Motorsport Ireland National Autotest Championship - Round 2 Recap
Round 2 of the IrishAutotesting.com Motorsport Ireland National Autotest Championship took place last Sunday in Roxborough, County Roscommon and was kindly hosted by Midland Motor Club. Many competitors from Round 1 returned to continue their fight for the Lightweight, Roadgoing and Challenge Championships.
Peter Grimes continued his Lightweight Championship title defense, taking his second FTD and finishing 20 seconds ahead of the competition, despite losing a chunk of time with brake issues on his final run of test 3. Westfield drivers Peter Falvey and Darren Quille had a close battle, with Peter powering back after early penalties to take the RWD class win, and second place overall, by just 1.9 seconds. The Lowry brothers had an unlucky day, with Jack Lowry's Mini Saloon suffering his second terminal gearbox failure in two events after completing just one test. Adam also suffered drivetrain issues but repairs enabled him to continue, albeit dropping him from second to fourth in the overall standings. Despite enduring his own mechanical issues, Chris Grimes Snr. still managed to win the small saloon class.
In the Roadgoing Championship, Toyotas lead the charge - John Nolan extended his lead in the standings, following up his Round 1 win with another dominant performance at the wheel of his "Boxy" Starlet. Austin Quille finished second overall after enjoying a relatively trouble-free day in his later model car. Garrett Kennedy took home RWD honours, swapping his MX5 for a beautifully prepared MG Midget this time out to take third place.
The Challenge results were a copy of Round 1. Reigning champion Liam Cashman chose to compete in a Starlet in place of his Nova for Round 2 of the series and finished on top once again. Anthony Freeney came from behind on the final run of tests in his Westfield passing Liam Croston. Liam incurred a fail time on his final run of tests, dropping him back to third overall. The ever-improving Damien Philips piloted his distinctive yellow and black Starlet to fourth overall.
The novice category runs alongside the Roadgoing and Challenge competitions. Adam Farrelly took the top Novice award this time out, followed home by the two Junior drivers Jack Johnston (Toyota Yaris) and Oran Giles (Mini 1000) who finished second and third respectively. Jessy Ward returned after his Championship debut at the TDC event last year, improving throughout the day and rounding out the novice standings.
Many thanks to Midland Motor Club for their continuing support of the National Championships and running another great event. Thanks to McNulty's Wholesale Furniture for the venue and to all the officials and marshals for dedicating their time. Full results can be viewed on Stopastride here. Updated championship standings are available here at irishautotesting.com.
Round 3 of the 8 round series takes place on the 8th March 2026 at Kilrush Airfield and is being hosted by County Kildare Motor Club. Don't forget you can still compete for the Championship titles if you start at Round 3, as only 6 rounds will count at the end of the year!