Josh Moffett and Jason McKenna took victory on Sunday at Round Six of the 2015 Valvoline Motorsport Ireland National Forestry Championship, Mayo and District Motorsport Club’s Crockets on the Quay Mayo Mini-Stages Forest Rally.
Competitors returned to the ‘Plane of the Yew Trees’ after a 15 year absence of forest rallying. In his Mitsubishi Evo, Moffett blitzed the competition on the opening stage, with nearest challengers Martin Cairns and Gary McElhinney 25 seconds behind in their Subaru WRC.
Moffett maintained his lead throughout, while Cairns fought and lost a battle for second place to Michael and James O’Brien in their WRC Ford Focus. Frank and Stephen O’Brien in their Mitsubishi Evo 6 held fourth place all day.
Retirement for Cork’s Gerard Lucy and JJ Cremin on the final stage handed fifth place to top modified crew John Gordon and Thomas Wedlock in their Ford Escort. Meath’s John Reid and Enda Sheils took sixth place and the win in Class 7 in the Toyota Corolla WRC. Finishing the day in seventh place and first place in Class 4 were Ashley Dickson and Fabian McAleer in the Mitsubshi Evo 9.
Damien McGauran and Michael McGinn brought their Corolla home eighth and topped Class 13. In the Junior battle, Patrick O’Brien with Aine McGuigan along side in his Citroen C2R2 was in charge at the halfway service holding the lead over Derek Mackarel in his Vauxhall Nova and Foxford's Alan Moran in his Peugeot 206.
A charge by Mackarel on the final stage saw him steal the honours relegating O’Brien to second, with Moran in third. The trio of crews finished in ninth, 10th, and 11th overall.
Westport native Ed Muldoon was the next best local in 13th overall and second in Class 20. The Tyrone pairing of Stephen Dickson and Tommy Hayes were Class 3 winners in their Ford Fiesta, 14th overall.
Mike Garahy and Sean Moynihan topped Class 10 finishing in 16th place. Westport man David Carney was 17th and the winner of Class 11F in a Honda Civic. The all Mayo Motor Club crew of Sean McHugh and Paul McLaughlin won Class 15 ahead of Foxford’s James McGreal and Chris Mitchell. Joe Stanley and Paul Dowling topped Class 2 in their Peugeot.
Winners of the Mayo Motorclub award were Peter McManamon and John McCarthy in their Peugeot 205. The local crew of Padraig Connelly and Liam Walsh, on their first forest event, finished fifth in Class 11F.
It was a very successful return to forestry rallying for the Mayo and District Motorsport Club, as COC Trevor O'Connell and his team ran a safe and enjoyable event.
