It has been another busy week for local Motorsport. The Carrick Motor Club went of road with their annual Autocross weekend

 We start this week with the Carrick on Suir Motor Club's Autocross weekend. The action got underway on Saturday as this year’s even moved to Coolmeen, Co. Kilkenny, just outside Mullinavat on the Dublin road. The Saturday action got off the start line at 2pm. There was a host of saloon car and singleseater specials on show for the first practice session, then after the competitors got time to test the conditions the first timed run got underway at 2.30pm. Three times runs were completed in total by the end of day. Top of the timesheets on Saturday was Whitby Moynan in a special, with a time 59.2. It was a case of practice makes perfect for Whitby as he slowly improved his totals over the opening two runs and then put the hammer down on the final run of the day. There was no surprise in the saloon category as Ger Brennan took the honors with his rear wheel drive Fiesta. Ger was pushed all the way and it wasn’t until the last timed run when he banged in 1:04.3

The Sunday action got underway at 10.30 am and a total of three timed runs were completed. As the sunshine rained down it was Dermot White who took the fastest time of the day, stopping the clocks on 55.5 seconds. Whitby Moynan had to be content with fourth best on day two but did takeaway the best overall time of the weekend. In the saloon section it the man again is the checkered Fiesta, Ger Brennan who took the trophy. Among the club member there were class awards for Killian O’Sullivan, James Commins, Gemma Kerley, Seamus Anderson, Eddie Doherty, Conal O’Sullivan and Lisa Knox. There was a special presentation to Pascal O’Shea for some destruction work he carried out during Saturday’s action. Pascal also faces a heavy bill from the venue owner as he was not happy with the amount of rebuilding work that has to be done after Pascal’s escapades in his Mk 11 Ford Escort.

The Carrick on Suir Motor Club are delighted to announce they will hold the launch of their new event the Halloween Historic Stage Rally on Friday the 8th of October. The launch will be held in the Carraig Hotel Headquarter of the event in Carrick on Suir, starting at 7.30pm.

A wine reception on the evening plus a host of Rally Cars on display outside the Hotel will greet rally fans. The new event to the Irish Motorsport Calendar will be officially launched by the legendary rally driver and Ex British Rally Champion Russell Brookes. Also on display will be Russell's Andrews Heat for Hire, Talbot Sunbeam that he will drive on the event. Clerk of the Course Donagh O'Sullivan will outline the event and introduce the event sponsors Suirway Forklifts, Great Stuff Catering and the Carraig Hotel. There will be historic rally DVD's on in the hotel to whet your appetite of old and young rally fans before the action gets under on October 31st.

Carrick on Suir Motor Club is delighted to announce their Halloween Stages Rally Early Entry Incentive Package.

As a follow on from our successful running of the Willie Loughman Forest Rally and our Ravens Rock Tarmac Rally On The Limit Sports will once again be with us to cover this inaugural Historic Stages Rally for TV.

All entries received and paid by the closing date which is Friday the 15th of October will be entered into the draw for the following prizes;

1st = Full Entry Refund.

2nd = Free Entry to any one Carrick MC event in 2011

3rd = 50% entry reduction on any one Carrick MC event in 2011

4th = €150.00 refund on the entry.

5th = €100.00 refund on the entry.

6th = B&B for two people on the Saturday night of the rally.

7th = Free Carrick-on-Suir Club membership for two people for 2011.

Special draw for the competitors whom filled out their forms fully; i.e. both signatures etc etc, Prize – Mountain Bike (open to all entries)

Please note; to avail of any of the above prizes you must start the event.

Prizes are non transferable.

Whilst the closing date is 15-10-2010, We will however accept entries after this date but they will not be entered in the above draw.

Count Down Starts Here……!!!!

The club's Autotest weekend will take place next Saturday and Sunday the 22nd and 23rd of January. The event will again be held in the IDA Industrial Estate Waterford City. Event Office and Sign On will be located in the Keltech Engineering premises and will be signposted from the entrance of the Estate. Sign On for Saturday will start at 11.00 hrs SHARP! and Sunday Sign On will start at 10.30 hrs SHARP!

Summer of Motorsport set for Marble City

Nine months ago Threecastles man John Rafter was the driving force that saw the hugely successful Ravens Rock Rally being hosted in Kilkenny City. Rafter and his organising team brought the Carrick on Suir Motor Club’s premier event back to the Marble City for the first time in three year’s. He and his team took the Rally to new heights as the Black and Amber County welcomed back rallying. Now nine months on and John is back for round two and he promises this year’s event will be bigger and better, “Last year I took on the job of Clerk of the Course for the first time. It turned out to be a huge success and very rewarding for both myself and my hard working team. One of the main reasons for taking on the organisation of the club’s most prestiges event was that the rally would be based in Kilkenny for three consecutive years. In 2010 my team and I set ourselves a goal of laying the foundation of a professionally run event that we could build upon over the following two years. I was delighted with the support from within Kilkenny City and the people of the County where the special stages were situated. Among the highlights over the event weekend last year was the help we received from Pius Phlean at the Kilford Arms Hotel, the Dalton family at chancellors Mills, the City Council, the Gardai but the part that still gives me the most pleasure was the ceremonial start that was staged the evening before. To see the culmination of all our hard work come together and for rallying to take over Main Street was something I will never forget.”

“After taking some time (Three days) to recharge the batteries my team were full of ideas to make the event bigger and better for this year. Our intention from the start of the project last year was to build a legacy that would continue after the three year period of hosting the event was up and I think we have now found away to do that. I am now proud to announce that on Sunday the 22^nd of May “The HUB” in Cillin Hill will host a feast of Motorsport as the Carrick on Suir Motor Club will host the Inaugural Irish Motorsport Exposition.

The HUB, Located in a commanding roadside position on the outskirts of vibrant Kilkenny City, The Hub is fast becoming the premier multi-purpose venue in the south east. With a flexible indoor space: 1,585msq (17,060ft sq), a capacity of 2,000 and access to a local population of 434,205 within a 40-mile radius, this integrated exhibition and events centre is quickly developing as the venue of choice in the south east for event planners and consumers alike.

The Hub indoor arena:    * Floor area: 1,585msq (17,060ft sq)

    * Dimensions: 51m long x 31m wide x 9m height (floor to underside of grid)

    * Power: 3 phase power supply, distributed throughout The Hub

    * Access: Direct access to The Hub via two large loading doors (6m high x 5m wide) operated electronically

    * Capacity: 2,000

    * Organiser/Production Office: Equipped with telephone line, broadband internet access and linked to the in-house PA system.

The Irish Motorsport Expo will be divided into three core sections. Section one will be the exposition itself, based in “The Hub”. There will be twenty five main exhibitors showcasing the best of Irish Motorsport; all the various disciplines of Motorsport in the Country will represented. The show will focus on the sport at grassroots level and how a young person can join the club and get involved in Motorsport.

In Motorsport and on our Countries roads safety is of paramount importance. Within the last month Ireland’s motorsport governing body Motorsport Ireland joined forces with the Irish Roads Safety Authority to launch a new safety initiative concentrating on young drivers. Both organizations will be on hand at the expo to raise awareness for this new initiative and promote this new scheme.

Section two, on the evening of the Show the club will hold the Official Launch of this year’s Ravens Rock Rally. The launch will include various rally cars taking on a specially built course outside the HUB grounds, this will then be followed by the official announcement of the details of the 2011 Ravens Rock Rally and the unavailing of this years main Sponsors. Sponsors - Suirway Farm Machinery, the Kilford Arms Hotel and the Kilkenny People Newspaper.

Section three, directly after the official launch of the Ravens Rock the focus will return to the indoor arena of the HUB where a Motorsport Forum will be held. The Forum will be hosted by Irish Motorsport Journalist Martin Walsh and will focus on Irish rallyings youngest talent.

Looking ahead to the month of April and we have our annual Autocross Weekend on the 16th and 17th. Clerk of the Course is as usual Pat Kerley. There's a change of venue for 2011 as this year we move to Coolmeen, Ballyhale, Co. Kilkenny for two day's of action on the grass with saloon car’s and specials kicking up the dirt. The event has also attracted back the Midget Car Racing Championship which provides extra entertainment. Saturday’s Practice gets underway at 1400 hrs and day two Sunday will have a 1030 hrs start. The venue will be signposted from the Knoctopher and the Mullinavat exits on the Waterford to Dublin Motorway

KEEPS us in the DARK for Forestry Rally
2011 Wm. Loughman Forestry Rally Event Preview

If the climax of the opening round in this year’s VALVOLINE National Forestry
Rally Championship is anything to go by then we’re in for a MOTORSPORT treat next weekend in Carrick on Suir. Three weeks ago the new season of Forestry Rallying was ushered in by the Tipperary Motor Club and the event went all the way to the wire with Cork crew, Owen Murphy and James O’Brien taking the honours on the final stage. Next weekend sees the championship move to Carrick on Suir for the Willie Loughman Memorial Forestry Rally, sponsored by The Carraig Hotel, Suirway Farm Machinery and PM Autos.

The Carrick Motor Club is always to the forefront in pushing new boundaries and this year is marked by a return of NIGHT STAGES. Barry Duggan takes charge for his second time as Clerk of the Course, after calling the shots on a very successful rally twelve months ago. For 2011, Barry has pushed the envelope by streamlining the rally to a "Single Day Event". The rally moves this year from its usual Sunday format to a new all in one day scrutiny and rally on Saturday next the 5th of MARCH. Competitors will arrive to the Carraig Hotel (Rally Headquarters) on Saturday morning for mechanical and paper scrutiny, the rally action then gets underway in the afternoon with the first of six stages getting off the startling line at approximately 3pm. The first loop of three tests will be completed in daylight but the second loop will see darkness fall and the competitors will be required to adapt to the conditions.

The special stages for this year’s rally are based in the Gurteen Forest Complex near Kilsheehan and the Anner Forest Complex close to Ninemilehouse. The word special is not lightly used. Stages one and two on the opening loop and four, plus five on the second are classics in the Forestry Championship. The stage layout sees stage 1 and 4 encompass the perimeter of the Gurteen wood, the stage offers spectator viewing points on the R680 road between Kilsheehan and Clonmel. Stages 2 and 5 again in Gurteen is almost entirely closed for spectator viewing except for the junction at Boola Bridge. The competing cars will enter the junction coming downhill at speed and turning hairpin left. The action moves north near to Ninemilehouse to the Anner wood for the third stage in the loop. This famous test is a traditional part of the Willie Loughman event and the 2011 version sees the competitors enter the forest at Ballinruan cross roads and the start of the test is on the upper section of the wood. The stage is again almost completely landlocked for spectator view but for the section of hairpin bends beyond Boherboy cross roads.
After the completion of the opening three tests, the competitors return to Carrick on Suir for service in the Millriver Business Park and is scheduled between 17.00 and 18.00 hrs. Then at 18.30 hrs the cars make their way back to Gurteen for the second loop and the feature of this year’s event, the NIGHT STAGES. The winning crews are expected back to the Carraig Hotel finish ramp at approximately 20.15 hrs.

This year’s forestry rallying season got off to a flyer in Mitchelstown on the 13th of February and it turned out to be memorable for three drivers in particular. Going into the final Kilworth stage, Dubliner John Reid (Toyota Corolla WRC) held a sixteen second lead over Carrick Motor Club member Andrew Purcell. Former Billy Coleman award winner Owen Murphy was a further six seconds back in third place, but all was to change over the 12 Kms of Kilworth. Reid was the first to waver, spinning early in the test and dropping 37 seconds. This left Purcell only to finish and claim victory but the 2009 Forestry Champion co driver succumbed to the pressure and slid of the stage at a tight junction; with no spectators to be seen Purcell was left to rue his chance as his great drive ended in retirement. As the smoke cleared it was Owen Murphy and James O’Brien who emerged victorious and take an early lead in the Valvoline National Forestry Championship. With the demise of Purcell on the final stage, the door was left open for Frank Kelly to claim third overall in his Ford Escort Mk11. The Co. Tyrone man also took top two wheel drive honors and the winner of class 5. With Cork’s Liam Brennan calling the notes the pair recorded fastest 2WD times on every stage.

As we look ahead to the action next weekend all of the above are back to fight for top honors and class success. Winning crew from round one, Owen Murphy and James O’Brien were one of the first crews to enter the event and will be looking to make it two in a row. After their respective mistakes on the final stage in Mitchelstown both John Reid and Andrew Purcell will be looking to get their championships aspirations back on track. Purcell should have the upper hand as he is on home ground but Reid with Enda Shields in the co driving seat finished second overall twelve months ago and will be looking to go one better this year.

The quality of the entry is not confined to the top of the field as there will be interest battles and crews to keep an eye on through out. Among the Mitsubishi brigade are the Pat Price, Bob Scanlon, the Lucey brothers from Co. Cork, Trevor Hutton and Vincent McAree. We have forestry rallying stalwarts Michael Nevin, The Benskins from Co. Cork. There’s an international flavor with entries from Patsy Keenan from the USA and Ian Downey who’s currently living in Germany. Seventh overall in Mitchelstown was claimed by Alistair Fisher who was giving his new Fiesta R2 its first rally run in advance of the WRC Academy series and he will be joined by Carrick Club member Craig Breen who is also in preparation mode ahead of the launch of the FIA WRC Academy in Portugal at the end of March, Breen was in action last weekend in the South of England on the Rallye Sunseeker but a water pump problem cause the Waterford driver a class win. The event will be Craig’s first in his newly acquired Fiesta R2 as he lays the ground work for his WRC Academy assault. Using the R2 model in the Irish forests will be no surprise to him as on the last occasion in 2009 in the Birr forestry Rally, Breen clinched the Irish junior title and third overall on the event in the front wheel drive car. As is usual in the forest sideway action is the norm and we can look forward to plenty of stones flying from the Toyota Starlets of Michael Cuddihy and from Tyrone Shane McGirr, Cuddihy is another man on home ground as he lives near Ninemilehouse. He has a new co driver this year as James Dunphy takes the hot seat. James reports he really enjoyed the rally in Mitchelstown, he states “The Starlet is not an easy car to pilot but Michael does a great job”, McGirr had a great run on the opening event this season taking class 3 honors and will be pushing all the way in Carrick. This sets the scene for will be another event not to be missed in Carrick on Suir NEXT WEEKEND.

Photos Courtesy of myrally.ie