Laois Rallysport Club Autotest: Fog fails to hamper Ferguson

A foggy Laois welcomed competitors to Round 12 of the 2014/2015 Hewison Trophy Autotest Championship. Organised by the Laois Rallysport Club the event took place at the yard of Hyland Transport in Rosenallis, Co. Laois, where three tests would be completed four times each.

With all the formalities of sign on and walking of the tests done it was a case of getting down to business and driving the tests. Quickest out of the blocks was Wicklow man Eamonn Byrne in his Mini Saloon who was 1.1 seconds quicker than Timmy Lynch in a Westfield with Nova driver Mark King slotting into third. Reigning Champion Stephen Ferguson was only fourth quickest on the opening test in his Mini Special. Byrne was again quickest on tests 2 and 3 with Ferguson only 0.5 off on test two while King trailed by 0.8 on test 3. At the end of the first lap of test Byrne was 3.1 seconds up on Ferguson with Alan Coyle (Mini Spl) third, Chris Grimes (Mini) fourth, King fifth and David Thompson (Nova) sixth

Eamonn Byrne

Test 4 saw Byrne top the time sheets yet again but Ferguson was only 0.2 seconds off this time through the test. Mark King was setting impressive times in his Nova and was third quickest. Test 5 saw Ferguson quickest on the test with Alan Coyle second followed by Timmy Lynch and Mark King. Byrne only managed eight quickest time on the test, after one f his shoe laces got caught on the pedals, dropping 4.4 seconds to Ferguson. Disaster was to strike again for Byrne on test 6 when he knocked a pylon and picked up a 5 second penalty. This was minor to the fail encountered by Kings Nova when he broke a drive shaft on the test. Chris Grimes shadowed Ferguson on the test, the pair only separated by 0.1 seconds.

Mark King

After six tests Ferguson held a 6.2 second advantage over Byrne with Chris Grimes third. Best of the Sportscar class was Timmy Lynch in fourth while David Thompson was quickest of the large Saloons in fifth
Interim results after 6 tests
1. Stephen Ferguson 348.2
2. Eamonn Byrne 354.4
3. Chris Grimes 361.2
4. Timmy Lynch 364.3
5. David Thompson 366.4
6. Paddy Power 368.3

Paddy Power

The third running of test 1 saw Byrne fastest again with King second quickest ahead of Ferguson. Lynch and Guy Foster (Mini Spl) tied for forth quickest time on the test. Test 8 saw Lynch trail Ferguson by 1.8 seconds. Coyle was 0.3 further back with King another 0.2 behind. Byrne managed to take 0.2 back from Ferguson on test 9 with Thompson the nearest challenger a further 0.8 seconds behind.The top five positions remained the same after the third lap but Fergusons advantage had stretched out to 7.2 seconds.

Chris Grimes

Mark King stopped the clocks quickest on test 10 setting a time just 0.1 seconds better than Byrne who reduced Ferguson's overall advantage by 1 second. Over the remaining two tests Byrne took back a further 2.7 seconds to leave the deficit at the end of the day at 3.5 seconds. Thompson brought his Nova home in third position and won the Large Saloon class with Chris Grimes in fourth just 0.1 behind. Mark Kings strong drive after his earlier fail saw him end the day in fifth 0.4 ahead of Timmy Lynch and Paddy Power, Lynch getting the sixth position by virtue of being quickest of the two on the opening test.

Timmy Lynch

Results:

1. Stephen Ferguson Mini Spl 691.9
2. Eamonn Byrne Mini 695.4
3. David Thompson Nova 718.3
4. Christy Grimes Mini 718.4
5. Mark King Nova 725.2
6. Timmy Lynch Westfield 725.6
7. Paddy Power Moke 726.6
8. Guy Foster Mini Spl 733.7
9. Darren Quille Westfield 736.8
10. Norman Ferguson Mini 754.4

Class winners; Eamonn Byrne, Paddy Power, Timmy Lynch, David Thompson
Semi Expert: James Mansfield Mini 922.6
Novice: Danny O'Donoghue Escort 1095.4

Stephen Ferguson

David Thompson

Danny O'Donoghue

James Mansfield

More photos on Peespeed Photography

Derek Walker Trial Report: Wilson goes fourth

The 26th running of the Derek Walker Memorial Trial took place last weekend, organised and promoted by the MG Car Club (Ulster Centre), the event would take in a total of 20 tests in the Crossgar, Downpatrick, Ardglass area of Co. Down. Starting from Delamont Country Park the crws would be competing on tests comprising of tarmac, concrete and gravel in various farmyards, car parks and lanes along the route.

Andy Johnson, running as car no1 in his Sprite, got things under way at the first test in Delamont but disaster struck midway through the test and a sick sounding car was pushed off the test. A flurry of people arrived to Andys assistance and within a couple of minutes the car was back on song and ready for test 2 in the adjoining carpark.

Andy Johnson/Michael Johnson

As the top seeds were completing the tests the lower seeds were watching very closely to see how the tests should be done and were trying to work out where time could be made and hopefully not lost. It wasn't long until the quick crews started to show off the "quick lines" with Noel Cochrane navigated by Trevor Reid demonstrated how a well driven Midget could be put through it's paces.

Noel Cochrane/Trevor Reid

He was soon followed by one of the event favourites, Will Corry and Pete Moreland Moore in the K-Series engined Midget, a slight mistake after the start cost the pair a couple of valuable seconds. Running after the Midget classes was the Mini class, where a few more of the crews who would be fighting for overall honours were grouped. Quickest of the group and also quickest man on the opening pair of tests was James Wilson and Stephen Kearney who were 4.6 seconds clear of nearest rivals Robert and Catherine Dickson. The Dicksons had a fright on the start line of the opening test when the timekeeper informed them of water leaking from the car, a faulty temperature switch was to blame and a quick repair job involving a small branch saw the problem sorted and after topping up the rad the replica of Paddy Hopkirks 1969 Circuit of Ireland car was back on the line and ready for action. Third fastest was another Wilson Mini, this time driven by Sam Wilso with Simon Brewster on navigating duties.

Sam Wilson/Simon Brewster

After the Delamont tests the crews headed to a pair of tests near Crossgar and then onto test five just outside Downpatrick, where Wilson continued to put in quick times but Corry was closing the gap and setting times on par with the Mini driver. After the first 5 tests Wilson was holding a 5.8 second advantage over Corry with Cochrane, Sam Wilson and Dickson seperated by by less than 2 seconds. Quickest of the Class 8 cars who were not eligible for overall awards was the Mazda MX5 or Robert Woodside and Bruce Drummond who were 2.6 seconds ahead of fellow MX5 crew Eric Patterson & Raymond Donaldson with the Starlet of Frank Lenehan and Olwen Blair another 1.1 seconds behind.

Frank Lenehan/Olwen Blair

Into the next series of tests and the pressure was mounting on the leaders resulting in a failed test for both Corry and Wilson on test 9. Dickson capitalised most by going quickest overall on tests 6 to 10 and jumping up the leader board into 2nd place just 2 seconds off Wilsons total. Cochrane was best of the rwd's in third almost 6 seconds back on the 2nd placed Mini with Sam Wilson fourth. The fail time for Corry which is based on quickest in class +20seconds saw the Midget driver slip back to fifth place.

Will Corry/Pete Moreland Moore

At half distance the top 6 was as follows
1. James Wilson/Stephen Kearney 417.8
2. Robert & Catherine Dickson 419.8
3. Noel Cochrane/Trevor Reid 425.2
4. Sam Wilson/Simon Brewster 426.1
5. Will Corry/Pete Moreland Moore 435.9
6. Norman Ferguson/Brendan Mooney 450.1

Class8 was as follows
1. Eric Patterson/Raymond Donaldson 427.3
2. Robert Woodside/Bruce Drummond 434.7
3.Gareth Dillon/Gordon Wotherspoon 434.8
4. Frank Lenehan/Olwen Blair 435.2
5. Declan Hendrick/Kevin Fagan 444.8
6. Raymond Wilson/Ernie Hunter 446.9

Over the next 5 tests it was again Wilson who was quickest by 5.3 seconds over Corry. The red Minis of Sam Wilson and Robert Dickson were dropping time but still held on to 2nd and 3rd places overall with just .2 seconds separating the pair. Corrys good run over theses tests saw him close the gap on third to .9 of a second while Cochrane dropped back to fifth.

Norman Ferguson/Brendan Mooney

The final five tests saw Corry put in a big charge and jump into second place 21.8 seconds off Wilson. Sam Wilson kept the pressure on and claimed third overall ahead of Dickson who had a fail on test 18. Fifth went to Cochrane with Ferguson in 6th place ahead of Robert McGimpsey in 7th. John Kelly, Richard Earney and Michael Reid rounded out the top 10.

Robert & Catherine Dickson

The win sees Wilson get his name on the Derek Walker Memorial trophy for the 4th time having also won it in 2009, 2010 and 2014
Top 10 overall

1 James Wilson 841.1
2 William Corry 862.9
3 Sam Wilson 873.2
4 Robert Dickson 891.9
5 Noel Cochrane 895.1
6 Norman Ferguson 912.9
7 Robert Mcgimpsey 925.9
8 John Kelly 933.5
9 Richard Earney 955.2
10 Michael Reid 995.8

Top 20 combined results

1 James Wilson 841.1
2 William Corry 862.9
3 Sam Wilson 873.2
4 Eric Patterson 879.1
5 Robert Dickson 891.9
6 Frank Lenehan 894.7
7 Noel Cochrane 895.1
8 Robert Woodside Jnr 899.7
9 Gareth Dillon 905.1
10 Ashley Lamont 910.9
11 Norman Ferguson 912.9
12 Robert Mcgimpsey 925.9
13 Raymond Wilson 927.9
14 John Kelly 933.5
15 Declan Hendrick 936.2
16 Andrew Earney 953.3
17 Richard Earney 955.2
18 Jamie Mcmillan 962.8
19 David Meeke 966.7
20 Mark Woodside 976.1

James Wilson receives the Derek Walker Memorial Trial trophy from Gordon Buckley (COC)

MGCC Derek Walker Trial - Preview

This Saturday sees the 26th running of the Derek Walker Memorial Trial organised by the MGCC Ulster Centre.The event starts from Delamont Country Park in Killyleagh, Co. Down at 9.30am and will take in a total of 20 tests located at various farmyards and industrial premises between Crosgar and Ardglass with 5 tests based in Delamont Park.

Will Corry

With the MG Club organising proceedings there is a strong MG influence in the entry list with no less than 12 Midgets and 2 Sprites entered. No doubt the battle at the front of the MGs will include Will Corry, who won the recent TDC multi venue autotest in Mondello Park, Noel Cochrane, John Kelly and Simon Brien. There is a strong presence from the Brien family with Simon, Jack and Mark all driving Midgets navigated by Tiffany, Juanita and Anna Brien.

Robert Dickson

The Mini class has received a healthy entry also and will see many a battle during the day with Robert Dickson, James & Sam Wilson. Norman Ferguson and Richard Earney all wheeling out their various Mini variants. As is the norm on all the Targa Rallys this multi venue events has attracted a large MX5 entry with a number of the top drivers of the little Japanese sportscar entered. Robert Woodside will be hard to catch especially after his good showing at the recent TDC event in Mondello Park, others to watch for in this class include Simon & Mark Woodside, David Crothers, Ashley Lamont and Allan Harryman.

Robert Woodside

A trio of Starlets from the TDC make their way and will be driven by Frank Lenehan, Declan Hendrick and David Meeke,

Frank Lenehan

Entry list

1 Andy Johnson Michael Johnson UVCC Sprite

2 Mervyn Getty Richard McFaul NUMC Sprite

3 Jay Colville Conor Kennedy MG MG Midget

4 Roger Fynn Clifford Auld MG MG Midget

5 Michael Reid Helen Anderson MG MG Midget

6 Jack Brien Juanita Brien MG MG Midget

7 Noel Cochrane Trevor Reid MG MG Midget

8 Mark Lemon Katie Lemon MG MG Midget

9 John Kelly Anna Kelly UAC MG Midget

10 Alex Lyttle Roy Lyttle TSCC MG Midget

11 Mark Brien Anna Brien MG MG Midget

12 Will Corry Peter Moreland-Moore MG MG Midget

14 Simon Brien Tiff Brien MG MG Midget

15 Robert McGimpsey Fel McIlroy UVCC MG Midget Atlantis

16 Robert Woodside Sr David Allen MG VW Beetle

17 James Wilson Stephen Kearney PPMC Mini

18 Sam Wilson Simon Brewster PPMC Mini

19 Richard Earney Jamie Edgar MG Mini

20 Samuel Baird Bill Finnegan PPMC Wolseley Hornet

21 Robert Dickson Catherine Dickson PPMC Mini Cooper S

22 Davy Young Richard Nelson PPMC Mini

23 Norman Ferguson Milton McWilliams ADC Mini

24 Bryan Mutch Ken McEntee MG Mazda MX5

25 Gareth Dillon Gordon Wotherspoon MG Mazda MX5

26 Harris Cree Andrew Henry MG Starlet

27 Jamie McMillan George McMillan MG Starlet

28 Andrew Earney Jane Bicker MG Starlet

29 Maurice Eakin Conn Williamson MG Peugeot 106

30 Ian Campbell Heather Ritson MG Mini

31 Mike Adair Eric Martin MG Starlet

32 Mark Faulkner Trevor Faulkner MG Mazda MX5

33 Michael Workman June Burgess PMC Escort

34 Sam Lyle Colin Roy PMC Nova

35 Simon Woodside Stephen Dowds Larne Mazda MX5

36 Allan Harryman Suz Graham UAC Mazda MX5

37 Mark Woodside Andy Blair Mazda MX5

38 Robert Woodside Jr Bruce Drummond UAC Mazda MX5

39 Frank Lenehan Olwen Blair TDC Starlet

40 Alan Cree Lyn Cree MG Mazda MX5

41 Ron Mullen Malcolm McQueen ADC Sunny

42 Wesley Lyle Chris Walsh Mazda MX5

43 Wallace McKee Ben McKee TSCC Mazda MX5

44 Tony McLaughlin Tony Crilly TSCC BMW 318

45 Brendan Mullan Martin McBride PPMC Starlet

46 Declan Hendrick Kevin Fagan TDC Starlet

47 David Crothers Barbara Kane LMC Mazda MX5

48 Stuart Annesley Charlie Pearse Mazda MX5

49 Raymond Wilson Ernie Hunter PPMC Starlet

50 Adrian Patterson William Boyd PPMC Mazda MX5

51 Ashley Lamont Wesley Lamont ADC Mazda MX5

52 Eric Patterson Raymond Donaldson ADC Mazda MX5

53 Crawford Ewing Jnr Crawford Ewing Snr PPMC Starlet

54 David Napier Timothy Elliott PPMC Honda Civic

55 Tim Woodside Paul Woodside LMC Mazda MX5

56 David Meeke Richard Meeke TDC Starlet

57 Paul Williamson Colin Stanford TSCC Mazda MX5

Further details on the MGCC website: HERE
or the MGCC Facebook page: HERE

TDC Dave Griffin Memorial Multi Venue Autotest 25/01/2015

A cool but dry Mondello Park welcomed the 47 competitors who turned up to take part in yesterdays TDC Dave Griffin Memorial MVAT. Along with the good entry a large band of marshals and timekeepers were also on hand to oversee proceedings which were closely governed by Tim Faulkner and Mark Doran. With a large entry and split group system it meant that all tests would start at the same time in order to keep a steady flow of cars at each test location around the track and perimeter car parks.

Apart from the strong local and club entry there were also a a good representation from the midlands including Eoin Longworth, Ronan Shanahan, Mick Boland, Frank Dwyer and a few other Birr Motor Club members and a strong presence of Northern Irish drivers, Will Corry, James Wilson, Robert Woodside, Simon and Jack Brien, James Colville and John Kelly.

With tests starting at 10am it wasn't long until Will Corry, driving his MeGa Midget, had thrown down the gauntlet to the opposition and set fastest time on four of the first five tests to open up a 6 second lead over the Mini of James Wilson with the Mazda MX5 of Robert Woodside a further 7 seconds in arrears. Best of the locals was Eamonn Byrne (Starlet) in fourth just 2 seconds off Woodsides total for the five tests, but he had Eddie Peterson in a Mini biting at his heels, just 1 second separating the multi Hewison Autotest Champions.

Will Corry

Once the first loop of tests was completed it was straight into the second loop where Corry was at the top of the time sheets on all five tests and as others had penalties or made slight mistakes he kept things neat and tidy but unbelievably quick to extend the lead over Wilson who was flying through the tests in the little Mini

James Wilson

but was no match for the K series engined Corry Midget. Eamonn Byrne had moved up to third after Woodside had incurred a couple of time penalties which dropped him back to joint 4th with Peterson. Darren Quille who is normally seen autotesting a RWD Sportscar was sharing his dads Mitsubishi Colt and setting some good times to hold onto sixth just ahead of the MX5 of Piers MacFheorais.

Eddie Peterson

The third loop of tests saw the Woodside MX5 record a couple of fastest test times as the damp track dried out and this saw the Ballynure man reclaim third position behind Corry and Wilson, the three Northern drivers stretching out an advantage at the front, Peterson remained 4th with Darren Quille slotting into 5th ahead of Byrne, who missed a test when the lunch break was called and forgot to go back to it after the break, the resulting fail ruining his chances of clawing back time on the leaders.

Eamonn Byrne

The final loop of tests saw Corry and Woodside tie for time on three tests and Corry fastest on the two others. The quick times from the Mazda driver meant he overhauled Wilson's Mini to take 2nd place. Meanwhile some good times from Quille near the end saw him go 13 seconds faster than Peterson and jump into 4th place.

Robert Woodside

Byrne remained in sixth with a hard charging John Kelly, in another Corry built Midget, finishing 7th. Nova driver Richard Meeke tied for time with Kelly but the Northern Irish driver got the 7th spot by virtue of being quickest of the two on the opening test. Piers MacFheorais encountered some cooling issues which hampered his progress but he still managed to hold on to a top 10 result. The final spot in the top ten went the way of Simon Brien in another Midget after brake issues with the car earlier saw his son Simon step down from double driving the car in order to preserve the car for his dad.

Simon Brien

Darren Quille

The large entry of rear wheel drive cars meant there was no shortage of entertainers with Joe Doran (Manta), Danny O'Donoghue (Mk1 Escort), Mark Walsh (Escort Mk2) along with the Midgets and MX5s all "playing" for the camera, there was even the odd Starlet trying to get in on the act too.

Kevin Fagan

Danny O'Donoghue

Joe Doran

John Kelly

Mark Walsh

Results:

1 Will Corry (MG Midget) 1501s,

2 Robert Woodside Jnr (Mazda MX5) 1546s,

3 James Wilson (Mini) 1550s,

4 Darren Quille (Colt) 1578s,

5 Eddie Peterson (Mini) 1581s,

6 Eamonn Byrne (Starlet) 1584s,

7 John Kelly (MG Midget) 1623s,

8 Richard Meeke (Nova) 1623s,

9 Piers MacFheorais (Mazda MX5) 1624s,

10 Simon Brien (MG Midget) 1640s,

11 Liam Cashman (Starlet) 1649s,

12 Kevin O'Rourke (Starlet) 1668s.

Class winners: Liam Cashman, James Wilson, Robert Woodside Jnr, Joe Doran (Opel Manta) 1712s

Full results on TDC Ireland

More photos on Peespeed Photography

Next outing: Cars & Coffee, Cherrywood, Dublin 1/2/15.....(weather dependant)

TDC Multivenue Autotest aka "JJ's Event"

Last Sunday a small but eager entry descended on Puddenhill Activity Centre just outside Ashbourne in Co. Meath for the first of the annual charity multi venue autotests organised by the Trial Drivers Club. Under the guidance of JJ Farrell the large band of marshals was being assigned their various instructions and paperwork while the competitors carried out the formalities of "signing on" with Paul Phelan. Despite the entry lacking in quantity it certainly had quality in abundance with Eamonn Byrne, Robert Dickson, Frank Lenehan, James Wilson, Dermot Carnegie, Damien Doran, Andrew O' Donohoe, Liam Cashman and Richard Meeke in attendance.

A total of 17 tests were planned for the day with a lunch halt scheduled after test 11. The first test took place in the car park and yard at Puddenhill where James Wilson in his Mini set fastest time by almost 1 second, showing he would be pushing for the win from the start. Next up was Eamonn Byrne using the trusty metric Starlet with Mini man Robert Dickson third fastest and Dermot Carnegie who was also in a Mini. The next test was a short distance away at Tully's Yard. This test had seen the late Vincent Fagan act as marshal/timekeeper over the years and in his memory the Fagan family would run the test, but also judge the competitors as a special entertainer award was announced in the days leading up to the event. again it was Wilso who topped the time sheet here followed by Byrne and Dickson.

Mark Walsh doing his best to entertain in Tullys Yard

Test three at Shields Plan Hire saw Wilson go quickest again by just over two seconds from Byrne who was just .7 seconds quicker than Liam Cashman (Starlet) who had Damien Doran, also in a Starlet, in hot pusuit just one tenth of a second behind.
After three tests the results were
1. James Wilson 174.8
2. Eamonn Byrne 178.5
3. Liam Cashman 183.9
4. Andrew O'Donohoe 187.3
5. Robert Dickson 188.1
6. Frank Lenehan 188.2
Next up was Lenehan's and this time it was Eamonn Byrne who was joint quickest with Richard Meeke and Kevin O'Rourke, 1 second ahead of Wilson who stopped the watch with the same time as Frank Lenehan. Test 5 saw Wilson claw back the second lost to Byrne on the previous test. Liam Cashman was margianlly quicker than Byrne here. The test at Platin Grain saw the white Mini of Wilson quickest again despite a slight problem with the cars left hand rear shock,

Cashman was second quickest here again followed by Byrne, Carnegie, Lenehan and Dickson. 

After 6 tests the results the top 6 were

1. James Wilson 350.7
2. Eamonn Byrne 356.1
3. Liam Cashman 362.9
4.  Frank Lenehan 367.3
5. Andrew O'Donohoe 374.7
6. Damien Doran 376.6

The next three tests were split between Butterly's yard and Cannonstown farm just outside Drogheda, the first of the tests in Butterly's suiting the Minis as Wilson, Dickson and O'Donohoe were the three quickest on it and O'Donohoe and Wilson were top two on the second Butterlys test and Wilso scoring another quickest on Cannonstown Farm. Test 10 brought the competitors over near Slane Castle and the first of two quarry tests where Byrne's Starlet lead a Starlet trio at the top of the time sheets with Damien Doran 2nd quickest followed by Cashman. Robert Dickson was quickest of the Minis just .1 ahead of Wislon. The second test in the quarry saw Wilson push hard and go quickest yet again with Doran 2nd fastest. Byrne and Lenehan rounded out the top 4 here

Due to the dry spell it was very dusty in the quarry and it more resembled a stage on the Acropolis Rally that an autotest

After the 2nd quarry test it was time for the lunch halt at Stackallen Tennis Club where there was time to wash the dust down, compare times and stories and carryout running repairs to any damage done.

After lunch it was back to Shield's, Lenehan's and Tullys where Wilson was on top at two of the tests and Cashman took the honors on the third with Byrne in close contention each time. A return to the quarry saw Damien Doran claim fastest time on both tests

The final test took place at Puddenhill and saw Byrne claim another test with O'Donohoe second quickest but the day belonged to James Wilson who has tried for a number of years to win "JJ's event" but suffered with small problems and mechanical failure.

Top 12 results

1 James Wilson(Mini) 1017.6s,

2 Eamonn Byrne (Starlet) 1031.9s,

3 Liam Cashman (Starlet) 1048.3s,

4 Damien Doran (Starlet) 1064.5s,

5 Frank Lenehan (Starlet) 1067.1s,

6 Andrew O’Donohoe (Mini) 1067.4s,

7 Robert Dickson (Mini) 1072.3s,

8 Dermot Carnegie (Mini) 1083.9s,

9 Richard Meeke (Starlet) 1084.0s,

10 Declan Hendrick (Starlet) 1087.8s,

11 John McAssey (Starlet) 1094.6s,

12 Philip O'Reilly (Starlet) 1108.6s.

full results : HERE

Thanks to JJ Farrell, TDC, all the marshals, timekeepers, land owners and competitors for a great days craic. Well done to James on finally getting that elusive win on the event, maybe Eamonn will bring out the Mini next year and reclaim the trophy

A few photos from the day

More photos on the website 

www.peespeed.com

Peter

Time to resurect the blog

Been a while since I did any blog posting but numerous people have mentioned to me over the last few months how they liked the little reports that I posted so the pressure has worked and I'll post up a few previews and reviews/reports of events I attend.

Will start with last weekends TDC Multivenue Autotest in Co. Meath and post a report later........but for now one of my favorite photos from the event, Robert Dickson in his Hopkirk 1969 COI replica Mini

Peter