Moffett pips Devine for Cavan Stages win with an epic late dash for glory

Cavan Stages Rally

There is an old adage in rallying that every second counts, and it was certainly the case to the finish of the Hotel Kilmore Stages rally, the third counting round of the Motorsport Ireland Triton Showers National Rally Championship and round 2 of the Sligo Pallets Border rally series.

Glorious sunshine greeted the 151 starters and for the outset it wasn’t only the weather was hot, the pace was unreal from the word go, and after nine arduous tests on both man and machine, the victors Josh Moffett and Keith Moriarty in their Hyundai i20 took the spoils by a mere 1.8 seconds over Callum Devine and Noel O' Sullivan who had snatched a late lead in the closing stages of the rally.

The Polo crew entered the final stage, Bunnoe, with an advantage of just 0.3 of a second. The Monaghan/Limerick pairing of Moffett and Moriarty really stood up to the mark and over the 14.4km test, their challenge not helped by the melting tar caused by the day’s high temperatures, turned the deficit into a 1.8-second victory.

“It was all or nothing, we took a lot of chances out there this evening,” was the response from Josh at the finish ramp at the Hotel Kilmore.

“It was a bit dusty out there this morning and in the end, the tar was slightly melting which made for a challenging day, but we are delighted. There is still a lot to play for in the championship, we needed a victory, it was important.”

It was their second win of the 2023 Triton series after claiming top spot on the Circuit of Kerry in April also.

Round one winners Devine and O’Sullivan were running with number one on the doors as the top club member, as the last year's winner wasn't in attendance, and they had the tough task of opening the road and finding the lines, braking points and the gravel strewn junctions before his rivals, the Co Derry Killarney duo really had so many challenging factors in their race for the win, and no doubt battle will resume in Donegal for that coveted Jim Kennedy Memorial trophy which has some really great names emblazoned on it.

Third seeds Desi Henry and Paddy Robinson made their first foray in the Triton Showers National Rally Championship and upheld their seeding with a fine showing, although they did struggle to keep the Citroen C3 Rally2 car out of the hedge and on the tarmac.

“We had a few altercations with Cavan ditches, they jumped out in front of us,” Henry said.

Cathan McCourt and Barry McNulty were fourth in their first outing in a new Ford Fiesta. Having taken the opening loop to re-acclimatise to a Fiesta again from his previous Citroen, as the day progressed the lads did post several top three times and will no doubt build on that experience going forward.

David Kelly was on his first outing since an accident in the West Cork Rally in March and was using the rally to get some seat time ahead of his home event, the Donegal International Rally next month. He and new co-driver Shane Buckley were fifth in another Citroen C3.

Former Triton Showers National Rally champion Declan Boyle (and co-driver Stephen Walsh) just managed to stay ahead of his son Michael in what was one of Boyle Junior’s best results to date. He and co-driver Dermot McCafferty finished seventh, one minute behind his father. Coincidentally Dermot’s uncle Eamon was alongside the winner of the very first Cavan Stages rally 40 years ago, Kenny McMcKinstry, in an Escort.

Rodney Wilton and Conor McMahon.

In the modified category, the script was pretty much a carbon copy of the rally2 cars as it also was decided on the last stage. Kevin Eves and Chris Melly entered the final stage some five seconds behind long-time rally leaders Daniel McKenna and Andrew Greenan in their Escort.

The Toyota Corolla driver maximised the risk strategy to take the category victory by just 0.1 of a second

Dessie Keenan and Jason McKenna rounded out the top ten in their Ford Escort. The Monaghan crew have not rallied since the Midland Moto in March and admitted it took until the latter part of the rally to get up to the same speed as their busier rivals.

Monaghan’s Jack McKenna and Damien Doherty won the Junior Rally, this was the Honda Civic crew’s third maximum score from as many starts this season.

In the class battles, Jack Brennan/John McGrath took their Renault Clio R4 to class win over second-placed Colm Connor/Bryan Martyn who's Civic headed the similar car of Simon Love and Deirdre Benson.

Dylan Eves and Ryan Farrell won the Sligo Pallets Drive of the Day in their Class 2 Ford Fiesta as the fastest crew in that category for stage 6.

However it was Keelan Grogan and Ayrton Sherlock won that class in a Peugeot 208 Rally 4 who finished just 0.8 of a second clear of the second-placed crew of Ryan McHugh and Declan Boyle in a Ford Fiesta Rally 4 and Eves/Farrell third in class.

In Class 3 the Citroen Ds3 of the McGarrity brothers, Ruairi and Martin, took the honours of the day from the Civic of Packie and Colin Duffy, while Paul Cloke and Liam Howlett had a drama-filled day to take third in the class in their similar Civic.

Jason and Daniel McConnon had been inside the top three most of the day; unfortunately a last stage malady robbed them of third in the Peugeot 208.

Class 4 victors emerged as Brendan Comiskey and Martin Connolly in their Fiesta over Wexford’s Tomas Scallan and Tomás O'Rourke in their Evo9 while local crew Willie Fannin and Adrian Foley took 3rd in Class in their familiar Subaru.

Class 7 went to former national champion Niall Maguire who had Conor Foley on the notes and took the class win and a fine 13th overall.

In class 9 there were many local crews battling for bragging rights. Pat Shields and John Kelly stopped after ss2, Seamus Cooke Jnr and Niall McGaughran had some mechanical woes which aced them fourth in class, third went to Conor Lappin and Ryan Graham even after an off-road excursion, second was the Mini of Lloyd Hutchinson and WIllie Fitzpatrick, while his namesake Patrick with James McEneaney took the class spoils.

Partick Fitzpatrick and James McEneaney. Photo by Lorna Kennedy

Class 10 was won by Cathal Sheridan and Peter Deery in their Nova over the historic Chevette of brothers Eamon and Brian Rudden. In Class11f Jack Brunton and Damien Sheridan took the class victory in the battle of the Civics, second and third respectively in their examples, where Gary Cassidy/Killian McArdle and Sam Johnston/David Gibbons impressed.

Other locals in the class faring well were Sean McConnell and James McGlinchey breaking the Civic mould in their Citroen C2R2 taking ninth with Daragh Smith and Ray Flynn taking 12th in his Civic. Unfortunately Killian O'Reilly and Bernard Farrells version didn't make it past ss2.

Class 11r saw a plethora of Cavan crews. Cootehill’s Ben McIntyre and Andrew Wedlock (Starlet) took the class win from Cavan crew of Craig Rahill and Conor Smith in the Escort with Monaghan’s Martin McPhillips and Peter Farrell taking their Corolla to third.

Barney Greenan and Martin McPhillips, another local crew, came fifth in the Escort. And first time on closed road rallying, Gabriel Farry and fiancé Niamh Pickens took a fine eighth in class (Corolla), Paul Crosby and Eoin Lennon retired their Starlet whilst holding third in class after ss7.

Class 12 was an all-Escort affair with Cavan’s own Justin Smyth and Gregory McQuillan taking top spot from another club member James Cassidy and Domhnall Lennon.

Third went to club stalwart and Latton legend Joe Smith with niece Alana on the notes. Fifth and sixth was also local crews with David and Edward Devereux heading Gene Callan and Declan Brady.

Class 13 is a very prestigious class as the winner is awarded the Paddy Kiernan memorial trophy and this year it went to Donegal crew Gareth Irwin and Justin McCauley, the Escort crew pushed hard for the win by locals Tim Flood and Anthony Smith in their Escort.

Raymond Conlon and Gavin Doherty took third in their Corolla.

Other local interest had Kevin Cole and Matthew Kirwan in seventh, Gene McDonald and Declan Tynan, Tommy Rogers in 10th all in Escorts. Breaking the Escort rule was the rally’s own sponsor Sean Sharkey of Fire Protection Ireland. Sharkey and Martin Byre, who had their newly acquired Starlet in 12th in this one of the strongest classes of the rally.

In 20th in class and still competitive were Paul and Ciaran Monaghan in the Escort. Aaron McIntyre and Paul McPhillips had occupied 2md until mechanical failure on ss3.

Class 14 went to the 2wd winners Kevin Eves and Chris Melly, returning after a long lay-off. Another associate sponsor Rodney Wilton of Wilton Recyling and Waste with Conor McMahon took their Escort to an impressive 5th in the 'big' 2wd class. Chris Armstrong and Darren Curran unfortunately failed to finish and had ran as high as 6th in class.

Class 14 saw the battle of the Imprezas, Brian Comiskey and Declan Campbell taking the spoils ahead of the similar car of Patrick Connolly and John McCarville.

Class 18, the historic class, was won by Michael McDaid and Declan Casey, from the similar Escort of Nigel Creagh and Alan Keena.

Finally Class 20 was won by Smithborough's Micky Carbin and Dean O'Sullivan in their Evo8 from the Evo4 of Gerry McIntyre and Paul Clarke.

Co Cavan Motor Club would like to thank the Hotel Kilmore for everything and all they continue to do for the club, not forgetting equally as important associate sponsors Finish Line, Wilton Waste and Recycling and lastly but not least, Fire Protection Ireland.

To all the marshals and hundreds of unpaid volunteers and to all the landowners and residents, a massive thanks for making this one of the best Cavan rallies ever.