Events

In addition to the photoshoot for CMC members and their cars, there will also be a photo session for all past and present members.

This will also take place also on Sunday 22nd August at 3.30pm at the Auburn Lodge Hotel car park.

As Clare Motorclub is celebrating its 30th year it is hoped to gather as many faces from the past...and present.

So please spread the word!!! We would love to see some guys and girls that might have hung up their boots and welcome them back to celebrate the clubs birthday. Im sure we all know of people who might have rallied years ago or who might have taken part in an Autotest at the old Roslevan arms car park...or even the Shannon Industrial estate single stage.

Club PRO and Clare Stages Rally 2010 Clerk of the COurse Dermot Kelleher has again organised a photo shoot for all clare motorclub crews and their cars.

The photoshoot will take place this Sunday August 22nd at 3.30pm sharp in the Auburn Lodge Hotel car park.

All club members are welcome to come along with their car, navigator, suits, boots etc for the photo that will be included in this years event programme.

Press Release 1

The Clare Motor Club Rally Committee are busy with preparations for the 2010 “Irish Court Hotels Clare Stages Rally 2010” which takes place on sunday 19th, September.

Announcing details of the 2010 Irish court hotels Clare stages rally are left to right, Audry Flynn, Dermot Kelleher clerk of the course and Donie Lyne, sponsor Irish court hotels. Photo by Aidan Sweeney photography.

The event is based at the Auburn Lodge Hotel (one of the irish court hotels) on the Gort Road in Ennis again this year. This years event is a counting round of both the Dunlop National Rally Championship and the Top Part West Coast Rally Championship. Donie Lyne and the staff at the Auburn Lodge Hotel have again stepped in as the Main Sponsor  and after last years very successful event they are hoping to make this years even bigger.

Clerk of the course is Dermot Kelleher from Clarecastle, together with his organising team is offering competitors a very compact event featuring three very competitive stages which will be repeated three times. Together with the service park and scrutiny all within walking distance of the hotel the event should prove to be as successful as last years rally.

The Clare Motor Club are also celebrating thirty years of promoting motorsport in County Clare this year. The Club was founded by three motorsport enthusiasts, Dermot Kelleher, Peter Lariner and Paddy Bradley back in 1980 and after helping out as marshalls, stage commanders, Timekeepers etc for neighbouring clubs, Galway, Limerick and also running the Circuit of Ireland Stage as it went through Clare the Club finally got affilliated to Motorsport Ireland on the 23rd. of February 1982.

Once affialiated the Club members organised their first Single Stage Rally at Darragh/ Ballyea just off the Kilrush Road. This was followed by a Forestry Rally in Bodyke in east Clare, single stage events in the industrial estate in Shannon and Lisdoonvarna, a multi stage rally in Kilkee, a Hillclimb along with Autocross and Autotest events.

The Clare Stages Rally was first organised in 1988 by David Hogan and Dermot Kelleher and was based in the Roslevan Arms on the Tulla Road. The Rally has grown from strength to strength and has become one of the premier events in the Dunlop National Rally Calendar and attracts competitors from all over Ireland and England. 

Event regulations will be available to download shortly at the club’s website

www.claremotorclub.com

Dermot Kelleher

Pro Clare Motor Club

Round 7 of Clare Motorclubs club championship takes place on the Monday of this August bank holiday weekend.

The run is starting from Vaughans filling station in Miltown Malbay on the Ennistymon Road.

Entry to the event is free and all members and non members are welcome to enter. Its always a good day out and COC Gerry O Brien always has a few tricks up his sleeve to keep the competitors on their toes.

All category of engine sizes either petrol or diesel are catered for so there will be a class for you if you are driving something out of the ordinary.

Prizegiving will be held afterwards in Cogans Bar, Main St Miltown Malbay.

NOTE: For those of you that have never taken part in an economy run before please be aware that you are required to fully fill your fuel tank under supervision at the meeting point prior to starting the event. The tank is then sealed and you are on your way. You then top up your tank when you return after the event and the amount of fuel is calculated.

Dont forget, its not a race.

It is with regret that Clare Motorclub has to cancel the running of their 2010 Autocross event due to the lack of a suitable venue.

Apologies to all concerned.

Next counting round of the Club Championship will be the Clare Stages Rally on the 19th September.

Damp and greasy conditions greated the drivers on the Corkscrew Hill near Ballyvaughan for the opening two rounds of the 2010 Connaught Competition Engines Hillclimb / Sprint Championship. The Logue’s Lodge Clare Hillclimb Weekend was won by Simon McKinley from Rush in County Dublin driving his Lant RT2 Racing Car.

Simon was fastest on both days. As local hillclimb ace Sylvie Mullins from Ballyvaughan did not have his car ready for the event the battle for supremacy was between Simon McKinley and current Hillclimb champion, Limerick’s Paul O’Connell. This was Paul’s first event in his brand new 2.8 litre, four cylinder Hart Engined Pilbeam MP58H Hillclimb Racing Car which produces 350 horse power. It turned out to be a troublesome day for both drivers as McKinley failed to make the first timed run and the car broke a cv joint after leaving the start line on run two. Simon posted his best time of 56.00 seconds on run three to take the fastest time on the corkscrew. O’Connell had electrical and gear selection problems with his new car and he also failed to make the first two timed runs. Paul also posted his fastest time on run three 58.12 seconds, commenting that the corkscrew would not be his favourite hill but that he did enjoy the wet conditions. Both drivers failed to improve on the fourth and final run. Brendan Keane (Swallow DRI4) and Stephen Gillis (Westfield SEI) tied for third overall both a time of 60.98 seconds. The beautifully turned out Radical SR3 Hayabusa Turbo of Rory Stephens fisished fifth with a time of 61.08 seconds while Galway’s Mini specialist Ray Cunningham finished sixth on 61.23 in his newly built Mini.

The Class winners were Ray Cunningham, Tommy Murphy, Stephen Gillis, Rory Stephens, Gerry Freeman, Joe Courtney, Paul O’Connell, Peter Cummins. Clare motor club members Ross Kenny finished first in his class while Michael Rodgers finished third in class.

Sunday’s action moved to the Scalp Hill near carran. This daunting high speed hill which travels through the cutting in the rocks is absolutely breathtaking. With the majority of the corners being 3rd and 4th gear corners and the surface being relatively bumpy it presents a different challenge to the Corkscrew. With drivers reaching speeds in excess of 130 mph it is certainly not for the fainthearted.

Simon McKinley was first to head the time sheets after run one with a time of 59.42 seconds on the fully extended hill having broken another CV Joint while crossing the finish line at the top. Simon improved his time on the second timed run to 59.42 which was the fastest time of the day and gave him overall victory. Paul O’Connell still had electrical problems on sunday but with the help of the clare motor club officials he managed to complete all three timed runs and posted a best time of 59.93 seconds on run two . With damp conditions all day and heavy rain on the last run paul commented that he was a lot happier with the car and that he enjoyed racing on one of his favourite hills in the championship. Rory Stephens Radical SR3 Hayabusa Turbo finished third overall with a time of 69.68 seconds while Seamus Morris (Pilbeam MP52) finished fourth overall on 70.64 seconds.

There was a big increase in the number of rally cars on the Sunday hill as a lot of clare club members did battle for class positions. Anthony O’Halloran was the top clare club member on the day finishing fifth overall and second in class with a time of 71.73 seconds in his Mitsubishi Evo 9. Clare club member Patrick Horan put in a stunning drive in his little Vauhhall Nova to finish tenth overall and first in class. Other Clare club award winners included Tony Tuttle third in class, Martin O’Halloran second in class, Tom Ryan third in class and  Robert Ryan third in class.

The class winners were Ray Cunningham, Tommy Murphy, Stephen Gillis, Rory Stephens, Dermot Quigley, Joe Courtney, Paul O’Connell, Patrick Horan, Ed Synan.

Overall a great weekend sport and a great boost to local tourism at this relatively quite time of the year.

Clare Motor Club would like to thank most sincerely the residents on both hills, the business community and people of Ballyvaughan and Carran. The Ballyvaughan Development Committee, Logue’s Lodge, all the Clare Motor Club officials and marshals who helped to make this a very successful weekend for the Club. The Clare Motor Club would also like to thank the Gardai Siochanna, the Clare County Council, the emergency and rescue services, Motorsport Ireland without whose assistance this event would not have been possible.

Dermot Kelleher

PRO Clare Motor Club