2024 EMC Castle to Summit Targa

Mooney beats the bogey to take EMC win.

Despite the massive popularity of Targa rallies over the past decade, Enniskillen Motor Club had never tried their hand at organising such an event.  Until now, that is.  Last Saturday, the 16th March, saw sixty three club motorsport teams show up at Necarne Castle in Irvinestown for the inaugural Castle to Summit Targa Rally.

The forecast was for rain, so the front wheel drive men were crossing their fingers that it would appear at some stage, and come it did, after a very nice early morning.  Just as the crews tackled the first test in the grounds of Necarne Castle, the rain started to fall.   

Even with the slippy conditions, five crews managed to beat the first test target time, three of them front wheel drive, including the eventual winners Damien Mooney and Tony Anderson in their Citroen Saxo.  Another of those beating the target was top seeded crew of Philip and Kim Hunter from Cookstown in a Toyota MR2, and they would set the fastest time on the first three tests to hold the early lead.

After all five tests had been completed once, crews were back at Irvinestown for a short break and then do it all over again.  On this first loop, Damien Mooney was in the lead ahead of Robert Robinson and Grace King in a Toyota Yaris, with Wicklow’s Eamonn Byrne, also in a Toyota Yaris and partnered by Ronnie Griffin, tied for third place with Ché Donnelly and Rebecca McKenna in an MR2 Toyota.  Early leader Philip and Kim Hunter were back in tenth place after a mistake on test number four when they managed to reverse into a ditch and got stuck!

Out of the rally already were two of the oldest cars taking part, the Ford Anglia of Arthur and Adam McMullan and the Austin Healey “Frog-Eye” Sprite of Angus Johnston and George McMillen.  Ronnie Boyd and Tristan Kelly had the dubious honour of only completing the first test before having to head for home.

The weather was getting worse as crews headed off for the second loop.  Nevertheless, on the Necrane test, four crews again beat or matched the target, the leaders Mooney and Anderson being one of them.  Just as in the first loop, the leaders beat the bogey time on three of the five tests.  The Hunters managed to hit a cone on the Necrane test to incur a ten second penalty, but were still in fifth place courtesy of setting fastest times on six of the ten tests so far.

Unfortunately, this would be as far as local stars Alistair Fisher and William Mavitty would get in their Mazda MX5 when the clutch failed on the first test of the third loop.  Also falling by the wayside on the second loop would be Stewartstown’s Norman Ferguson and John Nicholl with a suspected fuel pump problem, as well as Donaghmore’s Michael Faloon and Sam Hayes who’s alternator stopped working on their Toyota MR2.

The third and final loop saw a number of close battles resolved.  At the head of the field, Robert Robinson and Eamonn Byrne, both driving Toyota Yaris, traded times all day and Robert Robinson would come out on top by ten seconds.  In the rear wheel drive semi-expert class, Chris Nelson and Caleb Cuddy ended up just two seconds apart with Chris taking the class win and eighth place overall.

Best Novices in Class 6 were Aaron and George Kennedy in a Mazda MX5, and in the front wheel drive Novice class it was Barry McCann and Niall McCarron in a Toyota Celica.

All-in-all it was a great first event of this type for the Enniskillen Motor Club.  On the one hand the weather wasn’t so nice, but it made the tests very challenging and a new event on the calendar is always a good thing.

Full results can be found here ==> RESULTS BOOK

RESULTS OVERALL

1. D.Mooney/T.Anderson (Saxo) 27.14;
2. R.Robinson/G.King (Yaris) 27.26;
3. E.Byrne/R.Griffin (Yaris) 27.36;
4. C.Donnelly/R.McKenna (MR2) 27.51;
5. P.Hunter/K.Hunter (MR2) 28.07;
6. N.Donnelly/S.O’Hanlon (MR2) 28.07;
7. J.Burns/D.Burns (Fiesta) 28.44;
8. C.Nelson/D.Young (MR2) 29.24;
9. C.Cuddy/R.Cuddy (MR2) 29.26;
10. P.Magill/P.Mehaffey (MX5) 29.48.

CLASS RESULTS

• Class 1: 1st Mooney/Anderson; 2nd Robinson/King; 3rd Byrne/Griffin.
• Class 2: 1st Donnelly/McKenna; 2nd Hunter/Hunter; 3rd Donnelly/O’Hanlon.
• Class 3: 1st Haslett/Haslett; 2nd Henderson/Henderson; 3rd Murray/Murray.
• Class 4: 1st Nelson/Young; 2nd Cuddy/Cuddy; 3rd Magill/Mehaffey.
• Class 5: 1st McCann/McCarron; 2nd Montgomery/Montgomery; 3rd O’Neill/McQuaid.
• Class 6: 1st Kennedy/Kennedy; 2nd Mallon/Connolly; 3rd Clery/Halferty.