Special features for Festival of Motorsport 2013

The Loughgall Festival of Motorsport will this year take place on 25^th May with lots more exciting features, as well as the historic rally, autotest and static display.

Organised jointly by Armagh Lions Club and North Armagh Motor Club and run entirely for charity, the Festival of Motorsport is now in its seventh successive year. Each of those past years has enabled £10,000 to be raised and donated. Last year it was the turn of RNLI and their £10,000 paid for all the Northern Ireland crews to be fully equipped with new state-of-the-art lifejackets.

And 2013 will be no exception!

The Clubs wish to acknowledge the generous support and sponsorship from Burkes of Cornascreiebe over the past three years and are thrilled to welcome Pinkertons of Armagh as the new title sponsor and spokesperson David Gibson said, “We are pleased to announce our sponsorship of the Loughgall Festival of Motorsport 2013, and hope this is the first of many which we will be connected with. I have a great love of rallying, especially the historic cars, and feel this is a tremendous event to be associated with as it significantly promotes the local area as well as supporting Armagh Lions as, in conjunction with North Armagh Motor Club, they help raise staggering amounts of money for local charities.”

Along with the regular fixtures (Historic Special Stage Rally, Apple Blossom Autotest and Historic and Classic Car Display, there will be a host of fresh features as well as some specialities which will be a real treat for rally fans.

One of these is the last ever Works Ford MK2 Escort ever built by Boreham. This majestic gem was driven by Bjorn Waldegard on 1979 RAC Rally and is still in its original state today. It looks and sounds just as it did, and this is a prime opportunity to see it back on top form. You won’t be disappointed, and neither will one man from Clogher – Stephen McCombe – who bid fervently on a co-driver seat when it was auctioned at the Lions Charter Night in December.

Armagh Lions President Bob Scott stated; “I would like to formally thank Pinkertons of Armagh for their sponsorship as well as the kind donation of a co-driver seat. We are very grateful for this important piece of rally history and are honoured it will grace the fine grounds of Loughgall. Stephen will relish the experience of what it was like to be in a works car back in the hay-day of rallying. I cannot emphasise enough how much Armagh Lions appreciate the support and guidance of North Armagh Motor Club without whom this event simply could not take place.

The charity to benefit from the Festival of Motorsport 2013 is DIABETES UK- N. Ireland

For the Historic Rally Car (which includes Appendix K class historic cars) we propose to run six smooth tarmac special stages, each over three miles long and twisting through the magnificent Country Park and Manor Estate with central servicing adjacent to the arena display area, the location for the Historic and Classic Car display and Trade Stands.

The Apple Blossom Autotest will take place as usual in the farmyard area with support from MG Car Club Ltd.(Ulster) and the exciting off road performance driving display will be given by the Four Wheel Drive Club Northern Ireland ltd.

Further information and rally Regulations & Entry Form are available on the NAMC website: www.namcc.com and by contacting Secretary of Meeting:

Keith Somerville Tel. 07745 959141

General event details and Trade enquiries can be had by contacting Armagh Lions Club on 028 3778 8906

Photo Caption:
Stephen McCombe (right) from Clogher who successfully bid for a co-driver seat in the last Mark II Works Ford MK2 Escort ever built by Boreham is joined by the David Gibson (left) from Pinkertons, who are sponsoring the Loughgall Festival of Motorsport 2013. Also pictured is the car’s owner Adam Clyde.

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McGarrity’s Carryduff Forklift Title Defence Off To Winning Start!

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McGarrity’s Carryduff Forklift Title Defence Off To Winning Start!

Derek McGarrity claimed victory at Saturday’s Eurocables (Belfast) Stages Rally, round one of the Carryduff Forklift MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship, held at County Down’s Kirkistown Race Circuit!

Navigated by Neil Doherty, McGarrity propelled his Subaru Impreza World Rally Car to the top of the timesheets after stage one and never looked back. A faultless performance saw him extend his advantage on every stage, eventually arriving home more than half a minute ahead of the rest of the pack.

Maynooth’s Kevin Barrett and Sean Mullally were the best of the rest, having held a consistent second position throughout the event. Driving a slightly older specification Impreza WRC, Barrett had hoped to secure another victory at Kirkistown after his November Time Trial success but it wasn’t to be on this occasion. Instead, he picked up the runner-up position as well as a healthy helping of championship points.

Derek McGeehan and Cormac McGrady secured a late entry aboard their MINI WRC and the trip to the County Down venue proved to be worthwhile. A spin on stage one dented their challenge, leaving them ninth overall after the test. But they recovered to claim third overall by the end of the day.

Emma McKinstry and Kenny Hull had held third overall for a time but they had to settle for fourth in the end after the charging MINI crew overhauled them. Emma, who celebrated her 30th birthday earlier this month, finished 9.9 seconds ahead of Peadar Hurson’s Formula Karting backed Escort WRC.

Hurson had decided to make a return to the sport after a four-year layoff and although he admitted that he was a little bit rusty at the start, he soon got into the groove. By the midpoint of the event, he was setting top five times and finished with a solid result to start his championship campaign.

In the Group N category, James Laverty and Francis Regan secured a start to finish victory aboard their Subaru Impreza. They were lying as high as fourth overall during the early stages but eventually arrived home in sixth, almost 20 seconds ahead of nearest Group N rivals Kieron Graffin and Paddy Robinson. Graffin just managed to nip in front of Trevor Ferguson and David McElroy at the last gasp, finishing one-tenth of a second in front of the Impreza crew.

The McGrady Insurance 2WD category saw Keith White and Martin Carey earn another well deserved victory in their Mark 1 Escort. Simon Woodside and Steven Dowds had held an early advantage in their BMW M3 but White overhauled the crew after stage four when Woodside hit trouble.

White stayed in front until the finish, sealing the category win from David Armstrong and Paul Mulholland, with Simon Woodside and Steven Dowds third.

Drew Wylie and Fintan McGrady were the leading crew home in the Montgomery Motorsport Historic category, with Stanley Orr and Brian Cairns second ahead of Stephen and Lucy Whitford.

Finally, in the McGrady Insurance Junior 1000 Challenge, Kyle White and Alan Purdy claimed the win by 20.7 seconds from William Creighton and Andrew Bushe, with Adam and Brian Bustard third.

Round two of the Carryduff Forklift MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship takes crews to Bishopscourt on 9 March for the McGrady Insurance Bishopscourt Stages.

Ballynahinch and District Motor Club has organised an all new format for the event, which will feature 14 stages within the confines of the County Down venue. More details can be found online at www.nirally.com.

ENDS.

Eurocables (Belfast) Stages Results (top 10)

1 Derek McGarrity/Neil Doherty (Impreza WRC) 26m14.8s
2 Kevin Barrett/Sean Mullally (Impreza WRC) 26m47.2s
3 Derek McGeehan/Cormac McGrady (MINI WRC) 27m03.8s
4 Emma McKinstry/Kenny Hull (Impreza WRC) 27m17.5s
5 Peadar Hurson/Damian Connolly (Escort WRC) 27m27.4s
6 James Laverty/Francis Regan (Impreza) 27m39.0s
7 George Robinson/Tommy Speers (Lancer Evo) 27m47.8s
8 Kieron Graffin/Paddy Robinson (Lancer Evo) 27m56.6s
9 Trevor Ferguson/David McElroy (Impreza) 27m56.7s
10 Keith White/Martin Carey (Mk1 Escort) 28m13.2s

DOWNLOAD FULL RESULTS

Regards,

Jonathan MacDonald
MediaJAM Communications
Tel. +44 (0)7989 283055

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Opening N.I. Rally Championship Event Backed by Eurocables Belfast

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Regulations and entry forms for North Armagh Motor Club’s Eurocables (Belfast) Stages, round one of the Carryduff Forklift MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship and round two of the McGrady Insurance Junior 1000 Rally Challenge Ireland, have been revealed.

The event, which takes place on Saturday 16 February at Co. Down’s Kirkistown Race Circuit, sees Eurocables (Belfast) return as title sponsor for the first time since 2009.

“We’re delighted to have Shane Braniff and Eurocables Belfast back on board as title sponsor,” said Clerk of the Course, William Fullerton. “Shane has long been a supporter of rallying and particularly our event, so on behalf of North Armagh Motor Club, I’d like to extend our sincere gratitude.”

Having previously backed the event for what transpired to be a 10-year term, company director Braniff decided to renew his business association with the rally this year.

“I’m delighted to support North Armagh Motor Club and their opening round of the Northern Ireland Rally Championship,” Braniff said. “It is always a popular event to kick-start the season and one that I always enjoyed as a competitor in the past. I’m proud to be associated with it and wish everyone a very safe and enjoyable rally.”

Competitors will face the traditional six stages, totalling approximately 24 stage miles, all based within the Kirkistown venue. Regulations have just been released but the event has already received interest from a number of leading competitors.

Last year’s winner and reigning N.I. champion, Derek McGarrity, has confirmed his intentions to enter aboard his S14 specification Subaru Impreza WRC. However, McGarrity may not mount a full title defence.

“I really enjoy the opening rounds of the Championship,” he admitted. “They are always good events to do – there’s not much to hit around the tracks – and they provide a good shakedown ahead of the Circuit of Ireland.”

“I’m also going to enter the first three rounds of the Irish Tarmac Championship,” he added. “We’ll see how things are sitting after that and make a decision on whether or not we’ll continue with either series.”

Maynooth driver Kevin Barrett is another driver who has expressed interest in competing. The Subaru Impreza WRC pilot intends to mount a full Northern Ireland Rally Championship campaign this year and has always been competitive on previous visits to Kirkistown.

The event may also see Phillip Morrow return to the series aboard his Group N Lancer. He is going to enter another event in Ireland in early February, and provided there are no major repair bills, the Lisburn driver may be amongst the Kirkistown line-up.

They will be joined by a host of quick pilots in both four-wheel-drive and two-wheel-drive machinery, not to mention the Junior 1000 crews, in what is always one of the best supported events of the season.

ENDS.

Regards,

Jonathan MacDonald
MediaJAM Communicaions
Tel. +44 (0)7989 283055

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