Category: News

Donagh Kelly and Conor Foley in a Focus WRC took victory in the Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes when they had 50 seconds to spare over the Impreza WRC of Robert Barrable and Damien Connolly after two days and 16 stages around Killarney and the Beara Peninsula.

Kelly led from start to finish in very difficult conditions and this victory sees him move back to the top of the Clonakilty Blackpudding Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

Barrable was impressive on his first run in an Impreza WRC and set several fastest stage times over the weekend while Alan Ring,  Joe McGonigle and Aaron Machale completed the top-five overall in the International category.

Roy White powered his MG ZR to victory in the National section almost two minutes ahead of second placed Fergus O’Meara in a Ford Escort MK2.

The Historic section was won by Denis Moynihan in his MK1 Escort while Rob Duggan had a commanding victory in the Junior section in his Fiesta.

Aforementioned MacHale who had Ballina’s Paul McGee on the notes, were the top Mayo Club finishers, fifth overall and claiming the honours in the Group N category in their Mitsubshi Evo 9.

Pauric Duffy who had Monaghan’s Enda Sherry in the co-driver seat finished an impressive tenth overall and claimed second in class in the P1Rally Rentals Fiesta R5.

Westport’s David Carney and Ray Fitzpatrick took advantage of Rally 2 and returned on Day two to claim the Class three win in their Citroen DS3.

After many events trying, the Westport pairing of David Healy and Stephen McGing drove flawlessly in their Honda Civic to claim a class win at an event. After a run since the start of the year that yielded several second and third place finishes, emotions were high on Sunday evening as the pair finally claimed that elusive result.

Rounding of the locals and ensuring that all Mayo members collected a trophy, Ballina’s Trisha Greavy on her first outing in a navigator’s role, successfully guided Kerry’s Shane McCarthy to a J1 Junior class win.

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Monthly meeting this Friday Night May 1st 9pm Gateway Hotel Swinford, All welcome

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.