PMC Targa Rally Report

Crothers and Kane Win, but Ferguson and McElroy are Tyrone Stars.

Mixing it up with the established Targa specialists was Stewartstown’s Trevor Ferguson at the Police Motor Club’s Woodside Group Targa Rally. Setting two fastest times on the day helped he and navigator David McElroy secure a fine third place overall on a highly competitive, and very tricky set of tests.

Third Place Overall and Trevor Ferguson and David McElroy were highest placed Tyrone competitors on the PMC Targa Rally. Photo Leslie McMullan

They were just eleven seconds behind the most popular of event winners, David Crothers and Barbara Kane, who like Trevor and David were driving a Mazda MX5.

A fine sunny day, with threatening rain that only made a brief appearance, produced a very enjoyable day’s rallying in the County Antrim area around Moira and Crumlin. Seven locations with some quite complicated requirements tested even the best crews as they made three loops during the day. Top seed, Mathew Mason in his Nissan Micra got off to a flying start but made a mistake on test three and wrecked his chances for the day.

Also in trouble with performing the tests correctly was top rated Christopher Evans. He would set seven fastest times during the day, but one small slip on test five ruined his day, and almost certainly cost him the overall trophy.

Unlucky this time, Eric Patterson kicks up the dirt on his way to twelfth overall with Raymond Donaldson in the navigator seat. Photo Leslie McMullan

Local star, Eric Patterson was to have mixed fortunes during the day as well. A couple of minor errors were enough to relegate him to twelfth place overall, and fifth in his class.

There were no such problems for David Crothers and Barbara Kane however. Six fastest times during the day, and fourteen times in the top four, secured their maiden victory on this type of event. Leader for most of the day, and just four seconds behind were Eamon Byrne and Robert Dickson in a Toyota Starlet.

Eamon Byrne and Robert Dickson led the event all day only to get caught out by a fallen pylon on the penultimate test. Photo Leslie McMullan

In third place overall was the sensational Trevor Ferguson, who has only recently tried his hand at this sport. With the experienced David McElroy in the navigator’s seat, this is a team that will have to be watched in future.

Coagh Driver Damien Mooney conducts Tony Anderson round one of the tricky lanes to finish second in class and sixth overall. Photo Leslie McMullan

Tyrone’s Damien Mooney and Tony Anderson kept the County well represented in the front wheel drive category. Using his regular Citroen Saxo, Damien would set two fastest times during the day, and avoiding mistakes netted him a terrific sixth place overall and second in class. Not so lucky this time were Parkanaur’s “Team McKeown”.

Not so lucky this time, Father and Son Team McKeown press on in their BMW 318i. Photo Leslie McMullan

Having been recently promoted into the semi-expert class, they found the going tough on this event and had “Fails” on three of the tests. The penalties associated with this plunged them down the order and they would finish in twelfth place in their class.

At the finish then, it was all about David Crothers and Barbara Kane, and their first Targa Rally win.

Overal winners, David Crothers and Barbara Kane leave everybody else in their dust at the PMC Targa Rally. Photo Leslie McMullan — Overal winners, David Crothers and Barbara Kane left everybody else in their dust at the PMC Targa Rally. Photo Leslie McMullan

As tradition dictates, the winner makes a short speech after receiving his award, and he summed up the day perfectly when he said it was a day for navigators. The tricky tests required good guidance form the navigator to make sure the tests were done correctly, and in his case, he thanked Barbara Kane for a perfect day.

Full results can be found at PMC Woodside Group Targa Results