2008 Scallon Cup Report
28 November 2008
A moderate entry list of seventeen crews tackled tricky conditions on a demanding course during the Scallon Cup navigation rally organised last Friday by Omagh Motor Club.
The Dungannon pairing of David and Kyle Preston driving a Citroen Saxo retained their title and produced another impressive performance by incurring thirteen penalties during the 50 mile event.
The event started at the Glendale Filling station and during the first half of the rally, incorporated the route twisting through the narrow roads around the Glenhordial and Mountfield regions. The crews found difficulties with the dense fog conditions in which the first casualties of the event ,Dungannon crew Leslie and Gareth Hawe ,overshot a junction early on and caused damage to the steering arm to end their participation. The leaderboard at the half way halt located outside Drumnakilly, showed the Prestons were leading with one penalty incurred, closely followed by local crews David Kerr and Maurice Cresswell on three penalties and brothers William and David Howard in close contention on six penalties.
The second half of the course then traversed the Beragh and Sixmilecross areas and this proved to be more testing for crews later on with icy conditions to contend with, and this, proved decisive for Lisburn crew McDonald and Muldoon crashed their Mk 1 Escort out of the event on a slippery downhill section close to Todds Hill near Sixmilecross.
At the finish, the closely contested rally had a spread of only five penalties between the top four positions with the Howard pairing impressively filling the runners up spot and winning the championship novice class. The other local crew to shine in this class were father and son pairing Raymond and Gareth Deazley by claiming second in the class and a top five overall placing.
Also in the local novice class, there was an impressive showing from the Vance brothers, Richard and David, winning the class on a score of nineteen penalties which in turn secured David this year's Omagh Motor Club's Navigators trophy. Other local finishes were recorded Gordon Simpson and Adam Vance, Ian and Aaron Johnston, John Boyle and Austin Grimes.
At the prize giving ceremony at the Whistlers Inn, Sixmilecross, David Preston thanked Clerk of the Course, Derek Graham and Secretary of the meeting, Lewis Boyd on behalf of all competitors for putting together an excellent event.
Derek Graham
Posted by PMcCollum on 3/12/2008; Last updated by PMcCollum on 3/12/2008