Terry Patterson / Adam Crawford Storm Superb GMV Snowdrop Rally.

The Dungannon Motor Club Snowdrop Rally was held on Friday 11th March 2016 and had a terrific 26 cars showing on the Entry List.

At a time when navigation rallies are being cancelled through lack of interest, Dungannon Motor Club showed what can be done with the “Three Ps” – Planning, Promotion and Production.  Planning for the future by running classes to bring new people into the sport, Promotion using social media, and Production of a superb event of just the right standard to suit all.

Twenty six names on the entry list for the Gerry McVeigh Cars sponsored event.  Yes, you got that right!  Not quite back to the days of fifty and sixty, but a big change from the five or six being experienced at other Clubs.

As if that wasn’t enough, one of Dungannon’s own Beginners came out winners after five challenging sections in the lanes South of Dungannon.  Terry Patterson and Adam Crawford came home with only 26 marks lost  after a steady and consistent drive in their Subaru Impreza.

In the Novice Class there looked to be the prospect of a ding-dong battle between the relatively experienced crews of John and Jonathan Henderson, Eric Patterson and Keith Hall, Ciaran Carey and James Woods, and Leslie Hawe, this time being driven by his Father, Derek.  From the start, Eric Patterson and Keith Hall held a clean sheet on the first section, with Carey and Woods on one mark, the same as Conn Williamson and Maurice Eakin in their beautiful BMW 2002.  Billy Strain and Robert Hall were on three marks in their Subaru,  while the Hendersons had four and the Hawes off to a terrible start with six penalty marks.

Eric Patterson and Keith Hall pulled well clear in the class through the second section with just one penalty mark, as the others fell away with Carey and Strain both on seven.  The Patterson/Hall great run ended on section three however with a missed secret check costing them thirty marks and ended all hope of a win.  Steady progress enabled Carey and Woods to win the class, with a great recovery by Derek and Leslie Hawe to take second place, on twenty eight and thirty two penalties respectively.

In the “Rally School” Beginners class, Mark Faulkner and John Kelly in an MX5, and Andrew Mairs and Philip Green in a Mini both avoided penalties on the first section.

Jordan and Darrell Burns were on three penalties in their Ford Fiesta, while Neil Fletcher and Rodney McCreedy were next on eight.  In the end, Andrew Mairs and Philip Green cleaned three of the five sections, and ended up winner of the class by twenty four marks.  Fletcher and McCreedy were second in their Mk1 Ford Escort with Faulkner and Kelly third.

The largest class on the night was the Non-Rally School Beginners class.  Kenny and Peter Anderson in their Renault Megan were the only ones to avoid penalty in section one, and were unlucky to be a few seconds early

at the first secret check in section two, otherwise they would have been penalty free there too.  Mervyn Wilson and Scott Thompson in a Lexus were on three penalties, the same as Ronnie Boyd and Tristan Kelly in their Ford Puma, and Terry Patterson and Adam Crawford in their Subaru.  A missed secret check near Derrylattinee put paid to a great run by the Andersons, and by that time the secret checks had taken their toll on Boyd and Kelly.

Patterson and Crawford ran a very steady pace and with just one section to go, were never more that two minutes away from target.  The final section was tricky for everybody, but despite that, the blue Subaru of Patterson and Crawford clocked in at the final Control with just twenty

six penalty marks altogether, and thus took the overall win.  Mervyn Wilson and Scott Thompson in the Lexus were second in class, just one mark ahead of Kenny and Peter Anderson in their Megane.

A terrific night’s navigation rallying with twenty seven manned check points, and a route set to make it interesting for the experienced crews as well as the beginners.  At the presentation of awards, Clerk of the Course Grace Campbell thanked all the marshals who helped out on the night, and also assisted Gerry McVeigh in the presentations to the award winners.

You can see full results at: http://www.dungannonmotorclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2016-03-12-0001.pdf

Overall Results:

1.  T. Patterson / A. Crawford 26

2.  C. Carey / J. Woods 28

3.  D. Hawe / L. Hawe 32

4.  A. Mairs / P. Green 46

5.  M. Wilson / S. Thompson 51

6.  K. Anderson / P. Anderson 52

7.  N. Fletcher / R. McCreedy 70

8.  J. Henderson / J. Henderson 71

9.  E. Patterson / K. Hall 78

10. M. Faulkner / J. Kelly 94