. Local pairing Martin Cawley and Kenny Langan brought their Peugeot 205 home 69th Keith Jacob and Michael Carr were 71st and claimed 3rd in class 9. Event sponsor Ciaran Kennedy of Kennedy Motors was learning his new Evo 9. He had Pat O’Hora on the notes and after difficulty on the last stage they finished 72nd overall and 10th in class 4.
Unfortunately, a number of local crews failed to complete all stages due to various issues. Aaron McHale and Paul McGee were expected to be the benchmark of the locals in their Skoda Fabia S2000 but they hit a rock on stage 1 and damaged the steering. Michael and Fergal Loughney visited the scenery on stage 3 and were unable to continue
Alan Moran & David Loughney had an off road excursion early in the event. Peter McManamon and John McCarthy visited a drain on the final loop and were unable to get back on the road.
Top 10 overall
- G. Jennings/R. Kennedy (Subaru WRC) 1h. 03m. 40.8s.
- P. Hurson/D. Connolly (Subaru WRC) 1h. 05m. 15.6s.
- N. Maguire/E. Sherry (Subaru WRC) 1h. 05m. 56.8s.
- R. White/J. O’Brien (Ford Fiesta WRC) 1h. 05m. 59.1s.
- G. Kiernan/R. Moore (Ford Escort) 1h. 07m. 56.3s.
- E. O’Callaghan/G. Clancy ( Ford Escort) 1h. 09m. 29.9s.
- G. McPhillips/P. Sheridan (Ford Escort) 1h. 09m. 46.7s.
- S. Maguire/M. Kierans (Mitsubishi EvoIX) 1h. 09m. 47.4s.
- F. Wray/J. McNulty (Subaru WRC) 1h. 10m. 10.5s.
- F. Kelly/P. Twomey (Ford Escort) 1h. 10m. 12.7s.
Triton Showers National Rally Championship (Positions after Round 1): 1. G. Jennings 23 pts; 2. P. Hurson 21 pts; =3. N. Maguire & R. White 16 pts; 5. G. Kiernan 13 pts; 6. E. O’Callaghan 12 pts.
The months of preparation are almost at a close. Officials are checking paperwork one final time, Stage Commanders are conducting last-minute spot-checks, marshals are gathering their bibs and all-weather gear for a day out in the elements, and competitors are fastening bonnet clips and loading their rally cars onto their trailers. It’s time for the Hotel Ballina – Kennedy Motors Mayo Stages Rally 2016.
The sense of excitement is palpable as officials, spectators and competitors alike eagerly wait for 9am next Sunday morning when the leading cars will be flagged away from joint main sponsors and Rally headquarters, Hotel Ballina. It is no exaggeration to say that this Mayo Stages Rally is one of the most eagerly anticipated motorsport events in this country for a long time.
Great stages and a great venue for rally headquarters, huge support from local businesses in Ballina and surrounding regions, family entertainment from 5pm on Saturday in Ballina’s Market Square, and to top it all, a mouth-watering entry list.
Combine that with the event being Round 1 of both the Triton Showers National Rally Championships and Sligo Pallets Border Rally Championships Is it any wonder that anticipation is sky-high?
And what an entry! Since it was revealed last week, the rally community has been abuzz with the sheer quality and quantity of the field that is coming together to compete in Mayo. More than one observer has said that a finer entry list has not be seen anywhere in a quiet a while. Testament indeed to the hard work of Clerk of the Course David Breen and his team at Mayo & District Motorsport Club.
Motorsport Weekend
From 3pm on Saturday, there will be an abundant of entertainment for the whole family; Scrutiny takes place in the front carpark of Hotel Ballina, where the public can see all the completion cars up close as they are inspected by the Motorsport Ireland Scrutiny team. The Rally show takes place from 5pm in Market Square, Ballina. Auto-testing demonstrations, RSA Road safety simulators, static car displays, name just a few of the events happening in the Market Square. Rally Merchandise and refreshments will be available all day. To round off the evening the leading rally crews will bring glamour and excitement as they gather in the holding area in Market Square, for what is a great opportunity for families to see these powerful machines up close.
Marshalling Information
A small army of volunteers is needed to ensure a safe running of the Mayo Stages Rally. If you would be interesting in lending your support to help out over the weekend and are over 18 years of age, please contact Chief Marshal Maggie Bonner on 085 7858890 – your assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Leading Entries
Winner of last year’s event and former triple National Rally champion Niall Maguire (Subaru WRC) heads the entry. The Monaghan driver won the National Rally Championship series in 1999, 2002 and 2004 and while he has finished runner-up on several occasions, a fourth title has, so far, proved elusive
Donegal’s Declan Boyle, who won the national series in 2015, occupies the number two slot in a top ten that is a lockout of World Rally Cars. It’s been a race against the clock to have his Ford Fiesta WRC re-fettled after he crashed out of the Galway Rally at the beginning of February. Last July, Boyle gave the Fiesta WRC car its national debut and victory on the Sligo Rally and he will be hoping that his appearance further up the Atlantic Coastline will also pay dividends.
Meanwhile, Fermanagh’s Garry Jennings (Subaru WRC) – the first driver to win a Power Stage in the Triton series will provide superb opposition in Ballina. A former Tarmac champion, Jennings is regarded as one of the quickest drivers in Irish rallying.
Tyrone’s Paddy McVeigh utilised the Recent Birr Rally as a shakedown for the Mayo Rally and he expressed satisfaction with changes to the set-up of his Subaru WRC as he finished third overall. The quality of the opposition continues at a high level with former Tarmac champion Derek McGarrity set to compete in a recently acquired Ford Fiesta WRC.
Having finished within the top three of the National series for the past three seasons Clonmel’s Roy White (Ford Fiesta WRC) embarks on another national bid in Ballina. On his first Triton Showers National Rally Championship outing with the car – Roy was second overall in last year’s Fastnet Rally in Bantry, like the opposition, he will be keen to secure strong points in the west of Ireland.
It’s been 24 years since Warrenpoint driver Peadar Hurson drove his Opel Ascona to victory in the National Rally Championship. He will begin his Triton Showers bid behind the wheel of the Subaru WRC that he powered to victory in last season’s Galway Summer Rally. He is expected to be at the cutting edge through the nine stages in North Mayo.
Welsh ace Steve Wood (Subaru WRC) has earmarked the Triton series for his exploits across the Irish Sea, in 2014 he was one of a number of drivers to lead the series during the season.
Title sponsor Kevin Barrett (Subaru WRC) – another driver to use Birras a shakedown – is seeded at number nine in the Triton Showers liveried Subaru WRC. One of the most popular drivers in the series he will be aiming to make a positive start to the 2016 campaign. The top ten is completed by the Subaru WRC of Tyrone’s Frank Wray.
Elsewhere, London based Cork driver Michael O’Brien on board the ex-Sam Moffett Ford Fiesta WRC has signalled his intentions to complete the full Triton campaign. The 2013 Irish Forest Rally champion is also planning to use his Ford Focus WRC on some of the other rounds.
Another champion, the 2007 National Championship winner Aaron MacHale will contest the Ballina event behind the wheel of a Skoda Fabia S2000 while Cavan’s Stephen McCann will debut the ex-Denis Cronin Subaru WRC.
There is also a cracking entry in the two-wheel drive category. Gary McPhillips, Jonathan Pringle, Frank Kelly, Chris Armstrong, Damien Toner, Ed O’Callaghan and Trevor Mulligan, all in Ford Escorts, should have a classic confrontation.
Also worth noting on the entry list are British drivers Simon Chapman (Proton Satria) and Nigel Feeney (Subaru Impreza).
The Group N category should also prove interesting with the Mitsubishi’s of Donegal’s Trevor Bustard, Monaghan’s Shane Maguire, reigning Triton Showers Group N champion Tyrone’s Aidan Wray, fellow countyman Pat Kirk, Dubliner Neil Tohill, Maynooth’s Paul Barrett in his Vado liveried Subaru and former Irish Forest champion Pat O’Connell (Mitsubishi) all in the mix.
Elsewhere, there are places for Longford’s Tommy Doyle (Renault Clio), Donegal’s Conor Harvey (Toyota GT86), Tyrone’s Ryan Loughran (Ford Escort), Monaghan’s David Moffett (Toyota Starlet), and Cavan pair, Russell Woods and Gary Kiernan in Ford Escorts.
In the Junior section, the top three seeds are Meath pair Gary McNamee and Brian Brady and Kerry’s Mark Murphy, all in Honda Civics.
Local entries
One of the top seeds No 12 Aaron MacHale has strong links with the area and his navigator Paul McGee hails from along one of the stages, there are a number of other locals participating including Ballyhaunis driver Shane Buckley (Honda Civic) seeded 42, Aidan Gannon is on the notes for No 46 Anthony O Brien (Mitsubshi Evo 9), Colin Loughrey at No 59 has Seamus Murphy on the notes(Ford Escort), Castlebar’s Barry Cuffe has Westport man Stephen McGing alongside at No 62 (Ford Escort) and Foxford’s James McGreal and Chris Mitchell are 63 (Mitsubishi Evo 6). Derek Bolton and Lorcan Moore are 68 (Subaru Impreza) Event joint main sponsor Ciaran Kennedy has Pat O Hara on the notes No 69 (Honda Civic) Jared Gill sits alongside Galway’s Ray Cunningham No 73 (Mini Cooper) Michael & Fergal Loughney in their fabulous orange Mk2 Escort are No 93. Foxford’s Alan Moran and David Loughney are No 95 (Peugeot 206). Former Mayo COC Padraic Roche returns to competing with Aimee Smith on the notes at 100 (Ford Escort) Derek McCarty returns to his Border prize winning seat with Stephen Reynolds at 102 (Honda Civic) Achill’s Brian Lavelle has Shane Byrne No 103 (Honda Civic). John Duffy and John Egan are No 111 (Honda Integra) Ronan Moore is 121 in his Ford Escort. All of Achill island are behind Peter McManamon and John McCarthy at 125 (Peugeot 205) Stephen Kelly is 126. Keith Jacob and Michael Carr are 128 (Ford Ka) Padraig Conneely and Liam Walsh return in their Toyota Corolla at 131
Spectators
For spectators intending to visit the rally on March 6th, plenty of time should be allowed to get to the stages to park and find a safe viewing location, as some of the stages have only limited access. Always obey the marshals and follow their instructions, as they are there to ensure that everyone has a safe day’s rallying. A Rally Programme with a detailed map is available to purchase in the area.
Event info
S.S. 1, 4 & 7: Kilcummin – 9. 56, 12.43 & 15.30.
S.S. 2, 5 & 8: Lackan Hill – 10.25, 13.12 & 15.59.
S.S. 3, 6 & 9: Ballintubber Bridge – 11.00, 13.47 & 16.34.
Service: Ballina Mart Complex – 9.09, 11.41 & 14.28.
Finish Ramp: Hotel Ballina. 17.17.
Top 10 Starters:
- Niall Maguire/Enda Sherry (Subaru WRC)
- Declan Boyle/Brian Boyle (Ford Fiesta WRC)
- Garry Jennings/Rory Kennedy (Subaru WRC)
- Paddy McVeigh/Gary McElhinney (Subaru WRC)
- Derek McGarrity/Diarmuid Falvey (Ford Fiesta WRC)
- Roy White/James O’Brien (Ford Fiesta WRC)
- Peadar Hurson/Damien Connolly (Subaru WRC)
- Steve Wood/Keith Moriarty (Subaru WRC)
- Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Subaru WRC)
- Frank Wray/Joe McNulty (Subaru WRC)
Information on the day
The 2016 Mayo Stages Rally is continuing the high standard of previous years with news and information available to rally fans. In order to keep competitors and spectators as informed and up-to-date as possible, Mayo & District Motorsport Club utilizes a range of communication tools in the build up to, and during rally week-end. The Club is already providing regular updates via its Twitter, Facebook and Periscope accounts – MayoMotorClub. Also event information is available on the clubs website www.mayomotorsportclub.com. On the Sunday of the event when the rally itself roars into action, regular live updates and interviews will be broadcast on Mid West Radio’s Sunday Sports Show. www.midwestradio.ie & 96.1fm
Also Rally Interviews will be broadcasting live driver updates and interviews from during the day, follow them on twitter @RallyInterviews and on Facebook – Rally Interviews
Credit Martin Walsh Triton Media Co-Ordinator & Andy Walsh Mayo & District Motorsport Club
Sundays Marshal Meeting Points
SS1 McDonnells Garage Killala at 7.30a.m
SS2 Marys Cottage Kitchen Ballycastle at 8.00am
SS3 McDonnells Garage Killala at 8.30a.m
