THE Skibbereen and District Car Club’s Endurance Trial was won by the Reenascreena crew of Luke McCarthy/Grace Santry (Toyota Starlet).
The winners finished three seconds ahead of the similar car of Karl O'Donoghue/Evin Hughes. McCarthy led throughout the 20 tests (through farm passes) in the Clonakilty/Rosscarbery region on Sunday.
It was only his third event in this discipline. He finished 20th overall after a number of issues on the Killarney Endurance Trial earlier in the year and was eighth in the Kerry MC event in Abbeydorney.
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‘It was good to get the win but the last test near Tulineaskey was the toughest of the day,’ he said.
Other locals to secure top-ten finishes were Kilbrittain’s Ricky Roycroft (Toyota Yaris), who finished fifth – one minute and 20 seconds off top spot. Ballineen's Johnny Kenneally (Toyota Starlet) and Rosscarbery's Martina O’Regan finished sixth overall, 11 seconds further behind.
Meanwhile, Dunmanway’s Conor McCarthy (Toyota Starlet) and Dripsey’s Gavin Sheehan finished 11th overall. The event was the final and deciding round of the Skoda Parts Ireland National Endurance Championship with O'Donoghue/Hughes, who finished second overall, taking maximum points to claim the title.
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Last Saturday's Motorsport Ireland Congress in Athlone, which did not allow any official media to attend, concluded with the sanctioning of the 2027 motorsport calendar.
Most of the hard work for the calendar was completed in early summer, but a request from the Clare Motor Club for a date change for the Clare Rally raised some tensions.
Motorsport Ireland had circulated a communication from the Clare club seeking a date change from August 29th to September 26th. It appears there was no reference in the letter that their preferred date clashed with the second day of the Cork ‘20’ Rally.
It is the norm that when a club applies for a new date, it communicates with clubs that are holding events around the same time. Apparently, the Clare organisers claimed, due to circumstances beyond their control, that several club members will be unavailable on their original date.
When a subsequent date (October 10th) was proposed, the Skibbereen & District Car Club delegates voiced their objection as this date was only two weeks prior to the Fastnet Rally. It was also highlighted that, were it granted, it would mean the two final rounds on the national series were in the same region and only two-weeks apart – a situation that was unacceptable.
