2012 Boneshaker Rally Report
12 April 2013
A strong entry list of over twenty crews tackled a demanding 65 mile route in perfect weather conditions during the Bone Shaker Navigation Rally organised by Omagh Motor Club, which formed the fifth round of the McGrady Insurance Northern Ireland Navigation championship.
The eventual winners with nine minute penalties were the local pairing of Leslie Young and Lewis Boyd driving a Vauxhall Vectra winning by a convincing thirty penalties from Belfast pairing James Wood and Chris Ragg with the remaining podium placing going to Hubert and Elaine Scott from Ballygowan.
The first half of the rally started from the Gortrush Industrial estate and proceeded through the Gillygooley, Envagh and Baronscourt regions which proved costly to the 2011 winner and local navigator David Howard with driver Benny Grainger as they missed a passage control resulting in a costly thirty minute penalty. There was also a host of points incurred for most of the field when they wrongly negotiated a small triangular island and approached a passage control incorrectly at a junction close to Baronscourt church which proved decisive later with placings in all the classes.
At the halfway halt outside Newtownstewart, Young and Boyd had an impressive clean run with no penalties incurred whilst the Wood / Ragg pairing were on eighteen penalties with the Scott crew a further two penalties behind.
The second half of the course proved tricky as it looped around the Mary Gray and Dunmullan regions as most crews were dropping various time penalties due to the twisting and undulating course not allowing them to gain time although the Wood / Ragg and Scott crews incurred further penalties when both made a fundamental error of approaching the final control near Gortnagarn the wrong direction.
This result leaves local crew Young and Boyd consolidating their lead in the Northern Ireland championship which restarts in the autumn time with four rounds remaining.
In the semi expert class, Ciaran Carey and Rachel Muldoon continued their good form by comfortably winning with local father and son crew Raymond and Gareth Deazley consolidating their second spot in the Championship with another second placing.
The novice class was a close affair as there was a nine penalty difference between four crews with Brain Hanna / Paul Forsythe taking the honours from father and son crew Gavin and Stuart Campbell.
In the remaining class for the Rally School participants which was over a shorter route, Jonathan and Declan McAleer from Drumnakilly finished first on twelve penalties, closely followed by father and son crew Eddie and Ronan McCaffrey from Lisnarick and Omagh crew Keith Mackey and John McMahon completed the podium in this category.
At the prize giving ceremony at the The Millstone Bar, Gortnagarn, Leslie Young thanked Omagh Motor Club for putting together another excellent and enjoyable event.
Derek Graham
Posted by PMcCollum on 8/5/2013; Last updated by PMcCollum on 8/5/2013