News from the Weekend

MONDELLO RALLYCROSS

Already crowned as National champion at the previous round, Tommy Graham again dominated Sunday’s Co Kildare MC Rallycross at Mondello Park, with top place in all three heats followed by victories in the Supercar A Final and the Super Final. Second placed Andrew Morris continued his habit of snatching an early lead each time, holding on for a full four laps in the main race before Graham managed to take command.

In the Modified A Final, Barry McArdle couldn’t extend his winning run to five in a row, but third place behind Ian Byrne and Dessie Tierney was enough to take the title. Outgoing National champion Michael Coyne’s troublesome season ended with the discovery of a broken crankshaft on his own 2.2 litre Nova, so he drove brother Willie’s old 1600 car to sixth in the A race, immediately behind Willie’s newer Corsa.

As usual, Derek Tohill cleaned up the Stock Hatch heats and A Final, even making it to the Super Final in his 106, with Fergus and Gordon Lynch completing the leaderboard.

The two rivals for the Jondol Junior title clashed at the first corner of the A race, with outsider Niall Murray retiring with steering damage while points leader Simon Quinn fell to the tail of the field but only needed a start to become champion. Andrew Patterson led all the way ahead of Michael Cahill.

His Ford Fiesta needed four laps to get ahead of the fast starting Andrew Morris in the main race, but once he was through, the local driver pulled away to a clear win. Despite a troubled run, Simon Quinn toured around in the Junior A Final to win the Jondol Junior title after main rival Niall Murray was an early retirement with damaged steering.

Pat O’Connell and Mark Wiley made it two wins in succession in the Petro Systems Forestry Rally Championship when their Lancer Evo finished twelve seconds in front of the Corolla WRC of John Reid and Enda Shields in Carrick-on-Suir MC’s Willie Loughman Memorial event.