Mulligan best placed local at CityNorth rally
The ALMC CityNorth Hotel stages rally took place last Sunday and despite the poor weather conditions, the event was completed on schedule. Damian Cole, competing in the event for the first time, with Craig Drew on the notes won the rally ahead of last year's winner, popular Swords businessman and ALMC member Michael Barrable. Trevor Mulligan was the best placed local drive and he completed the rally in a Mk2 Escort with Sean Hayde in the navigator's seat. Mulligan was less than two minutes behind the winner who was driving a Ford Focus RS WRC05. Cole brought his Ford Focus RS WRC05 to the finish at the City North Hotel having spent the day battling with Barrable and has now scored four out of four in the 2010 Richard Eager UK Asphalt Championship. Barrable with Damien Connolly alongside was second overall after making the running throughout the day until he lost 15 seconds on special stage eight, his Ford Focus suffering from a misfire through most of the day. UK Asphalt championship frontrunner Simon Mauger was third overall and won the inaugural ALMC Mk2 Escort Challenge. Fourth place overall went to local driver Trevor Mulligan, also in a Ford Escort Mk2 with Michael O'Brien in a Ford Focus finishing fifth. Group N honours and first place in the Irish Mitsubishi Evo Challenge went to Sam Moffett who drove a tactical rally to come home eighth overall. Ninth was Welsh competitor Neil Williams and co-driver Eurig Davis in a Ford Escort Mk2 followed by Stephen Cullen from Dublin in a Subaru Impreza N12 closing out the top ten. Results: 1, Damian Cole/Craig Drew (Focus WRC) 76m 31s; 2, Michael Barrable/Damien Connolly (Focus WRC) 76m 44s; 3, Simon Mauger/Ashley Trimble (Escort) 77m 41s; 4, Trevor Mulligan/Sean Hayde (Escort) 78m 23s; 5, Michael O'Brien/Patrick Walsh (Focus WRC) 78m 28s; 6, Brian Brogan/Damien McGettigan (Escort) 79m 33s; 7, Declan McNaughton/Denis O'Mahony (Escort) 79m 46s; 8, Sam Moffett/James O'Reilly (Lancer Evo 9 Gp N) 79m 56s; 9, Neil Williams/Eurig Davies (Escort) 80m 15s; 10, Stephen Cullen/Billy Collins (Impreza Gp N) 80m 47s. Group N Production class - 1, Sam Moffett/James O'Reilly; 2, Stephen Cullen/Billy Collins; 3, Brendan Cumiskey/Ronan O'Kane (Lancer Evo 9) 81m 19s. Juniors - 1, Alan Bardon/Ed Dunne (Civic) 45m 22s; 2, Billy McCarthy/John Falvey (Micra) 46m 15s; 3, Padraig Doory/Brian Purcell (Swift) 47m 50s.