The highs and lows of the Stonethrowers.

Website office(Wexford)

John Dier

Thursday 23rd August

Tipperary played host to latest local event, the 2007 Sepam backed Stonethrowers Rally. The event, which was for a long time dominated by the late legendry local hero Frank Meagher, was on it’s opt out year from the Dunlop National rally championship. The event however, still had a capacity entry, led away by World rally championship regular Gareth MacHale, the Dublin man on his first event since his huge accident on Rally Sardinia. Noel Redmond and Seamus Heron both non-started so second on the road was the Impreza WRC of Kevin Barrett, followed by the similar car of P.J. McGrath, the New Ross man with his usual side-kick Killian Duffy on the notes making a welcome return to the sport. Fourth off the start-ramp was the ever-spectacular David James, partnered by Jim Crowe, while Jack Sleator navigated by Andrew Purcell rounded out the top 5.
Other Wexford entrants hoping for a good test session before their local event included James Stafford and Frankie Dwyer in the Darrian, Liam Wall and Andy O’ Donoghue in the flying Escort, Stephen Cullen and Edward Roche in their Seafield backed Impreza N12, Ollie McPhillips and Alan Whyte in their Celica GT4, John Somers and Niall Fortune in the N.C. rallying services run Nova and Johnny Murphy and Martin Nolan in their ever-sideways two-litre 16v Escort.
MacHale, with father Austin’s regular navigator Brian Murphy along for the spin, was expected to lead the way and he didn’t disappoint, the latest spec M-Sport Focus stopped the clocks on the opening stage a full 19 seconds clear of the Subaru Impreza S12 of Jack Sleator and Andrew Purcell, with Ian Barrett and Eoin O’ Flaherty rounding out the top 3 and leading the Group N charge. James Stafford and Frank Dwyer lead the 2wd challenge they lay sixth, just ahead of the Focus of David James and Jim Crowe, with the Subaru’s of P.J. McGrath and Stephen Cullen rounding out the top ten.
MacHale returned to service after the second stage having tagged on a further 9 seconds to his lead, the Tom Gahan mechanic’s re-fettling the 06-spec Focus fro the next loop as the Dubliner played around with different settings. Sleator was still the closest challenger, but he had to share the runners-up spoils with P.J. McGrath on SS2, the pair waking up to set a stunning time in their new mount and jumping from 9th to 4th overall. David James followed the Subaru into service, the Alders jeweller backed Focus handing to the Goreyman’s liking. Just back in the 7th was the Clonmines joinery backed Darrian of Stafford and Dwyer, the pair after opening up a gap of nearly thirty seconds over their nearest two-wheel drive challengers, who were Terence O’ Shaughnessy and Eugene McGrath who themselves were having a cracking run in their wee 1600cc twin-cam Corolla. They were tied for tenth overall with Stephen Cullen and Edward Roche, the Seafield back Subaru holding third in Group N despite some gearbox problems. Just off the leader-board we drivers such as Liam Wall, John Somers, Padraig Neville and Ollie McPhillips, while already gone at this opening stage were J.J. and Patrick Wall in their Peugeot 106 kit-car, and the Mivec-engined Escort of Neil Hickey and Ray Greene.
Over the next pair of stages, MacHale and Murphy almost doubled their advantage, the pair adding a further 24 seconds to their lead as they set a pace the rest of the field were unable and unwilling to match in the changeable conditions. Sleator and Purcell set another pair of second fastest times to reinforce their second place, which Barrett set a pair of third fastest times to keep third, the mounting pressure from McGrath being relieved after he left the road briefly on stage 4. Ian Barrett still led group N although he was coming under increasing pressure from the 2006 Billy Coleman award winner Owen Murphy and his welsh navigator Paul Williams, the Hankook backed Evo taking 12 seconds out of the Triton showers Subaru to leave the gap at just two seconds going into service. Liam Wall and Andy O’ Donoghue still lay just outside the top ten, while despite the odd spin, John Somers and Niall Fortune in the N.C. rallying services run Nova were just behind the Escort of Wall and lay second in class to the flying O’ Shaughnessy. Ollie McPhillips and Alan Whyte, despite a slow start, were now picking up the pace and lay third in class 15. Paddy Dwyer and David Byrne in their C.K. Performance Engine’s Nova lead class 9 after early leaders Alan Mackey and Brian Boggan retired, while other retirements included Eddie Nolan and Ray Benson in their Escort and Enda Kennedy in Johnny Whitty in their Nova, after the Ballywilliam man charged a wall on stage 3. Sure anyone could hit a pier!
MacHale slackened back his pace over the closing four stages, so much that an increasingly rapid Sleator took fastest time on the final stage. Still however, it was a dominant victory for Gareth, and a landmark as, despite all his success including being the runaway winner of the 2005 Irish Forestry champion and his 6th overall result in rally Mexico in 2006, this was his first ever overall win on tarmac. Jack Sleator and Andrew Purcell were a delighted second, the pair surely warming up for a crack at the Dunlop National championship in 2008. Kevin Barrett claimed third while David James and Jim Crowe had the ideal test session before Wexford, taking class 8 honours and a fine fourth overall. P.J. McGrath and Killian Duffy claimed 6th overall after an eventful rally. That however was at the expense of James Stafford and Frankie Dwyer, whose fine run came to an end on stage 7 when the gearbox cried enough. It was Liam Wall who picked up the pieces to claim class 13 honours and tenth overall, however he could not catch the flying “Ted” O’ Shaughnessy for top two-wheel drive.
Stephen Cullen and Edward Roche survived their earlier gearbox dramas to take twelfth overall while Ollie McPhillips and Alan Whyte recovered to take fifteenth overall. The pocket rocket Nova of John Somers and Niall Fortune took 17th overall and third in class eleven, while Padraig Neville and Amy Ryan finished 21st overall and 6th in class in their Pat Neville and sons backed Subaru. Mick Kehoe and Tim Boyle had been in the shake up for class 7 honours until their retirement on stage 7. Johnny Murphy and Martin Nolan slip slidded their way 26th overall and second in the ultra competitive class 13, while Jason Kinsella and Bobby Murphy finished one place further back and fifth in class 11. Paddy O’ Dwyer and David Byrne in the C.K. Performance engines Nova took class nine honours with Darren and Tom O’ Connor taking third in class 9 in another N.C. rallying services backed Nova, they finishing just ahead of the blue buggy of Kenny O’ Brien and Jason Mernagh. Declan Stafford and Ken Blanche took 61st overall, Andrew and Simon Lacey finished 77th overall while Mark Cooper and Rory Murphy finished 97th overall.
All attention now turns to Wexford’s main sporting event of the year, the 2007 Riverbank House Hotel Dick Bailey stages rally. The event is in it’s 36th running and as like last years event, it looks like being a Ford versus Subaru battle for overall honours. However, unlike 2006, it will be Eamon Boland who will be behind the wheel of Pro-drive’s latest machine, while all indications lead to Stonethrowers rally winner Gareth MacHale taking on the seven times winner in what could be one of the most exciting battles the event has ever witnessed. It is of course 25 years since Austin MacHale took his first of three wins in the south-east, so how fitting it would be for the junior member of the MacHale rallying clan to try and get his name on the winners list for the first time.
Pat O’ Dowd and his team are now in the latter stages of their preparation of the event and they would like to say a sincere thanks to all the members of the public who have helped in his preparation of the event. As with any event, marshall’s are required in large numbers. Anyone interested in getting involved in any shape or form in the running of the event, please do not hesitate to contact Brid Harper on 087 314 09 31.

JD