Congratulations to team Ireland another spectacular result and a wonderful mad week…more pictures when I get Home…
Grandad!
Peter McKinley
Deidre McKinley
Darren Warwick
Saint Gouéno 2016
Category Archives: Hillclimb & Sprint
Saint-Gouéno 2016
Twenty-six Irish drivers have now entered the Saint-Gouéno Hillclimb masters event held in Côtes-d’Armor in Brittany France. This 3.2Km ribbon of Tarmac is considered by many to be one of the most prestigious motorsport events in the French Hillclimb calendar. The event runs from May 27/28/29 and attracts thousands of spectators who flank the entire hill all the way up to the infamous Fer à Cheval hairpin bend, where the faster cars approach this bend at well over 240Km/h, testing both the metal of the driver and their cars to their limits.
The event kicks off on the Thursday with the traditional welcome party for the masters drivers in the village of Saint-Gouéno where the guests sample the finest local French cuisine along with some excellent French wine and beer and some more wonderful French wine…
Heading up the Team Ireland is our champion Joe Courtney, Joe finished second last year behind Darren Warwick in his Dallara 399.
Rory Stephens is also making the trip with his Radical SR8 along with Deidre McKinley, and the legendary Simon McKinley Escort will be driven by Simon’s dad Peter. The Escort is sure to get a warm welcome as Simon had a legion of French fans who loved to see the car in action. Indeed one of the most popular areas in the paddock is the Irish camp; festooned with Irish flags, banners etc. The fans adore the party spirit of the Irish competitors, and a real party atmosphere runs all weekend practically 24hrs a day.
John Lloyd
Looking after the masters is John Lloyd & co, John has assembled a Dream Team and they have practically turned the event into a Click-and-drive affair. The amount of work that goes into this event is mind-boggling and these guys have a Bazillion things to organize over the course of the weekend. And we all really do owe John and his team a Big Thank You.
Past events in our Gallery:
Irish Drivers entry list courtesy of John Lloyd.
1. Barry Smith Ford Escort Mexico
2. Paul O’Connell BMW E30 V10
3. Ben O’Brien BMW M3
4. Cormac O’Brien Ray Formula Ford
5. Dermot Nolan SHP RT 2000
6. Peter Mc Kinley Ford Escort
7. Deirdre Mc Kinley Vauxhall Nova
8. Ivalo Linder Fiat Cinquecento
9. Derek McGuinnes Peugeot 205
10. Jack Kingston lotus Elan S4
11. Colm Hynes Ford Cortina GT
12. Denis Hogan BMW M3
13. Donal Grffin Hilman Avenger BRM
14. Emmet Dunne Dallara 391
15. Gary Cunningham Global Light GTJ
16. Peter Cummins Darian T90 GTR
17. Eanna Carrol Honda Civic
18. Neil Bradbury Fiat Chinquecento
19. Peter Dwyer Lola T96/50 F3000
20. Rory Stephens Radical SR8
21. Robert Swaine Van Diemen FF 1600
22. Brendan Keane Westfeild SeiW
23. Joe Courtney Reynard 913
24. Garry Egan Fiat Seicento
25. Mick O’Shea MGB GT
26. Billy White Fiat Seicento
Below is a list of websites well worth a visit..
Hillclimb Masters Website by John Lloyd.
Course de cote Saint Gouéno webpage
All things Hillclimb in Ireland:
Irish Hillclimb & Sprint webpage all the news, views, results and much much more.
Irish Speed Marshals FaceBook Page.
Vantage Point Video for the definitive collection of Irish Hillclimb Video & News.
Wexford Ahoy!
This weekend coming rounds 3 & 4 of the Irish Hillclimb and Sprint Championship are taking place in Bunclody in Co Wexford on May 21st & 22nd.
Our Hillclimb Champion Joe Courtney will be hoping to add to his points tally after two solid third place finishes in Ballyvaughan. Joe like many of the drivers will be heading to France next week to take part in the Saint Gouéno Hillclimb Masters where he finished second last year.
Wexford club promises a challenging two days of racing that will test both driver and car, and already Rory Grandad Stephens has thrown down the challenge, he is promising to “Beat The shi!!! Out of as many as I can” Well…Mmm, now, that’s a challenge-and-a-half! But I think the rest of the class may have other ideas,or they will politely just ignore his statement, time will tell.
After two 1st place finishes in Ballyvaughan Gary Eagan will be looking to extend his lead in the ever popular class 1B. But he better keep an on the lads behind as Neil Bradbury, Danny Herlihy and Billy White will be trying to even the score after Galway.
Class 4 is another excellent class to keep an eye on over the weekend as it produced an excellent battle between Sean Murray, Seamus Anderson and Mick O’Shea.
Sparks are set to fly again this weekend too in Class 3B, these fire breathing cars are among some of the fastest cars on the Hills, and are proper scary fast.
Thinking of spectating this weekend? Well please remember motorsport is dangerous and do follow Marshals instructions at all times. They are there for our safety.
For more up to date news visit Irish Hillclimb.com or click on the links below to find out more about the exciting world of Hillclimb.
Results from Rounds 1 & 2 are now online at Irish Hillclimb.com
Want to take a peek at the cars in action? Well pay a visit vantage Point Video
Clubs List and all things Hillclimb.
Irish Hillclimb & Sprint webpage all the news, views, results and much much more.
Irish Speed Marshals FaceBook Page.
Vantage Point Video for the definitive collection of Irish Hillclimb Video & News.
Cattle Drive 1916 – 2016
Reconstruction of Mullaghmore cattle drive which took place during Easter week 1916 in county Galway. For more information click here to read an article that appeared in the Tuam herald in 1986 written by the late Tony Boyle.
Ballyvaughan Hillclimb Weekend
Event Winner Sylvie Mullins Gould GR37
The Hillclimb Capital of the West once again produced an epic weekend of Racing, we are just adding the first of the pictures from the weekend…More to come later…
Video Slideshow
Ballyvaughan 2016
Rounds 1 & 2 of the 2016 Irish Hillclimb and Sprint are taking place this weekend in Ballyvaughan, and we remember our wonderful friends who are gone from our sight but not from our hearts.
Ian Quinn (right) Denis Hogan snr (left) and Simon McKinley (center).
We wish the very best of luck to Clare & Galway Motor Clubs and all of the drivers taking part.
Ian Quinn (right) Denis Hogan snr (left) and Simon McKinley (center).
Ballyvaughan Hillclimb Weekend
In just a few short days the Irish Hillclimb & Sprint championship will make its annual trip to the picturesque village of Ballyvaughan Co Clare, this year the Ballyvaughan Hillclimb weekend takes place on the 22nd – 24th of April.
This is one of the do not miss weekends of racing that features two magnificent hills which includes the world famous Corkscrew Hill and Ballyvaughan is also renowned for its hospitality and excellent sea food. Action gets underway early on Saturday (23) morning with some of the fastest race cars in Ireland going head-to-head in the stunning Burren.
Over the course of the weekend some very powerful machinery will compete for championship points on two challenging; yet technically different hills. The Corkscrew Hill is traditionally run on Saturday, and this year a brand new hill near Ballinalacken will be used on Sunday.
Joe Courtney Reynard 913
Joe Courtney our reining Hillclimb & Sprint champion will be eager to defend his title and securing maximum points from both days would be a dream start to his title hopes. But Joe will need to keep an eye on his mirrors as Rory Stephens and his amazingly good looking fire-breathing Radical will be chasing the championship title too..
Rory Stephens Radical SR8
Aidan Courtney
The championship has a wonderful array of classes and one of last years popular classes is class 1B the Fiat Cinquecento/Seicento cars. Last year Aidan Courtney secured the title in which some of the rounds were won by just a fraction of a second, in fact the cars are so closely matched that forgetting to fold in the side mirrors could mean the difference between first and second place, its that tight folks…
Ed Cassidy 1935 Iona Special
Keep an eye out too for the Historic cars as they give us a rare glimpse of yesteryear, and cars like the Iona Special of Ed Cassidy make a glorious sound when driven in anger, and these drivers really do push theses leviathans of speed hard on the hills.
The Ballyvaughan Hillclimb weekend is a very family friendly weekend of Motorsport, there is lots to see and do that will keep the smallest member of your crew entertained. A walk around the paddock(s) is highly recommended, it’s an excellent way to get up close to some of the stunning cars competing on the hills including some very rare historic cars. Drivers are only too happy answer questions about their cars and you’ll find out all sorts of Hillclimbing information and trivia too.
A word of warning, a paddock is a busy spot and young children should be supervised at all times, if you are taking pictures please do keep a discrete distance from the cars and allow crews to work away unhindered.
Why not visit the Aillwee caves, they are just a short distance away from the bottom of
Corkscrew Hill, or perhaps a walk across the stunning Burren where some of Irelands oldest Megalithic tombs are to be found. If you are feeling a bit peckish Logues Lodge in Ballyvaughan has an excellent menu and it’s a very cosy spot to rest your weary
feet.
Please Remember there will be traffic restrictions in place and if you are going to spectate at the event arrive early and always obey the directions of the Marshals who are there for our safety!
I highly recommend taking the coast road from Galway to Ballyvaughan as the views are simply stunning.
For more information, news, views and lots more visit the Irish Hillclimb Web page
Want to take a peek at the cars in action? Well pay a visit vantage Point Video
Clubs List and all things Hillclimb.
Irish Hillclimb & Sprint webpage all the news, views, results and much much more.
Irish Speed Marshals FaceBook Page.
Vantage Point Video for the definitive collection of Irish Hillclimb Video & News.
Tynagh Test Day
Frank Byrnes
Some of the Hillclimb regulars were doing a bit of pre-season testing at Tynagh today and we popped over to have a look. The pictures are in the gallery….
Clubs List and all things Hillclimb.
Irish Hillclimb & Sprint webpage all the news, views, results and much much more.
Irish Speed Marshals FaceBook Page.
Vantage Point Video for the definitive collection of Irish Hillclimb Video & News.
Pre Season Scrutiny
Frank Byrnes
There will be a Pre-Season Scrutiny event this coming Saturday 12th at Frank Byrnes Autobody Repairs in Oranmore Galway from 11am – 3pm and its open to drivers who are planning to compete in Hillclimb and Sprint events this year.
On Saturday not only will you be able to have your car checked out by a Motorsport Ireland Scrutineer, but they will also be able to advise you on the championship, Class eligibility, Roll Cage design, Seat Belts, Seats and much, much more.
John Linnane Motors will be hosting the event on Sunday the 13th from 11am – 3pm…
Clubs List and all things Hillclimb.
Irish Hillclimb & Sprint webpage all the news, views, results and much much more.
Irish Speed Marshals FaceBook Page.
Vantage Point Video for the definitive collection of Irish Hillclimb Video & News.
Blast off!!!
The 2016 Irish Hillclimb & Sprint championship was officially launched at the classic car show in the RDS yesterday. The stunning Motorsport Ireland stand featured some amazing cars from a wide variety of Irish motorsport classes.
The Hillclimb cars on show had a very busy two days at the show and were hugely popular with the public. Gary Eagan’s Cento with its new livery looked amazing, and of course Rory Stephens Radical SR8 once again stole the show with people queuing up to have their photo taken beside it…
The pictures are in the Gallery…And once again, welcome to the 2016 Naylor Engineering Irish Hillclimb & Sprint Championship. The first rounds are in Co Clare in April and we’ll have more news on that later….
Clubs List and all things Hillclimb.
Irish Hillclimb & Sprint webpage all the news, views, results and much much more.
Irish Speed Marshals FaceBook Page.
Vantage Point Video for the definitive collection of Irish Hillclimb Video & News.